SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR YEARBOOK CREATION

• US 20100229085A1
• Filed: 06/17/2009
• Published: 09/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jostens Incorporated (Newell Brands Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Jostens Incorporated (Newell Brands Inc.)
• Inventors: Noonan, Kimberly Susan, Chen, Xia, Loring, Eric J., Nelson, Gary Lee, Larson, Timothy M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,839,094 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/255
• CPC Class Codes: B42P 2261/04 Producing books by printing sheets in following order, e.g. for ordering via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/20 Education
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26

Abstract

A yearbook system is provided. The yearbook system provides a single, extensive resource to plan, create, educate about, sell, and distribute yearbooks. The system further provides an integrated yearbook system management and yearbook production system to enable the production of the yearbook to a printed output. A yearbook server hosts a client site and a client database. The client site is enables the school to plan, create, sell and distribute a yearbook. Further, they system may be used to create the yearbook online. A production server hosts a production database synchronizes with the yearbook server, providing images to the client for use in creating the yearbook, and accepting completed created pages submitted by the school from the yearbook server. The production server translates the created pages into the format to proceed through the regular preparation for production of the yearbook.

Claims

1. A yearbook system comprising:

a user component through which a user may design and create a yearbook, the user component including user-specific content and informational content; and

a production component through which the yearbook is converted to a printed output;

wherein the user component and the production component interact such that submissions are made to the production component via the user component and the production component can communicate with the user component regarding the submissions.

2. The yearbook system of claim 1, wherein the user component includes tools for planning the yearbook, for creating the yearbook, for selling the yearbook, and for distributing the yearbook.

3. The yearbook system of claim 1, wherein the user component includes a visual representation of progress of the yearbook towards completion.

4. The yearbook system of claim 1, wherein the user component includes a virtual book for virtual viewing of yearbook pages completed, in progress, and not yet started.

5. The yearbook system of claim 1, wherein the user component includes a photo submission component for accepting photos submitted by community members.

6. The yearbook system of claim 1, wherein the user component comprises at least two access levels such that an advisor may access information at one level and staff may access information at another level.

7. The yearbook system of claim 1, wherein the user component may be used to plan and develop portrait pages and activity pages.

8. The yearbook system of claim 1, wherein the user component includes coverage information for tracking coverage of students in the yearbook.

9. The yearbook system of claim 1, wherein the production component is designed to communicate with the user component regarding inadequacy of submissions and requiring correction and resubmission of the submissions.

10. The yearbook system of claim 1, wherein the production component comprises a yearbook system management component and a yearbook production system component.

11. The yearbook system of claim 10, wherein the yearbook system management component is designed to communicate with the user during yearbook creation.

12. The yearbook system of claim 1, wherein the production component stores input information.

13. The yearbook system of claim 1, wherein the production component comprises a yearbook server and a production server.

14. The yearbook system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured for interaction with a school, a school community, a sales force, customer support, and manufacturing.

15. The yearbook system of claim 1, wherein the user component enables a user to create the yearbook using a desk top publishing application.

16. The yearbook system of claim 1, wherein the user component enables a user to create the yearbook using an on-line creation tool.

17. A method for creating a yearbook comprising:

user planning of the yearbook;

user development of the yearbook;

user submission of completed portions of the yearbook

production review of the submitted portions of the yearbook;

production communication to a user regarding the submitted portions of the yearbook; and

production conversion of the submitted portions of the yearbook into a printed output.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the user planning of the yearbook comprises user planning of each portion of the yearbook including cover, portrait pages, and activity pages.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the user development of the yearbook comprises development of each page laid out during user planning of the yearbook.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the user planning of the yearbook comprises incorporating planning sections into a planning ladder.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising user submission of photos.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising production scanning of the submitted photos.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising production creation of a postscript file for completed portions of the yearbook.