GB2368668A

GB2368668A - Provision of customised software

Info

Publication number: GB2368668A
Application number: GB0016030A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gareth Ashby Bliss
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-06-29
Filing date: 2000-06-29
Publication date: 2002-05-08
Also published as: GB0016030D0

Abstract

A system is disclosed for providing customised software, in particular promotional gifts or sales aids, over a network, for example by e-mail. The promotional gifts may be software applications such as games or calendars, and may retain the originator's electronic business card in an accessible place on a customer's computer desktop. The system includes a client computer 100 configured to receive data 502, such as company contact details, from the originator via an input 102. The client computer 100 forwards the data 502 over a network 400 to a server computer 200, which builds a customised application package 506 including the data 502 and the application 504. The server computer 200 forwards the customised package 506 to the client computer 100, which in turn, forwards the package 506 via the network 400 to one or more of the recipient (customers') computers 300. The data 502 input at the client computer may also control font sizes, etc. The customised application package 506 contains software which, when run on the recipient computer, provides an output containing at least some of the data input at the client computer.

Description

PROVISION OF CUSTOMISED SOFTWARE

The present invention relates to the provision of customised software, and in particular, but not exclusively to the provision of customisable electronic promotional gifts, for example for distribution over the Internet.

Many companies offer promotional gifts to their customers as a goodwill gesture, an underlying objective being to help maintain the customers' awareness of the company and to facilitate future communication. Companies also offer promotional gifts as sales aids to win new customers. These gifts are usually relatively inexpensive and offer some level of advertising and contact details, some typical gifts being calendars, year planners, paperweights, pens and pencils.

Some gifts are restricted to seasonal offerings, for example calendars and year planners. Many promotional gifts remain unused by the customer, and may frequently be lost or discarded because of their perceived lack of usefulness or redundancy.

Nevertheless, companies continue to commission and send such commercial gifts at great expense. Many small to medium-sized businesses cannot easily justify the time, human resources and expense of such promotional activities, especially if relatively high quality products are to be used.

The present invention addresses these and other problems of the related prior art. According to a first aspect, the present invention provides a system for providing customized software to a computer, comprising: a memory for storing a software application; a server computer in communication with the memory and configured to fetch the software application from the memory on demand ;

a client computer arranged to permit input of client data which is interpretable by a user ; the system being arranged to form a customized application package comprising the input client data and the uploaded software application, and to store said customized application package for forwarding to a recipient computer, the customised application package containing one or more software elements which, when executed on the recipient computer, provide an output containing at least a part of said client data.

According to a second aspect the invention provides a method of providing customized software comprising the steps of: inputting client data to a client computer, the client data which is input being interpretable by a user; forming a customised application package comprising the input client data and a software application; forwarding said customized application package to a recipient computer; and executing said customized application package on the recipient computer so as to provide an output therefrom which contains at least a part of said client data.

According to a third aspect the invention provides a customized application package for forwarding from a client computer to a recipient computer, comprising: encrypted client data; a decryption element operable, when executed on said recipient computer, to decrypt at least part of said client data; a software application operable, when executed on said recipient computer to provide an application

interface displaying at least a part of said client data ; and a client data display element operable, when executed on said recipient computer, to provide a client data interface displaying at least a part of said client data; said application interface providing an interface control arranged to cause said client data display element to provide said client data interface.

According to a fourth aspect the invention provides a system for providing customised electronic promotional gifts, comprising: a memory for storing a software application; a server computer in communication with the memory and configured to fetch the software application from the memory on demand; a client computer arranged to accept input of promotional information; the system being arranged to form a customised promotional package comprising the promotional data and the software application, and to store said customized promotional package for forwarding to a recipient computer, the customised promotional package containing one or more software elements which, when executed on the recipient computer, provide a graphical output containing at least a part of said promotional data.

Software for carrying out the various functions described in this document, for example for running on the server computer, may be provided on suitable computer readable media for installation.

