JP4502601B2 - Data collection system and program - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a technique capable of easily collecting information by filling in a distributed form using an electronic pen.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in order to grasp the effective usage rate of direct mail (hereinafter referred to as “DM”) and leaflets and to obtain marketing data, information for identifying the area etc. distributed to the DM or leaflet in advance is entered. The technique to be taken was taken. According to this method, marketing data can be acquired by visually recognizing information entered in a collected DM or leaflet and performing aggregation / analysis.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, manual calculation and analysis by humans requires a lot of time, labor and cost, and is not efficient.
[0004]
On the other hand, a method has been devised in which a computer automatically performs aggregation and analysis for acquiring marketing data by printing a barcode on a DM or a flyer. However, the barcode cannot be superimposed on, for example, a product photograph or design on a paper such as the DM or a leaflet, and must be printed separately. For this reason, this method has a demerit that paper cannot be used effectively and there is a limitation in designing. In addition, this method also causes a problem that the presence of the barcode makes the consumer aware that the consumer information is aggregated and analyzed in order to acquire marketing data.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and by using an electronic pen to fill in a distributed form, the distributed area and consumer information can be easily aggregated in association with time. -The objective is to provide a data collection system that can analyze and create marketing data efficiently.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  In one aspect of the present invention, a data collection system includes an electronic pen form distributed in a plurality of regions, indicating position coordinates, and printed with different dot patterns assigned to the regions, an ink pen unit, and an optical pen unit. An electronic pen provided with a reading unit that captures a dot pattern to calculate position coordinates and reads the time information in association therewith;Indicated byPosition coordinatesRangeCoordinate information storage means for storing the information associated with the coordinate information, entry data including the position coordinates calculated by the electronic pen by filling the electronic pen form with the electronic pen, Time information andReceived from the electronic penData acquisition means for acquiring;Acquired by the data acquisition meansIncluded in the entry dataSaidBased on the position coordinates and the coordinate information stored in the coordinate information storage means, an area specifying means for specifying the area where the electronic pen form is distributed;By the region specifying meansspecificIsInformation storage means for storing the area in association with the time zone to which the time information belongsWhenIs provided. According to this, the user can easily acquire and store the information on the area to which the form is distributed and information on the user based on the dot pattern.
[0011]
  In another aspect of the data collection system described above, the electronic pen includes an array of data indicated by a plurality of dots constituting the dot pattern and a position coordinate on which the dot pattern is printed on the electronic pen form. Position information indicating the entry position of the electronic pen on the electronic pen form from the data array indicated by the captured dot pattern with reference to the information indicating the correspondence and the information indicating the correspondence Means for calculating.
[0012]
  In another aspect of the present invention, an electronic pen form that is distributed to a plurality of regions, indicates position coordinates, and is printed with a different dot pattern assigned to each region, an ink pen unit, and optically captures the dot pattern. The program executed in the computer constituting the data collection system using the electronic pen having the reading unit that calculates the position coordinates and reads the time information in association with the time information is executed on the computer. , The region and the dot patternIndicated byPosition coordinatesRangeCoordinate information storage means for storing information associated with the coordinate information, entry data including the position coordinates calculated by the electronic pen by filling the electronic pen form with the electronic pen, and the time Information andReceived from the electronic penData acquisition means to acquire,Acquired by the data acquisition meansIncluded in the entry dataSaidArea specifying means for specifying the area where the electronic pen form is distributed based on the position coordinates and the coordinate information stored in the coordinate information storage means;By the region specifying meansspecificIsThe computer is caused to function as information storage means for storing the area in association with the time zone to which the time information belongs.
[0021]
By executing the above program by a computer, the above-described data collection system can be realized. Moreover, each aspect of the above-mentioned data collection system can be similarly realized.
[0022]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, bookEmbodimentAn outline of an electronic pen used as an input device in this system will be described.
[0023]
[Electronic pen]
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing how the electronic pen is used, and FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the structure of the electronic pen. As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic pen 10 is used in combination with a dedicated paper 20 on which a dot pattern is printed. The electronic pen 10 includes a pen tip portion 17 similar to a normal ink pen, and a user writes characters on the dedicated paper 20 in the same manner as a normal ink pen.
[0024]
As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic pen 10 includes a processor 11, a memory 12, a data communication unit 13, a battery 14, an infrared LED 15, a camera 16, and a pressure sensor 18 therein. The electronic pen 10 includes an ink cartridge (not shown) as a component similar to a normal ink pen.
[0025]
The electronic pen 10 does not convert the locus of the ink drawn on the dedicated paper 20 by the pen tip unit 17, but converts the locus coordinates of the movement of the electronic pen 10 on the dedicated paper 20 into data. While the infrared LED 15 illuminates the vicinity of the pen tip portion 17 on the dedicated paper 20, the camera 16 reads the dot pattern printed on the dedicated paper 20 and converts it into data. That is, the electronic pen 10 can acquire a stroke generated when the user moves the electronic pen 10 on the dedicated paper 20 as image data or vector data.
[0026]
The pressure sensor 18 detects the pressure applied to the pen tip portion 17 when the user writes characters on the dedicated paper with the electronic pen 10, that is, the writing pressure, and supplies the detected pressure to the processor 11. The processor 11 switches on / off the infrared LED 15 and the camera 16 based on the writing pressure data given from the pressure sensor 18. That is, when the user writes characters or the like on the dedicated paper 20 with the electronic pen 10, writing pressure is applied to the pen tip 17. Therefore, when the writing pressure exceeding the predetermined value is detected, it is determined that the user has started the description, and the infrared LED 15 and the camera 16 are operated.
[0027]
  The camera 16 reads the dot pattern on the dedicated paper 20 and supplies the pattern data to the processor 11. The processor 11 calculates X on the dedicated paper 20 from the supplied dot pattern.,Y coordinate is calculated.
[0028]
  The processor 11 reads the writing pressure array data and the X,Y coordinate data is acquired and stored in the memory 12 in association with a time stamp (time information). Therefore, data corresponding to the description content of the user is stored in the memory 12 in time series. The capacity of the memory 12 can be about 1 Mbyte, for example.
[0029]
All the acquired data is held in the memory 12 until a transmission instruction is given by the user. When the user issues a transmission instruction, the data communication unit 13 transmits the data in the memory 12 to the terminal device 25 within a predetermined distance from the electronic pen 10. Basically, once a transmission instruction is given, the electronic pen 10 transmits all the data stored in the memory 12 to the terminal device 25, so that the memory 12 is cleared. Therefore, when it is desired to transmit the same information to the terminal device 25 again after transmission, the user needs to write the description on the dedicated paper 20 again. In this case, the user only has to trace characters written on the dedicated paper 20 with an ink pen.
[0030]
The electronic pen 10 itself does not include a function button such as a transmission button, and a transmission instruction and other instructions are performed by a user checking the dedicated box provided at a predetermined position on the dedicated paper 20 with the electronic pen 10. Executed. A transmission instruction is associated with the position coordinates of the dedicated box in advance. When the processor 11 receives the position coordinates of the dedicated box, the processor 11 supplies data in the memory 12 to the data communication unit 13 and transmits the data to the terminal device 25. To do. Although the electronic pen 10 does not have a display or a button, the completion of data transmission can be indicated by vibration of the electronic pen.
[0031]
The battery 14 is for supplying power to each element in the electronic pen 10, and the electronic pen 10 itself can be turned on / off by a cap (not shown) of the electronic pen, for example.
[0032]
As described above, the electronic pen 10 has a function of acquiring coordinate data and writing pressure data corresponding to characters and the like described on the dedicated paper 20 by the user and transmitting them to the nearby terminal device 25. Since the pen tip portion 17 is a normal ink pen, the content described on the dedicated paper 20 remains as an original original. That is, at the same time as describing the original paper, its contents can be digitized in the form of coordinate data in real time.
[0033]
According to the standard function of the electronic pen 10, data obtained by the electronic pen 10 is in principle in the form of coordinate data or vector data, and is not text data. However, as a standard function, the electronic pen 10 has a function of converting text into alphanumeric characters by describing it in a dedicated area provided on the dedicated paper 20.
[0034]
Also, the electronic pen 10 can hold property information (pen information and pen owner information) regarding the pen itself and its owner, and can be referred to from an application. As the pen information, a battery level, a pen ID, a pen manufacturer number, a pen software version, a subscription provider ID, and the like can be held. The pen owner information can hold nationality, language, time zone, email address, free memory capacity, name, address, fax / phone number, mobile phone number, and the like.
[0035]
In the data communication unit 13 in the above example, data transmission from the electronic pen 10 to the terminal device 25 is performed by various methods such as Bluetooth wireless transmission, wired transmission using a USB cable, and data transmission by contact with a terminal. It is possible to do it.
[0036]
  Next, X of the contents described by the user with the electronic pen,A method for acquiring the Y coordinate data will be described. As described above, a predetermined dot pattern is printed on the dedicated paper 20. The camera 16 of the electronic pen 10 does not read the locus of ink described on the dedicated paper 20 by the user, but reads the dot pattern on the dedicated paper 20. In fact, as shown in FIG. 1, the illumination area by the infrared LED 15 and the photographing area of the camera 16 (located in the illumination area) are shifted from the position where the pen tip portion 17 contacts the dedicated paper 20.
[0037]
The dot pattern is printed with a special ink containing carbon, and the camera 16 can recognize only the pattern with the special ink. Even if ruled lines or frames are printed on dedicated paper with inks other than dedicated ink (not including carbon), the electronic pen does not recognize them. Therefore, when creating forms such as various application forms using dedicated paper, input frames, ruled lines, cautions, etc. are printed with ink other than dedicated ink.
[0038]
In the dot pattern, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the position of each dot is associated with data. In the example of FIG. 3, the 2-bit information of 0 to 3 is displayed by shifting the dot position vertically and horizontally from the reference position (intersection of vertical and horizontal lines) of the grid. The position coordinates on the dedicated paper are determined by the combination of information expressed in this way. As illustrated in FIG. 4A, 36 dots are arranged in a grid within a range of 2 mm in length and width, and the data array (FIG. 4B) indicated by these dots is displayed on the dedicated paper. Are associated with the position coordinates. Therefore, when the camera 16 of the electronic pen 10 captures a dot pattern as shown in FIG. 4A, the processor 11 changes the data array shown in FIG. 4B based on the dot pattern data input from the camera 16. The position coordinates on the dedicated paper (that is, where the dot pattern is located on the dedicated paper) corresponding to the acquired position are calculated in real time. The minimum unit for recognizing the dot pattern is 2 mm × 2 mm, and the camera 16 takes about 100 shots per second.
