Electronic printing system and method

• US 6,717,686 B1
• Filed: 05/10/2000
• Issued: 04/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Checks In The Mail Incorporated (MX Holdings One LLC)
• Original Assignee: Iprint.Com, Co.
• Inventors: Rubin, Michael, Bell, Ryan, Hodson, David, Farros, Royal P., Farros, Nickoletta T., Pozdnyakov, Igor
• Primary Examiner(s): WALLERSON, MARK E
• Application Number:
  US09/568,644
• Time in Patent Office: 1,427 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.1, 358/1.12, 358/1.13, 358/1.14, 358/1.15, 358/404, 358/407, 358/468, 705/400
• US Class Current: 358/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1205 resulting in increased flexibility in print job configuration, e.g. job settings, print requirements, job tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1206 resulting in increased flexibility in input data format or job format or job type
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1247 by conversion to printer ready format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1257 by using pre-stored settings, e.g. job templates, presets, print styles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1287 via internet

Abstract

A user of an electronic printing system in accordance with the invention may create custom print designs locally and provide those custom print designs to a local or remote printer for printing. Upon a user creating a custom print design, the electronic printing system may store the custom design information until an order is placed by the user. Every order may have associated design files and an order file (for example, multiple items in an order). The design file(s) may describe the initial layout of a print design and may reflect updates to the initial layout based upon the custom design created by a user. An imaging engine resident on the remote server(s) of the electronic printing system may convert the information in the design file(s) into an image file for on-screen representation as well as a “ready-to-print” output file that may be retrieved electronically by a remote or local printer facility. The order file may contain user information and product data, such as a user'"'"'s billing and shipping address, payment information and the media type desired. When an order is submitted, both the design file(s) and the order file may staged for conversion. The files may be converted into printer specific files and may be retrieved electronically by a remote or local printing facility and the user'"'"'s order may be carried out by the printing facility and may be sent to the user when completed.

Claims

1. An electronic printing system, comprising:

a server, including;

means for providing a design interface for a custom print job;

means for receiving custom print information relating to the custom print job via the design interface;

means for storing the custom print information in the server;

means for modifying the custom print information if desired via the design interface;

means for dynamically displaying the custom print information as it is modified;

means for formatting the custom print information and for generating a print order; and

means for providing the formatted custom print information and print order to a printing facility; and

at least one printer in communication with the server, the at least one printer configured to receive the formatted custom print information from the server and to process the print order in accordance with the custom print information.

2. The electronic printing system of claim 1, wherein the custom print information includes any of graphical information, audio-visual information, image information and textual information.

3. The electronic printing system of claim 2, wherein the textual information includes binary data.

4. The electronic printing system of claim 2, wherein the textual information includes ASCII data.

5. The electronic printing system of claim 2, wherein the custom print information is provided from a client system in communication with the server.

6. The electronic printing system of claim 1, wherein the custom print information is included in at least one design file that describes the layout of a custom print design item associated with the custom print information.

7. The electronic printing system of claim 6, wherein the at least one design file further describes non-print items associated with the custom print information.

8. The electronic printing system of claim 6, wherein the layout of the custom print design item described in the design file is updated to indicate any modification to the custom print design item information.

9. The electronic printing system of claim 1, wherein the storing means comprises a storage system in communication with the server.

10. The electronic printing system of claim 9, wherein the storage system comprises a database.

11. The electronic printing system of claim 9, wherein the storage system includes a plurality of file structures therein, the plurality of file structures configuired to maintain a like plurality of data describing the custom print information.

12. The electronic printing system of claim 11, wherein the file structures comprise records.

13. The electronic printing system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of information stored in the storage system includes any of customer personal information, shipping information, customer billing information, order history information, order status information, pricing information, printer specific information, store attribute information, product attribute information and custom print design item information.

14. The electronic printing system of claim 1, wherein the modified custom print design item information is displayed in real-time.

15. The electronic printing system of claim 1, wherein the custom print design item information is modified in accordance with a predetermined ruleset for a selected print medium.

16. The electronic printing system of claim 1, wherein the custom print information is formatted into a format that is recognizable by the at least one printing facility.

17. The electronic printing system of claim 16, wherein the format is a textual file format.

18. The electronic printing system of claim 17, wherein the textual file format is a binary file format.

19. The electronic printing system of claim 16, wherein the format is an image file format.

20. The electronic printing system of claim 19, wherein the image file format is any of a raster file format and a vector file format.

21. The electronic printing system of claim 19, wherein the image file format is any of an EPS file format, a .JPG file format, a .GIF file format, a text file format and a .PDF file format.

