JP7213311B1 - Stampless mail system, method and program by AR marker - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a flexible and highly expandable postal system by using an AR marker, which can eliminate the annoyance of the user regarding postal matters, and can also meet the preferences of those who exchange mail items. offer. In a postal system that does not require affixing of stamps to postal items, a center server (100) receives an AR marker pasted or printed on the postal item from a user terminal (10) of a user who is the sender of the postal item. and the AR content receiving means 105 that receives the AR content displayed when the AR marker is read, the AR content DB 103 that stores the AR marker and the AR content, and the mail delivery fee, A delivery charge settlement means 107 for transmitting a settlement request to a financial institution capable of executing the settlement of the delivery charge based on the settlement information included in the AR content. [Selection drawing] Fig. 4

Description

The present invention relates to a stampless postal system.

People who use conventional postage stamps are worried about the hassle of purchasing stamps and sticking them on postcards and envelopes, the hassle of writing addresses, worrying about making mistakes, and worrying about the leakage of personal information such as addresses and names after posting. , I feel various annoyances such as anxiety about wrong delivery. In addition, the post office had the problem of not having enough staff depending on the volume of mail. Therefore, a postal system that does not use stamps (stampless) is known in order to reduce the trouble of attaching stamps to mail items.

For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a postage deferred payment system that eliminates the need to stockpile stamps and eliminate the need to calculate postage. According to this system, a user connects to an issuing agency via a network (the Internet) using a terminal device and applies for issuance of a postage-paid bar code. At this time, the user inputs personal information such as his/her name and information such as his/her credit card number which determines the settlement method. The barcode data to which this personal identification information is added is delivered to the user via the Internet from the issuing agency. The user inputs and adds mail type data to the distributed bar code data, prints the data with his own printer, and pastes the printed bar code on the postal item instead of stamps. The post office reads the type of mail and information specifying the user from the weight and bar code of the mail, and charges the credit company with the registered credit card number for a fee according to the weight and type.

In addition, in Patent Document 2, a sponsor such as a company provides a small amount of communication service for use by a user and takes over the usage fee that does not require a prior procedure. A data communication system using electronic stamps has been disclosed which is advantageous for each communication carrier. This system includes means for receiving data information electronically attached with electronic stamps, part or all of the communication charge for sending data information sent, and part of the communication charge for receiving data information received. Alternatively, it is provided with charging means for substituting the entire amount with electronic stamps.

JP 2002-163334 A JP-A-2002-251575

However, in postal systems that use barcodes and QR codes (registered trademark), the main behavior after holding the barcode, etc. over a reading device is to open a web browser with a URL link. It has been difficult to make the content unique, interlock with GPS information (positional information) and time information, change displayed content, and change timing.

On the other hand, today, various services using AR (Augmented Reality) technology have appeared. Augmented reality is the setting of a specific image such as a photo or illustration as an AR marker, and by simply holding the device over the AR marker, the virtual visual information is superimposed to display the world in front of us as a “virtual image.” It is a technology that expands Barcodes, QR codes (registered trademark) and AR markers have something in common in that you can view pre-linked content by holding the marker over the device. , scalability and flexibility such as interlocking with location information and time information.

Therefore, in view of the above problems, the present invention uses AR markers instead of stamps and barcodes to eliminate the troublesomeness of users regarding mail, and to make it possible for people who exchange physical mail items to do so. To provide a flexible and highly expandable postal system capable of meeting particular preferences.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following solutions.

(1) A postal system using an AR marker, in which the center server of the postal system receives an image as an AR marker pasted or printed on the postal matter from the user terminal of the user who is the sender of the postal matter. , and AR content receiving means for receiving AR content displayed when the AR marker is read, an AR content DB for storing the AR marker and the AR content, and a shipping fee for the mail, and delivery charge settlement means for transmitting a settlement request to a financial institution capable of executing settlement of the delivery charge based on settlement information included in the AR content.

