Image printing order receiving system and image printing order receiving method

• US 6,814,509 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2003
• Issued: 11/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ashizaki, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Hirshfeld, Andrew H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hamdan, Wasseem H.
• Application Number:
  US10/398,105
• Publication Number:
  US 20040021898A1
• Time in Patent Office: 481 Days
• Field of Search: 400/76, 358/440, 358/408, 358/487, 358/211.3, 358/527, 354/327, 705/1, 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 400/61
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 5/30 Character or syllable selection controlled by recorded information
• 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 1/00151 with selective access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00164 at a remote location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00167 Processing or editing H04N1/00196 - H04N1/00201 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00188 Printing, e.g. prints or reprints H04N1/0019, H04N1/00196 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/34 for coin-freed systems ; Pay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0039 Connection via a network

Abstract

In a print order receiving system, a first output receiving server receives an order to print all captured image data obtained by imaging apparatus, an image storing server stores the captured image data, a first print-out apparatus prints out the initial printed matter, and the first print-out apparatus supplies the initial printed matter to a shipping terminal. An order receiving server receives a reorder of the printed matter from a user terminal, a charging and settlement server performs the charging and settlement of the printed matter, the first print-out apparatus prints the image data to generate later printed matter when a reorder is received, and the first print-out apparatus supplies the later printed matter to the shipping terminal.

Claims

1. A print order receiving system, said system comprising:

a plurality of imaging apparatuses for imaging an object;

a second order receiving apparatus connected with said plurality of imaging apparatuses through a first network, said second order receiving apparatus being supplied with captured image data obtained by imaging of the object from each of said plurality of imaging apparatuses through the first network, said second order receiving apparatus receiving an order of a print-out of each of the captured image data, said second order receiving apparatus stores the captured image data for each order;

an image storing apparatus connected with said second order receiving apparatus through a second network that is different from the first network, said image storing apparatus storing image data including the captured image data supplied from said second order receiving apparatus through the second network;

a first order receiving apparatus connected with said second order receiving apparatus through the second network, said first order receiving apparatus receiving an order of the print-out for captured image data stored in said second order receiving apparatus;

a first print-out apparatus connected with said plurality of imaging apparatuses through the second network, said print-out apparatus printing the captured image data supplied from said imaging apparatus through the second network and the image data supplied from said image storing apparatus through the second network to output initial printed matter;

a plurality of communication terminals for executing a reorder of later printed matter being printed matter of image data based on the captured image data through the first network;

a charging and settlement apparatus connected with said plurality of communication terminals through the first network, said charging and settlement apparatus executing charging and settlement of the reordered later printed matter;

a second print-out apparatus different from said first print-out apparatus, said second print-out apparatus being connected with said second order receiving apparatus through the second network, said second print-out apparatus being supplied with the reordered image data based on the captured image data through the second network from said image storing apparatus according to re-receiving of a reorder of the print-out of the image data based on the captured image data by said first order receiving apparatus, said second print-out apparatus printing the supplied image data to output the later printed matter; and

a shipping terminal connected with said second order receiving apparatus through the second network, said shipping terminal executing shipping processing of the later printed matter in correspondence with each of the captured image data, wherein;

said second order receiving apparatus is connected with said plurality of communication terminals through the first network and receives the reorder of later printed matter required by each of said plurality of communication terminals; and

said first order receiving apparatus re-receives through the second network the print-out of the image data based on the captured image data reordered by said communication terminals to said second order receiving apparatus through the first network, according to execution of the charging and settlement by said charging and settlement apparatus.

2. A method for receiving an order for image printing, said method comprising the steps of:

imaging objects by a plurality of imaging apparatuses;

printing captured image data supplied from said imaging apparatus through the first network and the image data supplied from said image storing apparatus through the first network to output initial printed matter by a first print-out apparatus connected with said plurality of imaging apparatuses through the first network;

supplying the captured image data from each of the plurality of imaging apparatuses through the first network, the captured image data having been obtained by imaging of the object by each of said plurality of imaging apparatuses;

receiving an order of a print-out by a second order receiving apparatus for captured image data, said second order receiving apparatus being connected with said plurality of imaging apparatuses through a second network that is different from the first network;

storing the captured image data of each order by said second order receiving apparatus;

storing image data including the captured image data supplied from said second order receiving apparatus through the first network by an image storing apparatus connected with said second order receiving apparatus through the first network;

receiving an order of the print-out for the captured image data stored in said second order receiving apparatus by a first order receiving apparatus connected with said second order receiving apparatus through the first network, wherein

the initial printed matter output from said first print out apparatus is one of hologram and parallax image printed matter, and

the captured image data obtained by said plurality of imaging apparatuses is used for said hologram or parallax image printed matter;

reordering later printed matter being printed matter of image data based on the captured image data through the second network by a plurality of communication terminals;

receiving a reorder of the later printed matter, the reorder being issued from each of said plurality of communication terminals, by said second order receiving apparatus connected with said plurality of communication terminals through the second network;

charging and settling the reordered later printed matter by a charging and settlement apparatus connected with said plurality of communication terminals through the second network;

re-receiving a reorder of a print-out of the image data based on the captured image data through the first network by said first order receiving apparatus, the print-out being reordered by said communication terminals to said second order receiving apparatus through the second network, in response to the execution of the charging and the settlement by said charging and settlement apparatus;

supplying the reordered image data based on the captured image data from said image storing apparatus to a second print-out apparatus different from the first print-out apparatus through the first network in response to the re-receiving of the reordered print-out of the image data based on the reordered captured image data by said first order receiving apparatus;

printing the image data supplied from said image storing apparatus by said second print-out apparatus to output the later printed matter; and

shipping the later printed matter by a shipping terminal in correspondence with each captured image data, said shipping terminal being connected with said second order receiving apparatus through the first network.