System, method and graphical user interface for managing contacts and calendars within an online card system

• US 8,196,038 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2010
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shutterfly, LLC
• Original Assignee: Shutterfly Incorporated (Shutterfly, LLC)
• Inventors: Berger, Kelly, Asar, Adnan, Chang, Kevin, Taylor, Krys, Cheng, Tanya, Isaacs, Alessandro
• Primary Examiner(s): RIES, LAURIE ANNE
• Application Number:
  US12/703,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20110145101A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: 715/243, 715/731, 715/769, 705/26.7
• US Class Current: 715/243
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/60 Business processes related to postal services shipping G06Q10/083; franking apparatus G07B17/00

Abstract

A system, method and graphical user interface (GUI) are described for managing a contacts and calendar database within an online stationery/card service. For example, a system implemented by an online stationery/card service allowing a user to personalize and send non-electronic stationery/cards is described, the system comprising: a graphical user interface for personalizing and sending non-electronic stationery/cards comprising: a reminder list comprised a plurality of reminder entries, each of the reminder entries identifying an upcoming event including events generated based on a specified relationship between the user and one or more contacts stored in a contacts database of the user; a recommendation region comprising a plurality of stationery/card design recommendations, the recommendation region populated with stationery/card designs associated with a specified one or the one or more entries in the reminder list, including the events generated based on the specified relationship between the user and each of the contacts; and a stationery/card personalization engine executed in response to the user selecting one of the stationery/card design recommendations from the recommendation region, the stationery personalization engine providing the end user with a set of personalization options related to the selected stationery/card design, and generating personalized stationery with the selected stationery/card design based on user input.

Claims

1. A computer-network system implemented by an online stationery/card service for a user to personalize and send non-electronic stationery/cards, the system comprising:

a computer server configured to enable a graphical user interface for personalizing and sending non-electronic stationery/cards, the graphical user interface comprising;

a reminder list comprised of a plurality of reminder entries, each of the reminder entries identifying an upcoming event including events generated based on a specified relationship between the user and one or more contacts stored in a contacts database of the user;

a recommendation region comprising a plurality of stationery/card design recommendations, the recommendation region populated with stationery/card designs associated with a specified one or the one or more entries in the reminder list, including the events generated based on the specified relationship between the user and each of the contacts, wherein the reminder list is organized based on a specified prioritization scheme, with a highest priority event selected within the reminder list, wherein upon the user initially opening the GUI the recommendation region is automatically populated with stationery/card designs associated with the highest priority event in the reminder list; and

a stationery/card personalization engine executed in response to the user selecting one of the stationery/card design recommendations from the recommendation region, the stationery personalization engine providing the end user with a set of personalization options related to the selected stationery/card design, and generating personalized stationery with the selected stationery/card design based on user input.

2. The computer-network system as in claim 1 further comprising:

a stationery/card contacts module to manage an end user'"'"'s contacts data stored within the contacts database, the contacts data including the relationship data specifying a relationship between the end user and one or more of the contacts; and

a stationery/card calendar module to automatically generate stationery/card calendar events in the user'"'"'s calendar database based on the contacts data stored within the contacts database, wherein at least some of the calendar events are generated based on the specified relationship between the user and each of the contacts.

3. The computer-network system as in claim 1 wherein the stationery/card calendar events include milestones associated with each of the contacts in the contacts database and wherein the reminder list includes entries associated with the milestones.

4. The computer-network system as in claim 3 wherein one of the milestones associated with each of the contacts comprises a birth date.

5. The computer-network system as in claim 1 wherein one of the milestones associated with each of the contacts comprises a wedding anniversary.

6. The computer-network system as in claim 1 wherein the relationship between the user and one of the contacts comprises a familial relationship and wherein the event generated comprises a day associated with that familial relationship.

7. The computer-network system as in claim 6 wherein the familial relationship comprises the user'"'"'s mother or father, and wherein the event comprises Mother'"'"'s Day or Father'"'"'s Day.

8. The computer-network system as in claim 1 wherein the GUI further comprises a calendar window including a plurality of calendar entries for a particular month, each entry representing a particular day of the month, one or more of the entries having stored therein different graphical elements, wherein a first type of graphical element is displayed to represent a scheduled stationery/card order and a second type of graphical element is displayed to represent a calendar event related to a contact in the user'"'"'s contacts database for which a stationery/card order has not been scheduled.

