System and method of creating and remotely editing interactive generic configurator programs

摘要

Item configurators for websites and other applications, using a plurality of graphic layer files and graphic layer thumbnail files comprising various layers of the item desired for configuration. Generally at least some of this plurality of graphic layer files will contain some transparent pixels. The method also involves creating at least one main description file, which may be in XML format, or a CSV row and column table format, suitable for editing by spreadsheet, which describes the relationships between this plurality of graphic layer files. An interactive generic configurator program (IGCP) that is capable of reading and parsing this main description file, and displaying icons on the GUI that are representative of various user configurator selections will then be used to implement the configurator, often within a web browser over the internet. Additionally, methods of allowing unskilled users to remotely edit such configurator files using standard web browsers are disclosed.

主权项

1. A method of creating an item configurator or bundle configurator, for at least one item, intended to run under the control of at least one processor in at least one computerized device possessing a GUI, said method comprising:
creating a plurality of graphic layer files and graphic layer thumbnail files comprising various layers of said at least one item; wherein at least some of said plurality of graphic layer files contain some transparent pixels; wherein at least some of the graphic layer files have the same width and height dimensions in terms of pixels, so that these graphic layer files may be superimposed on each other to produce a composite image without the need to specify the relative location of any particular graphic layer file relative to another particular graphic layer file; creating at least one main table structure file describing the relationships between said plurality of graphic layer files; said main table structure file comprising a plurality of heading sections; each heading section comprising a heading and at least one assembly definitions; each at least one assembly definition comprising and being associated with at least one graphic layer file, at least one thumbnail graphic layer file (icon), at least one assembly title descriptor, and an optional link to an associated file or data structure that defines the attributes of said at least one assembly definition; obtaining an interactive generic configurator program (IGCP); said IGCP capable of reading and parsing said at least one main table structure file, and implementing a program loop wherein for each heading section in said at least one main table structure file, said IGCP will: 1: read said heading and display said heading onto said GUI; 2: read the first assembly definition or the default assembly of each heading and display the graphic layer file associated with said assembly definition into a GUI configurable object display window; 3: read said at least one assembly definition wherein;
A: if said assembly definition contains a link to an associated data structure, then said IGCP will apply the attributes associated with this associated data structure to the at least one graphic layer file associated with said assembly, and display said attributes in a GUI attribute display window as additional attributes that may be applied should the user click on one of these attributes in the GUI attribute display window;B: For each assembly definition, said IGCP will display said thumbnail graphic layer file as an icon associated with said display of said heading onto said GUI, and display said at least one assembly title descriptor associated with said display of said heading onto said GUI; wherein if a user of said configurator selects an icon on said GUI, said IGCP will replace the associated graphic layer files in the at least one item configuration window with new graphic layer files associated with said selected icon, and apply the defined attributes specified by the linked associated data structure associated with said icon onto the assembly, and 4: when said user indicates on said GUI interface that said user is finished, said IGCP will save a record of the assemblies and attributes selected by said user wherein the main table structure file is produced by an automated scripting program that produces said main table structure file in response to a designer's selection of configurator options and modes of operation on a graphical user interface, wherein said IGCP comprises a plugin or add on for another software program.