SYSTEM FOR COLLABORATIVELY INTERACTING WITH CONTENT

• US 20100269054A1
• Filed: 04/21/2009
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Goldberg, David, Ducheneaut, Nicolas B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,741,062 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/757
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering

Abstract

Embodiments of a system, a method, and a computer-program product (e.g., software) that facilitates collaborative interaction with content by multiple users are described. In this system, users of a distributed group of dedicated electronic devices provide signals that indicate their current actions as they view the content. Using these signals, the system provides additional signals for display on the group of electronic devices. These additional signals provide an environment that includes the content and the current user actions, which allows the users to collaboratively interact with the content and with each other. Moreover, the multiple users may be dynamically aggregated based on their actions, which allows a social network to be established and dynamically maintained based on user activities and interests.

Claims

1. A method for multiple users to collaboratively interact with content using a networked group of electronic devices, comprising:

receiving first signals corresponding to current user actions of;

a given user of a given electronic device; and

other users of other electronic devices in the group of electronic devices,

wherein the electronic devices in the group of electronic devices are not owned by the users and are not used by the users at their places of employment, and

wherein the current user actions correspond to collaborative interaction with the content by the users via the group of electronic devices; and

displaying updates to the content in response to the collaborative interaction on the group of electronic devices based at least in part on the first signals.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the group of users is dynamically assembled as the given user interacts with the content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple users are at different locations.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signals are received at the given electronic device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signals are received at each of the electronic devices in the group of electronic devices.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic devices in the group of electronic devices are provided at dedicated facilities that are used for collaboratively interacting with the content.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the dedicated facilities include commercial movie theaters.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the dedicated facilities include video conference facilities.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic devices in the group of electronic devices are provided in retail establishments.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the electronic devices in the group of electronic devices are located in kiosks.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the user actions include inputs by the users using environmental controls.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the user actions include motion of one or more of the users.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the updates to the content involves displaying a multi-dimensional virtual environment into which a representation corresponding to at least one of the users is projected.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the content includes a clothing item or accessory;

and

wherein the representation illustrates how the clothing item or accessory will appear when worn by at least the one of the users.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the content includes shopping information.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the content includes items in a museum.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the content includes travel information.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the content includes sensory information in addition to visual information.

19. A computer-program product for use in conjunction with a computer system, the computer-program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium and a computer-program mechanism embedded therein to facilitate collaborative interaction with content by multiple users of a networked group of electronic devices, the computer-program mechanism including:

instructions for receiving first signals corresponding to current user actions of;

a given user of a given electronic device; and

other users of other electronic devices in the group of electronic devices,

wherein the electronic devices in the group of electronic devices are not owned by the users and are not used by the users at their places of employment, and

wherein the current user actions correspond to collaborative interaction with the content by the users via the group of electronic devices; and

instructions for displaying updates to the content in response to the collaborative interaction on the group of electronic devices based at least in part on the first signals.

20. A computer system, comprising:

a processor;

memory;

a program module, wherein the program module is stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the processor, the program module to facilitate collaborative interaction with content by multiple users of a networked group of electronic devices, the program module including;

instructions for receiving first signals corresponding to current user actions of;

a given user of a given electronic device; and

other users of other electronic devices in the group of electronic devices,

wherein the electronic devices in the group of electronic devices are not owned by the users and are not used by the users at their places of employment, and

wherein the current user actions correspond to collaborative interaction with the content by the users via the group of electronic devices; and

instructions for displaying updates to the content in response to the collaborative interaction on the group of electronic devices based at least in part on the first signals.