SYSTEM AND METHOD OF PROVIDING A TWO-PART GRAPHIC DESIGN AND INTERACTIVE DOCUMENT APPLICATION

• US 20080229180A1
• Filed: 03/17/2008
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Branchfire, LLC
• Original Assignee: Chicago Winter Company LLC
• Inventors: Bhatt, Ravi K., Winter, Daniel E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,161,369 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4393 Multimedia presentations, e.g. slide shows, multimedia albums
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]

Abstract

A method and system creates an interactive multimedia document that incorporates references to multimedia files that support a particular logical step or argument presented within the document. The method and system utilizes several modules including a builder module and a presenter module. The references are configured to determine, upon selection, a visual format and a relevant portion of the multimedia file to be displayed. Thus, only one copy of the multimedia file needs to be incorporated into the document. The multimedia files include text documents, portable document files, PowerPoint® presentations, audio files, video files, voice narrated graphics, and other types of files. In some embodiments, the interactive multimedia document is a legal brief and the multimedia files include depositions, supporting case law, evidence, and other materials.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for building and viewing an interactive multimedia document comprising:

associating a text portion with the interactive multimedia document;

associating one or more multimedia portions with the interactive multimedia document, each multimedia portion including metadata describing one or more characteristics of the multimedia portions, the characteristics including one or more of a section of the multimedia portion, the section including a start point and an end point, a location of the section within the multimedia portion, and a visual format of the multimedia portion;

embedding one or more references including the metadata within the text portion using a builder module executing on the computer; and

interpreting the one or more references with an interpreter of a presenter module executing on the computer to display a visually formatted section of the multimedia portion;

wherein the interactive multimedia document includes only one copy of each of the one or more multimedia portions.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the metadata are in a general markup language format.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the general markup language is one of SGML, XML, or HTML.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the multimedia portion includes one or more of a text file, or audio file, and a video file.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more references specifies how the section of the multimedia portion is displayed with the presenter module.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the multimedia portion includes a file type including a PowerPoint®

presentation, a portable document file, a Word®

document, and a Windows®

Media file.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a reference.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein upon selecting the reference, the interpreter visually formats the section of the multimedia portion and displays the visually formatted section of the multimedia portion within the presenter module.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the interactive multimedia document is a legal brief.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each of the section of each of the multimedia portions of the interactive multimedia document supports a conclusion of the interactive multimedia document.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the presenter module includes a note taking module.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising entering one or more of text and audio with the note taking module.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the text portion is in a vector format.

14. A computer-implemented method for building an interactive multimedia document that supports a legal conclusion, the method comprising:

associating a text portion with the interactive multimedia document, the text portion including a plurality of syllogistic steps of the legal conclusion;

associating a multimedia portion with the interactive multimedia document including one or more of a text, an audio, and a video file, wherein the multimedia portion of the interactive multimedia file supports the legal conclusion, the multimedia portion including one or more sections to support a syllogistic step of the plurality of steps;

creating a set of metadata describing a section of the plurality of sections of the multimedia portion;

embedding a reference including the set of metadata into the syllogistic step of the text portion of interactive multimedia document; and

interpreting the reference to visually format and display the section of the multimedia portion within visual proximity of the syllogistic step.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the interactive multimedia document includes only one copy of the multimedia portion that includes the section supporting the syllogistic step.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the reference specifies how the section of the multimedia portion is displayed.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, further comprising:

selecting a reference;

upon selecting the reference, visually formatting the section of the multimedia portion; and

displaying the visually formatted section of the multimedia portion.

18. A system for building and viewing an interactive multimedia document at a computer, the document to support a legal conclusion, the system comprising:

a text document describing a legal argument including one or more logical steps supporting the legal conclusion;

one or more multimedia files, each including a plurality of sections, wherein one or more of the plurality of sections provides information in support of a logical step;

the computer including;

a processor for executing computer readable instructions; and

a memory for storing processor-executable computer readable instructions comprising;

a builder module to insert one or more hyperlinks to one or more of the plurality of sections into the text document, each of the one or more hyperlinks supporting the logical step, wherein each of the references includes one or more metadata tags describing a location and a visual format of a section of the multimedia file; and

a presenter module to interpret each of the one or more hyperlinks upon activation including visually formatting and displaying one or more sections of the multimedia file according to the one or more metadata tags, the presenter module displaying the section in visual proximity to the logical step of the text document.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the text document is in a vector format.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the interactive multimedia document includes only one copy of each of the one or more multimedia files.