WO2008038039A2

WO2008038039A2 - Method and system for producing a customised product

Info

Publication number: WO2008038039A2
Application number: PCT/GB2007/050555
Authority: WO
Inventors: Chris Wilkins
Original assignee: One Publishing Limited
Priority date: 2006-09-27
Filing date: 2007-09-18
Publication date: 2008-04-03
Also published as: WO2008038039A3

Abstract

A method and system for producing a customised product is disclosed. The customised product is produced from an electronic template having one or more multimedia areas on a first layer wherein multimedia data, defining a second layer, can be inserted to enable customisation. The product can then be directly produced through a product delivery system, such as a print server and digital printer. Furthermore, an electronic product can also be produced which is accessible form the Internet. Within customisation means or the electronic product, dynamic content can be delivered to the user based on user data.

Description

Customised product method and system

The present invention relates to a customised product method and system and particularly, but not exclusively, to a customised product method and system which enables customisation to take place over a network.

Customised products, such as books and calendars have been available for some time. The customisation typically takes place by a customer providing images and text to a publisher. The publisher will then produce the book in a normal manner with the customised images and text.

A more automated customising procedure has also been suggested by US 2005/0055638, which discloses a system which automatically combines fixed text and images with customised text and images before generating a book. A problem associated with US 2005/0055638, and other customised publishing products, is that customised images do not integrate smoothly with the customised template so that it is very obvious which images have been inserted by the publishing system.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of producing a customised product comprising: providing an electronic template, wherein the template comprises one or more multimedia areas, the template defining a first layer; enabling insertion of multimedia data, the multimedia data defining a second layer; providing customising means to enable manipulation of the multimedia data, wherein manipulation includes defining the position of the second layer with respect to the first layer; and generating manipulation data which defines the customised manipulation between the multimedia data and the template. Preferably, the step of providing an electronic template is performed by a JNLP (Java Network Launching Protocol) hybrid download to a users local computer.

Preferably, the multimedia area may be wholly or partially transparent.

Preferably, the multimedia area of the template may be customised to a particular shape.

Preferably, the multimedia data is text or images.

Preferably, where the multimedia data is text, the second layer is positioned by default in front of the first layer.

Preferably, the customising means provides one or more of the following manipulations: panning, scaling, transparency, rotation, flipping, desaturation, colour, brightness, contrast and font.

Preferably, where the multimedia data is images, the second layer is positioned by default behind the first layer.

Preferably, the customising means provides one or more of the following manipulations: panning, scaling, transparency, rotation, flipping, desaturation, colour, brightness, contrast and cropping, including polygon cropping.

Preferably, the method further comprises the step of outputting a product generated from the template, manipulation data and multimedia data. Preferably, the step of outputting a product comprises printing pages.

Preferably, the step of outputting a product further comprises binding the printed pages.

Preferably, the product is one of the following: books, calendars, posters, wrapping paper.

Alternatively, the product is a clothing item.

Alternatively, the step of outputting a product comprises generating multimedia content to create an online product.

Preferably, the online product is accessible using a personal URL (20A).

Preferably, the step of outputting a product further comprises generating multimedia areas for displaying rules-based content.

Preferably, the rules-based content is determined by data held on a user who is accessing the online product.

Preferably, data is inputted by the user prior to accessing the online product.

Alternatively or further preferably, data is obtained from third parties relating to the user.

Preferably, the online product is enabled to be forwarded to referral users and the rules-based content is then wholly or partially determined by referral user data. According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a customised product system comprising: an electronic template storage means for providing a template, wherein the template comprises one or more multimedia areas, the template defining a first layer; multimedia data insertion means for inserting multimedia data, the multimedia data defining a second layer; customisation means to enable manipulation of the multimedia data, wherein manipulation includes defining the position of the second layer with respect to the first layer; and manipulation data generation means which defines the customised manipulation between the multimedia data and the template.

Preferably, the multimedia area may be wholly or partially transparent.

Preferably, the multimedia data is text or images.

Preferably, the customisation means provides one or more of the following manipulations: panning, scaling, transparency, rotation, flipping, desaturation, colour, brightness, contrast and font.

Preferably, where the multimedia data is images, the second layer is positioned by default behind the first layer. Preferably, the customisation means provides one or more of the following manipulations: panning, scaling, transparency, rotation, flipping, desaturation, colour, brightness, contrast and cropping, including polygon cropping.

Preferably, the system further comprises product output means for generating from the template, manipulation data and multimedia data as a product.