(2) A parcel delivery system using an AR marker, in which the center server of the parcel delivery system receives the AR marker pasted or printed on the parcel from the user terminal of the user who is the sender of the parcel. AR content receiving means for receiving the image of and AR content displayed when the AR marker is read, an AR content DB for storing the image of the AR marker and the AR content, and the delivery fee of the delivery item a delivery charge settlement means for determining and transmitting a settlement request to a financial institution capable of executing settlement of the delivery charge based on the settlement information included in the AR content.

(3) In the above configuration (1) or (2), the center server or the recipient's user terminal comprises AR content display control means for controlling display content of the stored AR content, managing the AR content stored in each content, and changing the content of displaying the AR content according to the location information, date and time information when the AR content is displayed, or the identification information of the device that displayed the AR content. Characterized by

(4) In the configuration of (3) above, the AR content display control means is characterized by changing the displayed content of the AR content depending on before and after delivery of the parcel.

(5) In any one of the above configurations (1) to (4), means for a delivery member terminal carried by a delivery member who delivers a delivery item to read an AR marker on a post on the recipient's side of the delivery item. and playing back AR content related to the item to be delivered associated with the delivery terminal.

(6) In any one configuration from (1) to (5) above, the user terminal of the sender or the center server comprises AR content creation means for setting a specific image as the AR marker, and the AR It is characterized by comprising means for associating a marker with a delivery and setting display conditions for the AR content.

(7) In the configuration of (6) above, the AR content creation means is characterized by comprising means for automatically changing the design of the specific image that is allowed to be automatically generated.

(8) A method executed by a center server of a delivery system using an AR marker, which is displayed when an image as an AR marker and the AR marker are read from the user terminal of the user who is the sender of the delivery. storing the AR marker and the AR content in a database; determining a shipping fee for the delivery, and calculating the shipping fee based on payment information included in the AR content. and sending a payment request to a financial institution capable of executing payment.

(9) A program that causes a computer to execute the steps described in (8) above.

According to the present invention, by using AR markers instead of stamps, it is possible to eliminate the user's annoyance regarding mail, and it is possible to meet the preferences of people who exchange physical mail items, and to provide flexible mailing services. can provide a highly scalable postal system.

It is a figure showing the image of "AR marker postcard" using AR marker as a substitute for a stamp. It is a figure showing the particularity of the person who exchanges by mail. It is a diagram showing the concept of a service according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure showing functional composition of a postal system concerning an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a processing flow of a mailbox on the recipient side; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a sender/recipient information registration screen; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a registration procedure of AR content; It is a figure which shows the function structure of the parcel delivery system which is a modification of this system.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, with reference to an accompanying drawing, the form (henceforth, embodiment) for implementing this invention is demonstrated in detail. In subsequent figures, the same numbers or symbols are attached to the same elements throughout the description of the embodiments. In the diagram of the functional configuration, arrows between functional blocks indicate the data flow direction or the processing flow direction.

Conventionally, postcards, envelopes, and other postal items are printed with a space for stamps and a postal code column. It is a figure representing. AR marker postcards and AR marker envelopes that can be handled by the postal system of the present invention do not have a stamp field or an address field, but have specific images printed as AR markers as shown in the figure. AR markers are marks or images used to display digital content on the screen of a device, and image recognition technology can be used to recognize shades of colors, shapes, and the like. Digital content displayed by reading the AR marker is called “AR content”. Although the user may directly write characters or illustrations on the AR marker postcard, such information is not treated as AR content. AR marker postcards, AR marker envelopes, and other mail items with AR markers may be collectively referred to as "AR mail items."

By utilizing AR technology in this way, it is possible to register delivery information and payment information in AR content, so after the delivery charge is determined at the post office, payment can be made at a later date based on the payment information. Also, since AR markers and AR contents are collectively managed online, the system is more efficient than users using individual AR applications. In addition, since personal information is not written in AR mail, security is also protected.

