JP2009093377A - Printing system and printing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing system that enables users to select templates easily by effectively displaying frequently used, popular template images, and to provide a printing method. <P>SOLUTION: The printing method displays a composite of a selected print image and a template for decorating the selected print image on a display part 15a and prints the composite image by a printer device 30. In the printing method, a control part 21 provides the control of counting frequencies of selected templates, collecting the counted frequencies to rank the frequencies in descending order and outputting the collection result. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing system and a printing method capable of effectively displaying a frequently used template image.

  In recent years, in order to print images taken with a digital still camera, a removable storage medium such as a memory card that can be attached to and detached from the digital still camera has been installed in a print kiosk terminal with a built-in printer installed in a photographic store or on the street. So-called self-printing, in which printing is performed by mounting, is widely performed. This print kiosk terminal is usually equipped with a touch panel display, etc., so that it is possible to input the contents relating to the print order without going through a store clerk or a full-time operator, and the desired print image can be obtained easily and reliably. Can be done.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique related to an order process in which a user performs a desired selection and setting by operating a touch panel on an order screen and receives a print order of image information stored in a storage medium. Yes.

  Recently, template images are stored in advance in this print kiosk terminal, and it is possible to perform so-called design printing, in which print output is performed by combining image information stored in a storage medium brought by the user. Thus, the user can output a print in which a design suitable for the season and location is freely added.

JP 2003-75930 A

  In this design print, a plurality of templates are displayed as a template selection screen on the user's operation screen, and the user can freely select a desired template from among the displayed templates to synthesize the design print. Will be output.

  By the way, this template is generally displayed on the selection screen in the order of the name, the date of data creation, and the output order of the file search engine of the system (OS).

  However, as the popularity of design prints increases and the purpose of improving customer satisfaction, the number of templates increases, and various templates are displayed on the template selection screen so that they can be selected across multiple pages. became. As a result, the time required for the user to search for a desired template from among a large number of templates displayed on the selection screen in order of name or the like is relatively increased, resulting in a problem that the system operation rate is lowered. In addition, the troublesomeness associated with selecting from a large number of templates has caused the number of users who use design prints to decrease.

  The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and provides a printing system and a printing method that can effectively display and select a frequently used popular template image. Objective.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a printing system according to the present invention includes a display unit that combines and displays a print image and a template that decorates the print image, and a selection unit that selects the print image and the template. In a printing system having an image display device provided and a printing unit that prints the combined image, the number of selections of the template selected by the selection unit is counted, and the number of selections within a predetermined period counted. Aggregating means that aggregates and ranks in descending order of selection, and control means that controls to output the aggregation results by the aggregation means.

  In the printing method according to the present invention, the print unit selected by the selection unit and the template for decorating the print image selected by the selection unit are combined and displayed on the display unit, and the print unit selects the above-described print method. In the printing method for printing the synthesized image, the counting unit counts the number of selections of the template selected by the selection unit, totals the counted selections, and ranks them in descending order. And a control unit that controls to output a totaling result by the totaling unit.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to effectively display a template with a high use frequency on the selection screen by counting and summing up the use frequency of the templates and assigning priorities. As a result, the operation time can be reduced, and the chances of viewing a favorite template can be increased, so that the number of design print users can be increased.

  Hereinafter, a printing system to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. This print system is installed in a public place such as a station or a hotel, and is applied to a print kiosk terminal that provides a service for printing image data stored in a removable storage medium such as a memory card brought by a user. It is used for a printing system. In this printing system, a sublimation type thermal transfer printer having excellent color reproducibility is used as a printer device in view of printing a photograph.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a print system 1 to which the present invention is applied includes an image data display device 10 for displaying and selecting image data to be printed by inputting image data from a removable recording medium such as a memory card, and the like. And a printer device 30 that prints image data selected by the data display device 10. For example, the image data display device 10 and the printer device 30 are connected by wire or wirelessly and are installed adjacent to each other or incorporated in one housing.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image data display device 10 constituting the print system 1 includes various drives for reading a removable recording medium brought by the user. Specifically, a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory is used as a storage element, a USB flash memory interreader 11 that reads out image data stored in the storage element through a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface, a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD (Digital An optical disk drive 12 that reads image data from an optical disk such as a Versatile Disk, a memory card reader 13 that reads image data stored in a storage element from a memory card that uses a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory as a storage element, and a user brought And a scanner 14 for optically reading a photograph.

