WO1998021675A1

WO1998021675A1 - Method and system for generating and transferring information ca rriers

Info

Publication number: WO1998021675A1
Application number: PCT/EP1997/006126
Authority: WO
Inventors: Adriana Johanna De Heer
Original assignee: Koninklijke Kpn N.V.
Priority date: 1996-11-13
Filing date: 1997-10-31
Publication date: 1998-05-22
Also published as: AU7181698A

Abstract

Method and system for retrieving, generating and transferring of brochures about products and services. A database is filled with electronically processable information files of 'printed matter', together with selection references. A user can present selection codes by means of a user interface. On the basis of the selection references, a selection is made from the stored information files. The selected information files are then printed and finished into one 'customised' brochure, which is forwarded to the user. The advantage for the user is that he receives concentrated information, which is drawn from a large amount of available information. The great advantage for the information suppliers is that the edition is minimal, while the information reaches those users who have need for particularly that information. Moreover, name and address details can be derived from the system.

Description

Method and system for generating and transferring information carriers .

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a method for retrieving, generating and transferring information carriers. The invention further relates to a system for carrying out such a method. So far it has been customary for organisations , such as companies and institutions, to present their products or services (hereafter "products") by means of printed documents, popularly known as "printed matter". Such documents, leaflets, catalogues etc. are sent, for example, on a customers demand to his address. This has some shortcomings. Usually, the organisation must have a large edition of printed matter printed and keep this in stock. Once this has been printed, it is impossible to make modifications and the like. It is easily recognised that this way of information supply involves substantial waste, both in terms of money and material. The latter aspect also burdens the environment.

It is easy to recognise that products and services of organisations are presented through other media, too, such as through radio or television, yet these constitute no reasonable replacements of printed information. Up to now, this has also held true for information dissemination through media, such as Internet, etc.

The usual mode of distribution has the drawback for the consumer that he usually has to find out himself which suppliers offer a particular product. The consumer can gather such information by means of advertisements in magazines, door- to-door printed matter, through a consumers organisation, through radio and television advertising or through Internet. It is obvious that the information gathering process is not very efficient for the consumer. This lack of transparency of the market usually is also disadvantageous for the suppliers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention aims to overcome the disadvantages of transferring printed matter in the usual way. To this end, according to the invention, an electronic database is filled with electronically processable information files (with text and images) , of "printed matter" which is considered to be of interest to the consumer, together with selection references attached thereto. A user who wants to receive certain information, can offer selection codes by means of an electronic user interface. On the basis of the selection references attached to the information files , a selection can then be made of the information files stored in the database that match the selection profile, which is entered by the user. The information files which have been selected by the user in this way, are then printed and finished (bound, sewn) into one document, which is sent to the user. The document which the user receives , thus has the form of a "customised" brochure, which is specially composed for the user of the information files which are stored in the database. The advantage for the user is that he receives concentrated information, which is drawn from a large amount of available information. In other words, the information received by the user represents both a large "recall" (yield) , as well as a large "precision" (relevance) . The great advantage for the information suppliers is that the edition is minimal (usually a edition of just 1 brochure) , while the information reaches users who have need for particularly that information, and consequently can be considered as a "prospect". In addition, the users name, address and possible other details can be derived from the system, which is important information for suppliers. A further advantage is that modifications can easily be carried out in the presented products . It so happens these can be carried out in the in the electronic information file in the database either directly (on-line), or by intervention of a database administrator. This makes it particularly convenient to do special sales promotion actions, which can be directly included into the product/service information in the database. Likewise, services, for example, hotel or travel arrangements which are (temporarily) "sold out", can be removed from the package of offers or be provided with a "sold out" tag. In the same way, the text/image information can be changed into information relating to an alternative arrangement.

Furthermore, consumer profiles can be created and stored in the database, i.e. details of the consumers who have demanded a "customised" brochure.

EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Figure 1 shows diagrammatically an implementation of a system according to the invention, which is suitable for carrying out the method according to the invention, as has been expounded above. Figure 1 shows a number of user interfaces, viz. a voice response (VR) server, a (passive or interactive) teletext server, which are user accessible through a (public) telecommunications network. Selection codes are entered by means of the interface which has been chosen by the user, which correspond to the users information need. The entering of selection codes will come about by means of a question-and-answer protocol with a hierarchical structure, when using the VR server or the teletext server, while selection codes will have the form of keywords, either free keywords, or using a (structured) protocol, when using the Internet server. The selection codes obtained in this way are used by a control device ("control") to perform a search in a database , in which information on a large number of institutions, companies, suppliers and other organisations has been included. Said information takes the form of information files which usually contain both textual and graphical information. The information to be included in the database, is supplied to the database through the control device by means of a management system ("content management system"). If the information is presented "in writing" , then said information is converted into an electronic information file in the management system. To each information file selection references are assigned, by which the information file is retrievable. The selection references match valid selection codes which can be used by users to select relevant information files.

Modifications in the information files can be made by means of the management system and the control device. Said modifications can be supplied either "in writing", or in a form that can be electronically processed, for example, through a public telecommunications system. Selection references can be modified as well by means of the management system.

After a user has finished his selection protocol , the control device performs a search in the database. Therein, all information files are marked, the selection references of which match the selection codes entered by the user. Said marked (selected) information files are read by a print processor, which converts said information files into a print file, which is fit to be printed by a printer. The print file is then printed by a printer and bound or sewn by a finishing machine into one "customised" brochure, the contents of which fully match the information needs of the user.

