Patent Publication Number: US-10762545-B1

Title: Method and system for distributed manufacturing

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/348,833, filed on Nov. 10, 2016, entitled “Method and System for Delivery of a Product Using Digital Distribution” which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety and for all purposes. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to the manufacture of products, and, more particularly, to methods and systems for the distributed manufacturing of such products. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Computers have become an integral part of the daily lives of millions of individuals across the globe. Consumers use computers in their various forms, be they desktop computers, tablets, smartphones, or the like, to all manner of ends. One such purpose is the buying and selling of physical products. The use of computers in the buying and selling of physical products provides consumers with a wide array of such products from which to choose. However, such items are often produced and distributed from a central location. In such scenarios, such items often are produced at significant distances from the ultimate intended recipient, and often, even from the intermediate point through which distribution occurs. Generally, the greater such distances, naturally, the greater the time needed to deliver the item, as well as the associated delivery costs, among other such disadvantages. 
     Efforts to minimize delivery times and cost often focus on improvements in the distribution pathway between manufacturer and relevant end-point, such as a retail store or the consumer. These improvements often revolve around new handling equipment, improved transportation means, or changes in the use of intermediate distribution points. 
     Complicating matters is the fact that a customer may wish to personalize the item purchased. This may take the form of penning a sentiment in a greeting card, choosing a made-to-order style or color, adding or deleting options, or the like. If such items are personalized at the point of manufacture, such items cannot be pre-positioned in advance closer to the end-point in order to reduce delivery times and costs. 
     The foregoing problems, as well as other such failings, stand as obstacles to the efficient, effective manufacture and distribution of physical items. That being the case, it is therefore desirable to provide mechanisms that address such shortcomings, and to do so in an effective, efficient manner. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention may be better understood, and its numerous objects, features and advantages made apparent to those skilled in the art by referencing the accompanying drawings. 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a network architecture, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a distributed manufacturing system architecture, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a generic server architecture, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a feature server, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 5  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a customization server, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 6  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a production server, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 7  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a communication server, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 8  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a distributed manufacturing system architecture, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 9  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a server systems architecture, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 10  is a simplified flow diagram illustrating an example of operations performed in producing a product in a distributed manufacturing system, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 11  is a simplified flow diagram illustrating an example of a product customization process, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 12  is a simplified flow diagram illustrating an example of a production communications process, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 13A  is a simplified flow diagram illustrating an example of a production node selection process, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 13B  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a shipping area structure, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 13C  is a simplified flow diagram illustrating an example of a shipping area structure, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. 
         FIGS. 13D, 13E, and 13F  are simplified flow diagrams illustrating a simplified flow diagram depicting an example of a production node identification process, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 14A  is a simplified flow diagram illustrating an example of a desirability determination process, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 14B  is a simplified flow diagram illustrating an example of a production process, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 15  is a simplified flow diagram illustrating an example of a process for determining the address of a destination of a product to be produced, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 16  is a simplified flow diagram illustrating an example of a production component process, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 17  is a simplified flow diagram illustrating an example of a production process, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 18  is a block diagram depicting a computer system suitable for implementing aspects of systems according to embodiments of systems such as those disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 19  is a block diagram depicting a network architecture suitable for implementing aspects of systems according to embodiments of systems such as those disclosed herein. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following is intended to provide a detailed description of an example of the invention and should not be taken to be limiting of the invention itself. Rather, any number of variations may fall within the scope of the invention which is defined in the claims following the detailed description. 
     INTRODUCTION 
     Methods and systems such as those described herein provide the ability to produce physical items by way of various components of a distributed manufacturing system. Products and features thereof are defined/created by users employing feature creation clients, which interact with one or more central or distributed servers/server systems. Such products and features can then be customized by users employing customization clients (e.g., a customer personalizing a gift according to such embodiments). Such features, if available for customization, can comprehend any aspect of a given product, and so can include, by way of example, the addition of a written sentiment, audio information, size, shape, functional features, color, optional feature(s), and/or other such attributes. As is also discussed subsequently, modifications to such products (e.g., the addition or removal of one or more features to/from a product, in the manner of feature creation) can also be effected during (in addition to or instead of) customization of the product. The product/features in question, having been created and customized, can then be produced at a point of production (POP) identified and selected as per the processes described subsequently herein. 
     To this end, the distributed manufacture (also referred to herein as production) of such physical items (also referred to herein as products) is made possible through the description of such products using digital information. Such digital information is used to represent/describe the product(s) to be produced, the various features of such product(s), and customizations of such products and their features. Through the use of such digital information, a distributed manufacturing system according to methods and systems such as those described herein operates in a distributed manner, and thereby is capable of producing the desired products at one or more points of production (POPs) that are situated in certain location(s) remote from (or at least, separate from) the location of users (whether users who define such products/features or those who customize such products/features) and/or systems (e.g., servers) that facilitate such interaction and production. Such separation can be physical, logical, logistical, or by some other measure. 
     Thus, by providing the ability to control the location at which a given product is produced, a distributed manufacturing system according to methods and systems such as those described herein is able to manage the shipping and delivery of such products. For example, by locating POPs in or near certain geographic locations, such products can be produced and/or shipped/delivered advantageously. In this regard, considerations affecting such identification and selection can include, but are not limited to, factors such as shipping/delivery time needed for receipt by a recipient of the product (optionally including the time needed for a particular POP to produce the product), cost associated therewith, environmental factors (e.g., a product&#39;s “carbon footprint”), various capabilities of the various POPs (e.g., whether a particular POP possesses the requisite mechanisms to produce the desired product with the desired customizations), and other such considerations. In addition to facilitating the management of production, shipping, and delivery of such products, such a distributed manufacturing system, given its distributed nature, also provides facilities for the selection of one or more POPs, to effect the production of such products at one or more corresponding points-of-service (POSs), with attendant advantages. For example, the ability to identify and select a particular POP based on that POP&#39;s location at a certain POS provides a number of advantages, including the ability to identify/select backup POPs based on their corresponding POSs (e.g., in the case of a failure in the primary POP or communication thereto), selection of a POP by POS in conjunction with other commercial activity (e.g., selection of a POP at a POS from which other items are being shipped), and other advantages that the distributed nature of a system such as those described herein is able to provide. 
     Thus, among other advantages, methods and systems such as those described herein reduce the required shipping times and handling activity on finished goods. By producing the goods as logistically close to the end-point as possible, the time and cost of shipping and handling such items is reduced. This forward-staging of the raw materials allows such methods and systems to reduce overall inventory requirements because the raw materials available at a given POP can become any product producible from those raw materials. So, for example, having one piece of blank card stock is in a sense the same as having one each of every possible greeting card. 
     Example Network Architecture 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a network architecture  100  that includes server systems and other components, according to one embodiment. Network architecture  100  includes an internetwork (depicted in  FIG. 1  as an internet/wide area network (WAN)  110 ), which is configured to couple a number of intranets to one another (depicted in  FIG. 1  as intranets  120 ( 1 )-(N)). Intranets  120 ( 1 )-(N), in turn, can include a number of components, such as one or more clients (depicted in  FIG. 1  as clients  125 ( 1 )-(N)) and/or servers (depicted in  FIG. 1  as servers  130 ( 1 )-(N)). Clients  125 ( 1 )-(N) and/or servers  130 ( 1 )-(N) can, for example, be implemented using computer systems such as those described in connection with  FIGS. 18 and 19 . Internet/WAN  110  thus communicatively couples intranets  120 ( 1 )-(N) to one another, thereby allowing clients  125 ( 1 )-(N) and servers  130 ( 1 )-(N) to communicate with one another (and can, in certain embodiments, provide for the servers of intranets  120 ( 3 ) and  120 (N), for example, to operate as cloud-based server systems). As is depicted in  FIG. 1 , clients  125 ( 1 )-(N) can be communicatively coupled to one another and to servers  130 ( 1 )-(N) as part of one of intranets  120 ( 1 )-(N), or directly via internet/WAN  110 . Similarly, servers  130 ( 1 )-(N) can be coupled via intranet/WAN  110  via a direct connection to intranet/WAN  110 , or as part of one of intranets  120 ( 1 )-(N). 
     Network architecture  100  also provides for communication via intranet/WAN  110  using one or more other devices. Such devices can include, for example, a general packet radio service (GPRS) client  140  (e.g., a “smart phone,” a “tablet” computer, or other such mobile device), a secure web client (depicted in  FIG. 1  as a secure hypertext transfer protocol client  150 ), and a basic cellular phone (e.g., using standard texting or other communication protocols, and depicted in  FIG. 1  as a simple messaging service (SMS) client  160 ). HTTPS client  150  can be, for example, a laptop computer using the HTTP Secure (HTTPS) protocol. Support for GPRS clients, SMS clients, HTTP clients, and the like thereby provide users with communication functionality according to an embodiment in a mobile environment. As is also depicted in  FIG. 1 , SMS client  160  can communicate via internet/WAN  110  via several channels. SMS client  160  can communicate directly, for example, with a gateway  165 , which, in turn, communicates with internet/WAN  110  via a messaging gateway  167  and, optionally, elements within intranet  120 ( 3 ), for example. Alternatively, SMS client  160  can, via gateway  165 , communicate with intranet  120 ( 3 ) (and so, internet/WAN  110 ) via public messaging services  170  to which gateway  165  and intranet  120 ( 3 ) are connected. As is also depicted in  FIG. 1 , a client  125 ( 4 ) is also able to communicate via internet/WAN  110  by way of public communication services  170  and intranet  120 ( 3 ). In order to support such communications, as well as other communications according to various embodiments, intranet  120 ( 3 ) includes server systems  180 , as well as (optionally) providing for a number of clients (not shown), in the manner of intranet  120 ( 2 ). 
     Server systems  180  include a number of components that allow server systems  180  to provide various functionalities (e.g., supporting various communications, web-based services, cloud-based services, enterprise services, and so on). Among these components, in certain embodiments, are a number of servers, which can be implemented in hardware and/or software. Examples of such servers include web servers (depicted in  FIG. 1  as web servers  190 ( 1 )-(N), servers  191 ( 1 )-(N)), and servers  192 ( 1 )-(N). As will be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, servers  191 ( 1 )-(N) and servers  192 ( 1 )-(N) are merely (and only generically) representative of servers and their configurations that can be employed in the implementation of methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. Further in this regard, while server systems  180  are depicted, at least to some extent, as being centrally located (or at least, co-located), such is the case simply for ease of presentation. As will be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, server systems  180  can themselves be implemented in a distributed manner. 
     Servers such as those included in server systems  180  comprehend hardware and/or software configured to facilitate functionalities that support operations according to the concepts disclosed herein, among other possible such components and mechanisms, in communication with one another (e.g., directly, via various application programming interfaces (APIs) and/or other such interfaces, and/or other such mechanisms and/or constructs). As will be discussed in greater detail in connection with subsequent figures, the server systems of server systems  180  provide such functionality, for example by presenting end-users with a website (functionality effected by, for example, web servers  190 ( 1 )-(N)). In so doing, web servers  190 ( 1 )-(N) present information collected, generated, organized, and maintained by one or more servers  191 ( 1 )-(N) and/or servers  192 ( 1 )-(N). Such a website can be accessed by an end-user using a client computing device such as one or more of clients  125 ( 1 )-(N), GPRS client  140 , HTTPS client  150 , and/or SMS client  160 . As will be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, the ability to support such functionality on mobile devices such as those described herein is of importance, as mobile electronic commerce is fast becoming an important facet of today&#39;s online environment. In providing functionality such as that described herein, network architecture  100  is able to support the identification and presentation of relevant product/service information in an efficient, effective manner. 
     To this end, a number of production nodes (depicted in  FIG. 1  as production nodes  195 ( 1 )-(N), and also referred to herein as points-of-production (POPs)) are also provided as part of network architecture  100 . Production nodes  195 ( 1 )-(N) provide mechanisms, as well as hardware and software, capable of performing one or more production operations, and in so doing, produce the desired product(s). Further, production nodes  195 ( 1 )-(N) can provide functionality that supports the production of customized versions of such products. As discussed subsequently, such customizations can be implemented as changes to various features, selection(s) of various options, and the like. Modifications (e.g., the addition or deletion of one or more features to/from a product, in the manner of feature creation) can also be implemented as part of the customization process. 