The software application may typically be a computer program having particular novelty, usefulness or entertainment value such as a game, a calendar or a calculator program. The client data may include a company name, contact details and so on, and the

software application preferably provides a graphical user interface arranged to display at least some of the client data, and in particular key parts of that data such as a company name or logo.

The client data may also include parameters to control how other elements of the client data are to be presented by a recipient computer, such as font sizes, types and colours, layout parameters and so on.

Other client data could include still and moving images and sound data.

The customised application package may be used as a promotional gift. The package may be forwarded, for example, by e-mail to a variety of potential or actual business customers or clients. When the application package is installed and executed by a customer on a recipient computer, elements of the client data are output, for example in conjunction with a graphical interface provided by the software application and/or other elements of the package.

Some modifications the software application before inclusion in the customised package may be appropriate, or alternatively, the application be arranged to receive any required data from other parts of the customised application package so that no change to the program code or data of the software application itself is required.

Preferably, the server computer is adapted to receive the input client data over a network from the client computer, to form the customised application package, and to forward the customised application package to the client computer over the network. The network may typically be the publically accessible Internet.

Although other configurations are clearly possible, it is convenient for the server computer to carry out the creation of the application package by combination of the client data with the software

application and any other required software or data, before this is forwarded to the client computer.

Clearly, it would be desirable to discourage recipients of the customised application package from modifying the package so as to reuse it for different purposes or with different client data to that originally intended. Preferably, therefore, the system is arranged to encrypt the client data, for inclusion in the customised application package as encrypted client data. To enable the encrypted client data to be used on a recipient computer, the server system is preferably further adapted to include suitable decryption software in the customised application package. The operation of this decryption software element is preferably transparent to the user of a recipient computer who will typically receive the customised application package as a gift, install it and execute it.

Preferably, the system is adapted to include in the customised application package client data display software configured to provide a client data display interface when executed on the recipient computer, the client data display interface being arranged to display at least a part of the client data, and being distinct from the application interface provided by the software application.

The system may be adapted to include any one of a number of different software applications in a customised application package. Preferably, however, any one of the available software applications is configured to launch, as and when required, an electronic business card or similar client data display interface, as mentioned above. Software for providing such a client data display interface, and other required software elements common to all software applications, may conveniently be provided by an object code library or similar arrangement included

within the customised application package for installation on the recipient computer.

The client display interface preferably provides facilities for further communication between a recipient of a customised application package and a first party such as the company or person who arranged for the application package to the recipient. Such facilities may include, for example, a button for launching an e-mail facility with the first party's email address preconfigured, or a button for launching a world wide web browser window and automatically connecting to a world wide web server selected by the first party. Clearly, such facilities may prove very advantageous when making use of the invention for business promotion purposes.

Preferably, the interface of the software application provides means for causing the client data display interface, or electronic business card to be displayed. For example, an interface button may be provided for this purpose. This button could be labelled, for example, with a company name or logo.

Preferably, the customised application package is configured as an executable self-unpacking archive file. In this way, the customised application package may be e-mailed or otherwise communicated to intended recipients as a single file entity, requiring simple execution in order to extract the enclosed multiple file elements required for functioning of the package on the recipient computer. Alternatively, a standard install functionality provided on the recipient computer could be used, or the customised application package could be provided as a single executable file, ready to run on receipt.

The invention seeks to make use of modern electronic communication facilities, including the Internet, world wide web and e-mail, and the widespread use of relatively standardised personal

computers, as well as increasingly powerful mobile telephones and personal organisers, for achieving the same primary objectives as more conventional promotional gifts. Software promotional gifts provided according to embodiments of the invention may be made cheaply and easily available over the Internet, and may conveniently be branded with business details such as company name and so forth. Electronic promotional gifts or sales aids may be used to provide maximum exposure and communication between a business and its potential or actual customers and clients.

