JP7027727B2 - Print management system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a print management system .

Patent Document 1 discloses a system for conducting a campaign using electronic money. In this system, the user accesses the campaign server from a user terminal equipped with an electronic money function, registers participation in the campaign, and then uses the user terminal or an electronic money card to target the vending machine equipped with electronic payment. Purchase a product. The sales information recorded in the vending machine equipped with electronic payment is periodically sent to the vending machine management server. The campaign server matches the electronic money card number of the user registered in the campaign with the electronic money card number of the sales information stored in the sales information DB of the vending machine management server, and the user corresponding to the matching electronic money card number. Add points.

In addition, printing services via the Internet have become widespread. In this type of service, the user registers the document data to be printed on the server from, for example, a personal computer at home via the Internet. After that, the user goes to the store where the printer corresponding to this service is installed, and inputs his / her user identification information or the identification information of the document data notified from the server at the time of registration into the printer. The printer downloads the document data corresponding to the identification information from the server to the printer and prints it.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-262313

However, it takes time and effort to input the information for identifying the document data registered in the server from the keyboard or the like on the operation panel of the printer.

An object of the present invention is to reduce the labor required for designating a document to be printed on a printing device as compared with the case where information for identifying the document is input from a keyboard or the like.

The invention according to claim 1 includes a management device and a printing device, the management device includes a storage means for storing print data and a card number of a user's payment card in association with each other, and the printing device includes a storage device. Printing including a reading means for reading a card number from a user's payment card and a printing means for printing the print data acquired from the management device and corresponding to the card number read by the reading means. In the management system , the printing device is installed in each of a plurality of stores, and the management device includes an estimation means for estimating a store used by the user to print the print data, the print data, and the card. The printing apparatus installed in one or more stores estimated by the estimation means after the numbers are associated with each other and stored in the storage means and before the user causes the reading means to read the payment card. The print device includes the print data and the pre-transmission means for transmitting the number of the payment card of the user, and the printing device includes the print data transmitted from the pre-transmission means of the management device. Further including a holding means for holding the number of the payment card of the user in association with each other, the printing means holds the print data corresponding to the card number read by the reading means in the holding means. If so, it is a print management system characterized in that the retained print data is printed .

In the invention according to claim 2, the management device has the privilege specifying means for specifying the print data of the privilege corresponding to the product purchased by the user, and the user has the print data of the privilege specified by the privilege specifying means. The print management system according to claim 1, further comprising a means for storing the card number of the payment card presented for payment of the price of the product in the storage means in association with the card number.

The invention according to claim 3 further includes the store position storage means for storing information on the positions of each of the plurality of stores, and the position acquisition means for acquiring information indicating the position of the user. 1. The estimation means of the management device estimates a store in which one or more stores located in the vicinity of the position acquired by the position acquisition means are used by the user to print the print data. It is a print management system described in.

In the invention according to claim 4 , the position acquisition means acquires payment information sent from a register installed in the store when the user makes a payment using the payment card at the store. The print management system according to claim 3 , wherein the store code included in the payment information is used as information indicating the position of the user.

The printing according to claim 1 , wherein the estimation means estimates a store used by the user to print the print data based on the usage history of the payment card of the user. It is a management system.

The invention according to claim 6 is described in claim 5 , wherein the estimation means estimates a store used by the user to print the print data according to the information on the usage date and time of the payment card in the usage history. It is a print management system of.

The configuration of the reference example is for the user to settle the price of the product by using the privilege specifying means for specifying the print data of the privilege corresponding to the product purchased by the user and the print data of the privilege specified by the privilege specifying means. It is a management device including a means for transmitting to a printing device in association with the card number of the payment card presented in the above.

The configuration of the reference example is a means for receiving the card number of the user's payment card and the print data corresponding to the card number from the management device, a reading means for reading the card number from the user's payment card, and the reading means. Is a printing apparatus including a printing means for printing print data corresponding to a card number read by the user.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the labor required for designating a document to be printed for a printing device can be reduced as compared with the case where information for identifying the document is input from a keyboard or the like. Furthermore, if the estimation of the estimation means is correct, the time required to acquire the print data from the management device to the printing device is concealed, and the print data is output as soon as the user presents the payment card to the printing device. can.

According to the invention of claim 2, if the price of the product is settled with a payment card, the print data of the privilege corresponding to the product can be printed by a simple operation of presenting the same payment card to the printing device. can.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the print data can be transmitted to a store in the vicinity of the user who is likely to be used for printing the print data.

According to the invention of claim 4 , even if the location information is not sent from the user's terminal or the like to the management device, if the user makes a payment at the store with a payment card, the position of the user can be specified and the user's position can be specified. You can identify nearby stores.

According to the invention of claim 5 or 6 , the print data can be transmitted to the printing device of the store which is likely to be used by the user, which is obtained from the usage history of the payment card.

