JP6299311B2 - Transfer server, management server, photo sticker creation apparatus, user terminal, image management method, user terminal control method, control program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a photo sticker creating apparatus, a management server, a user terminal, and a transfer server capable of communicating with them.

  In recent years, as a service for providing a user with an image generated by a photo sticker creation apparatus, an image is displayed by displaying the image on a mobile terminal owned by the user together with a service for providing a user with a print sticker on which an image is printed. The services that provide users with the Internet are expanding.

  In Patent Document 1, a photo sticker creation device transfers a part of a plurality of photographed images to a user's portable terminal by non-contact communication, and an image including the image that has not been forwarded to a server. The technology to transfer is described. The user can acquire an image that has not been transferred from the server by accessing the server.

JP 2008-109580 A (published May 8, 2008)

  In order to transfer an image from a photo sticker creating apparatus to a remote server, it is necessary to use a wireless communication network such as a PHS (Personal Handyphone System). For this reason, for example, a communication fee for a wireless communication network based on the amount of data to be transferred is required. Therefore, as the number of images to be transferred increases or the size of individual image data to be transferred increases, the burden of communication charges increases accordingly.

  In addition, the provision of the image (data) to the user's mobile terminal is performed in the management server (image providing site) that has received the image from the photo sticker creating apparatus. The user performs member registration in advance in order to use the image providing site. As a result, members can be managed by the management server and images can be provided only to the members.

  In the technique of Patent Literature 1, a selected photographic image is transmitted to the user's mobile terminal regardless of whether or not the user is a member. Therefore, it is not possible to differentiate services for members and non-members.

  On the other hand, in order to provide an image only to a member, when providing an image to a user authenticated by the server, it is necessary to transfer the image from the photo sticker creating apparatus to the server. If it does so, the burden of the communication from a photo sticker production apparatus to a server will be needed according to the image to transfer.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and its main purpose is to reduce the burden of communication from the photo sticker creating apparatus to the server, the photo sticker creating apparatus, the management server, and the user It is to provide a terminal and a transfer server capable of communicating with these.

  A transfer server according to an aspect of the present invention is a transfer server capable of short-range wireless communication with a user terminal and a photo sticker creation device, and the user image generated by the photo sticker creation device from the photo sticker creation device. Or encrypted image data obtained by encrypting the image data and image specifying information for specifying the image, and for decoding the encrypted image data via the network A second communication means for transmitting the decryption key and the image specifying information to the management server; and a third communication means for receiving the image specifying information from the user terminal, wherein the third communication means comprises the user The encrypted image data corresponding to the image specifying information received from the terminal is transmitted to the user terminal.

  According to the above configuration, the user terminal needs to decrypt the encrypted image data in order to display an image. A decryption key for decrypting the encrypted image data is transmitted from the transfer server to the management server. The image specifying information is transmitted to the user terminal and the management server. Therefore, the user terminal can notify the management server of the encrypted image data to be decrypted using the image specifying information. The management server can specify the decryption key corresponding to the encrypted image data to be decrypted using the image specifying information. The user terminal can acquire the decryption key corresponding to the image specifying information and decrypt the encrypted image data. The data size of the decryption key is generally smaller than the data size of the encrypted image data. Further, the photo sticker creating apparatus does not need to transmit an image to the management server using a wireless communication network such as PHS. Therefore, the communication burden of the photo sticker creating apparatus can be reduced. Since the transfer server communicates with the user terminal and the photo sticker creating apparatus by short-range wireless communication, it is possible to suppress the burden of communication costs. In addition, the transfer server can manage the images of a plurality of photo sticker creating apparatuses within a range where short-range wireless communication is possible. If the transfer server is used, the management server can control the provision of images to the user by accessing the management server from the user terminal.

  The second communication means may be configured to transmit the decryption key and the image specifying information to the management server that authenticates whether the user is a predetermined member.

  According to said structure, authentication is performed in the management server whether the said user is a predetermined member. Therefore, the management server can control the provision of images to the user.

  The first communication unit may directly communicate with the photo sticker creating apparatus, and the third communication unit may directly communicate with the user terminal.

  According to said structure, the photograph sticker production apparatus can reduce the burden of communication with a management server. Since communication between the transfer server and the user terminal is performed directly, it is possible to suppress the communication cost.

  When the first communication means receives the first image and the second image as the plurality of images of the user from the photo sticker creating apparatus, the third communication means is configured to obtain the encrypted image of the first image. A period during which data may be transmitted to the user terminal is a first period, and a period during which the encrypted image data of the second image may be transmitted to the user terminal is a second period different from the first period. It may be configured as follows.

  According to said structure, a 1st image is provided to a user in a 1st period, and a 2nd image is provided in a 2nd period. Since the transfer server can communicate with the user terminal by short-range wireless communication, a user who desires to provide both the first image and the second image needs to come within a range where short-range wireless communication is possible in different periods. . That is, since the user has more opportunities to come close to the photo sticker creating apparatus, the use of the photo sticker creating apparatus can be promoted.

  The first period may include a date when the first communication unit receives the plurality of the images from the photographic sticker creating apparatus, and the second period may be after the received date.

  According to said structure, a 2nd period is after the day when a user utilized the photograph sticker production apparatus. A user who desires to provide both the first image and the second image needs to come within a range where short-distance wireless communication is possible again on the day after the use date. That is, since the user has more opportunities (days) to come near the photo sticker creating apparatus, the use of the photo sticker creating apparatus can be promoted.

  When the first communication means receives a plurality of the images of the user from the photo sticker creating apparatus, the third communication means transmits the first number of the encrypted image data in the third period. In a fourth period that is transmitted to the user terminal and does not overlap with the third period, a second number of encrypted image data greater than the first number may be transmitted to the user terminal.

  According to said structure, many images are provided to a user in a 4th period from a 3rd period. Therefore, the use of the photo sticker creating apparatus in the fourth period can be promoted. Thereby, it is possible to distribute the usage peak of the photo sticker creating apparatus and the communication load.

  When the third communication means transmits the first and second encrypted image data to both the first and second user terminals, the first user terminal transmits the first and second encrypted image data to the first user terminal. The image data obtained by decrypting the encrypted image data or the first encrypted image data is instructed to be transmitted to the management server, and the second encrypted image data or the second encrypted image data is transmitted to the second user terminal. The image data obtained by decrypting the second encrypted image data may be instructed to be transmitted to the management server.

  According to the above configuration, a plurality of images are transmitted from the first and second user terminals to the management server in a distributed manner. Therefore, the communication burden of the first and second user terminals can be averaged. In addition, since the management server does not need to receive the same image repeatedly from the user terminal, the communication load of the management server is reduced.

  The management server according to an aspect of the present invention is a management server that can communicate with the transfer server via a network, and receives the decryption key and the image specifying information from the transfer server. And fifth communication means for receiving the image specifying information from the user terminal, wherein the fifth communication means transmits the decryption key corresponding to the image specifying information received from the user terminal to the user terminal. It is characterized by transmitting to.

  A decryption key corresponding to the image specifying information received from the user terminal can be transmitted to the user terminal. Therefore, even when there are a plurality of encrypted image data and a plurality of decryption keys, an appropriate decryption key can be transmitted to the user terminal. Thereby, the encrypted image data can be decrypted in the user terminal.

  The management server includes authentication means for authenticating whether or not the user is a predetermined member, and when the user is a predetermined member, the fifth communication means transmits the decryption key to the user terminal of the user. The structure which transmits to may be sufficient.

  According to said structure, it can authenticate whether a user is a predetermined member in a management server, and can provide a decryption key to the user who is a predetermined member. Therefore, the management server can control the provision of images to the user depending on whether or not the user is a predetermined member.

  A photo sticker creating apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is a photo sticker creating apparatus capable of short-range wireless communication with the transfer server and the user terminal, wherein the image generating unit generates the image of the user by photographing, The information specifying means for generating the image specifying information for specifying the image, the encrypted image data obtained by encrypting the image data or the image data, and the image specifying information are transmitted to the transfer server. Sixth communication means, and seventh communication means for transmitting the image specifying information to the user terminal of the user are provided.

  According to the above configuration, image data or encrypted image data is transmitted from the photo sticker creating apparatus to the transfer server by short-range wireless communication. Therefore, it is not necessary to transmit image data from the photo sticker creating apparatus to the management server via the network. Therefore, the burden of communication from the photo sticker creating apparatus to the management server can be reduced.

  The photo sticker creating device includes encryption means for generating the encrypted image data by encrypting the image data and generating the decryption key for decrypting the encrypted image data, The sixth communication means may be configured to transmit the encrypted image data, the decryption key, and the image specifying information to the transfer server.

  A user terminal according to an aspect of the present invention is a user terminal capable of short-range wireless communication with the transfer server and the photo sticker creating apparatus, and receiving the image specifying information from the photo sticker creating apparatus. A ninth communication means for transmitting the image specifying information to the transfer server and receiving the encrypted image data corresponding to the image specifying information from the transfer server; and the image specifying information via the network. And tenth communication means for receiving from the management server the decryption key for transmitting to the management server and decrypting the encrypted image data corresponding to the image specifying information.

  According to said structure, the user terminal can acquire encryption image data from a transfer server, and can acquire the decoding key corresponding to encryption image data from a management server. Therefore, the user terminal can obtain the original image by decrypting the encrypted image data.

  The tenth communication means may be configured to transmit the encrypted image data or the image data decrypted by the decryption key to the management server.

  According to the above configuration, the user terminal transmits image data or encrypted image data to the management server. Since the server has a decryption key, it can be decrypted even when encrypted image data is received from the user terminal. Therefore, the image can be managed in the server.

  An image management method according to an aspect of the present invention is an image management method in a management server and a transfer server, wherein the management server can communicate with the transfer server and a user terminal via a network. The user terminal and the photo sticker creating device are capable of short-range wireless communication. In the transfer server, the image data of the user or the image data generated by the photo sticker creating device is received from the photo sticker creating device. A first communication step for receiving encrypted encrypted image data, image specifying information for specifying the image, a decryption key for decoding the encrypted image data, and the image specifying information; A second communication step for transmitting to the user terminal, a third communication step for receiving the image specifying information from the user terminal, A fourth communication step of transmitting the encrypted image data corresponding to the image specifying information received from the user terminal to the user terminal; and a first receiving step of receiving the image specifying information from the user terminal in the management server. 5 communication step and 6th communication step which transmits the said decoding key corresponding to the said image specific information received from the said user terminal to this user terminal, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  A method for controlling a user terminal according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a first communication step of receiving, from a photo sticker creating apparatus, image specifying information specifying a user image generated by the photo sticker creating apparatus; A second communication step for transmitting information to the transfer server by short-range wireless communication; and a third communication step for receiving encrypted image data obtained by encrypting the image data corresponding to the image specifying information from the transfer server. And a fourth communication step for transmitting the image specifying information to the management server via the network, and a decryption key for decoding the encrypted image data corresponding to the image specifying information from the management server. And a fifth communication step.

  The apparatus (user terminal, photo sticker creation apparatus, management server, and transfer server) according to each aspect of the present invention may be realized by a computer. In this case, the computer is operated as each unit included in the apparatus. Thus, a control program for the above-described apparatus for realizing the above-described apparatus on a computer and a computer-readable recording medium on which the control program is recorded also fall within the scope of the present invention.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, the burden of communication from a photo sticker creating apparatus to a server can be reduced.

It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the management server which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the picked-up image management system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structural example of the external appearance of the photograph sticker production apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the perspective view which looked at the external appearance of the photograph sticker production apparatus concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention from other angles. It is a figure explaining the movement of the user in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the imaging | photography part with which the photograph sticker production apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention is equipped. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the background part with which the photograph sticker production apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention is equipped. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the edit part with which the photograph sticker production apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention is equipped. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the aft customer service part with which the photograph sticker production apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention is equipped. It is a block diagram which shows the example of an internal structure of the photograph sticker production apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows the detailed structural example of the control part with which the photograph sticker production apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention is equipped. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the portable terminal which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a screen transition figure which shows an example of the web page displayed on the display part of a portable terminal at the time of the member registration process in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the flow of a series of processes from photography to image preservation | save in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a screen transition diagram which shows an example of the web page displayed on the display part of a portable terminal at the time of the image preservation | save process to the management server in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the flow of a series of processes regarding the image preservation | save to the portable terminal in the picked-up image management system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a screen transition diagram which shows an example of the web page displayed on the display part of a portable terminal at the time of the image preservation | save process to the portable terminal in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the transfer server which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the picked-up image management system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the process which provides a user with the high definition image in 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Embodiment 1
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. Descriptions of configurations other than those described in the following specific embodiments may be omitted as necessary, but are the same as those configurations when described in other embodiments. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those shown in each embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and the explanation thereof is omitted as appropriate. Further, the shape of the configuration described in each drawing and the dimensions such as length, size, and width do not reflect the actual shape and dimensions, but are changed as appropriate for clarity and simplification of the drawings. doing.

