JP2002202860A - Content supply system, content supply site, site program, and site server. - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To supply contents for users by using a plurality of supply methods. SOLUTION: A supplying method for an image is selected (step S120) between a distributing and supplying method which selects an image in an image selection page (step S100), inputs output conditions of the image such as a paper kind, a print size, and an ink kind through an output condition input page (step S110), and distributes image data meeting the output conditions of the image to a user's computer through the Internet by using an image supplying method selection page and a distributing and supplying method which distributes printed matter obtained by printing the image using a printer at a printing center according to the output conditions of the image. Consequently, the user can print the selected image immediately on his or her own printer and can be supplied with printed matter obtained by printing the image by using output conditions that his or her own printer can not handle.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a content supply system, a content supply site, a site program, and a site server. More specifically, the present invention relates to a content supply system and a communication network capable of supplying content to a user via a communication network. TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a content supply site capable of supplying content to a user via the same, a program for the site, and a server for the site.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this kind of content supply system, various systems for distributing contents such as image data, audio data, character data, and computer software selected by a user via a communication network have been proposed. . In such a content supply system, the content selected by the user can be directly supplied to the user when the user desires.

[0003]

However, in such a content supply system, the user who receives the content may not be able to make full use of the content. For example, when a user who has been supplied with image data as content prints out image data, the size and degree of printing of the printed matter depends on the performance of the printer owned by the user. Can not get. In addition, when a user who has been supplied with music data as content reproduces the music data with an audio device, if the user does not have a device or software for converting the supplied music data into a format of data that can be reproduced by the audio device, the user may receive audio data. The music data cannot be reproduced by the device.

[0004] It is an object of the content supply system, content supply site, site program, and site server of the present invention to supply content to a user by using a plurality of supply methods. Another object of the present invention is to provide a content supply system, a content supply site, a site program, and a site server of the present invention so that a user can use content in a desired form.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems and Actions and Effects Thereof A content supply system, a content supply site, a site program, and a site server of the present invention include the following means to achieve at least a part of the above object. I took it.

A content supply system according to the present invention is a content supply system capable of supplying content to a user via a communication network, wherein the content selection means selects a content by a user's selection, and at least two different contents are supplied. Supply method setting means for setting a content supply method based on a user's selection of the method, and content supply for supplying the selected content to a user or instructing the supply based on the set supply method Instruction means.

In the content supply system of the present invention, the user can select a content supply method. Therefore, it is possible to select a usage mode of the content according to the supply method.

[0008] In the content supply system according to the present invention, the supply method setting means may include a distribution supply method that is a supply by distribution of the content through the communication network, and a content processing / storage product that processes and / or stores the content. The means can be set from a plurality of supply methods including a delivery supply method which is a supply by delivery. In this way, the user can receive the supply of the content by selecting from the form of the content that can be distributed by the communication network and the form of the content as the processed content by processing or storing. In the content supply system according to the aspect of the present invention, when the distribution supply method is set by the supply method setting means, the content supply instruction means distributes the selected content to a user via the communication network, and When the delivery setting method is set by the method setting unit, the unit may output information on delivery to the user and information on processing and / or storage of the content as the supply instruction.

[0009] In the content supply system of the present invention in which the supply method can be selected from the distribution supply method and the distribution supply method, the content is image data,
Any one of audio data, character data, and computer software, wherein the processed content is a content storage medium storing content in a predetermined format, and the content is image data or text data. The content processed and stored material may be a printed material obtained by printing out the content.

A content supply site according to the present invention is a content supply site capable of supplying content to a user via a communication network, and includes a content selection page from which a user can select content, and a method for supplying the selected content. And a supply method selection page that allows the user to select the item.

[0011] In the content supply site of the present invention,
The user can select a content supply method. Therefore, it is possible to select the form of the content according to the supply method.

[0012] Such a content supply site of the present invention may be provided with a supply method confirmation page for confirming supply of the selected content to the user based on the supply method selected on the supply method selection page. it can. In this way, the user can confirm the selected supply method.