A software application of the present invention is preferably a relatively small software application, perhaps no larger then 4 megabytes in size, and preferably offering useful functionality, novelty or entertainment value in its own right. Preferably, such software applications should provide at least some of the following attributes: they should be neat and appealing, be simple and intuitive to use, provide useful functionality to the end user, have unique and interesting features, be fun to use, provide instant communication with the supplier who sent them the product, and be easy to pass onto friends and associates. Such attributes may be fulfilled, for example, by a suitably configured calculator, calendar, alarm clock or game program.

The benefits of using relatively small, compact and self-contained software applications rather than more conventional large, full-functionality software applications are many. Larger applications present at least some of the following problems: they are too large to conveniently send across a network where some links are provided by relatively slow links such as telephone lines, they are expensive to develop, they are often complicated and confusing, offering far more functionality than is required by most end users, who tend to use them only to a fraction of their full

potential, end user support is costly and official training expensive, and they quickly become out of date and are costly to upgrade.

The client data display interface, or electronic business card, which may be launched from the software application included in a customised application package according to the present invention may typically provide a graphical look very similar to a conventional printed business card. Facilities may be provided for the electronic business card to be customised and adapted as desired, for example, sending the appropriate details from the client computer to the serer computer.

The client data display interface or electronic business card may typically contain all the conventional business contact details, as well as an instant link to enable the recipient to send an e-mail to the originator, or to visit the originators web site, as well as, perhaps, a scrollable text box carrying a company message or similar promotional text.

Embodiments of the invention provide a promotional benefit by retaining the originator's electronic business card in an accessible place on their customer's computer desktops. Client data may also be displayed during an installation process of the customised application package on the recipient computer. Client data may also be displayed in various locations determined by the operating system of the recipient computer, for example along the top of a window in which the software application is running, or in any minimised form of this window.

If the software application is an alarm clock, calendar or similar program, then reminder messages or other interface features periodically launched by the software application may include client data. This client data element may act as an interface control

for launching the client data display interface. If the client data display interface is launched from the executing software application, and subsequently closed, client data may be displayed in data display areas of the graphical interface provided by the software application instead of the more usually intended data such as time on an alarm clock, calculation result on a calculator and so on. If the software application is a calculator, then every report print-out may include elements of the client data.

Facilities provided with the software application for giving help to the recipient may contain links to the client data display interface or otherwise display client data.

Preferably, the user of a client computer in receipt of a customised application package may forward it to as many third parties as they wish, who may in turn forward it to other parties. Because a copy of the customised application package may always be retained in the client computer or elsewhere, a user need never need run out of promotional gifts, which may be sent at any time or from any location when access to appropriate electronic facilities is available. The customised application package may be sent within a few seconds or minutes to anywhere in the world, at any time of the day or year.

The software application may take the form of an electronic business card holder in which the electronic business card of the originator is always in a prime position. Such an application may be able to access multiple electronic business cards in an alphabetical index, these electronic business cards being retained in electronic memory on the recipient computer.

Another suitable software application could take the form of a software voice recording device also

providing client data display and other promotional benefits similar to those described above in connection with other software applications. Such a software device may allow the user to record a voice message and perhaps a synchronised video clip into a compressed file. The device could then forward this file as an attachment to an e-mail. The voice and/or video clip may include elements of the client data.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 shows a system for providing customised software according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows in more detail the server and client computers of Figure 1 and the data flows within and between these computers; Figure 3 shows in more detail aspects of the client and recipient computers of Figure 1, and data flows within and between these computers; Figure 4 shows a client data entry interface; Figure 5 shows an example of the graphical user interface of a software application, and Figure 6 shows an example of a client data display interface launched by from a graphical user interface such as that shown in Figure 5.

Turning now to Figure 1, there is shown a system for providing customised software embodying the present invention. A client computer 100, a server computer 200 and a number of recipient computers 300 are connected together by a data network 400 such as the Internet.

The following processes are driven principally be the user of the client computer. Data input facilities 102 are provided at the client computer 100, which may be a typical personal computer comprising a CPU, memory, one or more hard disk drives, a keyboard, a

mouse, a visual display unit, and so forth. The data input facilities 102 are used to enter one or more elements of client data 502. Such client data may represent, for example, a company name, company contact details, and so forth. The client data 502 is forwarded using the network 400 to the server computer 200 where it is stored in memory. The server computer builds a customised application package including the input client data 502 and the software application 504.

