Information providing method and information providing system

• US 7,330,816 B1
• Filed: 04/11/2000
• Issued: 02/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Masukawa, Akihiro, Izumi, Jiro, Inoue, Atsushi, Kasai, Kenji, Satomi, Hiroshi, Ito, Kosuke, Fukunaga, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): Ouellette; Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US09/547,401
• Time in Patent Office: 2,863 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce

Abstract

An information providing method of providing information to a user includes the steps of receiving a providing request of first information from the user, acquiring contents of the first information from a database, presenting to the user a charge which the user bears when the first information is provided in each of a plurality of information providing forms of the first information, receiving an information providing form selected by the user, and processing the contents of the first information and providing the contents to the user in accordance with the selected information providing form.

Claims

1. An information printing method of printing information, said method comprising:

a first reception step of receiving a request to print first information;

an acquisition step of acquiring the requested first information from a registration device;

a search step of searching for second information related to the acquired first information;

a selection step of receiving a selection of an insertion place on a print sheet for the searched second information from among a plurality of insertion place candidates on the print sheet in which the second information can be inserted;

a printing step of printing the acquired first information and the searched second information so that the second information is printed in the selected insertion place on the print sheet; and

a calculating step of calculating a cost of the printing based on the selected insertion place of the second information on the print sheet,

wherein the insertion place candidates on the print sheet are a free space of the print sheet on which the first information is printed, a back space of the print sheet, or a space of another print sheet.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of insertion place candidates are prepared by changing a size of the print sheet used in printing.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of insertion place candidates are prepared by changing a printable range used in printing.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of insertion place candidates are prepared by changing a number of copies to be printed in printing.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said search step includes searching for the second information in accordance with properties of the first information.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second information is advertisement information.

6. An information printing apparatus for printing information, said apparatus comprising:

a first receiver unit configured to receive a request to print first information;

an acquisition unit configured to acquire the requested first information from a registration device;

a search unit configured to search for second information related to the acquired first information;

a selection unit configured to receive a selection of an insertion place on a print sheet for the searched second information from among a plurality of insertion place candidates on the print sheet in which the second information can be printed;

a printing unit configured to print the acquired first information and the searched second information so that the second information is printed in the selected insertion place on the print sheet; and

a calculation unit configured to calculate a cost of the printing based on the selected insertion place of the second information on the print sheet,

wherein the insertion place candidates on the print sheet are a free space of the print sheet on which the first information is printed, a back space of the print sheet, or a space of another print sheet.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of insertion place candidates are prepared by changing a size of the print sheet used in printing.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of insertion place candidates are prepared by changing a printable range used in printing.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of insertion place candidates are prepared by changing a number of copies to be printed in printing.

10. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the search unit searches for the second information in accordance with properties of the first information.

17. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second information is advertisement information.

11. A computer-readable medium on which is stored a program for implementing an information printing method of printing information, the program comprising:

program code for a first reception step of receiving a request to print first information;

program code for an acquisition step of acquiring the requested first information from a registration device;

program code for a search step of searching for second information related to the acquired first information;

program code for a selection step of receiving a selection of an insertion place on a print sheet for the searched second information from among a plurality of insertion place candidates on the print sheet in which the second information can be printed;

program code for a printing step of printing the acquired first information and the searched second information so that the second information is printed in the selected insertion place on the print sheet; and

program code for a calculating step of calculating a cost of the printing based on the selected insertion place of the second information on the print sheet,

wherein the insertion place candidates on the print sheet are a free space of the print sheet on which the first information is printed, a back space of the print sheet or a space of another print sheet.

12. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of insertion place candidates are prepared by changing a size of printing paper used in printing.

13. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of insertion place candidates are prepared by changing a printable range used in printing.

14. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of insertion place candidates are prepared by changing a number of copies to be printed in printing.

15. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, wherein said search step includes searching for the second information in accordance with properties of the first information.

18. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the second information is advertisement information.