CUSTOMIZED VIRTUAL CATALOG

• US 20130103499A1
• Filed: 12/17/2012
• Published: 04/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BEL USA, LLC
• Original Assignee: Branderscom Incorporated (Branders Corporation)
• Inventors: Sipes, David D., McLaughlin, Gerald
• Granted Patent: US 8,700,482 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.55
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering

Abstract

Various embodiments include an apparatus comprising a server operable to generate a customized virtual catalog including a plurality of composite images, wherein at least one of the plurality of composite images includes an image of a promotional product decorated using a decorative image associated with a client requesting access to the customized virtual catalog.

Claims

1. A network based transaction system comprising:

a server coupled to a network;

at least one client device coupled to the server through the network;

the server coupled to a product image database storing product information and a plurality of stored images of promotional products including a base product operable to be decorated using a decorative image;

the server coupled to a decorative image database storing image files including image files having a different default decorative image associated with each particular one of a plurality of clients; and

the server coupled to a customer database storing customer information associated with each particular one of the plurality of clients;

wherein the server is operable to determine which particular one of the plurality of clients is requesting access to the server, automatically to generate a first customized virtual catalog for a first particular one of the plurality of clients requesting access to the server, the first customized virtual catalog including a first plurality of composite images each including a different promotional product image automatically decorated using a first default decorative image associated with the first particular one of the plurality of clients, and automatically to generate a second customized virtual catalog for a second particular one of the plurality of clients requesting access to the server, the second customized virtual catalog including a second plurality of composite images each including a different promotional product image automatically decorated using a second default decorative image associated with the second particular one of the plurality of clients; and

wherein the server includes a compositing engine operable to render the composite images included in the customized virtual catalogs based on relationships linking client information, associated with the particular clients requesting access, to a plurality of sets of product information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second default decorative images vary in at least one of size, shape, color, positioning, text, manufacturing process, and warping information.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the promotional products vary in at least one of size, shape, color, style, brand, and materials.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the server is further operable to receive a selection from the first particular client of one or more attributes of the promotional products, and to receive a selection from the first particular client of one or more attributes of the first decorative image.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the server is further operable to save one or more of the client selections as default selections.

6. A method performed by at least one processor comprising:

the processor storing a plurality of images in memory, each of the plurality of images including an image of a promotional product, wherein each of the promotional products included in the images is operable to be decorated by application of a decorative image;

the processor storing an image of one or more default decorative images in memory, each of the default decorative images associated with a different particular client of a plurality of clients and being selected by the particular client during a default logo selection operation, and each of the default decorative images operable to be applied as a decoration to at least one of the plurality of the promotional products;

the processor receiving from a first particular client a request to view a customized virtual catalog including the plurality of promotional products;

the processor applying automatically without further action by the first particular client an image of a first default decorative image associated with the first particular client to a plurality of the images of the plurality of promotional products to generate, for display on a screen to the first particular client, a first customized virtual catalog for the first particular client including a composite image of the first default decorative image applied to the plurality of the images of the plurality of promotional products;

the processor receiving from a second particular client a request to view a customized virtual catalog including the plurality of promotional products;

the processor applying automatically without further action by the second particular client an image of a second default decorative image associated with the second particular client to a plurality of the images of the plurality of promotional products to generate, for display on a screen to the second particular client, a second customized virtual catalog for the second particular client including a composite image of the second default decorative image applied to the plurality of the images of the plurality of promotional products; and

the processor, when applying the default decorative images associated with the particular clients to the plurality of the images of the plurality of promotional products, generating the customized virtual catalogs using a set of relationships linking client information, associated with each particular client, to a plurality of product information blocks.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first and second default decorative images vary in at least one of size, shape, color, positioning, text, manufacturing process, and warping information.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the promotional products vary in at least one of size, shape, color, style, brand, and materials.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one processor is further operable to receive a selection from the first particular client of one or more attributes of the promotional products, and to receive a selection from the first particular client of one or more attributes of the first decorative image.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further operable to save one or more of the client selections as default selections.

11. A machine-readable medium comprising a computer memory storing instructions, which when implemented by one or more processors perform the following operations:

storing one or more images in the memory, each of the one or more images including an image of a promotional product, wherein each of the promotional products included in the images is operable to be decorated by application of a decorative image;

storing one or more default decorative images in the memory, each of the default decorative images associated with a different particular client of a plurality of clients and being selected by the particular client during a default logo selection operation, and each of the plurality of default decorative images operable to be applied as a decoration to at least one of the one or more of the promotional products;

receiving from a first particular client a request to view a customized virtual catalog including the plurality of promotional products;

applying automatically without further action by the first particular client a first default decorative image associated with the first particular client to a plurality of the images of the plurality of promotional products to generate, for display on a screen to the first particular client, a first customized virtual catalog for the first particular client including a composite image of the first default decorative image applied to the plurality of the images of the plurality of promotional products;

receiving from a second particular client a request to view a customized virtual catalog including the plurality of promotional products; and

applying automatically without further action by the second particular client a second default decorative image associated with the second particular client to a plurality of the images of the plurality of promotional products to generate, for display on a screen to the second particular client, a second customized virtual catalog for the second particular client including a composite image of the second default decorative image applied to the plurality of the images of the plurality of promotional products;

wherein applying the default decorative images associated with the clients to the plurality of the images of the plurality of promotional products includes

applying the default decorative images to the plurality of images of the plurality of promotional products based on relationships linking client information, associated with each particular client, to the plurality of promotional products.

12. The machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first and second default decorative images vary in at least one of size, shape, color, positioning, text, manufacturing process, and warping information.

13. The machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the promotional products vary in at least one of size, shape, color, style, brand, and materials.

14. The machine-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising receiving a selection from the first particular client of one or more attributes of the promotional products, and receiving a selection from the first particular client of one or more attributes of the first decorative image.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising saving one or more of the client selections as default selections.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a server operable to generate a customized virtual catalog concurrently displaying a plurality of composite images, the server including a customer database operable to store information associated with one or more clients accessing the server to request generation of the customized virtual catalog, wherein the server is operable to allow a client to enter customer information into the customer database, wherein the customer information of the client includes a first default decorative image and a second default decorative image selected by the client and to be associated with the client upon requests for access to the customized virtual catalog by the client, wherein, when the client requests access to the server, the server is operable to generate the customized virtual catalog including a plurality of composite images,

wherein a first one of the composite images includes an image of a first promotional product automatically decorated using the first default decorative image uniquely associated with the request by the client to access the customized virtual catalog,

wherein a second one of the composite images includes an image of a second promotional product automatically decorated using the second default decorative image uniquely associated with the client request; and

the server being operable to apply the default decorative images to the images of the promotional products based on relationships linking client information, associated with each particular client, to the promotional products.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first and second default decorative images vary in at least one of size, shape, color, positioning, text, manufacturing process, and warping information.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first and second promotional products vary in at least one of size, shape, color, style, brand, and materials.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the server is further operable to receive a selection from the first client of a third promotional product from a plurality of different promotional products, and to receive a selection from the first client of a third decorative image from a plurality of different decorative images.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the server is further operable to immediately display, without further action by the first client, a composite image including an image of the third promotional product decorated using the third decorative image.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the server is further operable to receive a selection from the first client of one or more attributes of the third promotional product, and to receive a selection from the first client of one or more attributes of the third decorative image.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the server is further operable to save one or more of the client selections as default selections.

23. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first and second promotional products are identical.