Multi-sourced extensible publishing and editorial system and related methods

• US 7,136,177 B1
• Filed: 06/01/2000
• Issued: 11/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Bryan, Shane A., Gupta, Aloke, Bronstein, Kenneth H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Popovici, Dov
• Application Number:
  US09/762,542
• Time in Patent Office: 2,357 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/1.18, 358/1.5, 358/1.11, 358/1.13, 358/1.14, 709/3, 709/10, 709/26, 709/27, 709/514, 709/515, 709/526, 709/527, 399/8, 399/9, 705/14
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1229 Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1279 Controller construction, e.g. aspects of the interface hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0272 Period of advertisement exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/543 Sensing means responsive to work indicium or irregularity

Abstract

A method for receiving information at a document delivery server from a producer to generate and/or update a publication profile, periodically acquiring content objects from one or more content providers based, at least in part, on the publication profile, and generating the publication utilizing one or more of the retrieved content objects. According to one implementation, the generated publication is a mock-up, which is presented to the producer to review and/or edit prior to final publication.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving information from a producer to generate and/or update a publication profile;

selecting content objects received from one or more content providers based, at least in part, on the publication profile;

generating a publication utilizing at least a subset of the selected content objects; and

,

initiating delivery of a product subsidy when a user has printed a predetermined number of publications that include advertising, wherein an advertiser funds delivery of the product subsidy.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

posting a finalized publication to a publication catalog for delivery to requesting users accessing the publication catalog.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising:

monitoring distribution of the finalized publication to one or more subscribers; and

initiating a financial transaction with one or more content providers providing content objects to the finalized publication.

4. A method according to claim 2, further comprising:

monitoring distribution of the finalized publication to one or more subscribing users; and

initiating delivery of a subsidy to subscribing users supported by one or more of the content providers based, at least in part, on the monitored distribution of finalized publication.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the publication profile identifies one or more of genre information, preferred content providers, whether the producer wants to pre-approve publication, publication templates, and publication schedules.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein selecting content objects is performed on a periodic basis in accordance with the publication profile.

7. A storage medium comprising a plurality of executable instructions including a subset of which that, when executed, implement a method according to claim 1.

8. A document delivery system comprising:

a data store to maintain a plurality of content objects received from a plurality of content providers;

a virtual editor, coupled to the data store, to dynamically select one or more content objects for use in a personalized publication based, at least in part, on a publication profile, and

a distribution module that provides a product subsidy to a user, wherein an advertiser funds delivery of the product subsidy.

9. A document delivery system according to claim 8, wherein the virtual editor generates an initial publication using the dynamically selected content objects.

10. A document delivery system according to claim 9, wherein the initial publication is generated in accordance with a publication format denoted in the publication profile.

11. A document delivery system according to claim 9, wherein the virtual editor provides a communicatively coupled producer with the initial publication for editorial purposes.

12. A document delivery system according to claim 11, wherein the virtual editor provides the communicatively coupled producer with the initial publication via one or more of an email message, file transfer protocol download, web-page download.

13. A document delivery system according to claim 11, wherein the communicatively coupled producer is a software agent executing on a remote system.

14. A document delivery system according to claim 11, wherein the virtual editor receives editorial modifications to the initial publication from the communicatively coupled producer and generates a finalized publication.

15. A document delivery system according to claim 14, wherein the virtual editor distributes the finalized publication to one or more subscribing users.

16. A document delivery system according to claim 15, wherein the virtual editor monitors distribution of the finalized publication and initiates a financial transaction with one or more content providers based, at least in part, on the distribution of the finalized publication.

17. A document delivery system according to claim 14, wherein the virtual editor promotes the finalized publication to a publication catalog for selection and distribution to requesting users.

18. A document delivery system according to claim 17, wherein the virtual editor monitors distribution of the finalized publication and initiates a financial transaction with one or more content providers based, at least in part, on the distribution of the finalized publication.

19. A document delivery system according to claim 17, wherein the publication catalog includes a plurality of publications available to requesting users.

20. A document delivery system according to claim 17, wherein the virtual editor generates the finalized publication from the initial publication based, at least in part, on editorial modifications to the initial publication by the communicatively coupled producer.

21. A storage medium comprising a plurality of executable instructions including at least a subset of which, when executed, implements an automated publication service including a registration function, to register a producer and generate and/or update a created publication profile, and a dynamic editor function to dynamically select content objects for generation of a personalized publication based, at least in part, on the publication profile, and a distribution function that distributes a product subsidy to a user, wherein an advertiser funds delivery of the product subsidy.

22. A storage medium according to claim 21, wherein the editor function generates an initial publication based on dynamically selected content objects, and to provide the initial publication to a producer for editorial modification.

23. A storage medium according to claim 22, wherein the editor function generates a finalized publication from the initial publication reflecting received editorial modification(s).

24. A storage medium according to claim 21, wherein the editor function distributes finalized publications to requesting users.

25. A storage medium according to claim 24, wherein the editor function monitors distribution of finalized publications to requesting users.

26. A storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the editor function initiates financial transactions with one or more content providers based, at least in part, on the monitored distribution of finalized publications.

27. A storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the editor function initiates delivery of a subsidy to users requesting publications based, at least in part, on the monitored distribution of finalized publications.

28. A storage medium according to claim 21, wherein the publication profile includes one or more of a publication genre, a publication scope, selection of one or more content providers, and/or a publication schedule.