WO2006056775A1

WO2006056775A1 - A brochure system

Info

Publication number: WO2006056775A1
Application number: PCT/GB2005/004505
Authority: WO
Inventors: Charles Gerald Stockley
Original assignee: Marketing Innovation Group Limited
Priority date: 2004-11-24
Filing date: 2005-11-23
Publication date: 2006-06-01
Also published as: GB0425809D0; GB2434728A; GB0709863D0

Abstract

A system for electronically displaying a brochure comprises means for sequentially displaying pages up to and including a selected page to provide a browsing feature through the brochure. Browsing speed may be altered as desired and browsing may be forwards or backwards. Means for embedding a video (5) on a page of the brochure and/or for enabling an image (3) on a page to be expanded and/or for enabling text associated with an image on a page to be revealed may be provided.

Description

A BROCHURE SYSTEM

The present invention relates to a system for electronically displaying a brochure, or Typically the brochure comprises a number of pages each displaying a variety of products. The term brochure includes any multipage document. Individual pages may be selected from an index to enable a customer to view the selected page with a view to making a purchase of an item displayed on that page. According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for electronically displaying a brochure comprising means enabling a page of the brochure to be selected and the pages in the brochure to be successively browsed through until the selected page is reached. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the browsing speed may be altered as desired. Browsing may be forward or reverse.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a system for electronically displaying a brochure comprising means for embedding a video on a page of the brochure. According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a system for electronically displaying a brochure comprising means enabling an image on a page of the brochure to be expanded.

According to a still further aspect of the invention there is provided a system for electronically displaying a brochure comprising means enabling text associated with an image on a page of the brochure to be revealed. The invention also comprises a system for electronically displaying a brochure incorporating any combination of two or more of the features of the above four statements of invention.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, one embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 diagrammatically shows the front page of an electronic brochure, and

Figure 2 diagrammatically shows an alternative brochure.

Referring to Figure 1 , the page of the brochure shown comprises an index 1 on the left hand side and a number of items 2 which may be purchased on the remainder of the page. By selecting a page from the index, the pages of the brochure are automatically sequentially browsed through until the selected page is reached thus replicating a manual browsing procedure. Browsing may be forward or reverse and the speed of browsing may be altered as desired.

Individual pages may have special effects. Thus individual displayed items 3 may be expanded, explanatory strap lines 4 may be revealed and embedded videos 5 may be incorporated.

The brochure contains a collection of data containers, primarily constants and variables. The brochure uses constants to store static information that helps to deliver the brochure in a suitable format for a user. A record of the users screen resolution and bandwidth are typical uses. Both of these points of information are recognised within the containing web page prior to a Flash file being loaded and are read through ActionScript as the Flash file begins to play. The Flash file can then provide the brochure at an optimum size and with graphical clarity that will balance image clarity and download contention.

The brochure's functionality and page turn mechanism is facilitated through mathematical ActionScript, rather than a tweened timeline animation. It is for such core functionality that variables and data arrays are used to maintain constant awareness of the brochure's status. The video content relies heavily on the presence of variables for load recognition and also for eligibility to play.

Load time is important because that governs the speed with which a selected page or video may be displayed. The load time has been significantly reduced because of the following: i. Initial pre-load of only low resolution, high compression bitmap images; ii. Initial pre-load of all ActionScripts; iii. High resolution downloaded on request or streamed during idle time and then cached; iv. A mechanism has been built into the preloading sequence that will check the user's bandwidth and adjust the source elements, such as bitmap images accordingly; choosing lower quality images for users who have demonstrated a poorer internet connection.

ActionScripts enable the page turn mechanism to accept high resolution pages on request. The use of data arrays allows access to high-resolution pages to be recorded, which provide an opportunity to eliminate unnecessary repeat execution of load functions. The page turn mechanism is further enhanced by introducing Action Script to ignore high-resolution load calls when the brochure is turning pages. This proves particularly beneficial following introduction of the index system, which allows the brochure to turn multiple pages in sequence.

The page turn mechanism would normally not allow caching of this data after downloading which effectively means that every time a user visited an individual page the software would treat it as if it was the first visit.