Preferably, the product output means is a printer for printing pages.

Preferably, the product output means further comprises a binding means for binding the printed pages.

Alternatively, the product is a clothing item.

Preferably, the system further comprises a product server and a client application, wherein the product server receives the template from the electronic storage means and communicates with the client application and the client application provides the multimedia data insertion means and the customisation means generating a customised version of the template.

Preferably, the client application is a downloadable application from a network and communicates with the product server remotely. Preferably, the client application is enabled by a JNLP (Java Network Launching Protocol) hybrid application.

Preferably, the client application authenticates access to customised version of the templates on a user's machine by on-line user authentication.

Preferably, the client application can allow new templates to be downloaded and used.

Preferably, the client application is enabled to allow dynamic updating of template files from the product server.

Preferably, the client application can upload a user's customised version of the templates to the product server without the use of other applications;

Preferably, the client application allows a user's to pay for a product prior to upload to the product server without the use of other applications.

Preferably, using knowledge of a user's product preferences, the client application dynamically updates advertising content displayed on the client application itself.

Preferably, the client application utilises a users computing resources to render the user images, captions and template, avoiding network latency and bandwidth limitations and therefore allowing the renderings to be displayed relatively large and detailed and with real-time updating while the user is repositioning images. Preferably, the client application stores customised version of the templates, which are in-progress and not yet paid for, on a user's machine, avoiding using up server storage space for customised version of the templates which may never be published and paid for.

Preferably, a low resolution template is provided to the client application and a corresponding high resolution template is provided to the print server.

Preferably, the network is the Internet.

Alternatively, the client application is an Internet browser accessing web pages programmed accordingly.

Alternatively or further preferably, the product output means generates multimedia content to create an online product.

Preferably, the online product is accessible using a personal URL (20A).

Preferably, the product output means generating multimedia areas for displaying rules-based content.

Preferably, data is inputted by the user prior to accessing the online product.

Alternatively or further preferably, data is obtained from third parties relating to the user. Preferably, the online product is enabled to be forwarded to referral users and the rules-based content is then wholly or partially determined by referral user data.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which;

Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram representing a customised product system according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

Fig. 2 illustrates manipulating of multimedia data according to the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 1 , a customised product system 10 is shown. The system 10 comprises a template store 12, which provides a low resolution template 14, on request, to a product server 16. A client application 18 enables communication between a user and the product server 16. Once the user has suitably customised the product by manipulating the user's own multimedia content in to the template using the client application 18, the product server 16 provides manipulated data representing the customisation of the user to a print server 20, as well as the user's multimedia content. The print server 20 obtains a high resolution template 22, corresponding to the low resolution template 14, for use when printing, from the template store 12. The print server 20 combines the high resolution template with the user's multimedia content utilising the manipulation data to produce a print ready file, which is sent to a digital printer 24. A final product 26 is then produced. Alternatively, or additionally, the product server 16 is enabled to generate multimedia content, typically in the form of web pages and embedded content, such as images, video or other multimedia formats (for example, Flash^™ by Adobe Inc.), appropriate for displaying over the internet from the templates and customisation provided by the user on the client application 18. The generated multimedia content is produced in the form of an online product 28, which may be accessible by a URL (Uniform Resource Locator). Preferably, the URL which is provided is a personal URL providing direct access to the online product 28.

It is also possible to edit customised versions of templates that have already been produced as an online product 28, or any other type of product. The edited version can then either be produced by the product server 16 with a new personal URL or update the previous personal URL.

Furthermore, where the final product is an online product, the product server 16 may be enabled to generate multimedia areas within pages of the product which are dedicated to displaying "rules" based content. That is content which changes according to pre-determined data which is selected according to one or more rules which are applied to the online product 28. To facilitate delivery of the rules-based content, a database server 17 is provided. The rules can either be embedded in the online product 28 or in the database server 17. In either case, the database server 17 facilitates the delivery of the content to the online product 28, such as, for example, by supplying an appropriate URL for each of the multimedia areas assigned to rules-based content. Those multimedia areas will then display content, such as an image, to which the URL points. The rules-based content can be used to deliver dynamic stories, which change according to seasons, time of day, or other variable which is stored in the database server 17 or obtained from a third party source 19. During the process of creation of a product, the product server 16 is enabled to pass any data generated during that process to the database server 17 for use with rules-based content. Any relevant information added during an edited step can also be passed on to the database server 17 for use with the rules-based content.