22. The electronic printing system of claim 1, wherein the printer is a printing facility.

23. The electronic printing system of claim 22, wherein the printing facility is a local printing facility.

24. The electronic printing system of claim 22, wherein the printing facility is a remote printing facility.

25. An electronic printing system, comprising:

a server, including;

means for providing a design interface for a custom print job;

means for generating custom print information relating to the custom print job;

means for storing the custom print information in the server;

means for modifying the custom print information if desired via the design interface;

means for dynamically displaying the custom print information as it is modified;

means for formatting the custom print information and for generating a print order; and

means for providing the formatted custom print information and print order to a printing facility; and

at least one printer in communication with the server, the at least one printer configured to receive the formatted custom print information from the server and to process the print order in accordance with the custom print information.

26. The electronic printing system of claim 25, wherein the custom print information includes any of graphical information, audio-visual information, image information and textual information.

27. The electronic printing system of claim 26, wherein the textual information includes binary data.

28. The electronic printing system of claim 26, wherein the textual information includes ASCII data.

29. The electronic printing system of claim 25, wherein the storing means comprises a storage system in communication with the server.

30. The electronic printing system of claim 29, wherein a plurality of information stored in the storage system includes any of customer personal information, shipping information, customer billing information, order history information, order status information, pricing information, printer specific information, store attribute information, product attribute information and custom print design item information.

31. The electronic printing system of claim 25, wherein the generating means comprises a design interface system configured to provide a template of at least one print design item to be printed on a selected print medium.

32. The electronic printing system of claim 25, wherein the custom print design item information is modified in accordance with a predetermined ruleset for a selected print medium.

33. The electronic printing system of claim 25, wherein the printer is a printing facility.

34. The electronic printing system of claim 33, wherein the printing facility is a remote printing facility.

35. The electronic printing system of claim 25, wherein the custom print information is formatted into a format that is recognizable by the at least one printing facility.

36. The electronic printing system of claim 35, wherein the format is an image file format.

37. The electronic printing system of claim 36, wherein the image file format is any of a raster file format and a vector file format.

38. The electronic printing system of claim 36, wherein the image file format is any of an EPS file format, a .JPG file format, a .GIF file format, a text file format and a .PDF file format.

39. The electronic printing system of claim 35, wherein the format is a textual file format.

40. The electronic printing system of claim 39, wherein the textual file format is a binary file format.

41. An electronic printing system, comprising:

a server, including

at least one server system configured to communicate with at least one client system, the at least one server system providing a design interface for a custom print job;

at least one image server system configured to receive custom print information, including custom print design item information, from the client system and to provide the custom print design item information to the design interface so that the custom print design item information can be dynamically displayed to the at least one client system to indicate any modification to the custom print design item information that is made;

at least one file server system configured to store the custom print information; and

at least one process server system configured to format the custom print information and to generate a print order;

each of the at least one server system, at least one image server system, at least one file server system and at least one process server system being in communication with each other so that custom print information can be provided between them; and

at least one printing facility in communication with the server, the at least one printing facility configured to receive the formatted custom print information from the server and to process the print order in accordance with the custom print information.

42. The electronic printing system of claim 41, wherein the custom print information includes any of graphical information, audio-visual information, image information and textual information.

43. The system of claim 41, wherein the at least one server system, the at least one image server system, the at least one file server system, and the at least one process server system each comprise respective software application modules resident on the server.

44. An electronic printing system, comprising:

at least one server configured to communicate with at least one client system, the at least one server providing a design interface for a custom print job;

at least image server configured to receive custom print information, including custom print design item information, from the client system and to provide the custom print design item information to the design interface so that the custom print design item information can be dynamically displayed to the at least one client system to indicate any modification to the custom print design item information that is made;

at least one file server configured to store the custom print information; and

at least one process server configured to format the custom print information and to generate a print order;

each of the at least one server, at least one image server, at least one file server and at least one process server being in communication with each other so that custom print information can be provided between them; and

at least one printing facility in communication with at least one of the servers, the at least one printing facility configured to receive the formatted custom print information from at least one of the servers and to process the print order in accordance with the custom print information.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the at least one image server, the at least one file server, and the at least one process server each comprise respective software application modules resident on the server.

