Patent Grant
9286558
An interactive postage stamp displayable on a mail item 102 evidencing payment of postage, and represented by an encoded image framed by an interactive frame that includes at least one embedded icon activated by scanning the interactive frame causing the activation of the at least one embedded icon, where upon activation the at least one embedded icon may be engaged for accessing the multimedia content linked to the interactive postage stamp, and for controlling the review of the multimedia content using control commands represented by the activated at least one embedded icon or at least one hyperlink within the activated interactive frame.
In the Internet age, there is a present sentiment that traditional greeting cards have lost their relevance as communications via social media are so prevalent. It is believed that consumers prefer to forego the cost and time required for sending holiday cards as it is much easier and more convenient to send for example, an email blast to a plurality of recipients. However, not everyone agrees, as there is still a significant portion of the population that enjoys receiving a personal greeting card in the mail. There is an element of surprise and eager anticipation, when the recipient receives mail that is not a bill. Further, the personal touch cannot be overstated. As such, the industry works really hard at trying to devise new products and incorporate new ideas that are relevant to the culture, and still allow those who like to send and/or receive traditional greeting cards to have the option to do so.
With that said greeting cards with recorded voices and other newer product lines have been introduced over the last few years. However, these recorded greeting cards still have not been able to capitalize on further advancements in technology in like manner as an email greeting that has the ability to include for example a photograph of a loved one and a quick note. Thus, there needs to be an efficient means of communicating personal greetings or information incorporating technology that is easy to use and convenient to transmit and receive. This invention satisfies these long felt needs in a new and novel manner and solves the foregoing problems that the prior art has been unable to resolve.
For a further and more fully detailed understanding of the present invention, various objects and advantages thereof, reference is made to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. Additional objectives of the present invention will appear as the description proceeds.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages will appear from the description to follow. In the description, references are made to the accompanying drawings, which forms a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In the accompanying drawings, like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims.
Further objectives and advantages of the present invention may be derived by referring to the detailed description and claims when considered in connection with the Figures, wherein like reference numbers refer to similar items throughout the Figures.
The following discussion describes in detail an embodiment of the various methods as described below. However, this discussion should not be construed, as limiting the invention to those particular embodiments, as practitioners skilled in the art will appreciate that an apparatus and system may vary as to configuration and as to details of the parts, and that a method may vary as to the specific steps and sequence, without departing from the basic concepts as disclosed herein. Similarly, the elements described herein may be implemented separately, or in various combinations without departing from the teachings of the present invention. Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views.
The interactive postage stamp 100 of the invention is displayable on a mail item 102 and represented by an encoded image 104 framed by an interactive frame 106 that includes at least one or more embedded icons 108, 108′ activated by scanning the interactive frame 106 causing the activation of the at least one embedded icon 108, where upon activation, the at least one or more embedded icons 108, 108′ may be engaged for accessing the multimedia content 110 linked to the interactive postage stamp 100, and for controlling the review of the multimedia content 110 using control commands represented by the activated the at least one or more embedded icons 108, 108′ or at least one or more hyperlinks within the activated interactive frame 106. The image 104 displayed in the interactive frame 106 comprises of words, pictures, drawings, avatars individually or in any combination thereof. Multimedia content 110 as used herein comprises of for example, information, greetings 110 and the like in any one or more of the following: text, pictorial, video, audio, or graphics.
As shown, the exemplary interactive postage stamp 100 includes an image 104 within an interactive frame 106 with at least one or more activated (hot) corners 112, 114, 116, 118 with at least one or more hyperlinks or icons 108, 108′ embedded within. The exemplary interactive postage stamp 100 includes additional markings 120, 122 that distinguish it from the regular stamps, such that it visually indicates to a casual observer that there is more to the interactive postage stamp 100 than the printed image and/or words. The interactive stamp 100 may be used to electronically transmit domestically and/or internationally, a greeting 110 in multimedia format whereby upon receipt of the mail item 102, the recipient may scan the interactive frame 106 to access and control the personalized greeting 110 linked to the interactive postage stamp 100.
