JP2023086065A - printing system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a printing system, which can record an image showing an individuality of an object based on an impact state with randomness of discharged liquid droplets and verify that the object is true and correct.SOLUTION: A printing system comprises: control means that changes impacting positions and/or the number of impacting of liquid droplets so as to grow an individuality of an image showing an individuality of an object to be printed on which discharged liquid droplets have impacted; photographing means that can photograph an image; storing means that stores a reference image showing the image photographed by the photographing means; and transmitting means that transmits information concerning utilization of an image, in response to reception of an instruction to use the image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 18

Description

The present invention relates to a printing system and program.

Image recording for forming an image on a recording medium, comprising a recording head having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink, the plurality of nozzles being arranged in a row, and a head support member supporting the recording head. A method of mounting a recording head on a head supporting member in an apparatus, comprising: a temporary positioning step of temporarily positioning the recording head on the head supporting member and temporarily fixing the recording head; and some of a plurality of nozzles. a reference mark position detection step of detecting the position of a reference mark by imaging a reference mark provided in a predetermined positional relationship with respect to a specific nozzle consisting of a plurality of nozzles or a specific nozzle group consisting of a part of a plurality of nozzles; A first position adjustment step of aligning the recording head with respect to the head supporting member so that the positions of the marks coincide with the predetermined design positions associated with the head supporting member on the nozzle surface of the recording head. Then, ink is ejected from a specific nozzle or a specific nozzle group, and an image of the ejected ink droplets in flight is captured to detect the flight characteristics of the ink droplets. an ink landing position deviation amount estimation step for estimating an ink landing position deviation amount on a recording medium based on the flight characteristics; A recording head mounting method is known that includes a second position adjustment step of moving the position of a reference mark and a fixing step of fixing the recording head to a head support member after the second position adjustment step (Patent Document 1).

Deploying an information collection means on a network connectable to a user terminal that performs information processing using content; a step of embedding digital information in the content to be sent to the collecting means and distributing the content; and a step of generating usage information indicating how much the content has been used based on the content usage history collected through the information collecting means. is also known (Patent Document 2).

JP 2012-135990 A JP-A-2002-175387

The present invention records an image showing the individuality of an object based on the random landing positions of ejected droplets, making it possible to prove the authenticity of the object.

In order to solve the above problems, the printing system according to claim 1 comprises:
Control means for changing the landing positions and/or the number of landings of the droplets so as to increase the individuality of an image showing the individuality of an object on which the ejected droplets have landed;
an imaging means capable of imaging the image;
storage means for storing a reference image representing the image captured by the imaging means;
transmitting means for transmitting information regarding use of the image in response to receiving an instruction to use the image;
It is characterized by

The invention according to claim 2 is the printing system according to claim 1,
The control means changes the landing position of the droplets by making the droplets ejected smaller than usual in the area for forming the image serving as the reference image.
It is characterized by

The invention according to claim 3 is the printing system according to claim 1,
The control means changes the number of droplets that land, including satellite droplets, by increasing the ejection speed of the droplets ejected in the area for forming the image that serves as the reference image.
It is characterized by

The invention according to claim 4 is the printing system according to claim 1,
The control means increases the distance between the object and a head that ejects the droplets more than usual in the area for forming the image that serves as the reference image, and increases the distance between the object and the head that ejects the droplets. change the number of hits,
It is characterized by

The invention according to claim 5 is the printing system according to claim 1,
Further comprising a head having a head gap, which is the distance between the head that ejects the droplets and the object, that is larger than usual, and forming the image that serves as the reference image;
It is characterized by

The invention according to claim 6 is the printing system device according to claim 1,
The control means vibrates a head that ejects the droplets in an area for forming the image that serves as the reference image to change the landing position and the number of droplets including satellite droplets.
It is characterized by

The invention according to claim 7 is the printing system according to claim 1,
The control means selects a distance between nozzles that send ejection signals in an area for forming the image serving as the reference image so as to increase the distance between the nozzles, and changes the landing positions and the number of landings of the droplets including satellite droplets. ,
It is characterized by

The invention according to claim 8 is the printing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The information related to the use of the image includes ejection control by the control means for changing the landing positions and/or the number of landings of the droplets, imaging of an image showing the individuality of the object by the imaging means, and the reference by the storage means. image storage, including
It is characterized by

The invention according to claim 9 is the printing system according to claim 8,
wherein the transmission means transmits information regarding the use of the image to a device that manages the history of use of the image as a destination;
It is characterized by

The invention according to claim 10 is the printing system device according to claim 8,
The transmission means transmits information obtained by encrypting information related to the history of use of the image up to the own device to another device that constitutes the block chain.
It is characterized by

In order to solve the problem, the program according to claim 11,
to the computer,
a control step of changing the landing positions and/or the number of landings of the droplets so as to increase the individuality of an image showing the individuality of an object on which the ejected droplets have landed;
an imaging step of imaging the image;
A storage step of storing a reference image representing the image captured by the imaging step locally, online, or on a blockchain, either unprocessed or compressed, using blockchain technology, on-chain or off-chain. and,
a transmitting step of transmitting information regarding the use of the image in response to receiving an instruction to use the image;
It is characterized by

According to the first and eleventh aspects of the invention, it is possible to record an image showing the individuality of an object based on the random landing positions of ejected droplets, and to prove the authenticity of the object. be able to.

According to the second aspect of the invention, it is possible to increase the randomness of the landing positions of droplets.

According to the third aspect of the invention, it is possible to increase the randomness of the landing number of droplets including satellite droplets.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, it is possible to increase the randomness of the landing positions and the number of landings of droplets including satellite droplets.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, it is possible to increase the randomness of the landing positions and the number of landings of droplets.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, it is possible to increase the randomness of the landing positions and the number of landings of droplets including satellite droplets.

According to the seventh aspect of the invention, it is possible to increase the randomness of the landing positions and the number of landings of droplets.

