JP2018132940A - Image processing device and ticket media issue system - Google Patents

Abstract

Kind Code: A1 To print a specific coupon that is beneficial to a customer so that the coupon is easy to see and draw attention to the coupon. SOLUTION: A coupon print data generating means 352 for generating a plurality of coupon print data 43 to be printed on a coupon in a predetermined order, and a predetermined coupon print data 43 among the plurality of coupon print data 43. A print order change setting unit 353 for setting the print order to be printed at the end so as to be printed at an easy-to-view position, and a plurality of coupon tickets are provided to the coupon printer 400 based on the print order change setting. An instruction to print the print data 43 is given. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus that prints and issues a ticket medium such as a coupon at a retail store or the like.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a coupon voucher issuing system for issuing a coupon when a customer purchases a product and prompting the next purchase is adopted as one means of sales promotion in a retail store such as a supermarket.
This coupon voucher issuing system includes a coupon voucher issuing server, which determines whether or not to issue a voucher based on information such as purchase amount, purchased product, purchase time, gender, age, membership, etc. Based on this, a coupon printer prints and issues a plurality of coupons (for example, refer to JP 2010-09989 A (Patent Document 1)).

JP 2010-099989 A

  However, in the coupon issuing system configured as described above, when a plurality of coupons are issued, the plurality of coupons are printed out in the order of determination as to whether or not they can be issued. In some cases, it was not printed at an easy position, and the coupon was missed and not received.

  An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem, and in an image processing apparatus that issues a plurality of ticket media and a ticket media issuing system using the same, draw attention to ticket media that are beneficial to customers. An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus that can promote the use of a ticket medium.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, an image processing apparatus according to the present invention described in claim 1 includes ticket medium print data generating means for generating a plurality of ticket medium print data to be printed on a ticket medium in a predetermined order. A print order change setting unit configured to perform a print order change setting with respect to the predetermined order with respect to the predetermined ticket medium print data among the plurality of ticket medium print data, The printing unit is instructed to print the plurality of ticket medium print data based on the print order change setting.

The image processing apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention is configured such that the print order change setting is set so that the predetermined ticket medium print data is printed last among a plurality of ticket medium print data printed in series. It is characterized by.
An image processing apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention includes ticket medium issuance determination means for determining whether or not to issue the ticket medium for the plurality of ticket medium print data, and the predetermined order is the ticket The ticket medium print data generation means generates the ticket medium print data in the order in which the ticket medium issue determination means determines the issue permission / inhibition by the medium issue determination means. It is characterized by.

The image processing apparatus according to the present invention described in claim 4 is a ticket medium print data processing unit that changes the predetermined order of the predetermined ticket medium print data based on the print order change setting by the print order change setting unit. And instructing the printing means to print the plurality of ticket medium print data based on the order changed by the ticket medium print data processing means.
The image processing apparatus according to the present invention described in claim 5 is characterized in that the ticket medium print data processing means rotates the print contents of the ticket medium by 180 degrees.
The image processing apparatus according to the present invention described in claim 9 is configured so that the printing unit continuously prints the plurality of ticket medium print data on a roll paper, and the printed roll paper hangs down from the roll paper discharge port. It is characterized by discharging.

  According to the present invention, in the image processing apparatus that issues a plurality of ticket media, the printing order of the ticket media can be changed by performing the setting for changing the printing order for the ticket media that is beneficial to the customer. It is possible to print a ticket medium that is beneficial to the customer so that the customer can easily see it, and draw attention to the customer to promote the use of the ticket medium. As a result, it is possible to improve the sales promotion effect of the ticket medium.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the coupon issue system regarding 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram of the information server regarding 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram of the cash register terminal regarding 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram of the coupon issue server regarding 1st Embodiment. It is an internal block diagram of the coupon printer regarding 1st Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the coupon issue server regarding 1st Embodiment. It is an operation | movement flowchart figure of the coupon issuing system regarding 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the selection screen of the coupon printing order change mode setting regarding 1st Embodiment. It is an operation | movement flowchart figure of the coupon issue server regarding 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the printing order change setting screen of the coupon regarding 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the selection screen of the printing order change setting content of the coupon regarding 1st Embodiment. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the coupon printer regarding 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the coupon printed out by the coupon printer regarding 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the state of the coupon printed out by the coupon printer regarding 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the coupon printed out by the modification 1 of embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the coupon printed out by the modification 2 of embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the setting screen of the specific keyword of the modification 3 of embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the coupon printed out by the modification 3 of embodiment.

(First embodiment)
The first embodiment, which is the best mode for carrying out the present invention, will be described below. Elements common to the drawings will be described with the same reference numerals. In the following description of the embodiment, a coupon ticket (hereinafter referred to as a coupon) will be described as an example of the ticket medium. However, the ticket medium is a ticket such as a free or discount ticket, an admission ticket, and a boarding ticket. Also good.

Initially, the structure of the whole coupon issuing system as a ticket medium issuing system regarding 1st Embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a coupon issuing system according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the coupon issuing system according to the first embodiment includes a product information management server 100, a cash register terminal 200, a coupon issuing server 300 as an image processing apparatus, and a coupon printer 400 as a printing unit.
The merchandise information management server 100 is a server that manages the merchandise of each store 110. The merchandise information management server 100 manages the merchandise price information 40, which is the price of a plurality of merchandise, and coupon issue information 41 as a condition for issuing a coupon. Then, the product information management server 100 transmits the product price information 40 to the cash register terminal 200 and transmits the coupon issue information 41 to the coupon issue server 300.

The cash register terminal 200 is a terminal device installed in each store 110 such as a supermarket, and performs payment by inputting purchased products, quantities, and the like for each customer. In addition, the cash register terminal 200 transmits to the coupon issuing server 300 the type and price of the purchased product, the region and time (season), the gender and age of the customer, and customer information 42 such as members or non-members.
The coupon issue server 300 is a server that is provided at a service counter or the like of each store 110 and prints and issues a coupon by the coupon printer 400. The coupon issue server 300 includes a coupon issue application 310 and a coupon print application 320. The coupon print application 320 has a printer driver 330.