System 200 further comprises an exemplary mobile communication device 202, that includes an image capturing device 204 (e.g. camera) electronically connected to at least one computer processor 206 both positioned within, wherein the image capturing device 204 is used for scanning the interactive frame 106 to access the multimedia content 110. The mobile device's at least one computer processor 206 is electronically connected to a non-transitory computer readable medium, includes computer executable instructions 208 readable and executable by the at least one computer processor 206 and configured for launching an interactive postage application program (“postage app”) 210, programmed for executing the commands represented by the activated at least one or more icons 108, 108′ to control the review of the multimedia content 110.
As shown in
Mobile communication device 202 may include various hardware components, e.g. a computer central processor 206, memory means 218, and one or more communication means 212. Central processor 206 may be any type of processor, such as, but not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a video processor, a front end processor, a coprocessor, a single-core central processor, a multi-core processor, and the like. Central processor 206 may be programmed to activate the postage app 210 for recording greetings 110, e.g. music, videos, messages, statement, etc., which may be accessed from the interactive postage stamp 100 as displayed on the mobile device's displaying means 220 in for example, a graphical, audio, and/or text format, when the interactive postage stamp 100 is scanned by the mobile device's image capturing means 204 activating the one or more embedded icons 108, 108′ embedded within the interactive frame 106 such that the activated one or more embedded icons 108, 108′ may be engaged to control the review of the multimedia content 110.
Postage app 210 may be accessed from a mobile communication device 202 that may be represented thereon by an icon 108 that may be used to launch and access the postage app 210 when a user selects the postage app's icon 108 using an input device (e.g. by touching a touchscreen, or selecting it using a pointing device, roller ball, arrow keys, or other controller), for creating a greeting 110, retrieving and/or displaying a recorded greeting 110 as transmitted and accessible via the interactive postage stamp 100 upon receipt of mail item 102.
Mobile communication device 202 is equipped with communication means 212 either electrically or mechanically connected to its computer processor 206 both of which are positioned within. In the case of electronic connections, the electronic connections may be wired and/or wireless. In some embodiments, communication means 212 may be a wireless communication means 214, which employ short range wireless protocol, such as, but not limited to, a radio frequency transceiver, a radio frequency receiver, and/or a radio frequency transmitter. In embodiments where the wireless communication means 212 is a radio frequency receiver, the radio frequency receiver may be any type of radio frequency receiver, including, but not limited to, a positioning system receiver, such as a global positioning system receiver and a local positioning system receiver, such as a Wi-Fi positioning system receiver. In other embodiments, the communication means 212 may employ wireless protocols like Blue Tooth, ZigBee, 702.11 series, or a wireless modem, such as, but not limited to, a global system for mobile communications (GSM) modem, or any other short range wireless protocol that is well known and used in the arts and other future short range wireless protocol suitable for transmitting and receiving data. Communication means 212 are operative to transmit or receive electronic communications, i.e. data, text, photo ads, and the like via a short range wireless protocol, such as, but not limited to, a radio frequency receiver, a radio frequency transmitter, or a radio frequency transceiver.
In some embodiments, mobile communication device 202 may include at least one memory means 218 either electrically or mechanically connected to the at least one computer processor 206. In the case of electronic connections, the electronic connections may be wired and/or wireless connections. Memory means 218 may comprise of a storage device and may include memory, such as, but is not limited to, read-only memory, such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, floppy disks, and the like, read and write memory, such as a hard drive, floppy disc, CD-RW, DVD-RW, solid state memory, such as solid state hard drives, flash memory, and the like, and random access memory. The information stored thereon may be retrieved from memory means 218 using the computer processor 206. Processor 206 may also be programmed to retrieve a corresponding multimedia greeting 110 associated with the interactive postage stamp 100, which upon retrieval the multimedia greeting 110 will be displayed on the mobile device's displaying means 220. In some embodiments, mobile communication device 202 also includes a speaker 222 for broadcasting the at least one multimedia greeting 110 using the type and configuration of speakers 218, 218′ that are well known and used in the arts for mobile communication devices 202, 202′.
