Fully Customizable Mobile Greeting Card App

Abstract

A system is provided for downloading a fully customizable greeting card application to a mobile device such as a tablet, the application simulating the behavior of a child making handmade cards with blank paper and physical drawing tools and other decorative effects. The application allows a user to create a card from a variety of pre-designed greeting card templates or to fully customize three full pages of a blank greeting card. A completed greeting card may be electronically mailed to one or more email recipients or one or more copies of the greeting card can be ordered and purchased from within the application and may be printed and sent from a remote fulfillment facility to one or more specified recipients. The application contains parental controls for ordering and purchasing the greeting cards while not interfering with a child's ability to fully express their creativity through various in-app drawing tools and available effects.

1 . An electronic greeting card system including an application downloadable to a portable computing device comprising:
 a server;   an electronic greeting card application program that is downloaded to the portable computing device from the server;   the electronic greeting card application having a plurality of greeting card templates for customization by a user, at least one page of the plurality of greeting card templates being completely blank;   a plurality of electronic drawing tools contained within the electronic greeting card application, each of the plurality of electronic drawing tools operative to be selected by a tap of a user's finger upon the touch screen of the portable computing device above one of a plurality of icons representing each of the plurality of electronic drawing tools;   wherein once a user has selected one of the plurality of electronic drawing tools, the user may customize the greeting card by drawing or writing on the touch screen of the portable computing device above the electronic greeting card template.   
     
     
         2 . The electronic greeting card system of  claim 1 , wherein once a user has customized and saved one of the plurality of greeting card templates, the user may order and purchase a physical copy of the customized greeting cards. 
     
     
         3 . The electronic greeting card system of  claim 1 , wherein the system is further operable to electronically send a rendering of a saved customized greeting card template to a print facility for printing a physical copy of the customized greeting card. 
     
     
         4 . The electronic greeting card system of  claim 3 , wherein a user can choose to pick up the physical copy of the customized greeting card at the print facility. 
     
     
         5 . The electronic greeting card system of  claim 3 , wherein a user can choose to have the print facility mail the physical copy of the greeting card to a recipient. 
     
     
         6 . The electronic greeting card system of  claim 1 , wherein the electronic drawing tools are selected from the following: a pencil, a crayon, a marker, a paintbrush, a piece of chalk, a sticker, and a stamper. 
     
     
         7 . The electronic greeting card system of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of greeting card templates are operative to accept a user photo to be displayed thereon. 
     
     
         8 . An electronic greeting card system comprising:
 a server;   an electronic greeting card application downloadable from the server to a portable computing device having a touch screen thereon;   the electronic greeting card application operative to provide both pre-designed greeting card templates with one or more areas which can be customized by a user with text, photographs, and/or a digital signature and also blank greeting card templates which can be completely customized by a user with text, drawings, and/or photographs;   wherein the pre-designed and blank greeting card templates are customizable through user interaction with the touch screen of the portable computing device; and   wherein physical printed copies of a customized pre-designed and blank greeting card templates can be purchased and mailed to one or more recipients from within the electronic greeting card application.   
     
     
         9 . The electronic greeting card system of  claim 8 , wherein the blank greeting card templates are customizable with a plurality of electronic drawing tools available from within the electronic greeting card application. 
     
     
         10 . The electronic greeting card system of  claim 9 , wherein the plurality of electronic drawing tools include a pencil, a crayon, a marker, a paintbrush, a piece of chalk, a sticker and a stamper. 
     
     
         11 . The electronic greeting card system of  claim 9 , wherein the user may select to use one of the plurality of electronic drawing tools by tapping on one of a plurality of icons representing each of the plurality of electronic drawing tools. 
     
     
         12 . The electronic greeting card system of  claim 8 , wherein each greeting card template contains four pages. 
     
     
         13 . The electronic greeting card system of  claim 8 , wherein each page of each of the greeting card templates is electronically movable by a user by a touch of a finger. 
     
     
         14 . The electronic greeting card system of  claim 8 , wherein the electronic greeting card application contains safeguards which prevent a child user from ordering or purchasing a physical copy of a customized greeting card without parental consent or participation. 
     
     
         15 . A method for creating a physical customized greeting card from within a mobile application comprising the steps of:
 downloading an electronic greeting card application to a mobile computing device with a touch screen;   selecting a greeting card having at least three completely blank pages operable to be fully customized by a user;   selecting one of a plurality of electronic drawing tools by tapping one's finger on an icon representing said selected drawing tool;   selecting one of a plurality of colors of the selected one of the plurality of electronic drawing tools by tapping one's finger on an icon representing said selected color;   using one's finger to draw or write or tap upon one or more of the at least three completely blank pages of the greeting card;   wherein one may iterate through the at least three completely blank pages by swiping one's finger to the left or to the right or by tapping on left and right arrows on the touch screen;   saving the customized greeting card;   providing greeting card recipient name and address information to the electronic greeting card application;   providing payment information to the electronic greeting card information;   wherein the electronic greeting card application will process said recipient name and address and payment information and send a rendering of the user's customized greeting card to a print facility which will print a physical copy of the customized greeting card and mail said customized greeting card to the recipient name and address provided by the user.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  further comprising the step of adding a name to a fourth partially customizable page of the greeting card. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15  further comprising the step of providing user email and password information prior to providing the greeting card recipient name and address information. 
     
     
         18 . A system for electronic creation of a physical greeting card comprising:
 at least one server accessible via a computer network, the at least one server having data thereon defining a blank greeting card template having four pages wherein three of the four pages are completely blank and a plurality of electronic drawing tools;   a mobile computing device for accessing the at least one server;   a mobile application downloaded from the at least one server to the mobile device, the mobile application providing access to the data on the at least one server;   wherein a user may fully customize the blank greeting card template by using one's finger to interact with the blank greeting card template and the plurality of electronic drawing tools through mobile application via a touch screen on the mobile device; and   wherein the user may order and purchase a physical copy of the fully customized representation of the blank greeting card template from within the mobile application and have it printed and mailed to a specified recipient from a remote location.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the user may choose to send an electronic version of the fully customized representation of the blank greeting card template to a recipient via SMS text message or email, or to post the electronic version onto a social media website. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the mobile application also provides the option to select a pre-designed greeting card template having one or more areas which can be customized by a user.