[0013] In the content supply site of the present invention, the supply method selection page includes a distribution supply method that is a supply by distribution of the content through the communication network and a content processing storage product that processes and / or stores the content. The page may be selectable from a plurality of supply methods including a delivery supply method that is supply by delivery. In this way, the user can select the content supply method from the form of the content that can be distributed through the communication network and the form of the content as a processed content by processing or storing. In the content supply site according to the aspect of the present invention, the content is any one of image data, audio data, character data, and computer software, and the content processed storage is a content storage that stores the content in a predetermined format. The content may be a medium, the content may be image data or character data, and the processed content may be a printed material obtained by printing out the content.

[0014] The site program of the present invention allows a computer to function as the content supply site of the present invention in any one of the above-described modes. Basically, the computer can supply content to a user via a communication network. A content selection site that is capable of selecting content by a user,
The gist of the invention is to function as a content supply site including a supply method selection page that allows the user to select the supply method of the selected content. That is, the method includes a step of outputting a content selection page from which a user can select content, and a step of outputting a supply method selection page from which a user can select a supply method of the content selected in the content selection page. That is. According to the site program of the present invention, by executing the program on a computer connected to the communication network, it is possible to provide the communication network with the content supply site of any of the above-described embodiments of the present invention. As a result, the user can select a content supply method, and can select a form of the content according to the supply method.

The site server according to the present invention functions as the content supply site according to any one of the above-described aspects of the present invention, and is basically a content supply site capable of supplying content to a user via a communication network. The gist is to function as a content supply site including a content selection page from which a user can select content and a supply method selection page from which a user can select a supply method of the selected content.
According to the site server of the present invention, it is possible to provide the communication network with the content supply site of the present invention in any one of the aspects described above. As a result, the user can select a content supply method, and can select a form of the content according to the supply method.

[0016]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to examples. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram schematically illustrating a system configuration including an image supply server 32 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the image supply server 32 of the embodiment converts a still image (image data) as a content into the Internet 1 based on a request from the user 20.
The WEB server functions as an image supply site that can be distributed to the computer 22 of the user 20 via the Internet 10 and is connected to a printing computer 42 of a print center 40 via a network 38 different from the Internet 10.

The image supply server 32 stores a large number of image data with IDs in an external storage device such as a hard disk (not shown), and registers for membership with input of personal information such as a name, address, and e-mail address. User 2
0 provides an image supply site for supplying images via the Internet 10. At the image supply site, in accordance with the selection made by the user 20, a control signal for printing together with the image data in which the size of the selected image has been adjusted is transmitted via the Internet 10 to the computer 22 of the user 20.
Or the delivery information such as the ID of the selected image, the output condition of the image, and the delivery destination to the user 20 is output to the printing computer 42 of the printing center 40 via the network 38.

The computer 22 of the user 20 has A4
A general printer 24 capable of performing color printing up to the size or B4 size is connected, and can print an image based on image data distributed from the image supply server 32 of the embodiment and a control signal for printing. I can do it.

The printing computer 4 of the printing center 40
2 stores the same image data as the many image data stored in the image supply server 32 together with their IDs in an external storage device such as a hard disk (not shown). The stored image data is adjusted based on the output condition of the image, and the A0 size or B0 size connected to the printing computer 42 is adjusted.
An image is printed by a large printer 44 capable of printing up to the size in color. The printed matter on which the image is printed is delivered to the user 20 based on the delivery information of the user 20 output from the image supply server 32.

Next, an image supply process at an image supply site provided by the image supply server 32 according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an image supply process performed by the image supply server 32. This image supply processing is executed after logging in to the image supply site provided by the image supply server 32 from the computer 22 of the user 20 via the Internet 10. The login of the user 20 to the image supply site is performed by inputting an ID and a password given by the enrollment registration.

In the image supply processing, first, an image selection processing by the user 20 is executed (step S100).
The image selection process is performed by an image selection page displaying a plurality of thumbnails. On the image selection page, the user 20 can select an image by selecting any of the displayed thumbnails with a pointing device or the like. FIG. 3 shows an example of the image selection page.

