Customized virtual catalog

• US 8,335,724 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2008
• Issued: 12/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BEL USA, LLC
• Original Assignee: Branderscom Incorporated (Branders Corporation)
• Inventors: Sipes, David D., McLaughlin, Gerald
• Primary Examiner(s): AN, IG TAI
• Application Number:
  US12/191,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20100042484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,588 Days
• Field of Search: 705 24- 26, 705/26.1, 705/26.5, 705/26.61, 705/26.62, 705/26.63, 705/26.64, 705/27.1, 705/27.2
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering

Abstract

Various embodiments include an apparatus comprising a server operable to generate a customized virtual catalog including a plurality of composite images, wherein at least one of the plurality of composite images includes an image of a promotional product decorated using a decorative image associated with a client requesting access to the customized virtual catalog.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a server including a customer database operable to store information associated with one or more clients accessing the server to request generation of a customized virtual catalog;

wherein the server is operable to set up a user as a particular client, including the user'"'"'s entering customer information for storing in the customer database;

wherein the customer information of the particular client includes one or more default decorative images selected by the particular client and to be associated with the particular client upon requests for access to the customized virtual catalog by the particular client;

wherein the server is operable to process the information associated with the particular client of the one or more clients, such information including relationships linking the one or more default decorative images associated with the particular client to one or more promotional products, the relationships including a mapping of which of the one or more default decorative images associated with the particular client is to be used to decorate which images of different promotional products included in a plurality of composite images in the virtual catalog generated for the particular client; and

wherein, when the particular client requests access to the server, the server is operable to generate the customized virtual catalog including the plurality of composite images, wherein each of the composite images includes a different promotional product image automatically decorated using the one or more default decorative images associated with the particular client.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the customer database information includes a plurality of different promotional product images, and wherein a first default decorative image of the one or more default decorative images associated with the particular client requesting access to the customized virtual catalog appears, without further action by the particular client, on each of the plurality of different promotional product images when the customized virtual catalog is generated.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a second default decorative image associated with the particular client requesting access to the customized virtual catalog is one of the default decorative images that appears on every one of a second plurality of composite images when the customized virtual catalog is generated.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the server includes a database server operable to couple the server to a customer database, the customer database storing an image file for at least one default decorative image associated with the particular client requesting access to the customized virtual catalog.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one of the default decorative images associated with the particular client requesting access to the customized virtual catalog appears, without further action by the particular client, on each of one or more images of promotional products that belong to a particular category of promotional products.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the server includes a compositing engine operable to generate the plurality of composite images, each of the composite images including an image of a different promotional product decorated using a default logo as one of the default decorative images associated with the particular client requesting access to the customized virtual catalog.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the relationships linking a given default decorative image to a given one of the promotional products includes instructions regarding a particular color to be used for the default decorative image in relation to a particular color for the given one of the promotional products.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of composite images are generated using warping information to warp the default decorative image onto the image of the promotional product.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the server includes a product database operable to store product information associated with at least one of the plurality of promotional product images, and including at least one product image file depicting an image of the at least one promotional product.

27. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the client request comprises a request originating from a particular client device.

31. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a second default decorative image associated with a second client requesting access to the customized virtual catalog is one of the default decorative images that appears on every one of a second plurality of composite images when the customized virtual catalog is generated.

10. A network based transaction system comprising:

a server coupled to a network;

at least one client device coupled to the server through the network;

the server coupled to a product image database storing product information and a plurality of stored images of promotional products including a base product operable to be decorated using a decorative image;

the server coupled to a logo database storing image files including image files having a different default logo associated with each particular one of a plurality of clients; and

the server coupled to a customer database storing customer information associated with each particular one of the plurality of clients;

wherein the server is operable to determine which particular one of the plurality of clients is requesting access to the server, automatically to generate a first customized virtual catalog for a first particular one of the plurality of clients requesting access to the server, the first customized virtual catalog including a first plurality of composite images each including a different promotional product image automatically decorated using a first default logo associated with the first particular one of the plurality of clients, and automatically to generate a second customized virtual catalog for a second particular one of the plurality of clients requesting access to the server, the second customized virtual catalog including a second plurality of composite images each including a different promotional product image automatically decorated using a second default logo associated with the second particular one of the plurality of clients; and

wherein the server includes a compositing engine operable to render the composite images included in the customized virtual catalogs based on relationships linking client information, associated with the particular clients requesting access, to a plurality of sets of product information.