[0039]
Next, the dedicated paper will be described. An example of the structure of the dedicated paper is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the dedicated paper 20 has a dot pattern 32 printed on a mount 30 and a design 34 such as a ruled line printed thereon. The mount 30 is usually paper, and the dot pattern 32 is printed with dedicated ink containing carbon as described above. Further, the design 34 is printed with normal ink or the like. The dot pattern and the design may be printed at the same time, or one of them may be printed first.
[0040]
An example of the design 34 is shown in FIG. FIG. 6 shows an example of a certain application form 36 in which a plurality of entry fields 38 and a transmission box 39 are printed. Although it is not clearly shown in FIG. 6 and will be described in detail later, a dot pattern is actually printed on the entire surface of the application form 36, and an entry box 38 and a transmission box 39 are formed on the entire surface using ordinary ink. It is printed. The user can enter the necessary items in each entry field 38 of the application form 36 using the electronic pen 10 in the same manner as a conventional application form without being aware of the dot pattern.
[0041]
The area on the dedicated paper 20 can be roughly divided into two types. One is an entry area, in which the content described by the electronic pen 10 is handled as information as it is. In the example of FIG. 6, a plurality of entry fields 38 correspond to this. The other is a functional element, and when the corresponding area is checked with the electronic pen 10, actions, instructions, etc. defined in advance for the area are executed. The transmission box 39 in the example of FIG. 6 corresponds to this.
[0042]
The transmission box 39 is used when giving an instruction to transmit data stored in the electronic pen 10 to the nearby terminal device 25 as described above. When the user checks the transmission box 39 with the electronic pen 10, the electronic pen 10 reads the dot pattern in the transmission box. The pattern is associated with a transmission instruction, and the processor 11 in the electronic pen 10 issues a command to transmit data stored in the memory 12 to the data communication unit 13.
[0043]
The dot pattern is normally assigned for each application (paper type). In other words, the dot patterns in a certain application form do not overlap in one sheet, but the same dot pattern is printed on the same application form. Therefore, when the user inputs necessary items with the electronic pen 10, it can be specified from the coordinate data on the application form which item of the application form the input item is for.
[0044]
As described above, by printing a predetermined design on the dedicated paper on which the dot pattern is printed, various application forms using the dedicated paper can be created. If the user uses the electronic pen 10 and fills in necessary items in a normal manner, the electronic data is automatically acquired.
[0045]
In the above example, the dot pattern is printed on the dedicated paper with carbon-containing ink. However, the dot pattern can be printed on ordinary paper using a printer and carbon-containing ink. Furthermore, the design on the dedicated paper can also be formed by a printer instead of printing. When dot patterns are formed on paper by a printer, different dot patterns can be formed on each sheet. Therefore, it is possible to identify and distinguish each of these sheets by the difference in the formed dot patterns.
[0046]
In the present specification, the term “printing” has a concept including not only normal printing but also printing by a printer.
[0047]
Next, transmission processing of data acquired by the electronic pen will be described with reference to FIG. The data acquired by the electronic pen 10 is mainly data of items input by the user, but usually does not include information on where the service server that is the transmission destination of the data is. Instead, information specifying the application or service related to the dedicated paper is included in the dot pattern on the dedicated paper, and the information is acquired from the dedicated paper during the user's input operation. Therefore, the terminal device 25 that has received the entry data from the electronic pen 10 first makes an inquiry to the inquiry server 26 to which service server 27 the data input to the dedicated paper should be transmitted. The inquiry server 26 has information on a corresponding service server for each dedicated paper, and in response to an inquiry from the terminal device 25, information (such as a URL) of the service server 27 that performs a service related to the dedicated paper. Reply to the terminal device 25. Then, the terminal device 25 transmits the entry data acquired from the electronic pen to the service server 27.
[0048]
In the above example, the terminal device 25, the inquiry server 26, and the service server 27 are separately configured. However, some or all of them may be configured as one device. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the correction processing server described later also serves as the inquiry server 26 and the service server 27.
[0049]
  [First embodiment]
(I) Data collection system
  Then bookEmbodimentA data collection system according to the above will be described. FIG. 7 shows a schematic configuration of the data collection system 100. The data collection system 100 shown in FIG. 7 uses a digital pen to fill in a distributed form, and easily collects and analyzes the information associated with time, and quickly obtains necessary marketing data. To create.
[0050]
As shown in FIG. 7, the data collection system 100 is configured by connecting a user terminal device 25 and the aggregation server 3 through a network 2. One preferred example of network 2 is the Internet. The aggregation server 3 is connected to the consumer DB 41.
