WO2001011491A1 - Systeme et procede de conception automatisee de produits - Google Patents

Systeme et procede de conception automatisee de produits Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2001011491A1
WO2001011491A1 PCT/US2000/021369 US0021369W WO0111491A1 WO 2001011491 A1 WO2001011491 A1 WO 2001011491A1 US 0021369 W US0021369 W US 0021369W WO 0111491 A1 WO0111491 A1 WO 0111491A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
product
graphics
design
user
customer
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2000/021369
Other languages
English (en)
Other versions
WO2001011491A9 (fr
Inventor
David M. Bridgeland
Wayne D. Lutz
Frederick J. Steele, Jr.
Ricky J. Daugherty
Michal Miskin-Amir
Original Assignee
Kinkos.Com
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Kinkos.Com filed Critical Kinkos.Com
Priority to AU65205/00A priority Critical patent/AU6520500A/en
Priority to CA002381328A priority patent/CA2381328A1/fr
Publication of WO2001011491A1 publication Critical patent/WO2001011491A1/fr
Publication of WO2001011491A9 publication Critical patent/WO2001011491A9/fr

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q30/00—Commerce
    • G06Q30/06—Buying, selling or leasing transactions
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F40/00—Handling natural language data
    • G06F40/10—Text processing
    • G06F40/166—Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
    • G06F40/186—Templates
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06T—IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
    • G06T11/00—2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
    • G06T11/60—Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Definitions

  • the present invention relates generally to automated systems and methods for generating products having graphics images or artistic layouts thereon through the use of a web based system and method that models the iterative interaction between a graphic artist and a customer. More specifically, the present invention relates to automated systems and methods in which graphics designs and layouts and various components thereof are iteratively assembled in accordance with specific user preferences for use in products such as stationery, business cards, corporate merchandise, and the like. The present invention also provides systems and methods for facilitating the printing/manufacture of the products on which the graphics designs/layouts may be applied. Still further, the present invention provides systems and methods for effecting prompt delivery of the completed product.
  • Graphics designs are used in many applications, including corporate and organizational logos and marks that serve to identify or associate a product, service, or event with a particular organization or sponsor. Such logos and marks frequently use creative or artistic graphics designs to aid in their visual impact and effectiveness. Specific uses of graphic designs include organizational or personal artifacts including stationery such as letterheads, business cards, envelopes, presentation materials, product literature, and sales collateral; as well as clothing, apparel, banners, and broadcast media, to name but a few.
  • the present invention achieves these and other objectives by providing a web based system and method that models the iterative interaction between a graphic artist and a customer.
  • the present invention is directed to an automated system and method for generating products that incorporate graphics images and other elements or components such as fonts, colors and layout.
  • the products are items such as stationery, business cards, announcements, notepads and folders as well as corporate merchandise incorporating the graphics images such as corporate t-shirts, mugs, pens and other items that might include a company's emblem, for example.
  • the aforementioned items are hereinafter referred to as a "product” or "products”.
  • the system of the present invention includes networked general purpose computers that are programmed to allow a remote user to interact with a computer or computers that perform the steps of the method of the present invention.
  • the system further comprises electronic storage devices for storing data, including graphic design images and components thereof.
  • the steps involved in the method of the present invention are intended to mimic the interaction of a graphic designer and a customer. These steps may be may be summarized as follows. To begin with, the system may query the customer as to its needs from among a suite of available products including: letterhead, business cards, presentation materials and the like. The system also queries the customer with regard to certain subjective criteria (preferences as to style, look and feel) that influence design. In response, the customer provides general subjective preferences with regard to a plurality of subjective criteria that influence the design, e.g., the customer indicates a preference for a contemporary, somewhat reserved, but highly structured design. These steps mimic the initial meeting between a graphic design specialist and a customer.
  • the system then receives and processes the customer input and makes a proposal to the customer. More specifically, the system selects one or more product design templates from a stored library of design templates based on the customer's input. The system then presents the customer with a reconfigurable design template selected based on the customer's specified preferences. These steps mimic the initial concept stage of the interaction between a graphic design specialist and a customer. The system next solicits the customer reaction to the suggestion. In response, the customer will either select a suggested design or provide additional feedback to the system. If the customer provides additional feedback, the system receives the feedback and based on the feedback revises the product based on the feedback and presents revised suggestions until the customer accepts a suggestion. These steps mimic the iterative interaction between a graphic design specialist and a customer that leads to a final design concept.
  • the next step would typically involve creating a "mock-up" for the customer's approval.
  • the system applies selected design features to a suite of products (or representations thereof) including letterhead, business cards, and presentation materials.
  • the customer may have already expressed an interest in all or some of the products available. In this way, the system preferably shows the customer what the desired product will look like on paper.
  • the system next allows the customer to selectively revise any or all of the range of products.
  • the graphic images created by the system can be altered by the customer with regard to features such as scale, color, rotation and the like.
  • the products presented for the customer's approval can include a logo component, a font specification (1 or more fonts), a layout component, a paper-type preference record, a colors record, a data record and/or other records associated therewith.
