JP2015180019A - Management server, control method therefor, control program and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a management server capable of promoting the use of a photograph seal creation device.SOLUTION: A management server (4) includes: an image management unit (414) which manages a user image received from the photograph seal creation device; a Web page generator unit (413) which provides the user with an image provision service of the image; and a membership period identification unit (415) which identifies the length of a period when the user is a member. The Web page generator unit provides a user, whose membership period length is a first threshold or longer, with a different Web service from a service to a user whose membership period length is shorter than the first threshold.

Description

  The present invention relates to a management server connected to a photo sticker creating apparatus via a network.

  In recent years, as a service for providing a user with an image generated by a photo sticker creation apparatus, an image is displayed by displaying the image on a mobile terminal owned by the user together with a service for providing a user with a print sticker on which an image is printed. The services that provide users with the Internet are expanding.

  Patent Document 1 describes a technology in which a management server issues points to a user in accordance with the number of times a photo sticker creation apparatus is used, and the user can exchange accumulated points with digital content or the like. The management of points is performed by a management server connected to the photo sticker creating apparatus. The user uses points through a membership card application provided to the member from the management server.

JP 2012-142773 A (released July 26, 2012)

  For example, the provision of the image to the user is performed at an image providing site that has received the image from the photo sticker creating apparatus. The user performs member registration in advance in order to use the image providing site.

  However, in the prior art, the content of the service that provides the image generated by the photo sticker creating apparatus is the same for both users who have been members for a long time and those who are short. Therefore, there were few merits that a user continued to be a member. Therefore, there is a user who temporarily joins the image providing site only when he / she wants to use the service and repeats joining / leaving. In such a case, utilization of the photo sticker creating apparatus cannot be sufficiently promoted.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and a main object thereof is to provide a management server that can promote the use of a user's photo sticker creation apparatus.

  A management server according to an aspect of the present invention is a management server connected to a photo sticker creation device via a network, and manages image of a user received from the photo sticker creation device, and the image Service providing means for providing the image providing service to the user, and member period specifying means for specifying the length of the period in which the user is a member, wherein the service providing means is the length of the period in which the user is a member. A web service different from that of the user whose length of the member period is less than the first threshold is provided to the user who is equal to or greater than a first threshold.

  According to said structure, a service provision means provides the web service different from the user who is less than a 1st threshold value to the user whose length of the period which is a member is more than a 1st threshold value. Therefore, a user who is a member for a long time can be differentiated from a short user. Thereby, the motive which continues a member state to a user can be given. If the user is a member, it is easy to use the corresponding photo sticker creating apparatus, and therefore the user's use of the photo sticker creating apparatus can be promoted. There are two types of membership periods, either of which may be used. One is the period from the most recent enrollment date until the present day of membership. The other is the sum of a plurality of periods as a member when the member is repeatedly joined and withdrawn.

  The service providing means provides the user with the image providing service that is different for each member type of the user, and the member type includes at least a second type member and more images than the second type member. There is a first type member who can receive a service, and the service providing means provides the first type member for the first type member to the user whose length of the second type member is longer than the first threshold. It may be configured to provide some of the above image providing services.

  According to said structure, a part of image provision service for 1st type members is provided with respect to the user who is a 2nd type member for a long period. Therefore, the user can be motivated to continue the membership state. In addition, since some image providing services for the first type member are originally prepared for the first type member, it is not necessary to prepare another service additionally.

  The member type further includes a third type member, the second type member is a member who pays a higher fee than the third type member, and the service providing means is a member of the period of the third type member. The configuration may be such that the part of the image providing service for the first type member is provided to the user whose length is not less than a second threshold value that is longer than the first threshold value.

  According to said structure, the motive which continues a member state can be given also to the user of a 3rd type member with a low charge (low-order). A third-class member user cannot receive the partial image providing service for the first-class member unless the user is a member for a longer period than the second-class member user. Therefore, it is possible to prompt the user of the third type member to change to a higher type of second type member (upgrade of the member type).

  The member type further includes a third type member, the second type member is a member who pays a higher fee than the third type member, and the service providing means is a member of the period of the third type member. A configuration may be provided in which the other part of the image providing service for the first type member is provided to the user whose length is the second threshold value or more.

  According to the above configuration, the third class member who has a long membership period is provided with the other part of the image providing service for the first class member which is different from the second class member who has a long membership period. provide. Therefore, the second type member and the third type member can be differentiated, and a user who is the second type member or the third type member can be motivated to continue the membership state.

  The service providing means varies at least one of the design of an image providing web page, the image quality of the image, the period during which the image can be acquired, and the upper limit number of images that can be acquired according to the member type. It may be a configuration.

  The service providing means is configured to permit the user whose length of the membership period is equal to or more than the first threshold to use web content including other images, videos, applications, or music on the web. It may be.

  The management server includes an access count specifying unit that specifies the number of times the user has accessed the website that provides the image providing service, and the service providing unit provides the user with the access count equal to or greater than a fourth threshold. The web service may be different from the user whose access count is less than the fourth threshold.

  The service providing means provides a web service different from the user whose number of images is less than the fifth threshold to the user whose number of the images managed by the image management means is greater than or equal to a fifth threshold. May be provided.

  The management server includes a seal specifying information receiving unit that receives seal specifying information given to each seal created by the photo sticker creating apparatus, and the service providing unit has a number of the input seal specifying information as a number. The configuration may be such that a web service different from that of the user whose number of the input seal specifying information is less than the sixth threshold is provided to the user who is 6 thresholds or more.

  A management server according to an aspect of the present invention is a management server connected to a photo sticker creating apparatus via a network, and a member period specifying means for specifying a length of a period during which the user is a member, The privilege is given to privilege determining means for determining that a privilege related to the use of the photograph sticker creating device is given to the user whose length of a certain period is equal to or greater than a third threshold, and the photograph sticker creating device. And privilege information transmitting means for transmitting user specifying information for specifying the user.

  According to said structure, the privilege regarding utilization of a photograph sticker production apparatus is provided to the user whose length of the period which is a member became the 3rd threshold value or more. Thereby, the motive which continues a member state to a user can be given. If the user is a member, it is easy to use the corresponding photo sticker creating apparatus, and therefore the user's use of the photo sticker creating apparatus can be promoted. In addition, the photograph sticker production apparatus can discriminate | determine the user who provided the privilege based on user specific information, for example.

  The privilege determining means may be configured to reduce the usage fee for the photo sticker creation device at a predetermined number of times or at a predetermined time as the privilege to the user.

  The management server includes an access count specifying means for specifying the number of access times of the user to a website that provides an image providing service for images generated by the photo sticker creating device, and the privilege determining means includes the access count The structure which determines giving the said privilege to the said user who became 7th threshold value or more may be sufficient.

  The management server includes image management means for managing user images received from the photo sticker creating apparatus, and the privilege determining means is configured such that the number of images of the user managed by the image management means is equal to or greater than an eighth threshold value. The structure which determines giving the said privilege to the said user who became can be sufficient.

  The management server includes a seal specifying information receiving unit that receives seal specifying information provided for each seal created by the photo sticker creating device, and the privilege determining unit has a number of the input seal specifying information as a first number. The structure which determines giving the said privilege to the said user who became 9 or more threshold values may be sufficient.

  A management server control method according to an aspect of the present invention is a management server control method connected to a photo sticker creation apparatus via a network, and manages an image of a user received from the photo sticker creation apparatus A management step, a service providing step for providing the image providing service for the image to the user, a member period specifying step for specifying a length of a period in which the user is a member, and a length of the period in which the user is a member. A web service providing step of providing a web service different from that of the user whose length of the member is less than the first threshold to the user who is equal to or greater than one threshold.

  A control method for a management server according to an aspect of the present invention is a control method for a management server connected to a photo sticker creation apparatus via a network, and specifies a length of a period during which a user is a member. A privilege determining step for deciding to grant a privilege related to the use of the photo sticker creating device to the user whose length of the member period is equal to or greater than a third threshold; and the photo sticker creating device And a privilege information transmission step of transmitting user specifying information for specifying the user to whom the privilege is given.

  The management server according to each aspect of the present invention may be realized by a computer. In this case, the management server that realizes the management server by a computer by causing the computer to operate as each unit included in the management server. A control program and a computer-readable recording medium on which the control program is recorded also fall within the scope of the present invention.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, the use of a user's photo sticker creation apparatus can be promoted.

It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the management server which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the picked-up image management system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structural example of the external appearance of the photograph sticker production apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the perspective view which looked at the external appearance of the photograph sticker production apparatus concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention from other angles. It is a figure explaining the movement of the user in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the imaging | photography part with which the photograph sticker production apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention is equipped. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the background part with which the photograph sticker production apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention is equipped. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the edit part with which the photograph sticker production apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention is equipped. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the aft customer service part with which the photograph sticker production apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention is equipped. It is a block diagram which shows the example of an internal structure of the photograph sticker production apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows the detailed structural example of the control part with which the photograph sticker production apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention is equipped. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the portable terminal which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a screen transition figure which shows an example of the web page displayed on the display part of a portable terminal at the time of the member registration process in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the flow of a series of processes from photography to image preservation | save in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a screen transition diagram which shows an example of the web page displayed on the display part of a portable terminal at the time of the image preservation | save process to the management server in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the flow of a series of processes regarding the image preservation | save to the portable terminal in the picked-up image management system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a screen transition diagram which shows an example of the web page displayed on the display part of a portable terminal at the time of the image preservation | save process to the portable terminal in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the flow of a series of processes regarding the image preservation | save to the portable terminal in 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a screen transition diagram which shows an example of the web page displayed on the display part of a portable terminal at the time of privilege use in 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the management server in 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the flow of a series of processes regarding provision of the privilege in the picked-up image management system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Embodiment 1
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. Descriptions of configurations other than those described in the following specific embodiments may be omitted as necessary, but are the same as those configurations when described in other embodiments. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those shown in each embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and the explanation thereof is omitted as appropriate. Further, the shape of the configuration described in each drawing and the dimensions such as length, size, and width do not reflect the actual shape and dimensions, but are changed as appropriate for clarity and simplification of the drawings. doing.