The coupon issue application 310 determines whether or not to issue a coupon based on the received coupon issue information 41 and customer information 42, and generates coupon printing data.
The coupon print application 320 generates coupon print data 43 as ticket medium print data for printing a coupon from print data generated based on the determination to issue the coupon. In addition, the order of the coupon print data 43 is changed based on the coupon print order change setting described later, and is transmitted to the coupon printer 400.
The coupon printer 400 is a printer that is provided for each cash register terminal 200 and prints and issues a coupon based on the coupon print data 43 transmitted from the coupon issue server 300.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the merchandise information management server according to the first embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the product information management server 100 includes a management control unit 101, a product price setting unit 102, and a coupon issue condition determination unit 103.
The management control unit 101 controls the product price setting unit 102 and the coupon issue condition determination unit 103. The product price setting unit 102 sets the prices of a plurality of products at each store 110 as the product price information 40. The coupon issue condition determination unit 103 determines coupon issue information 41 as a condition for issuing a plurality of coupons at each store 110.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a cash register terminal according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the cash register terminal 200 includes a cash register control unit 201, an input display unit 202, a card processing unit 203, and a payment processing unit 204.
The cash register control unit 201 controls the input display unit 202, the card processing unit 203, and the settlement processing unit 204, and transmits customer information 42 to the coupon issue server 300 and the product information management server 100.
The input display unit 202 includes a barcode reader and a keyboard, and directly inputs a product, a quantity, and the like by reading a barcode attached to the product or inputting a keyboard. Further, the input display unit 202 displays the purchase amount, the change amount, and the like on the display unit.

The card processing unit 203 reads information from a card such as a point card or a credit card presented by a customer when purchasing a product. Information such as holding points, customer gender, age and membership or non-membership is recorded in the customer's card, and the card processing unit 203 reads these and extracts it as customer information 42. At this time, when a so-called discount point service is provided, a process of reducing the amount corresponding to the discount point from the purchase amount is performed.
The settlement processing unit 204 adds information read from the card to information such as the type and price of the purchased product and the region and time (season), and transmits the information to the coupon issuing server 300 as customer information 42. Further, when the customer information 42 is statistically analyzed in the product information management server 100, the customer information 42 is also transmitted to the product information management server 100.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a coupon issue server according to the first embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the coupon issue server 300 includes a coupon issue control unit 301, an operation display unit 302, the above-described coupon issue application 310, and a coupon print application 320. The coupon print application 320 has a printer driver 330. The coupon issue control unit 301 controls the coupon issue application 310 and the coupon print application 320. The operation display unit 302 can display an operation screen and the like and can perform a desired operation input by a graphic user interface 336 described later. The operation display unit 302 may be configured by laminating a transparent touch panel on an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display).

The coupon issue application 310 determines whether or not to issue a coupon based on the coupon issue information 41 from the merchandise information management server 100 and the customer information 42 from the cash register terminal 200, and prints the coupon to the coupon print application 320. It is an application that instructs to. For this purpose, the coupon issue application 310 includes a coupon issue determination unit 311, a coupon data generation unit 312, and a coupon data transmission unit 313.
The coupon issue determination unit 311 determines whether or not to issue a coupon based on the coupon issue information 41 from the product information management server 100 and the customer information 42 from the cash register terminal 200.

When the coupon data generation unit 312 determines to issue a coupon based on the determination by the coupon issue determination unit 311, the coupon data generation unit 312 extracts the content of the coupon to be issued from the coupon issue information 41 and generates data for printing the coupon. This print data is generated as one file 44 described by drawing data in which character strings, graphics, and images are combined.
The coupon data transmission unit 313 transmits the file 44 generated by the coupon data generation unit 312 to the coupon print application 320. At this time, the printer information 45 such as the printer name of the coupon printer 400 is preferably transmitted.

The coupon print application 320 is an application that executes printing in accordance with the file 44 and the printer information 45 passed from the coupon issue application 310. For this purpose, the coupon print application 320 includes a coupon data receiving unit 321, a printer driver call unit 322, and a printer driver 330.
The coupon data receiving unit 321 acquires the file 44 and the like transmitted from the coupon issuing application 310.
The printer driver call unit 322 calls the printer driver 330 of the coupon printer 400 based on the printer information 45 transmitted from the coupon issue application 310.

On the other hand, the printer driver 330 includes a coupon print order determination unit 331, a coupon print order setting unit 332, a coupon print data generation unit 333, a coupon print data connection unit 334, a coupon print data output unit 335, and a graphic user interface 336.
The coupon printing order determining unit 331 determines the coupon printing order based on the setting by the coupon printing order setting unit 332 when printing a plurality of coupons.
When printing a plurality of coupons, the coupon print order setting unit 332 causes the operator to set the coupon print order using the operation display unit 302 by using the graphic user interface 336. Accordingly, the graphic user interface 336 has a display function for displaying a desired operation screen by the operation display unit 302 and an operation input function for performing a desired input by an operation.

The coupon print data generation unit 333 generates PDL (Page Description Language) data that the coupon printer 400 can interpret as the coupon print data 43 in accordance with the print order determined by the coupon print order determination unit 331.
The coupon print data connection unit 334 connects a plurality of coupon print data 43 generated by the coupon print data generation unit 333. Further, as shown in FIG. 11 later, the coupon print data connecting unit 334 performs a 180 degree rotation process on the coupon print data 43 when the selection button 163 is selected on the print order change setting content selection screen G160.
The coupon print data output unit 335 outputs the coupon print data 43 connected by the coupon print data connection unit 334 to the coupon printer 400 and instructs printing. The normal memory 337 and the printing order change memory 338 are memories that are managed by the printer driver 330 and temporarily store the coupon print data 43.