9. The computer-network system as in claim 8 wherein, in response to user selection of the first type of graphical element, the user is provided with details of the associated stationery/calendar order and wherein in response to user selection of the second type of graphical element, the user is provided with a Web-based GUI for selecting and personalizing a stationery/card order using the stationery/card personalization engine.

10. The computer-network system as in claim 1 wherein the stationery/card contacts module identifies address information for each of a set of user-selected contacts to receive the personalized stationery.

11. The computer-network system as in claim 1 further comprising:

a print module to generate and transmit a print job to print the personalized stationery/cards and envelopes containing the address information for the user-selected contacts.

12. The computer-network system as in claim 1 wherein the reminders are generated in the form of a list of upcoming events, and wherein the reminder service comprises prioritization logic for prioritizing the list based at least in part on the specified relationship data.

13. The computer-network system as in claim 12 wherein the recommendations region further comprises of user input elements for specifying characteristics related to a stationery/card order, wherein the results in the recommendation region are filtered based on the user input received in one or more of the user input elements.

14. The computer-network system as in claim 13 wherein some of the user input elements comprise drop-down menus comprised of a set of user-selectable entries, at least one of the drop-down menus including a list of entries corresponding to potential stationery/card recipients retrieved from a contacts database of the user.

15. The computer-network system as in claim 14 wherein upon selection of one of the potential stationery/card recipients, the recommendation region is populated with recommendations based on the identity of the recipient and the known preferences of the user.

16. The computer-network system as in claim 14 wherein at least one of the drop-down menus including a list of entries corresponding to occasions for sending stationery/cards, wherein upon selection of one of the potential stationery/card recipients, the recommendation region is populated with recommendations based on the identity of the occasion.

17. The computer-network system as in claim 13 wherein the user input elements for specifying characteristics related to a stationery/card order include a plurality of selectable filtering elements for filtering the results in the recommendations region, the filtering elements selected from the group consisting of a stationery/card theme, a stationery/card color, a stationery/card format, a stationery/card size, and a number of photos used in the stationery card.

18. The computer-network system as in claim 1 further comprising:

a browse region comprising a set of links identifying different occasions, wherein upon selection of one of the links corresponding to one of the occasions, the recommendations region is populated with stationery/card designs related to the selected occasion.

19. The computer-network system as in claim 1 further comprising:

a scheduled stationery/card orders region visually displaying a set of previously personalized stationery/card orders which have not yet been sent.

20. The computer-network system as in claim 1 further comprising:

a personalization GUI generated in response to the user selecting one of the stationery/card designs from the recommendation region, the personalization GUI displaying a visual representation of the stationery/card design and comprising a plurality of selectable text entry regions and one or more image regions for receiving user-selectable images within the front, middle and/or back of the stationery/card design.

21. The computer-network system as in claim 20 wherein the personalization GUI comprises a listing of images capable of being clicked and dragged by the user into the image regions of the stationery/card design.

22. A computer-network system implemented by an online stationery/card service for a user to personalize and send non-electronic stationery/cards, the system comprising:

a computer server configured to enable a graphical user interface to personalize and send non-electronic stationery/cards, the graphical user interface comprising;

a reminder list comprised of a plurality of reminder entries, each of the reminder entries identifying an upcoming event including events generated based on a specified relationship between the user and one or more contacts stored in a contacts database of the user;

a recommendation region comprising a plurality of stationery/card design recommendations, the recommendation region populated with stationery/card designs associated with a specified one or the one or more entries in the reminder list, including the events generated based on the specified relationship between the user and each of the contacts, wherein the reminders are generated in the form of a list of upcoming events, and wherein the reminder service comprises prioritization logic for prioritizing the list based at least in part on the specified relationship data, wherein the recommendations region further comprises of user input elements for specifying characteristics related to a stationery/card order, wherein the results in the recommendation region are filtered based on the user input received in one or more of the user input elements, wherein some of the user input elements comprise drop-down menus comprised of a set of user-selectable entries, at least one of the drop-down menus including a list of entries corresponding to potential stationery/card recipients retrieved from a contacts database of the user, wherein upon selection of one of the potential stationery/card recipients, the recommendation region is populated with recommendations based on the identity of the recipient and the known preferences of the user; and

a stationery/card personalization engine executed in response to the user selecting one of the stationery/card design recommendations from the recommendation region, the stationery personalization engine providing the end user with a set of personalization options related to the selected stationery/card design, and generating personalized stationery with the selected stationery/card design based on user input.