According to the eighth, ninth, and tenth aspects of the present invention, it is possible to centrally manage information relating to the use of a series of images.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a printing system according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the terminal device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of a content server; FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of the content file utilized by this embodiment. (a) is a schematic diagram for explaining the landing state of a droplet on a recording material, and (b) is a schematic diagram for explaining the landing state of a droplet having a main droplet and a satellite droplet on the recording material. (a) is a schematic diagram showing an example of a banding texture appearing on the surface of a modeled object, and (b) is a schematic diagram showing an example of a regular or irregular texture appearing on the surface of a modeled object. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating airflow generated around the print head; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a method of making droplets smaller by driving waveforms; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a method of increasing the ejection speed of droplets using a drive waveform; It is a figure explaining the raising/lowering drive part which changes a head gap. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a method of transmitting ejection signals to adjacent nozzles to change the landing positions and the number of droplets that land. (a) is a diagram schematically showing an inkjet printer of an embodiment in which a specific image is printed by changing the head gap; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an image; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an image printed with a specific image by changing the head gap; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the result of confirming whether or not the randomness of the image is maintained by copying the image printed by changing the head gap with a copier. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the result of confirming whether or not the randomness of the image is maintained by copying the image printed by changing the head gap with a color copier. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the results of confirming whether or not the landing points of liquid droplets are different in each of repeated tests of printing a specific image by changing the head gap under the same conditions. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of processing operations executed by a control unit of a terminal device and a control unit of a printing device according to the present embodiment;

Next, specific examples of embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.
It should be noted that in the following description using the drawings, the drawings are schematic, and the ratio of each dimension is different from the actual one. Illustrations other than members are omitted as appropriate.

(1) Overall Configuration of Printing System FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a printing system 100 according to this embodiment, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the printing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the terminal device 20 shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the content server 30, and FIG. 5 shows an example of the data structure of a content file used in this embodiment. It is a diagram.
The configuration of the image forming system according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The printing system 100 includes a printing device 10 capable of ejecting liquid droplets, a terminal device 20 functioning as transmission means, a content server 30 delivering content files 50, and a management server 40 managing a ledger database 41. A printing system that records an image that indicates the individuality of a printed material on which droplets that are ejected at random land on it, thereby making it possible to prove the authenticity of the printed material.
In the printing system 100 of this embodiment, the printing device 10, the terminal device 20, the content server 30, and the management server 40 are connected via a network NW, and the printing device 10, the terminal device 20, the content server 30, and the management server 40 are , can be connected in a peer-to-peer network.

(1-1) Printing Apparatus The printing apparatus 10 includes a control unit 11 that controls the entire apparatus, a communication unit 12 that is used for communication with external devices, an operation screen, etc., and accepts user operations. an operation display unit 13, a printing mechanism 14 for printing an image on a recording material S, which is one of the printing materials, for example, by an inkjet method, a camera 15 as an example of imaging means for capturing an image printed on the recording material S, and a storage unit 16 that stores an image captured by the camera 15 as a reference image. The control unit 11 and each unit described above are connected through a bus B. FIG.
In the present embodiment, the recording material S is not limited to that used as a recording medium. An object having a three-dimensional curved surface can be used as appropriate.

The control unit 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that provides various management functions through program execution, a ROM (Read Only Memory) as a storage area for storing BIOS (Basic Input Output System) and the like, and a program execution It has a processor consisting of a RAM (Random Access Memory) used as an area. The program includes firmware and an operating system (OS). One or a plurality of CPUs, ROMs, and RAMs may be provided.

The communication unit 12 includes, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) interface or an IOT (Internet of Things) interface, and communicates with other devices existing on the network by a peer-to-peer method. For communication here, for example, an Ethernet (registered trademark) interface, Wifi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), or the like is used.
The operation display unit 13 corresponds to a so-called user interface, and is specifically configured by combining a liquid crystal display panel, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display panel, various operation buttons, a touch panel, etc., and is used for various settings and instructions. Used for input and information display.

The printing mechanism 14 is an inkjet printer, and includes a print head 141 (see FIG. 11) that ejects four types of ink, CMYK (C: cyan, M: magenta, Y: yellow, K: black) as droplets, and ink tanks 142 (not shown) for CMYK color inks to be supplied to the print head 141 . In addition to CMYK, a print head 141 for special colors such as metal colors (M) such as gold and silver and white (W) may be provided.
The print head 141 has a plurality of ejection nozzles arranged in a direction perpendicular to the movement direction of the carriage 143 (see FIG. 11), and the control section 11 controls the amount of ink ejected from each ejection nozzle, ejection timing, and the like. do.

The printing mechanism 14 may also be a 3D object printer used for so-called additive manufacturing. The printing mechanism 14 as a 3D object printer includes a print head 141A (not shown), a platen 145 (not shown), and a surface treatment module 146 (not shown). The print head 141A and the surface treatment module 146 are operatively connected to the controller 11. FIG.

The printhead 141A is fluidly connected to a source of materials and adapted to eject droplets of these materials toward a platen 145 to form the 3D object as a build, layer by layer. The print head 141A in this embodiment is configured to eject droplets of a material that is cured by ultraviolet rays or the like after ejection. Note that droplets of a material for molding powder may be ejected from the print head 141A, and the powder may be solidified layer by layer to form a 3D object as a modeled object.

In printing mechanism 14, one or more printheads 141A are configured to eject droplets of build material, and one or more printheads are configured to eject droplets of support material. A build material is a material that maintains a portion of the 3D object being formed, while a support material is a material that bears the weight that is characteristic of the 3D object during its build, but does not allow the 3D object to remain intact. is removed once it is formed.

Control unit 11 is operatively connected to printhead 141A and programmed with instructions that operate ejectors in printhead 141A and use data corresponding to the 3D object to be built to form the object layer by layer. consists of In a 3D object printer, the content file 50 is the CAD data of the 3D object to be built.