     It will be appreciated that, in light of the present disclosure, the variable identifier “N” is used in several instances in various of the figures herein to more simply designate the final element of a series of related or similar elements (e.g., intranets  120 ( 1 )-(N), clients  125 ( 1 )-(N), and servers  130 ( 1 )-(N)). The repeated use of such variable identifiers is not meant to imply a correlation between the sizes of such series of elements. The use of variable identifiers of this sort in no way is intended to (and does not) require that each series of elements have the same number of elements as another series delimited by the same variable identifier. Rather, in each instance of use, variables thus identified may represent the same or a different value than other instances of the same variable identifier. 
     As will be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, processes according to concepts embodied by systems such as those described herein include one or more operations, which may be performed in any appropriate order. It is appreciated that operations discussed herein may consist of directly entered commands by a computer system user or by steps executed by application specific hardware modules, but the preferred embodiment includes steps executed by software modules. The functionality of steps referred to herein may correspond to the functionality of modules or portions of modules. 
     The operations referred to herein may be modules or portions of modules (e.g., software, firmware or hardware modules). For example, although the described embodiment includes software modules and/or includes manually entered user commands, the various example modules may be application specific hardware modules. The software modules discussed herein may include script, batch or other executable files, or combinations and/or portions of such files. The software modules may include a computer program or subroutines thereof encoded on computer-readable storage media. 
     Additionally, those skilled in the art will recognize that the boundaries between modules are merely illustrative and alternative embodiments may merge modules or impose an alternative decomposition of functionality of modules. For example, the modules discussed herein may be decomposed into submodules to be executed as multiple computer processes, and, optionally, on multiple computers. Moreover, alternative embodiments may combine multiple instances of a particular module or submodule. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that the operations described in example embodiment are for illustration only. Operations may be combined or the functionality of the operations may be distributed in additional operations in accordance with the invention. 
     Alternatively, such actions may be embodied in the structure of circuitry that implements such functionality, such as the micro-code of a complex instruction set computer (CISC), firmware programmed into programmable or erasable/programmable devices, the configuration of a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), the design of a gate array or full-custom application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or the like. 
     Each of the blocks of the flow diagram may be executed by a module (e.g., a software module) or a portion of a module, or a computer system user using, for example, a computer system such as computer system  1810 , described subsequently in connection with  FIG. 18 . Thus, the above described method, the operations thereof and modules therefor may be executed on a computer system configured to execute the operations of the method and/or may be executed from computer-readable storage media. The method may be embodied in a machine-readable and/or computer-readable storage medium for configuring a computer system to execute the method. Thus, the software modules may be stored within and/or transmitted to a computer system memory to configure the computer system to perform the functions of the module, for example. 
     Such a computer system normally processes information according to a program (a list of internally stored instructions such as a particular application program and/or an operating system) and produces resultant output information via I/O devices. A computer process typically includes an executing (running) program or portion of a program, current program values and state information, and the resources used by the operating system to manage the execution of the process. A parent process may spawn other child processes to help perform the overall functionality of the parent process. Because the parent process specifically spawns the child processes to perform a portion of the overall functionality of the parent process, the functions performed by child processes (and grandchild processes, etc.) may sometimes be described as being performed by the parent process. 
     Such a computer system typically includes multiple computer processes executing “concurrently.” Often, a computer system includes a single processing unit that is capable of supporting many active processes alternately. Although multiple processes may appear to be executing concurrently, at any given point in time only one process is actually executed by the single processing unit. By rapidly switching which process is being executed, a computer system gives the appearance of concurrent process execution. The ability of a computer system to multiplex the computer system&#39;s resources among multiple processes in various stages of execution is called multitasking. Systems with multiple processing units, which by definition can support true concurrent processing, are called multiprocessing systems. Active processes are often referred to as executing concurrently when such processes are executed in a multitasking and/or a multiprocessing environment. 
     The software modules described herein may be received by such a computer system, for example, from computer readable storage media. The computer readable storage media may be permanently, removably, or remotely coupled to the computer system. The computer readable storage media may non-exclusively include, for example, any number of the following: magnetic storage media including disk and tape storage media, optical storage media such as compact disk media (e.g., CD-ROM, CD-R, etc.) and digital video disk storage media, nonvolatile memory storage memory including semiconductor-based memory units such as FLASH memory, EEPROM, EPROM, ROM or application specific integrated circuits; volatile storage media including registers, buffers or caches, main memory, RAM, and the like; and other such computer-readable storage media. In a UNIX-based embodiment, the software modules may be embodied in a file, which may be a device, a terminal, a local or remote file, or other such devices. Other new and various types of computer-readable storage media may be used to store the software modules discussed herein. 
     Example Architectures for a Distributed Manufacturing System 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a distributed manufacturing system architecture, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. To this end,  FIG. 2  depicts a distributed manufacturing system architecture  200 . Distributed manufacturing system architecture  200  includes a number of server systems (depicted in  FIG. 2  as server systems  210 ), which are, in certain embodiments, comparable in various aspects to one or more of the servers of server systems  180  of  FIG. 1 . Also included in distributed manufacturing system architecture  200  are a number of feature production clients (depicted in  FIG. 2  as feature production clients  220 ( 1 )-(N) and a number of customization clients (depicted in  FIG. 2  as customization clients  230 ( 1 )-(N)). Further, distributed manufacturing system architecture  200  also includes a number of production nodes (depicted in  FIG. 2  as production nodes  240 ( 1 )-(N)). 
     Server systems  210 , feature production clients  220 , customization clients  230 , and production nodes  240  (points-of-production, or POPs) are communicatively coupled to one another via a network  250  (e.g., a wide area network such as the Internet). In turn, server systems  210  include a number of servers that provide a variety of functions in support of the facilities provided by distributed manufacturing system architecture  200 . In one embodiment, such servers include a feature server  260 , a production server  262 , a user information server  264 , a customization server  266 , a web server  268 , and a communications server  270 . As will be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, and more specifically, with regard to the descriptions of the methods and systems presented herein, one or more features of a given product are provided by one or more of feature production clients  220 , the results of which are maintained by feature server  260 . Similarly, such features (as well as products generally) can be customized by way of customization clients  230 . Customization clients  230  interact with customization server  266  in order to effect customization of such products and/or their respective features/feature sets. Interactions between feature production clients  220  and customization clients  230  with their respective servers of server systems  210  are, in certain embodiments, effected via network  250  and web server  268 . For example, users of feature production clients  220  can access feature server  260  via web server  268 , while users of customization clients  230  can access customization server  266  via web server  268 . Users of customization clients  230  can also access production server  262  and user information server  264  via web server  268 , and are thereby able to not only customize products and features thereof, but also direct production of such customized products. To this end, production server  262  interacts with communications server  270 , in order to identify the appropriate one(s) of production nodes  240 , and communicate the relevant digital information thereto. In this regard, users of customization clients  230  can also access user information server  264  via web server  268 , in order to provide their information, recipient information, billing information, and other information relevant to the production and delivery of the desired product(s). Such information is then available for use by communications server  270  in identifying and selecting one or more of production nodes  240 . 
     In light of the foregoing, the communication paths between various servers are depicted in  FIG. 2  as supporting communications between ones of feature production clients  220  and web server  268 , and ones of customization clients  230  and web server  268 . Web server  268 , in turn, is depicted as being in communication with two groups of servers. The first of these groups is feature server  260 , customization server  266 , and production server  262 , and web server  268  is configured to support communications between these servers and feature production clients  220 /customization clients  230 . Web server  268  also provides for communications between ones of customization clients  230  and various production-oriented servers, including, for example, production server  262 , user information server  264 , and communications server  270 . As will be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, while such communications paths are depicted in the foregoing manner, such an architecture is merely an example of such communications paths. Any number of alternatives are possible in this regard, and are intended to come within the scope of the present disclosure. 
     Feature production clients such as feature production clients  220  (e.g., feature production client  220 ( 1 )) include a number of modules supporting such functionality. For example, feature production client  220 ( 1 ) is depicted in  FIG. 2  as including a feature creation module  280  and a feature editing module  282 . A user of feature production client  220 ( 1 ) is provided access to feature creation module  280  and feature editing module  282 , among other such modules, via a user interface module  284  and a presentation module  286 . As will be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, user interface module  284  allows a user thereof (via web server  268 ) to avail themselves of the functionality provided by feature creation module  280  and feature editing module  282 , and so create and edit products and features thereof by way of creating and editing the digital information used to produce such products. 
     Similarly, a customization client such as one of customization clients  230  can be used to make modifications, additions, deletions, changes, and other such customizations to the product or products being produced by allowing a user of such a customization client to make modifications, additions, deletions, changes, and other customizations to the digital information used in the production of such products. For example, a customization client such a customization client  230 (N) facilitates such customization through the provision of a number of modules providing such functionality. Thus, as depicted in  FIG. 2 , customization client  230 (N) includes a user interface module  290 , a presentation module  292 , a feature selection module  294 , a customization selection module  296 , and a customization input module  298 , among other such possible components. 
     Similar to feature production clients  220 , customization client  230 (N) provides user interface module  290  and presentation module  292  to allow a user to interact with the digital information that will be used to produce the product in question, as well as, in the case of customization client  230 (N), customization of the product. Also as before, user interface module  290  and presentation module  292  facilitate such interactions, for example, by supporting communications with customization server  266  (in customizing a product and/or features thereof), as well as production server  262 , user information server  264 , and communications server  270  in the production thereof, via network  250  and web server  268 . In addition to facilitating such interactions, user interface module  290  and presentation module  292  also support the acquisition of information regarding, for example, user information, sender information for the shipping/delivery of the product(s) (i.e., information regarding the party requesting shipping/delivery of the product(s)), recipient information, and the like. 
     As will be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, a given product may have a number of features that a user may wish to include or exclude. To this end, customization client  230 (N) includes feature selection module  294 , which provides a mechanism by which a user is able to include, exclude, or modify a given feature of the product to be produced. Beyond simple inclusion/exclusion of a given feature that a given product may be configured to include or exclude, feature selection module  294  can also support the addition of new features to the product to be produced. Similarly, a variety of customizations may be available for a given product, and customization selection module  296  allows a user to include or exclude such customizations with or from the product to be produced. In addition to allowing a user to select predefined features and customizations for inclusion or exclusion, customization client  230 (N) also supports the direct input of customizations for the product in question via customization input module  298 . 
     As will also be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, advantages of providing the user with the ability to select a product and the features thereof include the simplification of the customization process. Products, as well as features to be included/excluded, can be identified using any convenient mechanism. For example, products and their features can be identified by an assigned numerical value, a hash value (e.g., by hashing information regarding the product or feature), and/or other such identifying information. As will also be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, the use of a hashing function to generate such identifiers provides an efficient mechanism for communicating, storing, searching, and otherwise processing information such as that described herein. 
     In a manner comparable to that of interactions between feature production clients  220  and feature server  260 , customization clients  230  interact with customization server  266  via network  250  (as well as web server  268 , for example). In so doing, customization clients  230  retrieve digital information regarding the product or products to be produced from one of more of server systems  210 , facilitate the requisite customizations to that digital information (and so, to the product or products being produced), and return the customized digital information to the appropriate servers (e.g., customization server  266 ). Further in support of this process, user information server  264  can maintain digital information such as user information, recipient information, preferences, customization rights, account information, and the like, for use by one or more of the other server systems of server systems  210 . 
     Aggregating and integrating the aforementioned digital information from, for example, feature server  260  and customization server  266 , among other sources, production server  262  provides support to production nodes  240  in the production of the products in question. Further in support of this process, communication server  270  acts to make determinations with regard to which of production nodes  240  are to produce the product or products in question and convey the requisite digital information to the selected ones of production nodes  240 , in order to effect the production of the product or products in question. The operation of the servers of server systems  210  are provided in connection with  FIGS. 3-7 , below. 
     In view of the foregoing and as noted elsewhere herein, it will be appreciated that various ones of feature server  260 , production server  262 , user information server  264 , customization server  266 , web server  268 , and communications server  270 , and/or other servers of server systems  210  (not shown), can be combined in various ways, as may be desired, and are simply shown as separate servers to simplify the description of such functions. Such is also the case for various ones of feature production clients  220  and/or customization clients  230 , the functions of which can be combined in various ways to provide such functionalities in various clients. 