Various images such as illustrations and photographs can be set as AR markers for the mail handled by this system, and information such as the sender, recipient (destination) address information, and message (text) can be displayed. Include as AR content. AR markers are not limited to black and white information such as barcodes, but may be color images (still images, moving images). The linked AR content can be reproduced on the device.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing preferences of people who exchange mail. Postal matter has features that e-mail does not have, such as physicality, courtesy, and evidence. In addition, I sometimes feel a sense of familiarity with the mail itself. Even people who usually use e-mails find the charm of such mails, and put their thoughts into the mails by adding illustrations or patterns. For individuals, the hassle of preparing to send mail to close people turns into fun. For companies and shops, it can be used as advertising material by pasting pictures, logo marks, images of corporate images, etc. on mail items. You can also create an original "picture envelope" with a colorful image drawn on it.

In this way, by adding an image as an AR marker to the actual postal matter, it is possible to meet the preferences of the person who exchanges the postal matter (actual matter) and improve the design of the postal matter. Therefore, no matter how much electronic mail develops, it is believed that physical mail will never disappear in the future.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an overview of services according to an embodiment of the present invention. This service consists of the following steps.
(1) A person who wants to send mail (sender) prepares the mail using a postcard, envelope, cardboard box, etc. with an AR marker attached, and uses his/her own user terminal to input information necessary for delivery and delivery. After entering the payment information for the shipping fee, mail it from a post box or the like. Here, AR markers may be created from a smartphone or the like installed with an existing AR creation application (hereinafter referred to as an application), or an application dedicated to this service may be used.
(2) The post office that collects the posted mail reads the AR content, calculates the delivery fee from the delivery destination information included in the AR content, the mail type, size, and weight of the mail, and stores it in the database. .
(3) Next, the post office transmits a settlement request for debiting the calculated delivery charge to the financial institution of the card number or account number written in the settlement information of the AR content. In this case, a payment request is issued before delivery, but it is possible to issue a payment request after delivery is complete. Track the delivery status until the recipient receives the mail. As shown by the dotted arrow in the figure, the financial institution provides a sorting device (automatic sorting device) that reads the address information included in the AR content of the mail to the post office and automatically sorts it by delivery area. may be leased.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a postal system (hereinafter referred to as this system) according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this system, as shown in the figure, a center server 100 of a post office is communicatively connected to a user terminal 10 on the sender's side and a user terminal 20 on the recipient's side of a mail item via the Internet 1 . A post office (collection side) 110 and a post office (delivery side) 120 are also connected to the center server 100 via the network 2 in the post office so as to be able to communicate with each other. The network 2 in the post office may be a leased line or a pseudo leased line on the Internet.

Further, the postboxes 115 installed in the city may also have a function of communicating with the center server 100 via the network 2 in the post office. If the postbox 115 is equipped with the AR content reading means 116, tracking of the delivery status of the mail can be started from this point. Also, the mailbox 30 on the recipient's side of the mail may have a function of communicating with the center server 100 and the user terminal 20 on the recipient's side via the Internet 1 .

Also, a delivery person terminal 130 carried by a post office delivery person is connected to the network 2 in the post office. In addition, the delivery terminal 130 is equipped with a smart phone camera or smart glasses as AR content reading means (not shown). In addition, the delivery member terminal 130 may further have a function of performing short-range wireless communication with the mailbox 30 on the recipient side. Furthermore, it may have a function of notifying the user terminal 20 via SMS using the phone number included in the AR content via the Internet 1 . Hereinafter, each functional block in FIG. 4 will be described in order.

The center server 100 has a user DB 101, a delivery fee DB 102, an AR content DB 103, and a delivery status tracking DB 104 as databases. The center server 100 also includes AR content receiving means 105, AR content display control means, and delivery fee payment means 107 as functional processing means.

