Interactive paper publisher

• US 20040138951A1
• Filed: 12/24/2003
• Published: 07/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul
• Application Number:
  US10/743,671
• Publication Number:
  US 20040138951A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination

Abstract

An on-demand computer based system is provided for allowing a user to obtain interactive printed information from a remote source such as an on-line publication. The system includes a printer module that is provided to the user for interfacing the user with the publication. The module is responsive to the user requesting the publication for generating a first printed page that displays to the user the publication, where that includes first information provided by the publisher and advertising that is derived from an advertiser. The module includes an identifier means for applying an identifier to the first page such that designation of the identifier by the user results in the module generating a second printed page that displays to the user further advertising. In some embodiments, use is made of an account server that is responsive to the module for determining a payment to be made by the advertiser to the publisher.

Claims

1. A method of tracking user interaction with an input element of a printed publication using a sensing device and a computer system,

the printed publication having disposed therein or thereon human-readable information and machine-readable coded data, the human-readable information being indicative, to a user, of the input element, portions of the machine-readable coded data being indicative of their own position relative to the printed publication, the computer system storing an electronic description of the printed publication and an association between the input element and an associated entity,

the sensing device being adapted to sense at least some of the coded data when placed in an operative position relative to the printed publication and to generate indicating data using at least some of the sensed coded data, the indicating data being indicative of at least one of a position and a movement of the sensing device relative to the printed publication,

the method comprising the steps of, in the computer system:

receiving the indicating data from the sensing device; and

identifying, from the indicating data and the electronic description, whether the user has selected the input element using the sensing device and, if so, notifying the associated entity of the selection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the associated entity is selected from the group comprising:

(a) an advertiser;

(b) a merchant;

(c) a printer provider; and

(d) a publisher.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the input element is selected from the group comprising:

(a) a button;

(b) a hyperlink and

(c) an input field.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the associated entity is selected from the group comprising:

(a) an advertiser computer system;

(b) a merchant computer system;

(c) a printer provider computer system; and

(d) a publisher computer system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the printed publication comprises a plurality of pages and wherein the coded data is further indicative of an identity of the page of the printed publication that the coded data is disposed in or on.

6. The method of claim 1 or 5, further comprising the step of, in the computer system, calculating a payment associated with the selection of the input element.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of notifying the associated entity comprises notifying the associated entity of the payment associated with the selection of the input element.

8. A system for tracking user interaction with an input element of a printed publication, the printed publication having disposed therein or thereon human-readable information and machine-readable coded data, the human-readable information being indicative, to a user, of the input element, portions of the machine-readable coded data being indicative of their own position relative to the printed publication,

the system comprising a computer system adapted to:

store an electronic description of the printed publication and an association between the input element and an associated entity,

receive indicating data from a sensing device, the sensing device being adapted to sense at least some of the coded data when placed in an operative position relative to the printed publication and to generate indicating data using at least some of the sensed coded data, the indicating data being indicative of at least one of a position and a movement of the sensing device relative to the printed publication, and

identify, from the indicating data and the electronic description, whether the user has selected the input element using the sensing device and, if so, the computer system is adapted to notify the associated entity of the selection.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the associated entity is selected from the group comprising:

(a) an advertiser;

(b) a merchant;

(c) a printer provider; and

(d) a publisher.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the input element is selected from the group comprising:

(a) a button;

(b) a hyperlink; and

(c) an input field.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the associated entity is selected from the group comprising:

(a) an advertiser computer system;

(b) merchant computer system;

(c) a printer provider computer system; and

(d) a publisher computer system.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the printed publication comprises a plurality of pages and wherein the coded data is further indicative of an identity of the page of the printed publication that the coded data is disposed in or on.

13. The system of claim 8 or 12, the computer system being configured to calculate a payment associated with the selection of the input element.

14. The system of claim 13, the computer system being configured such that notifying of the associated entity comprises notifying the associated entity of the payment associated with the selection of the input element.