(Captured image management system 10)
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of the captured image management system 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the captured image management system 10 includes a photo sticker creating apparatus 1, a mobile terminal 6 (user terminal), and a management server 4.

  An outline of the captured image management system 10 will be described below. The captured image management system 10 provides a user with services for realizing user photography, image editing, image printing as a photo sticker, and image storage on an image providing site. Photo shooting, image editing, and photo sticker printing services are provided by the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 installed in a store such as a game center. The image storage service is provided by the management server 4 that manages the image providing site. The user can store his / her captured image in the image providing site by operating the mobile terminal 6 possessed by the user.

  In order to store images on the image providing site, prior member registration is required. Member types include free members, paid members, and premium members (type 3 members, type 2 members, and type 1 members). The user registers his / her information on the image providing site as any member. Note that the user can change his / her member type (member attribute) from a free member to a paid member or premium member, or vice versa.

  For example, a free member does not need to pay a membership fee, but is restricted by an image providing service that can be received at an image providing site. In this embodiment, the free member is limited to one image that can be stored in the image providing site in one game in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. In addition, the upper limit of the total number of images that can be stored in the image providing site for free members is limited to 10, and the storage period of images on the image providing site is limited to 6 months.

  Paying members have more image providing services available at image providing sites than free members, instead of having to pay a predetermined membership fee (fee) continuously. In this embodiment, the paying member can save all images (for example, 6 images) generated in one game in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 in the image providing site. However, for the paying member, the upper limit of the total number of images that can be stored in the image providing site is limited to 60, and the image storage period in the image providing site is limited to one year. In addition, the paying member can use a function of performing additional editing (doodle) on the image on the image providing site. Additional editing functions include, for example, pen stamp input, background image change, color change, frame image addition, and name input to the image.

  Premium members can receive more image providing services than paid members at an image providing site, instead of having to pay a higher fee than paid members. In order to become a premium member, it may be necessary to satisfy a predetermined condition, for example, a condition that the length of the period of being a paid member exceeds a predetermined period. In this embodiment, the premium member can save all images (for example, six images) generated in one game in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 in the image providing site. In addition, the premium member has no restriction on the total number of images that can be stored in the image providing site and the storage period. Furthermore, the premium member can obtain a photographed image before editing from the image providing site in addition to the image edited by the photo sticker creating apparatus. Further, the premium member can obtain an image with better image quality (high definition, large image size) from the image providing site. In addition, the premium member can customize the design of the web page of the user on the image providing site. In addition to the above-described additional editing function, the premium member can use a further enhanced additional editing function on the image providing site. For example, the premium member can modify the eye size, the face size, and the like of the image by changing the correction parameter of the image on the image providing site. Further, the premium member may be able to browse dedicated content (for example, an image of a special member (model), etc.) on the image providing site.

  In summary, the fee paid by the user is free member <paid member <premium member. The number of image providing services that the user can receive is: free member <paid member <premium member. Here, the image providing service is a service for providing (browsing and acquiring) an image generated by the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 to the user at an image providing site managed by the management server 4.

  In this embodiment, when the length of the period during which the user is a free member or a paid member satisfies a predetermined condition, a part of services for premium members (customization of web page design) can be received.

  The flow from photography to image storage in the photographed image management system 10 will be briefly described below. One or more users pay the price to the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 and play a game relating to photography and image editing. The user takes a picture of himself as a subject during the game. The user selects several images to be edited from the images generated by shooting and edits them as desired. Further, the user inputs his / her e-mail address to the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 in order to save the image in the image providing site later.

  After the game is over, the user gets a photo sticker. On the other hand, the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 associates the generated user's email address with the generated image and transmits the image to the management server 4. The management server 4 transmits a mail for guiding the received image to be stored in the image providing site to the received mail address. The user receives this mail at his / her mobile terminal 6. The e-mail describes a procedure for storing an image on an image providing site. The user performs an operation for saving the image on the portable terminal 6 according to the procedure. As a result, the image is stored in the account area dedicated to the user in the image providing site.

  After the image is stored in the image providing site, the user can log in to the image providing site using the portable terminal 6 or other desired device and download the image.

(Configuration of photo sticker creation device)
The configuration and function of each device constituting the captured image management system 10 will be described in detail below. First, details of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the appearance of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in this figure, the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 mainly includes a photographing unit 11, an editing unit 12, and a subsequent customer service unit 13. The photo sticker creating apparatus 1 is installed in a state in which the photographing unit 11 and the editing unit 12 are in contact with each other, and the editing unit 12 and the subsequent customer service unit 13 are in contact with each other.

(Shooting unit 11)
The photographing unit 11 includes a photographing unit 21 and a background unit 22. The photographing unit 21 and the background unit 22 are installed with a predetermined distance apart. Shooting control is performed in a shooting space that is a space formed between the shooting unit 21 and the background unit 22.

  The photographing unit 21 is a device that allows a user to perform photographing control. The photographing unit 21 enters the photographing space and is located in front of the user who is performing the photographing control. A front panel 41 of the photographing unit 21 that constitutes a surface in which the photographing space is desired in front is provided with a touch panel monitor used by the user during photographing control. Assuming that the left side is the left side and the right side is the right side as viewed from the user in the imaging space, the left side of the imaging unit 21 is configured by the side panel 42A, and the right side is configured by the side panel 42B.

  The background portion 22 is attached to the left end of the rear panel 51 and the rear panel 51, which are plate-like members positioned on the rear side of the user who is performing the shooting control facing the front, and has a narrower width than the side panel 42A. And a side panel 52B (FIG. 4) which is a plate-like member attached to the right end of the rear panel 51 and having a narrower width than the side panel 42B.

  The side panel 42A constituting the left side surface of the photographing unit 21 and the side panel 52A of the background unit 22 are provided on substantially the same plane, and their upper portions are connected by a connecting part 23A that is a plate-like member. Further, the side panel 42B constituting the right side surface of the photographing unit 21 and the side panel 52B of the background portion 22 are provided on substantially the same plane, and their upper portions are connected by a connecting portion 23B which is a plate-like member.

  An opening formed by being surrounded by the side panel 42 </ b> A of the photographing unit 21, the connecting part 23 </ b> A, and the side panel 52 </ b> A of the background part 22 becomes an entrance G <b> 1 of the photographing space. An opening formed by being surrounded by the side panel 42B of the imaging unit 21, the connecting unit 23B, and the side panel 52B of the background unit 22 is also an entrance G2 of the imaging space.

  The background curtain unit 25 is provided above the background portion 22 so as to be supported by the back panel 51, the side panel 52A, and the side panel 52B. The background curtain unit 25 stores a plurality of roll-up type background curtains having different colors or patterns and used for the background. The background curtain unit 25 operates in conjunction with shooting by a camera or the like provided in the shooting unit 21. At the time of shooting, for example, the curtain of the color selected by the user is lowered and the other curtains are wound up.

  As the background curtain stored in the background curtain unit 25, an elevating curtain that uses a plurality of curtains as a single curtain for curtains may be prepared. In addition, a blackboard curtain is pasted on the rear panel 51 that is the back of the shooting space, and a plurality of background images for synthesis are prepared. In editing control described later, a user-desired background image is used as a curtain portion. It may be possible to synthesize.

  An opening surrounded by the front panel 41 of the photographing unit 21, the connecting part 23A, the connecting part 23B, and the background curtain unit 25 is formed above the photographing space, and the ceiling strobe unit 24 covers the part of the opening. Provided. One end of the ceiling strobe unit 24 is fixed to the connecting portion 23A, and the other end is fixed to the connecting portion 23B. The ceiling strobe unit 24 has a built-in strobe that emits light toward the photographing space in accordance with photographing. A fluorescent lamp is provided inside the strobe constituting the ceiling strobe unit 24, and also functions as illumination of the photographing space.

(Editor 12)
The editing unit 12 is a device that allows a user to perform editing control, which is processing for editing an image obtained by shooting control. The editing unit 12 is provided so as to be connected to the photographing unit 11 so that one side surface thereof is in contact with the back surface of the front panel 41 of the photographing unit 21. The editing unit 12 is provided with a configuration such as a tablet built-in monitor used by the user during editing control.

  If the configuration of the editing unit 12 shown in FIG. 3 is a front side configuration, the configuration used for editing control is provided on the front side and the back side of the editing unit 12 so that two sets of users can edit simultaneously. Provided.

  The front side of the editing unit 12 is a surface perpendicular to the floor surface, and is composed of a surface 71 that is substantially parallel to the side panel 42A, and a slope 72 formed above the surface 71 for editing control. The configuration used is provided on the slope 72. On the left side of the slope 72, a support portion 73A that has a columnar shape and supports one end of the lighting device 74 is provided. A support portion 75 that supports the curtain rail 26 is provided on the upper surface of the support portion 73A. A support portion 73 </ b> B (FIG. 4) that supports the other end of the lighting device 74 is also provided on the right side of the slope 72.

  A curtain rail 26 is attached above the editing unit 12. The curtain rail 26 is configured by combining three rails 26A to 26C so that the shape when viewed from above is a U-shape. One end of the rails 26A and 26B provided in parallel is fixed to the connecting portion 23A and the connecting portion 23B, respectively, and both ends of the remaining one rail 26C are joined to the other end.

  A curtain is attached to the curtain rail 26 so that the inside of the space in front of the editing unit 12 and the space in front of the back cannot be seen from the outside. The space in front of the editing unit 12 and the space in front of the back of the editing unit 12 surrounded by the curtain attached to the curtain rail 26 are editing spaces in which the user performs editing control.

(Subsequent customer service department 13)
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the external appearance of the photo sticker creating apparatus as seen from another angle. The subsequent customer service unit 13 is a device that performs the subsequent customer service and allows the user to perform an operation on the subsequent customer service. Subsequent customer service includes processing for transmitting images (including edited images) to a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone, processing for allowing a user to play a mini game, processing for answering a questionnaire, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the post-service customer unit 13 has a plate-shaped housing having a predetermined thickness, and is connected to the editing unit 12 so that the back surface thereof is in contact with the left side surface of the editing unit 12. Provided. On the front side of the post-service customer section 13, there are provided a tablet built-in monitor used by the user at the time of operation for the post-service customer, and a discharge port for discharging sticker paper on which an image (including an edited image) is printed. The space in front of the post-service section 13 is a post-service area where a user waiting for printing on the sticker paper to perform an operation on the post-service.