The AR content receiving means 105 has a function of receiving the image of the AR marker pasted or printed on the mail and its AR content from the user terminal 10 of the user who is the sender of the mail and storing it in the AR content DB 103. have

The AR content display control means 106 has a function of changing the contents of the AR content to be displayed depending on the location and the date and time when the AR marker is read. For example, it may be controlled to display different AR contents before and after the mail arrives. In other words, based on the current location information of the mail, the information of the sender or recipient and the delivery status are displayed until the mail arrives, and after the mail arrives, the text message of the AR content is displayed. is. Also, the AR content display control means 106 may change the content to be displayed based on the identification information of the device (user terminal, postal worker's terminal, etc.) that displays the AR content. Also, the application of the user terminal 20 on the recipient side is provided with the AR content display control means 23 having the same function. Also, from the viewpoint of privacy, the AR content displayed on the delivery terminal 130 can be limited to the address information of the recipient (and the sender in some cases). It is assumed that the display content of the delivery terminal 130 is controlled by the AR content display control means 106 of the center server 100 .

Also, the AR content display control means 106 may select which content is to be partially displayed from among the content collectively received by the terminal of the post office (delivery side). The center server 100 also has a function of deleting information from the delivery tracking DB 104 after delivery.

The delivery charge settlement means 107 has a function of transmitting a settlement request for the delivery charge of the postal item to a financial institution (not shown) capable of executing the settlement of the delivery charge based on the settlement information included in the AR content. have The delivery charge for mail is determined by the post office on the pickup side based on the delivery charge DB 102 . When the delivery charge is determined, a payment request is sent to the financial institution that executes the payment based on the payment information (for example, account number, credit card number, etc.) included in the AR content. The payment request may be sent after the post office on the pickup side receives the mail and the delivery charge is determined, or may be sent after the delivery of the mail is completed. Note that cash on delivery is also possible for settlement. For cash on delivery or registered mail, the user terminal 20 on the recipient side may be contacted in advance.

In addition, the delivery charge payment means 107 controls the payment request according to the reading terminal, or the delivery charge from the delivery terminal 130, in order to prevent the information from being leaked by reading the AR content by a completely unrelated person. It also has a function to control such as requesting payment only when the completion is accepted. In addition, the delivery charge settlement means 107 has a function such as marking the AR content as paid when a settlement request is transmitted, in order to prevent repeated settlement when the AR content is read many times.

The user DB 101 is a database that stores individual information of users registered in this system. The destination address, name, telephone number, etc. included in the AR content may be automatically created from the user DB 101 . Although this system can be used by users who have not registered as users, it is desirable to register as users in order to receive all the functions of the service.

The delivery charge DB 102 is a database that stores delivery charges according to the size/weight of mail, delivery area, and mail type (regular, express, registered mail, etc.).

The AR content DB 103 is a database that stores, for each user, the AR marker image and the content of the AR content displayed when the AR marker is read. By creating a database of AR content, it becomes possible to edit the AR content, reuse it, and share it with other users. In addition, in order to change the content displayed by the AR content display control means 106 depending on the situation, not only the entire AR content but also each content has an identifier, and the content is divided and managed. . For example, on the postman's terminal, the display changes depending on whether the location is the post office or the delivery address, and on the recipient's user terminal, the display changes depending on whether the time is before receipt, immediately after receipt, or on a predetermined date. This is to ensure that

In addition, since the recipient cannot read the AR marker affixed or printed on the mail addressed to him/herself before receiving it, the center server 100 allows the recipient to refer to a predetermined site so that the mail addressed to him or herself can be read. Means may be provided to enable the sent AR marker to be read. In addition to being able to read the AR marker in the app, a function such as reading the delivery status by reading the AR marker delivered to the PC or the like with the camera of the smartphone may be provided.

The delivery status tracking DB 104 is a database that tracks postal items to which AR markers have been added, and stores records of location information and date/time information of moving locations. Location information and date/time information are recorded each time the AR marker is read at each point of the post or post office. Alternatively, the recording ends after confirming that the mail has been handed over to the recipient. Also, the center server 100 provides means for viewing the delivery status of mail on a predetermined management site by referring to the delivery status tracking DB 104 .

Postboxes 115 installed in the city may be equipped with AR content reading means 116 that reads AR content from AR markers on mails posted in the post. At this time, only necessary information may be acquired. The person posting the mail can hold the mail over the user terminal 10 or the AR content reading means 116 to check the contents before posting. The AR content of the mail read by the AR content reading means 116 is sent to the center server 100 with date and time information and location information, and from that point on, the mail can be tracked. In addition, in order to be able to read the AR marker in the post after the mail has been posted, a mechanism for reliably reading the surface of the mail is required in the post, so the AR content reading means 116 It may be a terminal (smartphone, smart glass, etc.) possessed by a collection member or a dedicated device provided in a vehicle for collection.