(Photographed image management system 9)
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of the captured image management system 9 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the captured image management system 9 (image management system) includes a photo sticker creation device 1, a transfer server 7, a portable terminal 6, and a management server 4.

  An outline of the captured image management system 9 will be described below. The captured image management system 9 provides the user with services that enable the user to take a photo, edit the image, print the image as a photo sticker, and store the image on an image providing site. Photo shooting, image editing, and photo sticker printing services are provided by the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 installed in a store (facility) such as a game center. The image storage service is provided by the management server 4 that manages the image providing site. The user can store his / her captured image in the image providing site by operating the mobile terminal 6 possessed by the user.

  The photo sticker creating apparatus 1 and the transfer server 7 are relatively close, for example, installed in the same amusement facility 8. Therefore, the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 and the transfer server 7 can communicate with each other by short-range wireless communication. Here, near field communication is near field communication (Near field communication, non-contact communication), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and wireless LAN (Wireless local area network) (including Wi-Fi (registered trademark)). Including short-range wireless communication (local communication). At least the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 and the transfer server 7 are arranged within a range in which short-range wireless communication is possible. The transfer server 7 can communicate with a plurality of photo sticker creation apparatuses 1 installed in or near the amusement facility 8 by short-range wireless communication. A portable terminal 6 of a user who uses the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 is also in the amusement facility 8. The amusement facility 8 is a facility such as a game center, a building or site including the game center, a shopping center, and an amusement park, for example.

  On the other hand, the management server 4 that manages the image providing site and the member information is in an arbitrary place far away from the amusement facility 8 via the Internet. Therefore, the photo sticker creation apparatus 1, the transfer server 7, and the mobile terminal 6 communicate with the management server 4 via the Internet (network). The transfer server 7 only needs to be connected to the Internet using an arbitrary communication line. For example, the transfer server 7 can be connected to the Internet via an optical communication line.

  In order to store images on the image providing site, prior member registration is required. The user registers himself / herself as a free member in the image providing site. A free member does not need to pay a membership fee, but is limited by the number of images that can be stored at an image providing site. In this embodiment, the free member can store only one image in the image providing site for each game.

  The user can change his / her member attribute from a free member to a paid member. Paid members can save an unlimited number of images on an image providing site instead of having to pay a certain membership fee continuously. In the present embodiment, all the captured images generated by a single photo shoot can be stored in the image providing site.

  The flow from photography to image storage in the photographed image management system 9 will be briefly described below. One or more users pay the price to the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 and play a game relating to photography and image editing. The user takes a picture of himself as a subject during the game. The user selects several images to be edited from the images generated by shooting and edits them as desired. Further, the user inputs his / her e-mail address to the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 in order to save the image in the image providing site later. After editing the image, the user gets a photo sticker.

(Provision of standard images)
The photo sticker creating apparatus 1 associates the input user's mail address with the generated standard size image (standard image), and transmits it to the management server 4. The management server 4 transmits a mail for guiding the received image to be stored in the image providing site to the received mail address. The user receives this mail at his / her mobile terminal 6. The e-mail describes a procedure for storing an image on an image providing site. The user performs an operation for saving the image on the portable terminal 6 according to the procedure. As a result, the image is stored in the image storage area dedicated to the user at the image providing site.

  After the image is stored in the image providing site, the user can log in to the image providing site using the portable terminal 6 or other desired device and download the image.

(Providing high-definition images)
The specific user can be provided with a higher-definition image (high-definition image) than the standard image. The specific user is, for example, a user registered as a paying member on the image providing site. High-definition images have better image quality and larger data size than standard images. The high-definition image is provided to the user by a procedure different from that of the standard image. A method for providing a high-definition image will be described later.

(Configuration of photo sticker creation device)
The configuration and function of each device constituting the captured image management system 9 will be described in detail below. First, details of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the appearance of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in this figure, the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 mainly includes a photographing unit 11, an editing unit 12, and a subsequent customer service unit 13. The photo sticker creating apparatus 1 is installed in a state in which the photographing unit 11 and the editing unit 12 are in contact with each other, and the editing unit 12 and the subsequent customer service unit 13 are in contact with each other.

(Shooting unit 11)
The photographing unit 11 includes a photographing unit 21 and a background unit 22. The photographing unit 21 and the background unit 22 are installed with a predetermined distance apart. Shooting control is performed in a shooting space that is a space formed between the shooting unit 21 and the background unit 22.

  The photographing unit 21 is a device that allows a user to perform photographing control. The photographing unit 21 enters the photographing space and is located in front of the user who is performing the photographing control. A front panel 41 of the photographing unit 21 that constitutes a surface in which the photographing space is desired in front is provided with a touch panel monitor used by the user during photographing control. Assuming that the left side is the left side and the right side is the right side as viewed from the user in the imaging space, the left side of the imaging unit 21 is configured by the side panel 42A, and the right side is configured by the side panel 42B.

  The background portion 22 is attached to the left end of the rear panel 51 and the rear panel 51, which are plate-like members positioned on the rear side of the user who is performing the shooting control facing the front, and has a narrower width than the side panel 42A. And a side panel 52B (FIG. 4) which is a plate-like member attached to the right end of the rear panel 51 and having a narrower width than the side panel 42B.

  The side panel 42A constituting the left side surface of the photographing unit 21 and the side panel 52A of the background unit 22 are provided on substantially the same plane, and their upper portions are connected by a connecting part 23A that is a plate-like member. Further, the side panel 42B constituting the right side surface of the photographing unit 21 and the side panel 52B of the background portion 22 are provided on substantially the same plane, and their upper portions are connected by a connecting portion 23B which is a plate-like member.

  An opening formed by being surrounded by the side panel 42 </ b> A of the photographing unit 21, the connecting part 23 </ b> A, and the side panel 52 </ b> A of the background part 22 becomes an entrance G <b> 1 of the photographing space. An opening formed by being surrounded by the side panel 42B of the imaging unit 21, the connecting unit 23B, and the side panel 52B of the background unit 22 is also an entrance G2 of the imaging space.

  The background curtain unit 25 is provided above the background portion 22 so as to be supported by the back panel 51, the side panel 52A, and the side panel 52B. The background curtain unit 25 stores a plurality of roll-up type background curtains having different colors or patterns and used for the background. The background curtain unit 25 operates in conjunction with shooting by a camera or the like provided in the shooting unit 21. At the time of shooting, for example, the curtain of the color selected by the user is lowered and the other curtains are wound up.

  As the background curtain stored in the background curtain unit 25, an elevating curtain that uses a plurality of curtains as a single curtain for curtains may be prepared. In addition, a blackboard curtain is pasted on the rear panel 51 that is the back of the shooting space, and a plurality of background images for synthesis are prepared. In editing control described later, a user-desired background image is used as a curtain portion. It may be possible to synthesize.

  An opening surrounded by the front panel 41 of the photographing unit 21, the connecting part 23A, the connecting part 23B, and the background curtain unit 25 is formed above the photographing space, and the ceiling strobe unit 24 covers the part of the opening. Provided. One end of the ceiling strobe unit 24 is fixed to the connecting portion 23A, and the other end is fixed to the connecting portion 23B. The ceiling strobe unit 24 has a built-in strobe that emits light toward the photographing space in accordance with photographing. A fluorescent lamp is provided inside the strobe constituting the ceiling strobe unit 24, and also functions as illumination of the photographing space.

(Editor 12)
The editing unit 12 is a device that allows a user to perform editing control, which is processing for editing an image obtained by shooting control. The editing unit 12 is provided so as to be connected to the photographing unit 11 so that one side surface thereof is in contact with the back surface of the front panel 41 of the photographing unit 21. The editing unit 12 is provided with a configuration such as a tablet built-in monitor used by the user during editing control.

  If the configuration of the editing unit 12 shown in FIG. 3 is a front side configuration, the configuration used for editing control is provided on the front side and the back side of the editing unit 12 so that two sets of users can edit simultaneously. Provided.

  The front side of the editing unit 12 is a surface perpendicular to the floor surface, and is composed of a surface 71 that is substantially parallel to the side panel 42A, and a slope 72 formed above the surface 71 for editing control. The configuration used is provided on the slope 72. On the left side of the slope 72, a support portion 73A that has a columnar shape and supports one end of the lighting device 74 is provided. A support portion 75 that supports the curtain rail 26 is provided on the upper surface of the support portion 73A. A support portion 73 </ b> B (FIG. 4) that supports the other end of the lighting device 74 is also provided on the right side of the slope 72.

  A curtain rail 26 is attached above the editing unit 12. The curtain rail 26 is configured by combining three rails 26A to 26C so that the shape when viewed from above is a U-shape. One end of the rails 26A and 26B provided in parallel is fixed to the connecting portion 23A and the connecting portion 23B, respectively, and both ends of the remaining one rail 26C are joined to the other end.

  A curtain is attached to the curtain rail 26 so that the inside of the space in front of the editing unit 12 and the space in front of the back cannot be seen from the outside. The space in front of the editing unit 12 and the space in front of the back of the editing unit 12 surrounded by the curtain attached to the curtain rail 26 are editing spaces in which the user performs editing control.

(Subsequent customer service department 13)
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the external appearance of the photo sticker creating apparatus as seen from another angle. The subsequent customer service unit 13 is a device that performs the subsequent customer service and allows the user to perform an operation on the subsequent customer service. Subsequent customer service includes processing for transmitting images (including edited images) to the management server 4, processing for causing a user to play a mini game, processing for answering a questionnaire, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the post-service customer unit 13 has a plate-shaped housing having a predetermined thickness, and is connected to the editing unit 12 so that the back surface thereof is in contact with the left side surface of the editing unit 12. Provided. On the front side of the post-service customer section 13, there are provided a tablet built-in monitor used by the user at the time of operation for the post-service customer, and a discharge port for discharging sticker paper on which an image (including an edited image) is printed. The space in front of the post-service section 13 is a post-service area where a user waiting for printing on the sticker paper to perform an operation on the post-service.

(User movement)
The flow of the photo sticker creation game and the accompanying user movement will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the movement of the user.

  The user of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 takes a picture formed between the photographing part 21 and the background part 22 from the entrance / exit G1 as indicated by the white arrow # 1 or from the entrance / exit G2 as indicated by the white arrow # 2. The camera enters the space A1 and performs shooting control using a camera and a touch panel monitor provided in the shooting unit 21.

  It should be noted that, in the shooting of the user's image, not all shooting is for shooting an image printed on sticker paper, but for browsing on the mobile terminal 6 (or so that it can be viewed on the mobile terminal 6, In some cases, the image is taken only for transmission to the management server 4. This is because the user's preference may be different between the image to be printed and the image viewed on the mobile terminal 6, and the user wants to take an image in consideration of browsing on the mobile terminal 6 when shooting the user. It is in response to the user's intention.

  The user who has finished the shooting control uses the doorway G1 to move out of the shooting space A1 as indicated by the white arrow # 3 and moves to the editing space A2-1 or opens the doorway G2 as indicated by the white arrow # 4. Use to move out of the shooting space A1 and move to the editing space A2-2.

  The editing space A2-1 is an editing space on the front side of the editing unit 12, and the editing space A2-2 is an editing space on the back side of the editing unit 12. Which of the editing space A2-1 and the editing space A2-2 is moved is guided by the screen display of the touch panel monitor of the photographing unit 21 or the like. For example, the empty space of the two editing spaces is guided as the destination. The user who has moved to the editing space A2-1 or the editing space A2-2 starts editing control. The user of the editing space A2-1 and the user of the editing space A2-2 can perform editing control at the same time.