When a video is incorporated on a page the original video is edited and compressed to reduce the file size without impacting on image quality, When the brochure is downloaded pre-loading techniques are used to load the video to the specific page it is being viewed on. Each page that will present video content features an additional layer that holds a unique movie clip in which the video is shown. As the page is viewed this movie clip plays and carries out a number of frame scripts that lead to presenting the video following loading activity. It should be noted that each digital video footage is embedded into separate Flash SWF files and it is these that are loaded into the brochure. The separate video SWFs contain source digital video that has been imported into Flash with audio and video synchronised to the Flash files given frame rate.

In the process of presenting a video, the following steps are taken:-

Initial activity:

1 . ActionScript recognises users bandwidth

2. ActionScript initialises video specific variables i. declares which Flash movie clip (videoContainer) will contain the video file ii. creates an empty array to represent and contain references to videos that have been viewed iii. declares variables to contain the "loaded" and "active status" iv. defines the default x and y coordinates where the videoContainer should appear. Page activity:

1 . ActionScript declares the SWF file that is to be loaded and iterates through the array of viewed videos, if it is not found then the loaded process begins, otherwise this is skipped and the video is presented. 2. Presents a placeholder that informs the user that video is loading. The placeholder can be a still image, and series of images or an animation.

3. ActionScript passes the SWF filename to a load function that will request the file. ActionScript also passes a reference to the videoContainer into which the SWF should be loaded.

4. The load function requests the video's SWF file. While the video SWF is being downloaded the videoContainer is constantly checking to see if it has downloaded, if not then it continues to play the placeholder sequence. 5. Once the SWF has been loaded into Flash memory it is presented within the videoContainer and sets the "loaded! Status to true, which instructs the videoContainer to advance from the placeholder sequence to display the video. At this point the video is being viewed and so the videoContainer switches "active status" to true. 6. Once the video SWF has played, a reference to it is added to the array of viewed videos, which eliminates the need to download the video during repeat accesses to the page. With regard to page selection from the index, software has been embedded within the page turn mechanism that enables any page to be selected from any point on the brochure. This allows the user to utilize an index to reach the desired page rapidly.

Because a low resolution version of the brochure is pre-loaded, even if the user has just opened the brochure they may select any page and the page turn mechanism will take the user directly to the selected page. When the page turn settles on the desired page a request is then made for the high-resolution alternative, which begins to load and displays a Loading indicator. Once loaded the high-resolution version is displayed and interactivity, such as page links to further information become enabled.

The brochure has been adapted to provide a means of viewing densely populated pages using a click through mechanism from specific brochure pages.

This allows clients to provide existing paper-based catalogue information that is modified to retain the same styling but with edited text and therefore the same user experience.

The edited version is then programmed into the page turn mechanism with specific "hot spots" that when clicked open an enlarged version of the original text document at the point the user selected. This is made possible by a mixture of hardcoded y coordinates and also recognition of the point at which the user's mouse has been clicked. Further custom ActionScript allows the users to scroll up and down or to quick link to the top and bottom of the enlarged pages. Users can also link to other pages or reference websites from within the enlarged pages. Custom scripts utilise inbuilt Flash commands such as fsCommand and getURL to accommodate this and also to allow all user activity such as pages viewed and links clicked to be recorded. Links and users activity is read from and written to an XML stylesheet through use of ActionScript, Javascript and VBScript/ASP.

It will be appreciated that the above embodiment has been described by way of example only and that many variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1 . A system for electronically displaying a brochure comprising means enabling a page of a brochure to be selected and the pages in the brochure to be successively browsed through until the selected page is reached.

2. A system as claimed in Claim 1 , in which means are provided for altering the browsing speed.

3. A system as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, in which browsing may be forward or reverse.

4. A system as claimed in Claim 1 , 2 or 3, comprising means for embedding a video on a page of the brochure.

5. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising means for enabling an image on a page of the brochure to be expanded.

6. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising means enabling text associated with an image on a page of the brochure to be revealed.

7. A system for electronically displaying a brochure comprising means for embedding a video on a page of the brochure.

8. A system for electronically displaying a brochure comprising means enabling an image on a page of the brochure to be expanded.

9. A system for electronically displaying a brochure comprising means enabling text associated with an image on a page of the brochure to be revealed.