  • the customer may alter all of these aspects of the product. All of these components can be automatically combined based on customer preferences and the system can integrate these various components to produce a product on demand.
  • the present invention further contemplates a system for improved production and delivery of a suite of products such as, for example, letterhead, business cards, and presentation materials.
  • the system contemplates on-demand remote production and delivery of printed products. More specifically, a customer or user preferably uploads a document from their personal computer, PDA or any device connected to an electronic network (e.g., a wireless device), selects printing and binding options (in the case of a printed product), previews the final product, and receives the printed version via courier.
  • a customer accesses a remote web server via a web- browser enabled device such as a personal computer, PDA or WAP-enabled wireless device.
  • the webserver is preferably in communication, via a network, with one or more database servers and one or more "design factory" servers where product/design assembly preferably occurs.
  • the present invention is described herein in the context of a world wide web-based system with several interconnected computers, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that all of the functionality described herein can be implemented on a single, stand-alone computer.
  • the present invention can be implemented within an intra-net environment, thereby avoiding complexities that are sometimes associated with public electronic networks such as the Internet.
  • the webserver stores user information including user name, address, password and user account information.
  • the webserver preferably also stores past user product designs which can be used for reordering purposes and/or as starting points for new or updated product.
  • the present invention assembles an "identity hub" for each user whereby that user's preferences are stored for future use and can be easily and quickly accessed if the user decides to apply a previously-designed graphics design to a new product.
  • the database servers preferably store a plurality of graphical images, fundamental layout schemes, fonts and colors.
  • the design factory servers preferably operate under the control of instructions received from the user (via a webserver) to combine selected graphical images with the fundamental layout schemes, paper type, background color and preliminary placement of graphical images on the product.
  • the graphical images themselves are preferably artistic renderings that are saved as "shells" that can be easily colored, sized and oriented on the product being designed.
  • the design factory server creates or assembles, in real-time, based on selected layout, graphics, fonts, papers, etc., and personal information in text form, portable data format (PDF) files (or any other suitable content-rich data format such as POSTSCRIPT, SVG, LATEX), and renders the created PDF files into easily-displayable file formats such as GIF, TIFF, PNG or JPEG files that can be accessed for image proofing by, e.g., a web-browser enabled computer. That is, the design factory server preferably renders several possible preliminary product designs from which a user may select.
  • PDF portable data format
  • the preliminary product designs are chosen based on input from the user through the use of a novel "smart design" feature including slidable bars that are framed by pairs of image- or impression-related terms.
  • a novel "smart design” feature including slidable bars that are framed by pairs of image- or impression-related terms.
  • the user moves the slidable bars towards or away from a term to thereby eliminate or indirectly select particular graphics, designs, fonts and colors.
  • the image- or impression-related terms "contemporary/traditional” might frame a sliding bar.
  • the user indirectly eliminates or selects graphical designs, layouts, etc., that might be categorized by such criterion.
  • the slidable bars of the present invention are used to take the place of the conventional interaction that a customer would typically have with a graphics designer. Instead of instructing a graphics designer to incrementally change the "look and feel" or "image" of a graphics design, a user of the present invention can simply adjust the slidable bars to any given position and corresponding layouts, logos, fonts and colors, most associated with the slidable bar positions are selected from the database servers, assembled by a design factory server and offered as preliminary designs for the product.
  • a final PDF file preferably is created and downloaded to the user and/or transmitted (e.g., downloaded) to a professional printing house where the product is printed.
  • the product may then be delivered by known means to the user.
  • a person interested in acquiring products that include personalized or unique graphics and layouts can now avoid having to find and hire a commercial artist to develop such products, or choose from a limited selection of commercially-available, mass-produced, pre-formatted and unchangeable graphics images, which may not even be reproducible or printable in high-resolution.
  • Figure 1 is a flowchart illustrating the method of graphics/product design in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
  • Figure la is a block diagram description of a presently preferred embodiment of the automated graphics designer system
  • Figures 2- 12a illustrate exemplary browser pages that are displayed on a user's web browser-enabled computer, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention
  • Figures 13 and 14 are high level overview flow diagrams describing the operation of the automated graphics designer system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention
  • Figure 15 is a detailed control and data flow diagram describing operation of a preferred embodiment of the automated graphics designer system of the present invention.
  • the present invention achieves these and other objectives by providing a networked-based system and method that models the iterative interaction between a graphic artist and a customer.
  • the present invention simplifies and accelerates the design of products incorporating graphics elements or components through the use of an iterative process that helps customers create an identity hub or image.
  • This customer specific identity hub or image can be stored and automatically applied to a range of products on demand.
  • networked computers such products may be produced at a remote location and delivered on demand.
  • the graphics elements or components include all or various combinations of a logo component, a font specification file (1 or more fonts), a layout component, a paper-type preference record, a colors record, a data record and/or other records associated therewith.
  • a logo component e.g., a trademark of Adobe Connect, GoToMeeting, GoToMeting, GoToMeting, GoToMeting, GoToMeting, GoToMe, etc.
  • a font specification file e.g., a graphics design
  • a layout component e.g., a graphics layout component
  • a paper-type preference record e.g., a colors record
  • a data record and/or other records associated therewith e.g., a data record, a data record and/or other records associated therewith.