It is a figure which illustrates the system configuration of an embodiment. It is a figure which illustrates the functional structure of a POS register. It is a figure which illustrates the functional structure of the payment server. It is a figure which illustrates the functional structure of the net print server. It is a figure which shows the example of the store management information. It is a figure which shows the example of the print data management information which a net print server has. It is a figure which shows the example of the reservation number management information which a net print server has. It is a figure which shows the example of the campaign management information which a net print server has. It is a figure which illustrates the functional structure of a multifunction device. It is a figure which shows the example of the print data management information which a multifunction device has. It is a figure which illustrates the flow of the process when a user purchases a product in the system of an Example. It is a figure which illustrates the flow of the process at the time of printing the privilege content obtained by the product purchase with the multifunction device of a store. It is a figure which shows the example of the selection screen displayed on the operation screen of a multifunction device. It is a figure which illustrates the flow of processing when the usage charge of a multifunction device is settled by electronic money. It is a figure which shows another example of the print data management information which a net print server has. It is a figure which illustrates the flow of the process at the time of registering the document to be printed with the net print server from the mobile terminal which has the card number of the electronic money card. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen which inquires whether it is possible to register the card number of an electronic money card together with a document to be printed, which is displayed on a mobile terminal. It is a figure which shows the example of the print data management information used by the net print server in the example of FIG.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. The illustrated system includes a POS register 100, a multifunction device 200, a payment server 300, a net print server 400, and a map server 500. This system is an example of providing printed matter (for example, a card or poster) of privileged content to a customer (user) who has purchased the target product for a sales promotion campaign of the product (including services) free of charge. The printed matter is provided in the form of printing and outputting the print data of the privilege content held in the net print server 400 from the multifunction device 200.

In this system, the POS (Point Of Sales) register 100 is a cash register having a POS function. A device for reading an electronic money card is connected to the POS register 100.

The multifunction device 200 is a device having a printer, a scanner, a copier, a facsimile machine, a network communication function, a web browser, and other information processing functions.

The POS register 100 and the multifunction device 200 are installed in a store 10 such as a convenience store.

The payment server 300 is a server that collects payment information when a user (customer) pays for a product or the like using an electronic money card and makes a payment. As an incidental process, a process such as giving points to the user according to the payment with the electronic money card may be performed.

The net print server 400 is a server that provides a printing service to a user via the Internet. The service flow of the net print server 400 is as follows. That is, the user accesses the net print server 400 on the Internet from his / her terminal and uploads the print data. The net print server 400 generates a unique reservation number, stores the print data in association with the reservation number, and responds the reservation number to the user's terminal. The user goes to a nearby store where the printer registered in the net print server 400 is installed, and inputs the reservation number to the printer (multifunction device 200 or the like) in the store. The printer accesses the net print server 400, downloads print data corresponding to the reservation number, and prints out the print data.

The user who registers the print data (content) in the net print server 400 and the user who prints the print data on the printer of the store do not have to be the same. For example, a company may register content on a net print server 400 and provide the user with a reservation number for printing the content in consideration of some action of the user (for example, product purchase, registration of information about the user). It is possible. As a specific example, a company also assigns a reservation number for printing a privilege image on the multifunction device 200 to a user who has purchased the product for a sales promotion campaign of the product. In this embodiment, when an electronic money card is used to pay for the product targeted for the campaign, the user can set the reservation number to the multifunction device 200 by linking the card number of the electronic money card with the free printing right of the campaign privilege content. Eliminate the hassle of typing in.

The map server 500 is a server that provides a location information service based on a map. In this example, the map server 500 holds the location information (latitude and longitude) of the store where the printer (multifunction device 200, etc.) corresponding to the service of the net print server 400 is installed. Then, in response to the inquiry from the net print server 400, information such as the store code of the store close to the position related to the inquiry (for example, within a predetermined (that is, predetermined) distance from the position) is returned.

The POS register 100 (or the in-store network to which the POS register 100 is connected) is connected to the payment server 300 via a dedicated line 22. Further, the payment server 300 is connected to the net print server 400 via the dedicated line 24, and the net print server 400 is connected to the multifunction device 200 (or the in-store network) in the store via the dedicated line 26. ..

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a group of functional elements related to the control of the present embodiment in the POS register 100. The POS register 100 includes a card information reading unit 102, a payment processing unit 104, and a payment information transmission unit 106.

The card information reading unit 102 reads the information of the electronic money card presented by the user for payment of the price of the product or the like by, for example, communication compliant with the NFC (Near Field Communication) standard. The information to be read includes a card number which is an identification number of the electronic money card. Further, the information to be read may include the balance of electronic money held by the card. The electronic money card read by the card information reading unit 102 is not limited to the form of a plastic card. Electronic money that can be read by the card information reader 102 even if an application that processes communication and payment according to the electronic money card standard is installed on a mobile terminal (for example, a smartphone) equipped with a proximity communication function such as NFC. It is a form of card.