[0051]
First, the outline of the marketing data creation method by this system is described. Businesses such as supermarkets and retail stores distribute forms such as DMs and leaflets (hereinafter referred to as “distributed forms”) to consumers. The consumer can receive a special discount such as a shopping discount by submitting the distribution form 4 in a supermarket or the like managed by a trader. When shopping, an employee of a merchant (hereinafter referred to as a “user”) receives a distribution form 4 from a consumer and fills in the distribution form 4 with the consumer's information using the electronic pen 10. . Then, the entry data entered by the user is transmitted from the electronic pen 10 to the terminal device 25, and transmitted from the terminal device 25 to the aggregation server 3. Here, the entry data includes information such as the region where the leaflet is distributed, the sex of the consumer, the age, and the purchased product.
[0052]
The tabulation server 3 identifies consumer information based on the entry data and the coordinate data of the dot pattern printed on the distribution form 4 and stores it in the consumer DB 41. And the totaling server 3 produces arbitrary marketing data rapidly based on consumer DB41. Here, the marketing data is data representing the effective usage rate of the distribution, consumer preference, demand, and the like. In this way, the data collection system 100 can quickly create the requested marketing data.
[0053]
  Next, each component will be described individually. First, the distribution form 4 will be described. The distribution form 4 is a paper medium on which a product such as a DM or a flyer that is desired to appeal to consumers is printed. Where the bookEmbodimentIn this system, the printed matter is created as the dedicated paper described above. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 5, a predetermined dot pattern 32 is printed on the mount 30, and a photograph, design, price, etc. of the product are printed thereon. As described above, the dot pattern 32 is printed with ink containing carbon so that the electronic pen 10 can recognize it. On the other hand, the design 34 such as a photograph or price of a product is printed with normal (not including carbon) ink, and thus the electronic pen 10 does not recognize it.
[0054]
An example of the distribution form 4 is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the distribution form 4 is printed with product photos and prices 42 to 44, gender identification units 45 and 46, and a transmission instruction unit 47. These are printed with respect to position coordinates on a preset dot pattern. Further, the dot pattern printed on the distribution form 4 is only a shaded portion, and according to FIG. 8A, the dot pattern is printed on the gender identification units 45 and 46 and the transmission instruction unit 47. However, no dot pattern is printed on the product photos or prices 42 to 44. The transmission instruction unit 47 corresponds to a transmission box for transmitting the transmission command described above.
[0055]
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, the dot pattern printed on the distribution form 4 differs depending on the region where the distribution form 4 is distributed. That is, the dot pattern printed on the distribution form 4 whose distribution area is “city” is “A”, the dot pattern printed on the distribution form 4 whose distribution area is “commercial” is “B”, and the distribution area is “ The dot pattern printed on the distribution form 4 which is “residential land” is different from “C”. In other words, the distribution forms 4 in the same area are physically different forms, but the printed dot patterns are the same.
[0056]
  FIG. 8B schematically shows the arrangement of the product photos and the like shown in FIG. As can be understood from FIGS. 8A and 8B, the gender specifying units 45 and 46 and the transmission instruction unit 47 are areas having area numbers A1 to A3, respectively, and dots set in advance according to the size or the like. Printed corresponding to the position coordinates on the pattern. That is, the areas of the area numbers A1 to A3 are represented by the position coordinates (X,Y coordinate). The area number is information for identifying the area.
[0057]
For example, the area of area number A1 is a range defined by coordinates (x1, y1) to coordinates (x2, y2). In this example, the area numbers of the areas specified in the distribution form 4 whose distribution area is “city” are indicated as A1, A2,..., And are specified in the distribution form 4 whose distribution area is “commercial”. The area numbers of the areas are set to B1, B2,. . And the area numbers of the areas defined in the distribution form 4 whose distribution area is “residential land” are C1, C2,. . I am going to show that.
[0058]
When the user fills in the distribution form 4 using the electronic pen 10, the electronic pen 10 generates data indicating which coordinates of the distribution form 4 have been filled based on the dot pattern, and stores the internal memory. 12 to store.
[0059]
Therefore, in the distribution form 4 illustrated in FIG. 8, when the user enters a check mark in the gender instruction section (female) 46, for example, the electronic pen 10 acquires the entry position coordinates of the distribution form 4 and stores it in the memory 12. . When the user enters a check mark in the transmission instruction unit 47 provided on the distribution form 4, the entry position coordinates stored in the memory 12 are entered from the electronic pen 10 to the predetermined terminal device 25 as entry data. Sent. That is, entry data including information that the distribution area of the distribution form 4 and the gender of the consumer is “female” is transmitted to the aggregation server 3 via the terminal device 25.
[0060]
The processor 11 in the electronic pen 10 stores the user entry in the memory 12 in association with the time stamp (time information) as described above. Therefore, the data transmitted from the electronic pen 10 to the predetermined terminal device 25 includes not only entry data but also time data based on a time stamp in which the entry data is entered.
[0061]
  Next, the summary server 3 will be described in detail. Figure 10 shows the bookEmbodimentIn particular, the internal configuration of the aggregation server 3 in the data collection system 100 will be described. As shown in the figure, the tabulation server 3 includes a tabulation program 3a, a data acquisition function 3b, a data identification function 3c, a coordinate table 3d, a time zone table 3e, an information storage function 3f, and a marketing data creation function 3g. In addition, each function is implement | achieved when CPU which the aggregation server 3 has runs the program prepared beforehand.