  • the product is a t-shirt or mug, for example, then the "paper" selection is, naturally, replaced by the appropriate underlying article (t-shirt, mug, etc.) on which
  • the architecture of the system of the present invention is highly scalable.
  • the system of the present invention need only include networked general purpose computers and printers that are programmed to allow a remote user to interact with a computer or computers that perform the steps of the method of the present invention.
  • the system can be scaled up to include thousands of user computers linked to multiple web server and design factory computers through a computer network (such as a private computer network or the global information network (GIN) or Internet) and one or more remote printing sites and a delivery or order processing infrastructure.
  • the system further comprises electronic storage devices for storing data, including graphic design images and components thereof.
  • the storage capacity of the system is also scalable to meet the needs of the system.
  • the system may query the customer as to his needs from among a suite of available products including: letterhead, business cards, presentation materials and the like.
  • the system also queries the customer at step 125 with regard to certain subjective criteria (preferences as to style, look and feel) that influence design.
  • the customer provides general subjective preferences with regard to a plurality of subjective criteria that influence the design, e.g., the customer indicates a preference for a contemporary, somewhat reserved, but highly structured design.
  • the system receives and processes the customer input (steps 120 and 125) and makes a proposal to the customer. More specifically, at step 130 the system selects one or more product design templates from a stored library of design templates based on the customer's input. The system then presents the customer with a reconfigurable design template selected based on the customer's specified preferences, step 135. These steps mimic the initial concept stage of the interaction between a graphic design specialist and a customer.
  • the system next solicits the customer reaction to the suggestion.
  • the customer will either select a suggested design or provide additional feedback to the system.
  • customer provides additional feedback (step 145)
  • the system receives the feedback at step 155 and based on the feedback revises the product at step 160 based on the feedback and presents revised suggestions until the customer accepts a suggestion at step 150.
  • the next step would typically involve creating a "mock-up" for the customer's approval.
  • the system applies selected design feature to a suite of products (or representations thereof) including letterhead, business cards, and presentation materials.
  • the customer may have already expressed an interest in all or some of the products available. In this way, the system preferably shows the customer what the desired product will look like on paper.
  • the system next allows the customer to selectively revise any or all of the range of products.
  • the graphic images created by the system can be altered by the customer with regard to features such as scale, color, rotation and the like.
  • the products presented for the customer's approval can include a logo component, a font specification file (one or more fonts), a layout component, a paper-type preference record, a colors record, a data record and/or other records associated therewith.
  • the customer may alter all of these aspects of the product. All of these components can be automatically combined based on customer preferences and the system can integrate these various components to produce a product on demand.
  • the present invention further contemplates a system for improved production and delivery of a suite of products such as, for example, letterhead, business cards, and presentation materials.
  • the system contemplates on demand remote production and delivery of printed products.
  • the present invention receives (using a printed product as an example) a document via upload, stores the document in a standard file format while checking for viruses and the like, and then presents the document back to the user for page-by-page proofing. The user is then asked to select finishing options and to specify recipients of the completed product.
  • the present invention also manages the printing process by directing print jobs to particular printers or fulfillment centers based on, e.g., the complexity of the print job, the location of the printer or fulfillment centers vis-a-vis the recipient, how busy a printer may be and/or the pricing of the various printers or fulfillment centers.
  • PDF files in real-time from user-selected layouts, images (logos), font choices, text, and paper.
  • PDF files any file format that capable of "capturing" an image in within the scope of the present invention.
  • Such other file formats could include POSTSCRIPT, LATEX, ILLUSTRATOR, PAGEMAKER, QUARKXPRESS or other file formats of this genre.
  • the PDF files produced by automated product designer system 100 can be downloaded by users and are compatible with the print procedures of a professional print foundry.
  • the automated product designer system 100 is preferably controllable from ColdFusionTM scripts and allows full control over the final graphics product.
  • any suitable web authoring tool or application software can be used in place of ColdFusionTM such as Weblogic, MS IIS, APACHE, NETSCAPE ENTERPRISE or IBM WEBSHARE.
  • the automated product designer system 100 allows for a set of "product types” each of which have a specific list of available fields that have customizable text and font, an optional image which may be one, two or many colored, and the selection of a "template” PDF which is used as the canvas for the product. Should a user be working with multiple product types, automated product designer system 100 allows for "copying" information from one product to another. That is, an "identity hub" is created for a user after at least one product is completed. The system of the present invention thereafter knows color combinations, layout schemes, font types, etc. that are preferable from a user's point of view. Thus, if a user decides to create a new product, the information from the identity hub can be easily retrieved and applied to the new product or easily modified as will be explained later herein.
  • automated product designer system 100 is capable of producing a preview image of the PDF at a specified zoom or width/height. This image can then be displayed via web pages or used in a design applet. By controlling the zoom, automated product designer system 100 is also be able to produce smaller, "thumbnaillike" previews of the product PDF.
  • the presently preferred embodiment of the automated product designer system 100 comprises a plurality of webservers 101, each webserver 101 being operably coupled, as demand warrants, to at least one web browser-enabled personal computer (PC) 104, a plurality of database servers 102, and a plurality of design factory servers 103.
