System and method for customizing photo product designs with minimal and intuitive user inputs

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12002078-B2
Application number	US-202117483425-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2021
Priority date	Jun 9, 2017
Publication date	Jun 4, 2024
Grant date	Jun 4, 2024

Abstract

A photo product design customization system for customizing a photo product design with minimal and intuitive user inputs includes a product design module that displays a photo product design in a main design panel, a user input detection unit that can detect a first directional movement from a first dynamic object in a product type selection panel to the main design panel, or a second directional movement from a second dynamic object in a product style selection panel to the main design panel, or a third directional movement from a third dynamic object in a product style selection panel to the main design panel, and an intelligent product design creation engine that can automatically change the photo product design in the main design panel in response to detection of the first, the second, or the third directional movement.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for customizing a photo product design, the method comprising:
storing a product layout library comprising a first product layout and a second product layout in a photo product customization system;
displaying a photo product design in the first product layout selected from the product layout library in a main design panel on a user interface of a computer device, wherein the photo product design includes one or more first images;
displaying a product layout selection panel adjacent to the main design panel on the user interface of the computer device, wherein the product layout selection panel includes one or more first dynamic objects each representing the second product layout stored in the product layout library, wherein the one or more first dynamic objects are selectable and moveable to the main design panel in response to a user input action including a directional movement;
detecting a first directional movement from a first dynamic object in the product layout selection panel to the main design panel by a user input detection unit in the photo product customization system;
in response to detecting the first directional movement, automatically updating the photo product design in the main design panel, by an intelligent product design creation engine in the photo product customization system, to a second product design having the second product layout from the product layout library corresponding to the first dynamic object in the product layout selection panel; and
in response to automatically updating the photo product design in the main design panel to the second product design, automatically updating the one or more images in the photo product design displayed in the main design panel based on the second product layout,
wherein a physical photo product is made at least in part based on the second product design.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
automatically selecting or creating, by the intelligent product design creation engine, one or more features in the second product design that are not specified by the second product layout.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the one or more features include product type, product style, or selection of photos.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more first dynamic objects are represented by product pictures of different product layouts.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
displaying a product type selection panel adjacent to the main design panel on the user interface of the computer device, wherein the product type selection panel includes one or more second dynamic objects each representing a particular product type, wherein the one or more second dynamic objects are selectable and moveable to the main design panel in response to a user input action including a directional movement;
detecting a second directional movement from a second dynamic object in the product type selection panel to the main design panel by the user input detection unit; and
in response to detection of the second directional movement, automatically updating the photo product design or the second product design in the main design panel, by the intelligent product design creation engine, to a third product design having a second product type corresponding to the second dynamic object in the product type selection panel, wherein the physical photo product is made at least in part based on the third product design.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
displaying a product style selection panel adjacent to the main design panel on the user interface of the computer device, wherein the product style selection panel includes one or more third dynamic objects each representing a particular product style, wherein the one or more third dynamic objects are selectable and moveable to the main design panel in response to a user input action including a directional movement;
detecting a third directional movement from a third dynamic object in the product style selection panel to the main design panel by the user input detection unit; and
in response to detection of the third directional movement, automatically updating the photo product design or the second product design in the main design panel, by the intelligent product design physical creation engine, to a fourth product design having a second product style corresponding to the third dynamic object in the product style selection panel, wherein the photo product is made at least in part based on the fourth product design.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein automatically updating the one or more images in the photo product design comprises:
keeping at least one image in the one or more first images in the photo product design of the second product layout in the main design panel.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more first images includes photos from one or more users.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first product layout or the second product layout stored in the photo product customization system specifies a number of images per page, an image size, an image position, or a gap between images.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first product layout or the second product layout stored in the photo product customization system specifies a position and size of text.

11. A photo product design customization system, the system comprising:
a computing system operating on a mobile device comprising at least one processor communicatively connected to a memory, the memory storing computer-executable instructions that when executed cause the photo product design customization system to:
access a product layout library comprising a first product layout and a second product layout in a photo product customization system;
display a photo product design in the first product layout in a main design panel on a user interface of the mobile device, wherein the photo product design includes one or more images;
display a product layout selection panel adjacent to the main design panel on the user interface, wherein the product layout selection panel includes one or more first dynamic objects each representing the second product layout stored in the product layout library, wherein the one or more first dynamic objects are selectable and moveable to the main design panel in response to a user input action including a directional movement;
detect a first directional movement from a first dynamic object in the product layout selection panel to the main design panel by a user input detection unit in the photo product customization system;
in response to detection of the first directional movement, automatically update the photo product design in the main design panel, by an intelligent product design creation engine in the photo product customization system, to a second product design having the second product layout from the product layout library corresponding to the first dynamic object in the product layout selection panel; and
in response to the automatic update of the photo product design in the main design panel, automatically update the one or more images in the photo product design in the main design panel based on the second product layout,
wherein a physical photo product is made at least in part based on the second product design.

12. The photo product design customization system of claim 11 , where in the instructions further cause the photo product design customization system to:
automatically select or create, by the intelligent product design creation engine, one or more features in the second product design that are not specified by the second product layout.

13. The photo pr

Assignees

• Shutterfly Llc

Inventors

• Stein Yaron
• Kenis Alexander M
• Sandler Roman
• Yehudai Yehonatan

Classifications

• G06F15/0225

  User interface arrangements, e.g. keyboard, display; Interfaces to other computer systems · CPC title

• G06F15/00

  Digital computers in general (details G06F1/00 – G06F13/00); Data processing equipment in general · CPC title

• G06Q30/0621 Primary

  by configuring or customising goods or services · CPC title

• G06F3/04845

  for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour · CPC title

• G06Q30/0643

  graphically representing goods, e.g. 3D product representation · CPC title