The settlement processing unit 104 performs processing for settlement of the price of the product or the like. When the electronic money card is presented by the user as the payment means, the payment processing unit 104 performs a process of subtracting the total price of the product group purchased by the user from the balance of the electronic money card. When the balance information is to be held in the chip in the electronic money card, the payment processing unit 104 writes the balance after withdrawal to the electronic money card by NFC or the like. Further, in the mode in which the electronic money card does not have the balance information, the balance corresponding to the read card number is received from the payment server 300, and the price is withdrawn.

The payment information transmission unit 106 transmits information (payment information) of payment processing performed by the payment processing unit 104 to the payment server 300. The payment information to be sent includes the card number of the electronic money card, the date and time of purchase (payment), the store code (payment store code) that is the identification information of the store where the payment was made, and the identification information of each purchased product. Information such as a certain product code, payment amount (total amount of purchased products), etc. is included. Information on the price of each purchased product and / or information on the card balance may be further included.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a group of functional elements related to the control of the present embodiment in the payment server 300. The payment server 300 includes a payment information receiving unit 302, a payment information management unit 304, and a notification transmitting unit 306.

The payment information receiving unit 302 receives the payment information transmitted by the POS register 100.

The payment information management unit 304 stores the payment information received by the payment information receiving unit 302 in the database for payment history management. In addition, the balance information corresponding to the card number held in the database is updated to the latest balance amount according to the payment information.

The notification transmission unit 306 transmits a detection notification to the net print server 400 when the product code of the campaign target product is included in the payment information received by the payment information receiving unit 302. This notification includes the card number, date and time, store code, and product code of the campaign target product (multiple product codes if there are multiple applicable products).

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a group of functional elements related to the control of the present embodiment in the net print server 400. The net print server 400 includes a notification receiving unit 402, a store information management unit 404, a print data management unit 406, an inquiry processing unit 408, and a print data transmission unit 410.

The notification receiving unit 402 receives the detection notification transmitted from the payment server 300.

The store information management unit 404 manages information on a store (referred to as a registered store) in which a printer (multifunction device 200 or the like) registered in the net print server 400 is installed. FIG. 5 shows an example of the data content of the store management information held in the store information management unit 404. In this example, the store management information includes a store code, an IP address of the multifunction device 200 installed in the store, a store name, and location information (for example, a set of latitude and longitude) for each registered store. The store code, store name, and location information of each registered store are also stored in the map server 500.

The print data management unit 406 manages information related to the registered print data (contents). The print data management unit 406 holds print data management information (FIG. 6), reservation number management information (FIG. 7), and campaign management information (FIG. 8).

The print data management information is management information about the print data registered in the net print server 400 in association with the card number. As shown in FIG. 6, each record of print data management information (one row of the illustrated table) includes items of a card number, a campaign target product code, a payment store code, a peripheral store, and a reservation number. The card number is the card number of the electronic money card used for payment when the user purchases the target product of the sales promotion campaign corresponding to the registered print data (content of the campaign privilege). The campaign target product code is the product code of the target product.

The payment store code is the store code of the store where the user last (that is, the latest) payment using the electronic money card of the card number. When the user purchases the target product at a certain store and pays the price with the electronic money card, the store code of the store is registered in the payment store code field. Then, by the time the user loses the free print right of the print data (for example, when the printable number of prints is completed or the campaign period has expired), the user uses another electronic money card. When you purchase a product (which does not have to be the target product of the campaign), the information in the payment store code column changes to the store code of the store where you purchased the other product. That is, the payment store code indicates the latest location of the user (the store where the user last made a purchase) that can be recognized by the net print server 400 by payment using an electronic money card.

The column of peripheral stores shows a list of store codes of registered stores in the vicinity of the store indicated by the payment store code (for example, within a predetermined distance). As described above, the payment store code indicates the latest position of the user that can be recognized by the net print server 400, and the peripheral stores indicate the store group in the vicinity of the latest position.

The payment store code and information on peripheral stores are used to identify the destination store (multifunction device 200) to which the print data is transmitted in advance (that is, before the user requests it). That is, in this example, the print data is transmitted in advance to the multifunction device 200 of each store shown in the payment store code and the columns of neighboring stores. As a result, when the user comes to any of the stores to print the print data, the print data is already in the multifunction device 200 of the store, so that the time to download the print data is hidden.

The reservation number is unique identification information associated with the print data. In the normal work flow of printing using the net print server 400, the user specifies the print data by inputting the reservation number issued from the net print server 400 into the multifunction device 200. On the other hand, in this example, the reservation number is managed by the net print server 400 (print data management information in the print data management unit 406) in association with the card number of the electronic money card, so that the user is electronic. If the multifunction device 200 reads the money card, the print data can be specified even if the reservation number is not input.

Next, the reservation number management information will be described with reference to FIG. 7. Each record of reservation number management information includes items of reservation number, parent number, number of prints, and campaign target product code.

The reservation number is a reservation number that is the target of the record.