(User movement)
The flow of the photo sticker creation game and the accompanying user movement will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the movement of the user.

  The user of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 takes a picture formed between the photographing part 21 and the background part 22 from the entrance / exit G1 as indicated by the white arrow # 1 or from the entrance / exit G2 as indicated by the white arrow # 2. The camera enters the space A1 and performs shooting control using a camera and a touch panel monitor provided in the shooting unit 21.

  It should be noted that, in the shooting of the user's image, not all shooting is to capture an image printed on sticker paper, but for transmission to the mobile terminal 6 (or so that it can be viewed on the mobile terminal 6, In some cases, the image is taken only for transmission to the management server 4. This is because the user's preference may be different between the image to be printed and the image transmitted to the mobile terminal 6, and the user wants to take an image in consideration of transmission to the mobile terminal 6 at the time of the user's shooting. It is in response to the user's intention.

  The user who has finished the shooting control uses the doorway G1 to move out of the shooting space A1 as indicated by the white arrow # 3 and moves to the editing space A2-1 or opens the doorway G2 as indicated by the white arrow # 4. Use to move out of the shooting space A1 and move to the editing space A2-2.

  The editing space A2-1 is an editing space on the front side of the editing unit 12, and the editing space A2-2 is an editing space on the back side of the editing unit 12. Which of the editing space A2-1 and the editing space A2-2 is moved is guided by the screen display of the touch panel monitor of the photographing unit 21 or the like. For example, the empty space of the two editing spaces is guided as the destination. The user who has moved to the editing space A2-1 or the editing space A2-2 starts editing control. The user of the editing space A2-1 and the user of the editing space A2-2 can perform editing control at the same time.

  After the editing control is finished, printing of an image selected from images (including edited images) is started. During printing of the image, the user who has finished the editing control moves from the editing space A2-1 to the subsequent customer service space A3 as indicated by the white arrow # 5 when the editing control is performed in the editing space A2-1. The customer receives the subsequent customer service and performs an operation on the subsequent customer service. In addition, when editing control is performed in the editing space A2-2, the user who has finished editing control moves from the editing space A2-2 to the post-service area A3 as indicated by the white arrow # 6. In the space A3, a subsequent customer service is received and an operation is performed on the customer service.

  When the printing of the image is finished, the user receives the sticker paper from the outlet provided in the post-service section 13 and finishes a series of photo sticker creation games.

(Configuration of each member)
Next, the configuration of each member provided in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 will be described.

(Photographing unit 21)
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the photographing unit 21 provided in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. The photographing unit 21 is configured by attaching a front panel 41, a side panel 42A, and a side panel 42B to a base unit 43 having a box shape.

  The front panel 41 is positioned in front of the user who performs shooting control in the shooting space A1, and the side panel 42A and the side panel 42B are positioned on the left and right sides of the user who performs shooting control in the shooting space A1, respectively. The connecting portion 23A is fixed above the side panel 42A, and the connecting portion 23B is fixed above the side panel 42B.

  An imaging / display unit 81 is provided in the approximate center of the front panel 41. The photographing / display unit 81 includes a camera 91, a front strobe 92, and a touch panel monitor 93.

  The camera 91 is configured by an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), and photographs a user in the photographing space A1. The moving image captured by the camera 91 is displayed on the touch panel monitor 93 in real time. An image captured by the camera 91 at a predetermined timing such as when a user gives an instruction to shoot is saved as an image (still image).

  The touch panel monitor 93 provided on the lower side of the camera 91 includes a monitor such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and a touch panel stacked thereon. The touch panel monitor 93 has a function as a live view monitor that displays a moving image captured by the camera 91 and a function that displays various GUI (Graphical User Interface) images and accepts a user's selection operation through the touch panel. Yes. On the touch panel monitor 93, a moving image after an image such as a background is appropriately displayed is displayed.

  On the front panel 41, an upper strobe 82 is installed on the upper side with respect to the position of the photographing / display unit 81. A left strobe 83 is installed on the left side and a right strobe 84 is installed on the right side. A lower strobe 85 is provided at a position below the photographing / display unit 81 such that a part of the upper surface of the base portion 43 protrudes.

  The upper strobe 82 irradiates the user from the upper front. The left strobe 83 irradiates the user from the left front, and the right strobe 84 irradiates the user from the right front. The lower strobe 85 irradiates the user from the lower front.

  The base unit 43 is also provided with a foot strobe 86 that irradiates the user's foot. The upper strobe 82, left strobe 83, right strobe 84, lower strobe 85, and foot strobe 86 are provided with fluorescent lamps. Used as illumination in the space A1. As will be described later, by adjusting the light emission amount of each fluorescent lamp, or by adjusting the number of fluorescent lamps to emit light, the brightness in the shooting space A1 becomes the content of the shooting control performed by the user. It is adjusted accordingly.

  On the right side of the foot strobe 86, a coin insertion / return opening 87 through which a user inserts money is provided.

  Spaces 43A and 43B formed on the left and right sides of the upper surface of the base portion 43 with the lower strobe 85 interposed therebetween are used as a luggage storage place for a user who performs shooting control to place baggage and the like. For example, near the ceiling of the front panel 41, a speaker for outputting sound such as guidance sound for shooting control, BGM (Back Ground Music), and sound effects is also provided.

(Background 22)
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the background unit 22 provided in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. As described above, the background curtain unit 25 is provided above the back panel 51. Near the center of the background curtain unit 25, a rear center strobe 101 that irradiates a user who is performing shooting control in the shooting space A1 from the rear center.

  A rear left strobe 102 that irradiates a user who is performing shooting control in the shooting space A1 from the left rear is provided above the rear panel 51 and on the doorway G1 side. Further, a rear right strobe 103 that irradiates the user who is performing the photographing control in the photographing space A1 from the right rear is provided above the rear panel 51 and on the entrance / exit G2 side.

(Editor 12)
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the editing unit 12 provided in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. As shown in the figure, in the editing unit 12, a tablet built-in monitor 131 is provided in the approximate center of the slope 72. A touch pen 132A is provided on the left side of the tablet built-in monitor 131, and a touch pen 132B is provided on the right side.

  The tablet built-in monitor 131 is configured by superimposing a tablet capable of inputting an operation using the touch pens 132A and 132B on a monitor such as an LCD. On the tablet built-in monitor 131, for example, an editing screen, which is a screen used for editing an image selected as an image to be edited, is displayed. When two people perform editing work simultaneously, the touch pen 132A is used by one user, and the touch pen 132B is used by the other user.

  It should be noted that the image editing performed in the editing unit 12 is not necessarily an editing on an image to be printed, but an image that is assumed to be transmitted only to the mobile terminal 6 by the user (that is, an image that is not printed). May be an edit to This is because there is a difference in user preference between an image to be printed and an image transmitted to the mobile terminal 6 and used on the web. For example, an image used for a blog or the like is printed. This is to respond to the user's intention to edit differently from the editing of the image.

(Subsequent customer service department 13)
On the left side of the editing unit 12, a post-service unit 13 is provided. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the post-service unit 13 provided in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1.

  A monitor 161 with a built-in tablet is provided at the upper center of the post-service section 13. A touch pen 162A is provided on the left side of the tablet built-in monitor 161, and a touch pen 162B is provided on the right side. Similarly to the tablet built-in monitor 131, the tablet built-in monitor 161 is configured by superimposing a tablet capable of performing an operation input using the touch pen 162A or 162B on a monitor such as an LCD. On the tablet built-in monitor 161, a screen used in a post-service process such as a mini game is displayed.

  A non-contact type IC reader / writer 163 is provided under the tablet built-in monitor 161, and a sticker paper discharge port 164 is provided under the non-contact type IC reader / writer 163. A speaker 165 is provided below the sticker paper discharge port 164.

  The non-contact type IC reader / writer 163 communicates with a non-contact type IC that is in close proximity, reads data from the non-contact type IC, and writes data to the non-contact type IC.

  In the sticker paper discharge port 164, sticker paper on which an image created by the editing space A2-1 user performing editing control is printed, or created by the editing space A2-2 user performing editing control. The sticker paper on which the image is printed is discharged. A printer is provided inside the editing unit 12, and printing of images is performed by the printer.

  The speaker 165 outputs sound such as guidance voice, BGM, and sound effects at the time of subsequent customer service.

(Internal structure of photo sticker making apparatus 1)
Next, the internal configuration of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration example of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. The same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same structure as the structure mentioned above. The overlapping description will be omitted as appropriate.

  The control unit 201 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like, and executes a program stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory) 206 or a storage unit 202 to control the overall operation of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. A storage unit 202, a communication unit 203, a drive 204, a ROM 206, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 207 are connected to the control unit 201. The control unit 201 is also connected with the components of the photographing unit 21, the editing unit 12, the post-service unit 13, and the printing unit 211.

  The storage unit 202 includes a non-volatile storage medium such as a hard disk or a flash memory, and stores various setting information supplied from the control unit 201. Information stored in the storage unit 202 is appropriately read out by the control unit 201.

  A communication unit 203 is an interface of a network such as the Internet, and communicates with an external device according to control by the control unit 201.

  A removable medium 205 made of an optical disk or a semiconductor memory is appropriately attached to the drive 204. The computer program and data read from the removable medium 205 by the drive 204 are supplied to the control unit 201 and stored in the storage unit 202 or installed.

  The ROM 206 stores programs and data executed by the control unit 201. The RAM 207 temporarily stores data and programs processed by the control unit 201.

  The imaging unit 21 performs processing related to the user's imaging control in the imaging space A1. The imaging unit 21 includes a coin processing unit 221, a background control unit 222, an illumination control unit 223, a camera 91, a touch panel monitor 93, and a speaker 224.

  The coin processing unit 221 detects the insertion of coins into the coin insertion / return port 87. When the coin processing unit 221 detects that a predetermined amount of coins such as 300 yen has been inserted, the coin processing unit 221 outputs an activation signal indicating that to the control unit 201.

