U.S. patent application number 09/377108 was filed with the patent office on 2002-02-14 for personalized greeting card with electronic storage media and method of personalizing same.
This patent application is currently assigned to GREGORY M STONE. Invention is credited to SIMPSON, WILLIAM S..
Application Number | 20020019776 09/377108 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 26794876 |
Filed Date | 2002-02-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020019776 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
SIMPSON, WILLIAM S. |
February 14, 2002 |
PERSONALIZED GREETING CARD WITH ELECTRONIC STORAGE MEDIA AND METHOD
OF PERSONALIZING SAME
Abstract
Method and system for enabling a first person to produce a
customized gift for a second person, including: providing a
computer-readable storage medium having a control program and
non-customized information stored thereon; obtaining data from the
first person which relates to the second person; using the data to
generate a customization code; providing the gift and the
customization code to the second person; causing the control
program to request the customization code from the second person;
and using the customization code to select information from the
non-customized information to provide a customized display to the
second person. The gift is preferably purchased and customized
through an Internet website or other electronic system.
Inventors: |
SIMPSON, WILLIAM S.; (LAKE
OSWEGO, OR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WHITEFORD, TAYLOR & PRESTON, LLP
ATTN: GREGORY M STONE
SEVEN SAINT PAUL STREET
BALTIMORE
MD
21202-1626
US
|
Assignee: |
GREGORY M STONE
|
Family ID: |
26794876 |
Appl. No.: |
09/377108 |
Filed: |
August 19, 1999 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60098570 |
Aug 31, 1998 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/22 ;
705/26.5; G9B/23.093; G9B/33.011 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 20/203 20130101;
G11B 33/0427 20130101; G06Q 30/0621 20130101; G06Q 30/02 20130101;
G06Q 30/0641 20130101; G11B 23/40 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/22 ;
705/26 |
International
Class: |
G06G 001/14 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for enabling a first person to produce a customized
gift for a second person, comprising: providing a computer-readable
storage medium having a control program and non-customized
information stored thereon; obtaining data from said first person
which relates to said second person; using said data to generate a
customization code; providing said gift and said customization code
to said second person; causing said control program to request said
customization code from said second person; and using said
customization code to select information from said non-customized
information to provide a customized display to said second
person.
2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining
data from said first person includes obtaining said data
electronically.
3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining
data electronically includes providing an Internet website which
prompts said first person for said data.
4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining
data from said first person includes prompting said first person to
enter at least a month of birth of said second person, and further
wherein said non-customized information includes displayable
information relating to each of a plurality of months.
5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said non-customized
information includes information on a plurality of possible gift
items, and the step of obtaining information from said first person
includes obtaining data from said first person as to which of said
plurality of gift items to display to said second person.
6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said control program
is operable to present a customized audio and visual display to
said second person based on said control code.
7. The method as defined in claim 1, further including the step of
obtaining a personal message from said first person and providing
said personal message to said second person with said storage media
and said control code.
8. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein said personal message
is obtained electronically from said first person.
9. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining
data from said first person includes requesting the first person to
select a theme for the customized display from a plurality of
possible themes, and further wherein said non-customized
information includes displayable information corresponding to each
of said plurality of possible themes.
10. A customized gift, comprising: a computer readable storage
medium containing a control program and non-customized information;
and a customization code; wherein said control program is operable
in response to input of said customization code to provide a
customized display using information from said non-customized
information selected based on said customization code.
11. The customized gift as defined in claim 10, wherein said
customization code is defined based on information obtained from a
giver of said customized gift.
12. The customized gift as defined in claim 11, wherein said
control program is operable to prompt said user for said
customization code.
13. The customized gift as defined in claim 10, wherein said
storage medium is a compact disk.
14. The customized gift as defined in claim 10, wherein said
non-customized information includes information on a plurality of
different months, and said customization code instructs said
control program to display information regarding a particular month
from said plurality of different months.
15. The customized gift as defined in claim 10, wherein said
non-customized information includes a plurality of different
possible themes for said gift, and said customization code
instructs said control program to display a particular one of said
themes.
16. A method for enabling a first person to produce a customized
gift for a second person, comprising: providing a computer-readable
storage medium having a control program and non-customized
information stored thereon; obtaining data from said first person
which relates to said second person; using said data to generate a
customization code; storing said customization code in a database
together with a unique identifier for said gift; and providing said
gift to said second person; wherein said control program is
operable to: access said database and obtain said customization
code based on said unique identifier; and use said customization
code to select information from said non-customized information to
provide a customized display to said second person.
17. The method as defined in claim 16, further including using an
Internet website for obtaining said data relating to said second
person.
18. The method as defined in claim 16, wherein the step of
accessing said database includes establishing electronic
communication between a machine on which said control program is
executing and a remote location having access to said database.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application hereby claims priority on U.S. Provisional
Application Ser. No. 60/098,570 filed Aug. 31, 1998, the disclosure
of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
[0002] This application is related to allowed U.S. Application Ser.
