Systems and methods for retrieving printable media templates

• US 8,300,261 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2006
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avery Dennison Retail Information Services LLC (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Avery Dennison Corporation
• Inventors: Hodsdon, Jerry G., Person, Wade, Johnson, James D. II
• Primary Examiner(s): Baker, Charlotte M
• Assistant Examiner(s): DICKER, DENNIS T
• Application Number:
  US11/361,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20070201093A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,440 Days
• Field of Search: 358/300, 358/1.18, 358/1.15, 235/462, 283/74, 283/70, 399/84, 347/104, 382/209, 382/317, 715/226, 707/705
• US Class Current: 358/1.18
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system for retrieving a printable media template from an identifier that is associated with printable media. The identifier is retrieved by a reader and a controller that are operatively coupled to receive and process the information. The controller includes a template engine that retrieves a printable media template corresponding to the information received from the identifier. A method for retrieving and generating a printable media template is also provided. A printable media package is also included that identifies a printable template for printing content on the printable media.

Claims

1. A system for retrieving a printable media template, the system comprising:

a controller including a processor, memory, an operating system, and one or more application programs;

a package containing a quantity of printable media and a print media identifier having pre-formatted media templates and a merge list identifier associated with the print media identifier;

a reader interface configured to receive information from the identifier associated with the printable media from a reader;

the controller operatively coupled to a reader to receive the identifier from the reader interface, the controller including a template engine that retrieves one of a printable media template corresponding to the received identifier to create a printed media to populate the printable media template with data via one or more merge lists wherein the one or more merge lists are within the controller;

a user interface within the controller; and

wherein the user interface is capable of programming a second printable media identifier associated with a second merge list identifier.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the template engine executes a printable media application program and loads the retrieved printable media template into the printable media application program in response to the received identifier.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the template engine automatically populates the retrieved printable media template with data associated with a merge list.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the template engine retrieves the merge list based on a merge list identifier read by the reader.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the template engine periodically initiates a read operation by the reader interface to determine if the identifier is in a read range.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the template engine employs a uniform resource locator (URL) to retrieve the printable media template from a printable media website.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the template engine downloads the printable media template from the printable media website, executes a printable media application program and loads the retrieved printable media template into the printable media application program in response to the received identifier.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the template engine downloads the printable media application program from the printable media website and loads the retrieved printable media template into the printable media application program in response to the received identifier.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the template engine employs one or more uniform resource locators (URLs) to execute a printable media application program at the printable media website and load a retrieved printable media template into the printable media application program in response to the received identifier.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a writer coupled to the controller, wherein the controller and writer are configured to write information associated with the printable media and the identifier to one of a bar code label, a stand-alone data storage device, a memory device residing on a RF communication unit and a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the written information associated with the printable media and the identifier comprises at least one of the identifier, a merge list identifier, a printable media website uniform resource locator (URL), a template URL, a device identifier, a printable media application program identifier, and instructions for performing operations associated with the identifier.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifier resides in memory of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag label located on the package of printable media.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifier resides in memory of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag label located on the printable media.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the printable media is one of a variety of different formats of binders, report covers, binding supplies, cards, compact disk/electronic media labels, dividers, card sheets, sheet labels, roll labels, name badges, photo paper, sheet protectors and printable crafts.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer executable components comprising:

a controller including a processor, memory, an operating system, and one or more application programs;

a package containing printable media identifier and a printable media;

a template engine control configured to receive the printable media identifier read from a reader, the printable media identifier being associated with the printable media to populate the printable media with data via one or more merge lists wherein the one or more merge lists are within the controller, the print media identifier further associated with a merge list identifier;

an application program interface configured to provide a communication interface between a printable media application program and the template engine control for retrieving a printable media template based in response to receipt of the printable media identifier by the template engine control to create printed media;

a user interface within the controller; and

wherein the user interface is capable of programming a second printable media identifier associated with a second merge list identifier.

16. The computer executable components of claim 15, further comprising a plurality of application program interfaces associated with respective printable media application programs wherein the template engine control provides instructions to a selected application program interface to execute a preselected printable media application program and retrieve a printable media template based on the printable media identifier read from the reader.

17. The computer executable components of claim 16, wherein the preselected printable media application program is preselected based on a printable media application program identifier read from one of a reader and a local memory.

18. The computer executable components of claim 15, wherein the template engine control provides instructions to the application program interface to populate the retrieved printable media template with data associated with a merge list based on a merge list identifier read by the reader.

19. The computer executable components of claim 15, wherein the user interface is configured to provide a menu for associating a preselected printable media application program with a printable media identifier.

20. The computer executable components of claim 15 wherein the user interface is configured to receive inputs and cooperate with the template engine control, a writer interface and an associated writer for writing to a data storage device containing the printable media identifier.

