Tangible Social Network

• US 20090307592A1
• Filed: 02/18/2009
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Kalanithi, Jeevan James, Bove, V. Michael JR.
• Granted Patent: US 9,002,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/002 Specific input/output arrangements not covered by G06F3/01 - G06F3/16 other optical apparatus G02B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A tangible social network system comprises at least two interactive physical objects adapted for communicatively linking with each other, a visualization application for providing a visual representation of a user'"'"'s tangible social network, and an object communication frame. An interactive physical object comprises a controller for forming a communicatively linked relationship with another interactive physical object and for receiving and responding to commands and data received from a linked object, and an audio or visual response subsystem. An object communication frame comprises a housing adapted to receive interactive physical objects, a communications subsystem for managing communications with installed objects and with interactive physical objects communicatively linked with installed objects, a controller, and a power subsystem for powering installed objects. The frame or objects may interact with a visualization application, comprising subsystems for receiving information about the user'"'"'s tangible social network and deriving a representation of it, and a graphical user interface for providing the visual representation to the user.

Claims

1. A tangible social network system, comprising:

at least two interactive physical objects, each interactive physical object being adapted for communicatively linking with at least one other interactive physical object, each interactive physical object comprising;

an interactive physical object housing;

an interactive physical object controller, the controller being located within the housing and adapted for;

forming a communicatively linked relationship with at least one other interactive physical object;

receiving and processing commands and data received from the linked interactive physical object; and

generating at least one response command in response to the received commands and data; and

at least one interactive physical object response subsystem, the interactive physical object response subsystem adapted for displaying at least one visual or audio response to a response command received from the controller; and

at least one tangible social network visualization application, each tangible social network visualization application being adapted for providing a visual representation of the tangible social network of a user, each tangible social network visualization application comprising;

a tangible social network visualization application communications subsystem adapted for receiving information about the composition of a tangible social network of a user, the tangible social network comprising at least one set of linked interactive physical objects;

a tangible social network visualization subsystem adapted for deriving a representation of the tangible social network of the user from the information received by the communications subsystem; and

a graphical user interface adapted for providing the representation of the tangible social network to the user in a visual form.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one object communication frame, each object communication frame being capable of displaying at least one interactive physical object, each object communication frame comprising:

an object communication frame housing, the object communication frame housing being adapted to receive installation of the interactive physical object;

an object communication frame communications subsystem, the object communication frame communications subsystem being adapted for receiving and managing communications with and between the installed interactive physical object and the linked interactive physical object; and

an object communication frame controller, the object communication frame controller being located within the housing and being adapted for;

receiving and processing commands and data received from the communications subsystem; and

generating at least one response command or data in response to the received commands and data.

3. The system of claim 1, the interactive physical object controller being further adapted for:

receiving and processing commands and data received from at least one tangible social network visualization application; and

generating at least one response command in response to the received visualization application commands and data.

4. The system of claim 1, at least one interactive physical object further comprising at least one interactive physical object user interface capable of accepting direct user input.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein, for at least one tangible social network visualization application, the graphical user interface is further adapted for accepting user commands and data related to management of the tangible social network, and the tangible social network visualization application communications subsystem is further adapted for sending user-generated interactive physical object commands to at least one of the linked interactive physical objects, the tangible social network visualization application further comprising an interactive physical object manipulation subsystem adapted for deriving the user-generated interactive physical object commands from the received user commands or data.

6. The system of claim 2, at least one object communication frame further comprising at least one object communication frame user interface capable of accepting direct user input.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein, for at least one object communication frame, the object communication frame controller being further adapted for:

receiving and processing commands and data received from at least one tangible social network visualization application; and

generating at least one response command in response to the received visualization application commands and data.

8. An interactive physical object, comprising:

a housing;

a controller, the controller being located within the housing and adapted for;

forming a communicatively linked relationship with at least a second interactive physical object;

receiving and processing commands and data received from the linked interactive physical object; and

generating at least one response command in response to the received commands and data; and

at least one response subsystem, the response subsystem adapted for displaying at least one visual or audio response to a response command received from the controller.

9. The interactive physical object of claim 8, further comprising at least one user interface capable of accepting direct user input.

10. The interactive physical object of claim 9, further comprising at least one user control feedback device capable of providing confirmation to a user that user input has been received.

11. The interactive physical object of claim 8, the controller being further adapted for:

receiving and processing commands and data received from at least one tangible social network visualization application; and

generating at least one response command in response to the received visualization application commands and data.

12. The interactive physical object of claim 8, further comprising an on-board power source.

13. The interactive physical object of claim 8, wherein the interactive physical object is customizable by a user.

14. The interactive physical object of claim 9, the user interface comprising at least one of a button or an adjustable knob.