  • PC personal computer
  • all of the functionality described herein could be implemented on a single stand-alone computer, or over an intra-net, as opposed to the internet/world wide web.
  • a commercial (e- commerce type) enterprise a world wide web implementation may be desirable in view of the market penetration achievable via this medium.
  • a stand-alone system that can be used by a graphics artist is also considered to be within the scope of the present invention.
  • the present invention contemplates the use of wireless devices that communicate with automated product designer system 100 via wireless protocols such as the Wireless Applications Protocol (WAP).
  • WAP Wireless Applications Protocol
  • Performing operations such as building PDFs and capturing pages of PDFs as images typically requires large amounts of processing time.
  • an application such as ColdFusionTM is preferably implemented to achieve scaling where desired.
  • process-intensive operations are migrated into separate programs that run on different servers.
  • DFServer design factory server
  • Using separate servers for web and backend processes in this fashion also makes scaling easier for automated product designer system 100.
  • a program called DF Access, preferably is installed at each client webserver 101 and communicates with design factory servers 103, which performs PDF and image-related operations, such as sizing, orientation and coloring.
  • DFAccess is written in C++ and installs into a ColdFusionTM server as a CFX tag with multiple entry points depending on the operation.
  • the program DFServer has relatively large system requirements in that it is designed to handle PDF editing and PDF imaging requests from DFAccess clients.
  • DFServer preferably is written in a high level language such as MFC/C++ and runs in a Windows NTTM environment. Adobe's PDF Library 1.0 or any custom PDF library is used in conjunction with DFServer as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.
  • DFAccess When DFAccess is initialized on a webserver 101 it begins sending broadcast (UDP) messages requesting statistics from all running design factory servers 103.
  • UDP broadcast
  • DFAccess Periodically, DFAccess sends another request in an attempt to keep an internal list of available servers 103 and their processing capabilities. In the preferred embodiment, the requests are sent every minute but this frequency can be easily adjusted by setting a registry entry, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.
  • DFAccess processes the responses and keeps an internal sorted list of servers and capabilities.
  • user sessions with automated product designer system 100 can be allocated by webserver 101 to the least-busy design factory server 103 to achieve load balancing throughout the system. Further to this capability, immediately upon starting up, DFServer listens for broadcasts from DFAccess. Upon receiving such a broadcast DFServer replies directly to the client (using UDP) with its own information concerning past requests, capabilities, and current load.
  • DFAccess Upon being activated from a ColdFusionTM script (or any other suitable script), DFAccess checks the existing internal list to find the design factory server 103 best suited to perform the requested operation. A TCP (or other suitable protocol) connection is then initiated to the "best" design factory server 103. If the connection fails, the next available design factory server 103 in the list is used. When no design factory servers 103 are available, broadcasting continues for a predetermined amount of time before an error is returned to the calling application. Further, automated product designer system 100 preferably supports partitioning of design factory servers 103 to provide dedicated support to specific client webservers 101.
  • DFServer applications running on the several design factory servers 103 constantly watch for connection requests from DFAccess. When a connection is made, a new thread is created to handle the request and listening continues. After the request has been processed, the results are sent back to DFAccess (webserver 101) via the TCP connection established to initiate the process. This connection is then closed. In addition to the processing results, DFAccess also preferably receives updated statistics concerning design factory servers 103 in order to update its internal list. A more detailed description and example of the foregoing discussion is provided later herein. Immediately below is a description of the present invention from a user's point of view.
  • Figures 2-12 illustrate exemplary display screens (e.g., HTML browser screens or pages) that a user would be presented with when using the automatic graphics designer system 100 of the present invention.
  • the user is presented with choices as to what general type of personalized product he wishes to design.
  • the icons shown in the screen of Figure 2 are associated with links to other HTML pages such that, when a user clicks on one of the icons, web browser-enabled PC 104 displays a screen having the address corresponding to the link.
  • the user is presented with a choice of (i) designing an entirely new product by clicking the icon or "go" button in upper region 410, or (ii) accessing previously-saved designs/products by clicking on the icon or "go” button in lower region 420 and modifying those designs to create new products.
  • a dropdown menu 510 is preferably provided which lists several different business categories including, for purposes of example only, those listed below.
  • the user After a business category is chosen from dropdown menu 510, the user is asked whether he would like to include a business logo or graphic. If no, the appropriate checkmark is denoted and "next" button 520 is clicked to pass the browser to the next screen. If the user already has a logo that he would like to employ in the product that he is designing, then after denoting the appropriate checkbox and entering a path to the logo or graphic in text box 530, the user preferably clicks on "next" button 520 to continue with the designer system in accordance with the present invention, albeit, using his own graphic or logo.
  • the logo available form the user is in one of the following formats: PDF, GIF, TIFF, JPEG, PNG, BMP, PS or EPS.
  • checkbox 560 preferably is clicked.
  • the user has the option of choosing one or more criteria upon which the logo will be created.
  • the logo can be created based on business category 560a (previously identified via pull down menu 510), business description 560b, business name 560c, and/or some other criteria denoted by 560d.
