JPH11306204A - Pamphlet production system using data base - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily produce a pamphlet where only the respective necessary information is selected and printed for every customer. SOLUTION: The information on each of a hotel are stored in a data base storing means 110. An input screen of an HTML form is produced by an input screen production means 120 and shown on a display screen by an input screen display means 210. When an operator inputs a retrieval term from a retrieval term input means 230 while looking at the display screen, as the result, a retrieval means 130 performs a retrieval operation to show plural hotels on a screen of an HTML form through a retrieval result display means 220. When a specific hotel is selected by an output object selection means 240, an output object layout means 140 allocates a text and the image data concerning the hotel by using the prescribed composition information and gives them to a print means 250 as a PDF file. Thus, a travel pamphlet P of high quality is outputted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a brochure creation system using a database, and more particularly to a system suitable for creating a travel brochure tailored to each customer's travel itinerary and a product pamphlet tailored to each customer's wishes. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the business of selling various products or the business of providing various services, various forms of pamphlets are often distributed in order to present the contents of products and services to customers. For example, for a business that sells products, photos, specifications,
Various pamphlets with prices etc. are distributed, and for the business of providing accommodation facilities such as hotels,
There are various pamphlets with photos and descriptions of the facilities in the hotel, nearby sightseeing spots, and maps of the surrounding area.

[0003] Recently, with the spread of the Internet, various information on products and services to be provided has been
The technique of presenting directly on the screen of each customer's computer display, which is to be called an electronic brochure, is also becoming common. In addition to presenting information,
The use of the Internet to sell products, make reservations for accommodations, and the like is also becoming popular.

[0004]

As described above, in the method of directly providing various information to individual customers using the Internet, only the necessary information is selected for each customer and presented. There is a merit that can be. However, such a conventional information presentation method using the Internet is based on the premise that information to be presented is displayed on a display screen, and therefore has various limitations compared to a method of distributing a pamphlet as a printed matter. I have to receive it. First, hardware and software for using the Internet are required, and further, knowledge for handling these is required. For this reason, users are often biased toward young people and cannot provide information to everyone widely. Further, since the display on the display screen is premised, the presentation place is restricted as compared with the pamphlet printed on the paper. Of course, it is possible to print out the information on the display screen on paper using a printer connected to a personal computer, but since it was originally intended to be presented on the display screen, The quality has to be considerably lower than that of the pamphlet.

[0005] On the other hand, a brochure as a printed material generally used conventionally can be widely distributed to everyone, and information can be browsed anytime and anywhere. However, the information to be included in the pamphlet must be targeted at an unspecified number of customers, and it is difficult to prepare a pamphlet in which only the necessary information is selected and posted for each customer. .

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a pamphlet creation system capable of easily creating a pamphlet in which only necessary information is selected for each customer and posted.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems (1) A first aspect of the present invention is a pamphlet that uses a database that searches a database based on a predetermined search term and creates a pamphlet based on the obtained search results. In the creation system, database storage means for storing a database, input screen generation means for generating an input screen for inputting a search term, input screen presentation means for presenting the generated input screen to an operator, Search term input means for inputting a predetermined search term using an input screen, search execution means for searching a database based on the input search term, and search result presentation means for presenting the obtained search result to an operator; Output target selecting means for allowing the operator to select a predetermined output target from the presented search results, Output means for allocating the data in the database relating to the output target on a two-dimensional plane by using prepared type information, and printing means for outputting the allocated output target on paper to create a pamphlet And are provided.

(2) A second aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned first aspect.
In the brochure creation system using the database according to the aspect, the database storage means, the input screen generation means, the search execution means, and the output target allocating means are provided on the server device side, and the input screen presentation means, the search term input means, and the search result presentation are provided. Means, output target selection means, and printing means are provided on the client device side, the server device and the client device are connected via a network, and an operator operates the client device to obtain a pamphlet on which a desired output target is posted. It is configured so that

(3) A third aspect of the present invention is the above-described first aspect.
Alternatively, in the pamphlet creation system using the database according to the second aspect, the input screen generation means may be H
It has a function of generating an input screen described in the TML format and providing the generated input screen to the input screen presenting means as an HTML file.
It has a function of presenting an input screen using browser software for an ML file, and the search term input unit has
A function of inputting a search term using browser software, wherein the search execution means generates a search result display screen described in an HTML format, and provides the generated screen to the search result presentation means as an HTML file Has a function of presenting a search result display screen using browser software,
The output target selecting means has a function of selecting an output target using browser software, and the output target allocating means describes the allocated output target in a PDF format by using the typesetting information for PDF, and prints. Means PD
It has a function of providing as an F file, and the printing means has a function of producing a pamphlet by outputting an output target on paper based on the PDF file.

