ONLINE SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATED GREETING CARD GENERATION AND MAILING

• US 20120066613A1
• Filed: 09/15/2010
• Published: 03/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shutterfly, LLC
• Original Assignee: Tiny Prints Incorporated (Shutterfly, LLC)
• Inventors: Berger, Kelly
• Granted Patent: US 8,910,055 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/01 Customer relationship services

Abstract

A system and method are described for automatically generating and mailing greeting cards on behalf of the end user. For example, one embodiment of a method for automatically generating and sending a greeting card comprises: collecting from a user of an online card service an identity of recipients and/or recipient groups to receive automated card mailings; collecting triggering event data specifying one or more triggering events upon detection of which, a greeting card is to be automatically generated and mailed to the recipients and/or recipient groups; collecting card template and personalization data specifying card templates to be associated with the various recipients, recipient groups and/or triggering events, and personalized messages to be used for each of the various recipients, recipient groups and/or triggering events, detecting a triggering event indicating that a greeting card is to be automatically generated and mailed on behalf of the end user; automatically generating a greeting card order by combining the card template with the personalized message and sending the resulting card order to a print service, wherein the print service automatically prints and mails the greeting card to the recipients and/or group of recipients on behalf of the end user.

Claims

1. A method for automatically generating and sending a greeting card comprising:

collecting from a user of an online card service an identity of recipients and/or recipient groups to receive automated card mailings;

collecting triggering event data specifying one or more triggering events upon detection of which, a greeting card is to be automatically generated and mailed to the recipients and/or recipient groups;

collecting card template and personalization data specifying card templates to be associated with the various recipients, recipient groups and/or triggering events, and personalized messages to be used for each of the various recipients, recipient groups and/or triggering events,

detecting a triggering event indicating that a greeting card is to be automatically generated and mailed on behalf of the end user;

automatically generating a greeting card order by combining the card template with the personalized message and sending the resulting card order to a print service, wherein the print service automatically prints and mails the greeting card to the recipients and/or group of recipients on behalf of the end user.

2. The method as in claim 1 wherein the triggering event comprises a particular date being reached which is a specified amount of time prior to a particular recipient'"'"'s birthday.

3. The method as in claim 2 wherein the recipient'"'"'s birthday is read from the user'"'"'s electronic address book.

4. The method as in claim 3 wherein the electronic address book is an external address book maintained on an external service.

5. The method as in claim 1 wherein the triggering event comprises the addition of the recipient to the user'"'"'s address book.

6. The method as in claim 5 wherein the user is a business and the recipient is a new customer added to the business'"'"' address book.

7. The method as in claim 1 wherein the triggering event is one or more recipients visiting the user'"'"'s website and/or purchasing a product or service from the end user.

8. The method as in claim 1 wherein the end user is a business and wherein the triggering event is a new product announced by the business.

9. The method as in claim 1 wherein the triggering event is a new photo or group of photos being uploaded to an online photo service.

10. The method as in claim 9 wherein the greeting card is generated using one or more of the photos.

11. The method as in claim 1 wherein the triggering event comprises the user becoming friends on a social networking site with one or more of the recipients.

12. The method as in claim 1 wherein one of the recipient groups comprises customers.

13. The method as in claim 1 wherein one of the recipient groups comprises co-workers.

14. The method as in claim 1 wherein one of the recipient groups comprises friends.

15. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

prior to sending a print order to the print service, automatically generating an electronic copy of the greeting card order with a friend'"'"'s name and most recent photos associated with the friend; and

emailing the electronic copy of the greeting card order to the user to allow the user to further personalize the card with additional text and photos.

16. The method as in claim 15 wherein the triggering event is the friend'"'"'s birthday and the greeting card order uses a birthday card template.

17. The method as in claim 1 wherein the user specifies a group of card templates to be used for specified groups of recipients, the method further comprising:

rotating through the card template when selecting cards for different ones of the specified group of recipients such that recipients in the specified group receive cards having different card templates.

18. The method as in claim 17 further comprising:

retrieving metadata about one or more of the group of recipients; and

selecting a card template for at least one of the recipients based on the metadata associated with the recipient.

19. The method as in claim 18 wherein the metadata is retrieved from an external social networking service on which the recipient is a member.

20. The method as in claim 18 wherein the metadata comprises one or more interests of the recipient.