21. The computer executable components of claim 20, wherein the data storage device is one of a stand-alone memory device, a memory device residing on a RF communication unit and a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

22. The computer executable components of claim 20, wherein the inputs comprise at least one of the printable media identifier, a merge list identifier, a printable media website uniform resource locator (URL), a template URL, a device identifier, a printable media application program identifier, and instructions for performing operations associated with the printable media identifier.

23. The computer executable components of claim 15, wherein the template engine control employs a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with the printable media identifier to retrieve the printable media template from a printable media website via a web interface.

24. The computer executable components of claim 23, wherein the template engine control downloads the printable media template from the printable media website, executes a printable media application program and loads the retrieved printable media template into the printable media application program in response to the received printable media identifier.

25. The computer executable components of claim 24, wherein the template engine control downloads the printable media application program from the printable media website and loads the retrieved printable media template into the printable media application program in response to the received printable media identifier.

26. The computer executable components of claim 23, wherein the template engine control employs one or more uniform resource locators (URLs) to execute a printable media application program at the printable media website and load a retrieved printable media template into the printable media application program in response to the received printable media identifier.

27. A method for retrieving a printable media template, the method comprising:

providing a system for retrieving a printable media template, the system including a controller coupled to a reader, the controller including a processor, memory, an operating system, and one or more application programs for execution of software executable components, and a user interface with the controller;

supplying printable media in a package;

receiving a printable media identifier associated with the printable media in the package via the reader device coupled to the controller;

retrieving a printable media template in response to the receiving of the printable media identifier;

using the printable media template to print the printable media; and

populating the printable media with data via one or more merge lists wherein the one or more merge lists are within the controller and through a merge list identifier provided with the print media identifier.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising executing a printable media application program and loading the retrieved printable media template into the printable media application program in response to the receiving of the printable media identifier.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising automatically selecting the printable media application program based on a printable media application program identifier.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising automatically populating the retrieved printable media template with data associated with a merge list based on a merge list identifier received by the reader substantially concurrently with the printable media identifier.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising initiating a read operation by the reader device in response to detection of a printable media identifier in a read range of the reader device.

32. The method of claim 27, wherein the automatically retrieving a printable media template in response to the receiving of the printable media identifier comprises automatically downloading the printable media template from a printable media website in response to a received universal resource locator (URL) from the reader device received substantially concurrently with the printable media identifier.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising downloading a printable media application program from the printable media website, executing the printable media application program and loading the retrieved printable media template into the printable media application program in response to the received printable media identifier.

34. The method of claim 27, further comprising executing a printable media application program at a printable media website and loading the retrieved printable media template into the printable media application program in response to receiving of the printable media identifier.

35. The method of claim 27, further comprising writing information associated with the printable media and the printable media identifier to one of a bar code label, a data storage device, a memory device residing on a RF communication unit and a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the written information associated with the printable media and the printable media identifier comprises at least one of the printable media identifier, a merge list identifier, a printable media uniform resource locator (URL), a template URL, a device identifier, a printable media application program identifier, and instructions for performing operations associated with the identifier.

37. The method of claim 27, wherein the printable media identifier resides in memory of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag label located on one of the printable media and a package of printable media.

38. The method of claim 27, wherein the printable media is one of a variety of different formats of binders, report covers, binding supplies, cards, compact disk/electronic media labels, dividers, card sheets, sheet labels, roll labels, name badges, photo paper, sheet protectors and printable crafts.

39. A printable media package comprising:

a package;

a printable media provided in the package;

a printable media identifier stored in an electronically readable format and packaged with the printable media in the package, the printable media identifier including a printable media template for printing content on the printable media with data via one or more merge lists identified by a merge list identifier associated with the printable media identifier, wherein the one or more merge lists are within a controller having one or more processors and one or more memory devices for execution of software executable components,

a user interface within the controller; and

wherein the user interface is capable of programming a second printable media identifier associated with a second merge list identifier.

40. The printable media package of claim 39, wherein the printable media is one of a printable media sheet and a roll of printable media.

41. The printable media package of claim 39, wherein the printable media identifier resides in memory of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag label located on one of the printable media and the printable media package.

42. The printable media package of claim 39, wherein the printable media is one of a variety of different formats of binders, report covers, binding supplies, cards, compact disk/electronic media labels, dividers, card sheets, sheet labels, roll labels, name badges, photo paper, sheet protectors and printable crafts.

43. The printable media package of claim 39, wherein the electronically readable format comprises one of a bar code, a stand-alone memory device, a memory device residing on a RF communication unit and a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

44. The printable media package of claim 39, further comprising a computer readable medium having computer executable software for automatically retrieving a printable media template in response to receiving a printable media identifier read from a reader.