(4) The fourth aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned first aspect.
-In the pamphlet creation system using the database according to the third aspect, in the database storage means,
A database relating to the accommodation facility and its reservation status is stored, and an input screen for inputting at least information on the location of the accommodation facility and the reservation date and time is generated by the input screen generation means, and at least the accommodation facility is input by the search term input means. Is input as a search term, the search execution means is caused to search for accommodation facilities including data corresponding to the input search term, and the search result presentation means presents the searched accommodation facilities, and is output. The target selection unit causes a specific accommodation facility to be selected as an output target, and causes a process of updating the reservation status of the selected accommodation facility in the database to be performed. Using the typesetting information, the date of the selected accommodation facility Let assigned to, by the print means, in which information about the reservation date and time and the selected accommodation has been configured to create the listed travel brochure.

(5) A fifth aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned first aspect.
-In the pamphlet creation system using the database according to the third aspect, in the database storage means,
A database indicating specifications and prices relating to products is stored, an input screen for inputting information for searching for a specific product is generated by an input screen generation unit, and a specific product is searched for by a search term input unit. The information is input as a search term, the search executing means searches for a product corresponding to the input search term, the search result presenting means presents the searched product, and the output target selecting means selects a specific product. Using the output target allocating means to allocate data on the selected product by using the predetermined typesetting information for the product brochure, the output target allocating means causes the specification and price of the selected product to be changed by the printing means. It is configured to create a published product brochure.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below based on an embodiment shown in the drawings. Here, for convenience of explanation, an embodiment in which the system according to the present invention is used for creating a travel brochure will be described. The system according to the present invention is a system that searches a database based on a predetermined search term and creates a pamphlet based on the obtained search results. By performing a search based on the above, a travel brochure is created.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a pamphlet creation system using a database according to an embodiment of the present invention. The main components of this system are a server device 100 and a client device 200, as shown by a dashed line in the figure. Each of these devices is composed of a computer, and data can be transmitted and received between the two via the network 300.
Since data is provided from the server device 100 to the client device 200, the terms "server" and "client" are used here, but in terms of hardware configuration, both devices use a general-purpose computer. Can be built. Also, the network 300
Any configuration can be adopted as long as both computers can be connected to a network, and a dedicated communication line can be used or the Internet can be used. The embodiment shown here is a system for creating a travel brochure as described above, and is a system used by a travel agency for providing services. Therefore, here, the server device 100 is configured by a computer installed at the head office or the information processing department of the travel company, and the client device 200 is configured by a computer installed at the customer service counter of each branch of the travel company. It is assumed that both computers are connected via the Internet or an intranet. When the operator of the customer service desk operates the client device 200 while interacting with the customer, a pamphlet with a desired output target is created.

As shown by blocks in FIG. 1, the server apparatus 100 includes a database storage unit 110, an input screen generation unit 120, a search execution unit 130, and an output target allocation unit 1.
40 and the client device 200
Are input screen presenting means 210 and search result presenting means 22
0, search term input means 230, output target selection means 24
0, constituted by printing means 250. However, for convenience of explanation, each of these means is a block diagram of a specific function for realizing the present invention, and these means do not necessarily constitute physically independent devices. Do not mean. Actually, the server device 10
Each of these means is realized by a combination of specific hardware and software of the computer constituting the client device 200 or 0.

The database storage means 110 is composed of a storage unit storing a database. In the present embodiment, data relating to a hotel to be a lodging destination of a trip is stored as a database. Specifically, in addition to text data indicating the name, location, service contents, and the like of each hotel, image data such as an external photograph and a peripheral map are stored, and data on the reservation status is also stored. Since these data are updated in real time, it is possible to respond to different services and room charges depending on the season, and to always have access to the latest information such as the current reservation status . The input screen generation means 120 has a function of generating an input screen for inputting a search term. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the input screen 10 generated by the input screen generation unit 120. Input screen 10 shown
Is a screen for creating a travel brochure for overseas travel, and includes a travel schedule input field 11, a travel country name input field 12,
A travel city name input field 13 is provided. Further, on this screen, a search button 14 for instructing execution of a search and a cancel button 15 for canceling the search are provided.

