System and process for the production of a customer individualized print product

• US 7,330,828 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2004
• Issued: 02/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Detlef Schoder, Stefan Sick
• Original Assignee: Detlef Schoder, Stefan Sick
• Inventors: Schoder, Detlef, Sick, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Garg; Yogesh C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shah; Amee A.
• Application Number:
  US10/868,389
• Publication Number:
  US 20050021404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,338 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/7.29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

A system and method for production of a printed product individualized for the customer, which offers the customer a selection of information content, depending on the variable payment (price) and the profile of interests thereof. Based on the price decision of the customer, a customer-specific relationship of optionally edited information content to customer-specific advertisement is generated. A dynamic matching of the profile of interests is carried out by feedback. The form of the printed product is determined by the selection of the information and the advertisements and the combination thereof according to the customer-specific relationship and profile of interests by means of an inventive layout. The printed product produced is suitable for traditional processing by print media, customer-specific in price, quality and quantity, achieves the interests of the advertisers with targeted advertising and the interests of the producers of the printed product with regard to achievable margins by providing a highly-attractive customer-specific product.

Claims

1. A customer individual automated compilation method of mass producing printing products containing articles correlated with a set of categories periodically distributed to a plurality of customers as editions comprising the steps of:

a. inputting by each customer to a customer profile database identification information including geographical position, when delivery of an edition of a print product is to commence, a chosen price to pay, and a selection of single interest categories selected from a listing of categories, and following delivery of an edition inputting feedback by a customer for any updating of the chosen price to pay for the next edition, current geographical position or selection of a set of single interest categories;

b. establishing an information database containing information files correlated with the listing of categories;

c. establishing an advertisement database containing advertisement files correlated in part with the listing of categories;

d. establishing an expenditure database containing cost related to printing each information file;

e. establishing a revenue database containing revenue for printing an advertising file in a customer individual print product;

f. establishing a layout database containing a collection of layouts based on different formats including fields of a group of formats;

g. establishing an accounting database containing accounting parameters related to cost per print and delivery to a customer an edition of the individual print product and gross margin per single edition;

h. categorizing by a first program information files and advertisement files obtained from supply sources and storing the files in the information database and advertisement database identified according to the listing of categories;

i. executing a second program to determine and output from said information and advertisement databases a group of files correlated with a customer profile database to print for a given edition of the print product for that customer;

j. executing a third program for the determined group of files output from the second program to determine a weighing factor for each of the selected set of single interest categories contained in that customer profile database, sorting from the group of files a selection of relevant files automatically in proportion to the weighting factors of the selected set of single interest categories until a maximum volume is achieved;

k. executing a fourth program with respect to the sorted selection of relevant files to conduct an analysis of expenditures and revenues compared to that customer'"'"'s chosen price in correlation with the expenditure database, revenue database and accounting database, and on the basis thereof, finally selecting a portion of the relevant information and advertisement files in a proportion as determined by the aforesaid analysis;

l. executing a fifth program to sort the selected portion of relevant files according to categories and based thereon selecting a layout from the layout format database that will accommodate in its format fields all the finally selected relevant files to obtain an output for a printed product for that customer;

m. producing in response to the output of the fifth program a printed product containing machine readable formatted encoded identifiers associated at least with each printed file whereby that customer using a compatible machine reader is enabled to provide feedback input effectively according to step a; and

n. delivering the produced printed product to that customer at his/her/its current geographical position.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein step j. with respect to the weighing factor includes executing a subroutine of determining a preference change index (PCI) by calculating, for n>

0,

3. The method of claim 2 wherein step j. with respect to the weighing factor further includes executing a subroutine for computing via an algorithm the weighing factor for the chosen category in a specific sequence,

4. The method of claim 3 wherein step j. includes determining a weighing factor for each category by executing a subroutine according to the following

5. A method according to claim 1 including the further step of imprinting the machine readable formatted encoded identifiers on the printed product in the form of bar codes.

6. Apparatus for customer individual automated compilation of mass producing printing products containing articles correlated with a set of categories periodically distributed to a plurality of customers as editions comprising:

a. means for inputting by each customer to a customer profile database identification information including geographical position, when delivery of an edition of a print product is to commence, a chosen price to pay, and a selection of single interest categories selected from a listing of categories, and following delivery of an edition inputting feedback by a customer for any updating of the chosen price to pay for the next edition, current geographical position or selection of a set of single interest categories;

b. means for establishing an information database for containing information files correlated with the listing of categories;

c. means for establishing an advertisement database for containing advertisement files correlated in part with the listing of categories;

d. means for establishing an expenditure database for containing cost related to printing each information file;

e. means for establishing a revenue database for containing revenue for printing an advertising file in a customer individual print product;

f. means for establishing a layout database for containing a collection of layouts based on different formats including fields of a group of formats;