  The image data display device 10 displays image data input from the USB flash memory reader 11, the optical disk drive 12, the memory card reader 13, and the scanner 14, and is displayed on the touch panel 15. An image memory 16 for temporarily storing image data to be stored, a storage unit 17 for storing log data such as the number of prints and the number of times of use of a template such as a frame provided around the image data at the time of image printing, and the overall operation. A control program for controlling, a template such as a frame for decorating image data, a ROM 18 storing character and symbol tables to be added to the image data, and a color table, a template such as a control program and a selected frame, etc. temporarily RAM 19 to be loaded and at a predetermined time It includes a timer 20 for counting, and a control unit 21 that controls the entire operation based on the input operation signal by the control program and user.

  The image data display device 10 also includes a printer I / F 22 that outputs image data to be printed with the printer device 30, and a communication I / F 23 that communicates with an external management device 40 and the like via a network such as the Internet. ing.

  The touch panel 15 includes a display unit 15a that displays image data and the like, and an input unit 15b that generates an operation signal when operated by a user. The touch panel 15 touches the screen with a finger or a dedicated pen, detects a position touched by the finger or the dedicated pen, specifies a position on the screen, and inputs an operation signal to the control unit 21. Specifically, a change in pressure is detected, or an electric signal due to static electricity is detected to specify a position on the screen, and an operation signal is generated.

  For example, the touch panel 15 displays a plurality of image data stored in a USB flash memory, an optical disk, a memory card or the like as thumbnails, and one or more of the displayed thumbnail images can be selected.

  The image memory 16 is a memory for storing image data to be displayed on the touch panel 15, and includes, for example, processing of selected image data, for example, zoom processing, processing for moving a zoom area, rotation processing for image data, text When the text data addition process such as the above, the synthesis process with the frame, and the like are performed, the processed image data is stored and output to the touch panel 15.

  The storage unit 17 is composed of a hard disk or the like, and records printing log data and the like. For example, the storage unit 17 stores, as log data, the number of times a template such as a frame to be combined with image data is selected, the number of printed sheets, and the like. This log data is transmitted to the management device 40 so that the administrator can use it referring to the degree of popularity of a template such as a frame, and is popular when the user selects a template such as a frame. It can be used to perform processing for preferentially displaying the template on the template selection screen. The log data can also be stored in a removable recording medium attached to the USB flash memory I / F 11, the optical disk drive 12, the memory card reader 13, and the like. The storage unit 17 stores data such as frames.

  The ROM 18 is an EP-ROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) or the like, and stores a browser for displaying the read image data as a thumbnail, a processing program for processing the image data, and the like. Such various programs are read into the RAM 19 according to the operation signal.

  The timer 20 measures time and a predetermined time. For example, the timer 20 stores the above log data in the storage unit 17 in association with the printing time. Further, when counting the number of prints and the number of selections within a predetermined period, a predetermined period such as one month is counted.

  The control unit 21 is configured by a CPU or the like, and performs predetermined arithmetic processing according to a program in accordance with an operation signal or the like.

  For example, when a predetermined unit image is selected on the touch panel 15, the control unit 21 performs a process of changing the display state of the selected image data and changing the display state, and processing the selected image data. In response to the operation signal, the selected image data is subjected to zoom processing, processing to move the area to be zoomed, image data rotation processing, text data addition processing, etc. The synthesis process is performed.