  After the editing control is finished, printing of an image selected from images (including edited images) is started. During printing of the image, the user who has finished the editing control moves from the editing space A2-1 to the subsequent customer service space A3 as indicated by the white arrow # 5 when the editing control is performed in the editing space A2-1. The customer receives the subsequent customer service and performs an operation on the subsequent customer service. In addition, when editing control is performed in the editing space A2-2, the user who has finished editing control moves from the editing space A2-2 to the post-service area A3 as indicated by the white arrow # 6. In the space A3, a subsequent customer service is received and an operation is performed on the customer service.

  When the printing of the image is finished, the user receives the sticker paper from the outlet provided in the post-service section 13 and finishes a series of photo sticker creation games.

(Configuration of each member)
Next, the configuration of each member provided in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 will be described.

(Photographing unit 21)
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the photographing unit 21 provided in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. The photographing unit 21 is configured by attaching a front panel 41, a side panel 42A, and a side panel 42B to a base unit 43 having a box shape.

  The front panel 41 is positioned in front of the user who performs shooting control in the shooting space A1, and the side panel 42A and the side panel 42B are positioned on the left and right sides of the user who performs shooting control in the shooting space A1, respectively. The connecting portion 23A is fixed above the side panel 42A, and the connecting portion 23B is fixed above the side panel 42B.

  An imaging / display unit 81 is provided in the approximate center of the front panel 41. The photographing / display unit 81 includes a camera 91, a front strobe 92, and a touch panel monitor 93.

  The camera 91 is configured by an image sensor such as a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS), and photographs a user in the photographing space A1. The moving image captured by the camera 91 is displayed on the touch panel monitor 93 in real time. An image captured by the camera 91 at a predetermined timing such as when a user gives an instruction to shoot is saved as an image (still image).

  The touch panel monitor 93 provided on the lower side of the camera 91 includes a monitor such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and a touch panel stacked thereon. The touch panel monitor 93 has a function as a live view monitor that displays a moving image captured by the camera 91 and a function that displays various GUI (Graphical User Interface) images and accepts a user's selection operation through the touch panel. Yes. On the touch panel monitor 93, a moving image after an image such as a background is appropriately displayed is displayed.

  On the front panel 41, an upper strobe 82 is installed on the upper side with respect to the position of the photographing / display unit 81. A left strobe 83 is installed on the left side and a right strobe 84 is installed on the right side. A lower strobe 85 is provided at a position below the photographing / display unit 81 such that a part of the upper surface of the base portion 43 protrudes.

  The upper strobe 82 irradiates the user from the upper front. The left strobe 83 irradiates the user from the left front, and the right strobe 84 irradiates the user from the right front. The lower strobe 85 irradiates the user from the lower front.

  The base unit 43 is also provided with a foot strobe 86 that irradiates the user's foot. The upper strobe 82, left strobe 83, right strobe 84, lower strobe 85, and foot strobe 86 are provided with fluorescent lamps. Used as illumination in the space A1. As will be described later, by adjusting the light emission amount of each fluorescent lamp, or by adjusting the number of fluorescent lamps to emit light, the brightness in the shooting space A1 becomes the content of the shooting control performed by the user. It is adjusted accordingly.

  On the right side of the foot strobe 86, a coin insertion / return opening 87 through which a user inserts money is provided.

  Spaces 43A and 43B formed on the left and right sides of the upper surface of the base portion 43 with the lower strobe 85 interposed therebetween are used as a luggage storage place for a user who performs shooting control to place baggage and the like. For example, near the ceiling of the front panel 41, a speaker for outputting sound such as guidance sound for shooting control, BGM (Back Ground Music), and sound effects is also provided.

(Background part 22)
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the background unit 22 provided in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. As described above, the background curtain unit 25 is provided above the back panel 51. Near the center of the background curtain unit 25, a rear center strobe 101 that irradiates a user who is performing shooting control in the shooting space A1 from the rear center.

  A rear left strobe 102 that irradiates a user who is performing shooting control in the shooting space A1 from the left rear is provided above the rear panel 51 and on the doorway G1 side. Further, a rear right strobe 103 that irradiates the user who is performing the photographing control in the photographing space A1 from the right rear is provided above the rear panel 51 and on the entrance / exit G2 side.

(Editor 12)
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the editing unit 12 provided in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. As shown in the figure, in the editing unit 12, a tablet built-in monitor 131 is provided in the approximate center of the slope 72. A touch pen 132A is provided on the left side of the tablet built-in monitor 131, and a touch pen 132B is provided on the right side.

  The tablet built-in monitor 131 is configured by superimposing a tablet capable of inputting an operation using the touch pens 132A and 132B on a monitor such as an LCD. On the tablet built-in monitor 131, for example, an editing screen, which is a screen used for editing an image selected as an image to be edited, is displayed. When two people perform editing work simultaneously, the touch pen 132A is used by one user, and the touch pen 132B is used by the other user.

  Note that the editing of the image performed in the editing unit 12 is not necessarily an editing for an image to be printed, but an image that the user is supposed to view only on the mobile terminal 6 (that is, an image that is not printed). May be an edit to This is because there is a difference in user preference between an image to be printed and an image viewed on the mobile terminal 6 (used on the web). For example, an image used for a blog or the like is printed. This is to respond to the user's intention to edit differently from the editing of the image to be performed.

(Subsequent customer service department 13)
On the left side of the editing unit 12, a post-service unit 13 is provided. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the post-service unit 13 provided in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1.

  A monitor 161 with a built-in tablet is provided at the upper center of the post-service section 13. A touch pen 162A is provided on the left side of the tablet built-in monitor 161, and a touch pen 162B is provided on the right side. Similarly to the tablet built-in monitor 131, the tablet built-in monitor 161 is configured by superimposing a tablet capable of performing an operation input using the touch pen 162A or 162B on a monitor such as an LCD. On the tablet built-in monitor 161, a screen used in a post-service process such as a mini game is displayed.

  A short-range wireless communication unit 163 (seventh communication unit) is provided below the tablet built-in monitor 161, and a sticker paper discharge port 164 is provided below the short-range wireless communication unit 163. A speaker 165 is provided below the sticker paper discharge port 164.

  The short-range wireless communication unit 163 performs non-contact communication with an adjacent non-contact type IC, reads data from the non-contact type IC, and writes data to the non-contact type IC. Not limited to this, the short-range wireless communication unit 163 may perform other types of short-range wireless communication. For example, the short-range wireless communication unit 163 may perform direct communication with the mobile terminal 6 using Bluetooth communication.

  In the sticker paper discharge port 164, sticker paper on which an image created by the editing space A2-1 user performing editing control is printed, or created by the editing space A2-2 user performing editing control. The sticker paper on which the image is printed is discharged. A printer is provided inside the editing unit 12, and printing of images is performed by the printer.

  The speaker 165 outputs sound such as guidance voice, BGM, and sound effects at the time of subsequent customer service.

(Internal structure of photo sticker making apparatus 1)
Next, the internal configuration of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration example of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. The same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same structure as the structure mentioned above. The overlapping description will be omitted as appropriate.

  The control unit 201 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like, and executes a program stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory) 206 or a storage unit 202 to control the overall operation of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. A storage unit 202, a communication unit 203, a drive 204, a ROM 206, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 207 are connected to the control unit 201. The control unit 201 is also connected with the components of the photographing unit 21, the editing unit 12, the post-service unit 13, and the printing unit 211.

  The storage unit 202 includes a non-volatile storage medium such as a hard disk or a flash memory, and stores various setting information supplied from the control unit 201. Information stored in the storage unit 202 is appropriately read out by the control unit 201.

  A communication unit 203 (sixth communication unit) is an interface of a network such as the Internet, and communicates with an external device according to control by the control unit 201. The communication unit 203 communicates with the management server 4 via a wireless communication network.

  A removable medium 205 made of an optical disk or a semiconductor memory is appropriately attached to the drive 204. The computer program and data read from the removable medium 205 by the drive 204 are supplied to the control unit 201 and stored in the storage unit 202 or installed.

  The ROM 206 stores programs and data executed by the control unit 201. The RAM 207 temporarily stores data and programs processed by the control unit 201.

  The imaging unit 21 performs processing related to the user's imaging control in the imaging space A1. The imaging unit 21 includes a coin processing unit 221, a background control unit 222, an illumination control unit 223, a camera 91, a touch panel monitor 93, and a speaker 224.

  The coin processing unit 221 detects the insertion of coins into the coin insertion / return port 87. When the coin processing unit 221 detects that a predetermined amount of coins such as 300 yen has been inserted, the coin processing unit 221 outputs an activation signal indicating that to the control unit 201.

  The background control unit 222 raises and lowers the background curtain stored in the background curtain unit 25 according to the background control signal supplied from the control unit 201. The background curtain may be manually selected by the user.

  The illumination control unit 223 controls the light emission of each strobe in the imaging space A1 according to the illumination control signal supplied from the control unit 201. As described above, in the photographing space A1, in addition to the strobe of the ceiling strobe unit 24, an upper strobe 82, a left strobe 83, a right strobe 84, a lower strobe 85, a foot strobe 86, and a background portion provided in the photographing unit 21 are provided. 22 is provided with a back center strobe 101, a back left strobe 102, and a back right strobe 103. A fluorescent lamp is also provided inside each strobe.

  In addition, the illumination control unit 223 adjusts the light emission amount of the fluorescent lamp provided in each strobe, or adjusts the number of fluorescent lamps to emit light, thereby performing the shooting control stage performed by the user. Accordingly, the brightness in the shooting space A1 is adjusted.

  The camera 91 shoots according to the control by the control unit 201 and outputs an image (image) obtained by the shooting to the control unit 201.

  The editing unit 12A performs processing related to user editing control in the editing space A2-1. The editing unit 12A includes a tablet built-in monitor 131, touch pens 132A and 132B, and a speaker 231 provided on the front side of the editing unit 12. The editing unit 12B has the same configuration as the editing unit 12A, and performs processing related to user editing control in the editing space A2-2.

  The tablet built-in monitor 131 displays an editing screen according to control by the control unit 201 and detects a user operation on the editing screen. A signal representing the content of the user's operation is supplied to the control unit 201, and the image to be edited is edited.

  The subsequent customer service section 13 performs processing related to the subsequent customer service in the subsequent customer service space A3. The subsequent customer service unit 13 includes a tablet built-in monitor 161, touch pens 162A and 162B, a short-range wireless communication unit 163, and a speaker 165.

  The printing unit 211 includes a printer 241 and a sticker unit 242 that are configured to perform printing control. The printer 241 prints the image or the edited image obtained by the editing control by the user on the sticker paper stored in the sticker paper unit 242 attached to the printer 241 and discharges it to the sticker paper discharge port 164. . The subsequent customer service unit 13 and the printing unit 211 that are surrounded by a one-dot chain line are configured to perform processing related to the subsequent customer service for the user in the subsequent customer service space A3.

  In addition, in the processing relating to print control, the printing unit 211 prints an image (standard image) transmitted to the management server 4 outside the margin (such as an edge of the sticker paper) in addition to printing a photographed image (or an edited image) on the sticker paper. A URL (Uniform Resource Locater) for acquiring an image and a sticker ID (image acquisition ID) may be printed. The sticker ID is an identifier for uniquely identifying one or a plurality of images (including a photographed image and an edited image) generated during one game in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. This is an identifier for acquiring the generated image. The user accesses a URL for acquiring an image and inputs a sticker ID, whereby a web page (image acquisition page) for acquiring an image generated during one game in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 is displayed. It can be displayed on the portable terminal 6.

  This is because, for example, when receiving an e-mail address input from the user at the post-service department 13 or the like, a correct address cannot be received due to a time-out or error input, and information such as a URL for acquiring an image is transmitted to the user. This is to allow the user to acquire an image by accessing the URL printed on the sticker paper and inputting the sticker ID when the user cannot do so.

  Note that the printing unit 211 may print, for example, a predetermined mail address or a QR code (registered trademark) as the information for acquiring an image instead of the URL. When a predetermined mail address is printed, the user receives a mail describing a URL for acquiring an image from the management server 4 by sending a blank mail to the predetermined mail address. Can do. In addition, when the QR code is printed on the sticker paper, the user can directly access the image acquisition page by accessing the web page indicated by the QR code using the mobile terminal 6.