  • Corresponding text boxes 570b - 570d are provided for criteria 560b - 560d.
  • Figure 5 the functionality represented by Figure 5 is replaced by an on-line logo/graphic development application which allows users to modify an existing logo or have one created for them.
  • a user can access this application from the "live designer" process ( Figures 9a-9d) or independently.
  • To modify an existing logo a user may choose to access a logo from their account or upload a graphic from their computer. Uploaded graphics are preferably analyzed for resolution, color depth and transparency. The uploaded image is then preferably converted to vector art to facilitate subsequent editing. Editing tools made available to the user permit the user to modify the logo's hue, color saturation, brightness, color depth, transparency and rotation.
  • a new logo can be created for a user based on keywords, company name, industry or other specific categories. Advanced editing capabilities such as colorization are also preferably made available to the user through this application.
  • Figure 6 depicts a novel "smart designer" feature of the present invention.
  • the smart designer feature is meant to mimic the process of working with a real-life graphic designer.
  • the user is preferably presented with a set of look and feel options which enable him to define a "look" or "image” for the product that is being designed via automatic product designer system 100.
  • the present invention creates several different preliminary product designs from which a user may select.
  • the smart designer selects the product components (layout, graphic/logo (assuming one is not provided by the user), font and paper) that best match the user's look and feel preferences.
  • the smart designer feature of the present invention comprises a series of look and feel properties which are associated with respective sliders 610a - 610c.
  • Sliders 610a - 610c are used to define how much of a particular property the user wants in his product.
  • the properties are "contemporary/traditional,” “energetic/reserved” and “artistic/structured.”
  • database servers 102 store a plurality of different types of fonts, color pairs, layouts, etc.
  • the slidable bars 610a-610c can be viewed as selectors on a number line that ranges from 1-100.
  • the automated product designer system of the present invention attempts to match, as closely as possible, the values of the different types of fonts, color pairs, etc. with the values indicated by slidable bars 610a-610c. For each component of the product a "three-dimensional" search will be conducted, the three dimensions corresponding to the three property pairs.
  • FIG. 7 depicts a series of preliminary possible designs 705a, 705b, 705c.., preferably thirty different combinations or permutations of graphic elements, that have been selected based on the input provided via the screens of Figures 5 and 6. That is, the preliminary designs capture the information that was previously input by the user and are formatted in a way consistent with the user's look and feel intentions, indicated by the positioning of slidable bars 610a-610c.
  • the user preferably can magnify any one of the preliminary designs by clicking on icon 710.
  • the user may preferably also obtain a preliminary cost estimate for any of the preliminary designs (i.e., products) by clicking on icon 720.
  • the user clicks on the associated "start with this" button 730 which causes the browser of web browser-enabled PC 104 to display the screen shown in Figure 8.
  • the several fields shown in Figure 8 provide information necessary to personalize the product (in this case, a business card) for the user. Accordingly, fields are provided for the user's name (or someone else's name if the user is designing the product for someone else), a title, a company name, a separate message, an address, telephone and fax numbers, an e-mail address and a web address.
  • "next" button 840 is clicked, the information provided in these various fields is incorporated into the selected design from Figure 7 and shown singly on one of the exemplary screens of Figures 9a-9c. In these figures, product 930 is depicted in the widow on the right and area 910 lists the six major components of product 930.
  • Figure 9a illustrates that the font on product 930 can be chosen from one of the fonts in area 920.
  • the user can preferably change any of the six major components by clicking on the appropriate item in area 910 and then clicking on the selection in areas 920.
  • Product 930 is then immediately refreshed and displayed to the user.
  • Figures, 9b-9d shown exemplary selection for different layouts, paper and color. Though not shown, if the "text" component is selected then a window including the text information like that shown in Figure 8 is displayed and the user is given the opportunity to modify of this information. If the "graphic" component is clicked, then a plurality of graphics/logos are displayed in area 920.
  • the present invention provides an iterative process whereby a user can select one of many preliminary designs, and thereafter modify that preliminary design in almost any imaginable.
  • Each component of the designed product can be changed such that none of the preliminary design even exists by the end of the session. This is possible since the product is re-assembled by the design factory server 103 each time a change is made. The product is never in a final form until the user indicates that it should be.
  • the elements or components of the product are also preferably able to be sized and/or rotated as desired.
  • text and graphics/logos can be oriented and enlarged or reduced in accordance with the user's preferences.
  • a user preferably clicks on the desired text or component and can make a selection of larger or smaller from the pull down menu in the lower left corner of the window in Figure 9a, for example.
  • the aforementioned pull down menu shows "Best fit" which is a default setting that automatically sizes the text, etc. to the most appropriate size based on the present layout.
  • DFServer (described in more detail below) generates new PDF and XML files and displays the modified design for the user.
  • design factory server 103 Each time a change to the product is made by the user the, constituent parts of the product are reassembled by design factory server 103.
  • This same process enables the present invention to display thumbnail renderings of different layouts using the elements of the user's own actual product, as opposed to "canned" versions of a layouts. That is, the design factory server 103 assembles not only the selected layout using the user's data/preferences, but also assembles a plurality of other layouts using the user's data/preferences that can be chosen by the user.
