Photographic processing system, order receiving system, and product delivering system

• US 6,429,923 B1
• Filed: 02/09/1999
• Issued: 08/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Konica Corporation (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Corporation (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Ogawa, Minoru, Koboshi, Shigeharu, Ueda, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEROUX, ETIENNE PIERRE
• Application Number:
  US09/247,059
• Time in Patent Office: 1,274 Days
• Field of Search: 355/40, 355/50, 396/564, 396/569, 396/603, 700/236
• US Class Current: 355/40
• CPC Class Codes: G03D 15/005 Order systems, e.g. printsorter

Abstract

A photographic processing system is provided with an ID reader for reading ID from an ID card; an ID transmitting receiving device for transmitting the ID to an ID information administrating apparatus and for receiving owner information regarding the owner of the ID card from the ID information administrating apparatus; an order information inputting device for inputting order information regarding order contents for a photographic process; and a controller for correlating the owner information and the order information and for memorizing the owner information and the order information in the correlating form in a memory.

Claims

1. A photographic processing and client administrative system for receiving a photographic processing order from a client who carries an image medium containing photographic image information and a card containing an ID code including numbers to identify the client and for processing the photographic image information in accordance with the photographic processing order, comprising:

a photographic processing order input device for inputting the photographic processing order, wherein the photographic processing order includes information which designates the kind of image medium received from the client and the type of method to be used to process the photographic image information, and the photographic processing order does not include client information including a client name and a client telephone number, and wherein the photographic processing order input device generates data of the photographic processing order;

a card reader for reading the ID code form the card of the client and for generating data of the ID code;

a controller configured to generate a reference number with reference to the data of the photographic processing order and the data of the ID code and to memorize the data of the photographic processing order and the date of the ID code together with the reference number in a correlated form in a memory;

an ID transmitting receiving device for transmitting the data of the ID code to an ID information administrative center and for receiving data of the client information including the client name and the client telephone number from the ID information administrative center, wherein the controller memorizes the data of the client information together with both of the data of the photographic processing order and the reference number in the memory in the correlated form after the ID transmitting receiving device has received the data of the client information from the ID information administrative center;

a writing device to receive the data of the client information and the reference number from the controller and to write the client name and the client telephone number together with the reference number on a sheet; and

a photographic processing device to process the photographic image information in the image medium based on the photographic processing order correlated with the reference number and to produce a photographic product in correlation with the reference number.

2. The photographic processing and client administrative system of claim 1, wherein the card reader is one of a slot type card reader having a slot in which the card is inserted so that the ID code is read and a bar code reader to read bar code representing the ID code from the card.

3. The photographic processing and client administrative system of claim 1, wherein the order contents input device generates electric data as the data of the photographic processing order, the card reader generates electric data as the data of the ID code, and the controller memorizes the electric data of the photographic processing order and the electric data of the ID code together with electric data of the reference number in the memory.

4. The photographic processing and client administrative system of claim 1, wherein the reference number is a receipt number.

5. The photographic processing and client administrative system of claim 4, wherein the reference number is a consecutive number generated for each receipt of an order.

6. The photographic processing and client administrative system of claim 1, wherein the reference data and the photographic processing order are stored in the memory as header information for the photographic image information contained in the image medium.

7. The photographic processing and client administrative system of claim 1, wherein the controller further memorizes charge information to be paid by the client and correlates it with the reference number.

8. The photographic processing and client administrative system of claim 7, wherein the controller transmits the charge information to the ID information administrative center with the date of the ID code.

9. The photographic processing and client administrative system of claim 7, wherein the controller memorizes the charge information in the memory in correlation with the received client information.

10. The photographic processing and client administrative system of claim 1, wherein the controller obtains the client information to be written on an order receipt slip from the memory.

11. The photographic processing and client administrative system of claim 10, wherein the writing device is a receipt slip producing device for producing the receipt slip for the photographic processing order from the client information.

12. The photographic processing and client administrative system of claim 11, wherein the receipt slip producing device records the order contents on the slip.

13. The photographic processing and client administrative system of claim 11, wherein the receipt slip producing device records the order contents and at least one of the ID code and the client name.

14. The photographic processing and client administrative system of claim 11, wherein the printing information and client information including the client name and the client telephone number is further recorded on a photographic bag in company with the production of the receipt slip by the receipt slip producing device.

15. The photographic processing and client administrative system of claim 10, further comprising;

a printing device for recording an image on a recording medium by photographic processing of the order contents.

16. The photographic processing and client administrative system of claim 15, further comprising:

a receipt slip producing device for producing the order receipt slip from the printing information, wherein the receipt slip producing device records a scheduled time for completion of the photographic processing.

17. The photographic processing and client administrative system of claim 1, wherein the photographic processing device comprises a printing device for recording the photographic image information of the image medium on a photographic paper.

18. The photographic processing and client administrative system of claim 17, wherein the recording medium is a silver halide photosensitive material.

19. The photographic processing and client administrative system of claim 1, wherein the controller stores image data in the memory correlated with at least one of the reference number, the client information, and the other contents.

20. The photographic processing and client administrative system of claim 19, further comprising:

a printing device for recording an image on a recording medium from the data stored in the memory.

21. The photographic processing and client administrative system of claim 20, wherein the image data is processed on the basis of the order contents stored in the memory, and wherein the printing device records the image on a recording medium from the processed data of the image data.

22. The photographic processing and client administrative system of claim 21, wherein the recording medium is a silver halide photosensitive material.

23. The photographic processing and client administrative system of claim 19, further comprising:

an image data input device for inputting image data accepted from the client,

wherein image data is stored in the memory through the image data input device.

24. The photographic processing and client administrative system of claim 23, wherein the image input device reads image data from a computer readable medium.

25. The photographic processing and client administrative system of claim 23, wherein the image input device reads image data by scanning a medium containing an image.