The parent number is unique identification information corresponding to the reservation number. The print data of the campaign privilege corresponding to the reservation number is associated with the parent number (not shown). Since the print right (reservation number) of the print data of the campaign privilege is given to a large number of users, instead of managing the print data in association with each reservation number, it is managed in association with one parent number, and many of them are managed. The reservation number is managed in association with the one parent number.

The number of prints is the number of times the print data is printed out using the reservation number. The print data of the campaign privilege has a maximum number of printable times, for example, up to two prints for each target product. The print count column is used to confirm whether or not the print count has reached the upper limit.

The campaign target product code is the product code of the campaign target product corresponding to the reservation number.

Next, the campaign management information will be described with reference to FIG. Each record of campaign management information contains items such as campaign target product code, campaign name, start date, end date, and parent number.

The campaign target product code is the product code of the campaign target product that is the target of the record. The campaign name is the name of the campaign. The start date and end date are the dates on which the campaign starts and ends, respectively. The parent number is the parent number associated with the print data of the privilege content of the campaign.

As described above, the payment server 300 sends a notification (the above-mentioned detection notification) indicating that when the price of the campaign target product is settled to the net print server 400. In order to enable this processing, information on a set of campaign target product code, start date, and end date is registered in the payment server 300 for each campaign target product among the items shown in FIG. ..

Returning to the description of FIG. 4, the inquiry processing unit 408 of the net print server 400 receives the inquiry request for the reservation number from the multifunction device 200, and acquires the print data corresponding to the reservation number from the print data management unit 406. Perform processing.

The print data transmission unit 410 transmits the print data corresponding to the reservation number inquired from the multifunction device 200 to the multifunction device 200. Further, the print data corresponding to the reservation number of the record is preliminarily applied to the multifunction device 200 of each store shown in the payment store code in the record of the print data management information (FIG. 6) and the items of the peripheral stores (that is,). Send (before the user's request is made).

Next, the functional configuration of the multifunction device 200 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a group of functional elements related to the control of the present embodiment in the multifunction device 200. The multifunction device 200 includes a card information reading unit 202, a payment processing unit 204, a payment information transmitting unit 206, a print data receiving unit 208, a print data management unit 210, a print data inquiry unit 212, and a print data output unit 214.

The card information reading unit 202 reads the information of the electronic money card presented by the user for payment of the usage fee of the multifunction device 200 by communication such as NFC. The information to be read includes a card number which is an identification number of the electronic money card. Further, information on the balance of electronic money may be included.

The payment processing unit 204 performs processing for payment of the usage fee. When the user presents an electronic money card as a payment means, the payment processing unit 204 performs a process of deducting the usage fee from the balance of the electronic money card.

The payment information transmission unit 206 transmits information (payment information) of payment processing performed by the payment processing unit 204 to the payment server 300. The payment information to be transmitted includes information such as the card number of the electronic money card, the date and time of purchase (payment), the store code (payment store code) which is the identification information of the store where the payment was made, and the payment amount.

The print data receiving unit 208 receives the print data transmitted from the net print server 400. The print data management unit 210 manages the received print data. FIG. 10 illustrates the print data management information held by the print data management unit 210. This example shows management information about print data for campaign benefits. The individual records of the print data management information in this example include items such as card number, campaign target product code, campaign name, number of prints, data reception date and time, and storage location. Of these items, the card number, campaign target product code, campaign name, and number of prints are the same as the items with the same name in the net print server 400 already described, and are transmitted from the net print server 400 together with the print data. .. The data reception date and time is the date and time when the print data is received. When a predetermined time has elapsed from the data reception date and time, the print data management unit 210 deletes the record and the print data. In the present embodiment, since the method of transmitting the privilege print data to the multifunction device 200 of the store indicated by the payment store code and the peripheral stores in advance is adopted, the print data is also transmitted to the multifunction device 200 that is not actually used by the user. It will be. The print data and the record of the management information are deleted when a predetermined time has elapsed from the data reception date and time so that the print data transmitted speculatively in this way does not excessively press the storage capacity of the multifunction device 200. In FIG. 10, the storage location is the file path of the location where the print data is stored in the file system of the multifunction device 200. The reservation number may be included in the record of the print data management information.

Returning to the description of FIG. 9, the print data inquiry unit 212 manages the print data corresponding to the reservation number input by the user or the print data corresponding to the card number of the electronic money card presented by the user. If it is not stored in the unit 210, it inquires whether the net print server 400 has print data corresponding to the reservation number or the card number. If the corresponding print data is in the net print server 400, the print data is returned and the print data receiving unit 208 receives it.

The print data output unit 214 prints out the print data corresponding to the reservation number or the electronic money card entered by the user.

Next, the flow of processing in the system of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12.