Computer processor 206 positioned within the mobile communication device 202 includes computer executable instructions 208, where the computer executable instructions 208 are operative to perform all the necessary functions for the system 200 and methods disclosed herein, including but not limited to launching the postage app 210. Computer executable instructions 208 may be loaded directly on the mobile device's processor 206, or may be stored in mobile device's memory means 218, such as, but not limited to, computer readable media, such as, but not limited to, a hard drive, a solid state drive, a flash memory, random access memory, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, and the like. The computer executable instructions 208 may be any type of computer executable instructions 208, which may be in the form of a computer program, the program being composed in any suitable programming language or source code, such as C++, C, JAVA, JavaScript, HTML, XML, and other programming languages.
Computer executable instructions 208 are readable and executable by the computer processor 206 and configured for performing any and all the necessary functions for the system 200 and methods disclosed herein which may include any one or more of the following: launching a postage app 210 for controlling multimedia content 110 embedded within a postage stamp 100 displayable on a mail item 102 evidencing payment of postage (in full or partial payment), and represented by an encoded image 104 within an interactive frame 106 that includes at least one or more embedded hyperlink or icons 106, 106′ embedded within; receive at least one recorded multimedia greeting 110 for posting with the interactive postage stamp 100 for retrieval by the recipient of the mail item 102, retrieving the recorded greeting 110 to be displayed on the mobile device's displaying means 220; and displaying the at least one multimedia greeting 110 on the mobile device's displaying means 220; receiving at least one control command 302 for scanning the encoded image 104 within the interactive frame 106; scanning the encoded image 104 within the interactive frame 106 with the at least one or more hyperlinks or icons 108, 108′ embedded within; activating the at least one icon 108 for controlling the multimedia content 110; receiving a control command 302 for controlling the multimedia content 110 when the at least icon 108 from an activated corner 112 overlays the encoded image 104; controlling the at least one multimedia content 110 correlating to encoded image 104 responsive to the control command 302; receiving a control command 302 for editing the multimedia content 110 when the at least one icon 108 for editing overlays the encoded image 104; receiving the multimedia content 110 and any edits, which may further include the step of uploading content or retrieving stored content from for example the mobile communication device's memory means 218; and storing the at least one multimedia content 110 by linking the content with the postage stamp's interactive frame 108. The at least one recorded greeting 110 may be published in any one or more of the following formats: audio, video, pictorial, graphical or text format.
Mobile communication device 202 may include any kind of displaying means 220, such as, but not limited to: a liquid crystal display (“LCD”) screen, a light emitting diode (“LED”) display, touchpad or touch screen display, and/or any other means known in the arts for emitting a visually perceptible output. Mobile device's processor 206 is in electronic communication with its displaying means 220 for controlling content displayed thereon. In other embodiments, displaying means 220 is wirelessly connected to processor 206. Displaying means 220 may include control means, such as, but not limited to, a touch screen, a stylus, and the like. In some embodiments, displaying means 220 may be electronically connected to a mobile communication device 202 according to the hardware and software protocols that are known and used in the arts. Computer central processor 206 controls the mobile device's displaying means 220, which is configured for displaying the multimedia greetings 110 from the interactive postage stamp 100.
System 200 further comprises a postage app 210, which may comprise in part of a browser, such as for use on the mobile communication device 202, or a similar browsing device. The postage app 210 may be any type of software application, such as a standalone application designed to run on a mobile platform, such as a mobile device running an operating system, such as iOS™, Android™, Windows Mobile™, Blackberry™, and the like. greeting app 210 may be operative for an iPhone, any other “smart phone”, mobile device, cellular phone, PDA, GPS or any other mobile communication device 202 capable of handling transactions dealing with dynamic content, object, application, or software.
In some embodiments, postage app 210 may reside on a server and/or on a mobile communication device 202, where the server computer 106 may have a software program residing in memory. Mobile communication device 202 may have the postage app 210 residing in local memory or the postage app 210 may be downloadable to the mobile communication device 202 from the server. For example, in one embodiment, the postage app 210 may be on a mobile device (such as an iPhone, Blackberry, or other ‘smart phone’) and the full-sized software program may be on a computer, where communications may occur over a network or directly, either wired or wirelessly.