  The background control unit 222 raises and lowers the background curtain stored in the background curtain unit 25 according to the background control signal supplied from the control unit 201. The background curtain may be manually selected by the user.

  The illumination control unit 223 controls the light emission of each strobe in the imaging space A1 according to the illumination control signal supplied from the control unit 201. As described above, in the photographing space A1, in addition to the strobe of the ceiling strobe unit 24, an upper strobe 82, a left strobe 83, a right strobe 84, a lower strobe 85, a foot strobe 86, and a background portion provided in the photographing unit 21 are provided. 22 is provided with a back center strobe 101, a back left strobe 102, and a back right strobe 103. A fluorescent lamp is also provided inside each strobe.

  In addition, the illumination control unit 223 adjusts the light emission amount of the fluorescent lamp provided in each strobe, or adjusts the number of fluorescent lamps to emit light, thereby performing the shooting control stage performed by the user. Accordingly, the brightness in the shooting space A1 is adjusted.

  The camera 91 shoots according to the control by the control unit 201 and outputs an image (image) obtained by the shooting to the control unit 201.

  The editing unit 12A performs processing related to user editing control in the editing space A2-1. The editing unit 12A includes a tablet built-in monitor 131, touch pens 132A and 132B, and a speaker 231 provided on the front side of the editing unit 12. The editing unit 12B has the same configuration as the editing unit 12A, and performs processing related to user editing control in the editing space A2-2.

  The tablet built-in monitor 131 displays an editing screen according to control by the control unit 201 and detects a user operation on the editing screen. A signal representing the content of the user's operation is supplied to the control unit 201, and the image to be edited is edited.

  The subsequent customer service section 13 performs processing related to the subsequent customer service in the subsequent customer service space A3. The subsequent customer service unit 13 includes a tablet built-in monitor 161, touch pens 162A and 162B, a non-contact type IC reader / writer 163, and a speaker 165.

  The printing unit 211 includes a printer 241 and a sticker unit 242 that are configured to perform printing control. The printer 241 prints the image or the edited image obtained by the editing control by the user on the sticker paper stored in the sticker paper unit 242 attached to the printer 241 and discharges it to the sticker paper discharge port 164. . The subsequent customer service unit 13 and the printing unit 211 that are surrounded by a one-dot chain line are configured to perform processing related to the subsequent customer service for the user in the subsequent customer service space A3.

  In addition, in the processing related to print control, the printing unit 211 acquires an image transmitted to the mobile terminal 6 outside the margin (such as an edge of the sticker paper) in addition to printing a photographed image (or an edited image) on the sticker paper. URL for doing this, seal ID (ID for image acquisition), etc. may be printed. The sticker ID is an identifier for uniquely identifying one or a plurality of images (including a photographed image and an edited image) generated during one game in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. This is an identifier for acquiring the generated image. The user accesses a URL for acquiring an image and inputs a sticker ID, whereby a web page (image acquisition page) for acquiring an image generated during one game in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 is displayed. It can be displayed on the portable terminal 6.

  This is because, for example, when receiving an e-mail address input from the user at the post-service department 13 or the like, a correct address cannot be received due to a time-out or error input, and information such as a URL for acquiring an image is transmitted to the user. This is to allow the user to acquire an image by accessing the URL printed on the sticker paper and inputting the sticker ID when the user cannot do so.

  Note that the printing unit 211 may print, for example, a predetermined mail address or a QR code (registered trademark) as the information for acquiring an image instead of the URL. When a predetermined mail address is printed, the user receives a mail describing a URL for acquiring an image from the management server 4 by sending a blank mail to the predetermined mail address. Can do. In addition, when the QR code is printed on the sticker paper, the user can directly access the image acquisition page by accessing the web page indicated by the QR code using the mobile terminal 6.

(Configuration of control unit)
FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration example of the control unit 201 provided in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. As shown in this figure, the control unit 201 includes a communication control unit 311, a shooting control unit 312, an editing control unit 313, a print control unit 314, and a post-service customer control unit 315.

  The communication control unit 311 controls communication with an external device by the communication unit 203.

  The shooting control unit 312 relates to a process related to a charge inserted when starting the photo sticker creation game by the shooting unit 21 and a user shooting control in the photo sticker creation game such as shooting a user group according to the user shooting control. Control processing. The shooting control unit 312 can also generate date / time information related to the date / time when the image was shot.

  The editing control unit 313 controls processing related to user editing control in the photo sticker creation game, such as graffiti editing of images by the editing unit 12A and the editing unit 12B.

  The print control unit 314 controls processing related to user print control in the photo sticker creation game, such as sticker sheet printing by the printing unit 211.

  The post-service customer control unit 315 controls processing related to the post-service in the photo sticker creation game, such as processing to serve a user group that has finished the editing work by the post-service unit 13.

(Management server 4)
Next, details of the management server 4 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of the management server 4 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in this figure, the management server 4 mainly includes a control unit 401, a storage unit 402, and a communication unit 403. The control unit 401 performs overall control of each member provided in the management server 4. The storage unit 402 stores various data used in the management server 4. The communication unit 403 communicates with other devices constituting the captured image management system 10.

(Details of control unit 401)
As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 401 includes a communication control unit 411, a mail creation unit 412, a web page creation unit 413 (service providing unit), an image management unit 414 (image management unit), and a member period specifying unit 415 ( Membership period specifying means).

(Communication control unit 411)
The communication control unit 411 controls communication by the communication unit 403.

(Mail creation unit 412)
The mail creating unit 412 creates a mail to be sent to the mail address of the user who played with the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. In the present embodiment, the mail creation unit 412 creates a mail that guides the storage of an image that is transmitted to the mail address input from the communication control unit 411 using the data stored in the mail database 421. And output to the communication control unit 411.

(Web page creation unit 413)
The web page creation unit 413 creates a web page displayed on the mobile terminal 6. In the present embodiment, the web page creation unit 413 creates a web page corresponding to the access request received from the mobile terminal 6 using the data stored in the web page database 423 and outputs the web page to the communication control unit 411. . Although details will be described later, the web page creation unit 413 creates a web page according to the member type (member type) of the user.

  In the following description, “page” refers to data that the management server 4 transmits to a communication terminal such as the mobile terminal 6 for display, such as a web page. The page usually includes text data and image data, and may further include audio data and moving image data.

(Image management unit 414)
The image management unit 414 manages images provided to the user through the image providing site. In the present embodiment, the image management unit 414 stores, in the image database 424, an image designated by the user among images created by the photo sticker creating apparatus 1.

(Member period identification unit 415)
The member period specifying unit 415 specifies the length of the period during which the user is a member.

(Details of storage unit 402)
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the storage unit 402 includes a mail database 421, a member database 422, a web page database 423, and an image database 424.

(Mail database 421)
The mail database 421 stores various data for creating a mail to be transmitted to the user.

(Member database 422)
The member database 422 stores various types of information related to users who are members of the image providing site. In the present embodiment, the member database 422 stores information (user specifying information) for specifying a user who uses the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 for each user. Examples of the user identification information include the user's member ID, e-mail address, nickname, date of birth, address, member attribute, membership date, withdrawal date, member attribute change date, and terminal ID of the mobile terminal held by the user. Can be mentioned. Moreover, as a member attribute, a pay member, a free member, a premium member, etc. can be mentioned, for example. In the case of a user who is currently a member, the withdrawal date may be a value indicating the current date (for example, “today”).

(Web page database 423)
The web page database 423 stores various data for creating a web page of an image providing site displayed on the mobile terminal 6.

(Image database 424)
The image database 424 stores images instructed by the user to be stored in the image providing site among the images of the user created by the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. In the image database 424, images are stored separately for each user registered as a member in the member database 422.

  Although not shown, the storage unit 402 also has a temporary storage database that temporarily stores data such as images received from the photo sticker creating apparatus 1.

(Details of communication unit 403)
In this embodiment, the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 and the mobile terminal 6 are communication partners of the communication unit 403. The communication unit 403 receives data from another device or transmits data to another device under the control of the communication control unit 411.

(Mobile terminal 6)
FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of the mobile terminal 6 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in this figure, the mobile terminal 6 mainly includes a control unit 601, a storage unit 602, a communication unit 603, an input unit 604, and a display unit 605. The control unit 601 performs overall control of each member provided in the mobile terminal 6. The storage unit 602 stores various data used in the mobile terminal 6. The mobile terminal 6 communicates with other devices constituting the captured image management system 10. The input unit 604 is a device for a user to input information to the mobile terminal 6 such as a touch panel. The display unit 605 is a device for displaying information, such as a liquid crystal display device.

(Details of control unit 601)
As illustrated in FIG. 12, the control unit 601 includes a communication control unit 611, an input control unit 612, and a display control unit 613.

  The communication control unit 611 controls communication by the communication unit 603. The input control unit 612 controls information input in the input unit 604. The display control unit 613 controls information display on the display unit 605. For example, when the display control unit 613 outputs the web page input from the communication control unit 611 to the display unit 605, the web page can be displayed on the display unit 605.

(Member registration process)
In the photographed image management system 10, a user who has registered as a member on the image providing site can save the photographed image on the image providing site. The user registers himself / herself as a free member in the image providing site according to a predetermined procedure. The procedure will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a screen transition diagram illustrating an example of a web page displayed on the display unit 605 of the mobile terminal 6 during the member registration process.

  The user accesses the image providing site using the portable terminal 6 in order to register as a member in the image providing site. As a result, the top page 1001 of the image providing site as shown in FIG. 13A is displayed on the display unit 605 of the mobile terminal 6. The top page 1001 includes at least a link image 1002 for proceeding with the member login process and a link image 1003 for proceeding with the free member registration process.

  The user operates the input unit 604 of the mobile terminal 6 to select a link image 1003 for proceeding with free member registration. As a result, the portable terminal 6 communicates with the management server 4, and as a result, the web page 1011 for free member registration as shown in FIG. 13B is displayed on the display unit 605.