The data representing the input screen 10 generated by the input screen generating means 120 is transmitted to the client device 200 via the network 300, and displayed on the display screen by the input screen presenting means 210.
Therefore, the operator of the client device 200
The input screen 10 as shown in FIG. 2 can be confirmed on the display screen. In addition, here, for convenience of explanation, only a screen for creating a travel brochure for overseas travel is illustrated, but in practice, various screens for creating a pamphlet are prepared, and in accordance with instructions from an operator. It is preferable to display a desired input screen based on the input screen.

The operator of the client device 200
Using this input screen 10, a predetermined search term is input. Specifically, predetermined information may be input to each of the input fields 11, 12, and 13 using a keyboard, a mouse, or the like while watching the display screen of the display. In addition,
In this embodiment, the input screen generation means 120 is an HTM
It has a function of generating the input screen 10 described in the L (Hyper Text Markup Language) format and providing the generated input screen 10 to the input screen presenting means 210 as an HTML file. On the other hand, the input screen presentation means 210
Presents the input screen 10 on the display screen using the browser software for HTML files, and the search term input means 230 inputs the search terms using the browser software. With the spread of the Internet, HTML file browser software is widely used, and it is convenient to use an HTML file for a search term input screen. That is, the client device 200 can be realized as a device in which general-purpose browser software is installed on a general-purpose personal computer.

The search execution means 130 has a function of searching the database in the database storage means 110 based on the search term thus input. For example, the operator inputs “2 nights from March 15” in the travel schedule input field 11 on the input screen 10 and enters the travel country name input field 12
Is entered in the travel city name input box 13 and the search button 14 is clicked, the search execution means 130 executes a database search based on these search terms. . Then, search for hotels that are available in Munich, Germany and can be booked for two nights from March 15 (of course, there are various other factors such as room price, desired room type, etc.). Is generally input, but only a very simple example is shown here for convenience of explanation).

Assuming that three hotels such as A hotel, B hotel and C hotel have been searched by such a search, the search execution means 130 generates a search result display screen 20 as shown in FIG. This is called network 30
0 to the search result presentation means 220. The search result presentation means 220 presents the search result display screen 20 to the operator. That is, the client device 20
The search result display screen 20 as shown in FIG. 3 is displayed on the display screen 0. In this embodiment, the search result display screen 20 is also provided as an HTML file described in the HTML format.
The search result presenting means 220 uses the browser file software for the HTML file to display the search result display screen 20.
On the display screen. In the example shown in FIG. 3, search results such as “A hotel” in the first display column 21, “B hotel” in the second display column 22, and “C hotel” in the third display column 23 are displayed. On this screen,
A selection button 24 for instructing a selection operation described later and a cancel button 25 for canceling the selection are provided. In each display column of the search result, more detailed information such as an outline of each hotel may be displayed.

On the other hand, the output target selecting means 240 has a function of allowing the operator to select a predetermined output target from the presented search results. In this example, the first display fields 21 to 21
When any of the third display columns 23 is designated by a mouse click or the like, the designated display column is highlighted, and when the selection button 24 is mouse-clicked in that state, an instruction to select a hotel in the designated display column is made. Is transmitted to the server device 100 side. As mentioned above,
Since the search result display screen 20 is also prepared as an HTML file, such a selection operation is also realized by the browser software. Here, the following description is made on the assumption that “A hotel” desired by the customer has been selected as an output target.

The fact that "A hotel" has been selected as the output target is transmitted to the output target allocating means 140 of the server apparatus 100 side. Also, in this embodiment, by this selection,
The database in the database storage means 110 is also updated. That is, in this embodiment, the selection operation on the search result display screen 20 also serves as a reservation operation for the hotel, and in the case of the above example, the “A hotel” of the database stored in the database storage unit 110 is used. Thus, the reservation "2 nights since March 15" has been made, and the reservation status of "A Hotel" is updated.

