Public interactive document

• US 6,243,740 B1
• Filed: 02/13/1998
• Issued: 06/05/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Crane, Margaret, MacDonald, Dale, Winet, Jon, Minneman, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Dung C.
• Application Number:
  US09/023,861
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• Field of Search: 705/10, 705/12, 705/14, 707/901, 709/204, 709/205, 709/206, 345/327, 345/329, 345/330, 345/331, 340/825.71, 340/825.72, 340/825.73, 340/825.74
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41415 involving a public display, viewable by several users in a public space outside their home, e.g. movie theatre, information kiosk
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/475 End-user interface for inputting end-user data, e.g. personal identification number [PIN], preference data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/854 Content authoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and system of publicly co-creating a narrative document by parallel and on-going communication of a plurality of signals comprising public reactions to portions of the document, the signals being generated via one or more repurposed signaling devices. A display illustrates an introductory portion of the document intended to engender a public interest in the document and an emotive or intellectual reaction thereto. The document can comprise a dependent set of associated document elements which are sequentially variable for variation of document content to evolve different document narratives. The public viewing the display communicates, via the device or devices, a signal indicative of their reactions and for effecting a prospective scene selection in the document content that, in turn will vary the narrative.

Claims

1. A method of authoring a continually alterable mass media document, the document being harvested from a data stream responsive to remote interactive communication via a plurality of signaling devices from a public audience, comprising steps of:

generating the data stream as a dependent set of associated document elements wherein the elements are variable for variation of document content;

displaying a portion of the data stream;

communicating via the plurality of signaling devices a plurality of signals indicative of a response from the public audience to the displaying for effecting the variation in the document content;

identifying the signals by monitoring the signals during the displaying for recognizing a voting composition of the signals indicative of a predominant public reaction to the data stream; and

,

adjusting a sequence of the document elements in response to the voting composition for varying the displaying of the data stream whereby the mass media document is continually revised in response to the communicating.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the document comprises video and audio data and the generating includes disposing the data in a storage device as segregable scenes and sounds.

3. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein the displaying comprises displaying the video data on a publicly viewable display screen and broadcasting the audio data as a radio signal detectable in a car radio.

4. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein the video data comprises a plurality of tokens intended to elicit the response, wherein the response is indicative of a desired evolution of the data stream and the monitoring includes detecting the signals in association with a certain one of the tokens.

5. The method as defined in claim 4 wherein the adjusting includes selecting a next document element for the displaying in response to the recognizing of the certain one of the tokens.

6. The method as defined in claim 4 wherein the tokens comprise colors, texts or images representative of the response to the displaying.

7. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the signals from the signaling devices comprise a radio signal.

8. The method as defined in claim 7 wherein the radio signal originates from a repurposed object.

21. The method as defined in claim 8 wherein the repurposed object selectively comprises a garage door opener, key fob, pager or cell phone.

9. A method of dynamically varying a display format of artistic scenes suggestive of a narrative document through public interaction with a display control by a general communication device, comprising steps of:

publicly displaying a sequence of scenes for engendering a responsive reaction thereto;

communicating via the general communication device a plurality of signals indicative of the public responsive reaction;

monitoring the signals in accordance with predetermined conditions for recognizing the reaction by a predominant public interest expressed as a voting measured by the plurality of signals;

adjusting the displaying in accordance with the reaction by varying the display in a manner responsive to the signals; and

,

continuing the varying over a plurality of cycles of the sequential display for public entertainment in the viewing and interactive authorship of the resulting narrative document.

10. The method as defined in claim 9 wherein the publicly displaying comprises disposing the document in a billboard format at a location viewable by a large number of people.

11. The method as defined in claim 9 wherein the displaying comprises video and audio elements, the video elements including tokens for indicating a time for the communicating of the signals.

12. The method as defined in claim 11 wherein the tokens comprise symbols representative of the reaction to a foregoing portion of the displaying.

13. The method as defined in claim 12 wherein the tokens comprise colors, texts or images and the communicating comprises associating the signal with a one of the tokens.

14. The method as defined in claim 13 wherein the monitoring comprises recognizing the time when the signals are communicated in association with the displaying of the one token.

15. The method as defined in claim 14 wherein the recognizing includes identifying a plurality of different signals from a plurality of different participants.

16. The method as defined in claim 15 wherein the predetermined conditions comprise numeric limits counted for particular tokens.

17. The method as defined in claim 9 wherein the varying the sequential display includes changing a sequential order of scene display or frequency of scene display.

18. The method as defined in claim 9 wherein the general communication device comprises a common radio transmitter having a primary purpose other than communicating the signals.

19. A method for interactive construction of a publicly shared narrative document having a dual time line comprising a story time line and a real time line corresponding to the construction, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying a partial sequence of document elements for engendering a responsive reaction, the displaying occurring in accordance with the real time line;

public communicating of a plurality of signals responsive to the displaying intended for adjusting the displaying in accordance with a voting recognition of the signals interpreted as a public reaction to the displaying;

monitoring the signals; and

,

adjusting the displaying of document elements based on the signals for constructing the narrative document in accordance with the story time line.

20. A system for creating a public narrative document by parallel and ongoing communication of a plurality of signaled public reactions to portions of the document, the document being selectively evolved as a function of the communication, the system comprising:

a display for an introductory portion of the document intended to engender a public interest in the document and an emotive or intellectual reaction;

a receiver for receiving public signaling of the communication; and

,

a controller for identifying the reaction from the communication expressed as a voting response by the public signaling and selecting oncoming portions of the document in response to the reaction.