When the image selection process is executed by the user 20, a process for inputting the image output conditions on the output condition input page is executed. As image output conditions, an input of an output target such as a paper type, a print size, an ink type, and the like are input. FIG. 4 shows an example of a print size input field on the output condition input page.

When the image output conditions are input in this way, a process for selecting an image supply method is executed on the image supply method selection page. In the embodiment, as the image supply method, a distribution supply method performed by distributing image data matching image output conditions from the image supply server 32 to the computer 22 of the user 20 via the Internet 10, and an image output method Printing center 40 based on conditions
And a delivery / supply method that is performed by delivering a printed matter on which an image is printed by the large-size printer 44. FIG. 5 shows an example of the image supply method selection page. In the example of the image supply method selection page in FIG. 5, the user 20 can select the distribution supply method by operating the “download” button, and can change the delivery supply method by operating the “print at center” button. You can choose.

When the image supply method is selected, when the distribution supply method is selected, that is, when the “download” button is operated in the example of FIG. 5, the image supply server 32 inputs the image on the output condition input page. The image data according to the output condition of the image is distributed to the computer 22 of the user 20 via the Internet 10 and when the delivery method is selected, that is, the “print at center” button is operated in the example of FIG. In this case, the ID of the image selected on the image selection page, the output condition of the image input on the output condition input page, and the personal information of the user 20 are transmitted to the network 38.
To the printing computer 42 of the printing center 40 via the.

In the computer 22 of the user 20, when the image data is distributed, the image data is printed by the printer 24 connected to the computer 22 using the output condition of the input image. The printing of the image by the printer 24 is controlled by a print control signal distributed together with the image data from the image supply server 32 to the computer 22, and the number of prints is also controlled.

The printing computer 4 of the printing center 40
In step 2, when the image ID, the image output condition, and the personal information of the user 20 are input, the image specified by the ID is adjusted according to the image output condition and printed by the large printer 44. Then, the printed matter on which the image is printed is
Is delivered to the user 20 based on the personal information.

The image supply server 32 of the embodiment described above.
According to the image supply site provided by the user 20, the user 20 receives the distribution of the selected image, prints the image by the printer 24 of the user 20, and supplies the selected image to the large printer 44 of the print center 40. It is possible to select a method of supplying an image to which a printed matter obtained by printing is delivered. As a result, the user 20 can immediately print the selected image using his / her own printer 24 and can receive a printed matter in which the image is printed using output conditions that cannot be printed by the printer 24 due to the performance of the printer 24. .

In the image supply site provided by the image supply server 32 of the embodiment, the image supply method is selected on the image supply method selection page after inputting the image output conditions on the output condition input page. As shown in the image supply process of the sixth modification, after selecting the image supply method on the image supply method selection page, the image output conditions are input on the output condition input page (steps S135 and S1).
45). This makes it possible to make the input page of the output condition of the image in the delivery / supply method different from the input page of the output condition of the image in the delivery / supply method, and to input more detailed image output conditions.

In the embodiment, the image supply server 32 and the printing computer 42 of the print center 40 are connected by the network 38, and the image is printed by the print center 40 when the delivery method is selected.
A large printer 44 may be connected to the image supply server 32, and the image supply server 32 may directly print and deliver the image. Further, a plurality of printing centers 40 may be provided, and printing and delivery may be performed by any one of them.

In the embodiment, as the image supply method, one of two supply methods is selected from a distribution supply method by distributing image data and a distribution supply method by distributing printed matter on which an image is printed. However, one of three or more supply methods may be selected, or a plurality of supply methods may be selected.

In the embodiment, the image supply server 32 is constructed by one computer in the drawing, but a system in which the image supply server 32 is constructed by a plurality of computers may be used.

