Apparatus, system, and method for digitally presenting the contents of a printed publication

• US 20060168507A1
• Filed: 01/26/2006
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kim D. Hansen
• Original Assignee: Kim D. Hansen
• Inventors: Hansen, Kim D.
• Application Number:
  US11/341,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20060168507A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/10 Text processing natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30; processing or translation of natural language G06F40/40
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/06 with both visual and audible presentation of the material to be studied
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2335 involving reformatting operations of audio signals, e.g. by converting from one coding standard to another details of audio signal transcoding G10L19/173
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234336 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures or audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2368 Multiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for digitally presenting the contents of a printed publication. In one embodiment, the method includes obtaining contents of the printed publication, determining text content and graphical content; and providing one or more digital playback files configured to selectively present audio data and visual data corresponding to the text content and graphical content of the printed publication, wherein the audio data and the visual data are synchronized. The method may also include obtaining advertisement content and coordinating the audio data and the visual data to playback the advertisement content interspersed with the contents of the printed publication.

Claims

1. A method for digitally presenting the contents of a printed publication, the method comprising:

obtaining contents of the printed publication;

determining text content and graphical content; and

providing at least one digital playback file configured to selectively present audio data and visual data corresponding to the text content and graphical content of the printed publication, wherein the audio data and the visual data are synchronized.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual data is coordinated to trigger in time at a given time relative to the audio data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises obtaining advertisement content and wherein the at least one digital playback file includes audio data and visual data corresponding to the advertisement content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises coordinating the audio data and visual data to playback the text content and the graphical content consecutively relative to the printed layout of the printed publication.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the method further comprises coordinating the audio data and visual data to playback the advertisement content interspersed with the contents of the printed publication.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing a hyperlink to connect the contents to a related resource.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises storing the at least one digital playback file on a storage medium.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises storing the at least one digital playback file on a portable playback device.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises distributing the storage medium and the printed publication collectively.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the contents of the printed publication comprise at least a portion of a written segment.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least a portion of a written segment is associated with a searchable identifier and the method further comprises storing the at least a portion of a written segment on a server comprising a searchable database accessible through a network.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises associating the at least a portion of a written segment with a purchase cost and transferring the at least a portion of a written segment to one of a client computer system and a portable storage medium.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising distributing the at least a portion of a written segment with the printed publication.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises broadcasting the audio data and visual data over a communication network.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the communication network is selected from the group consisting of internet radio, satellite radio, short wave radio, and traditional bandwidth radio.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises vending the at least one digital playback file from an electronic kiosk configured to accept payment and transfer the at least one digital playback file to a storage medium.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises electronically distributing the at least one digital playback file on a network according to a user profile.

18. An apparatus for digitally presenting the contents of a printed publication, the apparatus comprising:

contents of the printed publication, wherein the contents comprise text content and graphical content;

at least one digital playback file configured to selectively present audio data and visual data corresponding to the text content and graphical content of the printed publication, wherein the audio data and the visual data are synchronized.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the text content and the graphical content are coordinated to playback consecutively relative to the printed layout of the printed publication.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the audio data comprises a voice recording of the text content of the printed publication created by one of human voice talent and automated computer voice.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the voice recording is selectable from a plurality of voice recordings, and wherein the voice recording is selected from the group consisting of dialects, languages, children'"'"'s, and male and female voices.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the audio data comprises a sound byte.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the visual data is selected from the group consisting of graphical images, graphical image sequences, video files, pictures, and animations.

24. A system for digitally presenting the contents of a printed publication, the system comprising:

contents of the printed publication, wherein the contents comprise text content and graphical content;

at least one digital playback file configured to selectively present audio data and visual data corresponding to the text content and graphical content of the printed publication, wherein the audio data and the visual data are synchronized; and

a server configured to store the at least one digital audio playback file, the server comprising a searchable database accessible through a network.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the system further comprises an electronic kiosk in communication with the server, the electronic kiosk configured to accept payment and transfer the at least one digital playback file to one of a client computer system and a portable storage medium.