As shown in FIG. 11, it is assumed that the user purchases a product at the store 10 and presents an electronic money card to the card information reading unit 102 of the POS register 100 in order to pay the price. Then, the card information reading unit 102 reads information such as a card number from the electronic money card, and the payment processing unit 104 performs payment processing for the price (S10). Then, the payment information transmission unit 106 transmits payment information (including information such as a card number, a date and time, a payment store code, a list of product codes of purchased products, and a payment amount) to the payment server 300 (S12). In the payment server 300 that has received the payment information, the payment information management unit 304 registers the payment information in the payment history database, and in the list of product codes in the payment information, the target of the campaign currently being implemented. It is determined whether or not the product code is included (S14). This determination is made with reference to the registered campaign information (campaign target product code, start date, end date).

If the result of the determination in S14 is affirmative (Y: the product code targeted for the campaign is included), the notification transmission unit 306 transmits the detection notification to the net print server 400 (S16). Among the information included in the above-mentioned payment information, the detection notification includes the card number, the date and time, the payment store code, and the product code of the campaign target product.

Upon receiving this detection notification, the print data management unit 406 of the net print server 400 uses the campaign management information (that is, the above-mentioned parent number) as the identification information (that is, the above-mentioned parent number) of the campaign privilege content corresponding to the campaign target product code included in the detection notification. 8). Also, confirm that the campaign corresponding to the campaign target product code is currently being implemented. When the confirmation is made, the print data management unit 406 issues a new reservation number, and registers a new record in which the reservation number corresponds to the parent number in the reservation number management information (see FIG. 7). At this point, the number of prints in the record is zero. In addition, the print data management unit 406 registers a new record including the card number, the campaign target product code, the payment store code, and the reservation number issued earlier in the print data management information (see FIG. 6). (S18).

Further, the print data management unit 406 obtains the position of the store corresponding to the payment store code from the store information management unit 404, and installs a store within a predetermined distance from the position (the multifunction device 200 registered in the net print server 400 is installed). The store) is referred to the map server 500 (S20). In response to the inquiry, the map server 500 returns information (store code, etc.) of the store corresponding to the condition to the net print server 400. The print data management unit 406 of the net print server 400 registers the store code received from the map server 500 in the column of peripheral stores in the print management information. Then, the print data management unit 406 corresponds to the print data of the campaign privilege content corresponding to the product settled this time, the card number and product code included in the detection notification, and the campaign name of the campaign according to the payment store code. It is transmitted to the multifunction device 200 of each store registered in the column of the store to be printed and the peripheral stores (S22). This transmission is performed using the information of the IP addresses of each of the stores included in the management information (see FIG. 5) of the store information management unit 404.

In addition, the print data management unit 406 starts from the ongoing campaign (start date and end date of the campaign management data in FIG. 8) including the card number included in the detection notification in the print data management information (see FIG. 6). Check if there is a record that includes the product code of the target product (other than the product settled this time) and the number of prints has not reached the upper limit. If there is a record that meets the conditions, the settlement store code and peripheral stores in the record are changed to the store code included in the detection notification and the list of store codes found by the inquiry in S20. Then, the print data of the content corresponding to the reservation number in the record is transmitted to the changed payment store code and the multifunction device 200 of each store indicated by the neighboring stores (S22: advance transmission). As a result, when the other privilege contents obtained by the user are also printed out by the multifunction device 200 of the store in the latest location of the user and the surrounding area, the detected content is already in the multifunction device 200. It means that the print data of the privilege content exists.

If the determination result in S14 is negative (N), the product purchased by the user this time does not include the campaign target. In this case, the payment server 300 checks whether or not there is payment information in the payment history database indicating that the target product of the campaign being implemented has been purchased with the card number included in the payment information (S24). If not, the process ends. If there is, the payment server 300 may include a position update notification (which may further include a date and time) including the card number and the payment store code in the payment information determined in S14 (the one sent from the POS register 100 in S12). ) Is transmitted to the net print server 400 (S26).

The print data management unit 406 of the net print server 400 that received the position update notification still carries out the corresponding campaign from the records including the card number included in the notification in the print data management information (FIG. 6). Identify the records that have not reached the upper limit of the number of prints. Next, the settlement store code in the specified record is changed to the store code included in the position change notification (S28). Next, the store near the store with the changed settlement store code is inquired to the map server 500 (S20), and the information of the stores around the record is updated to the list of the store codes obtained by the inquiry. Then, the print data of the content corresponding to the reservation number in the record is transmitted to the payment store code and the multifunction device 200 of each store indicated by the peripheral stores (S22).

FIG. 12 shows a flow of processing when a user who has purchased a campaign target product prints privilege content from the multifunction device 200 in any of the stores 10. When the user wants to print the privilege content, the user selects the privilege content printing operation from the menu displayed on the operation screen of the multifunction device 200 in the store 10, and the card information reading unit 202 follows the guidance displayed on the operation screen. Present the electronic money card to (for example, touch operation). The card information reading unit 202 reads information such as a card number from the electronic money card (S30). Since the operation of printing the privilege content is selected, the presentation of the electronic money card in this case is not for payment of the usage fee of the multifunction device 200. In this case, whether or not the print data management unit 210 has a record including the card number read in S30 (that is, print data corresponding to the card number) in the print data management information (FIG. 10) of the print data management unit 210. Is determined (S32). If the print data is transmitted to the multifunction device 200 by the pre-transmission process of S22 described above, the determination result of S32 is affirmative (Y). In this case, the print data management unit 210 determines whether or not only one record is found (S34). When there are a plurality of them, a selection screen for selecting which of the print data of the plurality of records is to be printed and the number of times of printing is displayed on the operation screen of the multifunction device 200, and the selection is accepted from the user (S36).