[0062]
The tabulation program 3a is a program that stores the entry data and time data received from the terminal device 25, the coordinate table 3d, and consumer information specified based on the time zone table 3e in the consumer DB 41. The aggregation program 3a is a program for creating arbitrary marketing data based on consumer information stored in the consumer DB 41.
[0063]
  The data acquisition function 3b executes the tabulation program 3a, and thereby the entry data and time data entered by the user in the distribution form 4 using the electronic pen 10 are stored.Received from the electronic pen 10It is a function to acquire.
[0064]
The data specifying function 3c is a function for specifying consumer information entered in the distribution form 4 by the user based on the entry data obtained by the data obtaining function 3b and the coordinate table 3d by executing the aggregation program 3a. is there. The data specifying function 3c is a function for specifying the time zone entered in the distribution form 4 by the user based on the time data acquired by the data acquiring function 3b and the time zone table 3f.
[0065]
First, the coordinate table 3d will be described with reference to FIG. The coordinate table 3d includes an area, coordinate data, area number, area coordinate data, and content. The areas are the areas where the distribution form 4 is distributed. In the present embodiment, the areas are assumed to be, for example, “city”, “commercial”, and “residential land”. The coordinate data is the position coordinates of the distribution form 4 on which different dot patterns are printed for each region. Specifically, the data specifying function 3c of the tabulation server 3 compares the position coordinates included in the entry data with the coordinate data of the coordinate table 3d so that the distribution form 4 submitted by the consumer is distributed in which region. Can be specified.
[0066]
The area number is information for identifying each area on the distribution form 4 as shown in FIG. 8B, and the area coordinate data is the position coordinates of the distribution form 4 indicating the arrangement of each area. The contents represent the contents of each area indicated by the area coordinate data. According to this, in the distribution form 4, the area of area number A1 is “gender identification part (male)”, and the area of area number A2 is It becomes "gender specific part (female)". Specifically, the data specifying function 3c of the tabulation server 3 specifies that the consumer information entered by the user is gender etc. by comparing the position coordinates included in the entry data with the area coordinate data. Can do.
[0067]
Next, the time zone table 3e will be described with reference to FIG. The time zone table 3e is composed of time and time zone. Specifically, the data specifying function 3c of the tabulation server 3 can specify the time zone entered by the user by comparing the time zone table 3e with the time entered by the user included in the time data. For example, if the consumer submits the distribution form 4 to the user at the cash register where the product is purchased, and the user immediately fills in the information of the consumer, the time zone when the consumer visits the supermarket is specified. Can do. That is, the time zone when the consumer visits the supermarket can be reflected in the marketing data by storing it in the consumer DB 41 by the information storage function 3f described later.
[0068]
The information storage function 3f issues a consumer ID, which is consumer identification information, by executing the aggregation program 3a, and the consumer information specified by the data specifying function 3c using the consumer ID as a key is This function is stored in the DB 41.
[0069]
The marketing data creation function 3g quickly creates arbitrary marketing data based on the consumer information stored in the consumer DB 41 by executing the tabulation program 3a.
[0070]
Next, the consumer DB 41 connected to the aggregation server 3 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The consumer DB 41 includes a consumer ID, a region, a sex, and a time zone. The item “product” indicated by the dotted line 50 will be described in a second embodiment to be described later.
[0071]
The consumer ID is information for identifying the consumer who submitted the distribution form 4 and is issued by the information storage function 3 f of the aggregation server 3. However, when the same person submits the distribution form 4 a plurality of times, a consumer ID is issued each time, and thus the consumer individual is not strictly identified. The region, gender, and time zone are consumer information specified by the data specifying function 3c of the tabulation server 3. The region, the sex of the consumer, and the time zone when the consumer came to the store, respectively. It is.
[0072]
Thus, by storing the consumer information acquired from the electronic pen 10 for each item in the consumer DB 41 using the consumer ID as a key, arbitrary marketing data can be created efficiently and quickly.
(Ii) First tabulation process
Next, the 1st totalization process performed by said data collection system 100 is demonstrated. FIG. 14 is a flowchart of the first tabulation process.
[0073]
First, the user uses the electronic pen 10 on the distribution form 4 received from the consumer to enter the consumer's information. Specifically, the user enters the gender of the consumer by entering a check mark in the gender specifying section 45 or 46 in the distribution form 4 as shown in FIG. Then, by filling a check mark in the transmission instruction unit 47 on the distribution form 4, the entry data and the time data are transmitted to the aggregation server 3 through the electronic pen 10.
[0074]
The aggregation server 3 acquires entry data and time data (step S1). Then, the tabulation server 3 refers to the coordinate table 3d based on the entry data, and specifies the area (step S2) to which the distribution form 4 is distributed and the sex of the consumer (step S3). Further, the aggregation server 3 refers to the time zone table 3e based on the time data, and identifies the time zone that the user entered in the distribution form 4, that is, the time zone that the consumer visited (step S4).
