Information storage system, server apparatus and information control method

• US 20010003180A1
• Filed: 12/06/2000
• Published: 06/07/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Shindo, Mitsuyoshi, Sakai, Yorihiko, Ashikawa, Hiroshi
• Application Number:
  US09/731,968
• Publication Number:
  US 20010003180A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00132 in a digital photofinishing system, i.e. a system where digital photographic images undergo typical photofinishing processing, e.g. printing ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00137 Transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00143 Ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00145 from a remote location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00148 Storage information retrieval G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00188 Printing, e.g. prints or reprints H04N1/0019, H04N1/00196 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32771 in response to a request, e.g. for a particular document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32776 using an interactive, user-operated device, e.g. a computer terminal, mobile telephone H04N1/32782, H04N1/32784 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/34 for coin-freed systems ; Pay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3277 The additional information being stored in the same storage device as the image data

Abstract

In previous print services, print ordering is complex, and burden on an orderer is large. In an information storage system there are included a server apparatus that is connected to a network and stores image data supplied via the network and a terminal that is installed in the street and used by the user to transmit the image data to the server apparatus via the network and read the image data specified according to external operations from the server apparatus via the network. And the server apparatus includes storing means for storing the image data supplied via the network in association with specific identification information, reading means for reading the image data corresponding to the identification information from the storing means based on a reading request transmitted from the terminal via the network and the identification information and transmitting means for transmitting the image data read from the storing means by the reading means to the terminal according to the reading request via the network.

Claims

1. An information storage system comprising:

a server apparatus connected to a network, for storing image data supplied via the above network; and

a terminal used by the user to transmit said image data to said server apparatus via said network and read said image data specified according to external operations from said server apparatus via said network, and

said information storage system wherein;

said server apparatus has storing means for storing said image data supplied via said network in association with specific identification information, reading means for reading said image data corresponding to the above identification information from said storing means based on a reading request transmitted from said terminal via said network and said identification information, and transmitting means for transmitting said image data read from said storing means by said reading means to said terminal according to said reading request via said network.

2. The information storage system according to

claim 1

, wherein:

said storing means of said server apparatus stores ordering data, which is supplied together with said image data from said terminal via said network and created by said external operations by said user based on the above user'"'"'s desired utilization contents, in association with said identification information as a utilization history;

said reading means reads said user'"'"'s utilization contents corresponding to the above identification information from said utilization history stored in said storing means based on said reading request given from said terminal via said network and said identification information; and

said transmitting means transmits said user'"'"'s utilization contents read from said utilization history of said storing means by said reading means to said terminal on the above network according to said reading request via said network.

3. The information storage system according to

claim 2

, wherein;

said server apparatus creates customer data based on said ordering data given from said terminal and performs customer control based on the above customer data.

4. The information storage system according to

claim 1

, wherein;

said terminal includes printing means for printing an image based on said image data read from said server apparatus according to said external operations via said network.

5. The information storage system according to

claim 1

, wherein;

said terminal includes recording means for recording in a recording medium, said image data read from said server apparatus according to said external operations via said network.

6. The information storage system according to

claim 2

, wherein;

said server apparatus includes billing processing means for calculating a fee based on said ordering data and performing predetermined billing processing according to the above calculation result.

7. The information storage system according to

claim 1

, wherein;

said server apparatus stores not only said image data but also combined image data to combine an image based on said image data, reads said combined image data from said storing means based on a reading request transmitted from said terminal via said network and transmits said combined image data read from said storing means by said reading means to said terminal according to said reading request via said network.

8. A server apparatus comprising:

storing means for storing image data supplied from a terminal via a network in association with specific identification information;

reading means for reading said image data corresponding to the above identification information from said storing means based on a reading request given by the user from said terminal via said network and said identification information; and

transmitting means for transmitting said image data read from said storing means by said reading means to said terminal on the above network corresponding to said reading request via said network.

9. The server apparatus according to

claim 8

, wherein:

said storing means stores said user'"'"'s utilization contents of the above image data during transmission operation on said terminal which is supplied together with said image data from said terminal via said network, in association with said identification information as a utilization history;

said reading means reads said user'"'"'s utilization contents corresponding to the above identification information from said utilization history stored in said storing means based on said reading request given from said terminal via said network and said identification information; and

said transmitting means transmits said user'"'"'s utilization contents read from said utilization history of said storing means by said reading means to said terminal on the above network according to said reading request via said network.

10. The server apparatus according to

claim 9

, wherein;

said user'"'"'s utilization contents includes at least one of personal information of said user, preference information and billing information.

11. The server apparatus according to

claim 10

, wherein;

said personal information of said user includes at least one of said user'"'"'s name, address, phone number and e-mail address.

12. The server apparatus according to

claim 8

, wherein;

said terminal includes printing means for printing an image based on said image data supplied via said network.

13. The server apparatus according to

claim 8

, wherein;

said terminal includes recording means for recording said image data supplied via said network in a recording medium.

14. The server apparatus according to

claim 8

, wherein;

said transmitting means transmits via said network, said image data read by said reading means from said storing means to said terminal specified by said user through said reading request given via said network.

15. The server apparatus according to

claim 8

, wherein;

said storing means stores not only said image data but also combined image data to combine an image based on said image data.

16. The server apparatus according to

claim 15

, wherein:

said reading means reads said combined image data from said storing means according to said reading request; and

said transmitting means transmits said combined image data read from said storing means by said reading means to said terminal according to said reading request.

17. The server apparatus according to

claim 10

, characterized by;

including billing processing means for calculating a fee based on said user'"'"'s utilization contents and performing predetermined billing processing according to the above calculation result.

18. An information control method comprising:

a first step of storing image data supplied from a terminal via a network in association with specific identification information;

a second step of reading said image data corresponding to the above identification information based on a reading request given by the user from said terminal via said network and said identification information; and

a third step of transmitting said read image data to said terminal on the above network according to said reading request via said network.

19. The information control method according to

claim 18

, characterized in that:

in said first step, said user'"'"'s utilization contents of the above image data during a transmission operation on the above terminal supplied together with said image data from said terminal via said network are stored in association with said identification information as a utilization history;

in said second step, said user'"'"'s utilization contents corresponding to the above identification information are read from said stored utilization history based on said reading request given from said terminal via said network and said identification information; and

in said third step, said user'"'"'s utilization contents read from said utilization history are transmitted to said terminal on the above network according to said reading request via said network.

20. The information control method according to

claim 19

, wherein;

said user'"'"'s utilization contents include at least one of personal information of said user, preference information and billing information.

21. The information control method according to

claim 20

, wherein;

said personal information of said user includes at least one of said user'"'"'s name, address, phone number and e-mail address.

22. The information control method according to

claim 18

, characterized in that;

in said third step, said read image data is transmitted via said network to said terminal specified by said user by said reading request given via said network.

23. The information control method according to

claim 18

, characterized in that;

in said first step, not only said image data but also combined image data to combine an image based on said image data are stored.

24. The information control method according to

claim 23

, characterized in that:

in said second step, said combined image data is read according to said reading request; and

in said third step, said read combined image data is transmitted to said terminal according to said reading request.

25. The information control method according to

claim 18

, characterized by;

including a fourth step of calculating a fee based on said user'"'"'s utilization contents and performing predetermined billing processing according to the above calculation result.