(Configuration of control unit)
FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration example of the control unit 201 provided in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. As shown in this figure, the control unit 201 includes a communication control unit 311 (sixth communication unit, seventh communication unit), a photographing control unit 312 (image generation unit), an edit control unit 313 (image generation unit), and print control. Unit 314 and post-service customer control unit 315 (encryption means, specific information generation means).

  The communication control unit 311 controls communication with an external device by the communication unit 203 and the short-range wireless communication unit 163.

  The shooting control unit 312 relates to a process related to a charge inserted when starting the photo sticker creation game by the shooting unit 21 and a user shooting control in the photo sticker creation game such as shooting a user group according to the user shooting control. Control processing. The shooting control unit 312 can also generate date / time information related to the date / time when the image was shot.

  The editing control unit 313 controls processing related to user editing control in the photo sticker creation game, such as graffiti editing of images by the editing unit 12A and the editing unit 12B.

  The print control unit 314 controls processing related to user print control in the photo sticker creation game, such as sticker sheet printing by the printing unit 211.

  The post-service customer control unit 315 controls processing related to the post-service in the photo sticker creation game, such as processing to serve a user group that has finished the editing work by the post-service unit 13.

(Management server 4)
Next, details of the management server 4 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of the management server 4 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in this figure, the management server 4 mainly includes a control unit 401, a storage unit 402, and a communication unit 403. The control unit 401 performs overall control of each member provided in the management server 4. The storage unit 402 stores various data used in the management server 4. The communication unit 403 (fourth communication unit, fifth communication unit) communicates with other devices constituting the captured image management system 9.

(Details of control unit 401)
As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 401 includes a communication control unit 411 (fourth communication unit, fifth communication unit), a mail creation unit 412, a web page creation unit 413, an image management unit 414 (image management unit), and An authentication unit 415 (authentication means) is provided.

(Communication control unit 411)
The communication control unit 411 controls communication by the communication unit 403.

(Mail creation unit 412)
The mail creating unit 412 creates a mail to be sent to the mail address of the user who played with the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. In the present embodiment, the mail creation unit 412 creates a mail that guides the storage of an image that is transmitted to the mail address input from the communication control unit 411 using the data stored in the mail database 421. And output to the communication control unit 411.

(Web page creation unit 413)
The web page creation unit 413 creates a web page displayed on the mobile terminal 6. In the present embodiment, the web page creation unit 413 creates a web page corresponding to the access request received from the mobile terminal 6 using the data stored in the web page database 423 and outputs the web page to the communication control unit 411. . Although details will be described later, the web page creation unit 413 creates a web page corresponding to the user's membership type.

  In the following description, “page” refers to data that the management server 4 transmits to a communication terminal such as the mobile terminal 6 for display, such as a web page. The page usually includes text data and image data, and may further include audio data and moving image data.

(Image management unit 414)
The image management unit 414 manages images provided to the user through the image providing site. In the present embodiment, the image management unit 414 stores, in the image database 424, an image designated by the user among images created by the photo sticker creating apparatus 1.

(Authentication unit 415)
The authentication unit 415 authenticates the user by referring to the member database 422 for authentication information (member ID and password) received from the mobile terminal 6.

(Details of storage unit 402)
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the storage unit 402 includes a mail database 421, a member database 422, a web page database 423, and an image database 424.

(Mail database 421)
The mail database 421 stores various data for creating a mail to be transmitted to the user.

(Member database 422)
The member database 422 stores various types of information related to users who are members of the image providing site. In the present embodiment, the member database 422 stores information (user specifying information) for specifying a user who uses the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 for each user. Examples of the user specifying information include a user's member ID, e-mail address, nickname, date of birth, address, member attribute, membership date, and terminal ID of a mobile terminal held by the user. Moreover, as a member attribute, a pay member, a free member, etc. can be mentioned, for example.

(Web page database 423)
The web page database 423 stores various data for creating a web page of an image providing site displayed on the mobile terminal 6.

(Image database 424)
The image database 424 stores images instructed by the user to be stored in the image providing site among the images of the user created by the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. In the image database 424, images are stored separately for each user registered as a member in the member database 422.

  Although not shown, the storage unit 402 also has a temporary storage database that temporarily stores data such as images received from the photo sticker creating apparatus 1.

(Details of communication unit 403)
In this embodiment, the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 and the mobile terminal 6 are communication partners of the communication unit 403. The communication unit 403 receives data from another device or transmits data to another device under the control of the communication control unit 411.

(Mobile terminal 6)
FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of the mobile terminal 6 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in this figure, the mobile terminal 6 mainly includes a control unit 601, a storage unit 602, a communication unit 603 (eighth communication unit, ninth communication unit, and tenth communication unit), an input unit 604, and a display unit. 605. The control unit 601 performs overall control of each member provided in the mobile terminal 6. The storage unit 602 stores various data used in the mobile terminal 6. The mobile terminal 6 communicates with other devices constituting the captured image management system 9. The communication unit 603 can perform short-range wireless communication and wireless communication (Internet connection) via a base station. The input unit 604 is a device for a user to input information to the mobile terminal 6 such as a touch panel. The display unit 605 is a device for displaying information, such as a liquid crystal display device.

(Details of control unit 601)
As illustrated in FIG. 12, the control unit 601 includes a communication control unit 611 (eighth communication unit, ninth communication unit, and tenth communication unit), an input control unit 612, and a display control unit 613.

  The communication control unit 611 controls communication by the communication unit 603. The input control unit 612 controls information input in the input unit 604. The display control unit 613 controls information display on the display unit 605. For example, when the display control unit 613 outputs the web page input from the communication control unit 611 to the display unit 605, the web page can be displayed on the display unit 605.

(Transfer server 7)
FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of the transfer server 7. As shown in this figure, the transfer server 7 mainly includes a control unit 701, a storage unit 702, an Internet communication unit 703 (second communication unit), and a short-range wireless communication unit 704 (first communication unit, third communication). Means).

  The storage unit 702 stores various data used in the transfer server 7. The internet communication unit 703 communicates with the management server 4 via the internet. The short-range wireless communication unit 704 communicates with the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 and the mobile terminal 6 by short-range wireless communication.

  The control unit 701 performs overall control of each member provided in the transfer server 7. The control unit 701 includes a communication control unit 711 (first communication unit, second communication unit, third communication unit), and a transfer management unit 712.

(Communication control unit 711)
The communication control unit 711 controls communication by the Internet communication unit 703 and the short-range wireless communication unit 704.

(Transfer Management Unit 712)
The transfer management unit 712 writes / reads data such as images to / from the storage unit 702 in order to save or transfer data such as images.

(Member registration process)
In the photographed image management system 9, a user who has registered as a member on the image providing site can save the photographed image on the image providing site. The user registers himself / herself as a free member in the image providing site according to a predetermined procedure. The procedure will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a screen transition diagram illustrating an example of a web page displayed on the display unit 605 of the mobile terminal 6 during the member registration process.

  The user accesses the image providing site using the portable terminal 6 in order to register as a member in the image providing site. As a result, the top page 1001 of the image providing site as shown in FIG. 13A is displayed on the display unit 605 of the mobile terminal 6. The top page 1001 includes at least a link image 1002 for proceeding with the member login process and a link image 1003 for proceeding with the free member registration process.

  The user operates the input unit 604 of the mobile terminal 6 to select a link image 1003 for proceeding with free member registration. As a result, the portable terminal 6 communicates with the management server 4, and as a result, the web page 1011 for free member registration as shown in FIG. 13B is displayed on the display unit 605.

  The web page 1011 includes an input form 1012 for inputting information (user specifying information) for specifying a user who is registered as a free member, and a link image 1013 for transmitting the input user specifying information to the management server 4. Including at least. The user operates the input unit 604 of the mobile terminal 6 to input various personal information such as the user's member ID, password, and email address to the input form 1012 as user identification information. The user selects the link image 1013 after completing the input of the user specifying information. As a result, the mobile terminal 6 transmits the user specifying information to the management server 4 and requests the management server 4 to register the user for free membership.

  The communication control unit 411 of the management server 4 receives the user specifying information transmitted from the mobile terminal 6 through the communication unit 403. The communication control unit 411 outputs the received user identification information to the mail creation unit 412 and instructs the mail creation unit 412 to create a member registration email. In response to this instruction, the mail creation unit 412 creates a member registration mail 1021 as shown in FIG. The member registration mail 1021 is a mail addressed to the mail address included in the received user identification information, and includes a URL 1022 to a web page indicating completion of free member registration. The mail creation unit 412 outputs the created member registration mail 1021 to the communication control unit 411. The communication control unit 411 transmits the input member registration mail 1021 to the user's mail address via the communication unit 403.

  The portable terminal 6 receives the transmitted member registration mail 1021 and displays it on the display unit 605. The user confirms the displayed member registration mail 1021 and selects the URL 1022. Thereby, the mobile terminal 6 requests the management server 4 for a web page specified by the URL 1022.

  In response to this request, the management server 4 completes free member registration. Specifically, the management server 4 creates an account area for a user (a storage area for storing member-specific data) in the member database 422, and stores the user specifying information in the account area. At this time, information indicating that the user is a free member is added to the account area. Finally, the management server 4 creates a web page indicating that the free member registration is completed and transmits it to the mobile terminal 6.

  The user can register himself / herself as a paying member in the image providing site by logging in to the image providing site by entering a member ID and password after registering a free member and following a predetermined procedure. After this registration is completed, information indicating that the user is a paid member is added to the user's account area.

(Service flow)
Next, details of the flow of services provided by the captured image management system 9 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a flow of a series of processes from photography to image storage in the photographed image management system 9.

(photography)
As shown in FIG. 14, the user starts playing the game in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 (step S1). Specifically, the user stands in front of the front panel 41 of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 and inserts coins having a fee required for playing the game into the coin insertion / return slot 87. The imaging control unit 312 determines whether or not a predetermined amount of coins has been inserted based on a signal supplied from the coin processing unit 221.

  If it is determined that the camera has been inserted, the shooting control unit 312 controls the shooting unit 21 to display the moving image of the subject captured by the camera 91 on the touch panel monitor 93 and display it in the shooting space A1 according to the shooting control by the user. The user is photographed as a subject (step S2). This photographing control is performed a plurality of times within the photographing processing time.

  In addition, as a process in the imaging control, a predetermined number of times may be taken as an image for transmission to the mobile terminal 6 instead of an image for printing on a sticker sheet. In this case, as an image suitable for an image to be transmitted to the mobile terminal 6, an image obtained by chroma-combining the image for synthesis and an image subjected to image processing such as filtering processing using a color filter are created at the time of shooting. Sometimes.

  After the photographing is finished, the photographing control unit 312 guides the user in the photographing space A1 to move to the editing space A2-1 or the editing space A2-2. This guidance is performed by displaying a guidance screen on the touch panel monitor 93 of the photographing unit 21 or by outputting voice guidance from the speaker 224.

(edit a picture)
After the end of the guidance, the editing control unit 313 controls the editing unit 12 corresponding to the editing space of the editing space A2-1 and the editing space A2-2 that is the destination of the user who has finished the shooting control. Thus, the editing unit 12 is caused to edit the image (step S3). Specifically, the editing control unit 313 causes the user to select a synthesis image to be synthesized with the image selected or acquired as the editing target image, and synthesizes the selected synthesis image with the image. The composite image is edited according to the editing operation by the user. In addition, as editing for an image for transmission to the mobile terminal 6, for example, processing such as processing for trimming an image to a predetermined size, filtering processing using a color filter, and collage synthesis processing for finishing a plurality of images as one image Can also be done.

  After the editing, the editing control unit 313 guides the user who has finished editing control in the editing space A2-1 or the editing space A2-2 to move to the post-service space A3. This guidance is performed by displaying a guidance screen on the tablet built-in monitor 131 or by outputting guidance voice from the speaker 231.