FIG. 13 shows an example of the selection screen. On the selection screen of this example, the remaining number of times and the number of selections are displayed in association with the campaign name of each found record. The remaining number of prints is the remaining number of prints obtained by subtracting the number of prints that have already been exercised from the maximum number of prints of the campaign privilege. The number of selections is the number of times the user has selected this time to print the benefits of the campaign. The user selects the value of the number of selections for each displayed campaign to the number of times he / she desires, and then presses the start button to instruct the multifunction device 200 to print each campaign privilege.

Upon receiving the instruction of S36, the print data output unit 214 of the multifunction device 200 prints out the privilege content according to the instruction (S38). The number of print outputs is reflected in the number of prints in the print data management information (FIG. 10) of the print data management unit 210. Further, the multifunction device 200 sends the print history (including, for example, the card number, the product code targeted for the campaign, and the number of prints) to the net print server 400 to the net print server 400. The net print server 400 identifies a reservation number corresponding to the combination of the card number and the campaign target product code in the print data management unit 406 according to the received print history, and determines the number of prints corresponding to the reservation number. Update according to the print history information.

If the print data corresponding to the card number is not in the print data management unit 210 in S32 (when the user uses the multifunction device 200 other than the multifunction device 200 previously transmitted in S22), the print data inquiry unit 212 , Inquire the net print server 400 for the print data corresponding to the card number read in S30 (S40). The net print server 400 checks whether the print data corresponding to the inquired card number (however, the corresponding campaign is in progress and the number of prints has not reached the upper limit) is in the print data management unit 406 (). S42), if any, the print data is responded to the multifunction device 200 (S44). When the multifunction device 200 receives the print data and registers it in the print data management unit 210, the multifunction device 200 executes the processes after S34. If the determination result of S42 is N (the print data corresponding to the card number does not exist in the net print server 400), the process ends.

According to the processing procedure described above, when the user prints the campaign privilege content corresponding to the product for which the payment has been made with the electronic money card, the user presents the electronic money card to the card information reading unit 202 of the multifunction device 200. You can give instructions with a simple operation. There is no need to enter the reservation number in the input field on the screen of the multifunction device 200.

By the way, in the procedure of FIG. 11, when a user purchases a product other than the campaign target at a store with an electronic money card, the store is regarded as the latest position of the user, and the user campaigns at a store near the latest position. In preparation for printing the privilege, the corresponding print data was transmitted to the multifunction devices 200 of those stores (S24 to S28 in FIG. 11). The same process can be applied to the case where the user uses the multifunction device 200 for copying or the like and the usage fee is settled with an electronic money card. The procedure in this case is shown in FIG.

In the procedure of FIG. 14, the card information reading unit 202 of the multifunction device 200 reads the information of the electronic money card presented by the user, and the payment processing unit 204 uses the information to process the payment of the usage fee of the user's multifunction device 200. (S50). Next, the payment information transmission unit 206 transmits the payment information to the payment server 300 (S52). The payment information to be sent includes the card number of the electronic money card, the date, the payment store code (the store code of the store where the multifunction device 200 is installed), the amount of the usage fee, the type of usage (copy, print, scan, etc.). ), Amount of use (number of sheets, etc.), etc. are included.

When the payment server 300 receives payment information from the multifunction device 200, is there payment information in the payment history database indicating that the target product of the campaign being implemented has been purchased with the card number included in the payment information? Check whether or not (S54). If not, the process ends. If there is, the payment server 300 transmits a position update notification including the card number and the payment store code in the payment information to the net print server 400 (S56). Upon receiving the location update notification, the net print server 400 still carries out the corresponding campaign from the records including the card number included in the notification in the print data management information (FIG. 6) of the print data management unit 406. Identify the records that have not reached the upper limit of the number of prints. The settlement store code in the specified record is changed to the store code included in the position change notification (S58). Next, as in S20 of FIG. 11, a store in the vicinity of the store with the changed settlement store code is referred to the map server 500 (S60), and information on the stores around the record is obtained by the inquiry of the store code. Update to the list. Then, the print data of the content corresponding to the reservation number in the record is transmitted to the payment store code and the multifunction device 200 of each store indicated by the peripheral stores (S62).