  The printer I / F 22 is connected to the printer device 30 in a wired or wireless manner, and outputs image data to be printed to the printer device 30. The communication I / F 23 is connected to, for example, the management device 40 via a network such as the Internet. For example, the communication I / F 23 transmits log data or the like stored in the storage unit 17 to the management device 40 according to a predetermined protocol such as TCP / IP.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a printer device 30 connected to the image data display device 10 via a printer I / F 22 has a thermal head 31 that forms a color image by sublimating dye on an ink ribbon on plain paper or the like. A print data generation unit 32 that generates print data to be printed from image data input from the printer I / F 22 of the image data display device 10, a head control unit 33 that drives and controls the thermal head 31, and an ink ribbon. An ink ribbon running section 34 for feeding the recording paper, and a recording paper transporting section 35 for transporting the recording paper.

  In the thermal head 31, a plurality of heating elements are linearly arranged in the width direction of a roll paper or the like, and a driving current corresponding to print data is supplied to the heating elements, so that the plurality of heating elements are selectively selected. Make it heat up. The thermal head 31 faces the platen, presses the ink ribbon against the recording paper, and applies heat energy from the ink ribbon side to sublimate the dye and transfer the dye onto the recording paper. .

  The print data generation unit 32 converts the image data into print data. Specifically, the print data generation unit 32 performs color conversion processing that converts image data into a YMC color space that is an ink color, and performs predetermined processing such as gamma conversion processing that matches color development characteristics of a roll paper or the like. Then, the head control unit 33 generates a drive signal for the thermal head 31 according to the print data generated by the print data generation unit 32, and supplies the drive signal to the thermal head 31, thereby generating image data to be printed. Accordingly, the drive of the thermal head 31 is controlled.

  The ink ribbon running unit 34 causes the ribbon cartridge to run the ink ribbon wound around the supply reel and the winding reel. Here, for example, yellow, cyan, magenta, and laminate film are arranged in the order of surface in the running direction, and a single photo is recorded with a set of yellow, cyan, magenta, and laminate film. It is designed to form on paper.

  The recording paper transport unit 35 includes a transport roller, a plurality of drive rollers, and the like, and transports recording paper such as roll paper from the paper feed unit to the paper discharge unit via the thermal head 31. In order to form an image on the recording paper, it is necessary to sequentially transfer yellow, cyan, magenta, and a laminate film. Therefore, the recording paper running unit 35 first runs the recording paper in synchronization with the ink ribbon so that yellow is thermally transferred to the recording paper, and then runs the recording paper in the reverse direction to cue, Cyan is thermally transferred onto yellow, and the recording paper is run in the reverse direction to cue, so that magenta is thermally transferred onto cyan, and this process is repeated to repeat yellow, cyan, magenta, and laminate. The thermal transfer can be performed on the recording paper in the order of the film.

  Next, in the printer system 1 to which the present invention is applied, processing from reading out image data from a removable recording medium brought by the user, synthesizing the image data to be used for printing and a template, and printing out is shown in FIG. This will be described with reference to the main flow.

  First, in step S1, the image data display device 10 displays a standby screen (not shown) on the display unit 15a of the touch panel 15 in an operation standby state, and a start button displayed on the standby screen is touched. Then, the media selection screen 50 shown in FIG. 4 is displayed, and the input media is selected.

  The media selection screen 50 is a screen for selecting a medium from which image data or print data is read. The USB memory, the optical disc, and various memory cards attached to the USB flash memory reader 11, the optical disc drive 12, and the memory card reader 13, respectively. The medium can be specified by touching the icon representing the.

  When the medium from which the image data is read is designated, the process proceeds to step S2, and a print menu screen 51 is displayed on the display unit 15a as shown in FIG. 5, and an output service is selected. The print menu screen 51 is used to select a printing method for the read image data. For example, the print size is L size (127 mm × 89 mm), KG size (152 mm × 102 mm), 2L size (178 mm × 127 mm), A4 size (297 mm × 210mm) and other special menu icons 51b such as “Quick Print All Pictures”, “Border”, “Collage”, and “Scrapbook” are displayed.