In the image supply server 32 of the embodiment, an image supply site capable of distributing a still image as a content to the user 20 via the Internet 10 is provided. However, the content is not limited to a still image. Instead, a moving image supply site, a sound supply site, a character information supply site, and a software supply site may be provided using moving images, sounds, characters, and computer software. In the moving image supply site, when the distribution method is selected, for example, the moving image data adjusted by MPEG2 is distributed and reproduced by the computer 22, and when the distribution method is selected, the moving image data is stored in a DVD-ROM or the like. The present invention can be applied to a case where the information is stored in a medium and delivered. Also, in a music supply site as an example of a sound supply site, when a distribution supply method is selected, for example, music data adjusted by MP3 is distributed and reproduced by the computer 22, and when a distribution supply method is selected, The present invention can be applied to a case where the format of MP3 music data is converted, stored in a music CD, and distributed. In an electronic book distribution site as an example of a character information supply site, when a distribution supply method is selected, for example, character data (text data) adjusted in a predetermined format is distributed and displayed on the computer 22, and the distribution supply method is performed. Is selected, it can be applied to the case where character data is delivered as an electronic book stored in a CD-ROM or as a book in which character data is printed and bound. On the software supply site,
When the delivery / supply method is selected, for example, a software program adjusted in a predetermined format is delivered and installed on the computer 22. When the delivery / supply method is selected, the software program is downloaded to a CD-ROM.
The present invention can be applied to the case where the data is stored in the ROM and delivered.

In the embodiment, the present invention has been described using the image supply server 32 or the image supply site as an embodiment. However, as described above, the form of the content supply server or the content supply site for supplying contents other than images is used. Or as a program functioning as a content supply site. In the case of this program form, the above-described image supply processing may be programmed as steps.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Of course, it can be carried out.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram schematically illustrating a system configuration including an image supply server 32 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an image supply process performed by an image supply server.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an image selection page.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a print size input field on an output condition input page.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an image supply method selection page.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an image supply process according to a modified example.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Internet, 20 users, 22 computers, 24 printers, 32 image supply servers, 38
Network, 40 printing center, 42 printing computer, 44 large printer.

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A content supply system capable of supplying content to a user via a communication network, comprising: content selection means for selecting content by user selection; and user selection from at least two different content supply methods. Supply method setting means for setting a content supply method based on the content supply method, and content supply instruction means for supplying the selected content to a user or instructing the supply based on the set supply method. Content supply system. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the supply method setting unit is a distribution supply method that supplies the content by distributing the content via the communication network, and a distribution supply that supplies the content by processing and / or storing the content. 2. The content supply system according to claim 1, wherein the content supply system is a means that can be set from a plurality of supply methods including: 3. The content supply instructing means, when the distribution method is set by the supply method setting means, distributes the selected content to a user via the communication network, and the distribution method is set by the supply method setting means. 3. The content supply system according to claim 2, wherein when the supply method is set, the content output system outputs information on delivery to the user and information on processing and / or storage of the content as the supply instruction. 4. The content is any one of image data, audio data, character data, and computer software, and the processed content is a content storage medium storing content in a predetermined format. Or the content supply system according to 3. 5. The content according to claim 2, wherein the content is image data or character data, and the processed content is a printed matter obtained by printing out the content.
Content supply system as described. 6. A content supply site capable of supplying content to a user via a communication network, wherein a content selection page from which the user can select content and a method for supplying the selected content can be selected by the user. A content supply site comprising: a supply method selection page; 7. A supply method confirmation page for confirming supply of the selected content to a user based on the supply method selected on the supply method selection page.
The content supply site described. 8. The delivery method selection page, wherein the delivery method is a delivery method of delivering contents by the communication network, and the delivery method is a delivery method of delivering contents processed and stored contents processed and / or stored. The content supply site according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the page is a page selectable from a plurality of supply methods including: 9. The content is any one of image data, audio data, character data, and computer software, and the content processed storage is a content storage medium storing content in a predetermined format. The content supply site described. 10. The content supply site according to claim 8, wherein the content is image data or character data, and the processed content is a printed material obtained by printing out the content. 11. A site program for causing a computer to function as the content supply site according to any one of claims 6 to 10. 12. A site server functioning as the content supply site according to claim 6.