The camera 15 is a microscope camera having a projection lens 151 (not shown), an objective lens 152 (not shown), an imaging element 153 (not shown), and a light source 154 (not shown). An image located within the field of view of the microscope is captured via a projection lens 151 and an objective lens 152 by an imaging element 153 such as a Coupled Device (Coupled Device) image sensor or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor.
The camera 15 is provided on the carriage 143 so as to be aligned in the main scanning direction with respect to the print head 141 of the printing mechanism 14 . Therefore, the controller 11 can move the camera 15 in the main scanning direction by moving the carriage 143 . With such a configuration, in this embodiment, the camera 15 can be moved to include the entire printable range on the printing material in the main scanning direction in the field of view, and any position in the main scanning direction can be included in the field of view. can also capture the printed image. The image data captured by the camera 15 is sent to the storage unit 16 without processing or after being compressed.

Note that the camera 15 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a 2D camera using one image pickup device. Using two image pickup devices, it is possible to measure the distance to the object from the parallax of these images. A 3D camera may be used. By using a 3D camera as the camera 15, for example, it is possible to acquire a three-dimensional image showing the modeling state appearing on the surface of a modeled object formed by accumulating droplets ejected from the print head. It is possible to improve the accuracy of authenticity determination of an object. Note that the camera 15 may be replaced with a sensor or the like capable of exhibiting similar functions.

The storage unit 16 is configured by a storage device such as a hard disk device or a semiconductor memory. In the storage unit 16 of the present embodiment, in addition to images captured by the camera 15, a content file 50 is also recorded.

(1-2) Terminal Device The terminal device 20 is a terminal such as a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a smart phone, a business terminal, a dedicated terminal, or the like.
The terminal device 20 includes a control unit 21 that controls the entire device, a storage unit 22 that stores content files 50 and the like, a display unit 23 that displays images, and an operation reception unit that receives user operations. It has a section 24 and a communication section 25 used for communication with an external device.
The control section 21 and each section described above are interconnected through a bus B. FIG.

The control unit 21 also executes processing such as acquisition, storage, display, and transmission of information through execution of the program. In this embodiment, the content received from the content server 30 is used to execute predetermined workflow processing.
The storage unit 22 is configured by a storage device such as a hard disk device or a semiconductor memory, and in addition to the content file 50, information (ledger database 22A) regarding the history of image usage is also recorded.

The display unit 23 is a display device that displays various types of information, and is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display panel or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display panel.
The operation reception unit 24 is a device that receives an operation from a user, and is composed of, for example, a keyboard, buttons, switches, touch pad, touch panel, and the like.
The communication unit 25 is configured by, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) interface or an IOT (Internet of Things) interface, and communicates with other devices existing on the network by a peer-to-peer method. The communication unit 25 is an example of receiving means and transmitting means. For communication here, for example, an Ethernet (registered trademark) interface, Wifi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), or the like is used.

(1-3) Content Server The content server 30 is configured as a so-called computer. It has a distribution control unit 32 that distributes content, a content database (DB) 33 that stores content files 50, and a ledger database 34 that manages information on the history of image usage.

(1-4) Management Server The management server 40 (not shown) is configured as a so-called computer, and has a function of bidirectionally communicating with the printing device 10, the terminal device 20, and the content server 30 connected to the network NW. , and has a ledger database (DB) 41 (not shown) that manages information about the history of image usage.

(1-5) Content File The content file 50 consists of content attribute information 51 and image data 52 or 3D data 53 .
The content attribute information 51 is information related to images and 3D objects as content. It contains the format of the data, link information related to the content, and so on.

(2) Ejection of droplets by print head FIG. 6(a) is a schematic diagram for explaining the landing state of droplets on a recording material, and FIG. 6(b) is recording of droplets having main droplets and satellite droplets. It is a schematic diagram explaining the landing state to material.

For example, the printing apparatus 10 stores design positions, which are designed positions of droplets on the recording material S, and ejects droplets so that the droplets land on the design positions on the recording material S, and performs image processing and the like. Using this, the actual position, which is the landing position of the droplet on the recording material S, is calculated. Then, the design position and the actual position are compared to calculate a correction value, and the ink ejection timing is controlled based on the correction value.

On the other hand, during printing, the print head 141 ejects droplets while moving in the main scanning direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, droplets P1 are ejected from nozzles 141a of the print head 141. As shown in FIG.
The droplet P1 is affected by the surface tension of the droplet P1, the falling speed of the droplet P1, and the like, and draws an ink tail P12 from the droplet main body P11 in the direction opposite to the ejection direction (the Z direction in the figure). A sub-droplet body P13 having a diameter smaller than that of the droplet body P11 is formed at the upper end of the ink tail P12.

When the droplet P1 lands on the recording material S, if the droplet main body P11 and the sub-droplet main body P13 do not merge, as shown in FIG. is formed on the surface of the recording material S. The satellite droplet P111 is formed farther in the main scanning direction Y than the main droplet P110 as the difference in the falling speed between the droplet main droplet P11 and the sub-droplet main body P13 is larger.

The number of satellite droplets P111 landing, the size of the satellite droplets P111, the landing position with respect to the main droplet P110, etc. are determined by the air current during printing, the distance between the print head 141 and the recording material S (head gap), and the ejection of droplets. It is known that it changes randomly and is irregular depending on the speed, the amount of ejected droplets, the state of the droplets, and the like.
Further, when the surface of the recording material S has a unique three-dimensional shape, the landing state of the main liquid droplet P110 and the satellite liquid droplet P111 changes. For example, since the recording medium also has individual fine surface shapes, such as overlapping shapes of the fibers of the paper, the state in which the droplets penetrate after landing shows individual shapes.

FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram showing an example of banding texture appearing on the surface of the modeled object, and FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram showing an example of regular or irregular texture appearing on the surface of the modeled object.
It is known that when a 3D object is modeled by stacking droplets ejected from the print head 141A layer by layer, a unique banding texture as shown in FIG. 11A appears on the surface of the modeled object. there is

The banding texture is determined by the nozzle shape of the print head 141A, the vibration of the housing of the 3D object printer, the rotation accuracy of the drive motor (not shown) that drives the print head 141A, the ejection speed of droplets containing the molten modeling material, and the droplet It is known that the droplets change randomly and are irregular depending on the ejection amount of , the state of droplets, and the like.