FIG. 5 is an internal configuration diagram of the coupon printer according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the coupon printer 400 issues a coupon by feeding the roll paper 30 while printing a plurality of coupon print data 43 on the roll paper 30 and cutting the rear end. For this purpose, the coupon printer 400 includes a printer cover 410, a cutter unit 412, a toner transfer unit 413, a fixing unit 414, and a print medium output holding unit 415.
The printer cover 410 is a device cover that can be opened as shown by an arrow A by an operator. By opening the printer cover 410, the roll paper 30 is attached to the set unit 411, consumables such as toner are exchanged, and maintenance parts are exchanged.

The cutter unit 412 cuts the rear end of the roll paper 30x fed out as indicated by the arrow B by the length of the total length Lp of a plurality of coupons to be issued, thereby forming a print medium 30y.
The toner transfer unit 413 forms a print image by transferring toner to the print medium 30y conveyed as shown by the arrow C based on the coupon print data 43 from the coupon issue server 300.
The fixing unit 414 heats the print medium 30y to which the toner has been transferred by a heating roller or the like to fix the toner to form the print medium 30z.

The print medium output holding unit 415 outputs the print medium 30z on which the toner is fixed as indicated by an arrow D, and holds the print medium 30z near the roll paper discharge port 401 so that the print medium 30z does not fall from the coupon printer 400. . In such a printer using the roll paper 30 as a print medium, the curl of the roll paper 30 remains on the print medium 30z that is printed and output as a coupon, and hangs down from the roll paper discharge port 401 as shown in the lower left of FIG. It is held in a curled state.
Although the coupon printer 400 has been described as an electrophotographic printer in the above description, it may be an ink jet printer or a printer of another type.

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of the coupon issuing server according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the coupon issue server 300 includes a control means 350, a coupon issue determination means 351 as a ticket medium issue determination means, a coupon print data generation means 352 as a ticket medium print data generation means, a print order change setting means. A coupon print order change setting unit 353 and a coupon print data processing unit 354 as a ticket medium print data processing unit.
The control means 350 has a function of controlling each means. Specifically, the control means 350 functions by the coupon issue control unit 301 shown in FIG.
The coupon issue determination unit 351 has a function of determining whether to issue a coupon based on the coupon issue information 41 and the customer information 42 for a plurality of coupons. Specifically, the coupon issue determination unit 351 functions by a coupon issue determination unit 311 shown in FIG.

  The coupon print data generation unit 352 has a function of generating a plurality of coupon print data 43 to be printed on a coupon in the order in which the coupon issuance determination unit 351 determines whether or not a coupon can be issued. Specifically, the coupon print data generation unit 352 functions by a coupon data generation unit 312, a coupon data transmission unit 313, a coupon data reception unit 321, a printer driver call unit 322, and a coupon print data generation unit 333.

  The coupon print order change setting unit 353 sets whether or not to change the print order for the predetermined coupon print data 43 with respect to the print order based on the determination order of whether or not the coupon is issued, and further rotates the print contents by 180 degrees. It has a function for setting whether or not to print. Specifically, the coupon printing order change setting unit 353 functions by the coupon printing order determination unit 331, the coupon printing order setting unit 332, the operation display unit 302, and the graphic user interface 336 shown in FIG.

  The coupon print data processing unit 354 has a function of changing the print order of the coupon print data 43 for which the print order change setting has been set, and further rotating the print contents by 180 degrees to print. Specifically, the coupon print data processing means 354 functions by the coupon print data connecting unit 334 and the coupon print data output unit 335 shown in FIG.

In the above description of the coupon issue server regarding the first embodiment, the coupon issue server 300 is described as having the coupon issue application 310 and the coupon print application 320. However, the coupon printer 400 has the function of the coupon issue server 300. It is good also as a structure to provide. That is, the coupon printer 400 may be provided with a coupon issue determination unit 351, a coupon print data generation unit 352, a coupon print order change setting unit 353, and a coupon print data processing unit 354.
Further, although the coupon issue application 310 is described as being provided in the coupon issue server 300, the coupon issue application 310 may be provided in the product information management server 100.

With the above configuration, the image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment operates as follows. First, the operation of the entire coupon issuing system will be described. FIG. 7 is an operation flowchart of the coupon issuing system according to the first embodiment.
Step S101: First, the management control unit 101 of the product information management server 100 transmits the product price information 40 (see FIG. 1) set by the product price setting unit 102 to the cash register terminal 200 of each store 110.

Step S102: The management control unit 101 of the merchandise information management server 100 transmits the coupon issue information 41 (see FIG. 1) set as a condition for issuing a coupon by the coupon issue condition determination unit 103 to the coupon issue server 300.
The coupon issuance information 41 is composed of a discount condition, a valid period, discount contents, and the like shown in FIG. Here, when the discount condition is a condition according to the result of statistical analysis of the customer information 42 (see FIG. 1), the discount information is based on the customer information 42 transmitted from the cash register terminal 200 in step S105 described later. Calculate and set the purchase frequency. For example, the purchase frequency of various products is calculated for each customer, and the purchase of “product Y” is set as a discount condition for customers who frequently purchase “product Y”.

  Step S103: The coupon issue server 300 that has received the coupon issue information 41 performs the coupon print order change mode setting when the operator performs a selection operation for changing the coupon print order described below. The selection to the coupon printing order change mode is performed by the control means 350 displaying on the operation display unit 302 whether or not the mode for changing the coupon printing order is selected. Specifically, the setting screen is displayed on the operation display unit 302 by the graphic user interface 336 under the control of the coupon issue control unit 301 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a selection screen for setting a coupon print order change mode according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, selection buttons 141 and 142 are displayed on the coupon print order change mode setting screen G140. The selection button 141 is pressed to enter a mode for changing the coupon printing order. The selection button 142 is pressed when the mode for printing coupons in a predetermined order is selected without changing the coupon printing order. Here, the predetermined order is the order in which the coupon issuance determination unit 351 determines whether or not the coupon issuance is possible. Further, the change of the coupon print order is to change the print order with respect to the print order based on the order in which the coupon issue determination unit 351 determines whether or not the coupon is issued.