No. 08/988,063 filed Dec. 10, 1997 (now U.S. Pat. No. ______), the
disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its
entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention relates to the field of gifts and
cards, and, more particularly, to an improved greeting card, such
as a birthday card, mother's day card, or the like, having an
electronic information storage media, such as a compact disk (CD),
contained therein, and to a method of enabling the purchaser of the
card to personalize the card for the intended recipient for whom
the card was purchased. The card may optionally also include a
gemstone gift, or other item of value or perceived value, contained
therein in a secure and, preferably, visible manner along with the
CD or other storage media.
[0004] In the past, numerous cards, such a greeting or special
occasion cards, have been available in a variety of shapes and
sizes and with a variety of different decorative images, indicia
and/or messages thereon. Such cards are often purchased along with
a separate gift item to be presented to the recipient of the gift
as a complement to the gift. A variety of cards have also been made
which are designed to hold a toy, novelty or gift item, such as a
piece of candy or a dog biscuit, as evidenced by U.S Pat. Nos.
4,152,865 and 4,203,516. Cards have also been constructed in the
past in a manner which enables an audio cassette to be contained
therein, as evidenced by U.S. Pat. No. 4,433,780.
[0005] Prior art cards, however, have not heretofore provided a
card configuration which can be easily customized by the purchaser
in a manner other than simply by writing with a pen on a portion of
the card. Prior art cards also have failed to provide interesting
and/or entertaining information tailored specifically to the person
to whom the card has been purchased for.
[0006] Thus, a need exists for an improved card and method of
personalizing same which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior
art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Thus, a primary object of the present invention is to
provide an improved card/gift and a method of producing same.
[0008] A more particular object of the present invention is to
provide a customizable gift which can easily and efficiently be
customized by a first person for a second person.
[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
method which enables customized gifts to be produced which includes
a customized visual and/or audio presentation.
[0010] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a
method which enables an electronic customized gift to be produced
which contains information on certain gifts selected from a
plurality of possible gifts.
[0011] A further object of the instant invention is to provide a
customizable gift which can be easily customized for a variety of
different people having different tastes and interests.
[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
customizable gift which can be easily adapted to a variety of
different occasions.
[0013] Still another object of the instant invention is to provide
a customizable gift and method of producing same which takes
advantage of the Internet.
[0014] These and other objects and advantages are achieved by the
instant invention which provides a method and system for enabling a
first person to produce a customized gift for a second person,
including: providing a computer-readable storage medium having a
control program and non-customized information stored thereon;
obtaining data from the first person which relates to the second
person; using the data to generate a customization code; providing
the gift and the customization code to the second person; causing
the control program to request the customization code from the
second person; and using the customization code to select
information from the non-customized information to provide a
customized display to the second person. The gift is preferably
purchased and customized through an Internet website or other
electronic system.
[0015] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a
customized gift is provided which includes a computer readable
storage medium containing a control program and non-customized
information, and a customization code. The control program is
operable in response to input of the customization code to provide
a customized display using information from the non-customized
information selected based on the customization code.
[0016] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method
is provided for enabling a first person to produce a customized
gift for a second person, including: providing a computer-readable
storage medium having a control program and non-customized
information stored thereon; obtaining data from said first person
which relates to the second person; using the data to generate a
customization code; storing the customization code in a database
together with a unique identifier for the gift; and providing the
gift to the second person. The control program is operable to
access the database and obtain the customization code based on the
unique identifier, and use the customization code to select
information from the non-customized information to provide a
customized display to the second person.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] Other objects, features and advantages of the subject
invention will become apparent from a study of the following
specification when viewed in light of the accompanying drawings, in
which:
[0018] FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the greeting card
device of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the embodiment of the
instant invention shown in FIG. 1;
[0020] FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a preferred embodiment of
the major system interfaces that are used in accordance with the
instant invention to order, customize and deliver the card device
of the instant invention;
[0021] FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a preferred embodiment of
the website architecture used in accordance with the instant
invention;
[0022] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary display screen used in accordance
with a first step of a preferred embodiment of the method of the
instant invention;
[0023] FIG. 6 shows an exemplary display screen used in accordance
with a second step of a preferred embodiment of the method of the
instant invention;
[0024] FIG. 7 shows an exemplary display screen used in accordance
with a third step of a preferred embodiment of the method of the
instant invention;
[0025] FIG. 8 shows an exemplary display screen used in accordance
with a fourth step of a preferred embodiment of the method of the
instant invention;
[0026] FIG. 9 shows an exemplary display screen used in accordance
with a fifth step of a preferred embodiment of the method of the
instant invention; and
[0027] FIG. 10 schematically illustrates an exemplary embodiment of
the server architecture of the fulfillment house 208 shown in FIG.