  The web page 1011 includes an input form 1012 for inputting information (user specifying information) for specifying a user who is registered as a free member, and a link image 1013 for transmitting the input user specifying information to the management server 4. Including at least. The user operates the input unit 604 of the mobile terminal 6 to input various personal information such as the user's member ID, password, and email address to the input form 1012 as user identification information. The user selects the link image 1013 after completing the input of the user specifying information. As a result, the mobile terminal 6 transmits the user specifying information to the management server 4 and requests the management server 4 to register the user for free membership.

  The communication control unit 411 of the management server 4 receives the user specifying information transmitted from the mobile terminal 6 through the communication unit 403. The communication control unit 411 outputs the received user identification information to the mail creation unit 412 and instructs the mail creation unit 412 to create a member registration email. In response to this instruction, the mail creation unit 412 creates a member registration mail 1021 as shown in FIG. The member registration mail 1021 is a mail addressed to the mail address included in the received user identification information, and includes a URL 1022 to a web page indicating completion of free member registration. The mail creation unit 412 outputs the created member registration mail 1021 to the communication control unit 411. The communication control unit 411 transmits the input member registration mail 1021 to the user's mail address via the communication unit 403.

  The portable terminal 6 receives the transmitted member registration mail 1021 and displays it on the display unit 605. The user confirms the displayed member registration mail 1021 and selects the URL 1022. Thereby, the mobile terminal 6 requests the management server 4 for a web page specified by the URL 1022.

  In response to this request, the management server 4 completes free member registration. Specifically, the management server 4 creates an account area for the user in the member database 422, and stores the user specifying information in the account area. At this time, information indicating that the user is a free member is added to the account area. Finally, the management server 4 creates a web page indicating that the free member registration is completed and transmits it to the mobile terminal 6.

  After registering a free member, the user logs in to the image providing site by entering a member ID and password, and registers himself as a paid member or premium member by following the prescribed procedure. Can do. After this registration is completed, information indicating that the user is a paying member or a premium member is added to the user's account area.

  In the above, an example is shown in which first a free member is registered and then a paid member or premium member is registered, but this is not a limitation. For example, it may be possible to select any of a free member, a paid member, and a premium member at the time of initial membership. In this case, the fee required for each member is also displayed on the member registration web page.

(Service flow)
Next, details of the flow of services provided by the captured image management system 10 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a flow of a series of processes from photography to image storage in the photographed image management system 10.

(photography)
As shown in FIG. 14, the user starts playing the game in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 (step S1). Specifically, the user stands in front of the front panel 41 of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 and inserts coins having a fee required for playing the game into the coin insertion / return slot 87. The imaging control unit 312 determines whether or not a predetermined amount of coins has been inserted based on a signal supplied from the coin processing unit 221.

  If it is determined that the camera has been inserted, the shooting control unit 312 controls the shooting unit 21 to display the moving image of the subject captured by the camera 91 on the touch panel monitor 93 and display it in the shooting space A1 according to the shooting control by the user. The user is photographed as a subject (step S2). This photographing control is performed a plurality of times within the photographing processing time.

  In addition, as a process in the imaging control, a predetermined number of times may be taken as an image for transmission to the mobile terminal 6 instead of an image for printing on a sticker sheet. In this case, as an image suitable for an image to be transmitted to the mobile terminal 6, an image obtained by chroma-combining the image for synthesis and an image subjected to image processing such as filtering processing using a color filter are created at the time of shooting. Sometimes.

  After the photographing is finished, the photographing control unit 312 guides the user in the photographing space A1 to move to the editing space A2-1 or the editing space A2-2. This guidance is performed by displaying a guidance screen on the touch panel monitor 93 of the photographing unit 21 or by outputting voice guidance from the speaker 224.

(edit a picture)
After the end of the guidance, the editing control unit 313 controls the editing unit 12 corresponding to the editing space of the editing space A2-1 and the editing space A2-2 that is the destination of the user who has finished the shooting control. Thus, the editing unit 12 is caused to edit the image (step S3). Specifically, the editing control unit 313 causes the user to select a synthesis image to be synthesized with the image selected or acquired as the editing target image, and synthesizes the selected synthesis image with the image. The composite image is edited according to the editing operation by the user. In addition, as editing for an image for transmission to the mobile terminal 6, for example, processing such as processing for trimming an image to a predetermined size, filtering processing using a color filter, and collage synthesis processing for finishing a plurality of images as one image Can also be done.

  After the editing, the editing control unit 313 guides the user who has finished editing control in the editing space A2-1 or the editing space A2-2 to move to the post-service space A3. This guidance is performed by displaying a guidance screen on the tablet built-in monitor 131 or by outputting guidance voice from the speaker 231.

(Photo sticker printing)
After the guidance is completed, the print control unit 314 outputs the image selected by the user to the printer 241 and prints it on the sticker sheet (step S4). When printing is completed, the customer service control unit 315 displays that the printing has been completed on the tablet built-in monitor 161 so that the printer 241 can acquire images from the management server 4 and the photo sticker creation apparatus 1 in the same procedure. The sticker ID created in the photo sticker creation device 1 and image acquisition information (URL of the image acquisition site, e-mail address for acquisition, etc.) are printed out of the box, and a predetermined image is printed in the center. The sealed sheet is discharged to the sheet discharge port 164.

(Subsequent customer service)
During printing, the subsequent customer service control unit 315 controls the subsequent customer service unit 13 to control processing related to the subsequent customer service for the user who is waiting for completion of printing (step S5). Specifically, the post-service customer control unit 315 controls processing for transmitting images (including edited images) to the management server 4 in the photo sticker creation game as processing related to the post-service by the post-service customer unit 13. . At that time, the post-service control unit 315 causes the tablet built-in monitor 161 to display a mail address input screen for inputting the mail address of the user who played the game and a screen for selecting an image to be transmitted. The user uses the touch pen 162 </ b> A or the touch pen 162 </ b> B to input the currently used mail address and select an image to be transmitted to the management server 4.

(Image transmission)
The communication control unit 311 associates the input e-mail address and the selected plurality of images or the image determined as the transmission target by the control unit 201 with each other, and transmits them to the management server 4 through the communication unit 203 (step S6). . An identifier (image ID) for uniquely identifying the image is associated with the image transmitted at this time. As will be described later, the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 confirms the user's membership type by allowing the user to input the membership type in advance or inquiring to the management server 4 and sends it to the management server 4 according to the user's membership type. The image to be transmitted may be changed. The photo sticker creating apparatus 1 may transmit all the generated images to the management server 4 regardless of the user's selection instead of transmitting only the image selected by the user to the management server 4. In addition to the generated image (edited image), the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 may transmit a captured image before editing to the management server 4.

  The communication unit 403 of the management server 4 receives the mail address, image, and image ID transmitted from the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 (step S7), and outputs them to the communication control unit 411. The communication control unit 411 stores the received image in a temporary storage database (not shown) of the storage unit 402. The stored data such as an image is continuously stored in the temporary storage database until a predetermined time limit elapses, and is automatically deleted from the temporary storage database when the time limit elapses.

  Note that the communication control unit 311 may transmit all images to the management server 4 in consideration of not only a predetermined number of images selected by the user but also a future paying member. As a result, the user can acquire all images taken in the state of the free member when the user becomes a paying member on the site after shooting in the state of the free member.

(Compose and send a guide email)
The communication control unit 411 outputs the received email address and image ID to the email creation unit 412. The mail creating unit 412 creates a guide mail that is transmitted to the mail address received from the communication control unit 411 and guides the user to save the image. The procedure is as follows. The mail creation unit 412 outputs the image ID to the web page creation unit 413 and requests the web page creation unit 413 to generate a URL 1102 indicating a web page for storing the image specified by the image ID. The web page creation unit 413 generates the requested URL 1102 and outputs it to the mail creation unit 412.

  The mail creation unit 412 acquires data for creating a guide mail from the mail database 421. Then, the guide mail 1101 shown in FIG. 15A is created using the data, the URL 1102 and the user's mail address. A URL 1102 is described in the text of the guide mail 1101. The mail creation unit 412 outputs the created guide mail 1101 to the communication control unit 411. The communication control unit 411 transmits the guide mail 1101 to the user's mail address via the communication unit 403 (step S8).

  Note that the mail creation unit 412 may transmit a guide mail including a URL indicating a web page that only allows the user to input a seal ID instead of a web page that collects the image ID and the image related to the image ID. Good. In this case, the management server 4 receives an input of a seal ID printed outside the margin of the sticker paper from the mobile terminal 6 on the web page indicated by the URL included in the guidance mail, and is transmitted to the management server 4. You may make it display the image which is.

(Request for image storage web page)
The communication unit 603 of the portable terminal 6 receives the transmitted guide mail 1101 (step S9) and outputs it to the communication control unit 611. The communication control unit 611 outputs the input guide mail 1101 to the display control unit 613. The display control unit 613 outputs the input guide mail 1101 to the display unit 605. The user confirms the guide mail 1101 displayed on the display unit 605, and selects the URL 1102 using the input unit 604 in order to save the image on the image providing site (step S10).

  The input control unit 612 receives a selection input from the input unit 604 and notifies the communication control unit 611 that the URL 1102 has been selected. In response to this, the communication control unit 611 requests the management server 4 for a web page corresponding to the selected URL 1102. The specific procedure is as follows. The communication control unit 611 acquires the user member ID stored in the storage unit 602, and transmits a predetermined request for providing a web page including the member ID to the management server 4 through the communication unit 603.

  The communication control unit 411 receives the transmitted request through the communication unit 403 (step S11) and outputs it to the web page creation unit 413. The web page creation unit 413 determines the member type of the user by referring to the member database 422 for the member ID included in the request (step S12). In the present embodiment, the web page creation unit 413 determines whether the user is a free member, a paid member, or a premium member, and creates a web page according to the determination result. If the web page creation unit 413 determines that the user is a free member, the web page creation unit 413 creates a web page 1103 for the free member to store images as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when it is determined that the user is a paying member, a web page 1107 for the paying member to save the image is created as shown in FIG. Even when the user is a premium member, the web page to be created is the same as that of the paying member, so illustration is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 15B, the web page 1103 includes one thumbnail image 1104, a link image 1105 that prompts the user to register a paying member, and a link image 1106 for storing one image on the image providing site. Is included. If the user is a free member, the number of images that can be stored is one, and the thumbnail image 1104 is a thumbnail of the one image. Note that the single image is an image selected by the user in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. On the other hand, when there are a plurality of images, the thumbnail image 1104 is any one of the plurality of images.