Furthermore, on the coupon print order change mode setting screen G140, an apply button 143 for applying the selection of the selection button 141 or 142 and a cancel button 144 for canceling are displayed.
Then, the operator refers to the coupon print order change mode setting screen G140 displayed on the operation display unit 302, and selects either the selection button 141 or 142. When the apply button 143 is pressed, the control unit 350 sets the selected mode.

Step S104: On the other hand, the cash register control unit 201 of the cash register terminal 200 uses the input display unit 202 to input the purchased product and quantity. The cash register control unit 201 calculates the purchase price based on the product price information 40 acquired from the product information management server 100 in step S101, displays the purchase price and inputs the deposit amount deposited from the customer by the input display unit 202. I do. Then, the cash register control unit 201 displays a change amount by the input display unit 202.
At this time, the cash register control unit 201 causes the card processing unit 203 to read information such as the customer's gender, age, member, or non-member as part of the customer information 42 from a customer's point card or credit card.

Step S105: Next, the cash register control unit 201 of the cash register terminal 200 adds the information read from the card to the customer information by adding the information read from the card to the information such as the type and price of the purchased product and the region and time (season). 42 is transmitted to the coupon issue server 300.
The customer information 42 is also transmitted to the product information management server 100 as information for performing statistical analysis of the customer information 42 in the product information management server 100. The transmission to the merchandise information management server 100 may be collectively performed at the time of the closing process for adjusting the daily sales.

  Step S106: Upon receipt of the customer information 42, the coupon issue server 300 determines whether or not to issue a coupon based on the coupon issue information 41 and the customer information 42. Based on the determination result and the contents of the coupon extracted from the coupon issue information 41, coupon print data 43 (see FIG. 1) as ticket medium print data is generated. Furthermore, when the setting of the coupon print order change mode is selected in step S103, the coupon print order change setting is performed, and the order of the coupon print data 43 is changed. Details will be described later with reference to FIG.

Step S107: The coupon issue server 300 transmits the coupon print data 43 generated in step S106 and whose order has been changed to the coupon printer 400 to instruct printing. The specific operation of steps S106 and S107 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
Step S <b> 108: The coupon printer 400 that has received the coupon print data 43 prints on the roll paper 30 based on the received coupon print data 43.

  Next, details of the operation of generating the coupon print data 43 and changing the printing order (S106) in the coupon issuing server 300 will be described below. FIG. 9 is an operation flowchart of the coupon issuing server according to the first embodiment. Steps S122 to S125 are a flow as a normal mode for printing without changing the printing order of coupons. Steps S130 to S137 are a flow as an order change mode in which the coupon printing order is changed and printed.

Step S120: First, product purchase settlement is performed by the cash register terminal 200 (S104), and when the customer information 42 (S105) is received from the cash register terminal 200, the control means 350 of the coupon issue server 300 uses the coupon issue determination means 351. Whether or not to issue a coupon is determined based on the coupon issue information 41 and the customer information 42. At the same time, the contents of the coupon issued from the coupon issue information 41 are extracted.
Specifically, the coupon issue control unit 301 shown in FIG. 4 determines whether or not a coupon issue determination unit 311 issues a coupon, and the coupon data generation unit 312 extracts the contents of the coupon.

  For example, as in the example shown in FIG. 10 to be described later, the coupon issue information 41 (S102) transmitted from the product information management server 100 as a condition for issuing a coupon is “purchased product is product Y, and the purchase price is In the case of “Issuing a coupon B in the case of a female member for 2000 yen or more”, it is determined as follows. That is, when the customer information 42 (S105) transmitted from the cash register terminal 200 is a purchase price of the product Y of 2000 yen or more and the purchaser is a female member, it is determined that a coupon is issued. Further, it is extracted that the coupon to be issued is “coupon B”.

  Step S121: Next, the control means 350 determines whether or not the coupon print order change mode is set. The coupon print order change mode setting is set by the operator using the screen G140 shown in FIG. 8 before starting this process, that is, in step S103 described above. When the coupon print order change mode is set, the process proceeds to step S130. When the coupon print order change mode is not set, the process proceeds to step S122 as the normal mode.

  Step S122: When determining that the coupon printing order change mode is not set, the control unit 350 determines whether or not to issue a coupon as a predetermined order without changing the predetermined order for printing a plurality of coupons. In order, coupon print data 43 of all coupons is generated. That is, the control unit 350 generates the coupon print data 43 of the coupons determined to be issued by the coupon issue determination unit 351 in the order in which the coupon print data generation unit 352 determines whether or not the coupon is issued. The generated order is a printing order of a plurality of coupons.

  Specifically, first, a coupon printing data file 44 and printer information 45 determined to be issued by the coupon issuing application 310 shown in FIG. 4 are generated. Next, the coupon print data generation unit 333 of the printer driver 330 generates the coupon print data 43 based on the generated file 44 and the printer information 45 in the order in which the coupon issuance is determined. The coupon print data 43 is converted to PDL so that the coupon printer 400 can interpret it as described above.

  Step S123: The control means 350 concatenates the generated coupon print data 43 including a plurality of coupons in the order in which the coupon issuance is determined and stores the coupon print data 43 in the normal memory 337. Specifically, under the control of the coupon issue control unit 301 shown in FIG. . In addition, you may perform the drawing process which draws a boundary line between coupons at this time.

  Step S124: The control means 350 determines whether or not the generation of the coupon print data 43 for all coupons has been completed. When it is determined that the generation of the print data 43 for all coupons is not completed, the control unit 350 returns to step S122 and generates the coupon print data 43 for the next coupon.

Step S125: On the other hand, when it is determined in step S124 that the generation of the coupon print data 43 for all coupons has been completed, the control means 350 outputs the coupon print data 43 stored in the normal memory 337 to the coupon printer 400. Then, this processing is terminated by instructing printing.
Specifically, the coupon print data output unit 335 outputs the coupon print data 43 stored in the normal memory 337 to the coupon printer 400 under the control of the coupon issue control unit 301 shown in FIG. Exit.

