Audio guided system for providing guidance to user of mobile device on multi-step activities

• US 20080119169A1
• Filed: 07/25/2007
• Published: 05/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualtrics LLC (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Mobile Tip LLC
• Inventors: Rao, Bindu Rama
• Granted Patent: US 8,700,014 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/64 Browsing; Visualisation therefor generation of a list or set of audio data G06F16/638
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

An audio guided system (AUGUST) for mobile devices that facilitates the creation and dissemination of audio guided activities (AGAs) from a source computer/device to a plurality of other recipient mobile devices, wherein the AGA is disseminated to the recipient mobile devices in a form that is compatible with the capabilities of the respective recipient mobile devices. The audio guided system comprises the source computer/device, the plurality of other recipient mobile devices and a server.

Claims

1. A mobile device that is communicatively coupled to a server, the mobile device comprising:

at least one non-volatile memory having stored therein one or both of firmware and software;

at least one processor operably coupled to the non-volatile memory, wherein the at least one processor, during operation, at least;

receives at least one portion of a multistep guided activity;

displays the steps of the at least one portion of multistep guided activity sequentially one step at a time;

receives user input associated with the at least one portion of the multistep guided activity; and

selectively advances to a subsequent step or reverts to a previous step of the at least one portion of the multistep guided activity, in response to the user input.

5. The mobile device according to claim 1 wherein the mobile device receives an audio guided activity package over-the-air comprising the at least one portion of a multistep guided activity and presents it to the user, wherein each step of the multistep guided activity comprises at least one of an corresponding textual description, an audio description and a graphics information.

2. The mobile device according to claim 2 wherein the at least one processor presents a supplementary information, based on the user input, for at least one of the steps of the at least one portion of multistep guided activity.

3. The mobile device according to claim 2 wherein the at least one processor, when it displays the steps, presents at least one of a corresponding textual information, an audio information and a graphics information for each of the steps of the at least one portion of multistep guided activity.

4. The mobile device according to claim 2 wherein the at least one processor, when it displays the steps, presents at least one of a corresponding textual preamble, an audio preamble and a graphics information provided for each of the steps of the at least one portion of multistep guided activity.

6. A method of creating and disseminating content in a network to a plurality of mobile devices, the method comprising:

creating an audio guided activity, employing an audio guided activity creator tool;

storing the audio guided activity at a server along with a list of recipients;

determining those of the plurality of mobile devices associated with the list of recipients as target devices; and

communicating the audio guided activity to the target devices that are communicatively coupled to the server.

7. The method of creating and disseminating content according to claim 6 wherein the audio guided activity creator tool comprises:

a processing circuitry;

a software that can be executed on the processing circuitry, the software capable of creating and storing a multistep audio guided activity; and

the audio guided activity creator tool communicatively coupled to the server.

8. The method of creating and disseminating content according to claim 6 wherein the audio guided activity creator tool comprises:

a computer that is communicatively coupled to the server;

a software on the computer that facilitates creation of a multi-step audio guided activity comprising audio inputs, textual inputs and graphic inputs; and

a recording device built into or communicatively coupled to the computer, wherein the recording device is capable of recording audio inputs when instructed by the software.

9. The method of creating and disseminating content according to claim 6 wherein the audio guided activity creator tool comprises a functionality provided by a website communicatively coupled to the server, wherein the website is capable of facilitating creation, storage and distribution of the audio guided activity, wherein each step of the audio guided activity comprises at least one of a textual description, an audio description, a video clip and a graphics component.

10. The method of creating and disseminating content according to claim 6 further comprising:

processing the audio guided activity to incorporate a missing element employing at least one of a boilerplate text and a boiler plate audio information in order to create a prepared audio guided activity that can be disseminated;

notifying the availability of the prepared audio guided activity to the target devices; and

providing the prepared audio guided activity to at least one of the target devices.

11. The method of creating and disseminating content according to claim 6 wherein the audio guided activity is a multistep food recipe for preparing and serving a food item.

12. The method of creating and disseminating content according to claim 6 wherein the audio guided activity is a sequence of steps necessary to diagnose and fix a problem with a machine, an electronic device or a vehicle.

13. The method of creating and disseminating content according to claim 6 wherein the audio guided activity is a sequence of steps necessary to configure a service, a machine, an electronic device or a vehicle.

14. The method of creating and disseminating content according to claim 6 wherein the each of the list of recipients comprising at least one of:

an email address;

a phone number;

a device identification;

an user name; and

an universal resource locator.

15. The method of creating and disseminating content according to claim 6 further comprising:

notifying the target devices with information regarding the availability of the audio guided activity;

16. The method of creating and disseminating content according to claim 15 further comprising:

receiving from the target devices a request for download of the audio guided activity.

17. A tool communicatively coupled to a server, the tool comprising:

at least one non-volatile memory having stored therein one or both of firmware and software;

at least one processor operably coupled to the non-volatile memory, wherein the at least one processor, during operation, at least;

captures audio portions of an audio guided activity provided by a user;

accepts textual portions of an audio guided activity provided by a user;

combines the audio portions and the textual portions to create a version of the audio guided activity;

communicates the version of the audio guided activity to the server.

18. The tool communicatively according to claim 17 further comprising:

the at least one processor operably coupled to the non-volatile memory, wherein the at least one processor, during operation, further at least;

provides a list of recipients associated with the version of the audio guided activity to whom the version of the audio guided activity needs to be disseminated;

receives a report from the server, the report comprising those of the list of recipients to whom the version of the audio guided activity was disseminated.

19. The tool communicatively according to claim 18 further comprising:

the at least one processor operably coupled to the non-volatile memory, wherein the at least one processor, during operation, further at least;

incorporates one of a photograph or a user video captured to the version of the audio guided activity.

20. The tool communicatively according to claim 17 wherein the version of the audio guided activity is communicated as an XML based document.