     As an example of the foregoing mechanisms, the product to be produced (e.g., by way of a POP providing three-dimensional printing, painting, and/or robotic assembly capabilities) might be, for example, a chair, which might be configurable to allow a customer to select the number of legs for the chair, whether the chair has arms or not, and the style of the chair&#39;s seatback. In such a scenario, the customer can use feature selection module  294  to select the number of legs for the chair, and that the chair should have arms, by way of user interface module  290  and presentation module  292 . Further, the customer can use feature selection module  294  to add features (e.g., by way of modifying the basic description of the product, in the manner of a feature production client such as one of feature production clients  220 ). In the present example, a customer might decide, for example, to add a headrest to the seatback. In so doing, the customer creates the headrest by modifying the digital information defining the chair (e.g., by adding the requisite information for the headrest to the product&#39;s design (e.g., in AUTOCAD, 3D MANUFACTURING FORMAT (3MF), or other such computer-aided drafting format), in the manner of a user of a feature production client). Using customization selection module  296 , the customer can also select the seatback style (such a chair, for purposes of this example, having a seatback and the seatback having a default style, with the selection or definition of a different style being a customization of the feature). Further in this regard, a customer can use customization input module  298  to make individualized customizations, such as determining the color, dimensions, and other such variable characteristics of the product. The product, as noted, can then be produced. Alternatively, as will be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, a customer can forego such activities, and use such a customization client simply to request production of the desired product. In so doing, the customer can, in one embodiment, select one (or more) products, and have them produced and shipped (or made available for delivery). 
     From a different perspective, distributed manufacturing system architecture  200  can be viewed as a POP management system, in which the production function (for each POP and as between POPs) is managed in order to improve efficiency and productivity, reduce or minimize delay in delivery, reduce or minimize risk (e.g., of failure in delivery), reduce cost, provide compliance with government regulations, and the like. As will be appreciated, each POP (whether distributed or centrally located) will consume supplies (e.g., paper, toner/ink, plastic/metal/other 3D printing material, paint or other coloring, and so on). Such consumption results in the need to replenish such materials, which will typically incur costs related to the delivery of such materials and the servicing of the POPs (which can, in fact, include mechanical servicing of the POP that may be needed at regular intervals (or in the case of failure)). Such activities can be performed more efficiently (e.g., coordinating the maintenance of POPs in a given area, knowing what materials are needed, and so on) when information regarding the state of each POP can be determined. Further, such a determination can also inform decisions as to which POP(s) is (are) best able to produce the item(s) in question. Further in this regard, as noted elsewhere herein, determinations as to the functions supported by a given POP, the POP&#39;s current workload, its relationship to other POPs (e.g., are other POPs co-located with or logistically close to the POP in question, thereby making possible the production of multiple products at a given POS or in a given shipping zone, for example), and other such considerations can be taken into account when selecting one or more POPs for production of the given product. Such a system also opens up the possibility of implementing multiple POPs at a given POS (or even a production center) and performing load-balancing as between those POPs, as well as managing maintenance activities for co-located POPs (e.g., by scheduling maintenance/replenishment of POPs physically close to one another). Thus, in managing POPs (e.g., production nodes  240 ), a distributed manufacturing system architecture such as distributed manufacturing system architecture  200  is able to manage POP workloads, system throughput, shipping schedules, and other variables, thereby improving the operation of the overall system, in terms of speed, efficiency, and the like. Such determinations and considerations can be taken into account by methods and systems such as those described herein. 
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a generic server architecture, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein.  FIG. 3  thus depicts a generic server architecture  300  that can be used to implement one or more of the server systems of server systems  180 . A server of server systems  180  (depicted in  FIG. 3  as a server  310 ) will thus include, typically, a number of components that support the maintenance and retrieval of digital information. For example, such components can include one or more processing modules (depicted in  FIG. 3  as processing modules  320 ( 1 )-(N), a database interface module (depicted in  FIG. 3  as a database interface module  330 ), and one or more databases (depicted in  FIG. 3  as databases  340 ( 1 )-(N)). Generally, databases  340 ( 1 )-(N) store digital information pertinent to the processing performed by processing modules  320 ( 1 )-(N). Database interface module  330  provides one or more of processing modules  320 ( 1 )-(N) with access to databases  340 ( 1 )-(N). Additionally, database interface module  330  can provide other servers of the given server systems, as well as other components of the distributed manufacturing system, with access to databases  340 ( 1 )-(N). As noted, an example of such access is depicted in  FIG. 2  by the various communications paths illustrated therein. 
       FIG. 4  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a feature server, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. In the manner of generic server architecture  300 , a feature server of server systems  210  is depicted as a feature server  400 . In the manner of generic server architecture  300 , then, feature server  400  includes one or more feature processing modules (depicted in  FIG. 4  as feature processing modules  410 ( 1 )-(N), a number of feature databases (depicted in  FIG. 4  as feature databases  430 ( 1 )-(N)), and interfacing such feature processing modules and feature databases, a feature database interface module (depicted in  FIG. 4  as a feature database interface module  420 ). As noted in connection with  FIG. 2 , the components of feature server  400  support feature production clients, such as feature production clients  220  of  FIG. 2 , by maintaining information regarding products (and their features), as may be created and edited using such feature production clients. To this end, feature database interface module  420  can provide other servers of server systems  210 , as well as other components of the distributed manufacturing system, with access to feature databases  430 . For example, as depicted in  FIG. 2 , feature database interface module  420  provides production server  262 , customization server  266 , and web server  268  with access to feature databases  430  via one of the two communication paths depicted therein. A specific and more detailed implementation of a feature server, with regard to the distributed production and shipping/delivery of greeting cards, is provided in connection with  FIG. 9 . 
       FIG. 5  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a customization server, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. In the manner noted, server systems  210  can also include one or more customization servers, an example of which is depicted in  FIG. 5  as a customization server  500 . Customization server  500  includes one or more customization processing modules (depicted in  FIG. 5  as customization processing modules  510 ( 1 )-(N)), which interface with one or more customization clients such as customization clients  230  of  FIG. 2 . Customization processing modules  510 ( 1 )-(N) can be implemented to support the selection of products and their features, as well as customizations thereto, such as those mentioned earlier, for example. Further, customization processing modules  510 ( 1 )-(N) can support user-defined customizations (e.g., using the greeting card example, a handwritten sentiment), the blending of colors, digitally defined customizations (e.g., digitized audio), and/or the like, for example. 
     In turn, customization processing modules  510  interface via a customization database interface module  520 , with one or more customization databases (depicted in  FIG. 5  as customization databases  530 ( 1 )-(N)). Customization databases  530  maintain digital information regarding customizations made to products and/or their features via one or more customization clients such as customization clients  230  of  FIG. 2 . In addition to customization processing modules  510  being able to communicate with one another, customization processing modules  510  are able to maintain digital information in one or more of customization databases  530  via customization database interface module  520 . 
     Additionally, customization database interface module  520  can provide other servers of server systems  210 , as well as other components of the distributed manufacturing system, with access to customization databases  530 . For example, as depicted in  FIG. 2 , customization database interface module  520  provides feature server  260 , production server  262 , and web server  268  with access to customization databases  530  via one of the two communication paths depicted therein. A specific and more detailed implementation of a customization server, with regard to the distributed production and shipping/delivery of greeting cards, is provided in connection with  FIG. 9 . 
       FIG. 6  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a production server, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. Another server included in server systems  210  is a production server (depicted in  FIG. 6  as a production server  600 ). Production server  600  can include a number of components, among them, for example, one or more media information processing modules (depicted in  FIG. 6 , as media information processing modules  610 ( 1 )-(N)), one or more media information integration modules (depicted in  FIG. 6  as a media information integration modules  620 ), and one or more production information databases (depicted in  FIG. 6  as a production information database  640 ), accessed via a production information database interface module (depicted in  FIG. 6  as a production information database interface module  650 ). 
     To this end, production information database interface module  650  can provide other servers of server systems  210 , as well as other components of the distributed manufacturing system, with access to production information database  640 . For example, in the manner of production server  262  depicted in  FIG. 2 , production information database interface module  650  provides certain servers of the server systems (e.g., feature server  260 , customization server  266 , and web server  268  of  FIG. 2 ) with access to production information database  640  via one of the two communication paths depicted therein, and access thereto to other servers of the server systems (e.g., user information server  264 , web server  268 , and communications server  270  of  FIG. 2 ) via the other of the two communication paths depicted therein. A specific and more detailed implementation of a production server, with regard to the distributed production and shipping/delivery of greeting cards, is provided in connection with  FIG. 9 . 
     As will be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, then, digital feature information and digital customization information can be maintained separately by way of their respective servers, and subsequently integrated by a production server such as production server  600 . In such embodiments, media information processing modules such as media information processing modules  610  can aggregate the requisite digital feature information and digital customization information from the appropriate sources (e.g., a feature server such as feature server  400  and a customization server such as customization server  500 ), and integrate the digital information thus retrieved by way of a media information integration module such as media information integration module  620 . Having assembled the requisite digital information, production server  600  can, via communications between media information integration module  620  and production information database  640  via production information database interface module  650 , facilitate provision of such digital information to a communications server such as communications server  270  of  FIG. 2 , for subsequent distribution to the appropriate production node(s). 
       FIG. 7  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a communication server, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. In certain embodiments, server systems  210  will include for such purposes one or more communications servers, such as a communications server  700 . Communications server  700  includes a number of components that support the selection of one or more production nodes (e.g., production nodes  240  of  FIG. 2 ) and the provision of the requisite digital information to the selected production node(s) for production of the product in question. A specific and detailed implementation of a communication server, with regard to the distributed production and shipping/delivery of greeting cards, is provided in connection with  FIG. 9 . 
     In one embodiment, communication server  700  includes one or more production information processing modules (depicted in  FIG. 7  as production information processing modules  710 ( 1 )-(N)). Production information processing modules  710 , in certain embodiments, contain the requisite digital information from one or more production servers (e.g., production server  600  of  FIG. 6 ). In those or other embodiments, each of production information processing modules  710  can be configured to process production information for one or more corresponding products to be produced at one or more production nodes. Production information processing modules  710  can maintain such digital information in, for example, a production database (depicted in  FIG. 7  as a production database  720 ) by communicating therewith via a production database interface module  730 . In turn (or in parallel), one or more determinations can be made as to the appropriate production node(s) to which such digital production information is to be sent. To this end, such digital information can be integrated into “product descriptions” (digital information that represents some, or more typically all, of the information needed by the particular production node to produce the given product) that are then stored in production database  720 . 
     In support of such operations, production database interface module  730  can provide other servers of server systems  210 , as well as other components of the distributed manufacturing system, with access to production database  720 . For example, as depicted in  FIG. 2 , production database interface module  730  provides production server  262 , user information server  264 , and web server  268  with access to production database  720  via the other of the two communication paths depicted therein (or both, in certain embodiments). 
     Operations such as those described generally above can be carried out by a communications processing module of communications server  700  (such as is depicted in  FIG. 7  as a communications processing module  740 ). In performing such operations and making such determinations, communications processing module  740  can interface, via production database interface module  730 , with a communications database (depicted in  FIG. 7  as a communications database  750 ), and in so doing maintain information regarding the topology of a production network such as is illustrated as distributed manufacturing system architecture  200  in  FIG. 2 . Once the digital production information is available and the appropriate production node(s) have been identified and selected, such digital production information can be communicated to the production node(s) under the control of a communications module (depicted in  FIG. 7  as a communications module  760 ). Communications module  760  can, for example, retrieve the requisite digital production information from production database  720  and the production node(s) selected from communications database  750 , via production database interface module  730 . Communications module  760  then controls the communication of this information to the selected production node(s) via a network communications module (depicted in  FIG. 7  as a network communications module  770 ) and a network interface (depicted in  FIG. 7  as a network interface  780 ). In certain embodiments, each of production information processing modules  710  can be configured to process product information for a given product, for example. As noted earlier, production database  720  can, optionally, maintain digital information with regard to completed product descriptions (digital production information), and so (digitally) maintain the information needed to produce a given product. 
     Example Implementation of a Distributed Manufacturing System 
       FIG. 8  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a distributed manufacturing system architecture, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein.  FIG. 8  thus depicts an example of a distributed manufacturing system architecture according to, for example, distributed manufacturing system architecture  200  (and depicted in  FIG. 8  as a distributed manufacturing system architecture  800 ). In the example presented in  FIG. 8 , distributed manufacturing system architecture  800  provides for the creation and customization of printed matter by way of multiple printing techniques. 
     In a manner comparable to that of distributed manufacturing system architecture  200 , distributed manufacturing system architecture  800  provides facilities for the creation and customization of the product(s) to be produced (e.g., printed matter printed using multiple printing techniques). In so doing, distributed manufacturing architecture  800  provides a number of feature production clients (depicted in  FIG. 8  as feature production clients  810 ( 1 )-(N)), multiple customization clients (depicted in  FIG. 8  as customization clients  820 ( 1 )-(N)), and a number of server systems (depicted in  FIG. 8  as server systems  830 ), which are in communication with one another via a network  840 . 
