Visual Email Editor Using Modular Templates

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Organizations face significant costs and time expenditures in designing and transmitting effective email campaigns due to the need for hiring designers, purchasing computer systems, and maintaining technology for email layout and content creation.

Innovation Solution

A visual editor that allows users to customize email message layouts and content, utilizing a user interface server to store information in local memory for fast spell-checking, previewing, and anti-spam functionality, and employing modular renderers to generate different output representations based on desired characteristics.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If organizations hire designers and purchase specialized computer systems to design and transmit email campaigns, then the quality and effectiveness of email messages is improved, but the cost and device complexity increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveemail message design qualityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses templates as reusable copies of email message designs. Templates store pre-defined layouts, content blocks, and styling information that can be copied and customized for multiple email campaigns. This eliminates the need to create email designs from scratch each time, reducing both cost and complexity while maintaining quality through proven design patterns.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments email message design into modular components including content blocks, layout templates, and styling elements. Each template consists of discrete, independently customizable sections that can be assembled and modified without affecting the entire design. This segmentation allows non-experts to easily customize emails while the system manages the overall complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Manufacturing precision

If organizations hire designers and technology experts to create and maintain email systems, then the quality of email campaigns is improved, but the loss of time for preparation and transmission increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveemail message design qualityVSAvoidemail campaign preparation time
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements templates that contain pre-designed layouts, pre-formatted content blocks, and pre-configured styling. These elements are prepared in advance and stored for rapid deployment. When creating an email campaign, users simply select and customize existing templates rather than designing from scratch, dramatically reducing preparation time while maintaining professional quality through the pre-engineered template structures.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If specialized computer systems are purchased for email transmission, then the reliability of email delivery is improved, but the cost and device complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveemail delivery reliabilityVSAvoidtransmission system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes the template system universally applicable across different email transmission platforms and services. The same template framework and design elements work with multiple email service providers and transmission systems, eliminating the need for specialized proprietary systems. This universality maintains reliability through standardized processes while reducing complexity by avoiding vendor-specific infrastructure requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS10038653B2Visual editor for electronic mail
Publication Date: 2018.07.31 CONSTANT CONTACT
  • US10038653B2 patent drawing
  • US10038653B2 patent drawing
  • US10038653B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A computer-implemented method is provided for generating at least one custom email message based, at least in part, on input from a user of a computer system, the computer system having a display. The method comprises acts of presenting, to the user in the display of the computer system, an editor interface displaying an initial approximation of an email message comprising a plurality of content blocks; accepting, through the editor interface, at least one customization of at least one of a content of at least one of the plurality of content blocks and a layout of the plurality of content blocks; and displaying through the editor interface a customized approximation of the email message based, at least in part, on the initial approximation of the email message and the at least one customization.