In the above example, the print data of the privilege content is transmitted in advance to the multifunction device 200 of the store (payment store) in which the user paid the price with the electronic money card and the stores in the vicinity thereof. In addition to this, the advance transmission may be performed to the store presumed to be the user's action range. A store in the user's action range is a store that is presumed to be used by the user, and is estimated from the usage history of the user's electronic money card. For example, the most recent e-commerce payment store is one example. Further, a store in the range of action may be estimated from the number of electronic commerce payments and the payment amount of the user, such as a store in which the number of electronic commerce payments by the user is equal to or greater than the threshold value and a store in which the payment amount of electronic commerce payment is equal to or greater than the threshold value. .. Here, the usage history of the user's electronic money card may be extracted from the payment history database of the payment server 300. The store in the action range of each user is specified by, for example, the payment server 300, and is stored as information indicating the correspondence relationship between the card number of the electronic money card and the store in the action range.

Further, the information on the date and time of use in the usage history of the payment card may be added to the estimation of the store in the usage range of the user. By adding time information such as the date and time when payment was made at a store where the number of electronic payments by the user is equal to or greater than the threshold value and the day of the week, it becomes possible to estimate a more specific action range. For example, it is assumed that there is a bias between the store usage history of a user on weekdays (presumed to be a store that stops by the commuting route) and the usage history of a store on holidays (presumed to be a store near home). If you refer to the time information when you made the latest electronic money payment, there is a high possibility that the stores that the user will go to will be narrowed down. Therefore, the method of determining the store to which the print data is transmitted in advance may be changed according to the time information regarding the usage date and time of the electronic payment. For example, if the latest usage date and time is a weekday, print data is sent in advance to the store that is frequently used by the user on weekdays (may be away from the nearest usage store), and the latest usage date and time is a holiday. If so, the print data is transmitted in advance to the store within a predetermined distance from the nearest store.

When the net print server 400 obtains the corresponding information from the payment server 300 and the print data management unit 210 registers a new record including the set of the card number and the campaign target product code shown in FIG. , As shown in FIG. 15, a list of stores in the action range corresponding to the card number is also registered. Then, in S22 of FIG. 11, the net print server 400 transmits the print data of the privilege content to the stores in the action range in addition to the payment store and the peripheral stores.

In the above, the printing of the privilege content given to the user for the purchase of the campaign target product has been described as an example, but the application of the method of the present embodiment is not limited to such a case. For example, the same method can be applied when a user registers his / her own document in the net print server 400 and prints it out from the multifunction device 200 of the store 10. An example of this modification will be described.

In this example, the user registers the document data to be printed in the net print server 400 from his / her mobile terminal. This mobile terminal is provided with an NFC module, an application for uploading a file of a document to be printed to the net print server 400 (called a print application), and an application having an electronic money card function (electronic). (Called a money app) is installed. Then, when the print application uploads the file specified by the user to the net print server 400, if the user so desires, the electronic money card number held by the electronic money application is also sent to the net print server 400. As a result, when the user later prints the document on the multifunction device 200 of any store 10, the user can transmit the electronic money card number to the multifunction device 200 by tapping the mobile terminal on the multifunction device 200 or the like. , Instruct the multifunction device 200 to print out the document without inputting the reservation number.

FIG. 16 illustrates a processing procedure when a user uploads a document to the net print server 400 in this modification.

In this procedure, first, the print application of the mobile terminal receives an instruction from the user to upload the document file to the net print server 400 (S70), and then the electronic money application is installed in the mobile terminal, and the electronic money is installed. It is determined whether or not the electronic money card number is registered in the application (S72). If the result of this determination is affirmative (Y), the print application asks the user whether or not to use the touch method of the electronic money card (mobile terminal) as the method of instructing the printing of the document file. (S74). For example, the print application displays the inquiry dialog illustrated in FIG. 17 on the screen of the mobile terminal. In the illustrated dialog, it is explained that if the card number of the electronic money card is registered, the printing of the document file can be instructed by touching the multifunction device 200 with the electronic money card or the mobile terminal holding the card number. A button is displayed to specify whether or not to register the card number. When the user presses the button to register, the determination result of S74 becomes affirmative (Y). In this case, the print app will use the document file instructed to upload (or the print data generated from it), the electronic money card number, and the location information of the mobile terminal (for example, a set of latitude and longitude obtained from the built-in GPS system). ) Is transmitted to the net print server 400 (S76).

The net print server 400 (print data management unit 406) that receives this information from the print application of the mobile terminal saves the received file in association with a unique reservation number, and prints the file (or the corresponding print). Data) or the reservation number is stored in association with the electronic money card number included in the information (S78). FIG. 18 shows an example of a record of print data management information generated by the print data management unit 406 at this time. The exemplary record includes items such as a card number, payment store code or location information, a list of nearby stores, and a reservation number. In the card number item, the value of the card number in the information received from the print application is registered. The location information in the information received from the print application is registered in the payment store code or the location information item. In the future, if the user makes a purchase at any of the stores 10 registered in the net print server 400 using the electronic money card of the card number before the retention period of the document file in the net print server 400 expires. , The value of the settlement store code or the location information is overwritten by the store code of the store 10. Further, when the user registers another document in the net print server 400 from another place using the print application of the mobile terminal after the registration of the document file, the payment store code or the position in the record of the previously registered document is used. The value of the information is updated with the latest location information transmitted from the print application to the net print server 400 together with the new document. As described above, in the item of the payment store code or the payment store code, the location information or the payment store code indicating the latest position of the user of the mobile terminal, which the net print server 400 can know, is held. The list of peripheral stores is a list of store codes of stores 10 having a multifunction device 200 registered in the net print server 400, which is within a predetermined distance from the payment store code or the position indicated by the location information. The reservation number is a unique number assigned to the document by the net print server 400.