  As shown in FIG. 15C, the web page 1107 includes one thumbnail image 1104 and a link image 1108 for storing all the images.

  In this example, since the user is a free member, the web page creation unit 413 creates a web page 1103 for a free member. The web page creation unit 413 outputs the created web page 1103 to the communication control unit 411. The communication control unit 411 transmits the input web page 1103 to the mobile terminal 6 through the communication unit 403 (step S13).

(Save image)
The portable terminal 6 receives the web page 1103 through the communication unit 603 (step S14). The web page 1103 is output to the display control unit 613 via the communication control unit 611. The display control unit 613 outputs the input web page 1103 to the display unit 605. The user confirms the web page 1103 displayed on the display unit 605. When the user is a free member, even if there are a plurality of images, only one of them can be stored in the image providing site. When the user wants to save one image, the user selects the link image 1106 through the input unit 604. Note that the image to be stored is not limited to the image selected as the image to be transmitted to the mobile terminal 6 in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1, and is designated as an image to be stored in the mobile terminal 6 accessing the image providing site, for example. It may be an image.

  The input control unit 612 receives a selection input from the input unit 604 and notifies the communication control unit 611 that the link image 1106 has been selected. In response to this, the communication control unit 611 transmits an image storage instruction to the management server 4 (step S15).

  The communication control unit 411 receives the transmitted storage instruction through the communication unit 403 (step S16). As a result, the communication control unit 411 instructs the image management unit 414 to store the image. In response to this instruction, the image management unit 414 stores the user image stored in the temporary storage database in the image database 424 in association with the user member ID (step S17). At that time, if there is only one image, the image is saved. On the other hand, if there are a plurality of images, one of them (for example, an image corresponding to the thumbnail image 1104) is stored. Thereby, a series of processes shown in FIG. 14 is completed.

  The temporary storage database stores the user's image for a predetermined period, but if the storage process to the image database 424 is not performed within the predetermined period, the image is deleted from the temporary storage database. Depending on the member type, the length of the predetermined period (temporary storage period) stored in the temporary storage database may be changed. For example, the temporary storage period for pay members may be longer than the temporary storage period for free members, and the temporary storage period for premium members may be longer than the temporary storage period for pay members.

  Note that a user who is a free member selects the link image 1105 when he wants to save all images. In this case, a series of processing for paying member registration is performed in the captured image management system 10. When registration is completed, all images are stored in the image database 424 in association with the member ID of the user.

  In addition, the saving process when the user is a paying member is essentially the same as the saving process when the user is a free member. However, the user selects the link image 1108 included in the web page 1107. As a result, the management server 4 stores all images in the user account area in the image database 424. Note that the selection of an image to be saved by the user (one image for a free member and all images for a paid member) may be accepted by the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. In this case, the image management unit 414 may store the image selected in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 in the image database 424.

(Image saving to portable terminal 6)
Hereinafter, a flow of processing when an image stored in the image providing site is stored in the user's portable terminal 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17. FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a flow of a series of processes related to image storage in the mobile terminal 6 in the captured image management system 10. FIG. 17 is a screen transition diagram illustrating an example of a web page displayed on the display unit 605 of the mobile terminal 6 during the image saving process on the mobile terminal 6.

  The user accesses the image providing site in order to log in to the image providing site. As a result, the top page 1001 of the image providing site as shown in FIG. 17A is displayed on the display unit 605 of the mobile terminal 6. The user operates the input unit 604 of the mobile terminal 6 to select a link image 1002 for proceeding with member login processing to the image providing site. The input control unit 612 receives this selection operation and notifies the communication control unit 611 that the link image 1002 has been selected. As a result, the communication control unit 611 reads the user's member ID and password from the storage unit 602, transmits them to the management server 4 via the communication unit 603, and requests the management server 4 to log in to the image providing site (step S21). . Note that when the link image 1002 is selected, the communication control unit 611 may acquire a web page for inputting the user's member ID and password. In this case, the management server 4 may accept input of the member ID and password on the web page.

  The communication control unit 411 of the management server 4 receives this request through the communication unit 403 (step S22). Next, the communication control unit 411 outputs the received member ID and password to the web page creation unit 413 and instructs the web page creation unit 413 to create the member top page 1031.

  The web page creation unit 413 determines whether or not the user is registered as a member on the image providing site by checking the input member ID and password against the member database 422. When it is determined that the user is registered, the web page creation unit 413 outputs a member ID to the member period specifying unit 415 to inquire about the length of the period in which the user is the member.

  The member period specifying unit 415 acquires information such as the membership date and the member attribute change date from the member database 422, and specifies the period during which the user is the member (step S23). The member period specifying unit 415 outputs the period of the specified member to the web page creating unit 413.

  The web page creation unit 413 acquires data for generating the member top page 1031 from the web page database 423 in accordance with the member type of the user and the period during which the user is a member. The web page creation unit 413 uses the data to generate different member top pages 1031 according to the user's membership type and the period during which the user is a member. The web page creation unit 413 outputs the generated member top page 1031 to the communication control unit 411.

  As shown in FIG. 17B, the member top page 1031 includes a link image 1032 for displaying a list of user images stored in the image providing site. Furthermore, for premium members, the member top page 1031 includes a link image 1033 for displaying a page for customizing the design of the user's page (member top page or image list page) of the image providing site. For the paying member whose membership period is a predetermined first threshold (for example, six months) or more, the member top page 1031 includes a link image 1033 for displaying a page for customizing the design. In addition, for a free member whose membership period is a predetermined second threshold (for example, 12 months) or more, the member top page 1031 includes a link image 1033 for displaying a page for customizing the design. The user can change the design of the user's page according to his / her preference by inputting an instruction on the previous page where the link image 1033 is clicked. For example, the background image, color scheme, skin, etc. of the user's page can be changed.

  On the other hand, for a paying member whose membership period is less than the first threshold and a free member having a period less than the second threshold, the member top page 1031 does not include the link image 1033 for displaying a page for customizing the design.

  As described above, for paid members and free members with a long membership period, the management server 4 provides some services for premium members on the image providing site. Some services for premium members include, for example, partial browsing of premium member-dedicated pages or partial functions for additional editing for premium members. In order to give preferential treatment to paid members over free members, the conditions imposed on free members are stricter than the conditions imposed on paid members. That is, the second threshold value for the free member to satisfy the condition is longer than the first threshold value for the charged member to satisfy the condition. In addition, the management server 4 may give a predetermined point for every fixed period in which the user is a member, and may determine whether or not to provide some services for the premium member to the user according to the accumulated points. . Providing some services for premium members to free members or paying members leads to the continuation of the member status or the transfer (change) to a premium member. Therefore, there are advantages for both the user and the operator of the image providing site.

  The communication control unit 411 transmits the member top page 1031 to the mobile terminal 6 through the communication unit 403 (step S24).

  The communication control unit 611 of the mobile terminal 6 receives the member top page 1031 through the communication unit 603. The communication control unit 611 outputs the received member top page 1031 to the display control unit 613. The display control unit 613 outputs the member top page 1031 to the display unit 605. As a result, the member top page 1031 is displayed on the display unit 605 (step S25).

  The user selects the link image 1032 by operating the input unit 604 of the mobile terminal 6 (step S26). The input control unit 612 receives this selection operation and notifies the communication control unit 611 that the link image 1032 has been selected. As a result, the communication control unit 611 transmits a request for providing a web page including a list of user images stored in the image providing site to the management server 4 through the communication unit 603.

  The communication control unit 411 of the management server 4 receives the transmitted request through the communication unit 403 (step S27). Next, the communication control unit 411 instructs the web page creation unit 413 to generate an image list page 1041 including a list of user images stored in the image database 424.

  The web page creation unit 413 acquires data for generating the image list page 1041 from the web page database 423. The web page creation unit 413 uses the data and refers to all the images of the user stored in the image database 424 to generate an image list page 1041 as shown in FIG. 411. The image list page 1041 includes a plurality of thumbnail images 1042 that individually represent all the images of the user stored in the image database 424. The communication control unit 411 transmits the image list page 1041 to the mobile terminal 6 through the communication unit 403 (step S28).

  The communication control unit 611 of the portable terminal 6 receives the image list page 1041 through the communication unit 603. The communication control unit 611 outputs the received image list page 1041 to the display control unit 613. The display control unit 613 outputs the image list page 1041 to the display unit 605. As a result, the image list page 1041 is displayed on the display unit 605 (step S29).

  The user operates the input unit 604 of the mobile terminal 6 to select a thumbnail image 1042 corresponding to an image to be stored in the mobile terminal 6 from the displayed thumbnail images 1042 (step S30). The input control unit 612 receives this selection operation and notifies the communication control unit 611 that the thumbnail image 1042 has been selected. As a result, the communication control unit 611 transmits a request for providing an image corresponding to the selected thumbnail image 1042 to the management server 4 through the communication unit 603.

  The communication control unit 411 of the management server 4 receives the transmitted request through the communication unit 403 (step S31). Next, the communication control unit 411 instructs the image management unit 414 to output the image of the user requested to be provided from the portable terminal 6 to the communication control unit 411.

  The image management unit 414 acquires the instructed image from the image database 424 and outputs the acquired image to the communication control unit 411. The communication control unit 411 transmits the input image to the mobile terminal 6 through the communication unit 403 (step S32).

  The communication control unit 611 of the portable terminal 6 receives (downloads) the transmitted image through the communication unit 603 and stores it in the storage unit 602 (step S33). Thus, the image storage process on the mobile terminal 6 is completed.

  In the above description, the configuration in which the mobile terminal 6 acquires an image by logging in to the image providing site has been described as an example. However, in the present embodiment, an image can also be acquired using a seal ID. . For example, the mobile terminal 6 accesses the web page indicated by the URL printed on the sticker paper (or the URL included in the guide mail), and accepts an input operation of the sticker ID by the user, thereby obtaining the image acquisition page. To access.