  • "review and save” button 940 is clicked which takes the user to the exemplary screen display of Figure 10.
  • the user is given an opportunity to review the text information supplied in the fields of Figure 8 and to edit that information by clicking button 1020.
  • the completed design is shown to the user for final inspection.
  • the product image can be enlarged by clicking on icon 710 and a cost estimate for this particular product can be obtained by clicking on icon 720.
  • the design is in accordance with the user's intentions, then he preferably continues by clicking on "save to briefcase” button 1050, which causes the design or product to be saved in the user's account.
  • the product preferably is saved on web server 101 and may be accessed after, preferably, a one-time registration process, illustrated by Figure 11, is completed. More specifically, an e-mail address preferably is provided in text box 1110. A first and last name is provided in text boxes 1120 and 1130, respectively, and a password and a password confirmation are preferably provided in text boxes 1140 and 1150, respectively.
  • This page may also include promotional devices such as asking the user if he is interested in learning about sales, products, or upcoming events (via checkmark 1160 and/or whether the user would like to receive a newsletter, via checkmark 1170).
  • "sign up now" button 1080 is clicked and an account for the user is set up on web server 101 (assuming one had not previously been set up). Via this account, the user can subsequently access the product that was just created as well as previously-created products.
  • Figure 12 depicts an exemplary screen presented to a user via a browser-enabled PC 104.
  • This screen summarizes the items that are in the user's "briefcase” and the user is given the opportunity to download a copy of the design/product, buy paper or have the product printed professionally.
  • the process then proceeds to Figure 12a which is an exemplary screen which lists the desired products and prices.
  • the user By clicking on "proceed to checkout” button 1210, the user preferably charges any fees to a credit card or to an account in accordance with well-known e-commerce techniques.
  • Figures 13 and 14 illustrate by way of top-level functional block diagrams how automated product designer system 100 operates. Specifically, a graphic, font type, layout description and text field values are combined via a program called DFParse, which produces a product description. This product description is then combined with a paper type and layout PDF in a program called DFShuffle. DFShuffle outputs a product PDF, which is converted to a display quality file format, such as a JPEG, via a program called DFSnap.
  • the starting point for creating a product is the product type 1501.
  • Product type information is stored in an XML template file 1505 according to a product type definition (Appendix A). These files contain a list of the fields that can be edited and displayed for a particular product.
  • Automated product designer system 100 provides a mechanism for reading and manipulating these files based upon user- supplied field values, e.g., 1510a-c, via the information provided via screens shown in Figures 5 and 8 .
  • a given layout consists of two files: a product XML definition 1505 (Appendix B) and a PDF 1525 (Appendix C).
  • the product definition file contains placement information for text fields, images, and other canvas/layout specifics that are particular to the PDF needed for a given layout.
  • Automated product designer system 100 uses product type and product definition files to create a product file 1520 (Appendix D) using a parser 1515 (or, "DFParse”). Given a completed product file 1520 and the corresponding PDF 1525, automated product designer system 100 then creates a product PDF 1535 (Appendix E).
  • the component used for this operation is the shuffler 1530 (or, "DFShuffle”).
  • Shuffler 1530 is responsible for a range of edits to the layout PDF 1525 (e.g., saving to a new product PDF 1535 These edits include placement of text and images 1531.
  • a background color or image may be specified in order to simulate a particular paper type 1532.
  • DFSnap another component
  • Snap 1545 creates a simple image of the PDF content.
  • Snap 1545 given a zoom or widthheight, opens a PDF and produces a JPEG image file 1550, for example, of the correct dimensions (Appendix F).
  • This file 1550 can then be displayed via web pages or used in an applet.
  • a smaller zoom or dimensions can be specified to create a thumbnail of the product PDF as mentioned earlier with respect to Figures 9a-9d.
  • information is preferably kept in different formats.
  • CF Cold FusionTM
  • Information about people and orders is kept in a database, while information about designs is kept in XML files.
  • Cold FusionTM CF
  • CF is used as the application server, where information is translated on the fly into HTML.
  • CF integrates easily with databases and the present invention provides tags such as DFParse to function with the XML files.
  • DFParse actually performs two related functions.
  • One function is to translate ProductType XML files into HTML form fields.
  • DFParse preferably does not create the form fields directly; rather it prepares the information into a form in which it is easy to create those form fields.
  • DFParse The other function of DFParse is to create a Product XML file from form field values entered by the customer.
  • the two functions of DFParse bracket the entry of values in the form fields. That is, DFParse first determines what fields should exist, the customer then fills values in those fields, then DFParse creates a new customer-defined product from those values.
  • Cold FusionTM uses a query datatype to communicate SQL from CFM files to the database, and to communicate results of SQL calls back to CFM.
  • DFParse connects to XML instead of a database, it also uses a query datatype. Queries are convenient to use for this kind of communication, because they can hold a whole table, and because Cold FusionTM has substantial support for integrating the results of queries into HTML.
  • DFParse is used to create HTML form fields ("ReadType" mode)
  • ReadType When DFParse is used to create HTML form fields (“ReadType" mode), it puts the result in a query. This query can then be unfolded directly into HTML form fields.
  • DFParse is used to create a Product file (CreateProduct mode), it expects the form-fields to be in a query passed to it.
  • DFParse is preferably developed as a DLL in C++ program and is accessible from ColdFusionTM scripts. DFParse accepts the necessary parameters to allow manipulation of ProductType and product definition files.
  • the syntax for DFParse is as follows:
  • CMD CMD
  • DFParse When "ReadType” is specified, DFParse will read the ProductType XML file specified by the "XML_IN” parameter and build the query specified by the "QUERY” parameter.
  • the "INDEX” should correspond to the count of the current product type being integrated into the query.
  • a command parameter of "CreateProduct” instructs DFParse to create a product file from the query.
  • the "XML_IN” parameter should contain the path to the Product XML file.
  • "XML_OUT” should specify where DFParse should output the new Product which will contain the values from the QUERY.
  • all fields contained within the new Product file preferably have a font name set to the value of the parameter "FONT”.
  • the "COLOR1" parameter value is used to replace all instances of the primary color with the color specified. This affects the color of layout PDF components, text fields, and corresponding primary colours in images.
  • the "COLOR2" parameter has the same effect on secondary color components. Each product can also contain one image.
  • the first use of DFParse is to generate a CF query containing the fields associated with a product type or group of product types.
  • Product types are stored as XML files corresponding to the Product Type DTD.
  • DFParse expects the query parameter to contain a very specific query.
  • the query preferably contains the following fields in their presented order: FieldName, Value, IsMandatory, DisplayName, Width, DisplayLocked, and Enabled. Following is an example of creating such a query from within a ColdFusionTM script:
  • ⁇ CFSET Query QueryNew("FieldName, Value, IsMandatory, DisplayName, Width, Enabled, DisplayLocked")>
  • FieldName "Fieldl”
  • Value "liveprint.com”
  • IsMandatory "Y”
  • DisplayName Enter a Value
  • Width 40
  • Enabled- '+' The following table shows the relationship of query names to XML elements:
  • the values assigned to ismandatory, displayname and width are all kept to what was specified in the first product type file in which the field first occurred.
  • the enabled string is appended with each call to DFParse and represents the existence of fields within each product type added.
  • the purpose of the index parameter is to match the first product type added, i.e. index 1, with the first character in the enabled string to determine if that product type contained the current field.
  • DFParse A further use of DFParse is to create product definition files by using the values contained in the query and a few parameters and merging them into an existing product definition file, or "template" which is part of a layout used by automated graphics designer system 100. Following is an example of a product file that can be processed by DFParse: (simprod.xml)
  • Automated graphics designer system 100 includes a particular data type definition as described in Appendix G attached hereto.
  • a call to the DFParse tag as shown below may be used.
  • DFParse will first open and validate the XML Product file. Assuming the example file shown earlier, the file will be valid and processing will continue. Next, DFParse looks through each of the fields contained within the Product. In the example there is only a single field: "Fieldl”. This field is then looked up in the CF query. If the field is found, the Product field is updated with the correct value from the query and font from the "FONT" parameter. However, if the corresponding "Enabled" field within the query contains a "-" or "0", the value is set to blank to prevent the field from appearing when the product is rendered. Once the field scanning is complete, the new XML file is then saved to the file name specified by the "XML_OUT" parameter. The new customer product XML file is now ready to be used by shuffler 1530.
  • DFShuffle produces a product PDF 1550 that requires the XML product 1520 that was created by DFParse, a "master" layout PDF 1525, and a desired destination file for the newly created product PDF file 1535.
  • DFShuffle can place a colored background or a PDF to simulate the look of paper.
  • a new XML file can also be written which contains accurate information about the locations of text as it was rendered on the product PDF.
  • DFShuffle The operation of DFShuffle is as follows.
  • the "XMLJN" parameter contains the full path to the file that was produced by DFParse.
  • the file contains all the necessary information for creating a product PDF — minus the PDF itself.
  • XML_OUT instructs DFShuffle to output the same XML file as input, but with extra information concerning the exact layout as determined by aligning text, scaling images, etc.
  • PDF JN references a master layout PDF file. This file is normally a blank file of the appropriate page dimensions but some layouts may have static graphic elements which are contained within the file.
  • PDF_OUT contains a valid path to which DFShuffle will write the newly created product PDF 1535.
  • the product PDF 1535 will need to have alterations that simulate different types of paper.
  • the "BACKGROUND" parameter can contain a CMYK color or the path to a PDF used as a background. All CMYK colors are specified as a string with 4 components in the range 0 through 100 separated by spaces. If a PDF background is being specified, it includes the complete path.
  • DFShuffle supports a "BLEED" parameter which, if specified without a value, defaults to expecting a master layout PDF which has a 0.25" bleed. If the bleed should be different for this action, the value (in inches) is specified as with any other parameter.
  • Snap 1545 produces an image in the form of a GIF or JPEG, or other comparable file format, from a PDF.
  • DFSnap requires the input PDF 1535, a destination GIF or JPEG 1550, and a size.