For example, the rules-based content can be dependent on information obtained about a user of the online product 28. As mentioned previously, a personal URL can be generated for each user and any data held by the database server 17 can then be utilised in the rules-base content. For example, rules may be set up which displays different content based on the age of the user. Again, this data may be obtained from the database server 17 or from a third party source 19.

Furthermore, the online product 18 may be referred to an alternative user, typically by providing a function to enter a friends details, thereby generating a referral online product at a personal URL to the alternative user. Any information on the alternative user gained during the referral process or already available from the database server 17 or third party source 19 can then be used to generate personalised rules-based content.

The system can also be used to personalise a range of products including, but not limited to, books, calendars, posters, wrapping paper and clothing items direct to consumers.

A specific example of the system 10 in use will now be described. Users visit a website on the Internet and, in this instance, an internet browser is the client application 18. Alternatively, the user can download the client application 18 from the website. The application 18 allows the user to interactively place multimedia content in the multimedia areas of the chosen template. It represents as faithfully as possible, within the limitations of computer displays and common screen resolutions, the final product 26.

The user can choose from a catalogue of products and for each product there are a number of pre-defined templates. Each template has one or more multimedia areas, which may be a variety of shapes and may have partially transparent components of the shape. The users upload their multimedia content for placement in the template using the application 18. Some multimedia areas may be assigned for a particular type of multimedia content. For example, one area may be reserved for images and another for text and yet another may allow either. Once their multimedia content has been uploaded and manipulated, the application 18 confirms that the customisation has been completed to the product server 16 and provides manipulated data in a pre-defined format. For example, the data could be represented in an XML data file. The Product Server 16 also authenticate users, retrieves user data and downloads alternative templates. The product server 16 provides the manipulation data to the print server, which then organises the output as described above.

The system 10 can be fully automated past the customisation process described above such that, taking a customised book as an example, a series of pages that make up the book are then digitally printed by the digital printer 24. These pages are then 'finished' (collated, trimmed and bound) to produced the final product 26, along with an invoice and delivery note ready for dispatch. Referring now to Fig. 2, and as described above, each template can have several multimedia areas behind which custom multimedia data can be placed. Both the position and shape of the multimedia areas are predefined but may be customised with certain limits by the user.

A particular example, with reference to an image as the user's multimedia data will be described. The position of the multimedia area or "hole" is represented as the coordinates of the top-left corner of the minimal bounding rectangle for the hole. The shape of the hole is pre-determined at design time on a template or "mask" image 1.

When a user clicks on an empty hole, using the application 18, an image selection window is displayed. This allows the user to select an image from their personal computer (or downloaded from a website) to be placed into the mask. Various options controlling the appearance of the user image are available at this stage. These include but are not limited to: panning, scaling, transparency, rotation, flipping and desaturation, colour, brightness, contrast and cropping, including polygon cropping. In polygon cropping, a shape can be traced or stretched over a portion of the image which is to be removed or, alternatively, is to remain. After placing an image into a hole, the user can move the image around relative to the mask 5 and change the scale of the custom image 6 in real time on the screen.

When a user is positioning a user image behind a hole, limitations are placed on both the positioning and scaling to ensure it remains within the bounds of the hole and that the a minimum resolution is maintained. The user images are appropriately scaled in the application 18 for screen resolution but actually have high enough resolution to enable high-quality printed results on the print server 20.

The mask has a transparency (or alpha) channel, allowing the hole to be either fully or partially transparent. Since the alpha channel is on a per- pixel basis the holes can be any shape 2. If the hole is partially transparent then an overlay effect 3 will be produced as the mask is drawn 'on top' of the user's images.

The client application 18 produces the composite page graphics by the following rendering process: the custom images are manipulated and positioned according to the user choices; they are then cropped to the bounding rectangle of the image hole; the mask image is then drawn on top of the custom images, allowing them to show through the transparent areas; multimedia areas defined as text are then drawn on top of the Mask image with the user's choice of text and predefined font style, size, kerning and line wrapping. The text may also have further manipulations performed including, but not limited to: panning, scaling, transparency, rotation, flipping, desaturation, colour, brightness, contrast.

Prior to uploading the manipulation data to the product server 16, the client application 18 crops the custom images to the bounding rectangle of the holes 7. This reduces the amount of data to be sent to the server. The client application sends the minimum data necessary in order to allow the user's custom product to be recreated on the print server 24. It does not, for example, send the low resolution mask images back to the product server 16 but, instead, a high resolution mask image is sent directly to the print server 20 from the template store 12. After the product server 16 has received the manipulation data, the print server 20 collects it and integrates it with high resolution template 22. The print server 16 follows a similar process to the application 18 for rendering the customized pages. However, the coordinates for the holes are appropriately scaled to accommodate high resolution template 22.