46. An electronic printing system, comprising:

a server, including

at least one server system configured to communicate with at least one client system, the at least one server system providing a design interface for a custom print job;

at least one image server system configured to generate custom print design item information and to provide the custom print design item information to the design interface so that the custom print design item information can be dynamically displayed to the at least one client system to indicate any modification to the custom print design item information that is made;

at least one file server system configured to store the custom print design item information; and

at least one process server system configured to format the custom print design item information and to generate a print order;

each of the at least one server system, at least one image server system, at least one file server system and at least one process server system being in communication with each other so that custom print design item information can be provided between them; and

at least one printing facility in communication with the server, the at least one printing facility configured to receive the formatted custom print design item information from the server and to process the print order in accordance with the custom print design item information.

47. The electronic printing system of claim 46, wherein the custom print design item information includes any of graphical information, audio-visual information, image information and textual information.

48. The system of claim 46, wherein the at least one server system, the at least one image server system, the at least one file server system, and the at least one process server system each comprise respective software application modules resident on the server.

49. An electronic printing system, comprising:

a server, including

at least one server system configured to communicate with at least one client system, the at least one server system providing a design interface for a custom print job;

at least one image server system configured to receive custom print design item information and to provide the custom print design item information to the design interface so that the custom print design item information can be dynamically displayed to the at least one client system to indicate any modification to the custom print design item information that is made;

at least one file server system configured to store the custom print design item information; and

at least one process server system configured to format the custom print design item information and to generate a print order;

each of the at least one server system, at least one image server system, at least one file server system and at least one process server system being in communication with each other so that custom print design item information can be provided between them; and

at least one printing facility in communication with the server, the at least one printing facility configured to receive the formatted custom print design item information from the server and to process the print order in accordance with the custom print design item information.

50. The electronic printing system of claim 49, wherein the custom print design item information includes any of graphical information, audio-visual information, image information and textual information.

51. The system of claim 49, wherein the at least one server system, the at least one image server system, the at least one file server system, and the at least one process server system each comprise respective software application modules resident on the server.

52. An electronic printing system, comprising:

a server, including

at least one web server system configured to communicate with at least one client system, the at least one web server system presenting a design interface to the at least one client system;

at least one image server system configured to generate a default design file that includes default custom print design item information associated with a selected print medium, and to provide a graphical representation of the default custom print design item information to the at least one web server so that the graphical representation can, be displayed to the at least one client system via the design interface, and so that the default custom print design item information can be modified by the at least one client system if desired, the default design file being updated to include the modification to the default custom print design item information and the graphical representation of the updated design file being dynamically displayed to the at least one client system to visually indicate the modification to the custom print design item information that is made;

at least one file server system configured to store the updated design file; and

at least one process server system configured to format the updated design file and to generate a print order;

each of the at least one web server system, at least one image server system, at least one file server system and at least one process server system being in communication with each other so that updated design file can be provided between them; and

at least one printing facility in communication with the server, the at least one printing facility configured to receive the formatted updated design file from the server and to process the print order in accordance with the updated design file.

53. The electronic printing system of claim 52, wherein the custom print design item information includes any of graphical information, audio-visual information, image information and textual information.

54. The system of claim 52, wherein the at least one web server system, the at least one image server system, the at least one file server system, and the at least one process server system each comprise respective software application modules resident on the server.

55. A method for creating a custom print design to be printed on a selectable print medium, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting a print medium for printing of custom print design item information;

generating a default design file associated with the selected print medium, the default design file including default custom print design item information;

displaying a graphical representation of the default custom print design item information;

updating the default design file to include any modification to the default custom print design item information; and

dynamically displaying a graphical representation of the updated custom print design item information.

56. The method of claim 55, further comprising:

generating an order file associated with the updated custom print design item information; and

processing the updated custom print design item information so that the updated custom print design item information can be retrieved by a printing facility.

57. The method of claim 56, further comprising:

storing the processed custom print design item information and the associated order file in a server so that the processed custom print design item information and the associated order file can be retrieved at a predetermined time interval by the printing facility; and

processing the print order file in accordance with the updated custom print design item information so that the custom print design item information can be printed on a selected print medium.

58. The method of claim 57, further comprising the step of notifying of the completion of the print order.

59. The method of claim 55, further comprising:

generating an order file associated with the updated custom print design item information; and

processing the updated custom print design item information so that the updated custom print design item information can be sent to a printing facility.

60. The method of claim 59, further comprising:

storing the processed custom print design item information and the associated order file in a server so that the processed custom print design item information and the associated order file can be retrieved at a predetermined time interval by the printing facility; and

processing the print order file in accordance with the updated custom print design item information so that the custom print design item information can be printed on a selected print medium.

61. The method of claim 60, further comprising the step of notifying of the completion of the print order.