The server computer 200 forwards the customised application package 506 over the network 400 to the client computer 100.

When the client computer 100 has received a customised application package 506, this may be forwarded via the network 400 to one or more recipient computers 300. The recipient computers may typically be standard personal computers having similar facilities to the above-mentioned client computer 100.

The user of a recipient computers may install a customised application package and on execution of the software application contained within the customised application package, elements of the input client data 502 are displayed.

Turning now to Figure 2, there are shown aspects of the server computer 200 and client computer 100 shown in Figure 1, illustrating data flow processes occurring during interactions between these two computers in order to supply a customised application package.

Under the control of the data input facilities 102 and a graphical user interface, a server interface element 104 in the client computer 100 communicates, via a network interface 106, the network 400 and a network interface 204 in the server 200, with a client interface 202 in the server computer. Using the server interface 104, the user of the client computer 100 is

able to forward client data 502 to the server computer 200. This client data is stored in client data memory 206 in the server. Client data sets for a number of different clients may be stored in the client data memory 206 simultaneously, for use as and when required.

An application memory area 208 stores a number of software applications 504 and a client data display software element 508. The client data display element comprises software adapted to display client data in a graphical user interface, for example in the form of an electronic business card, as well as various other software elements required in the customised application package such as decryption software.

On request by the user of the client computer 100, the server computer 200 combines the client data 502 provided by the client computer 100, and encrypted by an encrypt module 210, with one of the customisable software applications 504 and the client data display element 508, thereby creating a customised application package 506. The combining step is carried out by zip module 212, which may operate using any of a variety of data file grouping or archiving methods. Suitable commercially or publically available methods include "PKZIP","WinZIP","TAR"and others. The package is preferably created as a file that is executable on the recipient computer, and which when executed automatically carries out an appropriate unpacking procedure.

The customized application package is forwarded, via the network interface 204 and the network 400 to the client computer 100, where it is stored in a client computer application memory area 108.

The server interface 104 on the client computer 100 may conveniently be provided by a standard hypertext mark-up language (HTML) browser. The client interface 202 on the server computer 200 may be

provided by an active server page (ASP) arrangement provided under the control of an HTML server. An active server page is a language-independent framework designed by Microsoft for efficient coding of serverside scripts that are designed to be executed by an HTML server in response to a user's request for an HTML page. Other server-side scripting systems currently available, which may conveniently be used in embodiments of the present invention, include Perl and Python. Of course, other suitable methods of providing the client interface 202 may equally be used.

Interactions between the server interface 104 and the client interface 202 may allow the user of the client computer 100 to select which customisable software application 504 they wish to obtain, to provide the client data to be included in the customised application package 506, to define various display formats such as font sizes, colours and so forth of the client date 502 to be displayed by the software application 504 or the client data display element 508, and provide various transaction details such as financial payment instructions.

The user of the client computer may also request inclusion in the customized application package one or more elements or pages of data to be displayed by a software application expected to be available on a recipient computer. For example, a number of HTML pages forming a business brochure may be included in the package, with one or more interface controls providing a recipient with instant access to extra promotional or similar material without having to download such material over the network.

Control of the client interface 202 and other aspects of the server computer 200 may be provided by Microsoft transaction server (MTS) software, managed by an MTS service on the server computer 200. Such currently available commercial systems are able to

provide stable facilities for processing numerous requests from one or many client computers 100 at te same time. MTS is a component-based transaction processing system for developing, deploying and managing high performance, scalable and robust enterprise, Internet and Intranet server applications.

MTS defines an application programming model for developing distributed, component-based applications, and also provides a run-time infrastructure for deploying and managing these applications. Clearly, however, there are numerous other ways of providing control of the transaction processes on the server computer 200 that could be used in embodiments of the invention.

