Authoring tool for the authoring of wrap packages of cards

Abstract

An authoring tool for authoring wrap packages of cards. The authoring tool includes a set of tools that enable an author to create a new card of a wrap selected from a variety of card templates. In various embodiments, the card templates include textual, video, image/photo, document, gallery, chat, location/GPS, transact, appointment, and end-of-wrap card templates. When a particular card template is selected, the template is then duplicated to create the new card. Thereafter, the author may author the card to include various components, content, attributes, layouts, styles triggers and/or behaviors. As the cards of the wrap are created, the authoring tool provides the author with the ability to order the sequence of the cards. The authoring tool thus enables authors to selectively create wrap packages that include media that conveys a narrative story and application functionality.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An authoring tool, embedded in a tangible computer readable medium, the authoring tool configured to generate a wrap descriptor that defines a wrap package at runtime, the authoring tool configured to:
 enable an author to author a plurality of cards of the wrap package;   generate one or more data objects for the cards of the wrap package respectively; and   generate the wrap descriptor from the one or more data objects for the cards of the wrap package respectively,   wherein the generated wrap descriptor defines the wrap package at runtime.   
     
     
         2 . The authoring tool of  claim 1 , further configured to generate a plurality of card descriptors from the one or more data objects generated for the cards of the wrap package respectively. 
     
     
         3 . The authoring tool of  claim 2 , further configured to include meta data in the plurality of card descriptors, the meta data associated with the cards of the wrap package respectively. 
     
     
         4 . The authoring tool of  claim 1 , further configured to generate the wrap descriptor from a plurality of card descriptors, each of the card descriptors generated from the one or more data objects generated for the cards of the wrap package respectively. 
     
     
         5 . The authoring tool of  claim 4 , further configured to include meta data in the wrap descriptor, the meta data associated with the wrap package. 
     
     
         6 . The authoring tool of  claim 1 , wherein the author is enabled to generate the plurality of cards of the wrap package from card templates. 
     
     
         7 . The authoring tool of  claim 1 , further configured to enable the author to define a card type for the plurality of cards of the wrap package. 
     
     
         8 . The authoring tool of  claim 7 , wherein the card type is selected from the group consisting of:
 (a) a textual card;   (b) an image or photo card;   (c) a video card;   (d) a document card;   (e) a gallery card;   (f) a chat card;   (g) a location or GPS functionality card;   (h) a transact card;   (i) an appointment making card; and   (j) an end of the wrap package card.   
     
     
         9 . The authoring tool of  claim 1 , further configured to generate the one or more data objects for component(s) contained in the cards of the wrap package respectively. 
     
     
         10 . The authoring tool of  claim 1 , further configured to generate the one or more data objects for content(s) contained in the cards of the wrap package respectively. 
     
     
         11 . The authoring tool of  claim 1 , further configured to generate the one or more data objects for attribute(s) specified in the cards of the wrap package respectively. 
     
     
         12 . The authoring tool of  claim 1 , further configured to generate the one or more data objects for layout(s) specified in the cards of the wrap package respectively. 
     
     
         13 . The authoring tool of  claim 1 , further configured to generate the one or more data objects for style(s) specified in the cards of the wrap package respectively. 
     
     
         14 . The authoring tool of  claim 1 , further configured to generate the one or more data objects for triggers(s) contained in the cards of the wrap package respectively. 
     
     
         15 . The authoring tool of  claim 1 , further configured to generate the one or more data objects for behaviors(s) associated with the cards of the wrap package respectively. 
     
     
         16 . The authoring tool of  claim 1 , further configured to include meta data associated with the cards. 
     
     
         17 . The authoring tool of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more data objects are JSON data object(s) respectively. 
     
     
         18 . The authoring tool of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more data objects are BSON data object(s) respectively.