The post office (collection side) 110 and the post office (delivery side) 120 are provided with AR content reading means 112 and 122, respectively, and may further be provided with delivery item automatic sorting devices 111 and 121, respectively. The automatic delivery item sorting devices 111 and 121 are dedicated devices for automatically reading the destination information in the AR content and sorting the mail items, which were conventionally automatically sorted by postal code, into each delivery area. . It should be noted that the automatic deliverable sorting devices 111 and 121 may be leased from a financial institution with which payment information is affiliated.

The delivery person terminal 130 is mainly a terminal connected to the post office network 2 and used to communicate with the post office, but it can also be connected to the Internet 1 and can communicate with users. When the delivery member terminal 130 comes near the user's home, it informs the delivery member that there is mail to be delivered there by sound or vibration, and the delivery member puts the mail in the mailbox 30. can be notified to the user terminal 20 on the recipient side. In addition, since the AR mail does not have an address, the address of the AR content is read by the delivery staff terminal 130 or the smart glasses worn by the delivery staff so that the delivery staff can check the mailbox to which the mail is sent. The position of the previous mailbox 30 may be displayed. It is particularly useful for preventing erroneous deliveries in a collective post such as an apartment building.

In addition, when the delivery person terminal 130 reads the "post AR marker" attached/or displayed on the mailbox 30 on the recipient's side (the recipient's personal home, office, etc.), the terminal AR content related to the associated delivery may be played. Also, when the delivery person receives the delivery item at the delivery point, it is desirable that the delivery person's terminal 130 and the delivery item are associated with each other. By registering the "AR marker for post" associated with the delivery address in the DB, the "AR marker for post" obtained at the delivery destination allows the delivery person to create AR content related to the delivery according to the delivery address. can be associated. Also, the mailbox 30 may be provided with the delivery person terminal proximity detection means 31 . The delivery person terminal proximity detection means 31 communicates with the delivery person terminal 130 by near field communication (NFC), and when the delivery person approaches the mailbox 30 on the recipient side, the mail to be posted is detected. You can check if there are any Then, when there is mail to be posted, the position of the mailbox may be displayed, and a message to that effect may be sent to the user terminal 20 at the same time.

The user terminal 10 on the sender's side comprises AR content creating means 11 and AR marker printing means 12 . Note that the AR content creation means may also be provided in the center server 100 as the AR content creation means 108 . Moreover, the AR content creation means 11 or the AR content creation means 108 not only attaches the AR marker to the postal item, but also associates the AR marker with the delivery item and sets the display condition of the AR content (for example, the specific AR marker It also has a function for setting conditions for displaying content, conditions for allowing postal workers and delivery workers to see only a specific part of the AR content, etc.).

An existing AR creation application for smartphones may be used to create AR content, but it is desirable that the AR marker is printed on a label and connected to a label printer 13 for attaching to the mail. Of course, if there is a printer that can directly print on postcards or envelopes, it may be used, or the AR content creation means 11 may be incorporated into an address printing tool or a postcard printing tool. A specific screen of the AR content creating means 11 will be described later.

The user terminal 20 on the recipient side is provided with AR content reading means 21 (for example, a smartphone camera). As a result, the contents of the received mail can be reproduced on the terminal. In addition, the user terminal 20 on the recipient side may be provided with mail notice receiving means 22 . Here, the mail notification is to notify the user terminal 20 of the information at the timing when the post office or the delivery person reads the AR marker of the mail. It is desirable that the recipient's user can arbitrarily specify the contents of the notification. By doing so, the recipient can know in advance the arrival of the mail, the scheduled delivery date and time, the name of the sender, and the like. Further, if such a notification is also received from the mailbox 30 on the recipient side, the trouble of going to the mailbox one by one to check whether or not the mail has arrived can be saved.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a processing flow of a mailbox on the recipient side. In this system, the recipient's mailbox 30 (hereafter, reference numerals are omitted here) not only stores the delivered mail, but also receives the mail with the AR marker first. take action to contact you. In the flow below, the process will be described using a collective post in an apartment building as an example. However, it is assumed that the gathering post is equipped with a sensor that detects the delivery person.