11. The network based transaction system of claim 10, wherein one or more portions of the generated customized virtual catalogs are communicated to the network using a web server included within the server and coupled to the network.

12. The network based transaction system of claim 10, wherein the at least one client device is operable to display one or more portions of the generated customized virtual catalogs on a display included in the at least one client device.

13. The network based transaction system of claim 10, wherein the client device is operable to receive inputs at the client device, and to transmit the inputs from the client device through the network to the server, the inputs operable to edit one or more of the composite images being displayed at the client device as part of the generated customized virtual catalogs.

14. The network based transaction system of claim 13, wherein the inputs include inputs for editing the manufacturing process used as a filter in the composite image for the application of at least one of the default logos to the image of one of the promotional products.

15. The network based transaction system of claim 13, wherein the inputs include using a positioning grid to receive inputs for editing the positioning of at least one of the default logos on the image of one of the promotional products in the composite images being displayed at the client device.

16. The network based transaction system of claim 13, wherein the inputs include a request to place an order for one or more promotional products decorated as depicted in a generated customized virtual catalog for a particular client.

17. A method performed by at least one processor comprising:

the processor storing a plurality of images in memory, each of the plurality of images including an image of a promotional product, wherein each of the promotional products included in the images is operable to be decorated by application of a decorative logo;

the processor storing an image of one or more default decorative logos in memory, each of the default decorative logos associated with a different particular client of a plurality of clients and being selected by the particular client during a default logo selection operation, and each of the default decorative logos operable to be applied as a decoration to at least one of the plurality of the promotional products;

the processor receiving from a first particular client a request to view a customized virtual catalog including the plurality of promotional products;

the processor applying automatically without further action by the first particular client an image of a first default decorative logo associated with the first particular client to a plurality of the images of the plurality of promotional products to generate, for display on a screen to the first particular client, a first customized virtual catalog for the first particular client including a composite image of the first default decorative logo applied to the plurality of the images of the plurality of promotional products;

the processor receiving from a second particular client a request to view a customized virtual catalog including the plurality of promotional products;

the processor applying automatically without further action by the second particular client an image of a second default decorative logo associated with the second particular client to a plurality of the images of the plurality of promotional products to generate, for display on a screen to the second particular client, a second customized virtual catalog for the second particular client including a composite image of the second default decorative logo applied to the plurality of the images of the plurality of promotional products; and

the processor, when applying the default decorative logos associated with the particular clients to the plurality of the images of the plurality of promotional products, generating the customized virtual catalogs using a set of relationships linking client information, associated with each particular client, to a plurality of product information blocks.

18. The method of claim 17, including displaying the customized virtual catalogs to the particular clients, including using a web server to communicate one or more portions of the customized virtual catalogs over a network to at least one client device having a display.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein receiving from each particular client the request to view the customized virtual catalog includes identifying the particular client through a login used to access the customized virtual catalog.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein receiving from the each particular client the request to view the customized virtual catalog includes identifying a particular client device to determine which particular client is requesting the access to the customized virtual catalog.

21. The method of claim 17, further including editing a selected one of the composite images provided as part of one of the customized virtual catalog, including substituting a different logo in place of the default decorative logo provided in the composite image included in the selected one of the composite images.

22. The method of claim 21, further including saving the edited selected one of the composite images by saving a relationship that links the substituted and different logo with the promotional product included in the selected one of the composite images.

