Patent Troll Targeting Printing Companies that use Common Web-to-Print Functionality

Commentary & Analysis

By Adam DewitzPublished: December 15, 2015

A recently-formed Delaware-based limited liability company called High Quality Printing Inventions, LLC, has been filing patent infringement cases in the U.S. District Courts in a litigation campaign against several printing companies using common web-to-print functionality. It appears that High Quality Printing Inventions is a non-practicing entity, a patent troll, formed for the sole purpose of seeking royalty payments.

The patent includes 20 claims covering web-enabled print systems that include product specification and design interfaces that utilize templated documents to create mass-customized business forms or brochures. The patent is US Patent 6012070:A Digital design station procedure. The claims describe common functionally of systems that many printing companies have offered in web-to-print storefronts, collateral management and e-commerce platforms for years.

The history of the patent starts in 1996 when Moore Business Forms, Inc., (now R.R. Donnelley) filed the patent application. The patent was granted January 4, 2000. In March of this year, the patent was updated to formally assign the ownership to R.R. Donnelley. The change of assignment from the Moore business to R.R. Donnelley was most likely in preparation for a sale or licensing of the patent to High Quality Printing Inventions, LLC. At the time of publication, R.R. Donnelley has not responded to requests for comment on the current ownership of the patent, its relationship or business dealings with High Quality Printing Inventions, LLC.

According to legal database searches, High Quality Printing Inventions, LLC has filed at least 32 patent infringement cases against 35 printing companies that have web-enabled print capabilities as a primary outlet for their businesses. The defendants include:

ALLBUSINESSCARDS.COMAngstrom Graphics IncAvery Dennison CorporationBarton Cotton Affinity Group, LLCBay State Envelope, Inc.Cardphile, Inc.CardsDirect, Inc.Cardstore, Inc.Cimpress N.V.Deluxe Corp.Farheap Solutions Incorporated (OvernightPrints Incorporated)FineStationery.comGreat FX Business Cards, LLCHallmark Cards IncorporatedInvitation Consultants, Inc.Luxe Cards, LLCMaster Marketing InternationalMinted LLCMoo, Inc.Office Depot IncorporatedPaperDirect, Inc.Pear Tree Greetings, Inc.Posty Cards, Inc.PrintingForLess.com IncorporatedPrintograph IncorporatedPrudent Publishing Co., Inc.PsPRINTShutterfly IncorporatedSimply To Impress LLCStaplesTaylor Corporation (123Print Incorporated and Everglades Direct, Inc.)Thayer Publishing, Inc.Uprinting.comWorldwide Tickets and Labels Inc.Zazzle, Inc.

All of the defendants in the current batch of lawsuits appear to have one thing in common: a majority of the companies have developed in-house "web-to-print" software to power their e-commerce services or are using highly customized off-the-shelf products. At this time, no infringement claims have been made against suppliers to the industry that develop off the shelf "web-to-print" software solutions with functionality similar to that used by the current defendants. The focus on printing companies rather than suppliers to the industry seems to be a strategy of High Quality Printing Inventions, LLC, and its outside legal team who likely would prefer not to target vendors who may have deeper pockets for legal defense and more sophisticated legal teams. Targeting printing companies may, from their perspective, be a way to make some quick settlement cash.

If High Quality Printing Inventions follows the modus operandi of other recent patent trolls, the current list of defendants is likely an initial phase in a scheme to shake money from printing companies. The current defendant list appears to be a strategic mix of small, medium and large printing companies. How these companies react and respond will provide this patent troll with insight on how to expand its litigation campaign against many other printing firms.

WhatTheyThink will continue to follow this situation as it develops and we have other similar patent trolls in our sights as well.

Source: Patent Troll Targeting Printing Companies that use Common Web-to-Print Functionality

DATA SYST : Visual Data Systems Announces Robert Gray Will Lead Boomerang Platform Launch

Columbia, Maryland (PRWEB) December 14, 2015

Visual Data Systems, a leader in website design, software integration, and online marketing services for vacation rental and related industries, is pleased to announce that Robert Gray will be spearheading the implementation of Boomerang, an extensive web-based booking, marketing, and communication platform that equips vacation rental and travel providers with the tools to attract vacationers and keep them coming back.

In his return to Visual Data Systems, he will assume the title of Executive Vice President of Sales & Business Development. Having worked in all phases of the vacation rental industry (property management, software, and web), Robert brings an immense wealth of knowledge and experience to Visual Data Systems and its clients.