(Photo sticker printing)
After the guidance is completed, the print control unit 314 outputs the image selected by the user to the printer 241 and prints it on the sticker sheet (step S4). When printing is completed, the customer service control unit 315 displays that the printing has been completed on the tablet built-in monitor 161 so that the printer 241 can acquire images from the management server 4 and the photo sticker creation apparatus 1 in the same procedure. The sticker ID created in the photo sticker creation device 1 and image acquisition information (URL of the image acquisition site, e-mail address for acquisition, etc.) are printed out of the box, and a predetermined image is printed in the center. The sealed sheet is discharged to the sheet discharge port 164.

(Subsequent customer service)
During printing, the subsequent customer service control unit 315 controls the subsequent customer service unit 13 to control processing related to the subsequent customer service for the user who is waiting for completion of printing (step S5). Specifically, the post-service customer control unit 315 transmits an image (including an edited image) to the management server 4 or the mobile terminal 6 in the photo sticker creation game as processing related to the post-service by the post-service customer unit 13. Control processing. At that time, the post-service control unit 315 causes the tablet built-in monitor 161 to display a mail address input screen for inputting the mail address of the user who played the game and a screen for selecting an image to be transmitted. The user uses the touch pen 162 </ b> A or the touch pen 162 </ b> B to input the currently used mail address and select an image to be transmitted to the management server 4.

  In addition, the post-service customer control unit 315 causes the tablet built-in monitor 161 to display a selection screen that allows the user to select whether or not to provide a high-definition image. When the user desires to provide a high-definition image, the post-service customer control unit 315 performs a process for providing the user with a high-definition image in addition to the standard image. For example, a standard image is an image whose image data size is less than a predetermined value, and a high-definition image is an image whose image data size is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. Details of processing for providing a high-definition image will be described later. Below, the process which provides a user with a standard image is demonstrated.

(Image transmission)
The communication control unit 311 transmits the input mail address and the selected image (standard image) or the image determined by the control unit 201 as a transmission target to the management server 4 through the communication unit 203 (step S6). An identifier (image ID) for uniquely identifying the image is associated with the image transmitted at this time. The communication unit 403 of the management server 4 receives the mail address, the image (standard image), and the image ID transmitted from the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 (step S7), and outputs them to the communication control unit 411. The communication control unit 411 stores the received image in a temporary storage database (not shown) of the storage unit 402. The stored data such as an image is continuously stored in the temporary storage database until a predetermined time limit elapses, and is automatically deleted from the temporary storage database when the time limit elapses.

  Note that the communication control unit 311 may transmit all images to the management server 4 in consideration of not only a predetermined number of images selected by the user but also a future paying member. As a result, the user can acquire all images taken in the state of the free member when the user becomes a paying member on the site after shooting in the state of the free member.

(Compose and send a guide email)
The communication control unit 411 outputs the received email address and image ID to the email creation unit 412. The mail creating unit 412 creates a guide mail that is transmitted to the mail address received from the communication control unit 411 and guides the user to save the image. The procedure is as follows. The mail creation unit 412 outputs the image ID to the web page creation unit 413 and requests the web page creation unit 413 to generate a URL 1102 indicating a web page for storing the image specified by the image ID. The web page creation unit 413 generates the requested URL 1102 and outputs it to the mail creation unit 412.

  The mail creation unit 412 acquires data for creating a guide mail from the mail database 421. Then, the guide mail 1101 shown in FIG. 15A is created using the data, the URL 1102 and the user's mail address. A URL 1102 is described in the text of the guide mail 1101. The mail creation unit 412 outputs the created guide mail 1101 to the communication control unit 411. The communication control unit 411 transmits the guide mail 1101 to the user's mail address via the communication unit 403 (step S8).

  Note that the mail creation unit 412 may transmit a guide mail including a URL indicating a web page that only allows the user to input a seal ID instead of a web page that collects the image ID and the image related to the image ID. Good. In this case, the management server 4 receives an input of a seal ID printed outside the margin of the sticker paper from the mobile terminal 6 on the web page indicated by the URL included in the guidance mail, and is transmitted to the management server 4. You may make it display the image which is.

(Request and send web page for saving images)
The communication unit 603 of the portable terminal 6 receives the transmitted guide mail 1101 (step S9) and outputs it to the communication control unit 611. The communication control unit 611 outputs the input guide mail 1101 to the display control unit 613. The display control unit 613 outputs the input guide mail 1101 to the display unit 605. The user confirms the guide mail 1101 displayed on the display unit 605, and selects the URL 1102 using the input unit 604 in order to save the image on the image providing site (step S10).

  The input control unit 612 receives a selection input from the input unit 604 and notifies the communication control unit 611 that the URL 1102 has been selected. In response to this, the communication control unit 611 requests the management server 4 for a web page corresponding to the selected URL 1102. The specific procedure is as follows. The communication control unit 611 acquires the user member ID stored in the storage unit 602, and transmits a predetermined request for providing a web page including the member ID to the management server 4 through the communication unit 603.

  The communication control unit 411 receives the transmitted request through the communication unit 403 (step S11) and outputs it to the web page creation unit 413. The web page creation unit 413 determines the member type of the user by referring to the member database 422 for the member ID included in the request (step S12). In the present embodiment, the web page creation unit 413 determines whether the user is a free member or a paid member, and creates a web page according to the determination result. If the web page creation unit 413 determines that the user is a free member, the web page creation unit 413 creates a web page 1103 for the free member to store images as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when it is determined that the user is a paying member, a web page 1107 for the paying member to save the image is created as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 15B, the web page 1103 includes one thumbnail image 1104, a link image 1105 that prompts the user to register a paying member, and a link image 1106 for storing one image on the image providing site. Is included. If the user is a free member, the number of images that can be stored is one, and the thumbnail image 1104 is a thumbnail of the one image. Note that the single image is an image selected by the user in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. On the other hand, when there are a plurality of images, the thumbnail image 1104 is any one of the plurality of images.

  As shown in FIG. 15C, the web page 1107 includes one thumbnail image 1104 and a link image 1108 for storing all the images.

  In this example, since the user is a free member, the web page creation unit 413 creates a web page 1103 for a free member. The web page creation unit 413 outputs the created web page 1103 to the communication control unit 411. The communication control unit 411 transmits the input web page 1103 to the mobile terminal 6 through the communication unit 403 (step S13).

(Save image)
The portable terminal 6 receives the web page 1103 through the communication unit 603 (step S14). The web page 1103 is output to the display control unit 613 via the communication control unit 611. The display control unit 613 outputs the input web page 1103 to the display unit 605. The user confirms the web page 1103 displayed on the display unit 605. When the user is a free member, even if there are a plurality of images, only one of them can be stored in the image providing site. When the user wants to save one image, the user selects the link image 1106 through the input unit 604. Note that the image to be stored is not limited to the image selected as the image to be transmitted to the mobile terminal 6 in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1, and is designated as an image to be stored in the mobile terminal 6 accessing the image providing site, for example. It may be an image.

  The input control unit 612 receives a selection input from the input unit 604 and notifies the communication control unit 611 that the link image 1106 has been selected. In response to this, the communication control unit 611 transmits an image storage instruction to the management server 4 (step S15).

  The communication control unit 411 receives the transmitted storage instruction through the communication unit 403 (step S16). As a result, the communication control unit 411 instructs the image management unit 414 to store the image. In response to this instruction, the image management unit 414 stores the user image stored in the temporary storage database in the image database 424 in association with the user member ID (step S17). At that time, if there is only one image, the image is saved. On the other hand, if there are a plurality of images, one of them (for example, an image corresponding to the thumbnail image 1104) is stored. Thereby, a series of processes shown in FIG. 14 is completed.

  Note that a user who is a free member selects the link image 1105 when he wants to save all images. In this case, a series of processing for paying member registration is performed in the captured image management system 9. When registration is completed, all images are stored in the image database 424 in association with the member ID of the user.

  In addition, the saving process when the user is a paying member is essentially the same as the saving process when the user is a free member. However, the user selects the link image 1108 included in the web page 1107. As a result, the management server 4 stores all images in the user image storage area in the image database 424. Note that the selection of an image to be saved by the user (one image for a free member and all images for a paid member) may be accepted by the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. In this case, the image management unit 414 may store the image selected in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 in the image database 424.

(Image saving to portable terminal 6)
Hereinafter, a flow of processing when an image stored in the image providing site is stored in the user's portable terminal 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17. FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a flow of a series of processes related to image storage in the mobile terminal 6 in the captured image management system 9. FIG. 17 is a screen transition diagram illustrating an example of a web page displayed on the display unit 605 of the mobile terminal 6 during the image saving process on the mobile terminal 6.

  The user accesses the image providing site in order to log in to the image providing site. As a result, the top page 1001 of the image providing site as shown in FIG. 17A is displayed on the display unit 605 of the mobile terminal 6. The user operates the input unit 604 of the mobile terminal 6 to select a link image 1002 for proceeding with member login processing to the image providing site. The input control unit 612 receives this selection operation and notifies the communication control unit 611 that the link image 1002 has been selected. As a result, the communication control unit 611 reads the user's member ID and password from the storage unit 602, transmits them to the management server 4 via the communication unit 603, and requests the management server 4 to log in to the image providing site (step S21). . Note that when the link image 1002 is selected, the communication control unit 611 may acquire a web page for inputting the user's member ID and password. In this case, the management server 4 may accept input of the member ID and password on the web page.

  The communication control unit 411 of the management server 4 receives this request through the communication unit 403 (step S22). Next, the communication control unit 411 outputs the received member ID and password to the web page creation unit 413 and instructs the web page creation unit 413 to create the member top page 1031.

  The web page creation unit 413 determines whether or not the user is registered as a member on the image providing site by checking the input member ID and password against the member database 422. If it is determined that it is registered, data for generating the member top page 1031 is acquired from the web page database 423. The web page creation unit 413 generates a member top page 1031 as shown in FIG. 17B using the data and outputs the member top page 1031 to the communication control unit 411. The member top page 1031 includes a link image 1032 for displaying a list of user images stored in the image providing site. The communication control unit 411 transmits the member top page 1031 to the mobile terminal 6 through the communication unit 403 (step S23).

  The communication control unit 611 of the mobile terminal 6 receives the member top page 1031 through the communication unit 603. The communication control unit 611 outputs the received member top page 1031 to the display control unit 613. The display control unit 613 outputs the member top page 1031 to the display unit 605. As a result, the member top page 1031 is displayed on the display unit 605 (step S24).

  The user selects the link image 1032 by operating the input unit 604 of the mobile terminal 6 (step S25). The input control unit 612 receives this selection operation and notifies the communication control unit 611 that the link image 1032 has been selected. As a result, the communication control unit 611 transmits a request for providing a web page including a list of user images stored in the image providing site to the management server 4 through the communication unit 603.

  The communication control unit 411 of the management server 4 receives the transmitted request through the communication unit 403 (step S26). Next, the communication control unit 411 instructs the web page creation unit 413 to generate an image list page 1041 including a list of user images stored in the image database 424.

  The web page creation unit 413 acquires data for generating the image list page 1041 from the web page database 423. The web page creation unit 413 uses the data and refers to all the images of the user stored in the image database 424 to generate an image list page 1041 as shown in FIG. 411. The image list page 1041 includes a plurality of thumbnail images 1042 that individually represent all the images of the user stored in the image database 424. The communication control unit 411 transmits the image list page 1041 to the mobile terminal 6 through the communication unit 403 (step S27).

  The communication control unit 611 of the portable terminal 6 receives the image list page 1041 through the communication unit 603. The communication control unit 611 outputs the received image list page 1041 to the display control unit 613. The display control unit 613 outputs the image list page 1041 to the display unit 605. As a result, the image list page 1041 is displayed on the display unit 605 (step S28).

  The user operates the input unit 604 of the mobile terminal 6 to select a thumbnail image 1042 corresponding to an image to be stored in the mobile terminal 6 among the displayed thumbnail images 1042 (step S29). The input control unit 612 receives this selection operation and notifies the communication control unit 611 that the thumbnail image 1042 has been selected. As a result, the communication control unit 611 transmits a request for providing an image corresponding to the selected thumbnail image 1042 to the management server 4 through the communication unit 603.

  The communication control unit 411 of the management server 4 receives the transmitted request through the communication unit 403 (step S30). Next, the communication control unit 411 instructs the image management unit 414 to output the image of the user requested to be provided from the portable terminal 6 to the communication control unit 411.

