Digital design station procedure

US 6,012,070 A
Filed: 11/15/1996
Issued: 01/04/2000
Est. Priority Date: 11/15/1996
Status: Expired due to Term

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1. A method of producing customized business forms or brochures using a plurality of low resolution graphics templates in electronic form, and a plurality of text templates, using a user station including a video monitor, selection device, and processor, comprising the steps of:

(a) at the user station, using the selection device to control the processor, selecting one or more low resolution graphics templates in electronic form from the plurality of templates, and displaying graphics corresponding to the graphic templates selected on the video monitor;

(b) using the selection device selecting text related to the graphics selected from the text templates, and displaying the text corresponding to the text template or templates selected on the video monitor with the selected graphics to provide a customized business form or brochure in electronic format;

(c) using the selection device and processor electronically saving the customized business form or brochure in electronic format;

(d) transmitting the saved customized business form or brochure in electronic format to a printing installation without transmitting a document, physical graphics, or templates from the user station; and

(e) at the printing installation imaging a physical copy of the customized business form or brochure in electronic format transmitted in step (d), the customized business form or brochure in physical form having high resolution graphics corresponding to the template graphics selected in step (a).

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Abstract

A customized business form or brochure having high resolution color graphics may be created by an end user without layout experience at a computer terminal at a user site to provide a customized business form or brochure in electronic format. Low resolution graphics templates (as well as textual templates) are provided at the user station to facilitate production of the customized business form and brochure and once the created document in electronic format is saved at the user station it may be electronically or otherwise transmitted to a printing installation without the necessity of transmitting a final document with high resolution color graphics in physical form. At the printing installation a physical copy (e.g. paper copy) of the business form or brochure is imaged (e.g. with a printing press or using ion deposition or other non-impact imaging techniques) with high resolution color graphics. Multiple customized business forms or brochures may be collected from a plurality of user stations and transmitted collectively to the printing installation, and multiple and distinct graphic depictions may be provided on the same document page.

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20 Claims

1. A method of producing customized business forms or brochures using a plurality of low resolution graphics templates in electronic form, and a plurality of text templates, using a user station including a video monitor, selection device, and processor, comprising the steps of:
- (a) at the user station, using the selection device to control the processor, selecting one or more low resolution graphics templates in electronic form from the plurality of templates, and displaying graphics corresponding to the graphic templates selected on the video monitor;
  
  (b) using the selection device selecting text related to the graphics selected from the text templates, and displaying the text corresponding to the text template or templates selected on the video monitor with the selected graphics to provide a customized business form or brochure in electronic format;
  
  (c) using the selection device and processor electronically saving the customized business form or brochure in electronic format;
  
  (d) transmitting the saved customized business form or brochure in electronic format to a printing installation without transmitting a document, physical graphics, or templates from the user station; and
  