"We are pleased to welcome Robert home! The entire VDS team is very excited to have Robert back in his new roles with Visual Data Systems," stated Paul Herman, CEO & Founder of Visual Data Systems. "Robert's breadth and depth of industry experience amplifies our continuing commitment to bringing the best online marketing tools and results to our clients. With the launch of Boomerang and the return of Robert to the team - this is certainly a great time to be a VDS client."

Robert Gray has been in the vacation rental industry since 1994 and has worked in a variety of roles as a property/rental manager as well as working for key industry vendors. He has previously served as the Resort Controller at the Litchfield Beach & Golf Resort as well as spending six years with Dunes Realty in Garden City, SC. As General Manager of Dunes Realty, Robert helped manage over 1,000 vacation rentals. On the vendor side of the industry, Robert has been the Director of Marketing for Instant Software (now part of HomeAway Software), one of the largest providers of software to the vacation rental industry. He also worked for Visual Data Systems in various sales and marketing roles before becoming Vice President for over two years. For the last 15 months, Robert has served as the Vice President of Business Development for a start-up industry vendor.

"I am very happy to have the opportunity to return to Visual Data Systems and to once again work with all the great VDS team members and their clients," stated Robert Gray. "The opportunity to help launch the Boomerang platform which will bring a wealth of tools to professional vacation rental managers, allowing them to further build their brand, increase client interactivity and communications, and increase their percentage of returning guests is something that I am very excited to a part of."

Robert will be leading the charge of Boomerang, which will deliver the most comprehensive guest and owner feature suite in the industry. Boomerang aims to boost success in generating vacation reservations, communicating with guests, and increasing site visibility.

Boomerang is available at the Core and Core Plus levels. With Core, which comes standard, providers receive a responsive website with CMS, SEO Readiness program, VDS booking engine and tools, communication suite, reporting, and vacation planning tools.

With Core Plus, providers can add the following features: guest loyalty & rewards integration, advanced auto emails, Encore email marketing services, OwnerNet, MyBrochure, Survey Scout, and online marketing services such as PPC and SEO.

About Visual Data Systems

Visual Data Systems, based in Columbia, Maryland, is a leading supplier of online marketing, technology, and consultation. Founded in 1993 with extensive experience in the vacation rental industry, Visual Data Systems has clients throughout North and Central America and the Caribbean. Visual Data Systems supplies clients with design services, online marketing tools including online survey management, managed email solutions, search engine optimization and marketing, integration with rental/property management software, and business and technology consultation. Visual Data Systems can be found online at http://www.VisualDataSystems.com and can be reached via email at marketing(at)VisualDataSystems(dot)com or via phone at 410-964-8665.

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/visual_data_systems/boomerang_Gray/prweb13127766.htm

(c) 2015 PRWEB.COM Newswire, source Press Releases

Source: DATA SYST : Visual Data Systems Announces Robert Gray Will Lead Boomerang Platform Launch

13 top Web development bootcamps in 13 cities

According to a recent survey by bootcamp directory and reviews website Course Report, more than twice as many students are expected to graduate from coding bootcamps this year (16,056) than in 2014 (6,740).

"People are drawn to them for time- and money-savings," says Liz Eggelston, cofounder of Course Report. "These programs aren't cheap, but they take three to six months to complete instead of two to three years for a graduate degree—and cost a fraction of the price."

And attending coding bootcamps appears to pay off for graduates: Three-quarters of respondents to Course Report's survey report finding full-time employment that requires skills they learned in a bootcamp. Among those, 63 percent are in salaried positions, and survey respondents cited an average salary growth of $25,000 following bootcamp graduation.

From East Coast to West, here's a look at 13 popular bootcamp programs for Web developers, including tuition and job assistance details to help you find the best bootcamp for you.

Source: 13 top Web development bootcamps in 13 cities

Adobe profit beats on strong subscriptions for Creative Cloud

By Sai Sachin R and Kshitiz Goliya

(Reuters) - Adobe Systems Inc <ADBE.O> reported a profit that topped market expectations for the ninth straight quarter on strong subscriber growth for its Creative Cloud package of software tools, which includes Photoshop.

Adobe's shares jumped 4.7 percent to $93.10 in extended trading on Thursday and are set to hit a record high on Friday.

The company said 833,000 subscribers signed up for Creative Cloud in the fourth quarter ended Nov. 27, more than the 678,200 additions analysts were expecting, according to research firm FactSet StreetAccount.

Creative Cloud includes graphic design tool Photoshop, web design software Dreamweaver and web video building application Flash, among other software.

Adobe, which has seen strong growth from Creative Cloud, has been nimble enough to attract users other than enterprises and professionals to the software suite.