The print server 20 then delivers the digital printer 24 with print ready files, which in this example are flat PDF files for digital printing both for the custom pages of the product, as well as, for an accompanying invoice/shipping note. The printed pages are then combined with any other product elements, such as binding, to produce the final product 26 for dispatch to the user.

There may be several print servers 20 at different locations or organisation, the selection of the print server 20 may be decided by the product server 16 or by pre-defined settings.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention uses a 'hybrid' implementation, meaning that some features are on-line and can be dynamically updated, and others are off-line.

The on-line features comprise:

Deployment - Java's JNLP allows for easy distribution, and automatic updating and, in addition, using Java allows the client program to be multi- platform;

Authentication - access to working albums and account on the user's machine is secured by on-line user authentication; Integrated content download - the client program can allow new albums to be downloaded and used without switching to other applications; Automatic content updating - the template files can be dynamically updated if necessary, which can be useful for rolling out minor changes to the templates, such as typographic errors (Note: although this dynamic updating is not strictly necessary for correcting albums for print, it is necessary for correcting flipbooks);

Integrated content upload - the client program can upload the user's albums to the server without the user having to switch to other applications;

Integrated payment system - the client program can take the user's payment prior to upload without switching to other applications; and Dynamic advertising - using knowledge of the user's product preferences it is possible to dynamically update advertising content on the client program.

The off-line features comprise:

Rendering - rendering the user images, captions and template images is done on the clients machine avoiding network latency and bandwidth limitations and therefore allowing the renderings to be displayed relatively large and detailed and with real-time updating while the user is repositioning images; and

Working storage - user albums which are in-progress and not yet paid for are stored on the client's machine, avoiding using up server storage space for albums which may never be published and paid for.

Improvements and modifications may be incorporated without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method of producing a customised product comprising: providing an electronic template (12,14), wherein the template comprises one or more multimedia areas, the template defining a first layer; enabling insertion of multimedia data, the multimedia data defining a second layer; providing customising means (18) to enable manipulation of the multimedia data, wherein manipulation includes defining the position of the second layer with respect to the first layer; and generating manipulation data which defines the customised manipulation between the multimedia data and the template.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the step of providing an electronic template is performed by a JNLP (Java Network Launching Protocol) hybrid download to a users local computer.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the multimedia area may be wholly or partially transparent.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 , 2 or 3, wherein the multimedia area of the template may be customised to a particular shape.

5. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the multimedia data is text or images.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein, where the multimedia data is text, the second layer is positioned by default in front of the first layer.

7. A method as claimed in claim 5 or 6, wherein the customising means provides one or more of the following manipulations: panning, scaling, transparency, rotation, flipping, desaturation, colour, brightness, contrast and font.

8. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein, where the multimedia data is images, the second layer is positioned by default behind the first layer.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the customising means provides one or more of the following manipulations: panning, scaling, transparency, rotation, flipping, desaturation, colour, brightness, contrast and cropping, including polygon cropping.

10. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the method further comprises the step of outputting a product generated from the template, manipulation data and multimedia data.

11.A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the step of outputting a product comprises printing pages (20, 24).

12.A method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the step of outputting a product further comprises binding the printed pages (26).

13.A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the product is one of the following: books, calendars, posters, wrapping paper.

14. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the product is a clothing item.

15. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the step of outputting a product comprises generating multimedia content to create an online product.

16.A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the online product is accessible using a personal URL (28, 30).

17. A method as claimed in claim 15 or 16, wherein the step of outputting a product further comprises generating multimedia areas for displaying rules-based content.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the rules-based content is determined by data held on a user who is accessing the online product.

19.A method as claimed in claim 18, wherein data is inputted by the user prior to accessing the online product.

20. A method as claimed in claim 18 or 19, wherein data is obtained from third parties relating to the user.

21.A method as claimed in any of claims 16 to 20, wherein the online product is enabled to be forwarded to referral users and the rules- based content is then wholly or partially determined by referral user data.

22.A customised product system comprising: an electronic template storage means for providing a template, wherein the template comprises one or more multimedia areas, the template defining a first layer; multimedia data insertion means for inserting multimedia data, the multimedia data defining a second layer; customisation means to enable manipulation of the multimedia data, wherein manipulation includes defining the position of the second layer with respect to the first layer; and manipulation data generation means which defines the customised manipulation between the multimedia data and the template.