  The print size selection icon 51a is an icon for determining the print size, and the control unit 21 sets the selected size as a default size and selects it unless the user performs a size change operation on individual image data. The printed image data is printed at the default size set by the print size selection icon 51a.

  Of the special menu icons 51b, the “Quick Print All Pictures” icon is set to print all the read image data. The “Border” icon is set to decorate the read image data using templates such as various frames. The “Collage” icon is used to edit a part of the read image data so as to form one print image by cutting out a part or all of the read image data and pasting it on the other read image data. The “Scrapbook” icon is for printing a part of the read image data and performing various edits such as pasting it on one print screen together with other image data.

  Other special menu icons 51b include “Creative Print” for performing editing such as “Border”, “Collage”, and “Scrapbook” for each image data, “CD Creation” for recording image data on an optical disk such as a CD-R, “Index Print” or the like for displaying a list of all images for printing is displayed. Note that the size of the print size selection icon 51a and the menu of the special menu icon 51b can be added, changed, or reduced as appropriate.

  When the “Border” icon is touched among the special menu icons 51b, the control unit 21 shifts the display on the touch panel 15 to the template selection screen 53 shown in FIG. Here, the template means a frame or the like decorated with a figure or a character that is combined with an image stored in a storage medium or the like brought in by the user to realize a design print.

  At this time, in step S3, the template display list displayed on the template selection screen 53 is updated. Specifically, the control unit 21 counts the number of selections such as the number of selected prints and the number of selections of each template within a predetermined period, such as one month, which is measured by the timer 20, and based on the count data, The number of template selections is aggregated, and the priority order of each template is determined in descending order of the number of selections. Then, the control unit 21 determines the display order of the templates based on the total result, creates a display order list of templates on the template selection screen 53, and controls the display of the template selection screen 53 on the display unit 15a. To do. Thereby, it is possible to preferentially display a template having a high selection frequency within a predetermined period, that is, a popular template. Further, for example, in the display unit 15a, the templates below the predetermined priority order are not displayed, or the templates with a high selection frequency are displayed on the first page of the template selection screen 53, or the like. The configuration can be changed. Detailed description will be described later with reference to the subflow of FIG.

  Here, the number of selected templates is, as described above, the number of selected prints of each template (that is, the actual number of prints provided for printing using a predetermined template) or the number of selections (that is, the number of prints). The number of times a predetermined template is selected for printing), for example, for each template, the selected number of prints and the number of times of selection are variously weighted, and the selected print is not based on simple addition. It includes the meaning of the number of sheets and the number of selections. In addition, when the number of selected prints is 10, the number of times of selection is one, and based on this, the number of selected prints and the number of times of selection are combined with not only the simple number of times of selection but also the number of selected prints. The meaning of the selection number is also included.

  A plurality of template images are displayed on the template display sheet 54 on the template selection screen 53. The template display sheet 54 is classified for each design type of the template, and a tab 54a indicating the design type is provided. By touching the tab 54a, the template display sheet 54 on which another template design is displayed is displayed. Can do.

  Template design types include “Decorative”, which displays decorative templates, “Halloween”, which displays templates with Halloween motifs, and templates that use events such as Christmas, New Year, birthdays, and marriages as motifs. There are “Special Events” that is displayed, “Special Events-Baby” that displays templates suitable for reporting births, and “Sports” that displays sports motifs. Note that the types of template display sheets on which these various templates are displayed for each design type can be added, changed, and deleted as appropriate.

  In addition, the template selection screen 53 displays a “Start Over” icon for returning to the initial screen, a “Go Back” icon for returning to the print menu screen 51, and a “Help?” Icon used when the operation is unknown.

  Next, in step S4, a desired template is selected from the template selection screen 53. When the user selects a template to be used by touching the template screen, the template display frame becomes thicker than the other display frames, the background color of the template display frame changes from the others, and the selected state is set. If the “OK” icon is touched in this state, the process proceeds to step S5, and the control unit 21 shifts the display on the touch panel 15 to the print image selection screen 52 shown in FIG.