In the printing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the image data 52 included in the content file 50 downloaded from the content server 30 is printed on the recording material S, and the printed image is used as an image indicating individuality. The camera 15 captures an image including the fine surface shape of , and the irregularly landed satellite droplets P111. In particular, when the object to be printed is a modeled object, the camera 15 captures a three-dimensional image showing the modeled state of the modeled object.
The image captured by the camera 15 is stored in the storage unit 16 as a reference image, and is used as a reference image for determining whether or not the matching image is authentic by comparing it with the matching image to be matched.

As described above, the number of satellite droplets P111 that land, the size of the satellite droplets P111, and the landing position with respect to the main droplet P110 change randomly and irregularly. If the satellite droplets P111 and the main droplets P110 have different printing states, it can be determined that the collation image is different from the image including the reference image. In other words, by recording an image showing the individuality of the printed material by ejecting random droplets, it is possible to prove the authenticity of the printed material, which is the object.

(2.2) Ejection Control FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining the airflow generated around the print head 141. FIG.
The printing mechanism 14 includes the print head 141 , the camera 15 , and the airflow generating section 17 on the carriage 143 .
The airflow generator 17 has a duct 171 and an exhaust fan 172 . The duct 171 is positioned between the exhaust fan 172 and the print head 141, and the suction port 171a through which gas is sucked faces the print head 141 side.

During printing by the printing mechanism 14, as schematically shown in FIG. The self-airflow R1 acts to increase the straightness of the droplets P1 toward the recording material S and to reduce the displacement of the landing of the droplets P1.
This self-airflow R1 becomes a stronger flow when a plurality of nozzles continuous in the main scanning direction are ejecting droplets. Also, when the same nozzle repeatedly discharges droplets for a plurality of continuous lines of dots, the cost becomes high. Furthermore, the self-airflow R1 also increases when the same nozzle repeatedly ejects droplets for the same dot.

Therefore, when the self-airflow R1 is high, the sub-droplet main body P13 is likely to merge with the droplet main body P11, and the satellite droplet P111 is less likely to be formed on the surface of the recording material S.
In the printing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the control unit 11 operates the exhaust fan 172 of the airflow generating unit 17, so that a gap between the print head 141 and the recording material S (head gap) is formed along the main scanning direction Y. A drawing flow R2 is generated. The drag flow R2 acts to weaken the straightness toward the recording material S of the self-airflow R1. As a result, the number of sub droplet bodies P13 that do not merge with the droplet body P11 increases, and the landing positions of the satellite droplets P111 formed on the surface of the recording material S change, thereby improving the randomness of the landing positions of the droplets. can grow.

The camera 15 captures an area including the satellite droplets P111 whose impact positions have changed due to the operation of the exhaust fan 172 of the airflow generating unit 17, and uses it as a reference image to obtain a printed material with randomly ejected droplets. It is possible to record an image showing the individuality of the printed material and enable proof of the authenticity of the printed material.

"Modification 1"
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a method of making droplets smaller by driving waveforms.
The printing apparatus 10 according to Modification 1 performs control so that droplets to be ejected are smaller than usual in the area where the image that serves as the reference image is to be formed.
Specifically, as schematically shown in FIG. 9A, the control unit 11 sets the voltage value of the ejection pulse signal to be lower than normal in the area where the image serving as the reference image is to be formed. Make the volume of the liquid droplet to be relatively small. As a result, the landing positions of the satellite droplets P111 formed on the surface of the recording material S change, and the randomness of the landing positions of the droplets can be increased.

In addition, as schematically shown in FIG. 9B, in the region where the image that serves as the reference image is formed, the pulse width of the ejection pulse signal is made narrower than usual, and the volume of the droplets to be ejected is relatively reduced. can be reduced to By changing the pulse width, the volume of the droplet to be ejected is made relatively small, and the effect similar to that described above can be obtained.
In FIG. 9C, a control pulse is added, and a non-ejection pulse having a pulse width smaller than that of the normal ejection pulse signal may be added to the normal ejection pulse signal. By adding this non-ejection pulse, the size of the droplet can be reduced.

As schematically shown in FIG. 9(d), the rise/fall time of the pulse may be varied. Specifically, by slowing the rise of the pulse of a dot whose droplet size is desired to be reduced, the droplet size can be reduced. The voltage value, pulse width, non-ejection additional pulse, and pulse rise/fall time may be set independently, or may be combined to control the droplet volume.

FIG. 10 shows a method of increasing the ejection speed of droplets by driving waveforms.
In the region where the image serving as the reference image is to be formed, the control unit 11 may perform control so that droplets are ejected at a higher droplet ejection speed than in the normal ejection.
Specifically, the control unit 11 controls at least one of the droplet size (liquid amount) and the ejection speed to be larger than in the case of normal ejection. For this purpose, for example, the control unit 11 changes at least one of the drive voltage V and the pulse width L from the normal waveform shown in FIG. shown). By changing at least one of the driving voltage V and the pulse width L, at least one of the liquid amount of one drop and the ejection speed can be changed.

Further, for example, the drive waveform shown in FIG. 10B can increase the ejection speed of droplets compared to the case of the normal waveform shown in FIG. 10A. In the drive waveform of FIG. 10(b), the drive voltage V1 for applying the expansion pulse PS1 for expanding the volume of the ink chamber (not shown) is high, so the ejection pressure is higher than in the case shown in FIG. 10(a). . As a result, the pressure in the ink chamber at the ejection timing can be increased and the droplet ejection speed can be increased more than the normal waveform shown in FIG. 10(a). As a result, the randomness of the number of droplets formed on the surface of the recording material S can be increased.

"Modification 2"
11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining the elevation driving unit 18 for changing the head gap, which is the distance between the print head 141 and the surface of the recording material S. FIG.
The printing mechanism 14 of the printing apparatus 10 according to Modification 2 includes a print head 141 , a camera 15 , and an elevation driving section 18 on a carriage 143 .
The up-and-down drive unit 18 moves the print head 141 in the Z direction, which is the vertical direction. The elevation drive unit 18 has a nut 18a provided on the print head 141 and a lead screw 18b screwed to the nut 18a. The lead screw 18b is connected to a rotational drive source such as a motor M, and the rotation of the lead screw 18b causes the nut 18a screwed to the lead screw 18b to move vertically.

The printing apparatus 10 according to Modification 2 performs control so that the distance between the surface of the recording material S and the print head 141 that ejects droplets is larger than usual in the area where the image that serves as the reference image is formed.
Specifically, the control unit 11 makes the head gap G larger than normal and ejects the droplets in the area where the image that serves as the reference image is to be formed. As a result, the landing positions of the main droplets P110 formed on the surface of the recording material S and the landing positions and the number of landings of the satellite droplets P111 are changed to increase the randomness of the landing positions and the number of landings of the droplets. can be done.

In addition to or in place of the up-and-down drive unit 18, the carriage 143 is provided with a print head 141B (not shown) having a larger head gap than the other print heads 141 in advance. Alternatively, a print head 141AI (not shown) having a large head gap may be driven to eject droplets.

"Modification 3"
The printing mechanism 14 of the printing apparatus 10 according to Modification 3 includes a print head 141 , a camera 15 , and a vibrating section 19 (not shown) on the carriage 143 .
The vibrating section 19 is provided in the print head 141 and incorporates a device (for example, a piezo element) for imparting (exciting) horizontal vibration to the print head 141 .
In an area where an image serving as a reference image is to be formed, the control unit 11 applies a voltage to the vibrating unit 19 to apply vibration to the print head 141 that ejects liquid droplets. As a result, the landing positions of the main droplets P110 formed on the surface of the recording material S and the landing positions and the number of landings of the satellite droplets P111 are changed to increase the randomness of the landing positions and the number of landings of the droplets. can be done.

"Modification 4"
The printing mechanism 14 of the printing apparatus 10 according to Modification 4 includes a print head 141, a camera 15, and a sound wave transmitting section 19A (not shown) on the carriage 143. FIG.
The sonic wave generator 19A is provided in the print head 141, and an ultrasonic speaker for oscillating ultrasonic waves is built in the space between the print head 141 and the recording material S. FIG.
In the area where the image to be the reference image is formed, the control unit 11 drives the ultrasonic speaker of the sound wave transmitting unit 19A to oscillate highly directional ultrasonic waves in the space between the print head 141 and the recording material S. do. As a result, the self-airflow R1 directed from the print head 141 toward the recording material S is disturbed, and the impact position of the main droplet P110 formed on the surface of the recording material S and the impact position and number of impacts of the satellite droplets P111 are changed. It can be changed to increase the randomness of the landing position and the number of landings of droplets.

"Modification 5"
FIG. 12 shows a method of transmitting ejection signals to adjacent nozzles to change the landing positions and the number of droplets.
In normal printing, the printing apparatus 10 according to Modification 5 drives the nozzles alternately to eject droplets in order to maintain the distance between the ejection nozzles, as shown in FIG. to control.
On the other hand, in the area where the image to be the reference image is to be formed, as shown in FIG. is driven to eject droplets. As a result, the self-air currents R1 directed from the print head 141 toward the recording material S affect each other, weakening the straightness of their flying directions, and the impact position of the main droplet P110 formed on the surface of the recording material S Also, the landing positions and the number of landings of the satellite droplets P111 can be changed to increase the randomness of the landing positions and the number of landings of the droplets.

"Modification 6"
The printing mechanism 14 of the printing apparatus 10 according to Modification 6 includes a print head 141 that ejects ink droplets of CMYK (C: cyan, M: magenta, Y: yellow, K: black) as droplets. A head 141B (not shown) is provided. A special color ink tank 142B (not shown) different from the CMYK color inks is connected to the special color print head 141B.
Here, the special color ink differs from the K ink in the content of particles contained therein. As an example, the special color ink contains a very small amount of nickel nanoparticles, and visually it looks the same as the normal K color ink, but the Ni peak can be detected by atomic absorption spectrometry.

The printing apparatus 10 according to Modification 6 can improve the accuracy of the authenticity determination of the printed material by printing in the special color instead of the normal K color in the area where the image to be the reference image is formed.

"Example"
FIG. 13(a) is a diagram schematically showing an ink jet printer of an embodiment in which a specific image is printed by changing the head gap; FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of an image printed with a specific image by changing the head gap; FIG. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the result of confirming whether or not randomness is maintained; FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the result of confirming whether or not the randomness of the image is maintained by copying the image printed by changing the head gap with a color copier; 17A and 17B are diagrams showing the results of confirming whether or not the landing points of the droplets are different in each test in which the head gap is changed and a specific image is printed repeatedly under the same conditions.
A flatbed type inkjet printer used in the field of commercial printing was used as the printing apparatus 10, and a specific image was printed by changing the head gap.

In printing, as schematically shown in FIG. 13A, supports 102 for recording materials S having different heights are placed on a flat bed 101, and the ejection surface 141b of the print head 141 and the recording materials S are pressed together. Printing was carried out by simultaneously ejecting liquid droplets with head gaps of 1.5 mm, 6.5 mm, and 11.5 mm, respectively. As an image, as shown in FIG. 13B, a circle with a diameter of 5 mm is filled with a cross and diagonal lines. Also, the numbers below the circles indicate the line widths of the image (0.025 mm, 0.05 mm, 0.1 mm).

The print result is shown in FIG. According to this, the larger the head gap, the more scattered the landing points of the droplets. In other words, increasing the head gap resulted in changes in the landing position and the number of droplets.

Next, the image printed by changing the head gap was copied by a copier to confirm whether the randomness of the image, especially the image containing the satellite droplets, was maintained.
The replication result is shown in FIG. According to this, in the copied image, especially in images with small line widths (0.025 mm, 0.05 mm), the lines tend to be interrupted, and satellites and dust are scattered. That is, although it is difficult to reproduce the same landing point of droplets with an ink jet printer, even if a copy is made with a copier, the copied image is different from the original image, resulting in difficulty in reproduction. As shown in FIG. 16, similar results were obtained even when a color copying machine with high copying reproducibility was used.

Next, a test of printing a specific image by changing the head gap was repeated 10 times under the same conditions, and it was confirmed whether or not the impact points of droplets were different in each case.
The print results are shown in FIG. 17 (first and tenth prints are shown). According to this, as the head gap widens in all 10 times, the impact points of the liquid droplets are more scattered, and the dispersion of the impact points is different for each time. That is, by increasing the head gap, the landing position and number of droplets changed, and even under the same conditions, the landing position and number of droplets changed each time printing was performed.

(3) Reference image In the present embodiment, an image including satellite droplets P111 that have landed irregularly is captured by the camera 15 in a specific area of the printed material as an image showing the individuality of the printed image. It is stored in the storage unit 16 as a reference image for determining whether or not the matching image is genuine by comparing with the matching image.

The reference image preferably contains a plurality of types of process color inks, and includes dots formed by landing at least two types of process color inks in order to improve the accuracy of authenticity determination of the object. Further, it is more preferable to include dots formed by overlapping impact of at least two kinds of process color inks.

Preferably, the reference image is captured at a plurality of locations on the printed image and stored in the storage unit 16 as a plurality of reference images. By storing a plurality of reference images in the storage unit 16, the authenticity of the object can be determined even if the image is partially degraded.

It is preferable that the reference image is captured in the edge region of the printed image and stored in the storage unit 16 as the reference image. By storing the reference image captured in the end area in the storage unit 16, accuracy of authenticity determination of the target object can be improved.

The reference image may be stored in the storage unit 16 as a moving image captured by scanning a predetermined range of the printed image. By storing the moving image in the storage unit 16, the authenticity of the object can be determined even if the image of the object is partially degraded.

Preferably, the reference image includes marks indicating its position with respect to the printed image. The mark can indicate the matching position of the reference image.

Moreover, it is preferable that these reference images have a protective layer covered with a transparent material on the surface of which the images can be observed. The protective layer can suppress deterioration of the reference image.

(4) Processing Operations of Printing System FIG. 18 is a flow chart showing an example of processing operations executed by the control unit 21 of the terminal device 20 and the control unit 11 of the printing device 10 in this embodiment.
Processing operations performed by the printing device 10 and the terminal device 20 that configure the printing system 100 will be described below.

The printing device 10, the terminal device 20, the content server 30, and the management server 40 in this embodiment share information (ledger database) regarding the history of image usage.
That is, the ledger database 16A of the printing device 10 (see FIG. 2), the ledger database 22A of the terminal device 20 (see FIG. 3), the ledger database 34 of the content server 30, and the ledger database 41 of the management server 40 Common information is retained.

In this embodiment, every time information (block) related to the use of an image is newly generated, it is verified whether or not the history of the corresponding image is inherited correctly between a plurality of ledger databases, and the validity can be verified. A so-called block chain method is adopted in which each ledger database is updated when there is a problem.

First, the control unit 21 downloads the content file 50 from the content server 30 (see FIG. 1) as a target of use (S11), and stores the image data 52 to be printed by the printer 10 in the storage unit 22 (S12). When the printing mechanism 14 of the printing device 10 is a 3D object printer, the CAD data of the 3D object to be modeled is stored in the storage unit 22 (S12).
Subsequently, the control unit 21 records the mode of use (S13). The mode of use at this stage is the downloading of images to be printed.

After that, the control unit 21 generates a block containing the newly generated usage mode information (image download) (S14). Here, the control unit 21 combines the hash value of the contents of the previous block recorded in the ledger database 22A (see FIG. 3) that manages the usage history accumulated in the terminal device 20 with the newly generated A block BC1 is generated that includes data encrypted using the public key of the content server 30 (see FIG. 1).

Then, the control unit 21 transmits the block BC1 to the printing device 10 (S15). After that, the control unit 21 records the mode of use (S16). The mode of use at this stage is the transmission of blocks containing images to be printed to the printing device 10 . Then, the control unit 21 generates a block including information on the mode of use newly generated (transmission of the block to the printing device) (S17). Here, the control unit 21 combines the hash value of the contents of the previous block recorded in the ledger database 22A (see FIG. 3) that manages the usage history accumulated in the terminal device 20 with the newly generated A block BC2 is generated that includes data encrypted using the public key of the content server 30 (see FIG. 1).

Subsequently, the control unit 21 transmits the generated blocks BC1 and BC2 to the content server 30 by the peer-to-peer method (S18). The content server 30 notifies other devices holding the ledger database DB of the received blocks BC1 and BC2 in a peer-to-peer manner.
After that, the control unit 21 waits for the validity of the new blocks BC1 and BC2 to be verified with other nodes (the printing device 10, the content server 30, and the management server 40), and then the ledger database 22A ( 3) is updated (S19).

The printer 10 (see FIG. 2) that manages the ledger database 12A (see FIG. 2), the content server 30 (see FIG. 4) that manages the ledger database 34 (see FIG. 4), and the management server that manages the ledger database 41 40 (see FIG. 1) receives a new block from the terminal device 20 (see FIG. 1), checks whether the hash value of the previous block included in the block is correct, whether the past history is inherited, and so on. and update each individual ledger database once consensus is reached with the other nodes on the results of the verification.

In step S15, the control unit 11 of the printing device 10 executes processing for the block BC1 transmitted by the terminal device 20. FIG. The control unit 11 stores the image data 52 included in the block BC1 in the storage unit 16 (S21), and drives the printing mechanism 14 to print the image data 52 as an image on the recording material S (S22). In printing, the control unit 11 operates the exhaust fan 172 of the airflow generating unit 17, changes the drive waveform of the print head 141 to reduce the size of the droplets, and ejects the droplets in the area where the image serving as the reference image is to be formed. Droplet ejection control is performed by increasing the speed, making the head gap larger than usual, applying vibration to the print head 141, driving adjacent nozzles simultaneously, using special color ink, and the like.

After that, the control unit 11 records the mode of use (S23). The mode of use at this stage is the printing of an image onto the recording material S, including droplet ejection control. Then, the control unit 11 generates a block including information on the newly generated usage mode (printing of an image including droplet ejection control on the recording material S) (S24). Here, the control unit 11 combines the hash value of the content of the immediately preceding block recorded in the ledger database 12B (see FIG. 2) that manages the usage history accumulated in the printing apparatus 10 with the hash value of the newly generated block. A block BC3 is generated that includes the content of use and data encrypted using the public key of the content server 30 (see FIG. 1).