3.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0028] The instant invention provides a gift card, as well as a
method and system for enabling the purchaser of the gift card to
personalize the gift card for the desired recipient thereof. The
following description will describe preferred embodiments of the
gift card itself, as well and the method and system for enabling
personalization of the gift card. While particular embodiments of
the invention are provided below, the description thereof is not
meant to limit the scope of the invention, but is instead to be
considered as non-limiting examples of the invention.
[0029] Prior to describing details regarding the customization
features of the present invention, the gift card itself will be
described below. It is noted that a suitable gift card for use in
connection with the instant invention is described in allowed U.S.
application Ser. No. 08/988,063 filed Dec. 10, 1997 (now U.S. Pat.
No. ______ ), by the instant inventor.
[0030] An exemplary embodiment of the instant gift card or card
device 10 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. This embodiment is
particularly adapted for incorporating a compact disk (CD) 62 or
other similarly shaped storage medium, in the card. The compact
disk may be a CD ROM, recordable CD, a digital video disk (DVD), or
any other suitable type of computer readable storage medium. This
embodiment includes a front card portion 50 and a back card portion
52 which are hinged together in a manner which enables the card 10
to be opened and closed. Preferably, the front and back card
portions constitute a conventional compact disk case 54, sometimes
known and a "jewel case" or "CD box". However, any other suitably
designed case 54 can be used. The case 54 has an interior space
when closed. Inside the case 54 is a compact disk carrier 56
mounted within the card interior and having a central raised
portion 58 on a front side thereof. The raised portion on the front
side defines an open recess 59 on the back side 60 of the disk
carrier 56.
[0031] The card 10 further includes a compact disk 62 positioned on
the front side of the compact disk carrier 56, such that the
central hole 64 on the compact disk receives the raised portion 58
on the front side of the disk carrier 56. In accordance with a
preferred embodiment of the invention, the card 10 may further
include a gift item carrier device 66 including a gift carrier
portion 68 containing a gift item 70, such as a gemstone or
birthstone. The gift carrier device 66 preferably includes a
transparent window 74 behind which the gemstone 70 is mounted with
a suitable backing device or layer. The gift carrier device 66 has
a size and shape which enables it and the compact disk carrier 56
to be positioned in nested relation within the interior space of
the card 10. More particularly, the gift carrier portion 68 is
received within the open recess 59 in the back side 60 of the
compact disk carrier 56.
[0032] Preferably, the card case 54 is made of transparent
material, and the card additionally includes a piece of sheet
material 76 and 78, such as paper or card stock, inserted on the
inside of the front card portion 50 and the inside of the back card
portion 52, such that the sheets can be seen through the
transparent case 54. The sheet 78 inside the back card portion 52
preferably contains a hole 80 therein for enabling the gemstone 70
or other gift item to be seen therethrough. The sheet material 76
can include printed information or decorative indicia, so as to
transform the card device into a special occasion card, such as a
birthday card or the like. The sheet 78 and gift item carrier 66
may alternatively be constructed as a single element.
[0033] In accordance with the instant invention, the CD 62
preferably contains interesting and/or fun information which
relates to birthdays, the gift item, or any other type of suitable
information. For example, if the gift item is a gemstone, the
information on the CD may provide specific information about the
gemstone. In a more specific embodiment, the card is a birthday
card and the gift is a birthstone. A set of twelve such cards can
be made each being tailored to one of the twelve months of the year
and containing a specific birthstone for each month, respectively.
Each card can be color coordinated to the color of the birthstone
and may include a detailed photograph or drawing of the birthstone
on the front cover 12a thereof. Information and decorative indicia
may also be printed in any suitable location on the card. For
example, the card could include a picture of a birthflower
corresponding to the birthstone, information on an interesting
event occurring in that month or an interesting person born in that
month, and/or information on the stone itself, including famous
examples of the stone, hardness, care and cleaning instructions, or
any other desired information. The card may also include a portion
for enabling the purchaser to provide a personalized written
message on the card. The CD 62 may include even more detailed
information relating to the gemstone or whatever gift item is
contained in the card. The recipient of the card 10 can remove the
CD and the gift item carrier and have the option of removing the
stone and using it in a piece of jewelry.
[0034] In addition to, or alternatively to, providing a gift item
in the recess 59 on the back of the CD carrier 60, one of more gift
items, such as gemstones or any other suitable gift item, may be
provided in the spline portion 12 of the CD case 54. The spline
potion 12 of the CD case 54, which provides a conventionally empty
space can, in accordance with the instant invention, be used for
holding such gift items having a size and shape which enable
insertion therein.
[0035] It is note that the card device 10 of the instant invention
is not limited to an embodiment wherein a gift item is provided
with the card device 10. In fact, the card device 10 may simply
include the electronic storage medium or CD 62, as will be
described in detail below, without any of the other features
described herein. Preferably, however, the card device at least
includes a carrier for holding and protecting the CD 62.