In either embodiment, computer executable instructions 208 readable by processor 206, (i.e. the server's computer processor 206′ or the mobile device's processor 206) are operative to launch the postage app 210 for displaying multimedia greetings 112, 112′ on the mobile communication device 202.
The multimedia greeting 110 to be created for mailing or displayed as received from the mailed item is controlled by overlaying the at least one image 104 within the interactive frame 106 with at least one icon 108 that represents a control command 302 for controlling the reviewing (e.g. editing and display) of the multimedia greeting 110. The activation of the at least one or more hot corners 112, 114, 116, 118 allows the embedded icons 108, 108′ or hyperlinks to become visible, i.e. the icons 108, 108′ may pulsate, blink or displayed in a color contrast or animated format to alert the user of the option to interact with the encoded image 104 by exploring one or more of the interactive control commands 302, 302′. In some embodiments, control commands 302, 302′ are fully displayed, e.g. “ADD GREETING” or “DISPLAY GREETING”. As shown the icons 108, 108′ are depicted as a magnifying glass shaped icon 108. It is understood that the clickable icon 108 may be in any particular geometric shape (square, blob, fish etc.) or other configuration as it is representative of a control command 302 for controlling the multimedia greeting 110 for the interactive postage stamp 100.
To add a greeting, user may create a new multimedia greeting 110 by creating a new recording of a video or audio, or select a multimedia greeting 110 from a selection of stored multimedia greetings 112, 112′ that gets stored on the interactive postage stamp 100. Once the multimedia greeting 110 is stored and the mail item 102 is sent, the recipient upon receipt of may use his/her mobile device's displaying means 220 to access the stored embedded multimedia greeting 110.
As such, upon receipt of the mailed item 102 with the interactive postage stamp 100, by using a mobile communication device 202, user may interact with the exemplary interactive postage stamp 100, by employing the postage app 210 which comprises of computer executable instructions 208′, readable and executable by the computer processor 206 and configured for controlling the retrieval of the embedded multimedia content 110. When user scans the coded image 104 within the interactive frame 106, it causes the embedded icons 108, 108′ to become activated and they become visibly displayed in the activated corners 112, 114, 116, 118, where user may engage any one icon 108 using an user input device and overlay the encoded image 104 with the now visible activated at least one icon 108, representative of a command 302, for controlling the review of the multimedia greeting 110. The display of the multimedia greeting 110 may be controlled by the postage app 210, with full functionality for review and control using control commands 108, 108′, which include but are not limited to any one or more of the following: play, stop, fast-forward, rewind, pause, maximize viewing, minimize, end and cancel.
Upon activation, user may overlay the encoded image 104 with an activated icon 108 for the respective control command 302 for adding a multimedia greeting 110 from its respective activated corner 112 by dragging the icon 108 to a designated area 502 and thereby controlling the multimedia greeting 110, e.g. adding the multimedia greeting 110 with full functionality for review and control. Designated area 502 may be any area in or around the interactive frame 106 or the mail item 102. The multimedia greeting 110 is stored on the encoded image 104 within the interactive card 502 and is now ready for mailing.
In some embodiments, the mail item 102, e.g. the card's envelope 102 may include a preprinted interactive postage stamp 100 that also comprises an interactive frame 106 with embedded at least one or more icons 108, 108′. The exemplary mail item 102 includes a barcode 406 as well as an interactive frame 106. The interactive frame 106 may be used as an advertising tool for advertisers to for example, promote the greeting card company or any other advertiser who wants to use the interactive frame 106 with embedded hyperlinks capable of hyperlinking to the advertiser's website for multimedia content 110 when the interactive postage stamp 100 is scanned with mobile device's image capturing means 124.
The printed barcode 506 may be used to scan the price of the interactive greeting card 402 but also to make or collect payment for postage. As such, conceivably a user could purchase the interactive card 402, add a multimedia greeting 110 and within minutes, mail the interactive greeting card 402 shortly thereafter without having to worry about needing an additional stamp for postage. The recipient of the interactive greeting card 402 upon receipt of the same, may use his/her mobile communication device 202 to scan the image 128, which activates the hot corners 112, 114, 116, 118 and by overlaying the image 128 with an icon 108, the corresponding command 302, e.g. “DISPLAY GREETING” is initiated and the postage app 210 retrieves the multimedia greeting 110 for display.
