JP4329016B2 - Image print acceptance apparatus and photo print processing system using the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention provides an image processing unit that performs predetermined image processing on acquired image data, a monitor that displays an image based on the image data that has been subjected to image processing, and a user operation input unit while viewing the image displayed on the monitor An image print accepting apparatus comprising an order creation unit that creates print order data for print output determined through the above and creates a print order file by combining the acquired image data and the print order data, and such an image The present invention relates to a photo print processing system using a print acceptance apparatus.

  The low-resolution image data of the image data stored in the print shop is imported into the user's personal computer, processed such as composition, and photo print order information is created and sent to the center server. A network photo service system is known in which a photo print is output and a user can receive the photo print at the store of the print shop (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this network photo service system, once the photographed image data is stored in the print shop, the photo print order creation application installed on the user's personal computer and the low-resolution image data downloaded from the center server are always used. Photo prints can be output at a desired print shop. However, image data to be printed such as processing must be handled on the user's personal computer, and the characteristics of the printer that performs photo printing are completely taken into consideration for the image to be printed displayed on the personal computer screen. Since there is no such thing, I often get disappointed when I look at the image of the photographic print that I finally received.

  In order to solve such a problem, the printer driver of the photo printer is installed in the photo print order creation application installed on the user's personal computer, and the user can set the image under the print condition setting of the photo printer in a specific print shop. There is a print service system capable of performing processing and confirming a finished image (see, for example, Patent Document 2). In this way, by installing a printer driver similar to a photo printer in a print shop into a user's personal computer, it is possible to set print conditions according to the photo printer in the print shop while at home, and this allows the print shop to be used as it is. In this case, problems such as sending image data that cannot be printed and outputting a photo print in which the finished images are completely different are solved. However, incorporating a printer driver similar to a photo printer in a print shop into a user's personal computer can place a heavy burden on the personal computer, and whenever the printer driver version is changed on the photo printer side, the user side But you have to reinstall the printer driver. Furthermore, in a case where the user intends to use a plurality of print shops, all types of printer drivers owned by those print shops must be installed in the user's personal computer, which is impossible in practice.

  Further, when a user uses a personal computer terminal at home to access an image processing server computer at a network and transmits image data to be printed out, the image processing server computer is actually expected in consideration of the characteristics of the print output device system. Network image service system that allows the user to view the simulated image on the monitor and confirm the expected output result by generating simulated image data representing the print output result and sending it back to the user computer Is also known (see, for example, Patent Document 3). If many kinds of print characteristic files are stored in the server computer, the simulated image can be confirmed on the personal computer screen as accurately as possible by using the print characteristic file corresponding to the photo printer of the print shop desired by the user. be able to. This system is very useful when all users who want to request photo prints from print shops are proficient in PC operation and Internet operation, but unfortunately many users requesting photo prints However, there is still a sense of incongruity in ordering prints using a personal computer or the Internet. Rather, there is a tendency to prefer using vending machine-type photo print devices and photo print reception devices placed at print shops and convenience stores. is there.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-154218 (paragraph numbers 0052-0064, FIGS. 5 and 6)

JP-A-11-95952 (paragraph numbers 0042-0050, FIG. 4 to FIG. 7)

JP 2001-209132 A (paragraph number 0018-0025, FIG. 2)

  In view of the above situation, an object of the present invention is to provide an image print service that allows a user to check a finished image with his / her own eyes when ordering a print output from a printer desired by the user.

In order to solve the above problems, an image processing unit that performs predetermined image processing on acquired image data, a monitor that displays an image based on the image data that has been subjected to image processing, and a user while viewing the image displayed on the monitor In an image print acceptance apparatus comprising an order creation unit that creates print order data for print output determined through an operation input unit and creates a print order file by combining the acquired image data and this print order data. A print management unit for managing print shop information of a plurality of print shops and printer profiles of a plurality of printers installed in the respective print shops and performing print output, and a printer for print output selected through the user operation input unit Transferred from the print manager Printer profile Simulated image generator to create a Simulated images simulating the printed image output by the printer in order to be displayed on the monitor with al are used, through the user the user operation input unit, wherein The print shop that performs print output from a plurality of print shops can be selected, and when the print shop is selected, the print output is performed from the plurality of printers installed in the selected print shop. When the printer is selected, the printer profile of the selected printer is acquired from the print management unit, and the simulated image generation unit displays the acquired printer profile. Using To generate an Interview Retiddo image.

