Print order reception system for confirming print order information

• US 6,788,425 B1
• Filed: 04/24/1998
• Issued: 09/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakajima, Nobuyoshi, Shiota, Kazuo, Ohtsuka, Shuichi, Haneda, Norihisa, Itoh, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): Poon, King Y.
• Application Number:
  US09/065,569
• Time in Patent Office: 2,328 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1--, 358/302, 358/527, 396/429, 700/236, 700/237, 700/216, 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 358/1.13
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 27/00 Photographic printing apparatus

Abstract

A print order reception system for receiving an order for print services is provided with a recording medium reception port for receiving a recording medium on which image data of pictures and print order information including printing conditions for pictures to be printed are recorded in the form of electronic data in a predetermined format. A display system reads out from the recording medium received in the recording medium reception port the image data on the pictures to be printed and the print order information on the pictures to be printed and displays the image data and the print order information as an image.

Claims

1. A print order reception system for receiving an order for print services, comprising:

a parameter unit adapted to store the acceptable print parameters including print services and conditions of a selected photofinishing system, wherein the selected photo finishing system is one of a plurality of photofinishing systems, the plurality of photofinishing systems having varied acceptable print parameters;

a recording medium reception port for receiving a removable recording medium on which image data of pictures and print order information designated by a user including user selected printing conditions for pictures to be printed are recorded in the form of electronic data in a predetermined format,

a processor which reads out from the removable recording medium, received in the recording medium reception port, the image data of the pictures to be printed and the print order information of the pictures to be printed, and compares the parameters to the image data and the print order information; and

a display adapted to display a notification that the user selected print conditions are not within the parameters and when the notification is not displayed, the image data is displayed according to the print order information, thereby enabling confirmation of print order information by a user.

2. The print order reception system as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a controller through which a confirmation instruction for the order for prints or a cancel instruction for the order for prints can be input.

3. The print order reception system as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a receiving mechanism which moves the removable recording medium to a predetermined storage location or a return port after displaying the image data and the print order information as an image.

4. The print order reception system as defined in claim 1, wherein the printing conditions include information on the layout condition of the images on a print paper.

5. The print order reception system as defined in claim 1, wherein the printing conditions include information on the aspect ratio of the print paper to be used.

6. The print order reception system as defined in claim 1, wherein said image data of pictures and print order information are recorded on separate removable recording media.

7. The print order reception system as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a correction input device capable of inputting correction of the print order information displayed by the display, and

a corrected print order information making device capable of correcting the print order information on the basis of the correction input through the correction input device and creates corrected print order information.

8. The print order reception system as defined in claim 7, wherein the corrected print order information making device is a device capable of adding or correcting the layout condition of the images on a print paper.

9. The print order reception system as defined in claim 7, wherein the corrected print order information making device is a device adapted to lay out an additional image and/or characters on the print paper in addition to the images to be printed.

10. The print order reception system as defined in claim 7, further comprising:

a second recording medium for recording the image data together with the print order information as recorded on the removable recording medium or the corrected print order information created by the corrected print order information making device.

11. The print order reception system as defined in claim 10, wherein the second recording medium is a removable medium.

12. The print order reception system as defined in claim 7, further comprising:

a printer which prints out the contents of the print order information as recorded on the removable recording medium and/or the corrected print order information.

13. The print order reception system as defined in claim 1, wherein the print order information includes printing conditions for pictures to be printed that have been recorded as electronic data in the predetermined format prior to receiving the removable recording medium.

14. The print order reception system as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

an order receiver allowing the user to make a print order by placing the removable recording medium into the order receiver after the user has confirmed the print order using the print order reception system.

15. The print order reception system as defined in claim 1, wherein the acceptable print parameters include acceptable photofinishing facility printing conditions and printing services.

16. The print order reception system as defined in claim 15, wherein the printing services include reprinting, printing postcards and printing calendars.

17. The print order reception system as defined in claim 15, wherein the acceptable print conditions include print sizes, type of illustration or characters to be combined with the pictures, and luster.

18. A print order reception method wherein a plurality of photofinishing laboratories exist, at least some of these laboratories having varied printing parameters, which include the laboratory print conditions and services the laboratory is capable of performing, and a print order reception system associated with a selected laboratory, the print order reception system containing a record of the printing parameters related to the print capabilities of the selected laboratory, said method comprising:

storing image data and user selected print conditions on a removable recording medium;

placing the removable recording medium into a receiving port of the print order reception system associated with a user selected laboratory;

reading the image data and user selected print conditions;

assessing whether or not the user selected print conditions are within acceptable print parameters of a user selected laboratory;

notifying the user on a display whether or not the user selected print conditions may be performed by the user selected laboratory;

displaying the image data on the display when the user selected print conditions may be performed by the user selected laboratory,

allowing the user on the display to confirm print conditions; and

allowing the user to place a print order for the user selected laboratory using the associated print order reception system.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

using a display to notify the user that the user selected print conditions are not within acceptable parameters of the user selected laboratory.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein if the user selected print conditions are assessed to not be within the acceptable parameters, further comprising:

notifying the user of the acceptable parameters; and

allowing the user to select a second processing condition from the acceptable print parameters for the predetermined photofinishing facility.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising recording onto recordable medium selected second processing conditions together with the image data.

22. The print order reception method as defined in claim 18, wherein the printing services include reprinting, printing postcards and printing calendars.

23. The print order reception method as defined in claim 18, wherein the acceptable print conditions include print sizes, type of illustration or characters to be combined with the pictures, and luster.

24. The print order reception method as defined in claim 18, wherein the print order reception system is located at the user selected laboratory.