Multimedia communication system and method

Inventors

Greer, Neil • Blank, Bennett • Depew, Bryan

Assignees

Impact Engine Inc

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for creating, editing, sharing and distributing high-quality, media-rich web-based communications. The communications are created in a layered fashion that integrates user-selected text, colors, background patterns, images, sound, music, video, or other media. The systems and methods are used to generate, edit, broadcast, and track electronic presentations, brochures, advertisements (such as banner advertisements on highly trafficked media websites), announcements, and interactive web pages, without the need for the user to understand complex programming languages.

Core Innovation

The invention provides an online advertisement template system in which a media repository stores online advertisement templates for display on a graphical user interface of a client computer coupled to the media repository via the Internet. A project builder obtains an online advertisement template from the media repository and generates an online advertisement based on a selected template, and a project viewer sends at least one version of the online advertisement via the Internet to a client computer that displays the online advertisement.

A slide-based project structure is generated such that an online advertisement comprises a plurality of slides defined by a grouping of design layers, design elements, and content containers. Design layers and related elements organize the online advertisement data for presentation, and template selection is supported by a palette of at least one online advertising template together with a palette of selectable media assets.

The invention provides electronic distribution format selection and broadcasting, where formatting is performed by a server computer according to an electronic distribution format specified on the graphical user interface. The electronic distribution format is selectable from two or more options including electronic mail, a web page, an electronic brochure, a text ad, a mobile ad, an in stream ad, an in-video ad, and animated and expandable video file options for display on computers.

Claims Coverage

The partial content includes three independent claims. Across these claims, the inventive features cover server-side template selection and project building, slide-based organization using design layers, design elements, and content containers, formatting into selectable electronic distribution formats, and broadcasting or sending over the Internet, with category and industry selection in one claim and input-screen/mobile preferences in another.

Across the independent claims, the core claim coverage centers on server computers that retrieve or identify online advertisement templates, generate online advertisements in a slide-defined structure using design layers, design elements, and content containers, format the results according to selectable electronic distribution formats, and send or broadcast the advertisements over the Internet. One claim further specifies keyword-based distribution determination, and another specifies receiving user preferences via an input screen on a mobile Internet-coupled client interface.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications