Vendor Website GUI for Marketing Greeting Cards

• US 20150135127A1
• Filed: 03/11/2014
• Published: 05/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Minted LLC
• Original Assignee: Minted LLC
• Inventors: Tanaka, Wesley, Naficy, Mariam B., Patel, Namrata, Belling, Sean, Meade, Erica, Bravo, Adrian
• Granted Patent: US 9,292,175 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]

Abstract

A system stores, in a database, different stock templates and also, for each stock template, a stock image to be displayed with the template. The system receives a user-designated image. The system then displays items simultaneously. Each item incorporates a different one of the stock templates along with the respective template'"'"'s stock image. The system provides an image selector that is in a first position and capable of being switched by a user to a second position. Each time the user switches the selector to the second position, the system transforms the images in the displayed items simultaneously to the user-designated image. Each time the user switches the selector to the first position, the system transforms the images in the displayed items simultaneously to the items'"'"' respective stock images.

Claims

1. A method performed by a system, the method comprising:

storing, in a database, different stock templates and also, for each stock template, a stock image to be displayed with the template;

receiving a user-designated image;

displaying items simultaneously, each displayed item incorporating a different one of the stock templates along with a respective displayed image;

providing, to a user, an image selector that is in a first position and capable of being switched by the user to a second position;

each time the user switches the selector to the second position, transforming the respective displayed images in the displayed items simultaneously to the user-designated image; and

each time the user switches the selector to the first position, transforming the respective displayed images in the displayed items simultaneously to the items'"'"' respective stock images;

wherein the transforming to the user-designated image is gradual such that the user can perceive each stock image gradually disappearing while being gradually replaced with the user-designated image, and

wherein the transforming to the stock images is gradual such that the user can perceive the user designated image disappearing while being gradually replaced with the respective stock image.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user-designated image is a first user-designated image and the image selector is further capable of being switched by the user to a third position, and the method further comprising:

receiving a second user-designated image; and

each time the user switches the selector to the third position, transforming the respective displayed images in the displayed items simultaneously to the second user-designated image.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein progress of each transformation corresponds to a position of the selector, such that the rate of each image transformation is based on a speed of movement of the selector.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein movement of the selector from the first position to only a midway position between the first and second position and then back to the first position causes the stock image to transform only midway to the user-designated image and then back to the stock image, and wherein movement of the selector from the second position to only the midway position and then back to the second position causes the user-designated image to transform only midway to the stock image and then back to the user-designated image.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the displayed items include both user-requested items which are of a product type requested by the user and ancillary items which were not of a product type requested by the user.

3. (canceled)

7. A method performed by a system, the method comprising:

storing, in a database, different stock templates for greeting cards and also, for each stock template, a stock text to be displayed with the template;

displaying greeting cards simultaneously, each card incorporating a different one of the stock templates along with the respective stock text;

receiving user entry of a first user-designated text;

replacing the stock texts in all the displayed cards simultaneously with the first user designated text;

receiving user entry of a second user-designated text; and

replacing the first user-designated text in all the displayed cards simultaneously with the second user-designated text

wherein the replacing with the first user-designated text and the replacing with the second user-designated text are gradual, such that the user can perceive the stock text gradually disappearing while being gradually replaced with the first user-designated text and can perceive the first user designated image disappearing while being gradually replaced with the second user-designated text.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the displaying is a result of a user requested search for greeting cards, and the displaying includes displaying items that include the greeting cards along with ancillary items which are not a type of product that the user requested to be searched.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the displayed items, comprising the displayed greeting cards and the displayed ancillary items, are displayed on array locations of an array of at least three rows and at least three columns, and wherein the ancillary items occupy locations of the array that are interspersed among the cards.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein at least one of the ancillary items has two vertically neighboring locations and two horizontally-neighboring locations occupied by a greeting card.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the displayed ancillary items are found as a result of a filtering of ancillary items based on the user entered criteria by which the greeting cards are filtered.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the ancillary items are initially displayed with stock text, and wherein the replacing of the stock texts with the first user-designated text occurs to the ancillary items simultaneously with the cards, and wherein the replacing of the first user-designated text with the second user-designated texts occurs to the ancillary items simultaneously with the cards.

8. (canceled)

14. A method comprising:

displaying, on a display screen, a front view of a card for sale, the front view including a front plan view in which a front surface of the card appears to be parallel with a front surface of the screen and further including the card being portrayed on the screen as rotating oscillatorily while remaining less than 15 degrees from the front plan view.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the rotating is about a vertical rotational axis.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the rotating is about a horizontal rotational axis.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the card is initially displayed in a flat view with a front surface of the card facing a viewer, and the method further comprising:

receiving a trigger from the viewer indicating a request to view a rear surface of the card; and

in response to receiving the trigger, transitioning the flat view of the card to a bent view of the card in which a lift tab section of the card is bent over to cover only a portion of the front surface and reveal only a portion of a rear surface of the card.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the card has opposite first and second peripheral vertical edges and opposite first and second horizontal peripheral edges, and wherein the entire first vertical edge, the entire first horizontal edge, only a portion of the second vertical edge and only a portion of the second horizontal edge occupy the same pixels in the bent view as they respectively do in the flat view.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the transitioning is animated and gradual such that the viewer can perceive the lift tab section appearing to be lifted away from plane of the screen and over to arrive at its position shown in the bent view.

17. (canceled)