Automated creation of printed works having customized and/or personalized content

• US 7,639,386 B1
• Filed: 07/01/2005
• Issued: 12/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Siegel, Hilliard B., Rose, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): EBRAHIMI DEHKORDY, SAEID
• Application Number:
  US11/173,821
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.18, 358/1.15, 358/1.13, 358/1.12, 358/1.16, 705/2, 705/4, 705/10, 705/14, 705/51, 705/54, 705/38, 705/64, 713/150, 713/153, 713/189, 713/193, 700/215, 700/227, 700/233, 707/3, 707/10, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 358/1.18
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/0043 Magazines or newspapers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof

Abstract

A facility for generating printed works containing customized or personalized content is described. The facility may electronically provide users with access to information about a collection of content that is available for incorporation into the printed works. The facility may receive content selection instructions from the user for selecting items of content from the collection of content to generate a customized or personalized printed work. In some cases, the instructions may facilitate an automatic content selection process to generate a personalized printed work. Based on the instructions, the facility may select and retrieve the desired items of content and then aggregate them into an electronic document. Prior to generating the customized or personalized printed work, the facility may reformat the items of content within the electronic document based on user formatting instructions. The facility may then arrange for delivery of the printed work to the user.

Claims

1. A system for generating printed works containing customized or personalized content, the system comprising:

at least one data storage component including indications of content, wherein the indications of content are associated with items of content that comprise a collection of content, and wherein the items of content are available for incorporation into printed works containing customized or personalized content; and

a printed work generation system including;

a user interaction framework configured for providing aspects of a user interface, wherein the user interaction framework is configured for;

providing access to the indications of content,

receiving content selection instructions for selecting items of content from the collection of content, and

receiving user instructions for transforming the selected items of content after aggregation;

a content aggregation component configured for;

retrieving the selected items of content by referencing the at least one data storage component based on the content selection instructions,

aggregating the retrieved items of content into an electronic document, and

transforming the selected items of content in accordance with the user instructions; and

a print on demand component configured for generating a printed work containing custom content based on the electronic document.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the user interaction framework includes a tool for incorporating original works into the electronic document.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the user interaction framework includes a content selection tool that provides content searching capabilities, content browsing capabilities, or both content browsing and content searching capabilities.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the user interaction framework includes a content recommendation tool that provides content recommendations to users based on user history information.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one data storage component includes an electronic form of at least some of the items of content.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the user interaction framework includes an annotation tool that allows users to add annotations to the electronic document for presentation in the printed work.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the transforming includes allowing users to specify a design and layout for content in the electronic document for presentation in the printed work.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the user interaction framework includes a bibliography tool that allows users to automatically create a bibliography section relating to the selected items of content, wherein the bibliography section is for presentation in the printed work.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the user interaction framework includes a word/text replacement tool allowing for global replacements of specified text within the electronic document for presentation in the printed work.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the user interaction framework includes a tool for specifying delivery preferences for the printed work.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the user interaction framework includes a tool for specifying binding preferences for printed works containing customized or personalized content.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the user interaction framework includes a rules and preferences input tool that allows users to input rules and preferences associated with controlling the automatic selection of content by the aggregation component to create single instances of printed works containing personalized content.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the user interaction framework includes a rules and preferences input tool that allows users to input rules and preferences associated with controlling the automatic selection of content by the aggregation component to periodically create printed works containing personalized content.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the user interaction framework includes one or more tools for automatically creating a glossary relating to the selected items of content, wherein the glossary is for presentation in the printed work.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the user interaction framework includes one or more tools that automatically create an index relating to the selected items of content, wherein the index is for presentation in the printed work.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the user interaction framework includes one or more tools that automatically create a table of contents relating to the selected items of content, wherein the table of contents is for presentation in the printed work.

17. A system for generating a printed work, the system comprising:

means for electronically providing in at least one computing system, a user with access to information about a collection of content that is available for incorporation into printed works containing a customized aggregation of content;

means for receiving, in the at least one computing system, content selection instructions from the user for selecting at least two distinct items of content from the collection of content;

means for selecting and retrieving, in the at least one computing system, the at least two distinct items of content from the collection of content based on the content selection instructions;

means for aggregating, in the at least one computing system, the at least two retrieved items of content into an electronic aggregation of information;

means for transforming, in the at least one computing system, the at least two items of content within the electronic aggregation of information based on user formatting instructions; and

means for generating, in the at least one computing system, a printed work containing content based on the electronic aggregation of information, wherein the content includes the at least two transformed items of content;

wherein the means for selecting and retrieving, in the at least one computing system, the at least two distinct items of content from the collection of content based on the content selection instructions employ RSS.