Next, the control unit 11 activates the camera 15 to capture an area of the recording material S on which the image is printed, where the image serving as the reference image is formed (S25).
After that, the control unit 11 records the mode of use (S26). A mode of use at this stage is the capture of a reference image. Then, the control unit 11 generates a block including the newly generated usage mode information (imaging of the reference image) (S27). Here, the control unit 11 combines the hash value of the content of the immediately preceding block recorded in the ledger database 12A (see FIG. 2) that manages the usage history accumulated in the printing apparatus 10 with the hash value of the newly generated block. A block BC4 is generated that includes the content of use and data encrypted using the public key of the content server 30 (see FIG. 1).

Then, the control unit 11 stores the image data, which is the reference image captured by the camera 15, in the storage unit 16 (S28).
After that, the control unit 11 records the mode of use (S29). The mode of use at this stage is storage of image data captured by the camera 15 . Then, the control unit 11 generates a block containing the newly generated usage mode information (storage of image data) (S30). Here, the control unit 11 combines the hash value of the content of the immediately preceding block recorded in the ledger database 12A (see FIG. 2) that manages the usage history accumulated in the printing apparatus 10 with the hash value of the newly generated block. A block BC5 is generated that includes the content of use and data encrypted using the public key of the content server 30 (see FIG. 1).

Subsequently, the control unit 11 transmits the generated blocks BC3, BC4, and BC5 to the content server 30 by a peer-to-peer method (S31). The content server 30 notifies other devices holding the ledger database DB of the received blocks BC3, BC4, and BC5 in a peer-to-peer manner.
After that, the control unit 11 waits for the validity of the new blocks BC3, BC4, and BC5 to be verified with other nodes (the terminal device 20, the content server 30, and the management server 40), and then updates the ledger database. 16A (see FIG. 2) is updated (S32).

Here, the terminal device 20 (see FIG. 3) that manages the ledger database 22A (see FIG. 3), the content server 30 (see FIG. 4) that manages the ledger database 34 (see FIG. 4), the management that manages the ledger database 41 When each of the servers 40 (see FIG. 1) receives a new block from the printing device 10 (see FIG. 2), each of the servers 40 checks whether the hash value of the previous block included in the block is correct, whether the past history is inherited, and so on. and update each individual ledger database once consensus is reached with the other nodes on the results of the verification.

(5) Functions and Effects of Printing System In the printing system 100 of the present embodiment, when the image data or 3D data included in the content file 50 is used, information regarding the use is transmitted to the content server 30 as a block.
Therefore, regardless of the node (terminal device 20, printing device 10) that operates the content file 50, content can be used, for example, downloading an image, printing an image on a printed material, capturing a reference image, and storing the reference image. etc. can be managed by the content server 30 without omission.
In addition, by adopting blockchain technology to manage the history of content usage, it is possible to prevent falsification of information and to prove the authenticity of printed materials on which images are printed.

The printing apparatus 10 for printing an image performs ejection control so as to increase the irregularity of droplets landing on the recording material S in an area where an image serving as a reference image is to be formed. to form The formed image is captured by the camera 15, stored in the storage unit 16 as a reference image, and used for comparison with the collation image to be collated.
Then, if the printing state of the collation image and the stored reference image is different, it is determined that the collation image is different from the image including the reference image.

As described above, according to the printing system 100 of the present embodiment, it is possible to record and certify that the original image data was printed according to the formal procedure, and to prove that the printed material on which the image is printed is genuine. proof can be made possible.

As described above, in the present embodiment, information regarding the use of images is generated in blocks and transmitted to the content server 30 as a destination. Although an example of a block chain system for notifying nodes has been shown, information on the use of images is accumulated in the ledger database 22A of each terminal device 20 and the ledger database 16A of the printing device 10 as an off-chain system, and is stored in the contents server. 30 and centrally managed by the content server 30. FIG. Alternatively, the ledger database in the device itself may be set as the transmission destination without transmitting the information regarding the use of the image to the content server 30 .

Further, in the present embodiment, droplet ejection control in the printing apparatus 10 has been described mainly for the inkjet printing mechanism 14, but the printing mechanism 14 can also be applied to a 3D object printer that is mainly used for additive manufacturing. be able to. In the 3D object printer, a unique banding texture appearing on the surface of the modeled object is imaged by the camera 15 and stored in the storage unit 16 as reference image data. Such a reference image can prove the authenticity of a modeled object by comparing it with the surface condition of the modeled object as a target object.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100... Printing system 10... Printing apparatus 11... Control part, 12... Communication part, 13... Operation display part, 14... Printing mechanism, 141, 141A, 141B... Print Head 15 Camera 16 Storage unit 16A Ledger database 17 Airflow generation unit 18 Elevation drive unit 19 Vibration unit 19A Sound wave generation unit 20 Terminal device 21 Control unit 22 Storage unit 22A Ledger database 30 Content server 31 Reception processing unit 32 Distribution control Part 33 Content database 34 Ledger database 40 Management server 41 Ledger database 50 Content file 51 Attribute information 52 Image data

In order to solve the above problems, the printing system according to claim 1 comprises:
an imaging means capable of imaging an image showing individuality of an object on which the ejected droplets land;
storage means for storing a reference image representing the image captured by the imaging means;
a control means for changing the landing position of the droplets by making the droplets ejected smaller than usual in the area for forming the image serving as the reference image so as to increase the individuality;
a transmitting means for transmitting information about ejection control of the droplets , imaging of the image, and storage of the reference image ;
It is characterized by

The invention according to claim 2 is the printing system according to claim 1,
an imaging means capable of imaging an image showing individuality of an object on which the ejected droplets land;
storage means for storing a reference image representing the image captured by the imaging means;
a control means for changing the number of droplets that land, including satellite droplets, by increasing the ejection speed of droplets ejected in an area for forming the image that serves as the reference image;
a transmitting means for transmitting information about ejection control of the droplets, imaging of the image, and storage of the reference image;
It is characterized by