  In step S <b> 5, the control unit 21 reads the image data stored in the previously specified removable storage medium for thumbnail display on the display unit 15 a of the touch panel 15 and stores it in the image memory 16. Then, the control unit 21 displays the thumbnails of the image data read from the image memory 16 on the display unit 15a in a predetermined order, for example, in the order of the latest shooting date and time, on the print image selection screen 52 shown in FIG. Then, image data to be combined with the frame previously selected by the user is selected by touching the thumbnail. The control unit 21 indicates that the selected thumbnail display frame is made thicker than others, or the background color of the display frame is changed, for example, so that the selected thumbnail is displayed. When the image is selected and the “OK” icon is touched, the control unit 21 proceeds to step S6 and shifts the display on the touch panel 15 to the print image composition screen 55 shown in FIG.

  If the print data such as DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) (registered trademark) related to the image data is created in the memory card, the control unit 21 also reads out the print data and creates the print data. The displayed image data may be displayed as a thumbnail with priority.

  In step S6, the control unit 21 combines the template selected in step S4 with the thumbnail image selected in step S5, and displays the print image combination screen 55 on the display unit 15a. The print image composition screen 55 includes a photo display unit 56 that displays a composite photo 82 obtained by compositing the selected template 80 and the selected image 81, a character addition icon 57 for adding characters to the template 80, and an addition A color selection palette 58 for changing the color of the selected character, an adjustment button 59 for adjusting the position of the character in the frame 80, character modification buttons 60a to 60e for specifying a character size, a font, and the like are displayed.

  The control unit 21 finishes editing the composition of the frame 80 and the thumbnail image 81 and the modification of the character string L added in the frame 80 on the print image composition screen 55 described above, and clicks “OK” at the lower right of the screen. Is touched, the composite image is stored in the image memory 16 and the print image composition screen 55 is closed, and the process proceeds to step S7 to shift to an order confirmation screen (not shown).

  In step S <b> 7, the control unit 21 displays the ordered number and the fee for each print size and the total amount on the order confirmation screen. When the OK button is touched on this order confirmation screen, the order is confirmed.

  When the order is confirmed in step S7, the process proceeds to step S8. In this step S8, the template information selected in the order, that is, the type name of the template, the number of times of selection, and the number of printed sheets are the template information database (DB). Saved in. Specifically, the type name of the template, the order date and time, the number of selected prints, the number of selections, and the like are stored as log data in the storage unit 17 constituted by a hard disk or the like.

  In step S9, the print data determined in step S7 is output to the printer device 30 via the printer I / F 22, and a photograph is printed.

  In the print system 1, the communication I / F 23 is connected to, for example, the management apparatus 40 via a network such as the Internet. The communication I / F 21 transmits log data and the like stored in the storage unit 17 to the management apparatus 40 according to a predetermined protocol such as TCP / IP. The log data stored in the storage unit 17 includes the template type name, the order date and time, the number of template selection prints, the number of selections, and the like as described above. The template information is output and transmitted to the management apparatus 40. Thus, the management device 40 enables marketing management based on the information. As described above, the print system according to the present embodiment includes an output unit that outputs information related to a template obtained by aggregating information within a predetermined period. Therefore, the print system can be used as a marketing system related to a template image. In the storage capacity, it is possible to effectively use a template adapted to the installation location, season, etc., and the user can find a desired template in a short time.

  Furthermore, in this print system 1, since the printer I / F 22 is connected to the printer device 30 by wire or wirelessly, not only the image data to be printed, but also the aggregation results relating to the template information aggregated in the control unit 21. Can be output to the printer device 30 and the totaled result can be printed.

  Next, the template display list update process will be described with reference to the subflow of FIG.

  First, in step S31, the template data stored in the template selection information database (DB) in step S8 of the main flow in FIG. 3 is acquired. Specifically, the control unit 21 acquires template data from a DB storing template data related to the number of selections such as the type name of the template and the order date and time, for example, the number of selected prints, stored in the storage unit 17. In the following, the description will be continued by taking the number of selected prints as an example of the number of selected templates.