About 52 percent of customers subscribe to t he highest-priced full Creative Cloud while the rest subscribe to individual products. Of those, Photoshop Lightroom was the fastest growing, Chief Financial Officer Mark Garrett said in an interview.

"It's growing the most because it's attracting new users ... hobbyists and consumers and people that would never buy the Creative products before, so it's expanded our market opportunity," Garrett said.

San Jose-based Adobe has been switching to web-based subscriptions from traditional licensed software to enjoy a more predictable recurring revenue stream.

"(Adobe has) largely completed this transition to a recurrent revenue model. You are starting to see revenue stack even though your expenses aren't rising as quickly," said FBR Capital Markets analyst Samad Samana.

Revenue from its digital media business, which houses Creative Cloud, jumped 35 percent to $875.3 million.

The business – also home to Acrobat, which enables the ubiquitous PDF forma t for e-books – makes up the bulk of Adobe's revenue.

Revenue from its digital marketing business, which offers tools for businesses to analyze customer interactions and manage social media content, rose 2.3 percent to $382.7 million.

Total revenue rose to $1.31 billion.

Despite the 21.7 percent increase in fourth-quarter revenue only matching analysts' estimates, a much lower 3.4 percent bump in total operating costs also helped Adobe's profit beat estimates.

Adobe's net income soared to $222.7 million, or 44 cents per share, in the quarter, from $88.1 million, or 17 cents per share, a year earlier.

Excluding items, it earned 62 cents per share, beating average analyst estimate of 60 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Adobe's shares have risen 22.4 percent this year through Thursday's close.

(Additional reporting by Arathy S Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Cynthia Osterman)

Inv estment & Company Information

Finance

Adobe Systems Inc

Creative Cloud

Source: Adobe profit beats on strong subscriptions for Creative Cloud

Create a logo with Affinity Designer

Affinity Designer is a fresh new design and illustration app that burst on to the scene last year and immediately won Editors' Choice, before becoming a runner up in the contest for Best App of 2014. Yesterday, Serif announced some top new features in Affinity Designer 1.4.

Here, I'll walk you through how to create a unique logo using the software. I'll cover the basics of the app, including working with lines and shapes, laying out a page, and exporting various elements as efficient web graphics.

Affinity Designer is Mac-only for now, but that may change once the developers finish up the suite of tools (which will also include Affinity Photo and Affinity Publisher).

Before you get started, download the 10-day Affinity Designer trial and install it (or dive in and buy it from the Mac App Store). Affinity Designer works on OS X 10.7.5 or newer and only requires a Core 2 Duo processor.

Step 01 Set up your new doc

Launch the app and create a new doc from the startup panel. As we're designing a scalable vector logo, the document type and pixel size aren't critical – we've chosen 'Web' at WXGA (1280x800) for ease. To prepare for the design, turn on Snapping and select the UI design preset from the drop-down list, which also enables Force Pixel Alignment mode. You should also enable Guides and Rulers from the View menu.

Step 02 Get the pen tool ready

Select the Pen tool from the left, and choose the 'Line Mode' option on the top Context toolbar to restrict creation to straight lines. On the Stroke panel at the right, set the stroke weight to 9.6pt (or type 40px, and it will convert for you). To have stroke weights displayed in pixels rather than the normal points, uncheck 'Show Lines in Points' in Affinity Designer > Preferences.

Step 03 Start drawing lines

Click and hold, starting from above and left of centre of the design area, holding Shift to constrain the line to vertical, and drag downwards. Release to draw the stroke (ours is 580px tall). Set the Cap type to 'Butt' to give a flat end. Switch to the Move tool (V), hold cmd, then click and drag your line to create a copy, moving it to the right. Hold Shift to keep the copy aligned.

Step 04 Get your guides in order

It's evident now that some layout guides will help keep the growing number of elements neat. Our first vertical stroke is at X=425 and you can position the second by eye, or add guides by clicking on the rulers and dragging right or down. To suit our logo, we're adding horizontal guides at 110, 400, 690px and vertical guides at 425, 640, 855px using View > Guides Manager.

Step 05 Things should snap into place

Position the right line over the guide at 855px – it should snap nicely into place. Select the Pen tool again and draw a diagonal line from the top-left of the logo to just above the middle of the logo space. Switch to the Move tool (V) again, hold cmd and drag to duplicate this as we did for the vertical line. Flip it using the 'Flip Horizontal' button on the top toolbar. Position it to the right.

Step 06 Expand strokes

You can edit these strokes by moving end nodes using the Node tool (A). If you're happy, select both the diagonal lines by Shift-clicking them, then choose Layer > Expand Stroke. This converts them to rectangular shapes that are easier to select and align. Zoom in to the point of the 'M' and use the Node tool again to position the lowest corners together on the centre line.