15. The interactive physical object of claim 8, the response subsystem comprising at least one of a video display, a light emitting diode, or an audio device.

16. The interactive physical object of claim 8, wherein the interactive physical object is physically connectible directly to at least one of at least one other interactive physical object or an object communication frame.

17. An interactive physical object communication frame, comprising:

a housing, the housing being adapted to receive installation of at least one interactive physical object;

a communications subsystem, the communications subsystem being adapted for receiving and managing communications with the installed interactive physical objects and with interactive physical objects communicatively linked with the installed interactive physical objects;

a controller, the controller being located within the housing and being adapted for;

receiving and processing commands and data received from the communications subsystem; and

generating at least one response command or data in response to the received commands and data; and

an interactive physical object power subsystem adapted for providing power to installed interactive physical objects.

18. The object communication frame of claim 17, the controller being further adapted for:

receiving and processing commands and data received from at least one tangible social network visualization application; and

generating at least one response command in response to the received visualization application commands and data.

19. The object communication frame of claim 17, further comprising at least one user interface capable of accepting direct user input.

20. The object communication frame of claim 19, further comprising at least one user control feedback device capable of providing confirmation to a user that user input has been received.

21. The object communication frame of claim 17, further comprising at least one response subsystem, the response subsystem being adapted for displaying at least one visual or audio response to a response command received from the controller.

22. The object communication frame of claim 21, the response subsystem comprising at least one of a video display, a light emitting diode, or an audio device.

23. The object communication frame of claim 17, wherein the communications subsystem communicates with the communicatively linked interactive physical objects via a computing or internet-based device.

24. The object communication frame of claim 17, the communications subsystem being further adapted to send and receive commands and data to and from a tangible social network management application.

25. The object communication frame of claim 17, wherein the object communication frame is physically extensible by connection to at least one other object communication frame.

26. A tangible social network visualization application, comprising:

a communications subsystem adapted for receiving information about the composition of a tangible social network of a user, the tangible social network comprising at least one set of communicatively linked interactive physical objects;

a tangible social network visualization subsystem adapted for deriving a representation of the tangible social network of the user from the information received by the communications subsystem; and

a graphical user interface adapted for providing the representation of the tangible social network to the user in a visual form.

27. The tangible social network visualization application of claim 26, the graphical user interface being further adapted for accepting user commands and data related to management of the tangible social network, and the communications subsystem being further adapted for sending user-generated interactive physical object commands to at least one of the communicatively linked interactive physical objects, the tangible social network visualization application further comprising:

an interactive physical object manipulation subsystem adapted for deriving the user-generated interactive physical object commands from the received user commands or data.

28. The tangible social network visualization application of claim 26, the communications subsystem being further adapted for receiving information about the composition of tangible social networks of other users and the graphical user interface being further adapted for providing representations to the user of the tangible social networks of other users.

29. The tangible social network visualization application of claim 27, the communications subsystem being further adapted for receiving and sending information and user-generated interactive physical object commands to and from an object communication frame.

30. A tangible social network, comprising:

at least one tangible social network management system, comprising;

a communications subsystem adapted for;

receiving information about the composition of a tangible social network of at least one user, the tangible social network of the user comprising at least one set of communicatively linked interactive physical objects; and

sending user-generated interactive physical object commands to at least one of the communicatively linked interactive physical objects;

a tangible social network visualization subsystem adapted for deriving a representation of the tangible social network of the user from the information received by the communications subsystem;

a graphical user interface adapted for;

providing the representation of the tangible social network of the user to the user in a visual form; and

accepting user commands and data related to management of the tangible social network of the user; and

an interactive physical object manipulation subsystem adapted for deriving the user-generated interactive physical object commands from the received user commands or data.

31. The tangible social network of claim 30, the graphical user interface being further adapted for providing representations to the user of the tangible social networks of other users.

32. A method for facilitation of electronic social networking via communicatively linked interactive physical objects, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a tangible social network management system, information about the composition of a tangible social network of at least one user, the tangible social network of the user comprising at least one set of communicatively linked interactive physical objects;

deriving a representation of the tangible social network of the user from the information received by the tangible social network management system;

providing, using a graphical user interface, the representation of the tangible social network of the user to the user in a visual form;

accepting, through the graphical user interface, user commands and data related to management of the tangible social network of the user;

deriving user-generated interactive physical object commands from the received user commands or data; and

sending the derived user-generated interactive physical object commands to at least one of the communicatively linked interactive physical objects.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising the step of providing representations to the user of the tangible social networks of other users.