Print ordering system and control method therefor, and server computer and communication terminal used for print ordering system and control method therefor

• US 20020057452A1
• Filed: 07/31/2001
• Published: 05/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshino, Tatsuo
• Granted Patent: US 7,259,879 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5087 for receiving image data
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00109 Remote control of apparatus, e.g. by a host
• 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 1/00135 Scanning of a photographic original
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00137 Transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00145 from a remote location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00151 with selective access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00164 at a remote location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00175 from a still image storage medium H04N1/00172, H04N1/0018 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00188 Printing, e.g. prints or reprints H04N1/0019, H04N1/00196 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3215 of a time or duration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3216 of a job size, e.g. a number of images, pages or copies, size of file, length of message
• 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 2201/3232 of a page, copy or picture number
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 Transmission

Abstract

In order to make it possible to simply order extra prints, an image viewing/ordering ID and an image viewing/ordering password and an order determining ID and an order determining password are issued (created) when input of image data is accepted. Each of members belonging to a group transmits to a server 6 the image viewing/ordering ID and password to a server 6 using a portable telephone set 20A. Image data related to the image viewing/ordering ID is transmitted to the portable telephone set 20A from the server 6. While seeing images displayed on a display screen of the portable telephone set 20A, each of the members belonging to the group selects the image whose extra prints are ordered, and transmits the number of ordered prints of the image to the server 6. When the order determining ID and password are transmitted to the server 6 using the portable telephone set 20A, the order given by the member is made definite, thereby making a desired number of extra prints of the image desired by the members.

Claims

1. A print ordering system in which a server computer having an image database storing image data and a communication terminal are capable of being connected such that they can communicate with each other through a network, wherein

said server computer comprises

an image data transmission device for transmitting the image data stored in said image database to said communication terminal in response to an image transmission request from said communication terminal,

said communication terminal comprises

a display device for displaying an image represented by the image data transmitted from said server computer, and

an order information transmission device for transmitting to said server computer order information related to prints of the image displayed on said display device,

said server computer further comprises

a storage device for storing the order information transmitted from said communication terminal,

said communication terminal further comprises

a print command transmission device for transmitting a print command to said server computer,

said server computer further comprises

a controller controlling a printer so as to print the image represented by the image data specified on the basis of the order information stored in said storage device in response to the receiving of said print command.

2. A server computer capable of being connected to a communication terminal comprising a display device capable of displaying an image such that they can communicate with each other through a network, comprising:

an image database storing image data;

an image data transmission device for transmitting to said communication terminal the image data stored in said image database in response to an image transmission request from said communication terminal;

a storage device storing order information transmitted from said communication terminal and related to prints of an image represented by the image data transmitted by said image data transmission device; and

a controller controlling a printer so as to print the image represented by the image data specified on the basis of the order information stored in said storage device in response to the print command from said communication terminal.

3. The server computer according to claim 2, wherein

said order information includes information related to the desired number of prints of the image represented by the image data specified by said order information.

4. The server computer according to claim 3, further comprising

means for calculating a print charge on the basis of the information related to said desired number of prints;

and

print charge transmission means for transmitting to said communication terminal data representing the calculated print charge.

5. The server computer according to claim 2, further comprising

means for calculating at least a planned completion date for the prints of the image by the printer controlled by said printer controller in response to the print command from said communication terminal, and

planned completion date transmission means for transmitting to said communication terminal data representing the calculated planned completion date.

6. The server computer according to claim 2, further comprising

order condition information transmission means for transmitting to said communication terminal order condition information represented on the basis of the order information stored in said storage device in response to an order condition confirmation request from the communication terminal.

7. The server computer according to claim 2, further comprising

means for accepting from said communication terminal the transmission of display device type information related to the type of the display device in the communication terminal,

said image data transmission device converting the image data stored in said image database into image data adaptable to the display device in the communication terminal in accordance with the display device type information and transmitting the image data to the communication terminal.

8. The server computer according to claim 2, further comprising

image data registration acceptance means for accepting the registration of the image data to be stored in the image database, and

first ID generation means for generating an image ordering ID and a print commanding ID in correlation with the accepted image data in response to the acceptance of the image data by the image data registration acceptance means,

the image transmission request transmitted from the communication terminal including said image ordering ID, said image data transmission device transmitting to said communication terminal the image data correlated with the image ordering ID in response to the image transmission request from the communication terminal,

the print command transmitted from the communication terminal including the print commanding ID, and said printer controller controlling the printer so as to print an image represented by the image data correlated with the print commanding ID in response to the print command from the communication terminal.