  Next, in step S32, it is determined whether the data acquired from the DB is within a predetermined period, for example, within one month. If the data obtained is within one month (YES in step S32 (Y)), the process proceeds to step S33. On the other hand, if the acquired data is not within one month (NO in step S32), the process from step S31 is repeated to acquire another template data from the DB. In this way, by creating a display list based only on data within a predetermined period, when a template reflecting the season or the like tends to be popular, the template with a sense of the season is preferentially displayed on the selection screen. I am doing so. Note that the predetermined period is not limited to one month, and may be data aggregated over several months. In addition, data for every day or every several hours is aggregated, and the time period of the day. Template display that reflects the degree of popularity that changes may be realized.

  In step S33, it is determined whether or not the display order list (ListA) has the same template name as the template data acquired from the DB. This display order list (ListA) is the cumulative selected number of prints until just before the display list update process for each template arranged in order of name, date of data creation, output order of the file search engine of the system (OS), etc. Is a stored list. If the template name identical to the template name acquired from this DB exists in ListA (YES in step S33), the process proceeds to step S34. If not (NO in step S33), the process proceeds to step S34. Proceed to step S35.

  In step S33, if the same template name exists in ListA, in step S34, the selected number of data obtained from the DB is added to the template name of ListA, and the process proceeds to step S36. In this way, by adding the number of orders in the predetermined period to List A, it is possible to reflect the template selection trend in the predetermined period in the list.

  On the other hand, in step S33, if the same template name does not exist in List A, in step S35, the template name which is the template data acquired from the DB and the selected print number are written and stored in List A, and the process proceeds to step S36. As a result, the newly designed template can be reflected in the list.

  In step S36, it is determined whether there is still data to be read in the DB. If data still remains in the DB (YES in step S36), the processing from step S31 is repeated. On the other hand, if no data remains in the DB (NO in step S36), the ListA creation process is terminated, and the process proceeds to step S37.

In step S37, the index count for ListA is initialized to 1 (IndexI = 1), and the process proceeds to step S38. Index count for this ListA counts the I-th element _{A i} of ListA.

Then, in the following process, the I-th element A _i is obtained from List A, and from Template A to which the information on the number of selected prints within a predetermined period (for example, within one month) of each template is added, A list (ListB) is created. The template display list (ListB) is referred to by the control unit 21, and the templates on the template selection screen 53 are arranged in the order of the list and displayed on the display unit 15a. Display with priority from the largest number.

In step S38, when the I-th element A _i is acquired from List A, the process proceeds to step S39, where it is determined whether there is no element A _{i to} be acquired and List A ends. If there is an element A _{i to} be acquired (NO in step S39), the process proceeds to step S40, and if there is no element A _i and List A is the end (YES (Y) in step S39). Then, the process ends (End).

In step S40, the index count for ListB is initialized to 1 (IndexJ = 1) in step S40, and then the process proceeds to step S41. Index count for ListB counts the J-th element _{B j} of ListB.

In step S41, the J-th element B _j is obtained from ListB, and the process proceeds to step S42, where it is determined whether there is no element B _{j to} be obtained and ListB ends. If there is an element B _{j to} be acquired (NO (N) in step S42), the process proceeds to step S44, where the number of elements A _{i and} the number of elements B _j are compared in step S44. It is determined whether “the number of A _i > the number of B _j ”. No element _{B j} to obtain, in a case where is the end is ListB (YES in step S42 (Y)), the process proceeds to step S43, and insert the element _{A i} in the last Oite ListB in step S43, the element A I is incremented and the processing from step S38 is repeated.

If “the number of A _i > the number of B _j ” in step S44, the process proceeds to step S45 (YES in step S44), and in step S45, the element A _i precedes the element B _j of ListB. Is inserted, and templates are listed in order from the one with the largest selected number of prints in ListB. Then, I of element A of ListA is incremented, and the process from step S38 is repeated for element A _{i + 1} next.