[0075]
Next, the aggregation server 3 issues a consumer ID (step S5), and stores the specified region, sex and time zone in the consumer DB 41 using the consumer ID as a key (step S6). Then, the aggregation server 3 determines whether or not there is a request for creating marketing data from the user or the like (step S7), and if there is no request, the first aggregation process is terminated. On the other hand, if there is a request, marketing data is created based on the consumer information stored in the consumer DB 41 (step S8), and the first tabulation process is terminated.
[0076]
In this manner, the user or the like can easily obtain the consumer information in association with the area where the distribution form 4 is distributed. In connection with this, arbitrary marketing data can be created efficiently and quickly. For example, when the information shown in FIG. 13 can be obtained, many consumers who bring the distribution form 4 whose distribution area is “residential land” come to the store in the evening, and the distribution area is “city”. Consumers who bring the distribution form 4 can create marketing data that many office workers come to the store at night. In addition, since the totaling server 3 automatically performs the totaling / analysis of the consumer information instead of being manually performed by humans, it is possible to reduce the labor and cost of the user.
[0077]
[Second Embodiment]
(I) Data collection system
Next, the data collection system 100 in 2nd Embodiment is demonstrated. The difference from the first embodiment is the configuration of the distribution form 4, the coordinate table 3d, and the consumer DB 41. For this reason, in the present embodiment, only portions that are different from the first embodiment will be described, and description of overlapping portions will be omitted for convenience.
[0078]
First, the distribution form 4 will be described. An example of the distribution form 4 in the second embodiment is shown in FIG. As shown in the drawing, the distribution form 4 is printed with product photographs 52 to 54, gender identification parts 55 and 56, and a transmission instruction part 57. These are printed with respect to position coordinates on a preset dot pattern. Note that the dot pattern printed on the distribution form 4 differs depending on the region where the distribution form 4 is distributed, as in the first embodiment.
[0079]
FIG. 15 (b) schematically shows the arrangement of the photograph of the product shown in FIG. 15 (a). As can be understood from FIGS. 15A and 15B, the gender identification portions 55 and 56 are areas of area numbers A1 and A2, the transmission instruction portion 57 is an area of area number A3, and the product photographs 52 to 54 are areas. The areas of numbers A4 to A6 are printed corresponding to the position coordinates on the dot pattern set in advance according to the size and the like. Here, the product photographs 52 to 54 are used as a product specifying unit.
[0080]
According to this, in the distribution form 4 illustrated in FIG. 15A, for example, the product specifying unit 52 corresponding to the product purchased by the consumer and the gender specifying unit (female) corresponding to the sex of the consumer. When a check mark is entered in 56, the electronic pen 10 acquires the entry position coordinates of the distribution form 4 and fills in the memory 12. Then, when the user enters a check mark in the transmission instruction section 57 provided on the distribution form 4, the entry position coordinates stored in the memory 12 are entered from the electronic pen 10 to the predetermined terminal device 25 as entry data. Sent. That is, entry data including information regarding the distribution area of the distribution form 4, the product purchased by the consumer and the gender of the consumer is transmitted to the aggregation server 3 via the terminal device 25.
[0081]
As in the first embodiment, the data transmitted from the electronic pen 10 to the predetermined terminal device 25 includes not only entry data but also time data based on a time stamp in which the entry data is entered.
[0082]
Next, the coordinate data 3d will be described. The coordinate data 3d in the second embodiment is composed of a region, coordinate data, area number, area coordinate data, and content, as in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 16, the coordinate data 3d in the second embodiment includes not only information corresponding to the area numbers A1 to A3 in the distribution form 4, but also information related to the product specifying unit corresponding to the area numbers A4 to A6. It is remembered.
[0083]
Next, the consumer DB 41 will be described. As shown in FIG. 13, the consumer DB 41 in the second embodiment includes a consumer ID, a region, a sex, a time zone, and a product. That is, information corresponding to the item “product” indicated by the dotted line 50 that is not included in the consumer DB 41 in the first embodiment is also stored.
(Ii) Second tabulation process
Next, the second tabulation process executed by the data collection system 100 in the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 17 is a flowchart of the second tabulation process.
[0084]
First, the user uses the electronic pen 10 on the distribution form 4 received from the consumer to enter the consumer's information. Specifically, in the distribution form 4 as shown in FIG. 15A, the user specifies a product specifying unit 52 that specifies a product purchased by a consumer, and a gender specifying unit (female) 56 that specifies the gender of the consumer. Fill in the check mark. Then, by filling a check mark in the transmission instruction section 57 on the distribution form 4, the entry data and the time data are transmitted to the aggregation server 3 through the electronic pen 10.
[0085]
The aggregation server 3 acquires entry data and time data (step S11). Then, the aggregation server 3 refers to the coordinate table 3d shown in FIG. 16 based on the entry data, and distributes the distribution form 4 (step S12), the sex of the consumer (step S13), and the purchase of the consumer. The finished product is specified (step S14). Further, the aggregation server 3 refers to the time zone table 3e based on the time data, and identifies the time zone that the user entered in the distribution form 4, that is, the time zone that the consumer visited (step S15).
