Distributing images to multiple recipients

• US 20020065741A1
• Filed: 01/02/2002
• Published: 05/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Shutterfly Incorporated (Shutterfly, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Shutterfly Incorporated (Shutterfly, LLC)
• Inventors: Baum, Daniel R.
• Application Number:
  US10/038,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20020065741A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G03D 15/005 Order systems, e.g. printsorter
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/603 controlled by characteristics of the picture signal generator or the picture reproducer

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of distributing cards to a plurality of recipients, the method including receiving a card order specifying a plurality of recipients and, for each specified recipient, a set of one or more uploaded images associated with that recipient; for each of the plurality of recipients specified in the received card order, printing at least one card having at least one uploaded image from the recipient'"'"'s image set; and distributing the printed cards having the recipients'"'"' uploaded images to their respective associated recipients.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of distributing cards to a plurality of recipients, the method comprising:

receiving a card order specifying a plurality of recipients and, for each specified recipient, a set of one or more uploaded images associated with that recipient;

for each of the plurality of recipients specified in the received card order, printing at least one card having at least one uploaded image from the recipient'"'"'s image set; and

distributing the printed cards having the recipients'"'"' uploaded images to their respective associated recipients.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the card is one or more of a greeting card, a post card, and a playing card.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the images in a first recipient'"'"'s image set differ from the images in a second recipient'"'"'s image set.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein print parameters of a first recipient'"'"'s cards differ from printing parameters of a second recipient'"'"'s cards and wherein the print parameters include one or more of print size, number of copies, print finish, and/or a textual message for the printed cards.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the images are uploaded by a user from a digital camera.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the images are uploaded by a user to a printing service.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, printing and distributing is dispersed among two or more different entities.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the steps of receiving, printing and distributing is performed by a single entity.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a card order is performed by an enterprise providing a web front-end.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to printing, dividing the received card order into a plurality of sub-card orders, each sub-card order corresponding to a different recipient.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the card order comprises a single transaction sequence,

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the single transaction sequence is terminated by a click of a “

card order”

button.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the card order further comprises charging to one or more of a credit card, a debit card, electronic funds transfer, a gift certificate, or a coupon.

15. The card distribution system of claim 14 wherein the cards are one or more of a greeting card, a post card, and a playing card.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the images are uploaded by a user from a digital camera.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the images are uploaded by a user to a printing service.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the images are uploaded by a user from a data storage device.

14. A card distribution system comprising:

a front-end computer sub-system for receiving a card order specifying a plurality of recipients and, for each specified recipient, a set of one or more images associated with that recipient, such images being uploaded by a user to the front-end computer sub-system;

a printing sub-system for printing at least one card having at least one uploaded image in each recipient'"'"'s image set; and

a distribution sub-system for distributing the printed cards to their respective associated recipients.

16. A computer-implemented method of ordering cards for a plurality of recipients, the method comprising:

receiving at a host system a card order from a client system, the card order corresponding to a single transaction sequence and specifying a plurality of recipients and, associated with each specified recipient, a set of one or more images uploaded by a user.

17. A computer-implemented method of creating and distributing personalized social and business print communications to one or more recipients specified by a user, comprising:

uploading image data from the user specifying an appearance of the print communications;

obtaining message data from the user specifying message content to be included in the print communications;

obtaining address information from the user specifying names and addresses of the one or more recipients;

producing the print communications incorporating the uploaded image data and the message data; and

distributing the print communications to the one or more recipients in accordance with instructions provided by the user.