On the other hand, if “the number of A _i ≦ the number of B _j ” in step S44 (NO (N) in step S44), J of List B element B is incremented, and element A _i of List A is incremented. On the other hand, for the element B _{j + 1} of ListB, the processing from step S41 is repeated.

Here, a specific example, to describe the process from step S38 to step S45, for example, at step S38, the I = 1 th element _{A 1} is obtained from ListA, elements _{A 1} to be retrieved Since ListA is not the end, the process proceeds to step S40 (N in step S39), and in step S40, the index count for ListB is initialized to 1 (IndexJ = 1). And then, in step S41, it acquires the J-th element _{B j} from ListB. However, since there is no element B _{j to} be acquired in ListB yet, it is determined in Step S42 that ListB is over (Y in Step S42). Then, in step S43, 1 th element _{A 1} of the ListA is inserted at the end (the first at the stage of this example) of ListB. In this way, for the first time, from List A that lists data reflecting the number of selected prints within a predetermined period within one month, the display list is preferentially arranged in descending order of the number of selected prints for template display. That is, the element (B ₁ ) is added to ListB.

Then, when element A ₁ is inserted at the end of ListB (ie, element A ₁ becomes element B _{1 of} ListB), by incrementing, for I = 2nd element A ₂ from step S38 The process is repeated.

When incremented, in step S38, an element A2 with I = ₂ is obtained from ListA. There are elements _{A 2} to be acquired, ListA proceeds to step S40 since it is not the end (N in step S39), at step S40, initializes the index count 1 relates ListB (IndexJ = 1) to. In other words, the target of subsequent processing is directed to the element B ₁ out of the elements B _{j in} ListB. Then, in step S41, since there is an element _{B 1} represents the ListB, acquires the element _{B 1,} the process proceeds to step S44 (N at step S42).

At step S44, he compares the number of each element template with elements _{B 1} element _{A 2} and ListB this ListA. Specifically, it is determined whether the "number element> the number of B ₁ element A _2". If “the number of elements A ₂ > the number of elements B ₁ ” (Y in step S44), the process proceeds to step S45, in which element A ₂ is inserted before element B ₁ and incremented in ListB. for then I = 3 th element _{a 3,} the process from step S38 is repeated. In this case, the element _{A 2} in front of the element _{B 1} is inserted in the ListB, Within ListB, this element _{A 2} is newly element _{B 1,} and the newly what was an element _{B 1} element _{B 2} In other words, the elements are listed in the descending order of the number of selected print sheets from the element B _{1 in} List B in order (B ₁ , B ₂ , B ₃ ,... B _j ).

On the other hand, if a "number of sheets ≦ elements _{B 1} element _{A 2"} (N in step S44), increments the J of ListB, it repeats the process from step S41. That retrieving elements _{B 2} from ListB. In this example, since it does not yet exist elements _{B 2} to ListB, the element _{A 2} in (Y in step S42), step S43 is determined to end the ListB in step S42 is inserted into the end of ListB . Incidentally, if the element B ₂ will be described on the assumption that there, elements A ₂ described above, in step S44, in turn compares the elements B ₂ and number, the process proceeds to step S45, the last elements B ₁ Then, it is inserted before the element B ₂ or incremented again, and the number of elements B _j after the element B _{3 of} the List B is compared in the same way, and the position of the element A _{2 in} the List B is determined. To go.

The process as described above is repeated until there is no element A _{i to} be acquired in List A, which is a random template display order list reflecting the information on the selected number of printed sheets within a predetermined period, and there is no element A _{i to} be acquired. In step S39, the template display list update process ends.

  In the updated display list (ListB), the templates are arranged in an order reflecting the number of templates selected and printed within a predetermined period such as one month, that is, the order of priority is determined in descending order of the number of selected prints. Therefore, a display list is realized in accordance with the property that the user's preference changes depending on the season.