On the other hand, the output target allocating means 140 reads out data in the database relating to the selected output target, and performs a process of allocating these data on a two-dimensional plane by using prepared typesetting information. In this example,
For the selected hotel, text data indicating the hotel name, location, room charge, and service contents of the hotel, and image data indicating the exterior of the hotel and a map around the hotel are read out. In the output target allocating means 140, typesetting information indicating an allocation mode of each of these data is prepared in advance. That is, in the output target allocation unit 140, the database storage unit 1
When data such as a hotel name, a location, a room charge, a hotel service content, a hotel appearance, and a hotel surrounding map for the hotel selected from 10 are read,
Typesetting information that specifies which position on the paper should be assigned to each of these data and in what manner is prepared, and the read data is stored on a two-dimensional plane based on the typesetting information. Will be assigned to Specifically, in the case of text data, information such as font and size to be used together with the position to be allocated, and in the case of image data, the number of images that can be allocated in one page, and the position and allocation of each image Information such as a magnification and an angle is prepared as typesetting information.

The data read out for the "A hotel" selected in the above example is allocated on a sheet of paper as shown in FIG. 4, for example, by using the prepared typesetting information. Are output by the printing means 250 of the client device 200 side. Therefore, the customer who visits the window of the travel company can finally obtain the pamphlet 30 in the form as shown in FIG.
In the example of FIG. 4, the texts of the hotel name 31 and the location 32 read from the database are allocated as shown in the figure, and below the travel dates 33 entered by the operator.
Are allocated, and a text indicating the room fee 34 and the hotel service content 35 read from the database is allocated below. Further, an image showing the exterior 36 of the hotel and the map 37 around the hotel read from the database is allocated below the image.

In this embodiment, the output target allocating means 140 describes the allocated output target in PDF by using the formatting information for PDF (Portable Document Format),
Has a function of providing a PDF file. Therefore, the output target allocated as shown in FIG.
Transmitted to 0. The printing unit 250 has a function of outputting the allocated output target on paper and creating a pamphlet. Specifically, the printing unit 250 includes a color printer connected to a personal computer used as the client device 200. Have been. Of course, software for outputting a PDF file to a printer is incorporated in this personal computer.

The PDF is a format for document display developed by Adobe Systems, Inc. in the United States, and is a format suitable for the purpose of reproducing a document as faithfully as possible without depending on output hardware. For this reason, the pamphlet P output from the printing means 250 becomes a printed matter in which the prepared type information is allocated in a very faithful manner, and has a quality equivalent to that of a conventional general printed matter. Become. Moreover, the pamphlet 30 shown in FIG. 4 is a pamphlet in which only information on a specific travel itinerary of a specific customer is selected and posted. Further, as described above, the data in the database storage unit 110 has already been updated according to the contents of the pamphlet 30, and the hotel reservation has been made. For this reason, the pamphlet 30 can also fulfill the function of transmitting the correct reservation contents to the customer.

Although the system according to the present invention has been described based on one embodiment shown in the drawings, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and can be implemented in various other modes. For example, in the above example, the client device 200 is configured by a personal computer installed at the customer service counter of each branch of the travel company, and the use form in which the travel company employee becomes an operator to create a pamphlet has been described. Client device 2 at home, etc.
00 and each customer can use this system as an operator. As mentioned above, HT
ML-format files and PDF-format files can be handled even by ordinary personal computers, and this system can be sufficiently used without a specialized operator. Of course, it is also possible to install the client device 200 at a station or on the street so that an unspecified number of customers can use it.

In the above embodiment, the server 1
00 and the client device 200 to the network 300
Although the present invention has been described as a relatively large-scale system connected via a network, the system according to the present invention does not necessarily need to be constructed as a client-server system via a network, and all means are provided in one computer. It is also possible to build a stand-alone system that incorporates it.

Further, the above-described embodiment is an example in which the system according to the present invention is used for creating a travel brochure, but the present invention can be used for various other purposes. . For example, the system according to the present invention can be used for a system for creating a product brochure. In this case, the database storage unit 1
A database indicating specifications and prices of various products is stored in the storage unit 10, and information (for example, a manufacturer name, a product name, a price range, and a function) for searching for a specific product is input by the input screen generation unit 120. , Etc.) may be generated. The operator
Based on the search terms input by the search term input unit 230, the search execution unit 130 executes a product search, and causes the search result presenting unit 220 to present the products searched for on the display screen. When the operator uses the output target selection unit 240 to select a specific product as an output target from the plurality of retrieved products, the output target allocating unit 140 sets data on the selected product in advance. Will be assigned using the typesetting information for the product pamphlet,
According to 50, a product brochure in which specifications and prices relating to the selected product are posted is created. At present, mail-order sales using the Internet and the like are actively used, but if the system according to the present invention is used, each customer can stay at home and obtain a high-quality print catalog of desired products. Can be obtained.