The encrypt module 210 may be provided by a nonvisual executable component, such as an ActiveX component instructed by the client interface 202 to generate a unique encrypted version of the input client data 502. Each data element within a client data set 502 may be randomly encrypted to prevent possible modifications if the underlying encryption method is discovered by a third party.

The encrypted client data may take the form of a simple text file containing fixed lengths of encrypted elements, each element representing a data element provided by the client's computer 100, for inclusion in the customised application package 506.

The client data display element 508 may take the form of a dynamic link library accessible by a software application 504 combined in the same customised application package. In a currently preferred embodiment, the client data display element 508 is provided by a non-visual COM (ActiveX) component exposed as a dynamic link library. The core functionality of the client data display element 508 is to read and decrypt the encrypted client data contained within a customised application package 506

installed on a recipient computer and to provide the client data display interface, or electronic business card. Further functionality provides facilities to launch e-mail facilities pre-configured using elements of the client data 502, and provides facilities for launching an HTML browser page directed to a web site predetermined by elements of the client data 502.

An installed client data display element 508 may also provide instructions to the visual display control aspects of the operating system of a recipient computer 300 in order to label elements of the display associated with the software application with elements of the user of the client data 502. For example, the title bar on a graphical user interface window within which an interface provided by a software application is contained may contain a company name or similar information. Client data decoded by the client data display software is also provided as data to the software application to enable the application to use the data in its own graphical user interface.

So that the user of a client computer need not re-enter client data 502 every time they wish to obtain a customised application package 506 from the server computer 200, the server computer 200 may retain private data 503 in the client data memory area 206 for future use. This data may be contained as simple, delimited text files. The client data 502 may also be retained in encrypted form following encryption by the encrypt module 210. This encrypted data may also be contained in the client data memory area 206.

Typically, the application memory area 208 and the client data memory area 206 may be provided by standard file structures provided on hard disk drives or similar devices by the server computer 200 operating system. However, other options will clearly available on most systems.

In order to obtain payment for a customised application package to be forwarded to client computer 100, the server computer may make use of third party payment facilities. For example, the network link between the client computer 100 and server computer 200 may be switched to a secure banking server at an appropriate moment, with financial transaction information being securely encrypted. The original communication link will be restored between the server computer 200 and client computer 100 once the financial transaction has been completed.

Turning now to Figure 3, there are shown aspects of the client computer 100 and recipient computer 300 shown in Figure 1, illustrating certain data flows between and within the computers.

Having obtained a customised application package 506 and having stored this package in the client application memory area 108, the user of a client computer 100 may forward the customised application package to one or more recipient computers 300.

Conveniently, this may be carried out using an e-mail facility 110 whereby the customised application package 506 is included as an attachment with a text e-mail message 508. The combined e-mail is forwarded via the network interface 106 over the network 400 to one or more intended recipient computers 300.

In a recipient computer 300, the e-mail is received via a network interface 302 by an e-mail facility 304. The customised application package 506 received as an e-mail attachment is stored in a recipient application memory area 306. Of course, the application package could be received by a variety of other means such as FTP, or on a removable physical medium such as a CDROM.

The customised application package 506 may be installed on the recipient computer 300 using a variety of methods, partly depending on how the

customised application package 506 was configured by the server computer 200 and depending on the facilities locally available and provided by the operating system of the recipient computer 300.

In a preferred embodiment, the customised application package is received as an executable selfextracting archive file. When this file is executed, it self extracts into a number of separate files, possibly into one or more predetermined directories.

Typically, a locally available install procedure 308, or an executable extracted from package may be run to install the executable software application 310, which may be identical or similar to the software application 504 stored on the server computer 200.

The install procedure 308 also installs an encrypted client data file 312, containing the encrypted client data, and the client data display software element 314 which will typically be similar or identical to the client data display element 508 stored in the application memory area 208 of the server computer 200.