Since the image print accepting apparatus configured as described above has a printer profile of a printer directly or indirectly connected to the print accepting apparatus, the image at the printer selected by the user for print output is stored. You can check the finished image on the monitor. If you do not like the finished image, you can select a different printer and check the finished image. When this print acceptance device is connected to a printer through a wide area network, for example, a printer installed in Osaka that actually prints out a photographed image taken in Tokyo using a print acceptance device installed in Tokyo. You can check the image of the finished photo print at, place an order for the photo print, and receive the photo print already finished with the desired print image as soon as you return to Osaka. Further, the user can select a desired print shop from a number of print shops according to the location, the print service, or the finished state using the image print receiving apparatus. At that time, each print shop information is linked by the print profile of the printer owned by the print shop and managed by the print management unit. Therefore, the finished image of the desired printer in the desired printer is simulated image. Can be confirmed.

  The photographed image data output from the digital camera, in fact, the photographed image data recorded on the memory card varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. That is, the color space of the image data is a device-dependent color. For this reason, even if a simulated image is created using only the printer profile, there is a risk that the color desired by the user who is the photographer may be lost. In order to avoid this problem, it is better to normalize image data consisting of device-dependent colors, in other words, to remap to device-independent colors, and to create simulated images using input image data consisting of such device-independent colors. . For this reason, in another preferred embodiment of the present invention, an image input device profile table is provided so that search and extraction can be performed from the image input device code obtained from the attribute information of the acquired image data. The generated image input device profile is configured to be transferred to the simulated image generation unit so as to be taken into account when generating the simulated image.

  The above-described printer profile, print shop information, and, in some cases, necessary input device profiles need to be frequently updated due to printer upgrades, print shop capital investment, short product life of input devices, and the like. In order to perform such profile update easily and quickly without being limited to a region, print shop information combined with the printer profile and / or image input device profile are transmitted through a communication network, and the print management is performed. It is important that it is configured so as to be stored in the section.

  When the above-described image print receiving apparatus is not installed alone, that is, in a stand-alone connection with the printing apparatus, but is distributed in a wide area and functions as a joint print ordering apparatus for a plurality of print shops, a plurality of images It is important to connect the print acceptance apparatus and a plurality of print shops having printers via a communication network such as the Internet or WAN. As a result, it is possible to transfer instantaneously between the image print accepting apparatus and the print shop (printer) interspersed with various profile information and print order information.

However, in the case of constructing a photo print processing system composed of a very large number of image print reception devices and a large number of print shops (printers), a communication network between the image print reception devices and the print shops (printers) By adopting a configuration in which the transmission of various profile information and print order information through the intermediary server is adopted, it is possible to eliminate the troublesomeness of each print shop maintaining various profile information for each image print acceptance device it can.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments using the drawings.

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a photographic print system in which a plurality of image print accepting apparatuses 1 are connected to a plurality of photographic printers 3 installed in a print shop 2 via a communication network (which may be the Internet or WAN). Has been.

  In this photographic print system, the photographic image data is read by inserting the memory card M or the photographic film F, which records the photographic image brought by the user (customer), into the image print acceptance device 1. Print order processing is performed, and a print order file is created by combining photographed image data to be printed with print order data necessary for print processing by the printer 3 of the print shop 2. To the printer 3 of the print shop 2 via the communication network 4. In the print order file, a printer to which the image of the print order file is printed is designated, and the print order is processed by the designated printer.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image print accepting apparatus 1 includes a media drive 11 that captures an image file from the memory card M, an optical drive 12 that captures an image file stored on a DVD-R or CD-ROM, A film scanner 13 for capturing image data from developed photographic film by photoelectric conversion, a liquid crystal monitor 15 with a touch panel 14 functioning as a user operation input unit on the front, and a receipt output for outputting a print order receipt R A mechanism 16 is provided.

  Realized by hardware or software (program) in a controller 20 connected via an I / O interface to an external device such as a media drive 11 or a monitor 15 with a touch panel 14 provided in the image print acceptance apparatus 1. Among the functions to be performed, in particular, functions related to the present invention include image files and photographic films taken from the memory card M provided by the user via the media drive 11 as shown in the functional block of FIG. An image preprocessing unit 22 that preprocesses image data fetched from F via the film scanner 13, an image processing unit 23 that performs various image processing on the image data that has been preprocessed and developed in the memory 21, is designated Simulation simulating print image output by printer 3 A simulated image generation unit 23a that is created to display a fixed image on the monitor, a print management unit 24 that manages various types of information related to print output, and a graphic operation screen that includes various operation guides and various operation buttons. Image data processed by the GUI unit 25 and the image processing unit 23 for constructing a graphic user interface (hereinafter abbreviated as GUI) for generating a control command or the like from a user operation input (via the touch panel 14) through such a graphic operation screen. A screen control unit 26 for generating a video signal for displaying on the monitor 15 the image based on the image and the graphic data sent from the GUI unit 25, the print shop 2 and the printer 3 input by the user as will be described in detail later. Specified, print size, An order creation unit 27 for creating print order information in which print order data including the number of prints and image data relating to the order are combined, and a communication unit for transmitting the created print order information to the print shop 2 designated by the user 28 etc. are mentioned.

