Online system and method for automated greeting card generation and mailing

• US 8,910,055 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2010
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shutterfly, LLC
• Original Assignee: Shutterfly Incorporated (Shutterfly, LLC)
• Inventors: Berger, Kelly
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUONG, HIEN LUONGVAN
• Application Number:
  US12/882,996
• Publication Number:
  US 20120066613A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,546 Days
• Field of Search: 715/751
• 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 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 or recipient groups;

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

automatically detecting a triggering event by a computer system without user intervention, wherein the triggering event comprises one or more of the following;

addition of the recipient to the user'"'"'s address book,

one or more recipients visiting the user'"'"'s website,

a purchase of a product or service from the user,

a new product announced by the user as a business owner,

a new photo or group of photos being uploaded to an online photo service, or the user becoming friends on a social networking site with one or more of the recipients;

in response to detection of the triggering event, automatically combining the card template with the personalized message to create a greeting card without user intervention;

generating a web page at the online card service to maintain ongoing history of relationship between the user and the recipients or group of recipients wherein the web page includes the greeting card; and

sending a greeting card order to a print service, wherein the print service prints and mails the greeting card to the recipients or group of recipients on behalf of the user.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein the user is a business and the recipient is a new customer added to the business'"'"' address book.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein the greeting card is generated using one or more of the photos.

4. The method as in claim 1 wherein one of the recipients comprises customers.

5. The method as in claim 1 wherein one of the recipients comprises co-workers.

6. The method as in claim 1 wherein one of the recipients comprises friends.

7. 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.

8. The method as in claim 7 wherein the triggering event is the friend'"'"'s birthday and the greeting card order uses a birthday card template.

9. 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.

10. The method as in claim 9 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.

11. The method as in claim 10 wherein the metadata is retrieved from an external social networking service on which the recipient is a member.

12. The method as in claim 10 wherein the metadata comprises one or more interests of the recipient.