     Distributed manufacturing system architecture  800  also includes one or more production nodes depicted in  FIG. 8  as production nodes  850 ( 1 )-(N)), which are situated in various points-of-service (POSs; depicted in  FIG. 8  as points-of-service  860 ( 1 )-(N)). As will be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, such POSs can be shipping locations (e.g., U. S. POSTAL SERVICE (USPS) locations, UNITED PARCEL SERVICE (UPS) locations, FEDERAL EXPRESS (FEDEX) locations, and/or the like), delivery locations (e.g., for pick up by a delivery service), manufacturing locations, and retail locations (e.g., traditional “brick-and-mortar” retailers, electronic commerce businesses (e.g., AMAZON, E-BAY, and the like), and the like), as well as other locations at which production of a product may be advantageous. To this end, production of a product such as a greeting card, at a location such as a shipping location, can provide various advantages, as is described in greater detail in connection with  FIGS. 13A-13F , subsequently. Alternatively (or in combination with taking shipping issues such as those discussed in connection with  FIGS. 13A-13F  into account), methods and systems such as those described herein can be employed to produce a product such as a greeting card at an electronic commerce business location, thereby providing a consumer with the ability to select an item sold by the electronic commerce business, produce the greeting card at the electronic commerce business&#39;s location, and have that greeting card shipped along with the item, to the recipient. 
     As will also be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, while each of production nodes  850  are depicted in  FIG. 8  as being situated within a corresponding one of points-of-service  860 , such need not be the case, and it is contemplated by the present disclosure that one or more of production nodes  850  might be situated within a given one of points-of-service  860 . Further, while production nodes  850  may give the impression of providing identical manufacturing capabilities, such need not be the case, and, for example, multiple production nodes (each having different capabilities) can be situated within a given one of points-of-service  860 . 
     In the manner of distributed manufacturing system architecture  200 , each of feature production clients  810  can employ modules comparable to those of feature production clients  220 , as is the case as between customization clients  820  and customization clients  230 . Thus, as depicted in  FIG. 8 , customization client  820 ( 1 ) includes a number of modules that support functionality applicable to the example presented as distributed manufacturing system architecture  800 . That being the case, customization client  820 ( 1 ), as an example of customization clients  820 , includes a user interface module  870 , a presentation module  872 , a feature selection module  874 , a customization selection module  876 , and a customization input module  878 . In the example presented in  FIG. 8 , then, feature production clients  810  produce digital feature information representing a given product to be produced and, optionally, one or more features thereof. A user employing customization client  820 ( 1 ) is then able to produce digital customization information for such product(s) and features by way of user interface module  870  and presentation module  872 , which allow a user to manipulate such digital customization information and present the user with the result thereof, respectively. In a manner comparable to that noted earlier, feature selection module  874  allows the user to include or exclude certain features of the product to be produced. Similarly, customization selection module  876  allows the user to include or exclude various customizations of the product to be produced, while customization input module  878  provides the user with the ability to create and apply original customizations to the product to be produced. 
     Server systems  830 , as noted previously, provide support for the aforementioned functionalities, as well as the selection of one or more production nodes appropriate to the production of the given product. Further, such selection can be based on one or more shipping and/or delivery considerations. Thus, server systems  830  therefore include a feature server  880  and a customization server  882 , which support the aforementioned functionality. Customization server  882  interacts with a user information server  883  to allow for the maintenance and management of user information, such as user preferences, saved customizations, preferred production nodes, personal information, recipient information, and other such information relevant to the production of the given product. Users accessing feature server  880  and customization server  882  can do so via, for example, a web server  884 , which allows access to the various functionalities provided by server systems  830 , as part of their duties within distributed manufacturing system architecture  800 . Also as before, a production server  886  aggregates digital information from feature server  880  (digital feature information, not shown) and customization server  882  (digital customization information, not shown). Production server  886  provides this information to a communications server  888 , which, in part, selects one or more of production nodes  850  to produce the product in question and conveys the requisite digital information to the selected production node(s). 
     In turn, production nodes  850  include not only the requisite computational hardware and software to effect production of the printed matter, but also the printing systems needed to effect the requisite physical actions of production (depicted in  FIG. 8  as a printing system  890 ). As is depicted in  FIG. 8 , printing system  890  of production node  850 (N) includes a printer control module  892 , which controls a bitmap printer  894  and a vector printer  896 , by way of a bitmap printer control module  898  and a vector printer control module  899 , respectively. In such an implementation, the digital information processed and maintained by server systems  830  can include bitmap digital information and vector digital information. Thus, the digital feature information noted earlier can include bitmap digital feature information and vector digital feature information. Similarly, the digital customization information noted earlier can include bitmap digital customization information and vector digital customization information. However, in another embodiment, the digital information processed and maintained by server systems  830  is divided between digital feature information that is bitmap digital information, and digital customization information that is vector digital information. In the latter scenario, digital feature information is sent through bitmap printer control module  898  to bitmap printer  894 , while digital customization information is sent through vector printer control module  899  to vector printer  896 . In such an embodiment, bitmap printer  894  can be, for example, a color inkjet printer, and vector printer  896 , a pen plotter, handwriting machine, or other mechanized writing system, in which case, digital feature information would employ a pixel-oriented format (e.g., JPEG, TIFF, BMP, or other such format) and digital customization information would employ a vector-oriented format (e.g., ENCAPSULATED POSTSCRIPT (EPS), ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR (AI), or the like). 
     Alternatively, or in combination with the foregoing, a product to be produced and its various features can be defined, in whole or in part, by digital information configured to control three-dimensional (3D) printing (also referred to as additive manufacturing (AM)), computer numeric control (CNC) machining, injection molding, robotic painting and assembly, and other automated production processes capable of using digital information to produce a given product. In a POP providing such facilities, for example, a base product (potentially with one or more modifications) can be produced by a 3D printer and/or an injection molder. Such 3D printing/injection molding can use material of a certain color, texture, and so on, during or after which, various modifications can be made. Various customizations can then be implemented. Such customizations can include robotic painting of the customized product with designs, solid colors, patterns, and so on. For example, a printing process such as pad printing (also referred to as tampography) can be employed to transfer a two-dimensional (2D) image onto the three-dimensional (3D) object thus produced. Such printing can be accomplished using an indirect offset (gravure) printing process that involves an image being transferred from one surface (referred to as the cliché) via a silicone pad onto a substrate (e.g., the surface of the product). Such a technique can also be used to deposit functional materials such as conductive inks, adhesives, dyes and lubricants. As will be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, such a printing process is able to transfer an image from a planar surface (e.g., on which the image and/or functional material has been deposited) to a variety of surfaces, such as flat, cylindrical, spherical, compound angles, textures, concave, or convex surfaces, which can be particularly advantageous in situations in which the exact shape of the product&#39;s surface is not definitively known a priori (as can be the case in embodiments such as those described herein). In conjunction with the aforementioned multiple media printing process, the production and shipping/delivery of an item with an accompanying greeting card can be envisioned. 
       FIG. 9  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a server systems architecture for multiple printed/audio media, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. The server systems depicted in  FIG. 9  (server systems  900 ) illustrate server systems such as those of server systems  830 , in greater detail. Thus, for example, server systems  900  include a feature server  910 , a customization server  920 , a production server  930 , and a communications server  940 , among other such servers. Also included in server systems  900  are a web server  945  and a user information server  947 , which provide functionality such as that described earlier herein. 
     As before, with regard to feature server  880 , feature server  910  includes an image feature processing module  950  and an audio feature processing module  952 . Image feature processing module  950  provides functionality that enables users of feature production clients  810  (referred to herein as feature creators or authors) to create features of the aforementioned printer matter (e.g., the creation of one or more images, as well as the ability to print such images as part of the aforementioned printer matter). Similarly, in products supporting such functionality, audio feature processing module  952  provides functionality related to the generation of audio features for such printed matter. Examples of such image features and audio features include photographs, graphic art, music, spoken word, and other such images and audio content. Image feature processing module  950  can maintain such information digitally in an image feature database  954 , with which image feature processing module  950  communicates via a feature database interface module  956 . Similarly, audio feature processing module  952  can maintain digitized audio information in an audio feature database  958 , with which audio feature processing module  952  communicates via feature database interface module  956 . 
     In a manner comparable to that described earlier, customization server  920  includes an image customization processing module  960  and an audio customization processing module  962 . Image customization processing module  960  can implement customizations (in the form of digital customization information) that can be used in the production of the given printed matter, in order to customize the product produced (in this example, the printed matter). Such functionality can include modification of images provided for the product, the addition of images, and other such visual customizations. Image customization processing module  960  can maintain such digital information in an image customization database such as an image customization database  964  depicted in  FIG. 9 . Image customization processing module  960  maintains such digital information in image customization database  964  via a customization database interface module  966 . In similar fashion, audio customization processing module  962  supports customizations to audio content included in the product being produced as part of that product&#39;s production. Audio customizations can be maintained by audio customization processing module  962  in an audio customization database  968 , via customization database interface module  966 . Such audio customizations can include music, the recording of a sentiment by the user, spoken word content, and the like, as may be recorded and/or available in a digitized form. Such audio features can be included with the printed matter by way of, for example, a small electronic audio playback device that is a part of the physical item (e.g., an audio playback device such as that provided as part of a greeting card). 
     Production server  930 , in certain embodiments, integrates digital feature information from feature server  910  and digital customization information from customization server  920 , for provision to one or more production nodes that are to be tasked with the product&#39;s production. Such integration can, for example, be accomplished by applying one or more of the customizations to the digital information representing the product itself, or to one or more of the features thereof. Examples of such customizations and their integration include, for example, the addition of handwritten sentiments on printed matter, mixing of audio from authors and customers, selection of paper by the customer, and other such alternatives. 
     To accomplish such integration, production server  930  includes a number of components, including an image integration processing module  970  and an audio integration processing module  972 . Image integration processing module  970  integrates digital image information from feature server  910  and customization server  920 , while audio integration processing module  972  integrates digital audio information from feature server  910  and customization server  920 . Image integration processing module  970  and audio integration processing module  972  can maintain such integrated digital information in a production information database such as a production information database  974 , via a production database interface module  976 . Thus, for example, image integration processing module  970  can integrate digital feature information (e.g., a digital representation of an image that is to be printed on the printed matter (e.g., in a bitmap format)) and digital customization information (e.g., a digital representation of a handwritten sentiment to be printed on the printed matter (e.g., in a vector format)) into a file or other unit of digital storage. Similarly, audio integration processing module  972  can integrate digital feature information (e.g., a digital representation of an audio feature (e.g., music in MP3 format)) and digital customization information (e.g., spoken words in WAV format)) by performing a mixing operation (e.g., that results in single file or other unit of digital storage in WMA format). The digital information representing the product, including its various features, having been customized, can then be stored as a product description in production information database  974 . 
     Communications server  940 , in turn, includes a number of components that support the communication of such digital production information (i.e., product descriptions and their associated information) from one or more of server systems  900  to the selected one(s) of production nodes  850 . Communications server  940  thus includes a production message assembly module  980 , a location information database  982 , a criteria information database  984 , and a production node selection module  990 . In turn, production node selection module  990  includes a topology information acquisition module  992 , a production node identification module  994 , and a physical locations information module  996 . 
     As generally discussed earlier, communications server  940  and the components thereof provide facilities and associated mechanisms for the identification and selection of production nodes  850  to produce the product in question (here, the printed matter to be produced, for example). Components of production node selection module  990  that support such determinations include production node identification module  994 , which, in turn, employs topology information acquisition module  992  and physical locations information module  996 . Topology information acquisition module  992  provides production node identification module  994  with information regarding network topology, shipping area structure(s), and the like, in part by processing digital information maintained in location information database  982  (e.g., including information regarding physical locations (e.g., those of available production nodes, destination addresses/locations, and so on), network topology, shipping area structure(s), and other such information), as well as, potentially, information provided by user information server  947 . Physical locations information module  996  provides production node identification module  994  with information regarding the physical location of the product&#39;s ultimate destination (e.g., the physical address of the product&#39;s recipient), points-of-service (e.g., POS status, type, and so on), outages (e.g., POP status, network failures, shipping system outages, transportation problems, traffic conditions, and so on), delays (e.g., due to weather events, transportation problems, traffic conditions, and so on), and other factors, the physical location of which may affect the production nodes identified, by accessing location information database  982 , as well as, potentially, using information provided by user information server  947 . In this regard, it will be appreciated that, in a general sense, topology information acquisition module  992  and physical locations information module  996  can access information maintained by user information server  947 , as part of making such determinations. 