  In the print management unit 24, print shop information such as the contents of the print service including the name, address, and fee of the print shop 2 that can be designated by the image print accepting apparatus 1 as a print output request destination is recorded so as to be searchable and extractable. For each type of image input device such as a digital camera or a film scanner, a printer profile table 24b that records the print profile of the printer 3 installed in each print shop so as to be searchable and extractable. And an input device profile table 24c in which the input device profile given to the computer is recorded so as to be searchable and extractable. The print management unit 24 uses the print shop information and profile sent from time to time via the communication network 4 and the printer information table 24a and the printer so that the latest information on the print shop information and profile is always updated. An automatic update program for updating the contents of the profile table 24b and the input device profile table 24c is implemented.

  The order creation unit 27 creates the print order file shown in FIG. 4 determined by the print file creation routine described in detail later, transmits the print order file to the designated print shop 2, and informs the user as shown in FIG. A receipt R indicating the contents of the print order to be output is output through a receipt output mechanism 16 which is a printing printer.

  In the print order file, an order number sequentially issued with a processing ID consisting of the unique ID and date code of the image print accepting apparatus 1 as a route, image data and print order data for print processing managed by the order number And the input device code that defines the input device profile, and the image data corresponding to each captured frame image is uniquely linked by the image data name (code name). In the print order data, each image data name As a key, the print size and the number of prints used in the image print processing, and when the image print accepting apparatus 1 can give a color correction instruction by the user, color correction data set by the user are linked.

  The receipt R includes a processing ID, an order number, a breakdown and fee of the above-mentioned print order data, and the name and address of the designated print shop. This receipt R is the output print product at the designated print shop. It also functions as a voucher.

  The printer 3 installed in the print shop 2 uses photographic paper or glossy paper as a recording medium depending on whether an exposure type or an ink jet type is selected as a print engine. It is similar in terms.

  The printer 3 schematically shown in FIG. 6 receives an image print request from a user who has directly visited the print shop 2 in addition to the print order file transmitted from the image print receiving apparatus 1 and input via the communication unit 30. In this case, a media reader 11, a film scanner 13, and a monitor 15 are also provided, and the photographic paper P from the photographic paper magazine 31 is conveyed and supplied by the photographic paper conveyance mechanism 32 in a state of being cut into a print size. And an exposure print section 33 having a digital print head for printing the image, and the photographic paper P exposed in the exposure print section 33 is developed in the development tank 34, and the print processed in the development tank 34 is developed. After the paper P is dried, it is delivered to the tray 35. If an inkjet printing unit is provided instead of the exposure printing unit 33, the development processing layer 34 is not necessary, and glossy paper is used instead of the photographic paper P as a recording medium. A function that performs necessary image processing on input image data, performs color space mapping using its own printer profile, and then generates print data for driving the exposure print unit 33 is a controller. 36 is built in hardware and / or software. Since the contents of such a controller 36 are well known, further explanation is omitted here.

  Next, a typical flow of the print order receiving process by the image print receiving apparatus 1 will be described with reference to a functional block diagram showing a data flow in FIG. 7 and a flowchart in FIG.

  First, in a standby state, a standby screen including the function of the image print accepting apparatus 1 and the logo mark of the DP store is displayed (# 01). When the user orders an image print, the touch panel 14 of the monitor 15 is displayed. By touching the finger, a “print shop selection screen” as shown in FIG. 9 is displayed (# 02). On this screen, along with the message “Please select a print shop”, a pull-down menu for selecting a region and a list of print shops that belong to the selected region are displayed. Menu column is arranged. When a print shop is selected, a print service screen as shown in FIG. 10 describing the contents of the print service performed by the print shop 2 and its charge is displayed. Select the desired print service. (# 03). Since the contents of the print service include the specifications of a printer used for print output, the user can select not only the print shop 2 but also the printer 3 to be used. The contents of the shop information table 24a searched and extracted by the print management unit 24 are used to display the name of the print shop 2 and the print service.

  When the selection of the print service is completed, the printer profile of the selected printer is extracted from the printer profile table 24b and given to the simulated image generation unit 23a.