Step S130: On the other hand, when it is determined in step S121 that the coupon printing order change mode is set, the control unit 350 first sets a coupon whose printing order is changed by the coupon printing order change setting unit 353. .
Specifically, a coupon for changing the print order by displaying the operation screen as the print order change setting screen G150 shown in FIG. 10 on the operation display unit 302 under the control of the coupon issue control unit 301 shown in FIG. Set. The display and setting of the operation screen are performed by the graphic user interface 336 of the printer driver 330.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a coupon print order change setting screen according to the first embodiment. The print order change setting screen G150 is a screen for setting any one of a plurality of coupons A, B, and C printed in series as a coupon for changing the print order, that is, as a coupon to be printed last. It is. The change of the coupon printing order is to change the printing order with respect to the printing order based on the determination order of whether or not the coupon issuance is determined by the coupon issuance determination unit 351. As shown in FIG. 10, the page number, the total number of pages, and the coupon name are displayed as page information 151 on the print order change setting screen G150, and the condition for issuing the coupon on the page is displayed as the coupon issue condition 152.
In the example of the screen shown in FIG. 10, the coupons A, B, and C have a total of three pages (three types), and the coupon issue condition 152 of each coupon is displayed for each page of the screen. In this example, the coupon issue condition 152 of “Coupon B” on the page is displayed.

The coupon issue condition 152 is a content printed on the coupon to inform the customer, and displays, for example, a coupon discount condition, a valid period, and discount content. In this example, the discount condition is an example in which “product Y” is purchased, the purchase amount is 2000 yen or more, and the purchaser is a woman and a member.
The print order change setting screen G150 includes a return button 153 for returning a page, a next button 154 for displaying a coupon for the next page, and a print order change setting button for setting the displayed page to change the print order. 155 and a cancel button 156 for canceling are displayed.

Then, the operator refers to the print order change setting screen G150 displayed on the operation display unit 302, changes the page by pressing the return button 153 or the next button 154, and refers to the coupon issue condition 152 of each page. The When the operator presses the print order change setting button 155 on the coupon page determined to be most beneficial to the customer, the coupon is set as a coupon for changing the print order.
The coupon printing order change setting may be performed by an operator such as a service counter changing the printing order as a recommended coupon of the day before the store starts business. For example, when there is a notification from the beer maker on the day of the campaign or the like, “product Y” may be beer, and a coupon to the beer purchaser may be set to change the printing order.

Next, the control unit 350 causes the operator to select how the coupon print order change setting unit 353 is to print the coupon whose print order is changed.
Specifically, a selection screen is displayed on the operation display unit 302 under the control of the coupon issue control unit 301 shown in FIG. The selection screen is displayed and selected by the graphic user interface 336 of the printer driver 330.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a coupon print order change setting content selection screen according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, on the printing order change setting content selection screen G160, first, the page number and name of the coupon set by the printing order change setting screen G150 shown in FIG. . Specifically, the page number of the coupon set to change the printing order, that is, the coupon to be printed after changing the order is the second page, and the name is “coupon B”. Further, the print order change setting contents indicating how to print the coupon are displayed as selection buttons 162 and 163.
The print order change setting content selection screen G160 displays an apply button 164 that is pressed when the selection of the selection buttons 162 and 163 is applied and a cancel button 165 that is pressed when the selection is canceled.

The selection button 162 is a button that is selected when the coupon B that is set to change the printing order among the plurality of coupons A, B, and C printed in series is printed last. The selection button 163 is a button that is selected when the coupon B that has been set to change the printing order is printed last, and the coupon printing direction is rotated by 180 degrees.
By printing in this way, even when the print medium 30z is curled as shown in FIGS. 14B and 14C described later, the printing order is changed during and after waiting for coupon removal. The set coupon is printed out and held in a position where it can be seen most easily and in an easy-to-read direction.

Returning to FIG. 9, step S <b> 131: the control unit 350 generates the coupon print data 43 of each coupon in the order in which the coupon issuance is determined by the coupon print data generation unit 352. The coupon print data 43 is generated based on the coupon print data file 44 and the printer information 45 which are generated by the coupon issue determination means 351 determined to issue a coupon.
Specifically, under the control of the coupon issuance control unit 301 shown in FIG. 4, the coupon data generation unit 312 converts the coupon print data 43 into PDL data so that the coupon printer 400 can interpret the coupon issuance determination order. Generate.

Step S132: The control means 350 determines whether or not the coupon generating the coupon print data 43 by the coupon print data processing means 354 is set to change the print order in Step S130 and is a coupon for which the print order is to be changed. judge. This determination may be made based on whether or not the coupon print data generation count matches the page number set to change the print order.
For example, when the print order change setting screen G150 shown in FIG. 10 and the print order change setting content selection screen G160 shown in FIG. 11 are selected, the coupon B on the second page is the target of changing the print order. It becomes a coupon. Therefore, it determines with the coupon which is producing | generating 2nd coupon print data 43 being the coupon of the object which changes a printing order.

  Step S133: When the control unit 350 determines in step 132 that the generated coupon print data 43 is not a coupon for which the print order is to be changed, the control unit 350 uses the generated coupon print data 43 to determine whether or not the coupon can be issued. They are concatenated in the order of determination and stored in the normal memory 337. Specifically, under the control of the coupon issue control unit 301 shown in FIG. . In addition, you may perform the drawing process which draws a boundary line between coupons at this time.

  Step S134: On the other hand, when it is determined in Step 132 that the generated coupon print data 43 is a coupon for which the print order is to be changed, the control unit 350 uses the generated coupon print data 43 including the generated coupon. The data is stored in the print order change memory 338. Specifically, the data is stored in the print order change memory 338 managed by the printer driver 330 by the coupon print data connection unit 334 under the control of the coupon issue control unit 301 shown in FIG.

  Step S135: The control means 350 determines whether or not the generation of the coupon print data 43 for all coupons has been completed. When it is determined that the generation of the print data for all coupons is not completed, the control unit 350 returns to step S131 and generates the coupon print data 43 for the next coupon.