     In operation, production node selection module  990  selects one or more production nodes, for production of the products to be produced, from those identified by production node identification module  994 . Production node identification module  994  identifies such production nodes, in part, using information provided by topology information acquisition module  992  and physical locations information module  996 , as well as direct access to location information database  982 . To provide production node identification module  994  with the requisite information, topology information acquisition module  992  accesses location information database  982 , and physical locations information module  996  accesses location information database  982  and criteria information database  984 . 
     Topology information acquisition module  992  analyzes information from location information database  982  to determine network topology and shipping area structure(s). This analysis includes determinations as to network topology within a given logical or logistical distance of the destination (and more particularly, such distances with respect to potential points-of-service), overall network topology, the topology of the shipping area structure(s) involved (including physical distance and/or shipping/delivery distance), and other such topological factors. 
     Physical locations information module  996  analyzes information from location information database  982  and criteria information database  984  to identify, in view of such criteria, a set of one or more production nodes eligible for further analysis by production node identification module  994  in identifying the production nodes at which the product is to be produced. To this end, physical locations information module  996  analyzes information from location information database  982  that can include, for example, information regarding the geographic locations of destination(s), the locations of various points-of-service, shipping area structure(s), outages, delays, and other location-centric factors, among other such information. Physical locations information module  996  performs such analysis in view of information from criteria information maintained in criteria information database  984 , such as, for example, shipping/delivery time desired/needed for receipt of the product, the time desired/needed for a particular production node to produce the product, cost of production, environmental factors, and other such criteria. 
     Examples of processes that can be performed by topology information acquisition module  992  and production node identification module  994  to effect such identification and selection operations are discussed in greater detail in connection with  FIGS. 13A-F  and  14 A, subsequently. 
     Production node identification module  994  can also access location information in location information database  982  and criteria information in criteria information database  984  directly, in order to process information received from topology information acquisition module  992  and physical locations information module  996 . For example, production node identification module  994  can use criteria from criteria information in criteria information database  984  to rank the production nodes identified and point-of-service location information from location information database  982  to exclude points-of-service that fail to meet service requirements, and so on. 
     From the production nodes identified by production node identification module  994 , production node selection module  990  then selects the production node(s) at which the given product(s) is (are) to be produced. As with production node identification module  994 , production node selection module  990  can access information maintained in location information database  982  and criteria information in criteria information database  984  to make such selection(s). Further, production node selection module  990  may access user information maintained by user information server  947 . In so doing, production node selection  990  is able to select one or more production nodes that satisfy the given criteria. Such a determination can be based on, for example, the destination (e.g., the physical address of the recipient), the capabilities of the various potential production nodes, the shipping area structure(s) involved, the product to be produced and features thereof, and other such considerations. 
     Once the appropriate production node(s) are identified and selected, and the requisite product description(s) (here, digital image information and digital audio information (both for product features and customizations)) assembled, a production message is assembled by production message assembly module  980  (including, e.g., the product description for the customized product and its features), and is sent to the selected production node(s). 
     In view of the foregoing and as noted elsewhere herein, it will be appreciated that various ones of feature server  910 , customization server  920 , production server  930 , communications server  940 , web server  945 , and user information server  947 , and/or other servers that can make up server systems  900  (not shown), can be combined in various ways, as may be desired, and are simply shown as separate servers to simplify the description of such functions. Such is also the case for various ones of the databases of server systems  900 , including for example, feature database  954 , audio feature database  958 , customization database  964 , audio customization database  968 , production information database  974 , location information database  982 , criteria information database  984 , with the storage of their respective information combined in various ways, so as to provide fast, efficient, and easily understood operation, both for such databases themselves and the systems relying on such databases for needed information. 
     Example Processes for a Distributed Manufacturing System 
       FIG. 10  is a simplified flow diagram illustrating an example of operations performed in producing a product in a distributed manufacturing system, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. The process depicted in  FIG. 10  illustrates an example of a process for producing a product that can be implemented in an architecture such as distributed manufacturing system architecture  200  of  FIG. 2 . The process illustrated in  FIG. 10  begins with obtaining product information and recipient information ( 1000 ). Processes that can be performed to obtain product information include a process for the creation of a digital description of a product (e.g., as through the use of one or more feature production clients), a process for the creation of features of that product (e.g., again through the use of one or more feature production clients), and a process for the customization of such products and features (e.g., as through the use of one or more customization clients). With regard to the first two processes, such processes are supported by server systems  210  of  FIG. 2 , and more particularly, by a feature server such as feature server  260  by way of a web server such as web server  268 , in creating products and their features, which can then be customized by a user of such a customization client. To this end, and with regard to the last process noted, an example of a product customization process is described in greater detail in connection with  FIG. 11 , subsequently. When obtaining such product information, recipient information can also be obtained (e.g., by way of receipt from one or more customization clients, by retrieving recipient information from a user information server, or other such sources). 
     Once the requisite product information and recipient information have been obtained, such product information and recipient information are distributed to one or more production node(s) ( 1010 ). As will be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, such distribution includes the identification and selection of the production node(s) that are to receive such product information and recipient information, and so will be tasked with producing the product(s) in question. Examples of operations performed in the distribution of product information and recipient information are described in further detail in connection with  FIGS. 12, 13A -F,  14 A,  14 B, and  15 , subsequently. The requisite product information and recipient information having been distributed, the product(s) in question is (are) produced at the appropriate production node(s) ( 1020 ). Examples of operations performed in producing a product according to the methods and systems described herein are described in further detail in connection with  FIGS. 15, 16, and 17 , subsequently. 
       FIG. 11  is a simplified flow diagram illustrating an example of a product customization process, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. The process of  FIG. 11 , referred to as a product customization process  1100 , can be performed using one or more customization clients such as customization clients  230  of  FIG. 2 . As with the creation of products and product features, the process of product customization process  1100  can be supported by server systems  210  of  FIG. 2 , and more particularly, by a feature server such as feature server  260  by way of a web server such as web server  268 , in customizing products and their features. 
     Product customization process  1100  begins with a determination as to whether a new product is to be produced ( 1105 ). Until such time as a user (e.g., of one of customization clients  230 ) indicates that a new product is to be produced, product customization process  1100  loops. Upon receiving an indication that a new product is to be produced (e.g., by way of web server  268  and production server  262 , for example), product customization process  1100  receives the selection of the product to be produced ( 1110 ). Receipt of such selection can be included in communications regarding the customizations of the given product and/or its features, by way of an indication to produce a product that has already been customized, or by some other method. A determination is then made as to whether the feature in question that is to be customized will be based on digital customization information selected by the user or provided by the user ( 1115 ). 
     In the simpler case, a user (by way of a customization client such as customization client  230 ) is presented with some number of alternatives from which the user can select the desired feature and/or customizations thereto. In such a case, the selection(s) is (are) received from the customization client for the feature being customized at, for example, a customization server such as customization server  266  ( 1120 ). Alternatively, if a given feature is to be included/excluded or customized by way of user-provided customizations (e.g., as reflected in the given digital customization information), product customization process  1100  proceeds to the receipt of such user-provided customizations for the product/feature(s) being customized ( 1125 ). As before, a user of a customization client such as customization client  230 (N) provides such information by way of, for example, web server  268  and customization server  266 . As will be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, such inclusion/exclusion and customization is supported in customization client  230 (N), for example, by way of feature selection module  294  (allowing the user to include/exclude certain features), customization selection module  296  (allowing the user to select from a number of customizations presented by way of presentation module  292  and user interface module  290 ), and customization input module  298  (which supports the receipt, modification, management, and other manipulation of user-provided customizations). 
     A determination is then made as to whether additional features are to be configured ( 1130 ). As will be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, the features of a given product that might be customized according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein will vary by product and feature. Further, such alternatives can be affected by the capabilities available in the productions node(s) subsequently selected, highlighting the potential for interplay between customizations and the production nodes capable of implementing such customizations. If further features remain to be customized, the process loops to the receipt of such customizations ( 1130 ). Once the desired customizations have been implemented according to product customization process  1100 , the request for the production of the product is sent ( 1135 ). Such a request can include, for example, identification of the product to be produced, features to be included, customizations to be made in the production of the product, and/or associated content for use in the production of the product (e.g., audio content). Product customization process  1100  then concludes. 
       FIG. 12  is a simplified flow diagram illustrating an example of a production communications process, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein.  FIG. 12  thus illustrates a production communications process  1200 . Production communications process  1200  can be effected by way of a communications server such as communications server  270  of  FIG. 2 , in conjunction with production server  262  (and so, in further conjunction with feature server  260  and customization server  266 ). 
     Production communications process  1200  begins with a determination as to whether a request (for the production of a given product) has been received ( 1205 ). While no such requests have been received, production communications process  1200  loops. Upon receipt of a production request, recipient information is retrieved ( 1210 ). Recipient information can be retrieved from the request itself, from information maintained by a user information server such as user information server  264 , or from some other source, as may be indicated in the request or other associated information. Product information (e.g., digital product description information such as digital feature information, digital customization information, and the like) is retrieved as part of production communications process  1200  ( 1215 ). Such product information can be retrieved, for example, from a production server such as production server  262 . Once the requisite product information and recipient information have been retrieved, a determination is made as to which of the production nodes (e.g., production nodes  240 ) the information will be sent ( 1225 ). The process of identifying and selecting the production node(s) to be selected is described in greater detail in connection with  FIGS. 13A, 13B, and 13C , subsequently. 
     Having retrieved the requisite product information and recipient information, as well as having selected the production node(s) at which the product(s) is (are) to be produced, a production request reflecting such information is sent to the production node(s) thus selected ( 1230 ). A determination is then made as to whether receipt of the production request by the given production node(s) has been received ( 1235 ). If such receipt is not confirmed, another attempt is made to send the production request to the production node(s) selected. Otherwise, receipt having been confirmed by the selected production node(s), a determination is made as to whether production of the product was successful ( 1240 ). If an indication is received that production was not successful, a determination is made as to whether the sending of the production request should be retried ( 1245 ). As before, if the production request is to be resent, production communications process  1200  resends the production request to the production node(s) in question ( 1230 ). Otherwise, if production was successful ( 1240 ) or another attempt to send the production request is not to be made ( 1245 ), the process concludes. 
       FIG. 13A  is a simplified flow diagram illustrating an example of a production node selection process, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein.  FIG. 13A  thus illustrates a production node selection process  1300 , which can be performed, for example, by a production node selection module such as production node selection module  990  of  FIG. 9 . 
     Production node selection process  1300  begins with a determination as to the physical location of the destination of the product(s) to be produced (e.g., the physical address of the recipient) ( 1310 ). Factors for use in an initial level of screening are then determined (e.g., by a production node selection module, in certain embodiments) ( 1315 ). Such factors can, for example, be one or more of the factors discussed elsewhere herein. For example, such screening factors can be used to eliminate POPs from consideration based on geographic location, POS characteristics (e.g., shipping services available at such POSs), POP characteristics (e.g., the ability to perform 3D printing), and/or other such considerations. In so doing, such screening can provide improved performance (e.g., speed and efficiency) in the process of selection and identification of POPs by reducing the number of POPs/POSs needing to be examined in subsequent operations (and potentially, obviating the need to perform such subsequent operations). Such screening and the physical location of the product&#39;s destination having been determined (e.g., by the production node selection module&#39;s topology information acquisition module and physical locations information module), one or more POPs/POSs are identified based on the aforementioned screening factors (e.g., by the production node selection module&#39;s production node identification module) ( 1320 ). 
     As will be further understood in light of the present disclosure, the identification of product node(s) by such a screening process can be affected, in certain embodiments by one or more other criteria, such as can be maintained in a criteria information database. Production criteria can also include the product, features of product, and/or customizations thereto, among other such criteria. As noted, identification and selection of production nodes can take into account that certain production nodes may make better customizations, some may not support customization (or at least, a given customization), others may support special customizations, and other such permutations. 
     Based on the initial screening, a determination can then be made as to whether such identification has resulted in the identification of multiple production nodes ( 1330 ). At this juncture, it will be appreciated that production node identification can be performed by a production node identification module such as production node identification module  994  of  FIG. 9 , which, in turn, employs functionalities provided by topology information acquisition module  982  and physical locations information module  996  in accessing location information database  982  and criteria information database  984 , and processing the digital information retrieved therefrom. 