In entering the selection codes by the user, also his name and address details are included, as well as possible closer details. The name and address details are used to send the brochure produced to the mail address of the user .

On the basis of further details, personal or de-personalised (average) consumer profiles can be produced, related to the selection details. It is obvious that consumer profiles obtained in this way by combination of name and address plus additional details with brochure selection details, and which are stored in the database, can yield a valuable marketing tool, as information can be derived from that database file about consumers (personalised) or consumer groups (de-personalised) with purchase plans. After the selection protocol, at the beginning of the process, the process, i.e. the search in the database, the compilation and printing of the relevant information files and binding and forwarding of the printed files, takes places fully automatically, without human intervention. Thereby, a very short time of delivery of the "customised" brochure can be guaranteed. It is even possible to locally carry out the printing, binding an forwarding, as close as possible to the user, by means of electronic forwarding of the print files. It is a prerequisite that printing/binding/forwarding facilities are available in various regional or local centres . Local mail sorting centres or post offices could, for example, serve for this purpose. In this way, the greater part of the forwarding takes place electronically, through a telecommunications network, instead of through a postal network. Only the last forwarding sector is physical (postal) . Finally, it is observed that a special group of files is formed by the information files of "evaluation reports", such as tests by consumers organisations, safety institutions, etc. Also these information files are "tagged" with the relevant selection references. The result is that when a user selects information on a particular subject, an evaluation report is automatically included in the selected collection of information files (at least, if such an evaluation report has been included in the information file). Preferably, the control device gives such an evaluation report a special treatment (on the basis of a tag "evaluation report" assigned to the report file), by which it, for example, is bound in the beginning of the printed brochure, immediately after a letter of presentation, which has been personalised on the basis of the name and address details, and which is also generated automatically by the control device . Otherwise ,

"evaluation reports" can also include editorial contributions, made, for example, by the editors within the management system, who after all have a good overview of the contents of the database in the different areas. Such editorial contributions are included in the database and tagged with the relevant selection references and an additional tag "editorial", whereby such contributions also can get their own place in the printed "customised" brochure. It is noted that, though initially documents and brochures on paper are being thought of, the present system can as a matter of course also be applied for producing the "brochures" on other information carriers than paper. It is well conceivable and at present also already feasible, that the selected files are not printed on paper and united into a paper brochure, bur that the files are "printed" on a diskette or, which will become of more importance, on a CD. In that case, said "electronic brochure" , which is very well suitable for multimedia product presentation (sound, text, videoclips, HTML interlinking) , will be "read" by the user with (multimedia) equipment suitable for this purpose . As a matter of course , such "multimedia brochures" can also very well be forwarded electronically, for example by electronic mail. Consequently, the invention is, though initially developed for the distribution of "paper" information, certainly not restricted thereto. For this reason, the term "document" is not restricted to "paper document" , but the term also includes information carriers of other types. The same applies to the terms "brochure", etc.

Finally, an enumeration of the advantages of the method and system according to the invention follows :

- Actual and up-to-date material

- Minimal production problems and costs - Brochure edition of 1 copy

- No fulfilment problems and costs

- Name and address details of consumers with serious purchasing plans (prospects) - Very fast availability of name and address details of prospects

- Possibility of micro-marketing: client tracking system

- Organisation 24 hours per day available for information forwarding - Extension and efficiency improvement of the marketing and PR function

- Possibility of editorial or price/performance reviews

- Large information yield (recall) and relevance (precision) .

In summary, the invention provides a method and a system, with which the communication between suppliers and purchasers of products and services is considerably more efficient, less expensive, more environmentally friendly, faster and more effective than the previously known methods and systems.

Claims

1. Method for retrieving, generating and transferring information carriers , characterised in that of each information carrier an electronic version is stored in a database, together with selection references assigned thereto; that a user who wants to receive information carriers with certain information, presents selection codes, with which a selection is made of relevant information files by comparison with the selection references assigned to the information files; that the information files selected in this way are compiled into a "customised" brochure, which is then forwarded to the user.

2. Method according to claim 1 , characterised in that the database also contains information files of evaluation reports, prepared for example by a consumers organisation, in various areas, to which also selection references have been assigned, and that to said set of information files the information file of one or more evaluation reports is attached, the selection references of which match the selection codes entered by the user by means of the user interface .

3. System for retrieving, generating en transferring of information carriers, characterised by a database for electronically processable versions of information carriers with selection references assigned thereto, an electronic user interface, a control device, output means and compilation means, wherein a user transfers selection codes to the user interface, the control device presents these selection codes to the database which, in turn, selects the information files which match the selection codes transferred by the user, by comparison with the selection references assigned to the different information files, en wherein the output means output the selected information files and the compilation means compile the output files into one "customised" brochure, which is forwarded to the user.

4. System according to claim 3, characterised in that the information carriers are paper information carriers .

5. System according to claim 3, characterised in that the brochure is a paper brochure.

6. System according to claim 3, characterised in that the information carriers are electronically processable information carriers.

7. System according to claim 3, characterised in that the brochure is an electronically processable brochure.

8. System according to claim 3, characterised in that the user interface is a voice response system.

9. System according to claim 3, characterised in that the user interface is a teletext system.

10. System according to claim 3, characterised in that the user interface is an Internet system.

11. System according to claim 3, characterised in that the database also contains the information files of evaluation reports , for example, prepared by a consumers organisation, in various areas, to which also selection references have been assigned, and that to said set of information files the information file of one or more evaluation reports is attached, the selection references of which match the selection codes entered by the user by means of the user interface .