  At this time, if the user is a paying member, the image acquisition page displays a list of all the images specified by the seal ID and generated during one game so that the user can select. If the user is a free member, only one image out of all images specified by the seal ID may be displayed in a list so that the user can select it. Further, the image acquisition page may display only one image selected in advance in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 when the user is a free member. Note that it is preferable that only a list of edited images is displayed on the image acquisition page. For example, when there are captured images for which no edited image is generated, the edited image and the captured image for which the edited image is not generated are displayed. Images may be displayed as a list, or all edited images and captured images may be displayed as a list, and there is no particular limitation.

  The portable terminal 6 acquires an image selected by the user from the management server 4 among the images displayed as a list on the image acquisition page, and stores the acquired image in the storage unit 602. When the user is a paying member, the mobile terminal 6 manages all the images displayed in the list without accepting the user's selection operation for the images displayed in the list on the image acquisition page. And may be stored in the storage unit 602.

(Maximum number of images that can be saved)
The image management unit 414 limits the upper limit of the total number of images that the user can store in the image database 424 to 10 for free members and 60 for paid members. For example, when an instruction to save a new image exceeding the upper limit is received from the user, the image management unit 414 deletes the oldest image in order so that the number of images to be saved falls within the upper limit. The total number of images that can be stored in the image database 424 means the number of user images that can be viewed on the image providing site.

(Image retention period)
Depending on the membership type, the user's image storage period on the image providing site may be different. For free members, the image storage period at the image providing site is 6 months. For paid members, the image storage period at the image providing site is one year. For premium members, there is no limit on the image storage period on the image providing site.

  The image management unit 414 manages the storage period of the user's image. A retention period is set for each image according to the member type of the user. The image management unit 414 deletes the image whose storage period has elapsed from the image database 424. An image deleted from the image database 424 cannot be browsed even on an image providing site.

(Quality of provided image)
Depending on the membership type, the image quality of the image provided to the user (downloadable by the user) on the image providing site may be different. In the free member, the number of pixels (or image size) of the user's image that can be downloaded from the image providing site by the user is the first value. In the paid member, the number of pixels of the user's image that the user can download from the image providing site is a second value larger than the first value. In the premium member, the number of pixels of the user's image that the user can download from the image providing site is a third value larger than the second value. Premium members can download higher quality images than other members.

  The management server 4 may change the image quality of the image received from the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 according to the member type, or may receive the image whose image quality has been changed from the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. In the latter case, the management server 4 notifies the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 of the user membership type before receiving the image. Further, the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 may additionally transmit the photographed image before editing and the image before graffiti to the management server 4 according to the member type. At that time, the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 may transmit a mask image for masking other than the background to the management server 4. If there is a mask image, the management server 4 (image providing site) can change the background image. The photo sticker creating apparatus 1 may transmit face recognition data (parameters indicating feature points such as eyes) specified for correcting a face included in an image to the management server 4. By doing so, the management server 4 (image providing site) can correct the size of the eye and the size of the face of the image.

  In the foregoing, an example has been described in which some image providing services for premium members that are higher than the fee are provided to paying members and free members that are less expensive. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a special member (first type member) may be provided that is set according to a predetermined condition regardless of the fee, or specified by the operator of the management server 4. Then, some web services for special members may be provided to other members who have a long membership period.

(Modification)
The management server 4 may provide different image providing services for premium members depending on whether a user with a long membership period is a free member or a paid member. For example, the management server 4 may eliminate the upper limit of the total number of images that can be stored in the image database 424 for paying members whose membership period is a first threshold (for example, 6 months) or more. . On the other hand, the management server 4 may cause a free member whose membership period is a second threshold (for example, 6 months) or more to download an image having the same image quality (the number of pixels is a third value) as a premium member. In this case, the first threshold value and the second threshold value may be the same or different. As described above, the management server 4 provides a part of the image providing service for premium members to paying members who have a long period of membership, and other premium services for free members having a long period of membership. A part of image providing service may be provided.

  In addition, for example, paid members who have a long membership period will be provided with some premium image provision services for premium members, but free members will be provided for premium members regardless of the length of their membership period. None of the image providing services may be provided. This makes it possible to differentiate between paid members and free members.

  The management server 4 (the control unit 401 (access count specifying means)) counts and stores the number of accesses to the image providing site for each user, and provides a premium member for users whose access count is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. In addition, some other image providing services may be provided. Furthermore, some other image providing services for premium members may be provided to users whose number of images stored in the image database 424 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. The management server 4 (seal identification information receiving means) receives a seal ID (seal identification information) given to each sticker sheet created by the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 from the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 and stores it for each user. In addition, some other image providing services for premium members may be provided to users whose number of seal IDs (that is, the number of times the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 is used) is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

[Embodiment 2]
Another embodiment of the present invention will be described. For convenience of explanation, members / configurations having the same functions as those in the drawings described in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted. In the first embodiment, a mode has been described in which a lower-level member having a long membership period receives a part of the image providing service for the higher-level member. In this embodiment, members with a long membership period can use dedicated web content as a privilege.

  Below, the flow of processing when a user uses a privilege will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 and 19. FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a flow of a series of processes related to image storage in the mobile terminal 6 in the captured image management system 10. FIG. 19 is a screen transition diagram illustrating an example of a web page displayed on the display unit 605 of the mobile terminal 6 when logging into the image providing site in order to use the privilege.

  The process from step S21 to step 23 in which the user transmits a login request from the portable terminal 6 to the image providing site is the same as that described in FIG. After S23, the member period identification unit 415 outputs the period of the identified member to the web page creation unit 413.

  The web page creation unit 413 generates different member top pages 1031 depending on the period during which the user is a member. The web page creation unit 413 outputs the generated member top page 1031 to the communication control unit 411.

  As shown in FIG. 19A, the member top page 1031 includes a link image 1032 for displaying a list of user images stored in the image providing site. Further, for a user whose membership period is equal to or greater than a predetermined third threshold, the member top page 1031 includes a link image 1034 for displaying a page using a privilege. The third threshold value may be different for each member type. For example, higher members (premium members and paid members) may receive benefits in a shorter period than lower members (free members).

  On the other hand, for a user whose membership period is less than the third threshold, the member top page 1031 does not include the link image 1034 for displaying a page using the privilege.

  The communication control unit 411 transmits the member top page 1031 to the mobile terminal 6 through the communication unit 403 (step S24).

  The communication control unit 611 of the mobile terminal 6 receives the member top page 1031 through the communication unit 603. The communication control unit 611 outputs the received member top page 1031 to the display control unit 613. The display control unit 613 outputs the member top page 1031 to the display unit 605. As a result, the member top page 1031 is displayed on the display unit 605 (step S25).

  The user operates the input unit 604 of the mobile terminal 6 to select the link image 1034 (Step S40). The input control unit 612 receives this selection operation and notifies the communication control unit 611 that the link image 1034 has been selected. Thereby, the communication control unit 611 transmits a request for providing a web page including a display of a privilege that can be used to the management server 4 through the communication unit 603.

  The communication control unit 411 of the management server 4 receives the transmitted request through the communication unit 403 (step S41). Next, the communication control unit 411 instructs the web page creation unit 413 to generate a privilege page 1051 including a display of a privilege that can be used.

  The web page creation unit 413 acquires data for generating the privilege page 1051 from the web page database 423. The web page creation unit 413 generates a privilege page 1051 as shown in FIG. 19B using the data, and outputs it to the communication control unit 411. The privilege page 1051 includes a plurality of links for using a plurality of web contents.

  The link 1052 is a link that provides a privilege image. The privilege image is not a user image photographed by the photo sticker creating device but another image that can be downloaded as a privilege, such as a standby image (background image) of the mobile terminal 6, for example. The privilege image may be an image that the user is willing to collect, for example, a photo sticker image such as a reader model or an idol.

  The link 1053 is a link that provides a privilege video. The link 1054 is a link that provides a privilege application. The privilege application is an application operable on the mobile terminal 6. The link 1055 is a link that provides bonus music. The privilege image, the privilege video, the privilege application, and the privilege music may be web contents that are not related to the photo sticker creating apparatus.

  The communication control unit 411 transmits the image list page 1041 to the mobile terminal 6 through the communication unit 403 (step S42).

  The communication control unit 611 of the mobile terminal 6 receives the privilege page 1051 through the communication unit 603. The communication control unit 611 outputs the received privilege page 1051 to the display control unit 613. The display control unit 613 outputs the privilege page 1051 to the display unit 605. As a result, the privilege page 1051 is displayed on the display unit 605 (step S43).

  The user operates the input unit 604 of the mobile terminal 6 to select a link corresponding to the benefit that the user wants to use from among the displayed privileges (step S44). The input control unit 612 receives this selection operation and notifies the communication control unit 611 that the privilege link has been selected. Thereby, the communication control unit 611 transmits a request for providing the selected privilege to the management server 4 through the communication unit 603.

  The communication control unit 411 of the management server 4 receives the transmitted request through the communication unit 403 (step S45). Next, the communication control unit 411 instructs the web page creation unit 413 to output the privilege (web content) requested to be provided from the mobile terminal 6 to the communication control unit 411.

  The web page creation unit 413 acquires the web content of the instructed privilege from the web page database 423 and outputs it to the communication control unit 411. The communication control unit 411 transmits the input web content (for example, a privilege image) to the mobile terminal 6 through the communication unit 403 (step S46).

  The communication control unit 611 of the portable terminal 6 receives (downloads) the transmitted web content through the communication unit 603, and stores it in the storage unit 602 (step S47). As described above, the management server 4 can provide web content to a user with a long membership period.

[Embodiment 3]
Still another embodiment of the present invention will be described. For convenience of explanation, members / configurations having the same functions as those in the drawings described in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted. In this embodiment, a member with a long membership period can receive a privilege related to the use of the photo sticker creating apparatus.

(Management server 5)
FIG. 20 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of the management server 5 according to the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, the management server 5 mainly includes a control unit 401, a storage unit 402, and a communication unit 403. The control unit 401 performs overall control of each member provided in the management server 5. The storage unit 402 stores various data used in the management server 5. The communication unit 403 communicates with other devices constituting the captured image management system 10.

