On-demand content customization

• US 8,098,390 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2008
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yacoub, Sherif M., Zhou, Hanning, Liang, Jian
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, II, Jerome
• Application Number:
  US12/059,824
• Time in Patent Office: 1,387 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/1.16, 358/1.18, 347/1, 347/3, 399/145, 355/88, 355/1.1
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements

Abstract

A system and a method of customizing on-demand printed content are disclosed. In response to receiving a request from a consumer for on-demand printed content, content customization is determined. The determined customization is incorporated within the requested content and the on-demand printed content. Thereafter, and further responsive to the request, an on-demand printed copy of the requested content, including the incorporated customizations, is output for on-demand printing.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented print-on-demand system for generating a customized on-demand printed document, the system comprising a processor and a memory, and further comprising:

a processing component that obtains a digital image of content in response to a request for the content and processes the digital image of content for on-demand print readiness;

a printing component that obtains the requested content and customization information corresponding to a cover of an on-demand printed copy of the requested content; and

wherein the printing component is configured to output the requested content to a first device to print the on-demand copy of the requested content without the cover and to provide the customization information and the on-demand printed copy of the requested content to a second device to cover the on-demand printed copy of the requested content with the cover, the cover being customized according to the customization information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the customization information corresponds to a spine of cover materials for the on-demand printed copy of the requested content.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the customization information corresponds to customization of an inside cover of the on-demand printed copy of the requested content.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the customization information corresponds to a type of cover materials for the on-demand printed copy of the requested content.

5. A method of providing customized on-demand printed content, the method comprising:

obtaining a request for an on-demand printed copy of content; and

responsive to the request for the content;

obtaining a digital image corresponding to the requested content;

obtaining customization information for customizing the requested content;

outputting the requested content to a first device to print an on-demand copy of the requested content without a cover; and

providing the customization information and the on-demand printed copy of the requested content to a second device to cover the on-demand printed copy of the requested content with a customized cover, the customized cover being customized according to the customization information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein an outside cover of the on-demand printed copy of the requested content is customized according to the customization information.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein an inside cover of the on-demand printed copy of the requested content is customized according to the customization information.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein a spine of the on-demand printed copy of the requested content is customized according to the customization information.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the customization information corresponds to a type of cover materials for the cover of the on-demand printed copy of the requested content.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising generating a copy of the customized requested content.

11. The method of claim 5 wherein the customization information is obtained from a remote customization store.

12. A computer-implemented print-on-demand system for generating on-demand printed copies of content, the system comprising a processor and a memory, and further configured to obtain a request for a printed copy of content, and in response to the request:

obtain a digital image of the requested content, wherein the digital image comprises a plurality of page images;

obtain customization information to be applied to the on-demand printed copy of the requested content;

determine a location to apply the obtained customization information to the on-demand printed copy of the requested content, wherein the location to apply the obtained customization information corresponds to a cover of the on-demand printed copy of the requested content; and

output the requested content and the customization information for on-demand printing, wherein outputting the requested content and the customization information for on-demand printing comprises outputting the requested content to a first device to print an on-demand copy of the requested content without the cover and providing the customization information and the on-demand printed copy of the requested content to a second device to cover the on-demand printed copy of the requested content with the cover, the cover being customized according to the customization information.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the system is further configured to print a copy of the requested content including the customized cover in an on-demand manner.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the location to apply the obtained customization information to the on-demand printed copy of the requested content comprises an outside portion of the cover of the on-demand printed copy of the requested content.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the location to apply the obtained customization information to the on-demand printed copy of the requested content further comprises an inside portion of the cover of the on-demand printed copy of the requested content.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the location to apply the obtained customization information to the on-demand printed copy of the requested content further comprises a spine area of the cover of the on-demand printed copy of the requested content.

17. A tangible computer-readable medium bearing computer-executable instructions which, when executed on a computing system, carry out a method for generating on-demand printed copies of content, the method comprising:

obtaining a request for a printed copy of content, and in response to the request;

obtaining a digital image of the requested content, wherein the digital image comprises a plurality of page images;

obtaining customization information to be applied to the on-demand printed copy of the requested content;

determining a location to apply the obtained customization information to the on-demand printed copy of the requested content;

applying the obtained customization information to the digital image of the requested content at the determined location, wherein the determined location to apply the obtained customization information to the on-demand printed copy of the requested content comprises an outside portion of a cover of the on-demand printed copy of the requested content; and

outputting the customized requested content for on-demand printing.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising printing a copy of the customized requested content in an on-demand manner.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the location to apply the obtained customization information to the on-demand printed copy of the requested content further comprises an inside portion of the cover of the on-demand printed copy of the requested content.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the location to apply the obtained customization information to the on-demand printed copy of the requested content further comprises a spine area of the cover on-demand printed copy of the requested content.

21. An on-demand printed copy of requested content, the on-demand printed copy of requested content comprising:

an on-demand printed copy of a digital image of requested content comprising a plurality of pages and a customized cover on the on-demand printed copy of the requested content, wherein the on-demand printed copy of the requested content was created by the process of;

obtaining a request for a printed copy of the requested content;

obtaining a digital image of the requested content;

obtaining customization information for the cover of the on-demand printed copy of the requested content;

printing the digital image of the requested content to generate the on-demand printed copy of the requested content; and

covering the on-demand printed copy of the requested content with the cover customized according to the obtained customization information, wherein a location to apply the obtained customization information to the customized cover of the on-demand printed copy of the requested content comprises at least two of an outside cover, an inside cover, and a spine area of the cover of the on-demand printed copy of the requested content.

22. The on-demand printed copy of requested content of claim 21, wherein printing the digital image of the requested content to generate the on-demand printed copy of the requested content and covering the on-demand printed copy of the requested content with the cover customized according to the obtained customization information are performed by the same processing device.

23. The on-demand printed copy of requested content of claim 21, wherein printing the digital image of the requested content to generate the on-demand printed copy of the requested content and covering the on-demand printed copy of the requested content with the cover customized according to the obtained customization information are performed by separate processing devices.

24. The on-demand printed copy of requested content of claim 21, wherein the process of creating the on-demand printed copy of requested content further comprises:

determining the location to apply the obtained customization information to the on-demand printed copy of the requested content; and

covering the on-demand printed copy of the requested content with the cover customized according to the obtained customization information at the determined location.

25. The on-demand printed copy of requested content of claim 24, wherein the location to apply the obtained customization information to the cover of the on-demand printed copy of the requested content comprises the at least two of the outside cover of the on-demand printed copy of the requested content.

26. The on-demand printed copy of requested content of claim 24, wherein the location to apply the obtained customization information to the cover of the on-demand printed copy of the requested content comprises the inside cover of the on-demand printed copy of the requested content.

27. The on-demand printed copy of requested content of claim 24, wherein the location to apply the obtained customization information to the cover of the on-demand printed copy of the requested content the spine area of the cover of the on-demand printed copy of the requested content.