23.A system as claimed in claim 22, wherein the multimedia area may be wholly or partially transparent.

24.A system as claimed in claim 22 or 23, wherein the multimedia area of the template may be customised to a particular shape.

25.A system as claimed in claim 22, 23, or 24, wherein the multimedia data is text or images.

26.A system as claimed in claim 25, wherein where the multimedia data is text, the second layer is positioned by default in front of the first layer.

27.A system as claimed in claim 26, wherein the customisation means provides one or more of the following manipulations: panning, scaling, transparency, rotation, flipping, desaturation, colour, brightness, contrast and font.

28.A system as claimed in claim 25, wherein where the multimedia data is images, the second layer is positioned by default behind the first layer.

29.A system as claimed in claim 28, wherein the customisation means provides one or more of the following manipulations: panning, scaling, transparency, rotation, flipping, desaturation, colour, brightness, contrast and cropping, including polygon cropping.

30. A system as claimed in any of claims 22 to 29, wherein the system further comprises product output means for generating from the template, manipulation data and multimedia data as a product.

31.A system as claimed in claim 30, wherein the product output means is a printer for printing pages.

32.A system as claimed in claim 31 , wherein the product output means further comprises a binding means for binding the printed pages.

33.A system as claimed in claim 30, wherein the product is one of the following: books, calendars, posters, wrapping paper.

34.A system as claimed in claim 30, wherein the product is a clothing item.

35. A system as claimed in any of claims 22 to 24, wherein the system further comprises a product server and a client application, wherein the product server receives the template from the electronic storage means and communicates with the client application and the client application provides the multimedia data insertion means and the customisation means generating a customised version of the template.

36.A system as claimed in claim 35, wherein the client application is a downloadable application from a network and communicates with the product server remotely.

37.A system as claimed in claim 35 or 36, wherein the client application is an Internet browser accessing web pages programmed accordingly.

38.A system as claimed in claims 35 or 36, wherein the client application is enabled by a JNLP (Java Network Launching Protocol) hybrid application.

39. A system as claimed in any of claims 35 to 38, wherein the client application authenticates access to customised version of the templates on a user's machine by on-line user authentication.

40. A system as claimed in any of claims 35 to 39, wherein the client application can allow new templates to be downloaded and used.

41. A system as claimed in any of claims 35 to 40, wherein the client application is enabled to allow dynamic updating of template files from the product server.

42. A system as claimed in any of claims 35 to 41 , wherein the client application can upload a user's customised version of the templates to the product server without the use of other applications;

43.A system as claimed in any of claims 35 to 42, wherein the client application allows a user's to pay for a product prior to upload to the product server without the use of other applications.

44. A system as claimed in any of claims 35 to 43, wherein, using knowledge of a user's product preferences, the client application dynamically updates advertising content displayed on the client application itself.

45.A system as claimed in any of claims 35 to 44, wherein the client application utilises a users computing resources to render the user images, captions and template, avoiding network latency and bandwidth limitations and therefore allowing the renderings to be displayed relatively large and detailed and with real-time updating while the user is repositioning images.

46.A system as claimed in any of claims 35 to 45, wherein the client application stores customised version of the templates, which are in- progress and not yet paid for, on a user's machine, avoiding using up server storage space for customised version of the templates which may never be published and paid for.

47.A system as claimed in any of claims 35 to 46, wherein a low resolution template is provided to the client application and a corresponding high resolution template is provided to the print server.

48. A system as claimed in any of claims 36 to 47, wherein the network is the Internet.

49. A system as claimed in any of claims 30 to 48, wherein the product output means generates multimedia content to create an online product.

50. A system as claimed in claim 49, wherein the online product is accessible using a personal URL (20A).

51.A system as claimed in claim 49 or 50, wherein the product output means comprises generating multimedia areas for displaying rules- based content.

52.A system as claimed in claim 51 , wherein the rules-based content is determined by data held on a user who is accessing the online product.

53.A system as claimed in claim 52, wherein data is inputted by the user prior to accessing the online product.

54.A system as claimed in claim 52 or 53, wherein data is obtained from third parties relating to the user.

55. A system as claimed in any of claims 50 to 54, wherein the online product is enabled to be forwarded to referral users and the rules- based content is then wholly or partially determined by referral user data.