  The image management unit 414 acquires the instructed image from the image database 424 and outputs the acquired image to the communication control unit 411. The communication control unit 411 transmits the input image to the mobile terminal 6 through the communication unit 403 (step S31).

  The communication control unit 611 of the portable terminal 6 receives the transmitted image through the communication unit 603 and stores it in the storage unit 602 (step S32). Thus, the image storage process on the mobile terminal 6 is completed.

  In the above description, the configuration in which the mobile terminal 6 acquires an image by logging in to the image providing site has been described as an example. However, in the present embodiment, an image can also be acquired using a seal ID. . For example, the mobile terminal 6 accesses the web page indicated by the URL printed on the sticker paper (or the URL included in the guide mail), and accepts an input operation of the sticker ID by the user, thereby obtaining the image acquisition page. To access.

  At this time, if the user is a paying member, the image acquisition page displays a list of all the images specified by the seal ID and generated during one game so that the user can select. If the user is a free member, only one image of all images specified by the seal ID may be displayed in a list so that the user can select. Further, the image acquisition page may display only one image selected in advance in the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 when the user is a free member. Note that it is preferable that only a list of edited images is displayed on the image acquisition page. For example, when there are captured images for which no edited image is generated, the edited image and the captured image for which the edited image is not generated are displayed. Images may be displayed as a list, or all edited images and captured images may be displayed as a list, and there is no particular limitation.

  The portable terminal 6 acquires an image selected by the user from the management server 4 among the images displayed as a list on the image acquisition page, and stores the acquired image in the storage unit 602. When the user is a paying member, the mobile terminal 6 manages all the images displayed in the list without accepting the user's selection operation for the images displayed in the list on the image acquisition page. And may be stored in the storage unit 602.

(Providing high-definition images)
Below, the process which provides a user with a high-definition image is demonstrated.

  A method for providing a high-definition image to the user's portable terminal 6 in the captured image management system 9 will be described with reference to FIG.

  It is assumed that a member application for performing a cooperative operation with the photo sticker creating apparatus 1, the transfer server 7, and the management server 4 is installed in the mobile terminal 6. The member application can be downloaded to the mobile terminal 6 from an image providing site, for example. The member application is an application that operates on the portable terminal 6 and stores authentication information (user member ID, password, etc.) for authentication input in the past. The member application automatically performs processing that does not require a user instruction (processing such as transmission / reception and decryption). In the following, the operation of the member application on the mobile terminal 6 will be described as the operation of the control unit 601 of the mobile terminal 6.

  (A) When the user wishes to provide a high-definition image after the image editing, the post-service customer control unit 315 of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 encrypts the data of the high-definition image using a predetermined encryption method. To generate encrypted image data. The encryption key used for encryption may be arbitrary. The post-service customer control unit 315 also generates a decryption key for decrypting the encrypted image data. In the common key cryptosystem, the encryption key and the decryption key are the same. Further, the post-service customer control unit 315 generates an image ID (image specifying information) that uniquely specifies the encrypted image data. When providing a plurality of high-definition images to the user, the post-service control unit 315 generates a plurality of encrypted image data and a plurality of decryption keys and a plurality of image IDs corresponding to the plurality of encrypted image data. . The post-service control unit 315 encrypts a plurality of images with the same encryption key, and generates a plurality of encrypted image data and one decryption key and one image ID corresponding to the plurality of encrypted image data. May be. A seal ID generated for each game can be used as one image ID corresponding to a plurality of encrypted image data.

  Subsequent customer service control unit 315 displays a screen prompting the user to put mobile terminal 6 in a communicable state on monitor 161 with a built-in tablet.

  The user operates the member application running on the mobile terminal 6 to instruct the mobile terminal 6 to be in a state where short-range wireless communication is possible. The communication control unit 611 makes the communication unit 603 ready for short-range wireless communication.

  (B) In the subsequent customer service, the communication control unit 311 of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 associates the generated image ID for specifying the encrypted image data with the server ID for specifying the transfer server 7, and performs near field communication. Directly transmitted to the user's portable terminal 6. Since the user who played the game is near the photo sticker creating apparatus 1, the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 is connected to the user by short-range wireless communication (for example, contactless communication or wireless LAN) via the short-range wireless communication unit 163. Direct communication with the portable terminal 6 can be performed.

  (C) On the other hand, the communication control unit 311 of the photo sticker creation apparatus 1 generates the generated encrypted image data, a decryption key for decrypting the encrypted image data, and an image ID corresponding to the encrypted image data. Are transmitted to the transfer server 7 by short-range wireless communication (for example, wireless LAN).

  (D) The communication control unit 711 of the transfer server 7 associates the decryption key for decrypting the encrypted image data and the image ID, and transmits them to the management server 4 installed at a distant location via the Internet. In addition, the communication control unit 711 of the transfer server 7 outputs the encrypted image data and the image ID to the transfer management unit 712. The transfer management unit 712 stores the encrypted image data and the image ID in the storage unit 702 in association with each other.

  The management server 4 is usually installed at a location distant from the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 and comprehensively manages data received from a plurality of photo sticker creating apparatuses 1 installed in a plurality of play facilities. The communication control unit 411 of the management server 4 outputs the decryption key and the corresponding image ID to the image management unit 414. The image management unit 414 stores the decryption key and the corresponding image ID in the image database 424 in association with each other.

  (E) The communication control unit 611 of the portable terminal 6 that has received the image ID and the server ID transmits the image ID to the transfer server 7 specified by the server ID by short-range wireless communication, thereby encrypting the image data. Is requested. The server ID is information for specifying the transfer server 7 that is a communication target in short-range wireless communication.

  (F) The communication control unit 711 of the transfer server 7 outputs the image ID received from the mobile terminal 6 to the transfer management unit 712. The transfer management unit 712 acquires encrypted image data corresponding to the image ID from the storage unit 702 and outputs the encrypted image data to the communication control unit 711. The communication control unit 711 transmits encrypted image data corresponding to the image ID received from the mobile terminal 6 to the mobile terminal 6 by short-range wireless communication. Here, the image ID may be a character string encrypted by a predetermined method, and is preferably a character string that cannot be easily inferred from other image IDs. The image ID also serves as a password for providing the user's encrypted image data only to the user.

  The communication control unit 611 of the portable terminal 6 causes the storage unit 602 to store the encrypted image data received from the transfer server 7. The portable terminal 6 cannot display an image with the encrypted image data as it is.

  (G) Moreover, the communication control part 611 of the portable terminal 6 transmits image ID to the management server 4 via a base station or an access point, and the internet. At the same time, the mobile terminal 6 transmits the user's member ID and password to the management server 4. Thereby, the portable terminal 6 requests the management server 4 to transmit the corresponding decryption key.

  (H) The management server 4 authenticates whether or not the user is a predetermined member based on the member ID and password. If the authentication is successful, the management server 4 transmits a decryption key corresponding to the image ID received from the mobile terminal 6 to the mobile terminal 6. Note that if the authentication fails, the management server 4 does not transmit the decryption key to the mobile terminal 6.

  (I) The mobile terminal 6 obtains the original image (high-definition image) by decrypting the encrypted image data using the received decryption key. The user can check the image by displaying the image on the mobile terminal 6.

  (J) The communication control unit 611 of the portable terminal 6 transmits the decoded high-definition image data to the management server 4 via the base station or the access point and the Internet at an arbitrary timing. In this case, the transfer server 7 does not have to transmit high-definition image data to the management server 4 via the Internet. The image management unit 414 of the management server 4 stores high-definition image data in the image database 424. The user can view (acquire) an image of the user at a desired time by logging in to an image providing site managed by the management server 4 using the mobile terminal 6 or another device. Since the user does not need to leave an image on the mobile terminal 6, the storage capacity of the mobile terminal 6 can be used efficiently.

  In the present embodiment, the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 transmits the encrypted image data to the portable terminal 6 through short-distance wireless communication via the transfer server 7. Since the transfer server 7 communicates directly with the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 and the portable terminal 6, no communication fee is required for short-range wireless communication. Further, since the mobile terminal 6 transmits high-definition image data to the management server 4, the transfer server 7 does not need to transmit high-definition image data having a large data size to the management server 4 via the Internet. Therefore, the communication load of the transfer server 7 can be reduced.

  The mobile terminal 6 transmits an image to the management server 4 via the Internet. In many cases, the user generally has an environment in which the mobile terminal 6 can be connected to the Internet indefinitely by building a wireless LAN at home or contracting with a mobile terminal company. For this reason, there is often no increase in the communication fee that is borne by the user by transmitting the image to the management server 4.

  The management server 4 transmits the decryption key to the mobile terminal 6 of the user who has been authenticated as a predetermined member. Therefore, in order to decrypt the encrypted image data and display the original image on the mobile terminal 6, the user needs to register as a member. As a result, the management server 4 can provide a service capable of displaying an image on the portable terminal 6 only to a predetermined member.

  The management server 4 can receive an image from the mobile terminal 6 and store the image in the database. Therefore, the management server 4 can manage images of users who are members. Thereby, the management server 4 can provide the user with the service at the image providing site.

  Further, since the user cannot view the high-definition image unless the user is authenticated in the management server 4, the management server 4 can centrally control the image browsing based on the member information.

  The transmission of high-definition image data to the management server 4 may be performed from the transfer server 7. Unlike the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 installed in a game area where a user enters and exits, the transfer server 7 can be arranged in an office room where the user does not enter and exit. Therefore, the transfer server 7 does not need to use a wireless communication network such as PHS, and can use any communication line such as an optical communication line (wired). A communication fee is generally required for communication on the Internet, but the communication fee can be reduced as compared with a case where a wireless communication network such as PHS is used.

  Note that the encryption of the image and the generation of the decryption key may be performed by the transfer server 7 instead of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. In this case, the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 may transmit the unencrypted image and the corresponding image ID to the transfer server 7.

  Note that the mobile terminal 6 may transmit the encrypted image data and the image ID to the management server 4 instead of transmitting the high-definition image data to the management server 4. Since the management server 4 has a decryption key corresponding to the image ID, the received encrypted image data can be decrypted. Therefore, the management server 4 can store the decoded high-definition image in the image database 424. Further, the mobile terminal 6 may acquire a high-definition image decoded by the management server 4 from the management server 4 without performing decoding by itself. In this case, the mobile terminal 6 does not need to receive the decryption key, and transmits the encrypted image data to the management server 4 in addition to the image ID and the like.

  In the above description, the mode in which only high-definition image data is encrypted and transmitted from the transfer server 7 to the portable terminal 6 has been described. Not limited to this, a standard image may be encrypted and transmitted from the transfer server 7 to the portable terminal 6. In this case, since it is not necessary to send an image from the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 or the transfer server 7 to the management server 4, the communication amount from the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 or the transfer server 7 to the management server 4 can be further reduced.

  Note that the portable terminal 6 may store encrypted image data that has not been decrypted in the storage unit 602 as long as the storage capacity permits. For example, the free member may be able to decrypt the encrypted image data within a predetermined period from the use of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. For example, an expiration date may be set for the decryption key stored in the management server 4, and the management server 4 may transmit the decryption key to the free member within a predetermined period (expiration date). When a decryption key is requested from a free member user after a lapse of a predetermined period, the management server 4 may transmit the decryption key to the user on condition that an additional fee is paid or a paid member is joined.

  Note that the member application of the mobile terminal 6 may not transfer the decrypted high-definition image to the mobile terminal 6 of another user. For example, in the portable terminal 6, the encrypted image data and the decryption key are stored, the encrypted image data is decrypted and displayed only when the high-definition image is displayed, and the data of the high-definition image is displayed when the display is finished. This can be achieved by deleting. The mobile terminal 6 may transmit the encrypted image data and the image ID to the mobile terminal 6 of another user in which the member application is installed by short-range wireless communication. When displaying a high-definition image on the mobile terminal 6 of another user who has received the encrypted image data, the management server 4 provides a decryption key to the other user on condition that an additional fee is paid or a paid member is joined. Send.

(Distributed upload)
Further, when the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 transmits a plurality of image IDs corresponding to a plurality of images to a plurality of users (first user and second user) who use the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 together, the communication load Are distributed from the plurality of users' portable terminals 6 to the management server 4 in a complementary manner. Specific processing will be described below.