     In the case in which only a single node has been identified (a determination that can include the use of one or more criteria, such as the production node&#39;s capabilities), information regarding the production of the product(s) (identified in the earlier-received production request) is sent to the selected production node. To this end, an indication is made to this effect ( 1335 ). Production node selection process  1300  then concludes. 
     In the case in which multiple production nodes are identified, a determination is made as to the applicable production criteria to be employed ( 1340 ). In the case in which no production criteria have been identified by the communications server (and more particularly, the production node identification module), the production node selection module can use some manner of default selection criteria to narrow the results down to a single production node (or a set of desirable production nodes), at which the desired product(s) will be produced. To this end, an indication is made to this effect ( 1335 ). Production node selection process  1300  then concludes. 
     In the case in which production criteria are available, a determination is made as to those production criteria and their use ( 1345 ). As noted elsewhere herein, such production criteria can include a wide variety of constraints and parameters, such as, for example, shipping/delivery time desired/needed for receipt of the product, the time desired/needed for a particular production node to produce the product, cost of production, environmental factors, the destination (e.g., the physical address of the recipient), the capabilities of the various potential production nodes, the shipping area structure(s) involved, the product to be produced and features thereof, and other such considerations. Further, in addition (or as an alternative) to taking into account such present factors, historical information regarding one or more such factors can be observed and maintained, and used to make the aforementioned determinations. One alternative in this regard is the use of a given POP&#39;s historical performance as a selection factor. Based on such production criteria, one or more production nodes that satisfy the given criteria are selected from the available production nodes identified, based on the given production criteria ( 1347 ). To this end, an indication is made to this effect ( 1335 ). Production node selection process  1300  then concludes. 
       FIG. 13B  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a shipping area structure, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein.  FIG. 13B  thus depicts a shipping area structure  1350 , as an example of a structure that can be used in the definition of shipping zones and sub-zones, which represents constraints placed on shipments made within a shipping super-region  1352 . As noted below, the structure of shipping area structure  1350  will typically correspond loosely, at the lowest level, to the geography of the physical area represented. However, the overall structure of shipping area structure  1350  is conceptual in nature, and represents, at least in part, decisions made as to the logistical constraints to be enforced in ensuring the fast, effective, and efficient shipping of articles from one location to another. Factors affecting the size and shape of the divisions and subdivisions of shipping area structure  1350  will vary from application to application, and can reflect factors such as fuel cost, emissions, speed of delivery, number and flow of parcels, available infrastructure, applicable governmental divisions/subdivisions, and other such considerations. 
     In the example presented in  FIG. 13B , shipping super-region  1352  includes a number of shipping regions (depicted in  FIG. 13B  as shipping regions  1355 ( 1 )-( 5 )), which are further divided into shipping districts (depicted in  FIG. 13B  as shipping districts  1357 ( 1 )-( 9 )). As depicted in  FIG. 13B , then, shipping region  1355 ( 1 ) includes shipping districts  1357 ( 1 )-( 2 ); shipping region  1355 ( 2 ) includes shipping districts  1357 ( 3 )-( 5 ); shipping region  1355 ( 3 ) includes shipping districts  1357 ( 6 )-( 8 ); and shipping region  1355 ( 4 ) includes shipping districts  1357 ( 9 ), for example. As will be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, each such shipping region can be divided into one or more shipping districts. Within each shipping district are one or more shipping areas (e.g., as depicted in  FIG. 13B  as shipping area  1358  (within shipping district  1357 ( 7 )) and shipping area  1359  (within shipping district  1357 ( 9 )). 
     Also depicted in  FIG. 13B  is a destination location  1360  (e.g., the physical address of the product&#39;s intended recipient). With respect to provision of the desired product, a number of points-of-service (POSs; depicted in  FIG. 13B  as POSs  1365 ( 1 )-( 3 )) are depicted, at which corresponding points-of-production (POPs; depicted in  FIG. 13B  as POPs  1366 ( 1 )-( 4 )) are situated. In the manner discussed in connection with  FIG. 8 , POSs  1365 ( 1 )-( 3 ) can, in various embodiments, be shipping locations, delivery locations, manufacturing locations, retail locations, or other locations at which production of a product may be advantageous. 
     As will be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, the shipping regions, shipping districts, and shipping areas of shipping super-region  1352  serve to identify groups of destinations with greater and greater specificity. Thus, items shipped between shipping regions must go to a super-regional distribution center (not shown) for distribution. Similarly, items shipped from a shipping district to another must go through a regional distribution center (not shown), and an item shipped between shipping areas must go through district-level distribution centers (not shown). 
     Thus, shipping area structure  1350  can be viewed as giving rise to a hierarchical structure (e.g., in the manner of  FIG. 13C , subsequently), where articles sent within a given shipping area are conveyed within that shipping area, while articles destined for a different shipping area are sent through inter-area distribution sites. If the shipping areas of the origin and destination are in different shipping districts, then not only will the article in question transit the inter-area distribution sites for both the origin and destination, but will also need to pass through an inter-district distribution site. Further still, if the two districts are in different shipping regions, the article will not only be forced to transit the appropriate inter-district distribution sites, but will also need to pass through an inter-regional distribution site. Such a hierarchical structure allows for large numbers of articles to flow through such a structure, while maintaining as much locality as is reasonably possible, in view of the fact that an article originating at one location may, in fact, be destined for any other location within the given shipping area structure. 
     Unfortunately, in such a system, it is possible for an article&#39;s origin and destination to be physically close to one another, while being distant from one another in a logistical sense, as a result of being on different sides of an inter-regional boundary, for example. In such a scenario, while it might seem advantageous to ship from a location physically closest to the destination, the selection of such a shipping location may, in fact, cause the shipment to transit several layers of the aforementioned hierarchy of such a system. In fact, any time an article being shipped must cross an additional such boundary, the time and handling involved increases, at least as a result of the need for such articles to transit the corresponding distribution center. An example of such a situation is described below, in connection with POP  1365 ( 3 )/POS 1366 ( 3 ) and destination  1360 . 
     However, methods and systems such as those described herein can avoid the delays and inefficiencies produced by such scenarios. By including such considerations in the analysis performed in selecting one or more production nodes, such methods and systems can reduce (or even eliminate) the need for trans-shipments and other handling of the products produced, and so, speed the shipping of the product to its intended destination. That being the case, depending on the structure of shipping area structure  1350 , identification and selection of production nodes can be affected by such structures, and so may not always follow an intuitive process. 
     In the example depicted in  FIG. 13B , assuming a loose correspondence to geographical relationships, it will be appreciated that POS  1365 ( 3 ) (and so POP  1366 ( 3 )) are physically closer to destination location  1360 . However, POS  1365 ( 1 ) (and so POP  1366 ( 1 )), while at a greater physical distance, is logically closer (from a network standpoint) and/or logistically closer (from the perspective of the parcel or other shipping service involved) because items shipped therefrom are shipped from within shipping area  1358  (from POS  1365 ( 1 ), in fact). Even in the case of POS  1365 ( 2 ) (and so POP  1366 ( 2 )), an item produced by POP  1366 ( 2 ) only need to go to the district distribution center (not shown) for shipping district  1357 ( 7 ). For an item produced by POP  1366 ( 3 ), however, the item would need to be shipped from POS  1365 ( 3 ), through the district distribution center for shipping district  1357 ( 9 ), through the regional distribution center for shipping region  1355 ( 4 ), through the super-regional distribution center, through the regional distribution center for shipping region  1355 ( 3 ), through the district distribution center for shipping district  1357 ( 7 ), and to POS  1365 ( 1 ) in shipping area  1358 . Clearly, the fact of POS  1365 ( 3 ) (and so POP  1366 ( 3 )) physical proximity to the destination location does not necessarily make POP  1366 ( 3 ) an optimal production location for speed or efficiency in the shipping and delivery of the item in question. Thus, in such scenarios, the implications of shipping area structures such as shipping area structure  1350  need to be taken into account. That said, additional factors (e.g., outages, POP capabilities, and so on) may need to be considered. 
     Further, the ability to produce one or more products at not only points-of-service, but also at one or more of the various distribution centers provides additional alternatives heretofore unavailable. For example, with respect to bulk shipments, a manufacturer is presently forced to produce a large number of items at a manufacturing location and subsequently ship those items to a large number of destinations (thereby involving a large number of paths through the shipping system, with varying degrees of complication (e.g., inter-regional, inter-district, and inter-area shipping and distribution)). Using methods and systems such as those described herein, such a manufacturer can produce single items (or a small number of items) at each of a large number of POSs that are advantageously located (e.g., in terms of factors such as those mentioned earlier), and so provide the aforementioned benefits. 
     Further still, customers and manufacturers alike can use methods and systems such as those described herein to produce products at locations advantageous beyond considerations related solely to shipping. When considering points-of-service, not only should shipping considerations be considered, but also considerations related to the production and shipping of goods along with which such products might be shipped. For example, in the case of printed matter, if such printed matter is to be shipped with other goods, the point-of-service may in fact be the location at which such goods are manufactured, the location at which such goods are shipped, or some other advantageous location with respect to the goods in question. As a more specific example, the production of a greeting card (that includes the desired sentiment, in the manner of the earlier example in this regard) could be produced at the point at which an electronic commerce provider packages other goods for shipment to the recipient. By allowing the customer to select and purchase such goods, while also being able to select a greeting card and include a handwritten sentiment therein, methods and systems such as those described herein allow such a customer to send a gift and accompanying greeting card, for example, by wholly electronic means. 
     In fact, it can be desirable to produce such items not for shipping, but instead for delivery by a public delivery service (e.g., a local courier), a dedicated/captive delivery service, or the like. For example, returning to  FIG. 13B , POP  1366 ( 4 ) is located at a point-of-delivery (POD)  1368  (which, in fact, can simply be a physical location at which the POP in question (here, POP  1366 ( 4 )) is located. A product produced by POP  1366 ( 4 ) at POD  1368  is then available for delivery by, for example, a local courier. 
       FIG. 13C  is a simplified flow diagram illustrating an example of a shipping area structure, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. In  FIG. 13C , the logical hierarchy of shipping area structure  1350  of  FIG. 13B  is more evident, and the aforementioned issues (e.g., as relate to the shipping of products to distribution centers when a product&#39;s production and destination are in different areas, and the additional delays and handling involved every time such a product crosses such boundaries) can be seen in greater relief. As can be seen in  FIG. 13C , while the physical distance between POS  1365 ( 3 ) and destination  1360  (depicted in  FIG. 13C  as a physical distance  1369 A) is less than the physical distance between POS  1365 ( 1 ) and destination  1360  (depicted in  FIG. 13C  as a physical distance  1369 B), the logistical distance between these locations is very different. In this regard, it will be appreciated from  FIG. 13C  that, while a product produced by POP  1366 ( 3 ) is produced at POS  1365 ( 3 ) (a location that is physically closer to destination  1360 ), its logistical route through shipping area structure  1350  is decidedly more circuitous than such a product produced at POS  1365 ( 1 ) by POS  1366 ( 1 ), despite distance  1369 B being significantly greater than distance  1369 A. This is because POS  1365 ( 1 ), being within shipping area  1358 , can ship a product to destination  1360  simply by shipping the product via a district distribution center for shipping area  1358 . By contrast, a product produced at POS  1365 ( 3 ) must transit through distribution centers for  1359 ,  1357 ( 9 ),  1355 ( 4 ),  1352 ,  1355 ( 3 ),  1357 ( 8 ), and  1358 , clearly significant in terms of logistical distances (and, as a result, the physical distance such a product would travel in shipping). That said, for a product produced at POD  1368  by POP  1366 ( 4 ), while the physical distance between POD  1368  and destination  1360  (depicted in  FIG. 13C  as a physical distance  1369 C) is greater than physical distance  1369 A, physical distance  1369 C is less than physical distance  1369 B, and can be more direct in logistical terms than either distance. 
       FIGS. 13D, 13E, and 13F  illustrate a simplified flow diagram depicting an example of a production node identification process, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. In the example presented, such a process (depicted in  FIGS. 13D, 13E, and 13F  as a POS identification process  1370 ) takes account of the hierarchical nature of a shipping area structure such as shipping area structure  1350 . As such, POS identification process  1370  starts with POPs (and so, POSs) that involve the least steps between production and delivery of the product, and works out towards POPs (POSs) that progressively involve greater demands with respect to shipping, albeit in view of factors such as outages, POP capabilities, and so on. As noted, an appreciation of how the product will need to be handled, criteria provided by the party wishing to send the product (the sender), and other such constraints are considered in a process such as POS identification process  1370 . In the example presented with regard to  FIGS. 13D, 13E, and 13F , the rejection of one POP/POS or another on such bases is not shown, for the sake of clarity and brevity. 