The invention according to claim 3 is the printing system according to claim 1,
an imaging means capable of imaging an image showing individuality of an object on which the ejected droplets land;
storage means for storing a reference image representing the image captured by the imaging means ;
In the region where the image serving as the reference image is to be formed, the distance between the object and the head that ejects the droplets is increased more than usual to change the landing positions and the number of the droplets including satellite droplets. a control means ;
a transmitting means for transmitting information about ejection control of the droplets, imaging of the image, and storage of the reference image;
It is characterized by

The invention according to claim 4 is the printing system according to claim 1,
an imaging means capable of imaging an image showing individuality of an object on which the ejected droplets land;
storage means for storing a reference image representing the image captured by the imaging means ;
a printing unit that further comprises a head having a head gap, which is the distance between the head that ejects the droplets and the object, that is larger than usual, and that forms the image that serves as the reference image;
a transmitting means for transmitting information about ejection control of the droplets, imaging of the image, and storage of the reference image;
It is characterized by

The invention according to claim 5 is the printing system device according to claim 1,
an imaging means capable of imaging an image showing individuality of an object on which the ejected droplets land;
storage means for storing a reference image representing the image captured by the imaging means;
Control means for vibrating a head that ejects the droplets in an area for forming the image serving as the reference image to change the landing positions and the number of landings of the droplets including satellite droplets;
a transmitting means for transmitting information about ejection control of the droplets, imaging of the image, and storage of the reference image;
It is characterized by

The invention according to claim 6 is the printing system according to claim 1,
an imaging means capable of imaging an image showing individuality of an object on which the ejected droplets land;
storage means for storing a reference image representing the image captured by the imaging means;
a control means for simultaneously driving adjacent nozzles of a head that ejects droplets in an area for forming the image serving as the reference image to change the landing positions and the number of landings of the droplets including satellite droplets;
a transmitting means for transmitting information about ejection control of the droplets, imaging of the image, and storage of the reference image;
It is characterized by

The invention according to claim 7 is the printing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
wherein the transmitting means transmits information regarding droplet ejection control, imaging of the image, and storage of the reference image to a device that manages the history of use of the image as a destination;
It is characterized by

The invention according to claim 8 is the printing system device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
The transmission means transmits information obtained by encrypting information regarding droplet ejection control up to the own device, image capturing of the image, and storage of the reference image to another device that constitutes the block chain.
It is characterized by

According to the first aspect of the invention, it is possible to record an image showing the individuality of an object based on the random landing positions of ejected droplets, and to prove the authenticity of the object. can.

According to the second aspect of the invention, it is possible to increase the randomness of the number of landing droplets including satellite droplets.

According to the third aspect of the invention, it is possible to increase the randomness of the landing positions and the number of landings of droplets including satellite droplets.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, it is possible to increase the randomness of the landing positions and the number of landings of droplets.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, it is possible to increase the randomness of the landing positions and the number of landings of droplets including satellite droplets.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, it is possible to increase the randomness of the landing positions and the number of landings of droplets.

According to the seventh and eighth aspects of the invention, it is possible to centrally manage the information on the use of a series of images.

The present invention relates to printing systems.

The invention according to claim 4 is the printing system according to claim 1,
an imaging means capable of imaging an image showing individuality of an object on which the ejected droplets land;
storage means for storing a reference image representing the image captured by the imaging means;
A head having a head gap that is a distance between the head that ejects the liquid droplets and the object is larger than normal, and the image that is the reference image is obtained by driving the head having the head gap that is larger than normal. a printing means forming a
a transmitting means for transmitting information about ejection control of the droplets, imaging of the image, and storage of the reference image;
It is characterized by

Claims (11)

Control means for changing the landing positions and/or the number of landings of the droplets so as to increase the individuality of an image showing the individuality of an object on which the ejected droplets have landed;
an imaging means capable of imaging the image;
storage means for storing a reference image representing the image captured by the imaging means;
transmitting means for transmitting information regarding use of the image in response to receiving an instruction to use the image;
A printing system characterized by: The control means changes the landing position of the droplets by making the droplets ejected smaller than usual in the area for forming the image serving as the reference image.
The printing system according to claim 1, characterized by: The control means changes the number of droplets that land, including satellite droplets, by increasing the ejection speed of the droplets ejected in the area for forming the image that serves as the reference image.
The printing system according to claim 1, characterized by: The control means increases the distance between the object and a head that ejects the droplets more than usual in the area for forming the image that serves as the reference image, and increases the distance between the object and the head that ejects the droplets. change the number of hits,
2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: Further comprising a head having a head gap, which is the distance between the head that ejects the droplets and the object, that is larger than usual, and forming the image that serves as the reference image;
The printing system according to claim 1, characterized by: The control means vibrates a head that ejects the droplets in an area for forming the image that serves as the reference image to change the landing position and the number of droplets including satellite droplets.
The printing system according to claim 1, characterized by: The control means selects a distance between nozzles that send ejection signals in an area for forming the image serving as the reference image so as to increase the distance between the nozzles, and changes the landing positions and the number of landings of the droplets including satellite droplets. ,
The printing system according to claim 1, characterized by: The information related to the use of the image includes ejection control by the control means for changing the landing positions and/or the number of landings of the droplets, imaging of an image showing the individuality of the object by the imaging means, and the reference by the storage means. image storage, including
8. The printing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by: wherein the transmission means transmits information regarding the use of the image to a device that manages the history of use of the image as a destination;
9. The printing system according to claim 8, wherein: The transmission means transmits information obtained by encrypting information related to the history of use of the image up to the own device to another device that constitutes the block chain.
9. The printing system according to claim 8, wherein: to the computer,
a control step of changing the landing positions and/or the number of landings of the droplets so as to increase the individuality of an image showing the individuality of an object on which the ejected droplets have landed;
an imaging step of imaging the image;
A storage step of storing a reference image representing the image captured by the imaging step locally, online, or on a blockchain, either unprocessed or compressed, using blockchain technology, on-chain or off-chain. and,
a transmitting step of transmitting information regarding the use of the image in response to receiving an instruction to use the image;
A program characterized by

Images