First, in step S10, when the sensor of the gathering post detects that the delivery person's terminal is within a predetermined distance, in step S11, the sensor communicates with the delivery person's terminal by short-distance communication means, and the delivery person tries to deliver. Get the address of the mail that says However, it is assumed that the courier terminal has preliminarily read the destination room numbers included in the AR contents of all the mail items held by the courier to be delivered. Next, in step S12, it is checked whether or not there is any mail addressed to a specific room number in the collective mailbox.

When the sensor of the collective post determines in step S12 that there is a mail addressed to a specific room number in the collective post, in step S13, the delivery person is instructed to post the mail to the mailbox of that room in some way. Send instructions. For example, the room number of the mailing destination is uttered by voice, or an LED installed in the mailing destination mailbox is illuminated. The address and room number of the destination are not written on the surface of the AR mail, but the delivery person can check the room number of the destination by holding the mail over a smartphone or smart glasses. Of course, if the delivery person is wearing smart glasses, the room number will pop up just by looking at the mail.

Finally, in step S14, the delivery member terminal may notify the user terminal of the recipient of the room number where the mail has been posted, of the information that the mail has been posted. At this time, information on the sender of the mail may be sent together. By doing so, even an AR mail item with no address written can be reliably delivered to the recipient. If the delivery destination is not a condominium but a detached house, the single mailbox of the residence performs the same function as the collective mailbox, but there is only one mailbox for posting, so the processing is simple.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a sender/recipient information registration screen. Here, an example is shown in which the user of the sender of the AR mail uses a dedicated application installed on a smartphone to register the sender/recipient information on the screen. Here, the "name", "postal code", "address", "telephone number", and "payment information" of the sender are input from the screen 200 on the left. "Payment information" is a method for paying postal shipping charges after delivery (or even before delivery).

Also, the user inputs the information of the sender from the screen 201 on the right. Here, as an example, the recipient's "name", "zip code", "address", and "telephone number" are entered. Any registration information may be input by handwriting, but the handwriting is automatically converted into text code. Inquiries to this service can also be easily made by phone number.

Here, when changing the address of the address using a dedicated application, it is more convenient if the recipient can also change the information by sharing the password. It is also possible for the recipient's user to change the sender's information included in the AR content and forward the mail. In that case, the forwarding becomes easy because only the recipient's information is changed. Also, even if the sender has entered an incorrect destination address, the address may be corrected if there is any discrepancy in the information compared with the history information in the DB of the server. Also, in order to know in advance to whom the mail will be sent among the family members, the sender and delivery information may be shared with the recipient by notification of the dedicated application. By doing so, it becomes possible to know in advance to whom the mail is sent.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing procedures for creating and registering AR content. As shown in the figure, to register AR content, first select an image to be registered as an AR marker from the image library 210 . In the image library 210, images classified into categories are prepared in advance, but it is also possible to add photographs or illustration images taken by the user himself/herself. When a specific image is selected from the image library 210, if the image has been used before, that is, if the AR marker image and the AR content have already been linked, an AR content creation screen 211 is displayed. , "This image has already been used" is displayed, and you can edit the image or , and edit the AR content to create a new connection between the image and the AR content.

In addition, when the image is displayed as "automatically generated", it is also possible to generate an image by automatically editing the image. Automatic editing of images can be easily realized using known image processing techniques. For example, based on the content of the sender's message, an image with a different pose or expression of the image character may be proposed. Also, at this time, the sender may be prompted to make some additions to the image. In the example of the AR content editing screen 212, an image is automatically generated in which the character's pose is changed, and the child, who is the sender, adds the character "gao" and also edits the message in the AR content, He is shown preparing to send a reminder postcard to his parents who are on assignment. Also, messages can be added to the AR content even after the mail has been delivered. In this example, the AR content includes only text information, but may include images (still images, moving images) and audio.