(Details of control unit 401)
As shown in FIG. 20, the control unit 401 includes a communication control unit 411 (privilege information transmission unit), a mail creation unit 412, a web page creation unit 413, an image management unit 414, and a member period specifying unit 415 (member period specifying unit). And a privilege determining unit 416 (privilege determining means).

(Privilege determination unit 416)
The privilege determination unit 416 determines to give a privilege to a user who satisfies a predetermined condition.

(Determination of privilege)
FIG. 21 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a flow of a series of processes related to the provision of a privilege in the captured image management system 10. The management server 5 determines a privilege to be given to the user at a predetermined timing (for example, periodically).

  The member period specifying unit 415 acquires information such as the membership date and the member attribute change date from the member database 422, and specifies the length of the period during which the user is a member (S51). In addition, when the user repeats the entrance / exit, the member period specifying unit 415 may specify the sum of a plurality of periods in which the user is in the member state as the period in which the user is a member. Each intermittent period of membership is the difference between the date of membership and the date of withdrawal. The member period specifying unit 415 notifies the privilege determining unit 416 of the length of the period during which the user is a member.

  The privilege determination unit 416 determines whether or not the length of the period during which the user is a member is greater than or equal to the third threshold. The third threshold value may be different for each member type. For example, a higher-order member may receive a privilege in a shorter period.

  The privilege determining unit 416 determines to give a privilege related to the use of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 to a user whose length of the membership period is equal to or more than the third threshold (reached) (S52). The privilege may be for reducing the usage fee of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. For example, depending on the privilege, a predetermined number of times of play of the specific photo sticker creation device 1 is half price or free, or a play at a predetermined time (date and time) is half price or free.

  The privilege determining unit 416 acquires information on the member ID and mail address of the user to whom the privilege is granted from the member database 422. The privilege determination unit 416 outputs the member ID (user identification information) of the user who gives the privilege to the communication control unit 411 and notifies the privilege given to the user of the member ID. Further, the privilege determining unit 416 outputs the email address of the user to whom the privilege is granted to the email creating unit 412 and instructs the email creating unit 412 to create an email notifying the privilege.

  The communication control unit 411 transmits the member ID of the user to whom the privilege is given to the target photo sticker creating apparatus 1 via the communication unit 403 (S53). The control unit 201 of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 receives the member ID via the communication unit 203 (S61), and stores the member ID in the storage unit 202. The photograph sticker creating apparatus 1 can determine that the user with the received member ID is the target of the privilege.

  The mail creation unit 412 creates a mail indicating that a privilege is given, and outputs the mail to the communication control unit 411. The communication control unit 411 transmits the input mail to the user's mail address via the communication unit 403 (S54). The control unit 601 of the portable terminal 6 receives an email notifying the privilege via the communication unit 603 (S71).

  The user can know from the received mail that the privilege has been granted, the content of the privilege, and the photo sticker creation apparatus 1 that is the target of the privilege. The user causes communication between the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 and the portable terminal 6 before starting to play a game on the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. The communication control unit 611 of the portable terminal 6 obtains the member ID of the user stored in the storage unit 602, and creates a photo sticker through the communication unit 603 for a privilege use request including the member ID and notifying the use of the privilege. It transmits to the apparatus 1 (S72).

  The photograph sticker creating apparatus 1 receives the privilege use request including the member ID (S62). The photo sticker creating apparatus 1 (the control unit 201) checks the member ID of the user to whom the privilege received from the management server 5 is given and the member ID received from the mobile terminal 6 so that the user can use the privilege. (S63). In other words, the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 causes the user to play a game with a reduced usage fee. Here, the user to whom the privilege is given by the member ID is authenticated. For example, the management server 5 transmits a passcode (authentication code) to the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 and the user (mobile terminal 6), and collates the passcode. By doing so, the user to whom the privilege is given may be authenticated. In this case, without authenticating the user, the user may simply input a pass code to the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 and the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 may grant a privilege according to the pass code. A predetermined expiration date may be set for the use of the passcode.

[Example of software implementation]
The control blocks (especially the control unit 201, the control unit 401, and the control unit 601) of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1, the management servers 4, 5 and the portable terminal 6 are logic circuits (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like. Hardware), or software using a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

  In the latter case, the photo sticker creating apparatus 1, the management server 4, and the portable terminal 6 can read a program instruction that is software for realizing each function, and the program and various data can be read by a computer (or CPU). ROM (Read Only Memory) or a storage device (these are referred to as “recording media”), a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the program, and the like. And the objective of this invention is achieved when a computer (or CPU) reads the said program from the said recording medium and runs it. As the recording medium, a “non-temporary tangible medium” such as a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like can be used. Further, the program may be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium (such as a communication network or a broadcast wave) that can transmit the program. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be widely used as a photographed image management system that stores a photographed image of a user created in a photo sticker creating apparatus in a management server.

1 Photo sticker creation device 4, 5 Management server 6 Mobile terminal (user terminal)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Shooting image management system 11 Shooting unit 12 Editing part 13 Subsequent customer service part 21 Shooting part 201 Control part 311 Communication control part 312 Shooting control part 313 Edit control part 314 Print control part 315 Post-service customer control part 401 Control part (Access number specification means) , Seal specific information receiving means)
402 storage unit 403 communication unit 411 communication control unit (privilege information transmission means)
412 Mail creation unit 413 Web page creation unit (service providing means)
414 Image management unit (image management means)
415 Membership Period Identification Department (Membership Period Identification Method)
416 privilege determining unit (privilege determining means)
601 Control unit 602 Storage unit 603 Communication unit 604 Input unit 605 Display unit 611 Communication control unit 612 Input control unit 613 Display control unit

Claims (18)

A management server connected to the photo sticker creation device via a network,
Image management means for managing user images received from the photo sticker creating device;
Service providing means for providing the image providing service for the image to the user;
A membership period specifying means for specifying the length of the period during which the user is a member,
The service providing means provides a web service different from the user whose length of the membership period is less than the first threshold to the user whose length of the membership period is equal to or greater than a first threshold. A management server characterized by that. The service providing means provides the user with the image providing service that is different for each member type of the user,
The member types include at least a second type member and a first type member who can receive more image providing services than the second type member.
The service providing means provides a part of the image providing service for the first type member to the user whose length of the period of being the second type member is not less than the first threshold. The management server according to claim 1. In the above member types, there is a third type member,
The type 2 member is a member who pays a higher fee than the type 3 member,
The service providing means provides the user with the part of the image providing service for the first type member to the user whose length of the period of the third type member is equal to or longer than a second threshold value longer than the first threshold value. The management server according to claim 2, wherein the management server is provided. In the above member types, there is a third type member,
The type 2 member is a member who pays a higher fee than the type 3 member,
The service providing means provides the image providing service for the other part of the first type member to the user whose length of the period of being the third type member is equal to or greater than a second threshold. The management server according to claim 2.   The service providing means varies at least one of the design of an image providing web page, the image quality of the image, the period during which the image can be acquired, and the upper limit number of images that can be acquired according to the member type. The management server according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that:   The service providing means permits the user whose length of the membership period is equal to or more than the first threshold to use web content including other images, videos, applications, or music on the web. The management server according to claim 1. An access number specifying means for specifying the number of access times of the user to the website providing the image providing service;
The service providing means provides the user whose access count is a fourth threshold value or more to provide a web service different from the user whose access count is less than the fourth threshold value. The management server according to any one of 6.   The service providing means provides a web service different from the user whose number of images is less than the fifth threshold to the user whose number of the images managed by the image management means is greater than or equal to a fifth threshold. The management server according to claim 1, wherein the management server is provided. A seal identification information receiving means for receiving seal identification information given to each seal created by the photo sticker creating apparatus;
The service providing means provides the user whose number of input sticker specific information is equal to or more than a sixth threshold to a web different from the user whose number of input sticker specific information is less than the sixth threshold. The management server according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a service is provided. A management server connected to the photo sticker creation device via a network,
A membership period identifying means for identifying a length of a period during which the user is a member;
Privilege determining means for determining that a privilege related to the use of the photo sticker creating device is to be given to the user whose length of membership period is equal to or greater than a third threshold;
A management server comprising: the photo sticker creating device including privilege information transmitting means for transmitting user specifying information for specifying the user to whom the privilege is given.   11. The management server according to claim 10, wherein the privilege determining means reduces the usage fee of the photo sticker creation device at a predetermined number of times or at a predetermined time as the privilege to the user. An access number specifying means for specifying the number of access times of the user to the website that provides the image providing service of the image generated in the photo sticker creating apparatus;
The management server according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the privilege determining means determines that the privilege is given to the user whose access count has become a seventh threshold value or more. Image management means for managing user images received from the photo sticker creating device,
The said privilege determination means determines giving the said privilege to the said user in which the number of the said images of the said user who the said image management means manages became an 8th threshold value or more. The management server according to any one of 12. A seal identification information receiving means for receiving seal identification information given to each seal created by the photo sticker creating apparatus;
The said privilege determination means determines giving the said privilege to the said user in which the number of the said seal | sticker specific information input became 9th threshold value or more, The any one of Claim 10 to 13 characterized by the above-mentioned. Management server described in the section.   The control program for functioning a computer as a management server as described in any one of Claims 1-14, Comprising: The control program for functioning a computer as said each means.   A computer-readable recording medium on which the control program according to claim 15 is recorded. A control method of a management server connected to a photo sticker creating apparatus via a network,
An image management step for managing a user image received from the photo sticker creating device;
A service providing step of providing the image providing service of the image to the user;
A member period specifying step for specifying a length of a period during which the user is a member;
A web service providing step of providing a web service different from the user whose length of the member period is less than the first threshold to the user whose length of the member period is a first threshold or more; A management server control method, comprising: A control method of a management server connected to a photo sticker creating apparatus via a network,
A membership period identifying step for identifying a length of a period during which the user is a member;
A privilege determination step for determining that a privilege related to the use of the photo sticker creating apparatus is to be given to the user whose length of the member period is equal to or greater than a third threshold;
A control method of a management server, comprising: a privilege information transmission step of transmitting user identification information for identifying the user to whom the privilege is given to the photo sticker creating apparatus.

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