PERSONALIZED GREETING CARD WITH ELECTRONIC STORAGE MEDIA AND METHOD OF PERSONALIZING SAME

• US 20020019776A1
• Filed: 08/19/1999
• Published: 02/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CD Coupon LLC, Gem Master, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Gregory M. Stone
• Inventors: SIMPSON, WILLIAM S.
• Granted Patent: US 6,453,300 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/40 Identifying or analogous means applied to or incorporated in the record carrier and not intended for visual display simultaneously with the playing-back of the record carrier, e.g. label, leader, photograph
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/0427 comprising centre hole locking means

Abstract

Method and system for enabling a first person to produce a customized gift for a second person, including: providing a computer-readable storage medium having a control program and non-customized information stored thereon; obtaining data from the first person which relates to the second person; using the data to generate a customization code; providing the gift and the customization code to the second person; causing the control program to request the customization code from the second person; and using the customization code to select information from the non-customized information to provide a customized display to the second person. The gift is preferably purchased and customized through an Internet website or other electronic system.

Claims

1. A method for enabling a first person to produce a customized gift for a second person, comprising:

providing a computer-readable storage medium having a control program and non-customized information stored thereon;

obtaining data from said first person which relates to said second person;

using said data to generate a customization code;

providing said gift and said customization code to said second person;

causing said control program to request said customization code from said second person; and

using said customization code to select information from said non-customized information to provide a customized display to said second person.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining data from said first person includes obtaining said data electronically.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining data electronically includes providing an Internet website which prompts said first person for said data.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining data from said first person includes prompting said first person to enter at least a month of birth of said second person, and further wherein said non-customized information includes displayable information relating to each of a plurality of months.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said non-customized information includes information on a plurality of possible gift items, and the step of obtaining information from said first person includes obtaining data from said first person as to which of said plurality of gift items to display to said second person.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said control program is operable to present a customized audio and visual display to said second person based on said control code.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, further including the step of obtaining a personal message from said first person and providing said personal message to said second person with said storage media and said control code.

8. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein said personal message is obtained electronically from said first person.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining data from said first person includes requesting the first person to select a theme for the customized display from a plurality of possible themes, and further wherein said non-customized information includes displayable information corresponding to each of said plurality of possible themes.

10. A customized gift, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium containing a control program and non-customized information; and

a customization code;

wherein said control program is operable in response to input of said customization code to provide a customized display using information from said non-customized information selected based on said customization code.

11. The customized gift as defined in claim 10, wherein said customization code is defined based on information obtained from a giver of said customized gift.

12. The customized gift as defined in claim 11, wherein said control program is operable to prompt said user for said customization code.

13. The customized gift as defined in claim 10, wherein said storage medium is a compact disk.

14. The customized gift as defined in claim 10, wherein said non-customized information includes information on a plurality of different months, and said customization code instructs said control program to display information regarding a particular month from said plurality of different months.

15. The customized gift as defined in claim 10, wherein said non-customized information includes a plurality of different possible themes for said gift, and said customization code instructs said control program to display a particular one of said themes.

17. The method as defined in claim 16, further including using an Internet website for obtaining said data relating to said second person.

18. The method as defined in claim 16, wherein the step of accessing said database includes establishing electronic communication between a machine on which said control program is executing and a remote location having access to said database.

16. A method for enabling a first person to produce a customized gift for a second person, comprising:

providing a computer-readable storage medium having a control program and non-customized information stored thereon;

obtaining data from said first person which relates to said second person;

using said data to generate a customization code;

storing said customization code in a database together with a unique identifier for said gift; and

providing said gift to said second person;

wherein said control program is operable to;

access said database and obtain said customization code based on said unique identifier; and

use said customization code to select information from said non-customized information to provide a customized display to said second person.