[0036] Various preferred embodiment of the system and method of
purchasing, personalizing and viewing the personalized card device
10, as well as other related functions provided by the instant
invention, will now be described with reference to FIGS. 3-9. The
first embodiment described corresponds closely to that which is
described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/098,570
filed Aug. 31, 1998, by the instant inventor. The later embodiments
represent variations on this embodiment and provide alternative
methods and systems in accordance with the instant invention.
[0037] In accordance with the first embodiment of the invention,
the CD greeting card 10 may be purchased on-line by the purchaser,
by, for example, a specialized Internet website or other similar
type of on-line service, i.e. an e-commerce site specifically
designed to handle the card purchasing transaction, as explained in
detail below. The purchaser chooses the particular card he wants
from, for example a "Virtual Display Rack" on the website, which
shows the various cards that are available, and then "clicks" on a
"Buy" button. The available cards may be birthday cards, mother's
day cards, or any other cards that a person may want to give
someone for a special occasion or as simply a gift. At that point,
the purchaser can option to pay for the selected card with a credit
card on-line or dial a phone number to pay over the phone. Once the
purchase is approved, a "Record Personal Message" button and option
appears on the web page. At this point, if the purchaser desires to
provide a personalized message for the cards recipient, he/she may
do as explained below.
[0038] In order to provide a personalized message, a screen is
presented on the web page asking the purchaser for some basic data
about the intended recipient of the card. For example, the
purchaser may be prompted for the name and birth date (preferably
day and month only) of the person to whom the purchaser intends to
give the card to as a gift. In addition, the purchaser is then
given the option to enter a personal message on the web page for
the recipient of the card. The purchaser then "clicks" a "submit
button" and the data is saved to a database. The information stored
is indexed in the database with a link to a unique piece of
information, such as the CD serial number, so that the information
entered maintains a connection to the particular CD card purchased
to enable retrieval at a later time by that particular CD card.
[0039] The CD card can then be sent, via mail or otherwise, to the
purchaser so that he/she may give it to the intended recipient, or
the card can be sent directly to the intended recipient from the
company offering the card and maintaining the website.
[0040] When the card's recipient receives the CD card, and puts it
into the CD drive on a computer the following things occur
automatically. The CD automatically looks to see if the proper
software is present on the computer to run it correctly. If not,
the CD will respond, for example, "Your computer doesn't have
Quick-Time which is required to view your CD, would you like to
install it now?" and an "Install Now" button is presented. After
that, the CD looks for a telephone line, a modem and Internet
software on the computer, and if additional software is required it
will give the recipient another button option to install that as
well. The CD then automatically causes the computer to access the
website at which the card was originally purchased, or a related
web-site.
[0041] Once at the web site, the CD retrieves the awaiting message
left by the purchaser from the database for that particular CD and
automatically displays it on the recipient's computer monitor. The
personalized message may be, for example, "Happy Birthday Matt",
"Congratulations . . . dinner is on me!", or any other personalized
message that the purchaser wants and has entered. The message could
also be a video, MP3, Audio book, or any other download selected by
the purchaser of the product to be presented to the recipient.
[0042] After the personalized message is displayed, a program
begins that is stored on the CD provided with the card. Preferably,
the program uses the data entered by the purchaser of the card to
select the type of information which will be displayed to the
recipient on the computer. For example, if the card is a birthday
card and the purchaser has entered the birth date of the recipient,
the program on the CD uses that birth date information to determine
what information available on the CD to display to that particular
recipient. For example, if the recipient is born in September, the
program preferably selects information relating to that month. Any
other suitable data can be entered and selection criteria can be
used to personalize the card for the recipient.
[0043] In other words, the CD preferably includes large amounts of
information that, for example, relates to each month of the year or
to many possible recipients, and the information provided by the
purchaser enables the program to determine what information to
display to that particular recipient, thereby enabling the cards to
be personalized by the purchaser for the recipient, without the
need for customizing the information stored on each CD sold with a
card. This feature enables all of the CDs to contain the same
information, but still allow each card to be customized by the
purchaser for a particular intended recipient. In other words, the
customization feature of the invention is used to "unlock" a
particular subset of the total amount of information contained in
the CD, thereby personalizing the CD for the recipient, without the
need to actually produce a custom CD.
[0044] The program preferably provides the user with an interesting
and/or entertaining video and/or audio presentation on the
recipient's computer based on the unlocked information contained in
the CD. It may, for example, provide information on birth flowers,
birth stones, famous people having birthdays during that particular
month, famous events occurring during that month, and/or any other
suitable information. In one embodiment, the CD 62 contains odd
facts, obscure trivia and fun information about, for example, a
particular birthstone, birth flower, etc., such as where it comes
from, why it may be unusual, and/or any other similar, related or
other type of information that is desirable.
[0045] In accordance with an alternative embodiment of the instant
invention, the card device 10 may be purchased by the purchaser at
a retail store rather than by the on-line method described above.
If the card is purchased in this manner, the sequence of
personalization is slightly different as explained below. More
particularly, after purchasing the card device 10 at the retail
outlet or other store, the purchaser uses any computer and goes
on-line to the website described above. The user is then requested
to enter the "Product Code" (CD serial number, for example),
thereby allowing access to a secure data entry area. The first time
a "product code" is entered, the web-page automatically prompts the
user to "Enter personal greeting data". This data is basically the
same as that described above, i.e. name, birth date and
personalized message. This information is stored in a database as
described above, and the purchaser can then give the card to its
intended recipient.
[0046] Once the user receives that card and puts the CD in their
computer, the CD automatically retrieves that information from the
database and displays the personal greeting left by the purchaser
on the recipient's monitor. In addition to personalized audio
messages, personalized video messages may also be stored by the
purchaser for later retrieval by the recipient of the card. The
message may be entered as a "natural voice" which is then stored as
a text/voice file, and is subsequently played back to the recipient
in the purchaser's actual recorded voice when the recipient puts
the CD in a computer. This natural voice feature can be used by the
purchaser if the purchaser has a microphone during the on-line
purchasing process. This feature can also be made available via a
cell phone, or telephone customization process via a 1 900 line or
the like. In other words, the information of the CD preferably
provides an interesting, educational and/or exciting multi-media
display for the recipient of the card.
[0047] Another customizable feature that can be used in accordance
with the present invention, is that when the purchaser is
customizing the CD on-line, he/she may add custom "gifting" to be
included with the card to be presented to the recipient. This
feature is driven by a "Giftbox" selection process available on the
website. The gifting process enables the purchaser to select at
least some of a plurality of available gifts, such as free or
discounted items, that the purchaser believes the recipient may
enjoy receiving. The actual physical gifts selected are not
included with the CD. Instead, coupons or vouchers for the gifts,
which can later be used by the recipient to obtain the actual gift,
are provided on the CD and can, for example, be printed therefrom
when the recipient is viewing the CD presentation. The gifts may be
any suitable type of gift that can be initially presented to the
recipient, such free or discounted goods or services like
communication services (cell phones, wireless and long distance
telephone service), Internet access, software, flowers, movie
videos or tickets, clothing and fashion products, cologne/perfumes,
dining and small vacation packages, or the like. The content of the
CD may provide an infomercial-type presentation relating to the
selected gifts, and then provide the user with information on how
to obtain the gift, such as by printing a coupon good for movie
tickets and/or other gift items. The CD may also provide hotlink
functionality to enable the user to access websites associated with
the available gifts to, for example, learn more information about
the gift or related products and services.
[0048] The above-described embodiments of the instant invention
require that the purchased CD 62 be operable to automatically (or
through instructions provided to the recipient) access the website
to retrieve the personal message left by the purchaser of the card
device. In accordance with these embodiments of the invention, the
CD may contain a default program or autogreeting feature that will
run if, for some reason, the website cannot be accessed. This
default program may be operable to query the user for enough
information to provide some level of customization for the
recipient of the card, i.e. the program could ask for the date of
birth information and then unlock certain CD information to provide
a base level customized display presentation to the user.
[0049] However, in accordance with another embodiment of the
invention, this base level customization used during Internet
failure can be improved in the following manner. When the purchaser
goes through the customization process described above, thus
creating a unique "file" which is stored in the database by a host
machine operating the website for later retrieval by the CD when
used by the recipient, the file information is also coded as a
"product Code" which is printed on the CD packaging at the
fulfillment house which supplies the CD as it is prepared for
shipping to the recipient. That product code can then, in case of
an Internet failure, be asked for by the program on the CD upon
execution thereof. When the code is entered by the recipient, it
operates to unlock the same multi-media presentation that the
purchaser intended without accessing the website. In this manner, a
customized presentation can still be presented to the recipient as
intended by the purchaser without Internet access. The only missing
information would be the personal message left by the purchaser at
the website, which cannot be accessed until the Internet failure is
corrected.
[0050] Another embodiment of the instant invention will hereafter
be described with particular reference to FIGS. 5-9, wherein the CD
is not intended to automatically access the Internet website upon
use by the recipient to obtain the personal message. Further
details regarding customization of the CD card 62 are also
described, which details can apply to any of the embodiments
disclosed herein.
[0051] In accordance with this alternative embodiment, the CD 62 is
a product that can be purchased from a specialized e-commerce
website. During the process of purchasing the CD, the purchaser is
given the opportunity to customize the CD for the recipient in
several ways, as will be explained in greater detail below. When
visiting the website, the sender is first asked to provide some
basic information about the person to whom they desire to send the
gift card 10, i.e. the gender, name and birthday of the intended
recipient. Based on this information, a back-end database driven
architecture provides the sender with a set of default starting
"assets" for the CD card, which may include particular animations,
background scenes, colors, sound, etc., generally considered to be
appropriate for the recipient based on the information entered. An
exemplary input display 100 is shown in FIG. 5 for entry of this
information. The purchaser is then given the opportunity to deviate
from the default settings to further customize the card. The
choices that the user makes in this editing phase is preferably
later used, as explained below, as part of the "Product Code." In
addition the sender is given the opportunity to write a personal
message that is printed on the card stock or card accompanying the
CD gift card 10. A sample exemplary input display screen 102 for
entry of the personal message and 104 for further customizing the
CD are shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, respectively. The sender is also
given the opportunity to select the type of gift wrapping for the
CD gift card 10, as shown in the exemplary display of FIG. 106. The
exemplary display 108 shown in FIG. 8 gives the purchaser the
opportunity to view the customized selections made for the card.
Once the purchaser has completed the customization process, the
back-end system runs a Java servlet that builds the "Product Code",
as explained in more detail below. This product code and the
personal message are printed on a greeting card that accompanies
the CD 62. During playback of the CD 62 for the recipient, the
recipient is prompted to enter the product code which is operable,
in conjunction with a control program on the CD card to unlock the
appropriate assets on the CD for presentation to the recipient.
Additional details of the above steps will now be described in
greater detail.
[0052] As indicated above, the process of customizing a CD card 10
in accordance with the present invention is preferably competed
on-line at a dedicated website. This customization is preferably
completed using Macromedia Flash 4.0, along with a back-end website
architecture providing the functionality described herein. The
customization may alternatively be completed using an
automated/voice telephone capturing system. The preferred process
of customization includes the following five main steps: providing
basic demographics about the recipient (FIG. 5); writing a personal
message (FIG. 6); setting product specific attributes (FIG. 7);
reviewing current selections(FIG. 8); and selecting a wrap/box
(FIG. 9). Each of the steps will now be explained in further detail
below.
[0053] Upon entering a "Create a CD" section of the website, the
purchaser is first asked to provide basic information about the
intended recipient, as shown in FIG. 5. Some examples of this
information are receiver's gender, first and/or last name, birth
day, birth month and/or the like. These basic questions may be
modified depending on the type of occasion that the card is
designed to be used for, such as Valentine's Day. Based on the
purchaser's answers to these questions, the database pulls out a
default set of assets that are generally considered appropriate for
the recipient. For example, a 22 year old female's default may
include satin backgrounds and flower animations, while a 9 year old
boy's default may include a space ship background and balloon
animations. In accordance with the invention, the defaults may be
real-time defaults based on actual purchasers made for a given
demographic using a database driven system.
[0054] The second step of the customization process involves
writing a personal message that will be printed on a greeting card
that accompanies the CD 62, as shown in FIG. 6. The personal
message can preferably be up to 100 words or 500 characters long,
but any suitable message size may be used. In addition, the user
may also choose the type style or font for the card. This type
style will be incorporated into the product code, and thus be
operable to change the appearance of certain assets during the CD
presentation. The personal message and the type style are
transmitted to the product fulfillment house to be printed on the
greeting card accompanying the CD.
[0055] The next step in the customization process involves editing
the appearance and assets to be selected by the CD for presentation
to the recipient, as shown in FIG. 7. When the purchaser enters the
editing process, he/she is presented with a default set of assets
based on the information that was previously entered. From these
default assets, the sender may change the preferences by using, for
example, available pull-down menus and/or buttons as shown on FIG.
7. As the sender makes new selections, he/she can see a real-time
update of the current selections on the display. This allows the
sender to quickly and easily see how the choices are effecting the
CD card. Once the sender has determined which assets are
appropriate, the choices are saved and later become part of the
product code.
[0056] The next step in the process enables the purchaser to review
all choices previously made, as shown in FIG. 8. In addition, the
purchaser will have the opportunity to view a limited preview of
the content of the CD presentation. Due to the limited bandwidth of
the Internet, this feature preferably only includes a limited
version of the content of the full CD presentation that will
eventually be displayed to the recipient.
[0057] The final step in the customization process involves
selecting the gift wrap/box that the CD gift card 10 will be
shipped in to the recipient, a shown in FIG. 9. Once the sender has
selected the appropriate gift wrap/box, all of the custom
selections are passed out of the Flash movie to the back-end Java
system for processing.
[0058] As indicated, once the sender has completed the "Create a
CD" section of the website, the Flash movie calls a Java servlet
action entitled, for example, "AddGiftSet". This action takes the
choices made by the purchaser during the editing session and
translates those choices into the first half of the product code.
The second half of the product code is a database pointer that ties
the current order to the custom choices made by the sender.
