Patent Application
20100250334
Embodiments are related to printing and more specifically to the automated and dynamic creation of print jobs that, when processed, produce documents containing transaction promotions that are customized for the intended recipient.
Many modern printing facilities can print a document onto a variety of media using a variety of inks or dyes, can produce a variety of document finishings, and can package the document with any of a variety of bindings. The selection of different finishes, color gamuts, media, and bindings has a great effect on the document appearance and on the cost to produce the document. For example, rendering a document in black and white onto inexpensive printer paper is far less expensive than rendering it in color onto glossy card stock. Higher quality documents and transaction promotions are more expensive to produce.
People making transaction decisions often react strongly to the quality of transaction promotions, also known as advertisements. A high quality transaction promotion is more likely to entice a transaction than a low quality transaction promotion. Furthermore, some types of people are more likely to respond with actual transactions. For example, wealthy people are more likely to buy expensive jewelry in response to a transaction promotion. Less affluent people, however, are known to purchase expensive jewelry but exhibit a lower response rate. Systems and methods for matching the quality of transaction promotions to the likelihood that a recipient would favorably respond are needed.
Aspects of the embodiments address limitations and flaws in the prior art by analyzing recipient data and automatically modifying transaction promotions based on that analysis.
It is therefore an aspect of the embodiments to describe transaction promotions at a number of different quality levels. A single transaction promotion concept can be described by a single transaction promotion description that is printed at varying levels of quality. Alternatively, the single transaction promotion concept can be described by a number of different transaction promotion descriptions, each having a different quality level. Different transaction promotion concepts require different descriptions although the numerous descriptions for numerous concepts can be included in a single document description from which one description is selected.
It is also an aspect of the embodiments to produce a document description. A document description describes a document in such a manner that a printing system can render it into a document. Page description languages (PDLs) such as post script are commonly used to describe documents. As such, most document descriptions are electronic data files of PDL instructions, commands, and data.
It is a further aspect of the embodiments to choose an intended recipient. An intended recipient is a person or entity who is intended to receive a printed document. For example, a utility company would choose one of its customers as the intended recipient of a monthly utility bill. Utility bills often contain transaction promotions, also known as advertisements. The intended recipient is usually also the recipient who actually receives the document.
It is an additional aspect of the embodiments to determine a recipient quality level matching one of the quality levels. The recipient quality level is an estimate of the probability that the recipient can or will respond to the transaction promotion. For example, a high net worth individual is more likely to respond to a transaction promotion advertising private jet aircraft. Additionally, an individual who is known to have previously bought jet aircraft is more likely to purchase another.
It is a yet further aspect of the embodiments to produce a print job that when processed results in printing the document that is described by the document description. The printed document includes a transaction promotion having a quality level matching the recipient quality level. This can be accomplished by customizing the print job, the document description, or the transaction promotion description.
The accompanying figures, in which like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views and which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, further illustrate the present invention and, together with the background of the invention, brief summary of the invention, and detailed description of the invention, serve to explain the principles of the present invention
The particular values and configurations discussed in these non-limiting examples can be varied and are cited merely to illustrate embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
The quality of transaction promotions are matched to their recipients such that those more likely to respond favorably receive higher quality materials. Of the documents people receive, many, such as certain billing statements, also contain transaction promotions. Submitting a print job to a printer instructs it to produce a document by processing a document description. The document description can include a transaction promotion description. The transaction promotion can be printed at one of a number of predetermined quality levels by varying the document description, the print job, or the transaction promotion description. Knowledge of the intended recipient allows for the determination of a recipient quality level matching one of the predetermined quality levels. The document is then produced with a transaction promotion having a recipient based quality level.
Once produced, the transaction promotion descriptions 102 can be embedded into document descriptions. A document description 115 can contain a transaction promotion placeholder 116. The transaction promotion placeholder 116 can be populated with all the transaction promotion descriptions 102, one being eventually chosen, or can be populated by only the transaction promotion description that is chosen for an intended recipient 110.
The intended recipient 110 can be selected from a recipient database 109 and identified to a recipient analysis module 111. The recipient analysis module then collects and analyzes recipient data 112 collected from a variety of recipient data sources 113 to produce a recipient quality level 114.
A print job production module 117 can receive the recipient quality level 114, the document description 115, and one or more of the transaction promotion descriptions 102. The print job production module 117 selects the transaction promotion description having a quality level matching the recipient quality level 114 and produces a print job 118. The print job 118 contains the document description 115 and the selected transaction promotion description 122.
The print job 118 is passed to a printing engine 119 which produces the physical document 120 containing the transaction promotion. The transaction promotion has been printed with a quality level matching the recipient quality level 114. The document can be delivered to a recipient 123 who is hopefully also the intended recipient.
A recipient valuation module 201 can use the recipient data 112 to determine an estimated discretionary spending budget 202, an estimated net worth 203, or any of a variety of other inferences and estimates. The recipient valuation module produces a recipient value 204 which corresponds to the likelihood that the recipient will respond favorably to a transaction promotion. The quality level assignment module 205 converts the recipient value 204 into a recipient quality level 114. The recipient quality level 114 takes one of a small number of values matching the quality levels of the transaction promotion whereas the recipient value is not similarly constrained.
Transaction promotion description 4310 can be of quality level 4312 or quality level 5313. If the recipient quality level matches quality level 4312 then rendering description 1317 is selected and rendering instructions 1308 are used to render transaction promotion 4310 in glossy 306 four color 301 on media 1304. If the recipient quality level matches quality level 5313 then rendering description 2318 is selected and rendering instructions 2309 are used to render transaction promotion 4310 in black and white 303, matte 307 onto media 2305.
Alternatively, if the recipient quality level matches quality level 6316 then transaction promotion 5315 is selected. Transaction promotion description 5315 expresses transaction promotion concept 2314 and is to be printed in four color 301 glossy 306 onto media 1304.
The printed documents can be presented to recipients by mailing them through a government run postal service such as the United States Postal Service. Alternatively, other delivery methods or services such as commercial carriers, couriers, or directly serving papers on the recipient can be employed.
Embodiments can be implemented in the context of modules. In the computer programming arts, a module can be typically implemented as a collection of routines and data structures that performs particular tasks or implements a particular abstract data type. Modules generally can be composed of two parts. First, a software module may list the constants, data types, variable, routines and the like that can be accessed by other modules or routines. Second, a software module can be configured as an implementation, which can be private (i.e., accessible perhaps only to the module), and that contains the source code that actually implements the routines or subroutines upon which the module is based. Thus, for example, the term module, as utilized herein generally refers to software modules or implementations thereof. Such modules can be utilized separately or together to form a program product that can be implemented through signal-bearing media, including transmission media and recordable media.
It will be appreciated that various of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. Also that various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims.