Returning to the description of FIG. 16, the net print server 400 sends an inquiry request for peripheral stores including the location information included in the information received from the mobile terminal to the map server 500. In response to this, the map server 500 returns a list of store codes of stores within a predetermined distance from the location information. The net print server 400 registers the received list in the column of peripheral stores of the print data management information (see FIG. 18) (S80). Then, the print data transmission unit 410 of the net print server 400 transmits the print data of the document received in S70 to each multifunction device 200 of the peripheral stores (S82: advance transmission).

The processing procedure for printing out the document registered in the net print server 400 from the multifunction device 200 of the store 10 is the same as that shown in FIG.

The embodiments and modifications described above are merely examples. In the above embodiment and modification, an electronic money card is used, but instead, another type of payment card having a unique card number and a payment function, such as a credit card or a debit card, ( Alternatively, a mobile terminal having this function) may be used.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. The POS register 100, the multifunction device 200, the payment server 300, and the net print server 400 exemplified above are realized by causing a computer to execute a program representing each of the above-mentioned functions. Here, as hardware, for example, the computer includes a microprocessor such as a CPU, a memory (primary storage) such as a random access memory (RAM) and a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory, an SSD (solid state drive), and an HDD. A controller that controls a fixed storage device such as (hardware drive), various I / O (input / output) interfaces, a network interface that controls connection to a network such as a local area network, etc., for example, via a bus or the like. It has a connected circuit configuration. A program in which the processing contents of each of these functions are described is stored in a fixed storage device such as a flash memory via a network or the like, and is installed in a computer. By reading the program stored in the fixed storage device into the RAM and executing it by a microprocessor such as a CPU, the functional module group illustrated above is realized.

100 POS register, 102 card information reading unit, 104 payment processing unit, 106 payment information transmitting unit, 200 compound machine, 202 card information reading unit, 204 payment processing unit, 206 payment information transmitting unit, 208 print data receiving unit, 210 printing Data management unit, 212 print data inquiry unit, 214 print data output unit, 300 payment server, 302 payment information reception unit, 304 payment information management unit, 306 notification transmission unit, 400 net print server, 402 notification reception unit, 404 store information Management unit, 406 print data management unit, 408 inquiry processing unit, 410 print data transmission unit, 500 map server.

Claims (6)

Including management equipment and printing equipment
The management device is
A storage means for storing print data and the card number of the user's payment card in association with each other.
Including
The printing device is
A reading method that reads the card number from the user's payment card,
A printing means for printing the print data acquired from the management device and corresponding to the card number read by the reading means.
Is a print management system that includes
The printing equipment is installed in each of multiple stores,
The management device is
An estimation means for estimating the store used by the user to print the print data, and
After the print data and the card number are stored in the storage means in association with each other and before the user causes the reading means to read the payment card, one or more stores estimated by the estimation means. A pre-transmission means for transmitting the print data and the payment card number of the user to the installed printing device, and
Including
The printing device is
Further including a holding means for holding the print data transmitted from the pre-transmitting means of the management device and the number of the payment card of the user in association with each other.
When the printing data corresponding to the card number read by the reading means is held in the holding means, the printing means prints the held print data.
A print management system that features this . The management device is
A privilege identification means for specifying the print data of the privilege corresponding to the product purchased by the user, and
A means for storing the print data of the privilege specified by the privilege specifying means in the storage means in association with the card number of the payment card presented by the user for the payment of the price of the product.
The print management system according to claim 1, further comprising. The management device is
A store location storage means for storing information on the location of each of the plurality of stores,
A position acquisition means for acquiring information indicating the user's position, and
Including
The estimation means of the management device according to claim 1 estimates a store in which one or more stores located in the vicinity of the position acquired by the position acquisition means are used by the user to print the print data. The print management system described. The position acquisition means acquires payment information sent from a register installed in the store when the user makes a payment using the payment card at the store, and the store code included in the payment information. The print management system according to claim 3 , wherein is used as information indicating the position of the user. The print management system according to claim 1 , wherein the estimation means estimates a store used by the user to print the print data based on the usage history of the payment card of the user. The print management system according to claim 5 , wherein the estimation means estimates the store used by the user to print the print data according to the information on the usage date and time of the payment card in the usage history.

Images