18. A method for providing publications of interest to users, comprising:

obtaining permission from a first user to offer a custom or personalized printable work for sale, wherein the customized or personalized printable work is generated by a method comprising;

providing the first user with access to information about a collection of content that is available for incorporation into customized or personalized printable works;

receiving content selection instructions from the first user for selecting items of content from the collection of content;

selecting and retrieving the items of content from the collection of content based on the content selection instructions from the first user;

aggregating the retrieved items of content into an electronic document;

transforming the items of content within the electronic document based on formatting instructions from the first user; and

configuring the customized or personalized printable work for the first user, wherein the customized or personalized printable work contains content based on the electronic document;

displaying information indicating that the customized or personalized printable work is for sale;

receiving, from a second user, an offer to purchase the customized or personalized printable work;

generating a copy of the customized or personalized printable work for delivery to the second user; and

providing a royalty or payment to the first user for the purchase of the customized or personalized printable work by the second user.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising transforming the items of content within the electronic document based on formatting instructions from the second user prior to generating a copy of the customized or personalized printable work for delivery to the second user.

20. A method for providing printed blog entries of interest to users, comprising:

electronically receiving one or more blog journal entries from a first user;

storing each of the electronically received blog journal entries into a collection of blog journal entries associated with the first user or associated with a topic relating to the one or more blog journal entries;

providing a second user with access to the one or more blog journal entries, wherein the access includes print on demand services;

receiving instructions from the second user for generating a printed work from the one or more blog journal entries;

in response to the received instructions,

selecting and retrieving the stored blog journal entries from the collection of blog journal entries, and

generating a printed work containing text, images, or both text and images associated with the retrieved blog journal entries;

providing advertising opportunities associated with the one or more blog journal entries;

including advertisements in the printed work; and

charging a fee to an advertiser for including the advertisements in the printed work.

21. A method for providing printed blog entries of interest to users, comprising:

electronically receiving one or more blog journal entries from a first user;

storing each of the electronically received blog journal entries into a collection of blog journal entries associated with the first user or associated with a topic relating to the one or more blog journal entries;

providing a second user with access to the one or more blog journal entries, wherein the access includes print on demand services;

receiving instructions from the second user for generating a printed work from the one or more blog journal entries;

in response to the received instructions,

selecting and retrieving the stored blog journal entries from the collection of blog journal entries, and

generating a printed work containing text, images, or both text and images associated with the retrieved blog journal entries;

providing advertising opportunities associated with the one or more blog journal entries;

including advertisements in the printed work, wherein including the advertisements is based on an election by the second user to include the advertisements;

charging a fee to an advertiser for including the advertisements in the printed work; and

offsetting a fee charged to the second user based on including the advertisements in the printed work.

22. A method for providing printed blog entries of interest to users, comprising:

electronically receiving one or more blog journal entries from a first user;

storing each of the electronically received blog journal entries into a collection of blog journal entries associated with the first user or associated with a topic relating to the one or more blog journal entries;

providing a second user with access to the one or more blog journal entries, wherein the access includes print on demand services;

receiving instructions from the second user for generating a printed work from the one or more blog journal entries;

in response to the received instructions,

selecting and retrieving the stored blog journal entries from the collection of blog journal entries, and

generating a printed work containing text, images, or both text and images associated with the retrieved blog journal entries;

providing advertising opportunities associated with the one or more blog journal entries;

including advertisements in the printed work;

charging a fee to an advertiser for including the advertisements in the printed work; and

after receiving payment of the fee, providing at least a portion of the received fee to the first user.

23. A method for providing printed blog entries of interest to users, comprising:

electronically receiving one or more blog journal entries from a first user;

storing each of the electronically received blog journal entries into a collection of blog journal entries associated with the first user or associated with a topic relating to the one or more blog journal entries;

providing a second user with access to the one or more blog journal entries, wherein the access includes print on demand services;

receiving instructions from the second user for generating a printed work from the one or more blog journal entries;

in response to the received instructions,

selecting and retrieving the stored blog journal entries from the collection of blog journal entries, and

generating a printed work containing text, images, or both text and images associated with the retrieved blog journal entries;

prior to selecting and retrieving the stored blog journal entries from the collection of blog journal entries, providing an indication to the first user that his or her blog journal entry has been selected for inclusion in a printed work; and

requesting permission from the first user for including the blog journal entry in the printed work, in exchange for a fee.