The software application 310 provides a graphical user interface on execution, providing interface facilities appropriate to the nature of the software application, be it a calculator, an alarm clock, an electronic business card holder, or any other software application. Included in the client data display element 314 are decryption facilities 316 which, on request, access the encrypted client data file 312 and make the decrypted data accessible to the software application 310. Hence the normal graphical user interface provided by the software application 510 may provide, for example, display of elements of the client data 502.

A client data display interface 318 is launchable by a client data display element 320 on instruction by the software application 310, for example when the

user of the recipient computer activates an interface element on the graphical user interface generated by the software application 310. The client data display interface 318 is principally provided to display various elements of the client data, for example in the form of an electronic business card, and may provide facilities for launching further communications facilities such as an e-mail window pre-configured for sending an e-mail to a recipient determined by elements of the client data 502, or the window of an HTML browser 322, the window being preconfigured to connect to an HTML server or universal resource locator determined by elements of the client data 502.

Turning now to Figure 4 there is shown a client data entry window adapted to enable the user of client computer 100 to provide client data 502 to server computer 200 for inclusion in a customised application package. The format of this window is provided by client interface 202 running on the server computer 200, and is displayed the server interface 104 running on the client computer 100.

The client data entry window provides a client data entry area 600 in which a number of details may be entered, including name, company name, postal address, fax number, e-mail address and web site address. A client description entry area 602 allows the user of client computer 100 to enter a more general body of text relating to, for example, a company or business. The data entered in client description entry area 602 may be used, for example, in a continuous banner display by a software application 310 or client data display interface 316 running on a recipient computer 300. Other information that could be entered in a window similar to that shown in figure 4 could include parameters for controlling the presentation of elements of the client

data, such as font sizes, types and colours.

At the bottom of the window a generator button 604 is provided. Activation of this button by the user of client computer 100 instructs the server computer 200 to generate a data file containing the client data in an encrypted form. Other windows provided by the client interface allow the user of the client computer to choose a particular on of the software applications 504 and to instruct the server 200 to build a customised application package incorporating the chosen software application 504, the appropriate client data 502 a client data display element 508 and any other required software and data in an appropriate format.

Turning now to Figure 5, there is shown a graphical user interface generated by a software application 310 executing on recipient computer 300.

The software application generating this interface is an alarm clock program, and it will be seen that the graphical user interface displays a time field 610, a number of functional buttons 612 for providing alarm clock facilities, and usual operating system window control 614.

The graphical user interface of figure 5 is used to display elements of the client data 502. In particular, the name of a company is displayed in the title bar of the window 616, and on an interface control button 618. Button 618, if activated, launches a client data display interface 316, displaying an electronic business card containing some or all of the client data 502.

Turning now to Figure 6, there is shown a client data display interface, in the form of a window presented by the operating system of a recipient computer 300. The client data display interface window contains usual window control facilities 620, and a client data display area 622. In area 622 the name and

address of a company is shown, along with contact details. There are also provided an e-mail button 624 and a world wide web button 626. The e-mail button 624 may be used to launch a pre-configured e-mail window, generated by the e-mail facility 304 of recipient computer 300, for sending an e-mail to an address specified in the client data 502. The world wide web button 626 may be used for launching a window of an HTML browser pre-configured to download an HTML page using a universal resource locator specified in the client data 502.

If HTML or similar data elements or pages intended for display by a software application already available on the recipient computer were included in the customised application package, these pages could be conveniently accessed by controls provided on the software application or electronic business card interfaces to launch the appropriate viewing software, and to automatically load the pages or data elements.

The client data display window of Figure 6 is generated by client data display element 320 running on the recipient computer 300.

Claims

CLAIMS :

1. A system for providing customized software to a computer, comprising: a memory for storing a software application; a server computer in communication with the memory and configured to fetch the software application from the memory on demand; a client computer arranged to permit input of client data which is interpretable by a user; the system being arranged to form a customized application package comprising the input client data and the uploaded software application, and to store said customized application package for forwarding to a recipient computer, the customised application package containing one or more software elements which, when executed on the recipient computer, provide an output containing at least a part of said client data.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said server computer is adapted to receive said input client data over a network from said client computer, to form the customized application package, and to forward said customised application package to said client computer over said network.