[0029]

As described above, according to the brochure creating system using the database according to the present invention, it is possible to easily create a pamphlet in which only necessary information is selected and posted for each customer.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a pamphlet creation system using a database according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing an example of an input screen 10 generated by an input screen generating means 120 shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a search result display screen 20 generated by a search execution unit 130 shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a pamphlet 30 created by the system shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Input screen 11 ... Travel schedule input field 12 ... Travel country name input field 13 ... Travel city name input field 14 ... Search button 15 ... Cancel button 20 ... Search result display screen 21 ... 1st display field 22 ... 2nd display field 23 ... third display field 24 ... select button 25 ... cancel button 30 ... pamphlet 31 ... hotel name text 32 ... location text 33 ... travel itinerary text 34 ... room rate text 35 ... hotel service content Shown text 36 ... Image showing the appearance of hotel 37 ... Image showing map around hotel 100 ... Server device 110 ... Database storage unit 120 ... Input screen generation unit 130 ... Search execution unit 140 ... Output target allocation unit 200 ... Client device 210 ... Input screen presenting means 220 ... Search result presenting means 230 ... Search term Input means 240 ... output object selection means 250 ... printing means P ... pamphlet

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A system for searching a database based on a predetermined search term and creating a pamphlet based on an obtained search result, comprising: a database storage unit for storing the database; and a system for inputting the search term. Input screen generating means for generating an input screen; input screen presenting means for presenting the generated input screen to an operator; search term input means for inputting a predetermined search term using the input screen; Search execution means for searching the database based on search terms; search result presentation means for presenting the obtained search results to the operator; output object selection for allowing the operator to select a predetermined output object from the presented search results Means and the data in the database relating to the selected output target by using the prepared typesetting information. Pamphlet system using a database, characterized in that it comprises a output target allocation means for allocating on a two-dimensional plane, and printing means for creating the assigned output target and output on paper brochures, the. 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein a database storage unit, an input screen generation unit, a search execution unit, and an output target allocation unit are provided on the server device side, and an input screen presentation unit, a search term input unit, a search result are provided. Presenting means, output target selecting means, and printing means are provided on the client device side, the server device and the client device are connected via a network, and a desired output target is posted by an operator operating the client device. A search information providing system for a database, characterized in that a brochure is obtained. 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the input screen generating means generates an input screen described in an HTML format, and provides the generated input screen to the input screen presenting means as an HTML file. Wherein the input screen presenting means has a function of presenting the input screen using browser software for HTML files, and the search term input means inputs a search term using the browser software. The search execution means has a function of generating a search result display screen described in an HTML format and providing the generated screen to the search result presentation means as an HTML file; A function of presenting the search result display screen using browser software; and A function for selecting an output target using the browser software, wherein the output target allocating means uses the typesetting information for PDF,
It has a function of describing the allocated output target in PDF and providing it as a PDF file to the printing means, and the printing means has a function of outputting the output target on paper based on the PDF file and creating a pamphlet. A database search information providing system characterized by the following. 4. The system according to claim 1, wherein a database relating to the accommodation facility and its reservation status is stored in the database storage means, and at least the location of the accommodation facility is determined by the input screen generation means. And an input screen for inputting information relating to the reservation date and time. The search term input means causes at least the location of the accommodation facility and the reservation date and time to be input as a search term. The search execution means causes data corresponding to the search term to be input. Including the searched accommodation facilities, the search result presenting means presents the searched accommodation facilities, and the output target selecting means selects a specific accommodation facility as an output target, and relates to the selected accommodation facilities in the database. The processing to update the reservation status is performed. Using the predetermined type information for a travel pamphlet, the user is caused to allocate the data on the selected accommodation facility, and a trip on which the reservation date and time and the information on the selected accommodation facility are posted by printing means. A brochure creation system using a database, wherein a brochure is created. 5. The system according to claim 1, wherein a database indicating specifications and prices relating to the product is stored in the database storage unit, and a specific product is searched by the input screen generation unit. An input screen for inputting information to be generated is generated, information for searching for a specific product is input as a search term by search term input means, and a product corresponding to the search term is searched for by search execution means. The retrieved product is presented by the result presenting unit, the specific product is selected as the output target by the output target selecting unit, and the output target allocating unit uses predetermined typesetting information for the product brochure, The data relating to the selected product is allocated, and the printing unit is configured to print the data relating to the selected product. Brochure creation system that uses a database, characterized in that the specification and price has been configured to create the listed product pamphlets.