US 8,712,916 B2Granted

Creating and manufacturing documents that initially exceed equipment finishing capacity

AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.

InventorKurt Knodt

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Techniques described herein overcome many of the issues that have previously made the printing of a single copy of a book from a digital version unattractive and infeasible. According to one embodiment of the invention, an automated mechanism such as a computer program automatically determines whether the spine thickness of a to-be-printed copy of a digital version of a book will exceed the specified maximum spine thickness that a specified binding or other finishing device can handle. In response to determining that the spine thickness will exceed the specified maximum spine thickness, the automated mechanism automatically splits the digital version of the book into two or more volumes such that, for each volume, the spine thickness of the printed version of that volume will be no greater than the specified maximum spine thickness that the specified binding or other finishing device can handle.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A computer-implemented method for ordering a book, the computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, over a network, a request that identifies a book;
in response to receiving the request that identifies the book, sending, over the network, data that represents two or more different options for ordering the book, wherein the two or more different options for ordering the book include at least an option for a digital version of the book and at least one of a previously manufactured book or a book that is manufactured on demand;
receiving, over the network, data that indicates a user selection of a particular option for ordering the book from the two or more different options for ordering the book;
determining whether the user selection of the particular option for ordering the book is a book that is manufactured on demand;
in response to determining that the user selection of the particular option for ordering the book is a book that is manufactured on demand, then manufacturing the book in accordance with one or more manufacturing options for manufacturing the book, the one or more manufacturing options for manufacturing the book including one or more of a type of cover, a type of binding, or a size for the book;
and
in response to determining that the user selection of the particular option for ordering the book is not a book that is manufactured on demand, then after receiving the data that indicates the user selection of the particular option for ordering the book from the two or more different options for ordering the book, fulfilling an order for the book in accordance with the particular option;
wherein one or more of the steps are performed by one or more computing devices.

5 more elements

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions which, when processed by one or more processors, cause:

receiving, over a network, a request that identifies a book;
in response to receiving the request that identifies the book, sending, over the network, data that represents two or more different options for ordering the book, wherein the two or more different options for ordering the book include at least an option for a digital version of the book and at least one of a previously manufactured book or a book that is manufactured on demand;
receiving, over the network, data that indicates a user selection of a particular option for ordering the book from the two or more different options for ordering the book;
determining whether the user selection of the particular option for ordering the book is a book that is manufactured on demand;
in response to determining that the user selection of the particular option for ordering the book is a book that is manufactured on demand, then manufacturing the book in accordance with more manufacturing options for manufacturing the book, the one or more manufacturing options for manufacturing the book including one or more of a type of cover, a type of binding, or a size for the book;
and
in response to determining that the user selection of the particular option for ordering the book is not a book that is manufactured on demand, then after receiving the data that indicates the user selection of the particular option for ordering the book from the two or more different options for ordering the book, fulfilling an order for the book in accordance with the particular option.

4 more elements

An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors;
and
a memory storing instructions which, when processed by one or more processors, cause:
receiving, over a network, a request that identifies a book;
in response to receiving the request that identifies the book, sending, over the network, data that represents two or more different options for ordering the book, wherein the two or more different options for ordering the book include at least an option for a digital version of the book and at least one of a previously manufactured book or a book that is manufactured on demand;
receiving, over the network, data that indicates a user selection of a particular option for ordering the book from the two or more different options for ordering the book;
determining whether the user selection of the particular option for ordering the book is a book that is manufactured on demand;
in response to determining that the user selection of the particular option for ordering the book is a book that is manufactured on demand, then manufacturing the book in accordance with one or more manufacturing options for manufacturing the book, the one or more manufacturing options including one or more of a type of cover, a type of binding, or a size for the book;
and
in response to determining that the user selection of the particular option for ordering the book is not a book that is manufactured on demand, then after receiving the data that indicates the user selection of the particular option for ordering the book from the two or more different options for ordering the book, fulfilling an order for the book in accordance with the particular option.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/621,642Filed 17 Sep 2012 · continuation
Priority: 12 Jan 2007
Published: US 2013/0024311 A124 Jan 2013
Granted: 29 Apr 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

G06Q 30/0621
Electronic shopping [e-shopping]: by configuring or customising goods or services
B42C 19/00
Multi-step processes for making books
B42P 2261/04
Manufacturing; Forming: producing books by printing sheets in following order, e.g. for ordering via the Internet
G03G 2215/00282
Original medium: book

Family

Application11/653,660Parent of this continuation · filed 12 Jan 2007
Application13/215,112Parent of this continuation · filed 22 Aug 2011
US 2013/0024311 A1Pre-grant publication · published 24 Jan 2013
US 8,271,389 B2Parent of this continuation
US 8,004,713 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2008/0172302 A1Published application
US 2011/0320306 A1Published application
US 8,712,916 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.