23. The method of claim 17, further including calculating one or more prices for decorated promotional products present in one of the customized virtual catalogs based on the selection of a manufacturing process used to apply the decorative image to an actual promotional product, the actual promotional product being depicted by the image of the decorated promotional product in the composite image.

24. The method of claim 17, further including exiting one of the customized virtual catalogs including saving to a client information block some type of client information associated with the particular client exiting the customized virtual catalog, the client information including a history of which of the composite images were viewed by the particular client during the most recent access to the customized virtual catalog by the particular client.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein a plurality of different first default decorative logos associated with the first particular client are applied to respective different images of the plurality of promotional products to generate the first customized virtual catalog for the first particular client including a plurality of composite images of the plurality of first default decorative logos applied to the respective plurality of images of the plurality of promotional products.

25. A machine-readable medium comprising a computer memory storing instructions, which when implemented by one or more processors perform the following operations:

storing one or more images in the memory, each of the one or more images including an image of a promotional product, wherein each of the promotional products included in the images is operable to be decorated by application of a decorative logo;

storing one or more default decorative logos in the memory, each of the default decorative logos associated with a different particular client of a plurality of clients and being selected by the particular client during a default logo selection operation, and each of the plurality of default decorative logos operable to be applied as a decoration to at least one of the one or more of the promotional products;

receiving from a first particular client a request to view a customized virtual catalog including the plurality of promotional products;

applying automatically without further action by the first particular client a first default decorative logo associated with the first particular client to a plurality of the images of the plurality of promotional products to generate, for display on a screen to the first particular client, a first customized virtual catalog for the first particular client including a composite image of the first default decorative logo applied to the plurality of the images of the plurality of promotional products;

receiving from a second particular client a request to view a customized virtual catalog including the plurality of promotional products; and

applying automatically without further action by the second particular client a second default decorative logo associated with the second particular client to a plurality of the images of the plurality of promotional products to generate, for display on a screen to the second particular client, a second customized virtual catalog for the second particular client including a composite image of the second default decorative logo applied to the plurality of the images of the plurality of promotional products;

wherein applying the default decorative logos associated with the clients to the plurality of the images of the plurality of promotional products includes

applying the default decorative logos to the plurality of images of the plurality of promotional products based on relationships linking client information, associated with each particular client, to the plurality of promotional products.

26. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, including:

communicating the generated customized virtual catalogs over a network to at least one client device coupled to the network; and

displaying one or more portions of a generated customized virtual catalog on a display included in the at least one client device.

29. An apparatus comprising:

a server operable to generate a customized virtual catalog concurrently displaying a plurality of composite images, the server including a customer database operable to store information associated with one or more clients accessing the server to request generation of the customized virtual catalog, wherein the server is operable to allow a client to enter customer information into the customer database, wherein the customer information of the client includes a first default decorative image and a second default decorative image selected by the client and to be associated with the client upon requests for access to the customized virtual catalog by the client, wherein, when the client requests access to the server, the server is operable to generate the customized virtual catalog including a plurality of composite images,

wherein a first one of the composite images includes an image of a first promotional product automatically decorated using the first default decorative image uniquely associated with the request by the client to access the customized virtual catalog,

wherein a second one of the composite images includes an image of a second promotional product automatically decorated using the second default decorative image uniquely associated with the client request; and

the server being operable to apply the default decorative images to the images of the promotional products based on relationships linking client information, associated with each particular client, to the promotional products.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the client request comprises a request to view the first and second promotional products.

32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the customer database information includes the first and second promotional product images, wherein the first default decorative image appears, without further action by the particular client, on the first promotional product image, and wherein the second default decorative image appears, without further action by the particular client, on the second promotional product image, when the customized virtual catalog is generated.

33. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the plurality of composite images are generated using warping information to warp one of the default decorative images onto the corresponding image of the promotional product.

34. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the server includes a product database operable to store product information associated with at least one of the promotional product images, and including at least one product image file depicting an image of the at least one promotional product.