Step S136: On the other hand, when it is determined that the generation of the print data for all coupons has been completed, the control means 350 uses the coupon print data processing means 354 after the coupon print data 43 stored in the normal memory 337. Coupon print data 43 stored in the print order change memory 338 is linked.
More specifically, after the coupon print data 43 stored in the normal memory 337 by the coupon print data connecting unit 334 under the control of the coupon issue control unit 301 shown in FIG. The saved coupon print data 43 is linked.
By connecting the coupon print data 43 in this way, the print medium 30z is printed and output as shown in FIGS. 13B and 14B described later.

When the selection button 163 is selected on the print order change setting content selection screen G160 shown in FIG. 11, that is, when “print last and rotate 180 degrees” is selected, the control means 350 is selected in step S136. Performs the following processing to connect the coupon print data 43. That is, the control unit 350 performs a 180 degree rotation process on the coupon print data 43 of the “coupon B” on the second page by the coupon print data processing unit 354, and then connects to the other coupon print data 43.
Specifically, after the coupon print data linking unit 334 performs 180 degree rotation processing on the coupon print data 43 under the control of the coupon issue control unit 301 shown in FIG. Link.

Thus, after performing 180 degree rotation processing to the coupon print data 43, it connects with the other coupon print data 43, and the print medium 30z is printed and output like FIG.14 (c) mentioned later.
Only the coupon print data 43 stored in the print order change memory 338 is rotated by 180 degrees, that is, only the coupons set for the print order change are rotated by 180 degrees and the other coupons are printed as they are. You may make it output.

Step S137: The control means 350 ends the process by outputting all the linked coupon print data 43 to the coupon printer 400 and instructing printing.
Specifically, the coupon print data 43 connected by the coupon print data output unit 335 under the control of the coupon issue control unit 301 shown in FIG. 4 is output to the coupon printer 400, and this process is terminated.

Next, the printing operation of the coupon printer 400 will be described. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the coupon printer according to the first embodiment. In the following description, an example of an external winding in which the printing surface of the roll paper 30 to be used is outside will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 12A, the printer cover 410 is opened as indicated by an arrow A, and the roll paper 30 is set in the set unit 411. Then, the roll paper 30 is pulled out as indicated by an arrow B shown in FIG. 12B and set as a print medium 30x.
When the coupon print data 43 is received from the coupon issue server 300 in step S125 or S137 shown in FIG. 9, toner transfer to the print medium 30y is started by the toner transfer unit 413 as shown in FIG. 12C. To do. At this time, when the total length Lp of the coupon is long, the leading end of the print medium 30y starts to be fixed by the fixing unit 414.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 12D, when the rear ends of the full length LPs of a plurality of coupons to be issued pass through the cutter unit 412, the printing medium 30 y is cut by the cutter unit 412. Then, toner transfer of all coupons is continuously performed while conveying the print medium 30y as indicated by an arrow C.
Next, as shown in FIG. 12E, the printing medium 30y to which the toner has been transferred is conveyed as indicated by an arrow C, and the toner transferred by the fixing unit 414 is fixed.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 12 (f), the print medium 30 z fixed by the fixing unit 414 is output as indicated by an arrow D by the print medium output holding unit 415. The print medium 30 z is held by the print medium output holding unit 415 so as not to fall from the coupon printer 400, and hangs down from the roll paper discharge port 401. At this time, since the roll paper 30 is used as a printing medium as described above, the printing medium 30z is output with a certain amount of curl remaining as shown in the lower left of FIG. The Then, the output print medium 30z is pulled out from the print medium output holding unit 415 by the customer and can be used as a coupon.

Next, a coupon printed out by the coupon printer 400 will be described. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a coupon printed out by the coupon printer according to the first embodiment. Furthermore, FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a state of a coupon printed out by the coupon printer according to the first embodiment.
When the coupon printing order change setting is not performed, as shown in FIG. 13A, a plurality of coupons A, B, and C are printed in series in the order in which the coupon issuance is determined by the coupon issuance determination unit 351. Is output. That is, the coupon A (30A) as the first page coupon, the coupon B (30B) as the second page coupon, and the coupon C (30C) as the third page coupon, which are in the order of determination of coupon availability The coupon is printed out in the direction of arrow D without changing the coupon printing order.

In this way, when printed out, for example, when the coupon that is beneficial to the customer is the coupon B on the second page, the coupon B hangs down from the roll paper outlet 401 as shown in FIG. The content of the coupon B becomes difficult to see due to curling of the print medium 30z.
In FIG. 13B, the “coupon B” on the second page is set to change the print order by the print order change setting screen G150, and the “print last” is the selection button 162 on the print order change setting content selection screen G160. "" Indicates a coupon to be printed out.

In this case, “Coupon B” on the second page is set to change the printing order, and is printed last among a plurality of coupons printed in series. That is, first, coupon A (30A) is output as the first page coupon, then coupon C (30C) is output as the second page coupon, and coupon B (30B) is output as the third page coupon. . The order of the coupon C (30C) and the coupon B (30B) is switched, in other words, the printing order of the coupon B (30B) is changed as shown by the broken line arrow, and the coupon B (30B) is output last. . FIG. 14B shows a coupon printed out from the coupon printer 400 at this time.
Thus, since the coupon B (30B) is printed out at the end of the plurality of coupons printed in series, the coupon B (30B) is easily noticeable by the customer, and the print medium 30z is curled. Even if it is, the coupon B (30B) is not hidden and can be directly viewed.

FIG. 14C shows a coupon printed out when “print last and rotate 180 degrees” is selected by the selection button 163 on the print order change setting content selection screen G160.
Also in this case, “coupon B” on the second page among the plurality of coupons printed in series is printed last. That is, by the print order change setting, the coupon A (30A) is output as the first page coupon, the coupon C (30C) is output as the second page coupon, and finally the coupon B (30B) as the third page coupon. ) Is output. Further, a 180 degree rotation process is performed on the coupon print data 43, and the content of the coupon is rotated 180 degrees and printed out.