9. The server computer according to claim 8, further comprising

password generation means for respectively generating an image ordering password corresponding to the image ordering ID and a print commanding password corresponding to the print commanding ID which are generated by the first ID generation means, and

image data transmission judgment means for judging whether or not the image data should be transmitted to said communication terminal on the basis of the image ordering ID and the image ordering password, and

print judgment means for judging whether or not the printer should be controlled so as to print the image represented by the image data on the basis of the print commanding ID and the print commanding password,

the image transmission request transmitted from the communication terminal further including the image ordering password, and the image data transmission device transmitting the image data to the communication terminal when it is judged that the image data can be transmitted by the image data transmission judgment means on the basis of the image ordering ID and the image ordering password,

the print command transmitted from the communication terminal further including the print commanding password, and the printer controller controlling the printer so as to print the image represented by the image data in a case where it is judged that printing is possible by the print judgment means on the basis of the print commanding ID and the print commanding password.

10. The server computer according to claim 8, further comprising

second ID generation means for generating a member specifying ID in correlation with the image ordering ID generated by the first ID generation means,

said member specifying ID, together with the order information, being transmitted from the communication terminal, and the storage device storing the received order information and the member specifying ID with both correlated with each other.

11. The server computer according to claim 8, further comprising

means for erasing from the image database the image data stored in the image database when a predetermined set time period has elapsed from a date for acceptance of the image data by the image data registration acceptance means.

12. The server computer according to claim 11, further comprising

erasure confirmation transmission means for transmitting data representing a planned erasure date to the communication terminal prior to erasing the image data by the erasure means.

13. The server computer according to claim 11, wherein

said erasure means extends said set time period for the image data specified on the basis of the order information in response to the print command from the communication terminal.

14. A communication terminal capable of being connected to a server computer having an image database storing image data such that they can communicate with each other through a network, comprising

an image data transmission request transmission device for transmitting an image data transmission request to the server computer;

a display device for displaying an image represented by the image data transmitted from said server computer;

an order information transmission device for transmitting to said server computer order information related to prints of the image represented by the image data transmitted from said server computer, and

a print order transmission device for transmitting to said server computer a print command for controlling a printer so as to print the image represented by the image data specified on the basis of the order information.

15. A method of controlling a print ordering system in which a server computer having an image database storing image data and a communication terminal can be connected such that they can communicate with each other through a network, wherein

transmitting from said server computer the image data stored in said image database to said communication terminal in response to an image transmission request from said communication terminal,

transmitting from said communication terminal, on which an image represented by the image data transmitted from said server computer is displayed, to said server computer order information related to prints of the displayed image,

storing in said server computer the order information transmitted from said communication terminal,

transmitting from said communication terminal a print command to said server computer,

controlling in said server computer a printer so as to print the image represented by the image data specified on the basis of the order information stored in said storage device in response to the receiving of said print command.

16. A method of controlling a server computer capable of being connected to a communication terminal having a display device capable of displaying an image such that they can communicate with each other through a network, comprising the steps of:

storing image data in an image database;

transmitting to said communication terminal the image data stored in said image database in response to an image transmission request from said communication terminal;

storing order information related to prints of an image represented by the image data transmitted from said communication terminal; and

controlling a printer so as to print the image represented by the image data specified on the basis of the order information stored in said storage device in response to a print command from said communication terminal.

17. A method of controlling a communication terminal capable of being connected to a server computer having an image database storing image data such that they can communicate with each other through a network, comprising the steps of:

transmitting an image data transmission request to said server computer;

displaying an image represented by the image data transmitted from the server computer;

transmitting to the server computer order information related to prints of the image represented by the image data transmitted from the server computer; and

transmitting to the server computer a print command for controlling a printer so as to print the image represented by the image data specified on the basis of the order information.

18. A printing device comprising:

a developer developing an undeveloped film;

a printer printing an image represented by image information recorded on a developed film; and

an image reader reading the image information recorded on the developed film and storing the read image information in a database.

19. A printing device comprising a first storage device storing image data and print order information acceptance means for accepting information related to a print order and printing, on the basis of said print order information, an image represented by the image data stored in said first storage device, further comprising:

a second storage device for storing for each print order member specifying information for specifying a member who has given the print order, group specifying information for specifying a group to which the member belongs, and image specifying information for specifying an image whose prints have been ordered with the information correlated with one another;

an image printer printing on the surface of printing paper the image, represented by the image data stored in said first storage device, which is specified by said image specifying information stored in said second storage device; and

an information printer printing on the reverse surface of the printing paper the member specifying information, the group specifying information, and the image specifying information which are stored in said second storage device in correspondence with the image printed on the surface of the printing paper.