System and method for delivering photographic-based products to a customer
AssigneeEastman Kodak Company
InventorFrank M. Nardozzi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automated photofinishing system and method for delivering photographic-based products such as prints to a customer includes a minilab that is adapted to receive instructions describing a customer order and specifically, the type and quantity of photographic-based products desired by the customer. The minilab further includes a UPC interface for printing UPC labels having UPC codes thereon that correspond to the type and quantity of the product produced. The UPC codes can correspond to multiple products produced in the same order or a single product having multiple quantity. The UPC code provides a link to a retailer's point-of-sale system.
Claims15
A method of handling an order for photographic-based products, the method comprising the steps of:
- receiving an order for photographic-based products from a customer;
- processing said order to begin producing said photographic-based products;
- automatically creating a UPC code for the photographic-based products to be produced for said order during said processing step, said UPC code representing a type of photographic-based product being produced;
- and
- linking said UPC code with a stored database of pricing information to identify a price for the type of photographic-based products represented by the UPC code.
A method of delivering a variety of photographic-based products to a customer, the method comprising the steps of:
- receiving an order for photographic-based products from a customer;
- processing said order to begin producing said photographic-based products, wherein a type and a quantity of each of the photographic-based products which are to be produced are determined during said processing step;
- creating a UPC code for the photographic-based products to be produced for said order during said processing step, said UPC code representing at least one of an order having a variable quantity of the photographic-based products or an order having multiple distinct photographic-based products in which one of the multiple distinct photographic-based products has a variable quantity;
- associating each UPC code with a corresponding produced photographic-based product at a point of sale terminal;
- linking said UPC code with a stored database of pricing information to identify a price for the type and quantity of the corresponding photographic-based products represented by the UPC code;
- and
- delivering said produced photographic-based products to the customer.
A system for producing and delivering a variety of photographic-based products to a customer, the system comprising:
- a mini-lab processing arrangement adapted to process a customer order and produce photographic-based products based on said customer order, said mini-lab processing arrangement comprising an interface section which is adapted to determine a type and a quantity of each of the photographic-based products which are to be produced and create a UPC code representative of the type and quantity of the photographic-based products to be produced, and a printing section adapted to print a label with the UPC code thereon, said UPC code representing at least one of an order having a variable quantity of the photographic-based products or an order having multiple distinct photographic-based products in which one of the multiple distinct photographic-based products has a variable quantity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.