  (e) at the printing installation imaging a physical copy of the customized business form or brochure in electronic format transmitted in step (d), the customized business form or brochure in physical form having high resolution graphics corresponding to the template graphics selected in step (a).
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
- - 2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein step (d) is practiced electronically over phone lines.
  - 3. A method as recited in claim 1 comprising the further steps, between steps (c) and (d), of collecting multiple customized business forms or brochures in electronic format from a plurality of different user stations and assigning identifying indicia to each;
    - and wherein step (d) is practiced by transmitting all of the collected customized business forms or brochures together.
  - 4. A method as recited in claim 1 comprising the further step of inputting order information into the video monitor, and transmitting the order information, with the customized business form or brochure in digital format, in the practice of step (d).
  - 5. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein step (c) is practiced to save the electronic format onto a disc, and step (d) is practiced by physically transmitting the disc.
  - 6. A method as recited in claim 5 comprising the further steps, between steps (c) and (d), of collecting multiple customized business forms or brochures in electronic format from a plurality of different user stations and assigning identifying indicia to each;
    - and wherein step (d) is practiced by transmitting all of the collected customized business forms or brochures together.
  - 7. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein step (e) is practiced so as to print the high resolution graphics in color.
  - 8. A method as recited in claim 3 wherein step (e) is practiced so as to print the high resolution graphics in color.
  - 9. A method as recited in claim 7 wherein the text templates include price templates, and wherein step (b) is practiced to select at least one price template.
  - 10. A method as recited in claim 9 wherein at least one of the graphic templates includes multiple and distinct graphic depictions;
    - and wherein step (a) is practiced to select a graphics template with multiple and distinct graphic depictions, and wherein step (b) is practiced to select a price template for each of at least two different graphic depictions.
  - 11. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the text templates include price templates, and wherein step (b) is practiced to select at least one price template.
  - 12. A method as recited in claim 11 wherein at least one of the graphic templates includes multiple and distinct graphic depictions;
    - and wherein step (a) is practiced to select a graphics template with multiple and distinct graphic depictions, and wherein step (b) is practiced to select a price template for each of at least two different graphic depictions.
  - 13. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the customized business form or brochure to be produced has multiple pages, and wherein steps (a)-(c) are practiced for each of a plurality of the multiple pages, and the multiple pages produced are transmitted together in the practice of step (d).
  - 14. A method as recited in claim 7 wherein the customized business form or brochure to be produced has multiple pages, and wherein steps (a)-(c) are practiced for each of a plurality of the multiple pages, and the multiple pages produced are transmitted together in the practice of step (d).
  - 15. A method as recited in claim 14 wherein step (d) is practiced electronically over phone lines.
  - 16. A method as recited in claim 1 comprising the further step (f) of inputting further, variable, textual data onto the screen during the practice of step (b), the further textual data saved during the practice of step (c) in electronic format as part of the customized business form or brochure.
  - 17. A method as recited in claim 16 wherein step (f) is practiced using a keyboard.
  - 18. A method as recited in claim 17 wherein the selecting device includes a mouse, and wherein steps (a)-(c) are practiced using the mouse.
  - 19. A method as recited in claim 18 wherein step (d) is practiced electronically and initiated by using the mouse.

20. A method of producing customized business forms or brochures using a plurality of low resolution graphics templates in electronic form at a user station including a video monitor, selection device, and processor, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) at the user station, using the selection device to control the processor, selecting one or more low resolution graphics templates in electronic form from the plurality of templates, and displaying graphics corresponding to the graphic templates selected on the video monitor, to provide a customized business form or brochure in electronic format;
  
  (b) using the selection device and processor electronically saving the customized business form or brochure in electronic format;
  
  (c) electronically transmitting the saved customized business form or brochure in electronic format over phone lines to a printing installation, without transmitting a document, physical graphics, or templates from the user station; and
  
  (d) at the printing installation imaging a physical copy of the customized business form or brochure in electronic format transmitted in step (c), the customized business form or brochure in physical form having high resolution color graphics corresponding to the template graphics selected in step (a).

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Litigation Data

Current Assignee
High Quality Printing Inventions, LLC (Modern Universal Printing LLC)
Original Assignee
Moore Business Forms Inc.
Inventors
Chism, Larry, Cheng, Mai-Ing L., Coniglio, Paul, Yarwood, Donna
Primary Examiner(s)
Feild, Joseph H.
Assistant Examiner(s)
Kindred, Alford W.

Application Number

US08/749,641
Time in Patent Office

1,145 Days
Field of Search

707/505, 707/506, 707/501, 707/513, 707/514, 707/517
US Class Current

715/234
CPC Class Codes

G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; C...

Digital design station procedure

First Claim

7 Assignments

Litigations

0 Petitions

Accused Products

Abstract

118 Citations

20 Claims

Specification

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Digital design station procedure

First Claim

7 Assignments

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Litigations

0 Petitions

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Accused Products

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Abstract

118 Citations

20 Claims

Specification

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Solutions

Use Cases

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