Systems and methods for retrieving printable media templates

• US 20070201093A1
• Filed: 02/24/2006
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avery Dennison Retail Information Services LLC (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Avery Dennison Corporation
• Inventors: Johnson, James, Hodsdon, Jerry, Person, Wade
• Granted Patent: US 8,300,261 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.180
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for retrieving a printable media template. In one embodiment, a method is provided for retrieving a printable media template. The method comprises receiving a printable media identifier associated with a printable media via a reader device, and automatically retrieving a printable media template in response to the receiving of the printable media identifier.

Claims

1. A system for retrieving a printable media template, the system comprising:

a reader interface configured to receive an identifier associated with a printable media from a reader; and

a controller operatively coupled to receive the identifier from the reader interface, the controller including a template engine that retrieves a printable media template corresponding to the received identifier.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the template engine executes a printable media application program and loads the retrieved printable media template into the printable media application program in response to the received identifier.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the template engine automatically populates the retrieved printable media template with data associated with a merge list.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the template engine retrieves the merge list based on a merge list identifier read by the reader.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the template engine periodically initiates a read operation by the reader interface to determine if the identifier is in a read range.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the template engine employs a uniform resource locator (URL) to retrieve the printable media template from a printable media website.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the template engine downloads the printable media template from the printable media website, executes a printable media application program and loads the retrieved printable media template into the printable media application program in response to the received identifier.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the template engine downloads the printable media application program from the printable media website and loads the retrieved printable media template into the printable media application program in response to the received identifier.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the template engine employs one or more uniform resource locators (URLs) to execute a printable media application program at the printable media website and load a retrieved printable media template into the printable media application program in response to the received identifier.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a writer coupled to the controller, wherein the controller and writer are configured to write information associated with the printable media and the identifier to one of a bar code label, a stand-alone data storage device, a memory device residing on a RF communication unit and a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the written information associated with the printable media and the identifier comprises at least one of the identifier, a merge list identifier, a printable media website uniform resource locator (URL), a template URL, a device identifier, a printable media application program identifier, and instructions for performing operations associated with the identifier.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a package of printable media, wherein the identifier resides in memory of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag label located on the package of printable media.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifier resides in memory of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag label located on the printable media.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the printable media is one of a variety of different formats of binders, report covers, binding supplies, cards, compact disk/electronic media labels, dividers, card sheets, sheet labels, roll labels, name badges, photo paper, sheet protectors and printable crafts.

15. A computer readable medium having computer executable components comprising:

a template engine control configured to receive a printable media identifier read from a reader, the printable media identifier being associated with a printable media; and

an application program interface configured to provide a communication interface between a printable media application program and the template engine control for retrieving a printable media template based in response to receipt of the printable media identifier by the template engine control.

16. The computer executable components of claim 15, further comprising a plurality of application program interfaces associated with respective printable media application programs wherein the template engine control provides instructions to a selected application program interface to execute a preselected printable media application program and retrieve a printable media template based on the printable media identifier read from the reader.

17. The computer executable components of claim 16, wherein the preselected printable media application program is preselected based on a printable media application program identifier read from one of a reader and a local memory.

18. The computer executable components of claim 15, wherein the template engine control provides instructions to the application program interface to populate the retrieved printable media template with data associated with a merge list based on a merge list identifier read by the reader.

19. The computer executable components of claim 15, further comprising a graphical user interface configured to provide a menu for associating a preselected printable media application program with a printable media identifier.

20. The computer executable components of claim 15, further comprising a graphical user interface configured to receive inputs and cooperate with the template engine control, a writer interface and an associated writer for writing to a data storage device containing the printable media identifier.

21. The computer executable components of claim 20, wherein the data storage device is one of a stand-alone memory device, a memory device residing on a RF communication unit and a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

22. The computer executable components of claim 20, wherein the inputs comprise at least one of the printable media identifier, a merge list identifier, a printable media website uniform resource locator (URL), a template URL, a device identifier, a printable media application program identifier, and instructions for performing operations associated with the printable media identifier.

23. The computer executable components of claim 15, wherein the template engine control employs a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with the printable media identifier to retrieve the printable media template from a printable media website via a web interface.

24. The computer executable components of claim 23, wherein the template engine control downloads the printable media template from the printable media website, executes a printable media application program and loads the retrieved printable media template into the printable media application program in response to the received printable media identifier.

25. The computer executable components of claim 24, wherein the template engine control downloads the printable media application program from the printable media website and loads the retrieved printable media template into the printable media application program in response to the received printable media identifier.

26. The computer executable components of claim 23, wherein the template engine control employs one or more uniform resource locators (URLs) to execute a printable media application program at the printable media website and load a retrieved printable media template into the printable media application program in response to the received printabile media identifier.

27. A method for retrieving a printable media template, the method comprising:

receiving a printable media identifier associated with a printable media via a reader device; and

automatically retrieving a printable media template in response to the receiving of the printable media identifier.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising executing a printable media application program and loading the retrieved printable media template into the printable media application program in response to the receiving of the printable media identifier.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising automatically selecting the printable media application program based on a printable media application program identifier.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising automatically populating the retrieved printable media template with data associated with a merge list based on a merge list identifier received by the reader substantially concurrently with the printable media identifier.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising initiating a read operation by the reader device in response to detection of a printable media identifier in a read range of the reader device.

32. The method of claim 27, wherein the automatically retrieving a printable media template in response to the receiving of the printable media identifier comprises automatically downloading the printable media template from a printable media website in response to a received universal resource locator (URL) from the reader device received substantially concurrently with the printable media identifier.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising downloading a printable media application program from the printable media website, executing the printable media application program and loading the retrieved printable media template into the printable media application program in response to the received printable media identifier.

34. The method of claim 27, further comprising executing a printable media application program at a printable media website and loading the retrieved printable media template into the printable media application program in response to receiving of the printable media identifier.

35. The method of claim 27, further comprising writing information associated with the printable media and the printable media identifier to one of a bar code label, a data storage device, a memory device residing on a RF communication unit and a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the written information associated with the printable media and the printable media identifier comprises at least one of the printable media identifier, a merge list identifier, a printable media uniform resource locator (URL), a template URL, a device identifier, a printable media application program identifier, and instructions for performing operations associated with the identifier.

37. The method of claim 27, wherein the printable media identifier resides in memory of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag label located on one of the printable media and a package of printable media.

38. The method of claim 27, wherein the printable media is one of a variety of different formats of binders, report covers, binding supplies, cards, compact disk/electronic media labels, dividers, card sheets, sheet labels, roll labels, name badges, photo paper, sheet protectors and printable crafts.

39. A printable media package comprising:

a printable media; and

a printable media identifier stored in an electronically readable format and packaged with the printable media, the printable media identifier identifying a printable media template for printing content on the printable media.

40. The printable media package of claim 39, wherein the printable media is one of a printable media sheet and a roll of printable media.

42. The printable media package of claim 39, wherein the printable media is one of a variety of different formats of binders, report covers, binding supplies, cards, compact disk/electronic media labels, dividers, card sheets, sheet labels, roll labels, name badges, photo paper, sheet protectors and printable crafts.

43. The printable media package of claim 39, wherein the electronically readable format comprises one of a bar code, a stand-alone memory device, a memory device residing on a RF communication unit and a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

44. The printable media package of claim 39, further comprising a computer-readable medium having computer executable software for automatically retrieving a printable media template in response to receiving a printable media identifier read from a reader.

41. The printable media package of claim 41, wherein the printable media identifier resides in memory of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag label located on one of the printable media and the printable media package.