Also, since the image registered as the AR marker does not have to be covered only during delivery, it is possible to reuse the same image. Then only the AR content associated with the image needs to be changed. By doing so, the same image can also be used for the reply. It is also possible for the sender to change and reuse the AR content when sending another mail. Although different from the postal system discussed here, it is possible to promote the reuse of envelopes in an in-house mail system.

In addition, it is possible to mass-produce and sell postcards with AR markers by differentiating the same image by incorporating text and patterns into the image. At this time, assuming that the sender himself/herself rewrites the image, it is possible to sell postcards printed with the same image. In addition, it is possible to replace the delivery fee by sending images with the transfer destination of the fee set in advance. It also makes it easier for the post office to make a delivery plan when sending a large amount of mail.

(Modification)
In the above embodiment, the postal system of the post office has been described, but the present invention can also be applied to a parcel delivery system as a modified example. It is possible to provide the same service as the postal system by replacing the information on the delivery slip with AR markers. is. Specifically, in the functional configuration diagram shown in FIG. The mailbox 30 can be replaced with a home delivery box 30A. FIG. 8 shows the functional configuration of this parcel delivery system, but since the functional configuration is almost the same as in FIG. 4, the explanation is omitted. In addition, "mail" and "parcel delivery service" are both the same in that they deliver "things", but the difference is that "post" also delivers letters and postcards. However, when there is no need to distinguish between the two, the postal system and home delivery system are collectively referred to as the "delivery system," the postal items and home delivery items are collectively referred to as the "deliveries," and the mailboxes and delivery boxes are collectively referred to. I will call it simply "Post". There is a type of "post" called "Yu-Pack," which belongs to the same service as "parcel delivery."

The functional configuration of the system described above is merely an example, and one functional block (database and functional processing unit) may be divided, or a plurality of functional blocks may be collectively configured as one functional block. . In each functional processing unit, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) built in the device reads a computer program stored in a storage device such as ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, SSD (Solid State Drive), hard disk, etc. , implemented by a computer program executed by the CPU. That is, each functional processing unit reads and writes necessary data such as a table from a database (DB; Data Base) stored in a storage device or a storage area on a memory. It is realized by controlling hardware (for example, an input/output device, a display device, a communication interface device). In addition, the database (DB) in the embodiment of the present invention may be a commercial database, but it also means a mere collection of tables and files, and the internal structure of the database itself does not matter.

(Effect of Embodiment)
According to this system, by using AR markers instead of stamps and barcodes, the user's troubles related to mail (the trouble of purchasing stamps and sticking them on mail, the trouble of writing addresses, concerns about writing mistakes, mailing, etc.) It is possible to eliminate concerns about personal information such as addresses and names being leaked later, concerns about misdelivery, etc.), and the preferences of those who exchange mail (actual, evidence, courtesy, visual, etc.) ), and provide a flexible and expandable postal system.

In addition, since the AR marker and the AR content are associated and stored as the content of the mail, it is possible to create various variations of the content. In addition, by including the delivery charge of the postal item in the AR content, a settlement request is transmitted to a financial institution capable of executing the settlement of the delivery charge, so that the payment of the delivery charge can be automatically made.

In addition, the display contents of the content stored in the server can be flexibly changed according to the position information, the date and time information, and the user who displayed the content. For example, it is possible to prevent unnecessary disclosure of information by displaying only the information of the sender and the recipient before the mail is delivered, and displaying the contents of the text after the delivery.

In addition, a delivery terminal carried by a delivery person who delivers a delivery (mail or home delivery) has means for reading an AR marker on a post on the recipient side of the delivery, and a delivery terminal associated with the delivery terminal is provided. Since the AR content related to the item (mainly the destination) can be reproduced, even if the delivery does not have an address written on it, the post of the delivery destination can be confirmed.