Method 600 further comprises activating the at least one activated icon 108 from the activated corner 112 for controlling the corresponding multimedia content 110 (step 608); receiving a control command 302 for controlling the multimedia content 110 when the at least activated icon 106 (that is visible once activated) from an activated “hot” corner 112 overlays the encoded image 104 (step 610); and controlling the at least one multimedia content 110 correlating to encoded image 104 responsive to the control command 302 (step 612).
Multimedia content 110 may include any one or more of the following: videos, greetings, adverts, promotions, coupons, coupon codes, bar codes, radio advertisements, print advertisements, movies, and movie trailers and or any other multimedia format that can be transmitted. The multimedia content 110 may be displayed within the interactive frame 106 and/or the mobile communication device's displaying means 220 with full functionality for implementing review and control commands, which include any one or more of the following: play, stop, fast-forward, rewind, pause, maximize viewing, minimize, and cancel.
Method 700 further comprises activating the at least one icon 108 for controlling the multimedia content 110, e.g. the greeting (step 708); receiving a control command 302 for controlling the multimedia content 110 when the at least one icon 108 from an activated corner 112 overlays the encoded image 104 (step 710). Method 700 further comprises retrieving the multimedia content 110 (step 712) and displaying the at least one multimedia content 110 within the interactive frame 106 (step 714) on the mobile communication device's displaying means 220 or the postage stamp 100. The multimedia content may stored within the mobile device's memory means 218 or may require hyperlinking to a URL. Accordingly, the step of retrieving the at least one multimedia content 110 further comprises retrieving the encoded image 104 from any one of the following: the mobile device's memory means 218; hyperlinking to an advertiser's website via its web address, or hyperlinking to the application's server's memory means.
Method 800 further comprises receiving at least one control command 302 for scanning the encoded image 102 within the interactive frame 106 (step 804); scanning the encoded image 102 within the interactive frame 106 with the at least one or more hyperlinks or icons 108, 108′ embedded within (step 806). Method 800 further comprises activating the at least one icon 108 for controlling the multimedia content 110 (step 808); receiving a control command 302 for editing the multimedia content 110 when the at least one icon 108 for editing overlays the encoded image 104 (step 810). Editing may include adding, deleting, modifying and the like.
A such, method 800 comprises receiving the multimedia content 110 and any edits, which may further include the step of uploading content or retrieving stored content from for example the mobile communication device's memory means 218. Upon receiving the edits, method 800 comprises storing the at least one multimedia content 110 within postage stamp's interactive frame 108.
This section provides an overview of example hardware and the operating environments in conjunction with which embodiments of the inventive subject matter can be implemented.
A software program may be launched from a computer readable medium in computer-based systems 100-500 to execute the functions defined in the software program. Various programming languages may be employed to create software programs designed to implement and perform the methods disclosed herein. The programs may be structured in an object-orientated format using an object-oriented language such as Java or C++. Alternatively the programs may be structured in a procedure-oriented format using a procedural language, such as assembly or C. The software components may communicate using a number of mechanisms, such as application program interfaces, or inter-process communication techniques, including remote procedure calls. The teachings of various embodiments are not limited to any particular programming language or environment. Thus, other embodiments may be realized, as discussed regarding
The principles of the present disclosure may be applied to all types of computers, systems, and the like, include desktop computers, servers, notebook computers, personal digital assistants, microcomputers, and the like. However, the present disclosure may not be limited to the personal computer.
While the principles of the disclosure have been described herein, it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation as to the scope of the disclosure. Other embodiments are contemplated within the scope of the present disclosure in addition to the exemplary embodiments shown and described herein. Modifications and substitutions by one of ordinary skill in the art are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.
This patent application is a Non-Provisional patent application and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/888,339, titled “A System and Method of Transmitting Multimedia Communications Using Printed Stamps” filed Oct. 8, 2013. The entire disclosure of the afore-mentioned patent application is incorporated by reference as if fully stated herein.
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