  The photo sticker creating apparatus 1 generates a plurality of images (encrypted image data). In addition, the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 generates a plurality of image IDs corresponding to a plurality of images. The communication control unit 311 of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 transmits a plurality of image IDs to both the first user and the second user's portable terminal 6.

  Further, the communication control unit 311 of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 transmits the plurality of encrypted image data and the plurality of image IDs to the transfer server 7. At this time, the communication control unit 311 notifies the transfer server 7 that a plurality of image IDs generated in one game have been transmitted to both of the two users.

  The transfer server 7 divides a plurality of encrypted image data generated in one game into two groups according to the number of users (two people). When the mobile terminals 6 of the first user and the second user notify the transfer server 7 of a plurality of image IDs and request a plurality of encrypted image data, the communication control unit 711 of the transfer server 7 sets a plurality of images corresponding to the image IDs. The encrypted image data is transmitted to the mobile terminal 6 of the first user. In addition, the communication control unit 711 transmits (uploads) the image to the management server 4 with respect to a part (one group) of a plurality of images to be decoded later to the mobile terminal 6 of the first user. Instruct. On the other hand, the communication control unit 711 instructs the second user's mobile terminal 6 to transmit (upload) the other images (the other group) of the plurality of images to the management server 4.

  The mobile terminal 6 of the first user and the second user, after receiving the plurality of encrypted image data, generates a plurality of original images by decrypting them, and sends the instructed images to the management server 4. Send. Thereby, the communication load of the portable terminal 6 and the management server 4 can be reduced (distributed).

(Restriction example 1 of transfer images)
In the above description, the number of images transmitted from the transfer server 7 to the portable terminal 6 is not particularly limited. However, a limit may be provided on the number of images transmitted from the transfer server 7 to the portable terminal 6.

  For example, the transfer management unit 712 of the transfer server 7 transmits a part of the encrypted image data to the portable terminal 6 among the plurality of encrypted image data generated in one game in the first period. To give permission. On the other hand, the transfer management unit 712 permits transmission of other encrypted image data to the mobile terminal 6 among the plurality of encrypted image data generated in one game in the second period. The first period and the second period are different periods from each other, but there may be overlapping periods. For example, the first period is a period of one week including the day when the game is played (the day when the image is received from the photo sticker creating apparatus 1), and the second period is after the day when the game is played. It may be a period of one week from the day (the next day).

  According to this, the user can acquire one encrypted image data from the transfer server 7 to the portable terminal 6 on the day when the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 is used, and another one on the next day. The encrypted image data of the additional service can be acquired in the mobile terminal 6. Further, further encrypted image data may be acquired after the next day. Since the transfer server 7 transmits the encrypted image data to the portable terminal 6 by the short-range wireless communication, the user who desires to acquire the encrypted image data of the additional service will receive the short-range wireless communication after the next day after playing the game. It needs to come as far as possible. Therefore, the user can be motivated to visit the amusement facility 8.

  Even in this case, if the user is a specific member (for example, a paid member), all the generated images may be provided to the user at the image providing site (management server 4).

(Restriction example 2 for number of transferred images)
In addition, for example, the transfer management unit 712 of the transfer server 7 has a first number (for example, three) of encrypted image data among a plurality of encrypted image data generated in one game in the third period. Is allowed to be transmitted to the mobile terminal 6. On the other hand, in the fourth period, the transfer management unit 712 transfers a second number (for example, one) of encrypted image data to the mobile terminal 6 among a plurality of encrypted image data generated in one game. Allow transmission. The third period and the fourth period are periods that do not overlap each other. For example, the morning in one day may be the third period and the afternoon may be the fourth period.

  In general, the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 is often used at a specific time in the afternoon. According to the above configuration, the transfer management unit 712 permits transmission of different numbers of encrypted image data to the mobile terminal 6 according to the time zone. When the user uses the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 in the morning, the user can acquire a large amount of encrypted image data in the mobile terminal 6, so that the use of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 in a time zone with a low usage density is promoted. Can do. Therefore, it can be expected that the usage peak of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 is dispersed and the load is dispersed.

  Further, the transfer management unit 712 may permit transmission of a different number of encrypted image data to the mobile terminal 6 according to the date. For example, the transfer management unit 712 may vary the number of images that can be acquired by the mobile terminal 6 from Monday to Friday (fourth period) and from Saturday to Sunday (third period). The transfer management unit 712 transmits, for example, one encrypted image data to the user terminal on a weekend that is generally used (Saturday to Sunday), and on a weekday that is generally less used (Monday to Friday). For example, three pieces of encrypted image data may be transmitted to the user terminal. Thereby, utilization of the photograph sticker production apparatus 1 can be promoted on weekdays that are generally less utilized. In addition, dispersion of usage peaks and load of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 can be expected.

  Even in this case, if the user is a specific member (for example, a paid member), all the generated images may be provided to the user at the image providing site (management server 4).

  The transfer server 7 may generate information on the congestion status of the photo sticker creation device 1 or the transfer server 7 (image acquisition) based on the number of encrypted image data transmitted from the photo sticker creation device 1. . The transfer server 7 may transmit the congestion status information to the nearby mobile terminal 6 or to the management server 4. The management server 4 may send a mail notifying the congestion status information to the user's mail address.

[Embodiment 2]
Another embodiment of the present invention will be described. For convenience of explanation, members / configurations having the same functions as those in the drawings described in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted. In this embodiment, the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 transmits encrypted image data directly to the user's portable terminal 6.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the captured image management system 10 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 19, the photographed image management system 10 (image management system) includes a photo sticker creation device 1, a mobile terminal 6, and a management server 4.

(Outline of processing in the photographed image management system 10)
(A) After image editing, the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 generates encrypted image data obtained by encrypting the generated image (edited image). The photo sticker creating apparatus 1 transmits the encrypted image data and the image ID (image specifying information) for specifying the encrypted image data directly to the user's portable terminal 6 by short-range wireless communication. Since the user who played the game is near the photo sticker creating apparatus 1, the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 can directly communicate with the user's portable terminal 6 by short-range wireless communication.

  (B) On the other hand, the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 associates the decryption key for decrypting the encrypted image data and the image ID, and transmits them to the management server 4 installed at a distant location via the wireless communication network. The wireless communication network is a wireless communication network such as a PHS (Personal Handyphone System), for example, and is a communication network for connecting to the Internet. The management server 4 is usually installed at a location distant from the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 and comprehensively manages data received from a plurality of photo sticker creating apparatuses 1 installed in a plurality of play facilities.

  (C) The mobile terminal 6 that has received the encrypted image data and the image ID transmits the image ID to the management server 4 via the base station or the access point and the Internet. At the same time, the mobile terminal 6 transmits the user's member ID and password to the management server 4. Thereby, the portable terminal 6 requests the management server 4 to transmit the corresponding decryption key.

  (D) The management server 4 authenticates whether or not the user is a predetermined member based on the member ID and password. If the authentication is successful, the management server 4 transmits a decryption key corresponding to the image ID received from the mobile terminal 6 to the mobile terminal 6. Note that if the authentication fails, the management server 4 does not transmit the decryption key to the mobile terminal 6.

  (E) The portable terminal 6 obtains the original image (high-definition image) by decrypting the encrypted image data using the received decryption key. The user can check the image by displaying the image on the mobile terminal 6.

  (F) The mobile terminal 6 transmits the decoded original image to the management server 4. The management server 4 stores the image in the database. The user can browse (acquire) an image at a desired time by logging in to an image providing site managed by the management server 4 using the mobile terminal 6 or another device. Since the user does not need to leave an image on the mobile terminal 6, the storage capacity of the mobile terminal 6 can be used efficiently.

  In the present embodiment, the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 transmits the encrypted image data to the portable terminal 6 by short-range wireless communication. Because communication is performed directly with the mobile terminal, no communication fee is required for short-range wireless communication. The photo sticker creating apparatus 1 transmits the decryption key and the image ID to the management server 4 via the wireless communication network. Communication over a wireless communication network generally requires a communication fee, but the data size of the decryption key and the image ID is much smaller than that of the image. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the communication fee for using the wireless communication network.

(Details of high-definition image provision processing)
Below, the process which provides a user with a high-definition image is demonstrated. FIG. 20 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing for providing a user with a high-definition image in the captured image management system 10.

  When the user wishes to provide a high-definition image during the post-service, the post-service customer control unit 315 generates encrypted image data by encrypting the data of the high-definition image using a predetermined encryption method (S41). ). Further, the post-service customer control unit 315 generates an image ID (image specifying information) that uniquely specifies the encrypted image data. When providing a plurality of high-definition images to the user, the post-service control unit 315 generates a plurality of encrypted image data and a plurality of decryption keys and a plurality of image IDs corresponding to the plurality of encrypted image data. .

  The communication control unit 311 of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 transmits the encrypted image data and the corresponding image ID to the portable terminal 6 via the short-range wireless communication unit 163 (by short-range wireless communication) (S42). The photo sticker creating apparatus 1 may further transmit a thumbnail image representing a high-definition image (an image having a data size smaller than a predetermined value) to the mobile terminal 6. When the communication is delayed, the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 may first transmit the low-resolution image data (thumbnail image) to the mobile terminal 6 and then transmit the encrypted image data of the high-definition image.

  The communication control unit 611 of the portable terminal 6 receives the encrypted image data and the corresponding image ID from the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 via the communication unit 603 (by short-range wireless communication) (S43). The control unit 601 stores the encrypted image data and the image ID in the storage unit 602 in association with each other.

  Further, the communication control unit 311 of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 transmits the decryption key and the corresponding image ID to the management server 4 via the communication unit 203 (via the wireless communication network) (S44).

  The communication control unit 411 of the management server 4 receives the decryption key and the corresponding image ID from the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 via the communication unit 403 (via the wireless communication network) (S45). The communication control unit 411 outputs the decryption key and the corresponding image ID to the image management unit 414. The image management unit 414 stores the decryption key and the corresponding image ID in the image database 424 in association with each other.

(Decryption of encrypted image data)
After receiving the encrypted image data, the communication control unit 611 of the mobile terminal 6 receives the image ID, member ID, and password to the management server 4 via the communication unit 603 (via the Internet) at a predetermined timing. Transmit (S46). The predetermined timing may be a timing at which the user selects a high-definition image that the user wants to decode (can be displayed). For example, the member application may display a high-definition thumbnail image on the mobile terminal 6 and allow the user to select a high-definition image to be decoded. The mobile terminal 6 may transmit the image ID of the high-definition image corresponding to the thumbnail image selected by the user to the management server 4. The predetermined timing may be a predetermined time after the encrypted image data is received from the photo sticker creating apparatus 1. The communication control unit 611 of the portable terminal 6 monitors the communication environment to the Internet, and transmits the image ID to the management server 4 when the communication environment is improved (when communication is possible at a predetermined communication speed). May be. Amusement facilities in which the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 is installed often have a poor communication environment. Therefore, by determining the communication timing as described above, communication to the management server 4 can be performed after the communication environment is improved. It can be carried out.

  The communication control unit 411 of the management server 4 receives the image ID, the member ID, and the password from the portable terminal 6 via the communication unit 403 (via the Internet) (S47). The communication control unit 411 outputs the image ID, the member ID, and the password to the authentication unit 415.

  The authentication unit 415 refers to the member database 422 for the member ID and password, and authenticates whether the user is a paid member (S48). If the authentication is successful, the authentication unit 415 outputs the image ID to the image management unit 414 and instructs the mobile terminal 6 to transmit the corresponding decryption key. On the other hand, when the authentication fails, the authentication unit 415 causes the communication control unit 411 to notify the mobile terminal 6 that the authentication has failed.

  When the authentication is successful, the image management unit 414 refers to the image database 424 and acquires a decryption key corresponding to the image ID received from the authentication unit 415 (that is, received from the mobile terminal 6). The image management unit 414 outputs the decryption key to the communication control unit 411. The communication control unit 411 transmits the received decryption key to the mobile terminal 6 via the communication unit 403 (S49).

  The communication control unit 611 of the portable terminal 6 receives the decryption key from the management server 4 via the communication unit 603 (S50). The control unit 601 obtains the decrypted original high-definition image data by decrypting the corresponding encrypted image data using the decryption key (S51). Thereby, the mobile terminal 6 can display a high-definition image on the display unit 605.

