Method, apparatus and article for presenting a narrative, including user selectable levels of detail

• US 6,544,040 B1
• Filed: 06/27/2000
• Issued: 04/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mindsightmedia, LLC
• Original Assignee: Andrew J. Silver, Caroline S Welch, Cynthia P. Brelis, Daniel J. Siegel
• Inventors: Welch, Caroline S., Siegel, Daniel J., Brelis, Cynthia P., Silver, Andrew L.
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Neill, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROCKETTI, JULIE K
• Application Number:
  US09/605,138
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• Field of Search: 434/308, 434/309, 434/318, 434/321, 434/236, 463/1, 463/30, 463/31, 463/35, 463/43
• US Class Current: 434/236
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/14 with provision for individual teacher-student communication

Abstract

A method of storytelling in an interactive system includes presenting a narrative, interrupting the presentation of the narrative in response to a user input, presenting information regarding at least one mental impression of a character in the narrative, and continuing the presentation of the narrative after presenting the information. The method can also include presenting the narrative, interrupting the narrative presentation to present a nonfictional analysis of the mental impression of at least one of the characters, and continuing the presentation of the narrative. A method of teaching in an interactive system can include presenting at least the first set of nonfictional psychological background information, and presenting a narrative in response to a user selection including a series of events demonstrating human actions and interactions consistent with the first set of nonfictional psychological background information. The interactive system can include separate communications channels for carrying the narrative and the mental impression related information.

Claims

1. A method of storytelling in an interactive system, comprising:

presenting a narrative comprising a series of events and including a number of characters, the series of events presented in a predefined order with respect to one another;

providing an indication-to a user of an availability of information regarding at least one mental impression of at least a first one of the number of characters at predetermined points during the presentation of the narrative;

interrupting the presentation of the narrative in at least one point, in response to at least one user input; and

presenting the information regarding the at least one mental impression of the first one of the number of characters during the interruption of the presentation of the narrative, wherein the presented information is based at least in part on an identity of the first one of the characters and on the point of the interruption of the presentation of the narrative;

continuing the presenting of the narrative after presenting the information regarding the at least one mental impression of the first one of the characters during the interruption of the presentation of the narrative.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein providing an indication to a user of an availability of information comprises:

displaying an icon on a display at the predetermined points during the presentation of the narrative.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein providing an indication to a user of an availability of information comprises:

pausing the presentation of the narrative for a set period of time at the predetermined points during the presentation of the narrative.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein providing an indication to a user of an availability of information comprises:

pausing the presentation of the narrative for an indeterminate length of time at the predetermined points during the presentation of the narrative.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein providing an indication to a user of an availability of information comprises:

for each of a number of displayed user selectable icons corresponding to respective ones of the characters, changing a visual feature of the icon if the information regarding the at least one mental impression is available for the character that the user selectable icon represents.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting a number of user selectable icons during the interruption in the presentation of the narrative, the user selectable icons corresponding to respective ones of at least some of the characters in the narrative and to respective ones of a number of time frames with respect to the point of interruption of the presentation of the narrative.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting a non-fictional analysis of the mental impression of the first one of the number of characters after the presenting the information regarding at least the one mental impression of the first one of the characters and before continuing the presenting of the narrative.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting information regarding at least one mental impression of a second one of the number of characters during the interruption of the presentation of the narrative in response to an additional user input before continuing the presenting of the narrative, wherein the presented information is based at least in part on an identity of the second one of the characters and on the point of the interruption of the presentation of the narrative.

