Interactive newspaper

• US 6,279,013 B1
• Filed: 07/20/1998
• Issued: 08/21/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Goldberg, David, Thornton, James D., LaMarca, Anthony G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph H.
• Application Number:
  US09/119,297
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• Field of Search: 358/403, 358/448, 358/452, 707/511, 707/512, 707/530, 707/531, 707/540, 707/541, 707/500, 382/175, 382/184, 382/305-306, 379/100.01, 379/100.07, 379/100.11, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219
• US Class Current: 715/210
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A method and apparatus of profile guided printing of a paper document facilitates back channel interaction from a reader for contemporaneous upgrading of the profile in response to document content. The document is printed to include tokens representative of the reader and its content. While being read, the document is redacted by the subscriber in a predetermined manner representing desired changes in the document, or responses to publisher inquiries. The document can be scanned in a smart recycling bin to identify the reader and the desired changes. The reader profile is adjusted by the publisher into an upgraded reader profile upon identification of the reader redactions. Alternatively, a smart wand is used to detect the document and contents and is controlled by the user to indicate changes to the contents. The wand can store the user'"'"'s and document'"'"'s identification, and the desired changes and can be downloaded for updating the profile. The next document generated corresponds to the upgraded profile.

Claims

1. An interactive newspaper including:

content selected and arranged according to a user profile when fixed in a tangible medium;

tokens representative of an identity of the newspaper and the selected and arranged content;

a reader marking associated with a particular item of the content, the marking indicative of an adjustment of the content in a subsequent newspaper; and

a scanner which selectively scans the tangible medium newspaper and identifies tokens and reader markings on the newspaper.

2. The newspaper as defined in claim 1 wherein the reader marking comprises a first mark indicative to the scanner that the adjustment comprises a deletion of content having a similar subject matter to the particular item in a subsequent edition.

3. The newspaper as defined in claim 2 wherein the reader marking comprises a second mark indicative to the scanner that the selective adjustment comprises an addition of news content having a similar subject matter to the particular item in a subsequent edition.

4. A system for generating a newspaper customized to a profile of a subscriber in response to a subscriber redaction imprinted by a subscriber on a preexisting form of the newspaper, comprising:

an article storage for holding newspaper content comprised of a plurality of articles and features susceptible for publication in the newspaper;

a profile storage for holding a subscriber profile indicative of article subject matter and subscriber features preferred by the subscriber;

a selector for receiving the subscriber profile and for selecting the subscriber features and a portion of the plurality of articles from the article storage in response to the subscriber profile;

a layout engine for combining the subscriber features and selected portion into a newspaper format including a token selectively identifying the newspaper and the subscriber;

a printer for printing the newspaper in the newspaper format;

a scanner for receiving the newspaper and identifying the subscriber redaction; and

,

a profile processor for updating the subscriber profile held in the profile storage in response to the subscriber redaction.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the tokens are disposed adjacent individual articles of the selected portion.

6. The system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the token comprises a glyph region.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6 wherein a first glyph region identifies the newspaper and the subscriber and a second glyph region identifies either the subscriber features or the selected portion.

8. The system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the token is associated with an area disposed for receiving a pen mark of the subscriber.

9. The system as claimed in claim 8 wherein a dedicated questionnaire box is associated with one of the articles or features.

10. A method of publishing a newspaper customized to particular interests of an individual subscriber in response to subscriber redactions marked on and read from preexisting editions of the newspaper, comprising steps of:

generating an initial profile from the subscriber at an initial subscription to the newspaper indicating the particular interests, wherein the initial profile is stored by a publisher;

generating content for the newspaper;

selecting portions of the content corresponding to the subscriber initial profile;

combining the selected portions into a newspaper format including an embedded token identifying the newspaper, the subscriber, and the selected portions;

printing the newspaper format as a newspaper document;

redacting the newspaper format comprising marking on the newspaper document by the subscriber for customizing subsequent editions of the newspaper;

adjusting the initial profile into a current profile;

scanning the redacted newspaper document to identify the current profile;

replacing the initial profile with the current profile and storing the current profile by the publisher; and

,

publishing a next newspaper document corresponding to the current profile, whereby the subscriber may continue to redact the next newspaper document in accordance with current particular interests for continually receiving the customized newspaper.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10 wherein the redacting comprises marking the paper with indicia indicating deletion or an increase of a particular content associated with the particular token in the next newspaper document.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10 wherein the redacting comprises marking a particular content with indicia indicating deletion or an increase of the particular content in the next newspaper document.

13. The method as claimed in claim 10 wherein the scanning includes identifying subscriber indicia associated with the token, the subscriber features or the selected portion.

14. A method of profile guided printing of a paper document including facilitating a back-channel interaction from a reader for contemporaneous upgrading of the profile in response to document content, comprising steps of:

generating an initial document content corresponding to a present reader profile wherein the content includes tokens representative of the reader and the content;

printing the content as a paper document;

redacting the paper document in a predetermined manner comprising reader markings of the paper document for representing desired changes in the document;

scanning the document to identify the reader and the desired changes;

adjusting the present reader profile into an upgraded reader profile based upon the desired changes; and

,

printing a next paper document corresponding to the upgraded reader profile whereby the next paper document can further be redacted for further upgrading of the reader profile.

15. The method as defined in claim 14 wherein the printing comprises selecting the content having a subject matter within the reader porfile.

16. The method as defined in claim 15 wherein the markings represent deletion or an increase of selected portions of document content.

17. The method as defined in claim 14 wherein the scanning comprises recognizing markings associated with the tokens.

18. A method of profile guided printing of a document including facilitating a back-channel interaction from a reader for contemporaneous upgrading of the profile in response to document content, comprising steps of:

generating an initial document content corresponding to a present reader profile wherein the content includes tokens representative of the reader and the content;

scanning the document with a reading device for identifying selected portions of the document content;

storing user instructions in the reading device in association with the selected portions of the document content for communicating desired changes to the document;

adjusting the present reader profile into an upgraded reader profile based upon the desired changes; and

,

generating a next document corresponding to the upgraded reader profile.

19. The method as defined in claim 18 wherein the reading device comprises a wand having control switches for indicating the desired changes, and the storing comprises operating the control switches during the scanning for indicating the desired changes.

20. The method as defined in claim 19 wherein the document includes tokens associated with distinct portions of the document content, and the scanning includes reading the tokens with the wand.

21. The method as defined in claim 20 wherein the document comprises a paper document, and the scanning comprises reading selected ones of the tokens from the document for identifying the distinct portions having the desired changes.