g. means for establishing an accounting database for containing accounting parameters related to cost per print and delivery to a customer an edition of the individual print product and gross margin per single edition;

h. means for categorizing by a first program information files and advertisement files obtained from supply sources and for storing the files in the information database and advertisement database identified according to the listing of categories;

i. means for executing a second program to determine and output from said information and advertisement databases a group of files correlated with a customer profile database to print for a given edition of the print product for that customer;

j. means for executing a third program for the determined group of files output from the second program to determine a weighing factor for each of the selected set of single interest categories contained in that customer profile database, sorting from the group of files a selection of relevant files automatically in proportion to the weighting factors of the selected set of single interest categories until a maximum volume is achieved;

k. means for executing a fourth program with respect to the sorted selection of relevant files to conduct an analysis of expenditures and revenues compared to that customer'"'"'s chosen price in correlation with the expenditure database, revenue database and accounting database, and on the basis thereof, finally selecting a portion of the relevant information and advertisement files in a proportion as determined by the aforesaid analysis;

l. means for executing a fifth program to sort the selected portion of relevant files according to categories and based thereon selecting a layout from the layout format database that will accommodate in its format fields all the finally selected relevant files to obtain an output for a printed product for that customer;

m. means for producing in response to the output of the fifth program a printed product containing machine readable formatted encoded identifiers associated at least with each printed file whereby that customer using a compatible machine reader is enabled to provide feedback input effectively; and

n. means for delivering the produced printed product to that customer at his/her/its current geographical position.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 with respect to the weighing factor further including means for executing a subroutine for determining a preference change index (PCI) by calculating, for n>

0,

8. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein further including means for executing a subroutine for computing via an algorithm the weighing factor for the chosen category in a specific sequence,

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 further including means for determining a weighing factor for each category by executing a subroutine according to the following

10. Apparatus according to claim 6 including means for imprinting the machine readable formatted encoded identifiers on the printed product in the form of bar codes.

11. Computer-readable medium containing program instructions for a customer individual automated compilation of mass producing printing products containing articles correlated with a set of categories periodically distributed to a plurality of customers as editions comprising program instructions for:

a. inputting by each customer to a customer profile database identification information including geographical position, when delivery of an edition of a print product is to commence, a chosen price to pay, and a selection of single interest categories selected from a listing of categories, and following delivery of an edition inputting feedback by a customer for any updating of the chosen price to pay for the next edition, current geographical position or selection of a set of single interest categories;

b. establishing an information database containing information files correlated with the listing of categories;

c. establishing an advertisement database containing advertisement files correlated in part with the listing of categories;

d. establishing an expenditure database containing cost related to printing each information file;

e. establishing a revenue database containing revenue for printing an advertising file in a customer individual print product;

f. establishing a layout database containing a collection of layouts based on different formats including fields of a group of formats;

g. establishing an accounting database containing accounting parameters related to cost per print and delivery to a customer an edition of the individual print product and gross margin per single edition;

h. categorizing by a first program information files and advertisement files obtained from supply sources and storing the files in the information database and advertisement database identified according to the listing of categories;

i. executing a second program to determine and output from said information and advertisement databases a group of files correlated with a customer profile database to print for a given edition of the print product for that customer;

j. executing a third program for the determined group of files output from the second program to determine a weighing factor for each of the selected set of single interest categories contained in that customer profile database, sorting from the group of files a selection of relevant files automatically in proportion to the weighting factors of the selected set of single interest categories until a maximum volume is achieved;

k. executing a fourth program with respect to the sorted selection of relevant files to conduct an analysis of expenditures and revenues compared to that customer'"'"'s chosen price in correlation with the expenditure database, revenue database and accounting database, and on the basis thereof finally selecting a portion of the relevant information and advertisement files in a proportion as determined by the aforesaid analysis;

l. executing a fifth program to sort the selected portion of relevant files according to categories and based thereon selecting a layout from the layout format database that will accommodate in its format fields all the finally selected relevant files to obtain an output for a printed product for that customer;

m. producing in response to the output of the fifth program a printed product containing machine readable formatted encoded identifiers associated at least with each printed file whereby that customer using a compatible machine reader is enabled to provide feedback input effectively according to step a; and

n. delivering the produced printed product to that customer at his/her/its current geographical position.

12. Computer-readable medium containing program instructions according to claim 11 further including program instructions with respect to the weighing factor for executing a subroutine of determining a preference change index (PCI) by calculating, for n>

0,

13. Computer-readable medium containing program instructions according to claim 12 further containing program instructions with respect to the weighing factor for executing a subroutine for computing via an algorithm the weighing factor for the chosen category in a specific sequence,

14. Computer-readable medium containing program instructions according to claim 13 further containing program instructions for determining a weighing factor for each category by executing a subroutine according to the following

15. Computer-readable medium containing program instructions according to claim 11 further containing program instructions for imprinting the machine readable formatted encoded identifiers on the printed product in the form of bar codes.