3. A system as claimed in either of claims 1 or 2 wherein the system is arranged to encrypt said client data, for inclusion in said customised application package as encrypted client data.

4. A system as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said system is further arranged to include in said customised application package a decryption

software element arranged to decrypt said encrypted client data.

5. A system as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said software application is arranged to provide an application interface when executed on said recipient computer, said application interface displaying at least a part of said client data.

6. A system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said system is arranged to include in said customised application package a client data display element operable, when executed on said recipient computer, to provide a client data interface, said client data interface being arranged to display at least a part of said client data, and being distinct from said application interface.

7. A system as claimed in claim 6 wherein said application interface provides means for instructing said client data interface to be displayed.

8. A system as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said customized application package is configured as an executable self-unpacking archive file.

9. A method of providing customized software comprising the steps of: inputting client data to a client computer, the client data which is input being interpretable by a user; forming a customised application package comprising the input client data and a software application; forwarding said customized application package to a recipient computer; and

executing said customized application package on the recipient computer so as to provide an output therefrom which contains at least a part of said client data.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of storing said software application on a server computer arranged to communicate with said client computer.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the steps of forwarding said client data to said server computer, carrying out the step of forming on said server computer, and forwarding said customised application package from said server computer to said client computer.

12. The method of any of claims 9 to 11 further comprising the step of encrypting said input client data before inclusion in said customized application package.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of including in said customized application package a decryption software element arranged to decrypt said encrypted client data, when executed on said recipient computer.

14. The method of any of claims 9 to 13 further comprising the step of executing said software application on said recipient computer so as to provide an application interface, said application interface displaying at least a part of said client data.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of including a client data display element in

said customized application package, said client data display element being operable, when executed on said recipient computer, to provide a client data interface, said client data interface being arranged to display at least a part of said client data, and being distinct from said application interface.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of using an interface control provided on the application interface to cause the client data interface to be displayed.

17. A computer readable medium carrying computer program elements operable to carry out the method steps of any of claims 9 to 16.

18. A customized application package for forwarding from a client computer to a recipient computer, comprising: encrypted client data; a decryption element operable, when executed on said recipient computer, to decrypt at least part of said client data ; a software application operable, when executed on said recipient computer to provide an application interface displaying at least a part of said client data; and a client data display element operable, when executed on said recipient computer, to provide a client data interface displaying at least a part of said client data; said application interface providing an interface control arranged to cause said client data display element to provide said client data interface.

19. A system for providing customised electronic promotional gifts, comprising:

a memory for storing a software application ; a server computer in communication with the memory and configured to fetch the software application from the memory on demand ; a client computer arranged to accept input of promotional information; the system being arranged to form a customised promotional package comprising the promotional data and the software application, and to store said customized promotional package for forwarding to a recipient computer, the customised promotional package containing one or more software elements which, when executed on the recipient computer, provide a graphical output containing at least a part of said promotional data.

20. A system as claimed in claim 19 wherein the customised promotional package further comprises a software element for displaying an electronic business card interface on said recipient computer, said electronic business card interface including at least some of said promotional data.

21. A system as claimed in claim 20 wherein said client data includes a client e-mail address, said electronic business card interface providing an interface control for initiating an e-mail facility preconfigured to send an e-mail to said client e-mail address.

22. A system as claimed in claim 20 wherein said client data includes a client html server address, said electronic business card interface providing an interface control for initiating an html browser facility preconfigured to read an html page from said client html server address.

23. A system as claimed in claim 19 wherein said software application is one of an alarm clock, a calculator, a screen saver, a voice recording software device, an Internet radio, an Internet video phone, a diary, a planner, and a game.

24. A system as claimed in claim 19 wherein said software application is an electronic business card holder, said client data being displayed in an electronic business card held in a fixed position in said electronic business card holder.

25. A system substantially as herein described, with reference to figures 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.

27. A method substantially as herein described, with reference to figures 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.