Step 07 Add embellishments

Time to embellish the 'M'! Click on the Triangle shape on the left toolbar to select it (more options become available if you hold down), then click and drag to draw a triangle 130px wide by 115px tall. Fill it black via the Colour panel and remove the stroke. Position at the bottom-left of the 'M', then duplicate it for the right. If you haven't yet saved your design, hit cmd+S and name your file.

Step 08 Join up the shapes

Duplicate the triangle again, then use the Transform panel at the lower right to set its size to 70px wide by 60px high. Rotate 90° using the shape's rotation lollypop, holding Shift to constrain. Position one triangle at the left middle of the first stroke, duplicate and flip to position another on the right stroke. 'Expand Stroke' on the two vertical lines, then cmd+A to select all, then join the shapes using the 'Add' button at the top right.

Step 09 Create the next letter for your logo

Now we're going to create the 'C' that will sit inside our 'M'. Create an ellipse 265x280px, with no fill and a 40px stroke. Centre it in the design area, then convert it to a shape (Layer > Expand Stroke). Next, create a rectangle 60px high and position it over the mid-right of the ellipse (this will form the break in the 'C'). Shift-click to select both objects and cut the rectangle from the ellipse using the 'Subtract' button. I've also added a small triangle on the letter's left side.

Step 10 Curve manipulation

If you're feeling up to some curve manipulation, we can add some interest to the middle point of our 'M'. Add a small circle with 40px stroke and convert to curves. Break the curve at the top node and move the loose ends to make a teardrop shape that meets the 'M''s arms. Some practice with curves can be had at bezier.method.ac. You can also add a neat 5px rounding inside the top of the 'M''s upper points using the Corner tool – select both the nodes, then click and drag to smooth.

Step 11 Export as SVG

Now we want to save your file again and export the logo as an SVG so we can easily use it in other projects. Press cmd+A to select everything, go to File > Export and choose 'SVG' from the icons at the top of the Export dialog. Choose 'Selection without background' from the Export dropdown, then click 'Export'. Now you just need to give your logo a name, choose a folder (remember where it is!) and hit 'Save'. Close your design from the File menu.

Step 12 Page mock up

Over the next few steps, we're going to use the techniques you've already learned to mock up a page around your logo. Create a new design, same size or larger than before (ours is 3840 x 7400px) and we've unchecked 'Transparent background'. Once open, ensure Snapping is enabled, choosing the UI preset again. Next click the 'Place Image Tool' button, select your logo SVG, and drag it out at the middle top of the page. Ours is roughly 260px square, but it'll look perfect at any size!

Step 13 Plan your layout

Choose whether to start with guidelines or content first (and guidelines afterwards), to kickstart your layout. Our guides define a repeating area that includes a background rectangle, one large and three small images, product information, and button regions. You can drag these guides on to the page from the rulers.

Step 14 Layout tricks

Time for some layout tips! To quickly centre-align, right-click an object and choose Alignment > Align Centre. Or add Alignment (and Distribution) controls to your upper toolbar using drag and drop – edit the toolbar using View > Customise Toolbar… to achieve this. Add text using the tool at the left, either scalable 'Art Text' or traditional 'Frame Text'. Use Hex colours by changing the Colour panel's menu to 'Sliders' and the model drop-down to 'RGB Hex'.

Step 15 Exporting elements

Once you're happy with your page mockup, it's time to select some elements to export. To select multiple product images, cmd+click each one in the Layers panel or Shift-click each one in the design. Now switch to the Export persona using the button in the top-left. In the Layers panel, click 'Create Slices'. You can adjust slices to be any size in any position.

Step 16 Final export

In the Slices panel, uncheck everything apart from your selected images. Choose whether to export at 1x size, 2x, 3x (or all three). Look up to the settings in 'Export Options'. We're outputting JPGs at High Quality, using a Lanczos3 resampler and happily ignoring ICC settings (but they're there if you need them!). Now click 'Export Selected' at the bottom of the Slices panel, pick a folder, and click Export.

You're done! Logo in use

That's it! You've seen some creation tools, pixel-perfect shape manipulation, layout assistants, exporting as SVG, creating export areas from design elements, and exporting optimised graphics. There are plenty of ways to make Affinity Designer fit your unique workflow – start using it in your own way to see what fits!

Words: Dale Cook

Dale Cook is a product manager at Affinity who specialises in customer engagement, design and DTP. This article was originally published in issue 269 of net magazine.

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Source: Create a logo with Affinity Designer