     POS identification process  1370  thus begins with a determination as to the shipping area, district, and region of destination of the product being produced and shipped ( 1372 ). Next, information regarding the POP(s) in the POS(s) in the shipping area of the destination is retrieved (e.g., from databases such as location information database  982 , by components such as topology information acquisition module  992  and physical locations information module  996  of production node selection module  990 , as depicted in  FIG. 9 ) ( 1373 ). One of these POPs is then selected for analysis ( 1374 ). Notwithstanding the foregoing, as with other processes described herein, the operations above are presented in a particular order. It will be appreciated that such order is not mandatory, and, in fact, certain of these operations can be performed in parallel with one another, and/or in another order, to the same effect. 
     A determination is then made with regard to, for example, the criteria to be applied (e.g., as might be retrieved from a criteria information database such as criteria information database  984  of  FIG. 9 ) ( 1375 ). An analysis of the POP in question is then performed, and a determination made as to whether this POP meets the applicable criteria ( 1376 ). In this regard, such criteria facilitate consideration of a number of criteria, including, but not limited to, one or more of the POP&#39;s production capabilities, the service provider network(s) to be considered (e.g., one or more of USPS, UPS, FEDEX, and/or other services), the cost of shipping/delivery from the given POP, the resulting carbon footprint/energy costs, bulk shipping considerations (e.g., shipping in bulk from a distribution center may be advantageous), the desired time to deliver the product, ancillary shipping services (e.g., signature requirement, return receipt, and so on). As will be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, methods and systems such as those described herein can also analyze such criteria in combination (e.g., making determinations across multiple carriers, such as considering USPS, FEDEX, UPS, AIRBORNE, DHL, and/or other services when attempting to identify the least expensive manner of shipping). Such considerations, and their many permutations, can result in the need for complex, considered analysis. 
     If the selected POP&#39;s characteristics meet the criteria being applied, information identifying the POP (and the POS in which the POP is situated) are added to a list (or other structure) in which such information is maintained, such that the selection process is able to select from those POPs/POSs listed ( 1377 ). Otherwise, one or more other POPs can be analyzed. 
     To this end, a determination is then made as to whether additional POPs remain to be analyzed ( 1378 ). If so, POS identification process  1370  selects the next POP for analysis ( 1374 ). Otherwise, a determination is made as to whether any POPs meeting the applicable criteria were identified ( 1379 ). If so, an indication is provided that one or more POPs/POSs were identified, as well as information regarding the POP(s)/POS(s) ( 1380 ). POS identification process  1370  then concludes. 
     Alternatively, if none (or an insufficient number) of the POPs analyzed meet the applicable criteria, POS identification process  1370  proceeds to the retrieval of information regarding the POP(s) in the POS(s) in the shipping district of the destination ( 1382 , in  FIG. 13E ). From the group of POPs in the shipping district of the destination, a POP is selected for analysis ( 1383 ). As will be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, because the POPs in the destination&#39;s shipping area have already been considered (and, at least potentially, analyzed), there is typically no need to reconsider the POPs in the destination&#39;s shipping area. 
     As before, a determination is made with regard to, for example, the criteria to be applied (e.g., as might be retrieved from a criteria information database such as criteria information database  984  of  FIG. 9 ), in determining whether the characteristics of the selected POP meet the given criteria ( 1384  and  1385 ). If the selected POP&#39;s characteristics meet the criteria being applied, information identifying the POP (and the POS in which the POP is situated) are added to a list (or other structure) in which such information is maintained, such that the selection process is able to select from those POPs/POSs listed ( 1386 ). 
     A determination is then made as to whether additional POPs in the destination&#39;s shipping district remain to be analyzed ( 1387 ). If so, POS identification process  1370  selects the next POP for analysis ( 1383 ). Otherwise, a determination is made as to whether any POPs meeting the applicable criteria were identified ( 1388 ). If so, an indication is provided that one or more POPs/POSs were identified, as well as information regarding the POP(s)/POS(s) ( 1380 , in  FIG. 13D ). POS identification process  1370  then concludes. 
     Alternatively, if none (or an insufficient number) of the POPs analyzed to this point meet the applicable criteria, POS identification process  1370  proceeds to the retrieval of information regarding the POP(s) in the POS(s) in the shipping region of the destination ( 1390 , in  FIG. 13F ). From the group of POPs in the shipping region of the destination, a POP is selected for analysis ( 1391 ). As will be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, because the POPs in the destination&#39;s shipping district have already been considered (and, at least potentially, analyzed), there is typically no need to reconsider the POPs in the destination&#39;s shipping district. 
     As before, a determination is made with regard to, for example, the criteria to be applied (e.g., as might be retrieved from a criteria information database such as criteria information database  984  of  FIG. 9 ), in determining whether the characteristics of the selected POP meet the given criteria ( 1392  and  1393 ). If the selected POP&#39;s characteristics meet the criteria being applied, information identifying the POP (and the POS in which the POP is situated) are added to a list (or other structure) in which such information is maintained, such that the selection process is able to select from those POPs/POSs listed ( 1394 ). 
     A determination is then made as to whether additional POPs in the destination&#39;s shipping district remain to be analyzed ( 1395 ). If so, POS identification process  1370  selects the next POP for analysis ( 1391 ). Otherwise, a determination is made as to whether any POPs meeting the applicable criteria were identified ( 1396 ). If so, an indication is provided that one or more POPs/POSs were identified, as well as information regarding the POP(s)/POS(s) ( 1380 , in  FIG. 13D ). POS identification process  1370  then concludes. 
     Alternatively, if none (or an insufficient number) of the POPs analyzed to this point meet the applicable criteria, POS identification process  1370  proceeds to a determination as to whether POPs in other regions within the super-region should be analyzed ( 1397 ). If other regions within the super-region remain to be analyzed, the next such region is selected ( 1397 ), and POS identification process  1370  proceeds to select a POP therein ( 1391 ). As before, if one or more POPs/POSs (or a sufficient number thereof) were identified, POS identification process  1370  makes the appropriate indication (again, by proceeding to  1380 , in  FIG. 13D ). Otherwise, no (or an insufficient number of) POPs were identified as a result of performing POS identification process  1370 . That being the case, an indication to that effect is provided ( 1399 ). POS identification process  1370  then concludes. 
       FIG. 14A  is a simplified flow diagram illustrating an example of a desirability determination process, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. As in the examples described in connection with  FIGS. 13B and 13C , a distance between a given production node and destination can be viewed in terms of a number of measures. For example, as noted, physical distance and logistical distances can be meaningful metrics. As also noted, other metrics can affect the decision of where a given product will be produced. Other such considerations can include special shipping arrangements (on a per-distribution center basis, by carrier, the use of multiple carriers, bulk rates, and the like), carbon footprint of the shipping method (e.g., individual delivery by vehicle, bulk delivery by ground transport, shipping by air, and so on), cost, the time involved in shipping/delivery, inventory of materials on hand, and other such factors. With regard to such considerations, a process for determining the overall desirability of a given production node relative to the intended destination can be determined. 
       FIG. 14A  thus depicts a desirability determination process  1400 . Desirability determination process  1400  begins with a determination as to the metric(s) to be used in analyzing one or more production nodes under consideration. It will be appreciated that the production node(s) under consideration can include all such production nodes, or some subset thereof ( 1405 ). For example, such analysis can be limited to only those production nodes in a given country, state, province, geographical area, or other such subdivision. Further, in a situation where certain items might be affected, laws of various jurisdictions in which the product might be produced can also be considered. 
     The metrics with which the POSs are to be analyzed having been selected, a POS is selected from the potential POSs ( 1410 ). One of the metrics is then selected ( 1415 ). The selected POS is then analyzed with respect to the selected metric ( 1420 ). Desirability determination process  1400  maintains a score for each POS analyzed, with regard to the metrics against which each such POS is analyzed. Thus, once the selected POS is analyzed with respect to the selected metric, its score for that selected metric is updated, based on the analysis ( 1425 ). A determination is then made as to whether the selected POS has been analyzed for the metric(s) in question ( 1430 ). If the selected POS still needs to be analyzed with respect to one or more metrics, desirability determination process  1400  loops to selection of the next metric ( 1415 ). Alternatively, if the selected POS has been analyzed with respect to the desired metrics, a determination is made as to whether further POSs remain to be analyzed ( 1435 ). If further POSs remain to be analyzed, desirability determination process  1400  loops to selection of the next POS ( 1410 ). Alternatively, if the POSs in question have all been analyzed, desirability determination process  1400  proceeds to the ranking of the POSs analyzed by their score ( 1440 ). A POS can then be selected for production of product based on the rankings ( 1445 ). Desirability determination process  1400  then concludes 
       FIG. 14B  is a simplified flow diagram illustrating an example of a production process, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein.  FIG. 14B  thus illustrates a production process  1450 . Production process  1450  begins with a determination as to whether a production request has been received at the given production node ( 1460 ). A process for obtaining the physical destination (e.g., the physical address for the recipient) of the product being produced is then performed ( 1465 ). As will be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, such information can be contained in the request, or can be obtained by some other method. An example of a process for obtaining a physical destination is described in greater detail in connection with  FIG. 15 , subsequently. 
     A process for obtaining product component information is then performed ( 1470 ). An example of a process for obtaining product component information is presented in connection with  FIG. 16 , subsequently. Having received the requisite product component information (as well as recipient address information), production process  1450  then performs a process for the production of the product using the product component information thus received ( 1475 ). An example of product production using product component information is described in greater detail in connection with  FIG. 17 , subsequently. 
     The desired product having been produced, the product is transferred to a service provider at the point-of-service (POS) ( 1480 ). Further, at this juncture, the product having been produced can be tagged, or associated with a tag, at the point of production, in order to allow for identification as being associated with a particular order. The production node in question then makes a determination as to whether or not to await further production requests ( 1485 ). Such a determination might be made, for example, in a situation where production materials might be needed to replenish stores thereof at the production node, based on the need for maintenance of the production node, and as a result of other such considerations. If the production node will not await further production requests, the process concludes. If the production node will return to awaiting further production requests, production process  1450  loops and awaits such further production requests ( 1475 ). 
       FIG. 15  is a simplified flow diagram illustrating an example of a process for determining the destination (e.g., the address of a recipient) of a product to be produced, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein. Destination determination process  1500  begins with a determination as to whether the destination (in this example, the given recipient&#39;s address) is in the request received ( 1505 ). If the recipient address is in the request received, the recipient address is extracted from the request ( 1510 ). The now-extracted recipient address is then provided (e.g., to a production node selection module) ( 1520 ). The process then concludes. 
     In the case in which the recipient&#39;s address is not included in the request, a determination is made as to whether an address identifier is included in the request received ( 1530 ). Such an address identifier can be used to simplify a user&#39;s interactions with a customization client, to reduce the communications bandwidth consumed in conveying such information, and for other such reasons. Recipient address information, address identifiers, and the like can be maintained, for example, in a user information database of a user information server. In the case in which an address identifier for the recipient&#39;s address is included in the request, the recipient address identifier in question can be extracted from the request ( 1540 ), and the recipient address obtained using the recipient address identifier ( 1550 ). Such retrieval can be performed using, as noted, such a recipient address identifier by using the identifier to retrieve the recipient&#39;s address from a user information database. 
     Having thus obtained the recipient address, the recipient address is provided to the production node, for use in the delivery of the product produced ( 1520 ). The process then concludes. In the alternative, if the recipient address cannot be determined ( 1500  and  1530 ), an indication is made that no recipient address has been provided ( 1560 ). Alternatively, such a situation could simply be the result of an error, in which case the service provider could contact the sender and/or the production node would not confirm production of the product, among other such possibilities. In any event, the process then concludes. 
       FIG. 16  is a simplified flow diagram illustrating an example of a production component process, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein.  FIG. 16  thus illustrates a production component process  1600 . As will be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, product components comprehend products, portions of product, features of products, and customizations to one or more of the foregoing, and so can be treated as being in a form ready for production thereof. To that end, product component process  1600  begins with the identification of a given one of a product&#39;s product components ( 1610 ). A determination is then made as to whether information regarding the product component (product component information) can be found in the production request ( 1620 ). If the product component information is included in the production request, the production node extracts such product component information from the production request ( 1630 ). A determination is then made as to whether additional product components remain to be obtained ( 1640 ). So long as product components remain, product component process  1600  loops to the identification of the next product component ( 1610 ). 
     Alternatively, if the requisite product component information is not in the production request, a determination is then made as to whether a product component identifier is in the production request ( 1650 ). If a product component identifier is in the production request, the product component identifier is extracted from the production request ( 1660 ). As before, a determination is then made as to whether additional product components remain to be processed ( 1640 ). In the case in which the information for further production components remains to be processed, product component process  1600  loops to the identification of the next product component ( 1610 ). 
     In the case in which product component information is not included in the production request, nor is a product component identifier, the production node performing product component process  1600  can employ default product component information for the product component in question ( 1670 ). Such a default action can be examining information in a user information database or the like, for example. As before, a determination is made as to whether product component information for additional product components remains to be processed ( 1640 ). Also as before, if such additional product components remain, the process loops to the identification of the next product components ( 1610 ). Alternatively, if no further product components remain (a possibility in any of the three flow paths depicted as part of product component process  1600 ), product component process  1600  proceeds to the assembly of product components in a form appropriate to the production of the given product ( 1680 ). The process then concludes. 
       FIG. 17  is a simplified flow diagram illustrating an example of a production process, according to methods and systems such as those disclosed herein.  FIG. 17  thus illustrates a production process  1700 . Production process  1700  results in the production of the given product using the product component information obtained in product component process  1600 . Production process  1700  begins with a selection of the base product to be produced ( 1710 ). A product component of the product being produced is then selected for processing ( 1720 ). Product component information for the selected product is then retrieved ( 1730 ). Product production operations are then performed with the selected product component using the product component information thus retrieved ( 1740 ). A determination is then made as to whether additional product components remain to be processed ( 1750 ). In the case in which additional product components are to be processed as part of the production of the given product, production process  1700  loops to the selection of the next product component for processing ( 1720 ). Once the requisite product components have been processed, the product in question will have been produced, and will be ready for transfer to the service provider. The process thus concludes. 
     As will be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, processes such as those described above are merely exemplary in nature, and the aforementioned alternatives, as well as others, will be apparent in light of the present disclosure, and are intended to come within the scope thereof. 
     An Example Computing and Network Environment 
     As shown above, the systems described herein can be implemented using a variety of computer systems and networks. Examples of such computing and network environments are described below with reference to  FIGS. 18 and 19 . 
       FIG. 18  depicts a block diagram of a computer system  1810  suitable for implementing aspects of the systems described herein, and the like. Computer system  1810  includes a bus  1812  which interconnects major subsystems of computer system  1810 , such as a central processor  1814 , a system memory  1817  (typically RAM, but which may also include ROM, flash RAM, or the like), an input/output controller  1818 , an external audio device, such as a speaker system  1820  via an audio output interface  1822 , an external device, such as a display screen  1824  via display adapter  1826 , serial ports  1828  and  1830 , a keyboard  1832  (interfaced with a keyboard controller  1833 ), a storage interface  1834 , a floppy disk drive  1837  operative to receive a floppy disk  1838 , a host bus adapter (HBA) interface card  1835 A operative to connect with a Fibre Channel network  1890 , a host bus adapter (HBA) interface card  1835 B operative to connect to a SCSI bus  1839 , and an optical disk drive  1840  operative to receive an optical disk  1842 . Also included are a mouse  1846  (or other point-and-click device, coupled to bus  1812  via serial port  1828 ), a modem  1847  (coupled to bus  1812  via serial port  1830 ), and a network interface  1848  (coupled directly to bus  1812 ). 
     Bus  1812  allows data communication between central processor  1814  and system memory  1817 , which may include read-only memory (ROM) or flash memory (neither shown), and random access memory (RAM) (not shown), as previously noted. RAM is generally the main memory into which the operating system and application programs are loaded. The ROM or flash memory can contain, among other code, the Basic Input-Output System (BIOS) which controls basic hardware operation such as the interaction with peripheral components. Applications resident with computer system  1810  are generally stored on and accessed from a computer-readable storage medium, such as a hard disk drive (e.g., fixed disk  1844 ), an optical drive (e.g., optical drive  1840 ), a floppy disk unit  1837 , or other computer-readable storage medium. 
     Storage interface  1834 , as with the other storage interfaces of computer system  1810 , can connect to a standard computer-readable medium for storage and/or retrieval of information, such as a fixed disk drive  1844 . Fixed disk drive  1844  may be a part of computer system  1810  or may be separate and accessed through other interface systems. Modem  1847  may provide a direct connection to a remote server via a telephone link or to the Internet via an internet service provider (ISP). Network interface  1848  may provide a direct connection to a remote server via a direct network link to the Internet via a point of presence. Network interface  1848  may provide such connection using wireless techniques, including digital cellular telephone connection, Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) connection, digital satellite data connection or the like. 
     Many other devices or subsystems (not shown) may be connected in a similar manner (e.g., document scanners, digital cameras and so on). Conversely, all of the devices shown in  FIG. 18  need not be present to practice the systems described herein. The devices and subsystems can be interconnected in different ways from that shown in  FIG. 18 . The operation of a computer system such as that shown in  FIG. 18  is readily known in the art and is not discussed in detail in this application. Code to implement the modules of the systems described herein can be stored in computer-readable storage media such as one or more of system memory  1817 , fixed disk  1844 , optical disk  1842 , or floppy disk  1838 . The operating system provided on computer system  1810  may be MS-WINDOWS®, UNIX®, Linux®, or other operating system. 
     Further, and as will be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, each of the operations described herein may be executed by a module (e.g., a software module) or a portion of a module, or a computer system user. Thus, the above-described method, the operations thereof and modules therefor may be executed on a computer system configured to execute the operations of the method and/or may be executed from computer-readable storage media. The method may be embodied in a machine-readable and/or computer-readable storage medium for configuring a computer system to execute the method. Thus, the software modules may be stored within and/or transmitted to a computer system memory to configure the computer system to perform the functions of the module. 
     The software modules described herein may be received by a computer system, for example, from computer-readable storage media. Such computer readable storage media may be permanently, removably or remotely coupled to the computer system. Computer-readable storage media may non-exclusively include, for example, any number of the following: magnetic storage media (including disk and tape storage media); optical storage media such as compact disk media (e.g., CD ROM, CD R, etc.) and digital video disk storage media; nonvolatile memory storage memory including semiconductor-based memory units such as FLASH memory, EEPROM, EPROM, ROM or application specific integrated circuits; and volatile storage media (including registers, buffers or caches, main memory, RAM, etc.). In a UNIX-based embodiment, the software modules may be embodied in a file, which may be a device, a terminal, a local or remote file, a socket, or other such element. Other new and various types of computer-readable storage media may also be used to store the software modules discussed herein. 
     Many other devices or subsystems (not shown) may be connected in a similar manner (e.g., bar code readers, document scanners, digital cameras and so on). Conversely, it is not necessary for all of the devices shown in  FIG. 18  to be present to practice the present invention. The devices and subsystems may be interconnected in different ways from that shown in  FIG. 18 . The operation of a computer system such as that shown in  FIG. 18  is readily known in the art and is not discussed in detail in this application. Code to implement the present invention may be stored in computer-readable storage media such as one or more of system memory  1816 , fixed disk  1844 , CD-ROM  1842 , or floppy disk  1838 . Additionally, computer system  1810  may be any kind of computing device, and so includes personal data assistants (PDAs), network appliance, X-window terminal or other such computing device. Computer system  1810  also supports a number of Internet access tools, including, for example, an HTTP-compliant web browser having a JavaScript interpreter, such as FIREFOX, INTERNET EXPLORER, and the like. 
     Moreover, regarding the signals described herein, those skilled in the art will recognize that a signal may be directly transmitted from a first block to a second block, or a signal may be modified (e.g., amplified, attenuated, delayed, latched, buffered, inverted, filtered or otherwise modified) between the blocks. Although the signals of the above described embodiment are characterized as transmitted from one block to the next, other embodiments of the present invention may include modified signals in place of such directly transmitted signals as long as the informational and/or functional aspect of the signal is transmitted between blocks. To some extent, a signal input at a second block may be conceptualized as a second signal derived from a first signal output from a first block due to physical limitations of the circuitry involved (e.g., there will inevitably be some attenuation and delay). Therefore, as used herein, a second signal derived from a first signal includes the first signal or any modifications to the first signal, whether due to circuit limitations or due to passage through other circuit elements which do not change the informational and/or final functional aspect of the first signal. 
       FIG. 19  is a block diagram depicting a network architecture  1900  in which client systems  1910 ,  1920  and  1930 , as well as storage servers  1940 A and  1940 B (any of which can be implemented using computer system  1910 ), are coupled to a network  1950 . Storage server  1940 A is further depicted as having storage devices  1960 A( 1 )-(N) directly attached, and storage server  1940 B is depicted with storage devices  1960 B( 1 )-(N) directly attached. Storage servers  1940 A and  1940 B are also connected to a SAN fabric  1970 , although connection to a storage area network is not required for operation. SAN fabric  1970  supports access to storage devices  1980 ( 1 )-(N) by storage servers  1940 A and  1940 B, and so by client systems  1910 ,  1920  and  1930  via network  1950 . Intelligent storage array  1990  is also shown as an example of a specific storage device accessible via SAN fabric  1970 . 
     With reference to computer system  1810 , modem  1847 , network interface  1848  or some other method can be used to provide connectivity from each of client computer systems  1910 ,  1920  and  1930  to network  1950 . Client systems  1910 ,  1920  and  1930  are able to access information on storage server  1940 A or  1940 B using, for example, a web browser or other client software (not shown). Such a client allows client systems  1910 ,  1920  and  1930  to access data hosted by storage server  1940 A or  1940 B or one of storage devices  1960 A( 1 )-(N),  1960 B( 1 )-(N),  1980 ( 1 )-(N) or intelligent storage array  1990 .  FIG. 18  depicts the use of a network such as the Internet for exchanging data, but the systems described herein are not limited to the Internet or any particular network-based environment. 
     The foregoing described embodiments wherein the different components are contained within different other components (e.g., the various elements shown as components of computer system  1810 ) are merely intended to serve as examples. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are such, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In an abstract, but still definite sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermediate components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being “operably connected”, or “operably coupled”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality. 
     OTHER EMBODIMENTS 
     The systems described herein are well adapted to attain the advantages mentioned as well as others inherent therein. While such systems have been depicted, described, and are defined by reference to particular descriptions, such references do not imply a limitation on the claims, and no such limitation is to be inferred. The systems described herein are capable of considerable modification, alteration, and equivalents in form and function, as will occur to those ordinarily skilled in the pertinent arts in considering the present disclosure. The depicted and described embodiments are examples only, and are in no way exhaustive of the scope of the claims. 
     The foregoing detailed description has set forth various embodiments of the systems described herein via the use of block diagrams, flowcharts, and examples. It will be understood by those within the art that each block diagram component, flowchart step, operation and/or component illustrated by the use of examples can be implemented (individually and/or collectively) by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. 
     The systems described herein have been described in the context of fully functional computer systems; however, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the systems described herein are capable of being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that the systems described herein apply equally regardless of the particular type of computer-readable media used to actually carry out the distribution. Examples of computer-readable media include computer-readable storage media, as well as media storage and distribution systems developed in the future. 
     The above-discussed embodiments can be implemented by software modules that perform one or more tasks associated with the embodiments. The software modules discussed herein may include script, batch, or other executable files. The software modules may be stored on a machine-readable or computer-readable storage media such as magnetic floppy disks, hard disks, semiconductor memory (e.g., RAM, ROM, and flash-type media), optical discs (e.g., CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, and DVDs), or other types of memory modules. A storage device used for storing firmware or hardware modules in accordance with an embodiment can also include a semiconductor-based memory, which may be permanently, removably or remotely coupled to a microprocessor/memory system. Thus, the modules can be stored within a computer system memory to configure the computer system to perform the functions of the module. Other new and various types of computer-readable storage media may be used to store the modules discussed herein. 
     The above description is intended to be illustrative and should not be taken to be limiting. As will be appreciated in light of the present disclosure, other embodiments are possible. Those skilled in the art will readily implement the steps necessary to provide the structures and the methods disclosed herein, and will understand that the process parameters and sequence of steps are given by way of example only and can be varied to achieve the desired structure as well as modifications that are within the scope of the claims. Variations and modifications of the embodiments disclosed herein can be made based on the description set forth herein, without departing from the scope of the claims, giving full cognizance to equivalents thereto in all respects. 
     Although the systems described herein have been described in connection with several embodiments, these embodiments and their descriptions are not intended to be limited to the specific forms set forth herein. On the contrary, it is intended that such embodiments address such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as can be reasonably included within the scope of the appended claims.