Interactive web book system

• US 20050050166A1
• Filed: 02/20/2004
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: F Poszat Hu LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Family Systems, Ltd.
• Inventors: Goldhor, Richard Scott, Reynolds, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 7,447,748 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

An interactive Web book (“ibook”) system is provided that allows material to be contributed to the World Wide Web. An ibook is a self-extending, self-sustaining information-redistributing Web robot, which is resident on a data network such as the Internet or an intranet. Users may enroll with an ibook as viewers or contributors. Viewers may view ibook material, such as text or multimedia content. Contributors may contribute original material to the ibook or may create derivations of existing ibook material. Attribution information that identifies the source of material in a derivation is automatically generated. Information concerning the derivation of each work and its characteristics can be used to help the user navigate through ibook material. The ibook system keeps track of how often users access each work within an ibook. Contributors may be automatically rewarded (e.g., by a monetary distribution) based on the extent to which their contributed material is viewed by the users.

Claims

1. A method for use in a communications network having a server and clients linked by a data network wherein contributors use the clients to contribute material that is stored by the server and users at the clients access the material for viewing, the method comprising the steps of:

creating derivations with an authoring tool based on previously contributed material;

generating attribution information identifying the contributors whose material is used to create the derivations;

generating derivation information associating the previously contributed material with the derivations;

viewing material by navigating through the previously contributed material and the derivations using the derivation information; and

automatically rewarding the contributors based on the amount that their material is accessed by the users and the attribution information.