[0086]
Next, the aggregation server 3 issues a consumer ID (step S16), and stores the consumer information such as the specified region, sex, product, and time zone in the consumer DB 41 using the consumer ID as a key (step S16). Step S17). Then, the aggregation server 3 determines whether or not there is a request for creating marketing data from the user or the like (step S18). If there is no request, the second aggregation process is terminated. On the other hand, if there is a request, marketing data is created based on the consumer information stored in the consumer DB 41 (step S19), and the second tabulation process is terminated.
[0087]
In this way, users can easily obtain consumer information including information on purchased products in association with the region to which the distribution form 4 is distributed, and quickly create effective marketing data. Can do. In addition, because it is possible to print product photos and designs on the dot pattern, simply fill in the check mark using the electronic pen 10 in the product identification section, and the product can be easily Information can be acquired. Furthermore, according to this, unlike printing a barcode on a distribution form such as a DM or a flyer, there is almost no restriction on design, and the paper surface of the distribution form can be used effectively.
[0088]
[Modification]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the area of the distribution form 4 can be arranged as shown in FIGS. 18 (a) and 18 (b). In this case, as shown in FIG. 18A, the dot pattern is printed on the entire surface of the distribution form 4 and divided into three areas that the consumer cannot visually recognize. FIG. 18B schematically shows three areas that cannot be visually recognized. For example, the area of area number A1 in FIG. 18B corresponds to the gender identification part (male), the area of area number A2 corresponds to the gender identification part (female), and the area of area number A3 corresponds to the transmission instruction part. Then, when the user uses the electronic pen 10 to enter a check mark in the upper left of the distribution form 4, that is, the area of area number A1, the aggregation server 3 acquires information that the consumer is “male”. be able to. Further, when the user enters a check mark in the upper right of the distribution form 4 using the electronic pen 10, that is, the area of the area number A2, the aggregation server 3 acquires information that the consumer is “female”. be able to.
[0089]
According to this, since the area cannot be visually recognized, only the user recognizes the arrangement of the area in the distribution form 4 and fills in the consumer information. The information can be easily acquired without making the user aware of the information.
[0090]
In the above embodiment, the distribution form 4 is configured as shown in FIGS. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to print only a box without printing characters such as “male” and “female” in the gender identification section on the distribution form 4. In this case, the user enters a predetermined symbol in the box using the electronic pen 10. For example, if the consumer's gender is “○” and the male is “△”, the user can fill in the box on the distribution form with ○ or △, and the consumer's gender information Can be transmitted to the aggregation server 3 as entry data. The aggregation server 3 identifies consumer information by performing character recognition based on the received entry data, and stores it in the consumer DB 41.
[0091]
According to this, since the consumer cannot recognize the contents of the symbol, only the user recognizes the contents of the box and the symbol and fills in the consumer information, so that the aggregation server 3 can The information can be easily acquired without being conscious.
[0092]
Further, the distribution form 4 is not provided with any box for filling in consumer information, and the user can place a predetermined symbol on any area on the dot pattern printed on the distribution form 4 with an electronic pen. 10 may be entered. In this case, specifically, a symbol 91 as shown in FIG. 19A indicates that the consumer is “male”, and a symbol 92 indicates that the consumer is “female”. Symbol 93 indicates that the purchase amount of the consumer is “1000 yen”, and symbol 94 indicates that the purchase amount of the consumer is “10000 yen”. In addition, when two symbols 93 are arranged side by side, the symbol can be arbitrarily set such as “2000 yen”. According to this, the user can transmit consumer information to the aggregation server 3 by entering a predetermined symbol in an arbitrary area on the distribution form 4. The aggregation server 3 identifies consumer information by performing character recognition based on the received entry data, and stores it in the consumer DB 41. Therefore, since the symbol can be arbitrarily entered by the user in the area where the dot pattern is printed, the width in designing the form is widened. Further, when the user fills in the distribution form 4 at a supermarket cash register, for example, the user does not need to worry about the position of the box or the like, and can quickly fill in the symbols. In addition, since a box or the like for entering consumer information is not provided on the form, information can be easily collected without making the consumer aware of it.
[0093]
  Further, in order to assist the user to fill in the distribution form 4, a template or a ruler based on symbols may be used as shown in FIG. According to this, the user can easily enter not only a simple symbol but also a symbol representing time in an arbitrary area on the distribution form 4 as shown in FIG. A design template as shown in FIG. 19C is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the template is composed of a large circle representing a clock and 12 small circles around the circle. The twelve small circles represent numbers indicated by the short hand of the clock, and according to this, the symbol in FIG. 19C can be recognized as “3 o'clock”. As described above, when the user tries to fill in the distribution form 4 with freehand symbols and symbols determined in advance, it is difficult for the user to enter and the character recognition of the counting server 3 is also difficult. Become. But bookEmbodimentBy using the template and ruler, the user can easily enter accurate symbols and the like, and the tabulation server 3 can avoid problems such as unrecognition and misrecognition in character recognition because there is no camera shake. .
[0094]
In addition, since it is necessary for the electronic pen 10 to reliably read the dot pattern on the form as the electronic pen 10 moves, the template and the ruler are preferably transparent. The templates and symbols are not limited to those listed above. For example, a certain length is set to indicate a predetermined amount, and straight lines of 1 centimeter, 5 centimeter, and 10 centimeter are formed. It can also be applied when creating a template for drawing.