In this way, the coupon B (30B) set as a coupon useful to the customer is rotated 180 degrees and printed and output at the end, so that the content of the coupon is easy to read, and the print medium 30z is curled. Even if it is output, the coupon B (30B) is not hidden.
Conventionally, when roll paper is used as a coupon print medium, curled when it is printed out, the useful coupon is hidden and difficult to see, and the coupon may not be received. As shown to (a), since the printed content of the coupon ticket was printed upside down and issued, and it was difficult to read, there was a case where the coupon ticket was missed and the coupon ticket was not received. However, according to the first embodiment, by improving these problems, it is possible to promote the use of the coupon coupon of the customer and to expect the sales promotion effect by the coupon coupon.

  As described above, according to the coupon issuing server 300 relating to the first embodiment, in the image processing apparatus that issues a plurality of coupons and the coupon issuing system using the coupon, the coupon that is beneficial to the customer is set to change the print order. The coupon printing order is changed to the last, and the print contents can be rotated 180 degrees to be printed and issued. As a result, the sales promotion effect by the coupon can be improved.

(Modification 1 of the first embodiment)
In the description of the coupon issuing system relating to the above embodiment, the coupon print order change setting unit 353 is configured to cause the operator to set a coupon whose print order is changed using the print order change setting screen G150 shown in FIG. However, it may be as follows.
That is, in order to efficiently use the roll paper 30 that is a consumable item, the control unit 350 limits the total length Lp of all coupons that can be printed for each customer to, for example, the length Lmax. Then, the control unit 350 may change the order of the short coupons by the coupon printing order change setting unit 353 and print the coupons.
The limit Lmax of the total length Lp of all coupons may be set in advance, or may be set by displaying a setting screen on the operation display unit 302 of the coupon issuing server 300 by the operator.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of a coupon printed out according to the first modification of the embodiment. FIG. 15A shows coupons A, B, and C when all coupons are printed without limiting the total length Lp of all coupons that can be printed for each customer. FIG. 15B shows coupons A, B, and C that are printed out when the total length Lp is limited to the length Lmax according to the first modification of the embodiment.
First, when the total length Lp of coupons that can be printed for each customer is not limited to the length Lmax, the coupon print data 43 of coupons issued by the coupon issue determination means 351 is generated in the order in which the coupon issuance is determined. ) Is printed out.

  That is, coupon A (30A) having a length La as a coupon for the first page, coupon B (30B) having a length Lb as a coupon for the second page, coupon C (30C) having a length Lc as a coupon for the third page ) Is printed. In this example, length La> length Lc> length Lb, the length of coupon B (30B) is the shortest, and then the length of coupon C (30C) is the shortest.

Next, the coupon printed out when limiting the total length Lp of the coupon to be equal to or less than Lmax will be described. In this case, when the printing order of coupons is not changed, only coupon A (30A) can be printed, and coupon B (30B) and coupon C (30C) cannot be printed.
Accordingly, the coupon print order change setting means 353 sets the print order change setting for the shortest coupon B (30B) and the next shortest coupon C (30C) in order to place as many coupons as possible within the limit Lmax. Then, as shown in FIG. 15B, coupon B (30B) and coupon C (30C) are printed.
As described above, according to the first modification of the embodiment, the length Lp of all coupons that can be printed for each customer is limited, and further, the short coupons are automatically printed with the print order change setting. A certain roll paper 30 can be used efficiently, and as many coupons as possible can be issued.

(Modification 2 of the first embodiment)
In addition, instead of setting the coupon printing order as in the above embodiment and the first modification thereof, it may be as follows.
In other words, coupons with a large number of characters include a lot of information on discounts and advantageous information, and the coupons with the largest number of characters are automatically set as the most beneficial coupons for customers to change the printing order. It may be. For this purpose, the control unit 350 counts the number of characters in each coupon, and the coupon printing order change setting unit 353 automatically sets and prints a coupon having a large number of characters as a coupon set to change the printing order.

  Note that a coupon having a large number of lines, not the number of characters, may be automatically set and printed as a coupon set to change the printing order. Further, the control unit 350 calculates the drawing area or the total number of dots of each coupon, and the coupon printing order change setting unit 353 automatically sets the coupon having the largest drawing area or the total number of dots as a coupon set to change the printing order. You may make it print.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of a coupon printed out according to the second modification of the embodiment. FIG. 16A shows coupons A, B, and C when the printing order is not changed. FIG. 16B shows coupons A, B, and C that are set to change the printing order according to the second modification of the embodiment, change the printing order, and are printed out.
First, as shown in FIG. 16 (a), when the printing order is not changed, the coupon issuance of coupon A (30A), coupon B (30B), and coupon C (30C) is permitted regardless of the number of characters included. Are printed in the order of determination. That is, the coupon on the first page is a 30-character coupon A (30A), the coupon on the second page is a 10-character coupon B (30B), and the coupon on the third page is a 20-character coupon C (30C). In this case, printing is performed in the order shown in FIG. 16A regardless of the number of characters included.

Next, the coupon printed out by the print order change setting based on the number of characters will be described. In this case, the order is changed as shown in FIG. That is, the coupon B (30B) with the smallest number of characters is printed first, the coupon C (30C) with the next largest number of characters is printed, and the coupon A (30A) with the largest number of characters is the last coupon set with the print order changed. Printed on. As indicated by the dashed arrow, the printing order of the coupon A (30A) is changed and output last.
As described above, according to the second modification of the embodiment, since the coupon having the largest number of characters is printed last as a coupon useful for the customer, the coupon having a large amount of useful information can be prevented from being overlooked by the customer. .