9. A method of storytelling in an interactive system, comprising:

presenting a narrative comprising a series of events and including a number of characters, the series of events presented in a predefined order with respect to one another;

interrupting the presentation of the narrative in at least one point, in response to at least one user input;

presenting information regarding at least one mental impression of a first one of the number of characters during the interruption of the presentation of the narrative, wherein the presented information is based at least in part on an identity of the first one of the characters and on the point of the interruption of the presentation of the narrative; and

continuing the presenting of the narrative after presenting the information regarding the at least one mental impression of the first one of the characters during the interruption of the presentation of the narrative.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving the at least one user input in the form of a character selection that identifies the first one of the characters.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving the at least one user input in the form of a character selection and a time frame selection, wherein the character selection identifies the first one of the characters and the time frame selection identifies one of a past mental impression, a present mental impression and a future mental impression of the first character with respect to the point of interruption of the presentation of the narrative, and wherein the presented information is further based on the time frame selection.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the order of presentation of the events is predefined at a start of the presentation of the narrative.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the order of presentation of the events is predefined at a start of the presentation of the narrative and the events are in a non-chronological order with respect to one another.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein a direction of the order of presenting the events is user selectable during the presentation of the narrative.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein information regarding the at least one mental impression is presented as an event.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein presentation of the events comprises a series of images.

17. The method of claim 9 wherein presentation of the events comprises a series of sounds.

18. The method of claim 9 wherein presentation of the events comprises a series of images and a series of sounds related to the images.

19. A method of storytelling in an interactive system, comprising:

presenting a narrative comprising an ordered series of events and including a number of characters;

receiving a user input identifying one of the characters; and

presenting information regarding a mental impression of the identified character in response to the user input, wherein the information presented is based at least in part on the point in the narrative at which the user input is received.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the number of characters is equal to one, and the character is anthropomorphic.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

interrupting the presentation of the narrative in at least one point to present the information regarding the mental impression of the identified character.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein the user input identifying one of the characters comprises a selection of an image of the character.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein the user input identifying one of the characters comprises a selection of an icon representing the character.

24. A method of creating a story for an interactive system, comprising:

creating a narrative comprising an ordered series of events and including a number of characters;

creating a record of mental impression information for at least one of the characters in the narrative, the record including a number of sets of mental impression information that relate a number of mental impressions of the character at a number of different points of the narrative; and

mapping the sets of mental impression information in the record of mental impression information for the character to the respective different points of the narrative by forming a user selectable link linking the point in the narrative and the character with the associated set of mental impression information such that each of the sets of mental impression information is associable with a user identification of the character at a selected point of the narrative.

25. A method of storytelling in an interactive system, comprising:

presenting a narrative comprising an ordered series of events and including a number of characters;

receiving a user input identifying one of the characters;

presenting information regarding a mental impression of the identified character in response to the user input, wherein the information presented is based at least in part on the point in the narrative at which the user input is received and wherein the received user input further identifies one of a past time frame, a present time frame, and a future time frame with respect to a point in the presentation of the narrative at which the user input is received, and wherein the information presented is further based at least in part on the one of the past time frame, the present time frame, and the future time frame identified by the user input.

26. A method of storytelling in an interactive system, comprising:

presenting a narrative comprising an ordered series of events and including a number of characters;

receiving a user input identifying one of the characters;

receiving a second user input identifying one of a past time frame, a present time frame, and a future time frame with respect to a point in the presentation of the narrative at which the user input is received; and

presenting information regarding a mental impression of the identified character in response to the user input, wherein the information presented is based at least in part on the point in the narrative at which the user input is received, and wherein the information presented is further based at least in part on the one of the past time frame, the present time frame, and the future time frame identified by the second user input.

27. A method of creating a story for an interactive system, comprising:

creating a narrative comprising an ordered series of events and including a number of characters;

creating a record of mental impression information for at least one of the characters in the narrative, the record including number of sets of mental impression information that relate a number of mental impressions of the character at a number of different points of the narrative; and

mapping the sets of mental impression information in the record of mental impression information for the character to the respective different points of the narrative such that each of the sets of mental impression information is associable with a user identification of the character at a selected point of the narrative.

28. A method of creating a story for an interactive system, comprising:

creating a narrative comprising an ordered series of events and including a number of characters;

creating a record of mental impression information for at least one of the characters in the narrative, the record including number of sets of mental impression information that relate a number of mental impressions of the character for each of a past perspective, a present perspective and a future perspective of the character at each of the different points of the narrative; and

mapping the sets of mental impression information in the record of mental impression information for the character to the respective different points of the narrative such that each of the sets of mental impression information is associable with a user identification of the character at a selected point of the narrative.