  Next, a “media selection screen” is displayed (# 04). In this “media selection screen”, a message “Please select media” and a plurality of switches for selecting the type of memory card are displayed, and the customer is asked to select. The following processing is executed by touching a switch corresponding to the type of memory card M used by the customer.

  As the next process, the “Media set guidance screen” is displayed. On this screen, the message “Set media and press the OK button” is displayed, and the customer sets the memory card M in the media drive 11. By operating the OK button, the image file is read from the set memory card M (# 05). The image file read from the memory card M is divided into attribute information and image data by the image preprocessing unit 22, and an input device code corresponding to the photographing device model name included in the attribute information is stored in the print management unit 24. The image data is sent to the memory 21. The print management unit 24 extracts a suitable input device profile from the input device profile table 24c using the acquired input device code as a search key, and provides the extracted input device profile to the simulated image generation unit 23a.

  Subsequently, the image check / print number setting routine shown in FIG. 11 is started (# 06). In this routine, since the image check / print number setting process is performed for each image, the display order of thumbnail images and the initial display value are acquired based on preset information, and the set number of thumbnail images is displayed on the display. Is displayed (# 61, # 62). This “image check / print number setting screen” is shown in FIG. 12, and a message “Please set image check / print number” is displayed above the set number of thumbnail images. In the lower area, a color correction value display area indicating a color correction value and a number display area for displaying a numerical value indicating the number of prints are formed. Further, a stop button, a return button, a next button, and an OK button are displayed at the bottom of the screen.

  Here, eight thumbnail images are set to be displayed as one page, and the display order described above is set so that the shooting date or the creation date of the image is the oldest first and the newest is later, and the initial display value As the oldest. Accordingly, eight thumbnail images from the oldest image information are displayed on the initial screen of the “print number setting screen”. When the next button is operated, eight thumbnail images of the next page are displayed, and when the return button is operated, the previous eight thumbnail images are displayed (# 63, # 64).

  When performing color correction as necessary while checking the image, double-clicking each thumbnail image (# 65 Yes branch), an enlarged image for image check as shown in FIG. 13 is obtained. Is displayed (# 66). The image displayed here is a simulated image created by the simulated image generation unit 23a, and is as similar as possible to the print image output by the printer 3 of the print shop 2 designated by the user. It is. That is, the image print ordering apparatus 1 uses the input device profile and the printer profile to achieve color reproducibility in device independent colors so that the finished image can be confirmed by the user's own eyes. While viewing this simulated image, color correction is set if necessary (# 67).

  Further, as is apparent from FIG. 12, a + button for increasing the number of prints one by one and a-button for decreasing the number of prints one by one are displayed. By operating this button, an image to be ordered. The number of prints can be set for The numerical value in the number display area is set to “0” by default, but this default value can be arbitrarily set. A print order is input using the print number setting / change button (# 68).

  Even after finishing the print order input on the displayed page screen, unless the OK button is operated (# 69 NO branch), this print order input process continues, and if the image check / print number setting with a further thumbnail image is set If the screen exists, the operation proceeds to the next screen by operating the “Next” button (# 69 YES branch), and the same processing is performed. When all images are checked and the number of prints is set and the OK button is operated (Yes in # 69), the print order data determined so far is sent to the order creation unit 27 (# 70).

  Returning to the flowchart of FIG. 8 again, the “name input screen” is displayed as the next processing (# 07). In this screen, a message “Please enter your name” is displayed, and an input board with a name display and keyboard is displayed. The “input screen” is displayed. This screen displays a message “Please enter your phone number” and an input board with a phone number display and keyboard (# 08). Touch the keyboard to enter your phone number. When entered, the next process is started. In this way, the process of inputting the user name and telephone number is not an essential item for printing, so even if there is no input, the processing mode can be set so that the process can be shifted to the next process. If no name is input, it is reasonable to set the processing mode so that the number or code generated by the receiving apparatus 1 is automatically input.

  As the next processing, an “order content confirmation screen” is displayed (# 09). On this screen, a message “Please confirm the contents of the order” is displayed, and the details of the print service and print output including the print shop and the designated printer entered by the user through the image print accepting apparatus 1 and the print output are shown. If there is no error in the displayed contents, the order creation unit 27 creates a print order file combining print order data and image data by operating the OK button. The print order file is transmitted to the designated print shop 2 through the communication unit 28 (# 10).

  Next, the “media extraction guide screen” is displayed (step # 11). The message “Please remove the media” is displayed on this screen. The memory card M is removed according to this display, and the OK button is operated to execute the following processing, without removing the memory card M. When the OK button is operated, an alarm is activated to recognize an erroneous operation with an electronic sound.