(Modification 3 of the first embodiment)
Further, instead of setting a coupon for changing the printing order as in the image processing apparatus 400 according to the above embodiment, the following may be used. That is, a coupon having a lot of specific keywords may be automatically set as a coupon that is set to change the printing order as a most useful coupon, and may be printed. Therefore, the control means 350 searches for the number of specific keywords in each coupon. Then, the coupon print order change setting unit 353 automatically sets and prints a coupon having a large number of search hits as a coupon set to change the print order.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of a specific keyword setting screen according to the third modification of the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 17, the specific keyword setting screen G170 displays a keyword input field 171 for inputting a character to be searched as a specific keyword from characters in each coupon. In addition, a registration list 172 and a scroll bar 173 that display keywords registered as specific keywords are displayed.
The specific keyword setting screen G170 also includes an add button 174 for additionally registering the keyword input in the keyword field 171 as a specific keyword, a delete button 175 for deleting the registered specific keyword, and a cancel button 176 for canceling the input. indicate.

  Then, when the operator wants to add a new specific keyword, he refers to the specific keyword setting screen G170 displayed on the operation display unit 302, inputs the specific keyword into the keyword input field 171 and presses the add button 174. Register additional. When the registered specific keyword is to be deleted, the specific keyword to be deleted is selected while scrolling with the scroll bar 173 of the registration list 172, and the delete button 174 is pressed to delete the registration.

As the specific keyword, it is preferable to set “gain” and “off” keywords that are beneficial to the customer. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, when “gain” and “off” are registered in the registration list, the number of characters “gain” and the number of hits “off” are counted together when searching for a specific keyword.
The specific keyword may be a keyword such as “coupon”, “point”, “discount”, or a specific company name, product name, or the like. Alternatively, instead of searching as characters, an image representing a specific keyword may be searched.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram of a coupon printed out according to the third modification of the embodiment. FIG. 18A shows a coupon when the printing order is not changed. FIG. 18B shows a coupon that is set to change the printing order according to the third modification of the embodiment and is printed out after changing the printing order.
First, as shown in FIG. 18A, when the printing order is not changed, the coupons of coupon A (30A), coupon B (30B), and coupon C (30C), regardless of the number of specific keywords included. Printed in the order of determination of whether or not it can be issued.

That is, the specific keyword is set to “gain” or “off”, the coupon A (30A) includes one specific keyword, the coupon B (30B) includes five specific keywords, and the coupon C (30C ), Even if three characters are included in the specific keyword, they are printed in the order shown in FIG. 18A regardless of the number of specific keywords included.
Next, coupons that are printed and output after changing the printing order according to the number of specific keywords will be described. In this case, the printing order is changed as shown in FIG.

That is, coupon A (30A) with the smallest number of specific keywords is printed first, then coupon C (30C) with the largest number of specific keywords is printed, and the number of specific keywords is the largest. Coupon B (30B) is finally printed as a coupon for which the print order is changed. The printing order of the coupon B (30B) is changed as indicated by the broken line arrow, and is output last.
As described above, according to the third variation of the embodiment, since the coupon containing the most specific keywords related to the discount is printed last as the coupon useful for the customer, the coupon useful for the customer is not missed. be able to.

In the above embodiment, about changing the print order, it has been described that whether to change the print order based on the order of determination of whether or not the coupon issuance is determined by the coupon issuance determination unit 351 is set. Not limited to. That is, a printing order may be set in advance for a plurality of coupons, and whether to change the set printing order may be set.
In addition, with respect to the first modification, the second modification, or the third modification of the above-described embodiment, which modification is applied may be displayed as a selection screen so that the operator can select it.

40 commodity price information 41 coupon issue information 42 customer information 43 coupon print data 100 commodity information management server 200 cash register terminal 300 coupon issue server 350 control means 351 coupon issue determination means 352 coupon print data generation means 353 coupon print order change setting means 354 coupon Print data processing means 400 Coupon printer

Claims (14)

Ticket medium print data generating means for generating a plurality of ticket medium print data to be printed on the ticket medium in a predetermined order;
A print order change setting unit configured to perform a print order change setting with respect to the predetermined order for the predetermined ticket medium print data among the plurality of ticket medium print data;
An image processing apparatus that instructs the printing unit to print the plurality of ticket medium print data based on the printing order change setting by the printing order change setting unit.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print order change setting is set so that the predetermined ticket medium print data is printed last among a plurality of ticket medium print data for serially printing. Having ticket medium issue determination means for determining whether to issue the ticket medium for the plurality of ticket medium print data;
The predetermined order is a determination order of whether or not the ticket medium is issued by the ticket medium issue determination means,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the ticket medium print data generation unit generates the ticket medium print data in an order in which the issue determination is performed by the ticket medium issue determination unit. Based on the print order change setting by the print order change setting means, the ticket medium print data processing means for changing the predetermined order of the predetermined ticket medium print data,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the printing unit is instructed to print the plurality of ticket medium print data based on the order changed by the ticket medium print data processing unit.   5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the ticket medium print data processing means rotates the print contents of the ticket medium by rotating 180 degrees.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the printing order change setting unit sets the printing order of a ticket medium having a short ticket medium length.   5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the printing order change setting unit sets the printing order of a ticket medium having a large number of characters, drawing area, or total number of dots included in the ticket medium print data.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the printing order change setting unit sets the printing order of a ticket medium having a large number of specific keywords included in the ticket medium print data.   2. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the printing unit continuously prints the plurality of ticket medium print data on roll paper, and discharges the printed roll paper so as to hang down from the roll paper discharge port. 8. The image processing apparatus according to any one of 8.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the ticket medium is a coupon ticket.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the predetermined ticket medium print data is data relating to the coupon that is beneficial to a customer. Ticket medium print data generating means for generating a plurality of ticket medium print data to be printed on the ticket medium in a predetermined order;
A print order change setting unit configured to perform a print order change setting for the predetermined order for the predetermined ticket medium print data among the plurality of ticket medium print data;
A ticket medium issuing system comprising printing means for printing the plurality of ticket medium print data on the ticket medium based on the printing order change setting by the printing order change setting means.   13. The ticket medium issuance according to claim 12, wherein the print order change setting is set to print last among a plurality of ticket medium print data for printing the predetermined ticket medium print data in series. system.   The ticket medium issuing system according to claim 13, wherein the ticket medium is a coupon ticket.

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