  • the size can be specified using a scaling factor, a specific width, or height in pixels. Only one of these parameters is used per call to DFSnap.
  • the output quality can also be provided. The quality parameter expects a value in the range of 5 to 100.
  • DFSnap can crop the image before saving to the requested file. This produces smaller images that download much more quickly and result in a more responsive applet. To crop, all five parameters must be specified: "CROP_OUT”, “CROP_LEFT” "CROP JOP”, “CROP JUGHT”, and "CROP_BOTTOM”.
  • automated product designer system 100 interacts with a user through a web browser-enabled PC 104 (reference Figure 1) in a similar manner as that contemporaneously referred to as a "wizard," or step-by-step interactive process for achieving a computational result.
  • automated product designer system 100 solicits information from the user in order to determine a preferred set of graphics designs from database server 102 corresponding to the users input parameters, as described with reference to Figures 2-12.
  • automated product designer system 100 uses this user input to generate, as described herein, a plurality of potential graphics designs (with associated prices) likely to be satisfactory to the user based upon this input.
  • automated product designer system 100 produces several (e.g., 10) graphics designs ranked in order of conformance to user input parameters, and with such ranking determined through an error analysis determination of the best fit graphics designs using metrics that measure the difference between the user input parameters values and the corresponding parameter values of the best fit graphics designs maintained in database server 102.
  • the user is then able to alter his input parameters, or select certain of the presented graphics designs, in order to refine the selection and generation of potential graphics designs in successive iterations using automated product designer system 100.
  • Product image file 1550 can be provided to a user, alternatively, in the form of a free PDF file, or automated product designer system 100 can print such PDF file onto client-provided paper, or automated product designer system 100 can provide a list of preferred printers to whom client can go to print PDF file onto items at a preferred pricing level.
  • the PDF file is automatically sent to a printer and the finished product is mailed or otherwise delivered to the user.
  • Automated product designer system 100 affords a user the opportunity to review her graphics design selection as it will appear on stationery products including, but not limited to, business cards, letterheads, subsequent pages after the first page of a business letter, and envelopes as shown in Appendix C attached hereto.
  • Appendix D provides a presently preferred XML implementation used by automated product designer system 100 to produce business card definitions and samples.
  • automated product designer system 100 further implements, for the "live designer' feature of Figures 9a-9d, for example, a lightweight applet mechanism that uses less system resources and is downloaded relatively faster than existing JavaTM applets.
  • This lightweight applet is able to communicate through firewalls that would stop conventional applets by using HTTP rather than a custom protocol that would normally be blocked.
  • the present invention contemplates on-demand printing and fulfillment services for the products that are designed by the automated product designer system. That is, once a user completes the design process, he may choose to have the product professionally printed.
  • the present invention manages this entire process including placing the products in the proper file format (e.g., tiled for multiple business cards on a single sheet), notifying one of several printers or fulfillment centers that a job is ready for downloading, and ensuring that the final product is properly and timely delivered to the intended recipient.
  • Appendix A is an exemplary product type XML file for a business card in accordance with the present invention.
  • Appendix B is an exemplary product layout XML file for a business card in accordance with the present invention.
  • Appendix C is an exemplary product layout PDF file for a business card in accordance with the present invention.
  • Appendix D is an exemplary product XML file for a business card in accordance with the present invention.
  • Appendix E is an exemplary product PDF file for a business card in accordance with the present invention.
  • Appendix F is an exemplary representation of a product PDF file for a business card in accordance with the present invention.
  • Appendix G is an exemplary XML data type definition for a business card in accordance with the present invention.
  • an automated product designer system and method that allows a user to efficiently and quickly specify and select a preferred graphics design from a plurality of automatically-assembled graphics designs, using an iterative process, and providing high-quality graphics images to a user.

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Abstract

L'invention concerne un système et un procédé de conception d'un produit graphique en ligne, lesquels consistent, lors de la réception d'une demande de conception d'un produit, à enregistrer (125) des informations et préférences personnelles utilisateurs, à extraire une matrice et une conception graphique conformes à ces informations et préférences, et à combiner cette matrice (130), la conception graphique et au moins une portion des informations, afin de former un produit graphique (135), lequel devient ensuite disponible pour l'utilisateur en ligne (150). Dans le mode de réalisation préféré, des serveurs frontaux du Web communiquent avec des utilisateurs en ligne tandis que les activités de conception et les fonctions de stockage de données sont réparties entre les différents serveurs, de sorte que le système global est plus stable et plus facilement évolutif.
PCT/US2000/021369 1999-08-06 2000-08-04 Systeme et procede de conception automatisee de produits WO2001011491A1 (fr)

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US9792638B2 (en) 2010-03-29 2017-10-17 Ebay Inc. Using silhouette images to reduce product selection error in an e-commerce environment
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CN111739125A (zh) * 2020-06-18 2020-10-02 深圳市布易科技有限公司 用于服装订单的图像生成方法和生成装置
CN111739125B (zh) * 2020-06-18 2024-04-05 深圳市布易科技有限公司 用于服装订单的图像生成方法

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