  As the next process, the “Receipt Issuance Guidance Screen” is displayed (# 12). On this screen, the message “Receipt is issued, please wait for a while” is displayed. The receipt is output from 16 (# 13).

  FIG. 14 schematically shows the configuration of the above-described photographic print processing system. Here, a plurality of print shops 2 scattered in the same manner as the plurality of image print ordering apparatuses 1 scattered in this case. The printer 3 is connected with the communication network 4, the print profile and the print shop information are transmitted from the print shop 2 to the image print ordering apparatus 1, and the print order file is transmitted from the image print ordering apparatus 1 to the print shop 2. .

  However, when the distribution of the printers 3 in the image print ordering apparatus 1 and the print shop 2 is expanded on a nationwide scale, the print profile and the print order file are transferred between the image print ordering apparatus 1 and each print shop 2. The exchange has an excessive burden on both the image print ordering apparatus 1 and each print shop 2. The configuration of the photo print system for solving this is shown in FIG. 15. Here, the profile and print through the communication network 4 between the image print acceptance apparatus 1 and the print shop 2 (printer 3) are shown. By adopting a configuration in which transmission of the order file is organized by the mediation server 5, it is possible to eliminate the troublesomeness of each print shop 2 maintaining the profile for each image print receiving apparatus 1.

  Of course, in a case where one print shop 2 connects a plurality of printers 3 owned by the own shop to one or two image print ordering apparatuses 1, as shown in FIG. A local area network that performs branch control according to the above may be used.

  The important point of the present invention is that by sending a print profile from the printer side to the image print receiving device, the user can also create a finished image using a reproduction color based on the device independent color even in the locally arranged receiving device. It can be confirmed with the eyes.

  All image print accepting devices for the purpose of allowing the user's own eyes to check the finished image of the print using the reproduction color based on the device-independent color despite being arranged at a location apart from the image printer Applicable to.

Configuration diagram of a photo print processing system employing an image print acceptance apparatus according to the present invention External view of image print acceptance device Functional block diagram of image print acceptance device Schematic structure diagram of print order file Plan view showing an example of receipt Functional block diagram of printer Functional block diagram showing the typical flow of print order acceptance processing Flow chart of print order reception process Screen diagram showing the print shop designation screen Screen diagram showing the print service Flow chart showing image check and print count setting routine Screen for image check and print count setting Screen view for image check and color correction settings Schematic diagram of the photo print processing system of the first embodiment Schematic diagram of photo print processing system of the second embodiment Schematic diagram of the photo print processing system of the third embodiment

Explanation of symbols

1: Image print reception device 2: Print shop 3: Printer 4: Communication network 5: Mediation server 14: Touch panel (user operation input unit)
15: Monitor 22: Image preprocessing unit 23: Image processing unit 23a: Simulated image generation unit 24: Print management unit 24a: Shop information table 24b: Printer profile table 24c: Input device profile table 25: GUI unit 26: Screen control Unit 27: Order creation unit 28: Communication unit

Claims (5)

An image processing unit that performs predetermined image processing on the acquired image data, a monitor that displays an image based on the image data that has been subjected to image processing, and a user operation input unit that is determined while viewing the image displayed on the monitor In an image print accepting apparatus comprising an order creating unit that creates print order data for print output and creates a print order file by combining the acquired image data and the print order data,
A print management unit for managing print shop information of a plurality of print shops and printer profiles of a plurality of printers installed in the respective print shops and performing print output, and a printer for print output selected through the user operation input unit the simulated image generator to create a simulated images simulating the printed image output by the printer in order to be displayed on the monitor with al are using a printer profile, which is transferred from the print management unit,
The user can select the print shop that performs print output from the plurality of print shops through the user operation input unit, and when the print shop is selected, the print shop installed in the selected print shop is selected. The printer which can perform the print output from a plurality of printers is selectable. When the printer is selected, the printer profile of the selected printer is acquired from the print management unit, and the simulated image is obtained. An image print acceptance apparatus, wherein the generation unit generates the simulated image using the acquired printer profile . An image input device profile table is provided so that search and extraction can be performed from the image input device code obtained from the attribute information of the acquired image data, and the extracted image input device profile is taken into consideration when generating a simulated image. The image print accepting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image print accepting apparatus is transferred to the simulated image generation unit. 3. The image print according to claim 1, wherein print shop information combined with the printer profile and / or an image input device profile are transmitted through a communication network and stored in the print management unit. Reception device. A photo print processing system in which a plurality of locally arranged image print accepting apparatuses according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and a plurality of print shops having printers are connected via a communication network. A photographic print processing system in which a plurality of locally arranged image print accepting apparatuses according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and a plurality of print shops having printers are connected via a communication server via a communication network.

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