Hallmark Cards, Inc.

Stephanie F Young

Jennifer R Garbos

Kevin W Swanson

Krista Masilionis

David Galen Saville

Anne Horton

Cecilia Jeanne Merkle

Scott A Schimke

Jeanette B Raven

Timothy Jay Lien

Jason Blake Penrod

James B May

Anne Catherine Bates

Jason Paul Gahr

Adam Samuel Scheff

Michael Anthony Monaco, Jr

Scott Schimke

A card is provided that includes, for example, a fold that defines a first panel and a second panel, where each of those panels includes front and back surfaces. The second panel includes a void. The back surface of the first panel includes an actionable unique identifier such that when the greeting card is folded along the fold lines the actionable unique identifier is visible through the void. The actionable unique identifier is usable to retrieve a digital presentation among other things.

Greeting card with actionable aperture

Aspects of the technology described herein provide an activatable postage. The activatable postage is printed on a media, such as an envelope or sticker. Initially, the activatable postage has no postage value and may not have any value until activated. Each instance of activatable postage can include a unique identifier encoded in a machine-readable format. Postage value is added to the activatable postage through an activation process. To activate an individual instance of activatable postage, the unique identifier encoded in the activatable postage needs to be provided to the activation application. At the end of the activation process, a central database is updated to associate the unique identifier with a postal value calculated during activation. When the Postal Service receives an item with activatable postage it validates the activatable postage and then deactivates the activatable postage by updating the central database.

Activatable postage

The technology described herein allows a sender to initiate generation of a digital asset, which may be a video generated by merging videos provided by a group of users. The technology can facilitate the generation and collection of digital assets, such as video, images, and audio recordings from a group of users designed by the sender. The digital may be associated with a tangible object using a unique identifier located on the tangible object. The digital asset may be stored in computer memory on a user-experience server and associated with the unique identifier. When the unique identifier is provided to the user-experience server a second time, the digital asset can be retrieved and output to the computing device that provided the unique identifier. Thus, a user can initiate generation of a digital asset.

Collaborative asset generation and communication

The technology described herein allows a sender to initiate generation of a collaborative asset, which may be a video generated by merging videos provided by a group of users. The technology can facilitate the generation and collection of digital assets, such as video, images, and audio recordings from a group of users designed by the sender. The collaborative asset may be associated with a tangible object using a unique identifier located on the tangible object. The collaborative asset may be stored in computer memory on a user-experience server and associated with the unique identifier. When the unique identifier is provided to the user-experience server a second time, the collaborative asset can be retrieved and output to the computing device that provided the unique identifier. Thus, a user can initiate generation of a collaborative asset.

Methods and systems are provided that include receiving an instruction to associate a unique identifier with a digital presentation, where the unique identifier is associated with a tangible object, receiving a first digital asset from a first remote device, determining a first media component to prepend to the first digital asset, determining a second media component to append to the first digital asset (which influences the determination of the first media component or the second media component), incorporating the prepended content, digital asset, and appended content into the digital presentation, and associating the unique identifier with the digital presentation in a data store.

Digital asset generation and communication

A greeting card is provided that includes, for example, two fold lines that define a first panel, a second panel, and a third panel, where each of those panels include front and back surfaces. The second panel includes a void. The back surface of the first panel includes an actionable unique identifier such that when the greeting card is folded along the fold lines the actionable unique identifier is visible through the void. The actionable unique identifier is usable to retrieve a digital presentation.

Aspects of the technology described herein provide an activatable postage. As an initial step, the activatable postage is printed on a media, such as an envelope or sticker. Initially, the activatable postage has no postage value and will not have any value until activated. Each instance of activatable postage comprises a unique identifier encoded in a machine-readable format. Postage value is added to the activatable postage through an activation process. In order to activate an individual instance of activatable postage, the unique identifier encoded in the activatable postage needs to be provided to the activation application. At the end of the activation process, a central database is updated to associate the unique identifier with a postal value calculated during activation. When the Postal Service receives an item with activatable postage it validates the activatable postage and then deactivates the activatable postage by updating the central database.

A biometrically locked medication bottle lid including a bottle assembly, an alarm assembly and a lock assembly is disclosed herein. The bottle assembly includes a lid and a dispenser mechanism comprising a spring and a tray to dispense medicament. The alarm assembly includes a digital display that is attached to the front side of the bottle. A speaker and a light are also attached to the front side of the bottle and can be activated when an alarm is triggered indicating that it is time for a user to take their medication. The lock assembly includes a fingerprint sensor and a lock mechanism. The lock mechanism is actuated when the fingerprint sensor scans the fingerprint of the user.

Biometrically locked medication bottle lid

Embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to an Audio-Story Engine that includes a repository of prerecorded audio files that, when played in a certain sequence, with user provided recordings placed throughout, tell a story. To obtain the user provided recordings, the Audio-Story Engine asks the user to make audio recordings of various words or phrases. For example, the Audio-Story Engine may ask the user a series of questions in order to record and store the user's audible responses. Upon completion, the Audio-Story Engine plays back a completed story that incorporates the user's audio recordings by playing an appropriate user recording after playing a prerecorded audio file. This is repeated several times in sequence to form a seamless, customized, audio story. In addition, the Audio-Story Engine may alter the pitch or sound of the user's recorded words to match the pitch of the prerecorded story.

Growing community of inventors

Overland Park, KS, United States of America

Stephanie F Young