Eventually, this product code is what determines which assets are
shown to the recipient by the CD gift.
[0059] Once the order is confirmed, the product code is transferred
to the fulfillment or distribution house, via the Internet or in
any other suitable manner. Once the fulfillment house receives the
order, the product code along with the personal message are printed
on the appropriate greeting card. The greeting card, including the
CD 62, are then placed in the selected gift wrap/box. The product
is then placed in a mailing liner and sent to the appropriate
shipping address, which is also obtained by the website during the
purchasing process.
[0060] When the recipient of the CD gift card 10 puts the CD 62 in
his/her computer and runs the control program that is contained on
the CD, he/she is prompted to enter the product code, which may be
referred to as the "Party ID" which is printed on the product. As
explained above, part of this product code informs the program on
the CD of the selected subset of assets which are to be unlocked
from the total assets contained on the CD for presentation to the
recipient. The remainder of the product code preferably is used to
identify the exact CD to the back-end Internet system. Preferably,
upon entering the product code, the CD application runs the code
through a check-digit to determine if the code is valid. If the
code is valid, the application then runs the code through a series
of resource look-up tables to assign values to the necessary
variables to, for example, set the background, the music or sound,
and any other attributes which have been selected to enable the
customized multi-media presentation to be displayed to the
recipient. The second half of the product code is used when the
receiver of the CD clicks a link to the product website that the CD
was purchased from. This link sends the product code to the website
which can then be used by the company offering the product and
maintaining the website to verify that the recipient has received
and used the CD gift.
[0061] As explained above, the Internet provides a unique and
efficient way to customize and personalize on a real-time basis the
specific content on the CD which will be displayed to the recipient
of the gift. The dense multi-media content preloaded on the CD
provides audio-visual graphics that cannot economically or
efficiently be delivered over the Internet because of bandwidth
requirements. For example, a sequence of full color images combined
with stereo quality audio track takes approximately 1.5 minutes to
view using the CD, while the same content delivered over the
Internet, even with a 56 kb connection, could take several hours to
download and view.
[0062] Referring now more particularly to FIG. 3, there is shown a
general overview of the main system component and interfaces used
in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the instant invention,
which includes the product website 200, product fulfillment
warehouse and services 208, financial processing services 210, web
user browsers 204 and corporate headquarters 206, all of which
preferably interact over the Internet 202. The major set of
functional requirements used in accordance with the invention are
gift composition, existing user management, gift order, site
operation management, inventory management and customer support.
The website 200 is preferably designed as a high-performance, high
availability Internet system with redundant subsystems and
transparent fail-over. The website can be mirrored for additional
load balancing and availability. As shown in FIG. 4, the primary
website components include a load balancing server, web server,
application servers, database servers, firewall, virtual private
network (VPN) gateways, financial processing service central
gateway, and SMTP mail services. The load balancing server works in
concert with content web servers and commerce web servers to
provide balanced distribution of users across the servers and to
provide a transparent fail-over capability. This service is
preferably provided by the remote hosting service, Exodus, and is
based on BigIP software. The gift composition web servers
preferably deliver streaming content using Macromedia Flash format
via the Macromedia Generator Application server. The Apache 1.3.x
HTTP server and the IBM Websphere servlet engine is preferably used
to server the Flash files. Minimal business rules processing is
done using these servers. Integration software is preferably
implemented using industry standard, platform independent Java (JDK
1.1.X).
[0063] With respect to purchasing, the web server supports
financial transactions using a Secured Socket Layer (SSL) session
to the web user's browser. These servers interact with the
Financial Processing Service for payment authorizations. The
Application servers provide business rules processing for database
processing, fulfillment processing, administration and maintenance
processing and tax calculation. They will execute on dedicated
back-end hardware. These servers are preferably connected using
MQSeries message queue infrastructure. The database servers provide
efficient data storage and business rules processing on a
Relational Database Management System (RDBMS). These servers
preferably execute the IBM Universal database (UDB) DB2 version
5.2/6.1. Firewalls, in the form of an integrated hardware and
software device, are used to strengthen the protection for the
website from unauthorized access from the public Internet. It
provides packet-filtering rules to limit the protocols and
connection from the known addresses of the outside web servers and
SMTP servers to and from the internal database server. The website
is preferably remotely hosted away from the corporate headquarters
of the company offering the CD card product and the fulfillment
warehouse. Both preferably have real-time connectivity to the
website. However, rather than build a private network, the website
is preferably designed to use Virtual Private Network (VPN)
technologies to securely connect these geographically dispersed
sites. VPNs are built with data encryption technology to "tunnel"
securely through the public Internet. The VPN link is transparent
to the users of the network. The VPN is preferably extended between
the website and the fulfillment house data center and carries the
following classes of data traffic: 1) Automated, system to system
interface (This interface is preferably based on XML 1.0 using
suitable e-commerce DTD). This interface will be for product
orders, order cancellations and tracking requests; and 2) Web
application to system interface. This interface is preferably a
forward extension of a set of web browser pages from an application
web server located at the website. This facility is used by the
fulfillment house data center personnel and customer service
representatives. Content will be for product orders, order
cancellations, tracking requests and manual transfer for bulk
transactions (as a backup to the automated processes). The VPN is
also extended to the website and the corporate headquarters and has
a similar interface described above. The content thereof is used
for system processing, performance, financial and administrative
reports. This VPN will be used by the corporate headquarters
personnel to manage and monitor the remote website. The financial
processing service center gateway provides a real-time interface
which connects the Commerce Web Servers with a third party
financial processing service. This connection is used for payment
authorizations, charges and charge reversals. The SMTP mail
interface enables SMTP Mail to be used for order confirmation and
shipping notification to web users who purchase product from the
website.