29. A computer-readable media whose contents cause an interactive computer system to present a story by:

presenting a narrative comprising an ordered series of events and including a number of characters;

receiving a user input identifying one of the characters during the presentation of the narrative; and

interrupting the presentation of the narrative in at least one point, in response to at least one user input;

presenting information regarding a mental impression of the identified character in response to the user input during the interruption of the presentation of the narrative, wherein the information presented is based at least in part on the point in the narrative at which the user input is received.

30. A computer-readable media whose contents cause an interactive computer system to present a story by:

number of presenting a narrative comprising an ordered series of events and including a number of characters;

receiving a user input identifying one of the characters during the presentation of the narrative;

interrupting the presentation of the narrative in at least one point, in response to at least one user input;

presenting information regarding a mental impression of the identified character in response to the user input during the interruption of the presentation of the narrative, wherein the information presented is based at least in part on the point in the narrative at which the user input is received; and

basing the presented information regarding the mental impression of the identified character at least in part on a user identified time frame, that identifies a chronological occurrence of the mental impression of the identified character with respect to a point of interruption in the presentation of the narrative.

31. An interactive system to present a story, comprising:

a story presentation subsystem that presents a narrative in the form of a series of events in a predefined order with respect to one another and including a number of characters; and

a character analysis subsystem that interrupts the presentation of the narrative and presents a mental impression of a selected one of the characters in the narrative in response to at least one user input.

32. The interactive system of claim 31 wherein the character analysis subsystem selects the mental impression to present based at least in part on a point at which the narrative is interrupted.

33. The interactive system of claim 31 wherein the character analysis subsystem selects.the mental impression to present based at least in part on a user selected character time frame reference with respect to a point at which the narrative is interrupted.

34. A method of storytelling in an interactive system, comprising:

presenting a narrative comprising a series of events and including a number of characters, the series of events presented in a predefined order with respect to one another;

interrupting the presentation of the narrative in at least one point, in response to at least one user input; and

presenting at least a first set of non-fictional analysis information regarding a mental impression of at least a first one of the number of characters during the interruption of the presentation of the narrative, wherein the presented first set of non-fictional analysis information is based at least in part on an identity of the first one of the characters and on the point of the interruption of the presentation of the narrative.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

presenting information regarding at least one mental impression of the first one of the characters during the interruption of the presentation of the narrative and before presenting the first set of non-fictional analysis information.

36. The method of claim 34 wherein the first set of non-fictional analysis information includes non-fictional psychological background information corresponding to a set of facts about the first one of the characters.

37. The method of claim 34 wherein the first set of non-fictional analysis information includes non-fictional psychological background information and an application of the non-fictional psychological background information to a set of fictional facts about the first one of the characters.

38. A method of automated story presentation, comprising:

presenting at least a portion of a narrative comprising an ordered series of events and including a number of characters and a first level of information regarding a number of mental impressions of the characters;

receiving one or more user selections that identify at least one of a character, a point in the narrative and a time frame for the mental impression information with respect to the identified point in the narrative; and

presenting a second level of information regarding the mental impressions for at least one of the number of characters in response to the one or more received user selections.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein

presenting at least a portion of a narrative includes providing a signal encoding the narrative to a first user device; and

presenting a second level of information regarding the mental impressions for at least one of the number of characters in response to the one or more received user selections includes providing a signal encoding the second level of information to a second user device, different from the first user device.

40. The method of claim 38 wherein

presenting at least a portion of a narrative includes providing a signal encoding the narrative to a television;

and

presenting a second level of information regarding the mental impressions for at least one of the number of characters in response to the one or more received user selections includes providing a signal encoding the second level of information to a computer.

41. The method of claim 38 wherein presenting at least a portion of a narrative includes presenting the entire narrative before presenting the second level of information regarding the mental impressions for at least one of the number of characters.