  The updated display list is output to the display unit 15a by the control unit 21, and is displayed as the template selection screen 53 on the display unit 15a based on the display list.

  At this time, the entire template display list arranged in the descending order of the number of prints to be selected may be output as it is and displayed on the template selection screen 53. However, only the templates from the top to the predetermined order are displayed. You may process so that the template below a predetermined order may not be displayed.

  Specifically, when the template display list is output to the display unit 15a, the control unit 21 performs a filtering process so that the templates are output up to a predetermined order of the templates in the display list, whereby a predetermined order or less is obtained. Are not output, and only popular templates that are frequently used are displayed on the template selection screen 53. This allows the user to find the desired template easily and efficiently.

  In this embodiment, the display list is created based on the number of selected print sheets. However, the display list may be created by comparing the number of template selections. Furthermore, the weight of each template is changed for each region or season. For example, if it is the Christmas season, the template image associated with Christmas is made more weighted, and the number of selections can be made more than other templates. As a result of comparison with other templates, the priority order of templates relatively related to Christmas may be higher, and the higher priority may be displayed based on this priority order.

  Further, regarding the display order determination and display list creation based on the priority order of each template obtained by counting the number of selections described above, the design type classified for each design type in the template selection screen 53 shown in FIG. Of course, for each tab 54a shown, the number of selections of each template existing in the tab 54a may be totaled to create a display list. Further, for each design type framed by this tab 54a, the total number of selections of each template belonging to that type is totaled to determine the priority order among the design types, and the display order is determined based on this priority order. And the tabs 54a of the template selection screen 53 may be rearranged and displayed. Even in this case, the operation in determining the display order for each design type can be controlled by performing the same process as the flow shown in FIG. 9 described above. For example, each design type within a predetermined period can be controlled. If the total number of templates belonging to the group is large in the order of “Halloween”, “Sports”, “Special Events”, “Decorative”, etc., the templates in this order based on this priority The tabs 54a of that type can be displayed in order from the left side of the selection screen 53.

  In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the hardware configuration has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and arbitrary processing may be realized by causing a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to execute a computer program. Is possible. In this case, the computer program can be provided by being recorded on a recording medium, or can be provided by being transmitted via the Internet or another transmission medium.

1 is a perspective view showing a printing system to which the present invention is applied. 1 is a block diagram of a printing system. It is a flowchart which shows a reception process. It is a figure which shows a media selection screen. It is a figure which shows a print menu screen. It is a figure which shows a template selection screen. It is a figure which shows a printing image selection screen. It is a figure which shows a print image composition screen. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of a template display list update process.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Print system, 10 Image data display apparatus, 15 Touch panel, 30 Printer apparatus, 50 Media selection screen, 51 Print menu screen, 52 Print increase selection screen, 53 Template selection screen, 54 Frame display sheet, 55 Print image composition screen, 56 Photo display

Claims (6)

An image display device comprising: display means for combining and displaying a print image and a template for decorating the print image; selection means for selecting the print image and the template; and print means for printing the combined image In a printing system having
The image display device
A counting unit that counts the number of selections of the template selected by the selection unit, totals the selection number within a predetermined period counted, and ranks the selected items in descending order;
And a control means for controlling to output the result of counting by the counting means.   2. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines a display order in descending order of the number of selections based on the total result, and displays the template on the display unit.   3. The printing system according to claim 2, wherein the control unit does not display a template having a predetermined order or less on the display unit.   4. The number of selections of the template is the number of selected prints of a composite image using the template or the number of selections selected for combining with the print image. The printing system according to item.   The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the counting result is printed by the printing unit. In the printing method of combining and displaying the print image selected by the selection unit on the display unit and the template decorating the print image selected by the selection unit, and printing the synthesized image by the print unit,
A counting unit that counts the number of selections of the template selected by the selection unit, totals the counted number of selections, and ranks them in descending order;
And a step of controlling the control means to output the result of the counting by the counting means.

Images