[0064] FIG. 10 shows an exemplary embodiment of the server
architecture of the fulfillment house 208 shown in FIG. 3, which is
used to full the orders received for products ordered through the
website 200.
[0065] The delivered content of the website is preferably designed
to by highly interactive using multimedia features to keep the web
user interested in the content and product offerings. This content
is preferably delivered as a Macromedia Flash file streamed to the
user's web browser. Viewing the Flash file may require a plugin
from Netscape or the Internet Explorer browser. All presentations
to the web user, up to the point of purchase, are preferably from
the Flash player plugin executing the Flash file. This Flash file
is personalized at the point of request by the Macromedia Generator
application executing on the Content Web Server. This
personalization includes the insertion of names and other
references to enhance the web user's experience when using the
website to purchase the CD gift card product 10.
[0066] The following provides a base user scenario which occurs
when a web user enters the product website. If the web user has
used the site previously, they are offered and opportunity to
"login". This feature enables some personalization of the web
user's session. The exemplary scenario generally operates as
follows: 1) the user enters data about the intended gift recipient;
2) the user selects theme elements such as humorous, romantic,
etc.; 3) the user selects specific content elements corresponding
to the selected theme; 4) the user enters a detailed massage; 5)
the user then completes the purchase using a supported process; 6)
the financial processing service authorizes payment; 7) the user is
notified that the purchase has been authorized and is given a
tracking reference; 8) a detailed order is forwarded to the
fulfillment house and placed in a fulfillment queue; 9) e-mail
notification is then sent to the user confirming the order; and 10)
when the order is shipped, a second e-mail notice is sent to the
user confirming shipment.
[0067] In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the
website may provide a service which enables users to record
addresses and dates for a plurality of people for whom they would
like to be reminded, by e-mail or otherwise, of upcoming dates
related thereto. For example, the user could enter the name,
address and birthday information, on a personal web page or the
like, for all of the people in his/her family, which information is
then stored in a database by the website. The system is then
programmed to send reminders to the user informing the user of the
upcoming birthday, which reminder then gives the user the
opportunity to order a customized CD gift for the family member as
described above. The website may provide database management
functions to the users which enables the users to edit, add and
delete information from their personal database or web page
records. The personal page may show orders placed in the past,
orders shipped, orders confirmed, number of days until recorded
person's birthdays and/or the like information which enables the
user to keep track of and manage information on people and special
occasions.
[0068] As is apparent from the description above, the instant
invention enables personalized CD gift cards to be easily and
quickly made in a fun and exciting manner. When a purchaser buys
the card they can easily add a personalized message as well as
customize the CD presentation for the particular intended
recipient. The invention provides a customized CD gift card that
can be viewed by the recipient at any time through use of a
computer, as well as provides an effective and efficient system and
method for enabling the personalization of the CD.
[0069] In accordance with the invention, and as a direct result of
the foregoing, the invention enables a first person to provide a
second person with an enjoyable, interesting and/or exciting
customized multi-media experience, as a gift without having to
actually "burn" a custom CD. However, the invention also includes
and provides a more enhanced overall customization by combining the
features described above with a "light burn" on the CD which may
include data relating to photos, voice or videos uploaded to the
website's database by the first person, which would subsequently be
sent via the VPN to the replication fulfillment house database or
may be resident thereon and burned onto the CD for a particular
recipient. This would provide a hybrid of technologies and would
include the selection of customized information from the standard
non-customized information as well as enable the sender to include
additional customized information not available in the standard
non-customized information on the CD. This alternative embodiment
of the invention will become more economical as CD replication
technology advanced sufficiently to allow replication at a rate
which would enable for unit production sufficient to accommodate a
reasonable market share.
[0070] While the preferred forms and embodiments of the invention
have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those
of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and modifications
may be made without deviating from the inventive concepts and true
spirit of the invention as set forth above, and it is intended by
the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications
which come within the true spirit and scope of the present
invention.
* * * * *