[0095]
In the above embodiment, the entry data and the time data are transmitted from the electronic pen 10 to the tabulation server 3 via the predetermined terminal device 25, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the electronic pen 10 It may be transmitted directly from the pen 10 to the tabulation server 3.
[0096]
  In the above embodiment, the distribution form 4 is a DM or a flyer, and the booklet is printed in a supermarket or the like.EmbodimentHowever, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is not limited to this.EmbodimentIt is possible to apply. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, product information is printed on the distribution form 4, but the present invention is not limited to this.EmbodimentThen, any item that can be selected by the user, such as a prize or a service, can be arbitrarily set.
[0097]
Moreover, in said embodiment, a time slot | zone is specified based on the time data transmitted to the totaling server 3 from the electronic pen 10, and the said time slot | zone is memorize | stored in consumer DB41. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the time included in the time data may be extracted and stored in the consumer DB 41 directly.
[0098]
In the above-described embodiment, the consumer information includes the area where the distribution form 4 is distributed, the sex of the consumer, and the purchased product. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the consumer's age and the like can be arbitrarily set as consumer information.
[0099]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, by using an electronic pen to fill in a distributed form, the distributed area and consumer information can be easily aggregated and analyzed in association with time, Marketing data can be created efficiently.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating how an electronic pen is used.
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a structure of an electronic pen.
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a method of expressing information by a dot pattern printed on dedicated paper.
It is.
FIG. 4 shows an example of a dot pattern and information corresponding to it.
FIG. 5 shows the structure of a form composed of dedicated paper.
FIG. 6 shows an example of a form for an electronic pen.
[Figure 7] BookEmbodiment1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a data collection system according to FIG.
FIG. 8 shows an example of a distribution form in the first embodiment.
FIG. 9 shows an example of a distribution form distributed for each region.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing functional blocks of the aggregation server included in the data collection system shown in FIG.
It is.
FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically showing a data structure of a coordinate table in the first embodiment.
FIG. 12EmbodimentIt is a figure which shows typically the data structure of the time slot | zone table in.
FIG. 13 BookEmbodimentIt is a figure which shows typically the data structure of consumer DB in.
FIG. 14 BookEmbodimentIt is a flowchart of the 1st totalization process by.
FIG. 15 shows an example of a distribution form in the second embodiment.
FIG. 16 is a diagram schematically showing a data structure of a coordinate table in the second embodiment.
FIG. 17 BookEmbodimentIt is a flowchart of the 2nd aggregation process by.
FIG. 18 shows an example of a distribution form in a modified example.
FIG. 19 shows an example of symbols and templates to be entered by the user.
[Explanation of symbols]
  2 network
  3 summary server
  4 distribution forms
  10 Electronic pen
  11 processor
  12 memory
  13 Data communication unit
  14 battery
  25 Terminal equipment
  26 Inquiry server
  27 Service server
  100 data collection system

Claims (3)

Electronic pen forms distributed to a plurality of areas, indicating position coordinates, and printed with different dot patterns assigned to each area;
An electronic pen including an ink pen unit and a reading unit that optically captures a dot pattern to calculate position coordinates, and reads time information in association with the pen;
Coordinate information storage means for storing, as coordinate information, information in which the area and the range of position coordinates indicated by the dot pattern are associated with each other;
Data acquisition means for receiving and acquiring the entry data including the position coordinates calculated by the electronic pen and the time information by being filled in the electronic pen form by the electronic pen; ,
And said position coordinates included the in entry data acquired by said data acquisition means, the coordinate information based on the coordinate information stored in the storage means, area specifying means for specifying areas where the electronic pen form has been distributed When,
Data acquisition system, characterized in that it comprises a <br/> the areas identified, an information storage means for storing in association with the time zone in which belongs the time information by the region-specific means. The electronic pen is
Means for storing information indicating a correspondence relationship between an array of data indicated by a plurality of dots constituting the dot pattern and position coordinates on which the dot pattern is printed in the electronic pen form;
Means for calculating position information indicating an entry position of the electronic pen on the electronic pen form from an array of data indicated by the captured dot pattern with reference to the information indicating the correspondence relationship. data acquisition system according to claim 1,. Distributing to a plurality of areas, indicating position coordinates, and calculating a position coordinate by electronically printing a dot pattern and an ink pen unit on which a different dot pattern assigned to each area is printed, and an ink pen unit. , A program executed in a computer constituting a data collection system using an electronic pen provided with a reading unit that reads and associates time information at that time,
By running on the computer,
Coordinate information storage means for storing, as coordinate information, information in which the area and the range of position coordinates indicated by the dot pattern are associated with each other;
Data acquisition means for receiving and acquiring the entry data including the position coordinates calculated by the electronic pen and the time information by being filled in the electronic pen form by the electronic pen,
And said position coordinates included the in entry data acquired by said data acquisition means, the coordinate information based on the coordinate information stored in the storage means, area specifying means for specifying areas where the electronic pen form has been distributed ,
Program, characterized in that the said area specified by the region specifying unit, causes the computer to function as information storing means for storing in association with the time zone in which belongs the time information.

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