Web-based design system
A system and method for designing or customizing a product, web page, or other item, via a global computer network. The system includes a web server, a client computer, a PDF rendering engine, and a manufacturing computer. A user may select preliminary design choices form a web page at the client computer. After preliminary design choices are made, a web-based design editor allows customization of many different features of the designed product. The design editor may include drag & drop capabilities for repositioning design elements and preferably needs little or no client-server interaction during product customization. A PDF rendering engine generates a PDF file describing the designed invention, and the PDF may be used to directly drive manufacturing equipment to produce the product. The web-based design system may be especially useful in designing printed or graphical products such as business cards, stationary, and stamps.
1 . A design system, comprised of:
a web server;
a client computer; and
a PDF rendering engine for automatically generating a PDF based on a desired product designed at the client computer, wherein said server, said computer, and said engine are in communication with each other.
2 . The design system of claim 1 , further comprised of:
a database associated with said PDF rendering engine.
3 . The design system of claim 2 , wherein said PDF rendering engine is capable of accepting information about said desired product from said client computer in the form of name-value pairs.
4 . The design system of claim 1 , further comprised of:
a manufacturing computer capable of receiving said PDF; and
a manufacturing device in communication with said manufacturing computer capable of producing the desired product based on the PDF.
5 . The design system of claim 1 , further comprised of:
a web-based design editor that allows a user to redefine attributes of the desired product.
6 . The design system of claim 5 , wherein said attributes include text elements and graphical elements.
7 . A method for designing a product, comprising the steps of:
providing to a user at least one web page including selectable preliminary choices about the product;
receiving an indicator of said preliminary design choices from the user;
providing a web-based design editor to said user;
receiving name-value pairs of information describing at least one attribute of said product; and
generating a PDF based on said preliminary design choices and said name-value pairs.
8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising the step of:
releasing said PDF to a manufacturing computer after the user approves the PDF.
9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein said web-based design editor is provided to the user from a memory cache on a computer at the user's location.
10 . The method of claim 7 , wherein said web-based design editor is provided to the user from a web server remote from the user.
11 . The method of claim 7 , wherein said web-based design editor allows the user to relocate attributes of said product using drag & drop mouse functionality.
12 . The method of claim 7 , wherein said name-value pairs are incorporated into a computer program script.
13 . A software-based design editor, comprised of:
data on a computer readable medium capable of displaying a graphical representation of a product, wherein said graphical representation of the product is comprised of at least one independent design element; and
data on a computer readable medium capable of displaying a table of editing information, wherein said table of editing information includes customizable attributes of a user selected independent design element, wherein a user selects said user selected independent design element from the graphical representation of the product.
14 . The software-based design editor of claim 13 , wherein said graphical representation of the product and said table are displayed in two separate screen windows.
15 . The software-based design editor of claim 13 , wherein the user selected independent design element in said table is selected by the user using a computer mouse.
16 . The software-based design editor of claim 13 , wherein the location of each of said at least one independent design elements can be changed by dragging each of said elements in the graphical representation of the product using a computer mouse.
17 . The software-based design editor of claim 13 , wherein the customizable attributes of a user selected independent design element can be changed by the user by editing the information in said table.
18 . A method of relocating elements of an electronic display, comprising the steps of:
providing an image of the electronic display including at least one independent design element to a user;
enabling the user to redefine attributes of said at least one independent design element;
defining name-value pairs of information describing said user redefined attributes of said at least one design element; and
updating the electronic display based on said name-value pairs.
19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein said enabling step includes enabling a user to drag & drop with a computer mouse said at least one independent design element to a new location in the electronic display.
20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein said electronic display represents an Internet portal website.