  The communication control unit 611 of the mobile terminal 6 transmits the decoded high-definition image data to the management server 4 via the communication unit 603 at an arbitrary timing (S52).

  The communication control unit 411 of the management server 4 receives high-definition image data from the portable terminal 6 via the communication unit 403 (S53). The communication control unit 411 outputs high-definition image data to the image management unit 414. The image management unit 414 stores the received high-definition image data in the image database 424 in association with the user.

  Thereby, the management server 4 can provide a user with a high-definition image at any time in an image provision site. Therefore, the user can also delete the high-definition image from the portable terminal 6 to ensure the storage capacity of the storage unit 602, and can log in to the image providing site from another device and acquire the high-definition image. it can.

  Further, since the user cannot view the high-definition image unless the user is authenticated in the management server 4, the management server 4 can centrally control the image browsing based on the member information.

  In the above description, the mode in which only high-definition image data is encrypted and transmitted from the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 to the portable terminal 6 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a standard image may be encrypted and transmitted from the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 to the portable terminal 6. In that case, since there is no need to send an image from the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 to the management server 4, the amount of communication from the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 to the management server 4 can be further reduced.

(Distributed upload)
When there are a plurality of users (first user and second user) who use the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 together, there is no need to transmit (upload) the same high-definition image from both of the portable terminals 6 to the management server 4. . In this case, it is sufficient to have the high-definition image decoded from the mobile terminal 6 of one user transmitted to the management server 4. Further, when the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 transmits a plurality of encrypted image data to a plurality of users who use the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 together, in order to distribute the communication load, the mobile terminal 6 of the plurality of users The management server 4 is made to transmit a plurality of decoded high-definition images in a complementary manner. Specific processing will be described below.

  The photo sticker creating apparatus 1 generates a plurality of encrypted image data by encrypting a plurality of high-definition images. The photo sticker creating apparatus 1 generates a plurality of decryption keys and a plurality of image IDs corresponding to the plurality of encrypted image data. The communication control unit 311 of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 transmits the plurality of encrypted image data and the plurality of image IDs to both the first user and the second user's portable terminal 6.

  At this time, the communication control unit 311 transmits to the management server 4 the decrypted high-definition image data for a part of the encrypted image data of the plurality of encrypted image data to the mobile terminal 6 of the first user. Instruct to upload. On the other hand, the communication control unit 311 transmits (uploads) the decrypted high-definition image data to the management server 4 for the other encrypted image data of the plurality of encrypted image data to the mobile terminal 6 of the second user. )

  The mobile terminal 6 of the first user and the second user transmits the high-definition image data instructed to the management server 4 after decrypting the plurality of encrypted image data. For example, when there are six pieces of encrypted image data transmitted from the photo sticker creating apparatus 1 to each mobile terminal 6, the first user's mobile terminal 6 sends the first to third high-definition image data to the management server 4. The mobile terminal 6 of the second user transmits the data of the fourth to sixth high-definition images to the management server 4. Thereby, the communication load of the portable terminal 6 and the management server 4 can be reduced.

  The management server 4 receives the image ID of each image from the mobile terminal 6 of the first user and the mobile terminal 6 of the second user in order to pass the decryption key to the mobile terminal 6. Then, the management server 4 stores the high-definition image received from the mobile terminal 6 of the first user in the image database 424 in association with both the first user and the second user who have sent the corresponding image ID. For example, the image database 424 stores a file path in which the high-definition image is stored as image information of each user. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the same high-definition image from being stored in the image database 424 in a duplicated manner, and the storage capacity can be used efficiently. Of course, the standard image may be handled in the same manner so as not to overlap.

(Browsing images with member application)
Browsing images (standard images and high-definition images) on the mobile terminal 6 can be performed using a member application in addition to using a browser. The member application operating on the portable terminal 6 acquires data from the image providing site, and displays a list page 1041 including a user image list as shown in FIG. 17C on the display unit 605. When the user selects a thumbnail image, the member application acquires data of an image (standard image or high-definition image) corresponding to the selected thumbnail image from the image providing site (management server 4). The member application caches (saves) the acquired image data in the storage unit 602 even after the image display is completed. When the same image is selected next time, the member application displays an image using the cached image data. An expiration date may be set for the cached image data. The member application may delete image data whose expiration date has passed. When the cached image data is referred to (used for display), the member application newly sets the expiration date of the image data. Therefore, frequently-referenced (viewed) image data continues to be stored in the storage unit 602. Note that the member application may continue to store the cached image data as long as the storage capacity of the storage unit 602 allows. Thereby, the communication load of the management server 4 and the portable terminal 6 can be reduced.

[Example of software implementation]
The control blocks (particularly the control unit 201, the control unit 401, the control unit 601 and the control unit 701) of the photo sticker creating apparatus 1, the management server 4, the portable terminal 6, and the transfer server 7 are formed on an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like. It may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware), or may be realized by software using a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

  In the latter case, the photo sticker creating apparatus 1, the management server 4, the portable terminal 6, and the transfer server 7 are a CPU that executes instructions of a program that is software for realizing each function, and the program and various data are computers (or CPUs). ROM (Read Only Memory) or storage device (referred to as “recording medium”) recorded in such a manner as to be readable, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the program. And the objective of this invention is achieved when a computer (or CPU) reads the said program from the said recording medium and runs it. As the recording medium, a “non-temporary tangible medium” such as a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like can be used. Further, the program may be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium (such as a communication network or a broadcast wave) that can transmit the program. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be widely used as a photo sticker creation device, a management server that stores user images created in the photo sticker creation device, and a portable terminal that communicates with the photo sticker creation device and the management server.

1 Photo sticker creation device 4 Management server (server)
6 Mobile terminal 7 Transfer server 9, 10 Captured image management system (image management system)
11 Shooting Unit 12 Editing Unit 13 Subsequent Customer Service Unit 21 Shooting Unit 163 Short-range Wireless Communication Unit (Seventh Communication Means)
201 control unit 203 communication unit (sixth communication means)
311 Communication control unit (sixth communication means, seventh communication means)
312 Shooting control unit (image generating means)
313 Edit control unit (image generation means)
314 Print control unit 315 Subsequent customer service control unit (encryption means, specific information generation means)
401 control unit 402 storage unit 403 communication unit (fourth communication unit, fifth communication unit)
411 Communication control unit (fourth communication means, fifth communication means)
412 Mail creation unit 413 Web page creation unit 414 Image management unit (image management means)
415 Authentication section (authentication means)
601 Control unit 602 Storage unit 603 Communication unit (eighth communication means, ninth communication means, tenth communication means)
604 input unit 605 display unit 611 communication control unit (eighth communication means, ninth communication means, tenth communication means)
612 Input control unit 613 Display control unit 701 Control unit 702 Storage unit 703 Internet communication unit (second communication means)
704 Short-range wireless communication unit (first communication means, third communication means)
711 Communication control unit (first communication means, second communication means, third communication means)
712 Transfer manager

Claims (17)

A transfer server capable of short-range wireless communication with a user terminal and a photo sticker creating device,
First communication means for receiving user image data generated by the photo sticker creating device or encrypted image data obtained by encrypting the data and image specifying information for specifying the image from the photo sticker creating device. When,
Second communication means for transmitting the decryption key for decrypting the encrypted image data and the image specifying information to a management server via a network;
Third communication means for receiving the image specifying information from the user terminal,
The transfer server, wherein the third communication means transmits the encrypted image data corresponding to the image specifying information received from the user terminal to the user terminal.   2. The transfer server according to claim 1, wherein the second communication unit transmits the decryption key and the image specifying information to the management server that authenticates whether the user is a predetermined member. . The first communication means communicates directly with the photo sticker creating apparatus,
The transfer server according to claim 1, wherein the third communication unit directly communicates with the user terminal. When the first communication means receives the first image and the second image as the plurality of images of the user from the photo sticker creating device,
The third communication means sets a period during which the encrypted image data of the first image may be transmitted to the user terminal as a first period, and transmits the encrypted image data of the second image to the user terminal. The transfer server according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a period that may be performed is a second period different from the first period. The first period includes a date when the first communication unit receives the plurality of the images from the photographic sticker creating apparatus,
The transfer server according to claim 4, wherein the second period is after the date of reception. When the first communication means receives the plurality of images of the user from the photo sticker creating device,
The third communication means transmits a first number of the encrypted image data to the user terminal in the third period, and in a fourth period that does not overlap with the third period, the third communication means is greater than the first number. The transfer server according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein two pieces of the encrypted image data are transmitted to the user terminal. When the third communication means transmits the first and second encrypted image data to both the first and second user terminals,
Instructing the first user terminal to transmit the first encrypted image data or the image data obtained by decrypting the first encrypted image data to the management server,
The second user terminal is instructed to transmit the second encrypted image data or the image data obtained by decrypting the second encrypted image data to the management server. Item 4. The transfer server according to any one of Items 1 to 3. A management server capable of communicating with the transfer server according to any one of claims 1 to 7 via a network,
Fourth communication means for receiving the decryption key and the image specifying information from the transfer server;
A fifth communication means for receiving the image specifying information from the user terminal,
The management server, wherein the fifth communication means transmits the decryption key corresponding to the image specifying information received from the user terminal to the user terminal. An authentication means for authenticating whether the user is a predetermined member;
The management server according to claim 8, wherein the fifth communication means transmits the decryption key to the user terminal of the user when the user is a predetermined member. A photo sticker creating apparatus capable of short-range wireless communication with the transfer server according to any one of claims 1 to 7 and the user terminal,
Image generating means for generating the image of the user by photographing;
Specific information generating means for generating the image specifying information for specifying the image;
Sixth communication means for transmitting the image data or the encrypted image data obtained by encrypting the image data and the image specifying information to the transfer server;
A photo sticker creating apparatus comprising: seventh communication means for transmitting the image specifying information to the user terminal of the user. An encryption unit for generating the encrypted image data by encrypting the image data and generating the decryption key for decrypting the encrypted image data;
11. The photo sticker creating apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the sixth communication means transmits the encrypted image data, the decryption key, and the image specifying information to the transfer server. A user terminal capable of short-range wireless communication with the transfer server according to any one of claims 1 to 7 and the photo sticker creating apparatus,
An eighth communication means for receiving the image specifying information from the photo sticker creating apparatus;
Ninth communication means for transmitting the image specifying information to the transfer server and receiving the encrypted image data corresponding to the image specifying information from the transfer server;
Tenth communication means for transmitting the image specifying information to the management server via a network and receiving the decryption key for decoding the encrypted image data corresponding to the image specifying information from the management server. A user terminal characterized by that.   13. The user terminal according to claim 12, wherein the tenth communication means transmits the encrypted image data or the image data decrypted by the decryption key to the management server.   A control program for causing a computer to function as the user terminal according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the computer functions as each unit of the user terminal.   The computer-readable recording medium which recorded the control program of Claim 14. An image management method in a management server and a transfer server,
The management server can communicate with the transfer server and the user terminal via a network,
The transfer server is capable of short-range wireless communication with the user terminal and the photo sticker creating device,
In the above transfer server,
A first image receiving apparatus receives image data of a user generated by the apparatus for creating a photo sticker or encrypted image data obtained by encrypting the image data, and image specifying information for specifying the image. A communication step;
A second communication step of transmitting the decryption key for decrypting the encrypted image data and the image specifying information to the management server;
A third communication step for receiving the image specifying information from the user terminal;
A fourth communication step of transmitting the encrypted image data corresponding to the image specifying information received from the user terminal to the user terminal;
In the above management server,
A fifth communication step of receiving the image specifying information from the user terminal;
And a sixth communication step of transmitting the decryption key corresponding to the image specifying information received from the user terminal to the user terminal. A first communication step of receiving, from a photo sticker creating device, image specifying information specifying a user image generated by the photo sticker creating device;
A second communication step of transmitting the image specifying information to the transfer server by short-range wireless communication;
A third communication step of receiving, from the transfer server, encrypted image data obtained by encrypting the image data corresponding to the image specifying information;
A fourth communication step of transmitting the image specifying information to the management server via a network;
And a fifth communication step of receiving, from the management server, a decryption key for decrypting the encrypted image data corresponding to the image specifying information.

Images