Patent ID: 6167382
Filing Date: 2000-12-26
Classification: G06F,G06Q

Abstract:
A method for designing and producing a marketing piece as ordered by a client from a remote location, comprising the steps of:establishing a web site on a host computer, the client having access to the web site from the remote location;organizing an object database to have a plurality of objects, each of the objects having an address and a row in a record table, the objects including content objects, shell objects and slot objects, the content objects including image objects, each image object having associated therewith a low-resolution image file and a high-resolution image file;storing the object database in a memory associated with an image processor;using search logic associated with the web site and search criteria supplied by the client, searching for one or more images for use in assembling the marketing piece, the search logic returning image search results;selecting at least one image from the search results for inclusion in the marketing piece;transmitting a low-resolution image file to the client in response to the step of selecting;using design logic loaded on the web site, permitting the client to select among a plurality of shells, each of the shells corresponding to a shell object stored in the database, the shells each having at least one slot for the insertion of a content object, said at least one slot corresponding to a slot object stored in the database;inserting a selected image into said at least one slot;responsive to the step of inserting, forming a completed marketing piece design;transmitting parameters of the completed marketing piece design as a marketing piece order to the image processor through the web site;responsive to the image processor receiving the marketing piece order, creating a marketing piece design using at least one high resolution image file corresponding to the image inserted into said at least one slot; andusing the completed marketing piece design to produce one or more copies of the marketing piece.