In addition, since the user terminal or center server on the sender's side is provided with means for creating AR content and means for associating AR markers with deliveries, it is possible to easily create AR deliveries using these functions.

In addition, by equipping the AR content creation means with a means for automatically changing the design of images prepared by the user, images for AR can be reused and mass-produced without the need for the user to prepare a large number of images. You can
It should be noted that the effects of the above embodiment are substantially the same for the delivery system.

Although the present invention has been described using the embodiments, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. In addition, it is clear from the description of the scope of the claims that forms with such modifications or improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present invention. In the above-described embodiments, the present invention is described as an invention of a product and a postal system (or a home delivery system), but the present invention can also be regarded as an invention of a method or an invention of a computer program.

1 Internet 2 Network in post office 10 User terminal (sender side)
11 AR content creation means 12 AR marker printing means 13 Label printer 20 User terminal (recipient's side)
21 AR content reading means (recipient side)
22 delivery notification receiving means 23 AR content display control means (user terminal side)
30 Recipient side mailbox 30A Recipient side home delivery box 31 Delivery person terminal proximity detection means 100 Center server 101 User DB
102 Shipping fee DB
103 AR content database
104 Delivery Status Tracking DB
105 AR content receiving means 106 AR content display control means (center server side)
107 Delivery fee settlement means 108 AR content creation means 110 Post office (collection side)
110A Home delivery office (collection side)
111 Automatic sorting device for deliveries (collection side)
112 AR content reading means (collection side)
120 post office (delivery side)
120A Home delivery office (delivery side)
121 Automatic sorting device for deliveries (delivery side)
122 AR content reading means (delivery side)
130 Delivery Terminal 200 Sender's Information Registration Screen 201 Recipient's Information Registration Screen 210 Image Library 211 AR Contents Display Screen 212 AR Contents Editing Screen

Claims (9)

A postal system using AR markers,
The center server of the postal system,
AR content receiving means for receiving an image as an AR marker pasted or printed on the mail and the AR content displayed when the AR marker is read from the user terminal of the user who is the sender of the mail When,
an AR content DB that stores the AR marker and the AR content;
a delivery charge settlement means for determining a delivery charge for the postal item and transmitting a settlement request to a financial institution capable of executing settlement of the delivery charge based on settlement information included in the AR content;
A system characterized by comprising: A home delivery system using an AR marker,
The center server of the parcel delivery system
AR content receiving means for receiving, from the user terminal of the user who is the sender of the parcel, an image as an AR marker pasted or printed on the parcel and the AR content displayed when the AR marker is read. When,
an AR content DB that stores the image of the AR marker and the AR content;
a delivery charge settlement means for determining the delivery charge for the home delivery item and transmitting a settlement request to a financial institution capable of executing the settlement of the delivery charge based on the settlement information included in the AR content;
A system characterized by comprising: The center server or the recipient's user terminal comprises AR content display control means for controlling the display content of the stored AR content, manages the AR content stored in the AR content DB for each content, 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the content to be displayed of the AR content is changed according to location information, date and time information when the content is displayed, or identification information of the device that displayed the content. 4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said AR content display control means changes the displayed content of said AR content before and after delivery of a parcel. A delivery member terminal carried by a delivery member who delivers a delivery item has means for reading an AR marker on a post on the recipient side of the delivery item, and reproduces AR content related to the delivery item associated with the delivery member terminal. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The user terminal of the sender or the center server comprises AR content creating means for setting a specific image as the AR marker, and means for associating the AR marker with the delivery and setting the display conditions of the AR content. 6. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the AR content creation means comprises means for automatically changing the design of a particular image that is enabled for automatic generation. A method executed by a center server of a delivery system using an AR marker,
a step of receiving an image as an AR marker and an AR content displayed when the AR marker is read from the user terminal of the user who is the sender of the delivery;
storing the AR markers and the AR content in a database;
determining a shipping fee for the delivery item and transmitting a payment request to a financial institution capable of performing payment for the shipping fee based on payment information included in the AR content;
A method comprising: A program that causes a computer to execute each step according to claim 8 .

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