Mixed media reality brokerage network and methods of use

• US 7,587,412 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2006
• Issued: 09/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Hart, Peter E., Hull, Jonathan J., Weyl, Stephen A., Nudd, Geoffrey H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleurantin; Jean B.
• Application Number:
  US11/466,414
• Publication Number:
  US 20070050419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-1041, 707200-206, 709/203, 705 10- 14, 705/44, 705/51, 705/57, 705/59, 713/157, 713/158, 725/32
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/434 using image data, e.g. images, photos, pictures taken by a user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A Mixed Media Reality (MMR) system associated techniques are disclosed. In one particular embodiment, the MMR system includes a MMR brokerage network having a customer, an MMR broker, an MMR service bureau and an MMR clearinghouse. The MMR brokerage network allows these entities to interact to provide a unified point of business access for the customer who wants to add MMR functionality to a document. Furthermore, the MMR system of the present invention facilitates business methods that take advantage of the combination of a portable electronic device, such as a cellular camera phone, and a paper document. The present invention also includes a number of novel methods including: a method for operation of a MMR brokerage network, a method for layout independent MMR recognition, a strip fragment candidate generation process, and a page candidate accumulation process.

Claims

1. A mixed media reality brokerage network comprising:

a broker for communicating with a customer and adapted to create an advertising campaign that links customer content provided by the customer with a hot spot;

a clearinghouse adapted to collect royalties and compensate a content provider for use of original content and corresponding hot spot, the clearinghouse adapted for communication with the broker; and

a service bureau for providing customer content responsive to a request from an end user, the service bureau adapted for communication with the broker, the clearing house and at least one end user.

2. The network of claim 1, wherein the broker interacts and negotiates with the clearinghouse to generate a charging and revenue distribution model.

3. The network of claim 1, wherein the service bureau includes a database for storing customer content, an action, a hot spot and original content, the database providing customer content and original content in response to the request from the end user.

4. The network of claim 3, wherein the service bureau includes a mixed media reality content delivery module for receiving the request from the customer and generating a query on the database, and for delivering results of the query to the user.

5. The network of claim 4, wherein the service bureau includes a revenue allocation module for receiving information about which original content was accessed and which customer content was presented to the user, for collect fees from the user and allocating the collected fees, the revenue allocation module adapted for communication with the clearinghouse and the content delivery module.

6. The network of claim 3, wherein the service bureau includes a hotspot design service for implementing the advertising campaign designed by the broker, the hotspot design service adapted for communication with the database and the broker, the hotspot design service converting an advertising model and a charge and revenue distribution model to associations between hotspots/mixed media reality documents and content provided by the customer.

7. The network of claim 4, wherein the service bureau includes a mixed media reality analytics module for providing information about mixed media reality content delivery, the mixed media reality analytics module adapted for communication with the clearinghouse and the content delivery module.

8. The network of claim 7, wherein the mixed media reality analytics module receives and stores information about which mixed media reality documents/hotspots are most often accessed, the frequency at which the mixed media reality documents/hotspots are accessed and other information about web access.

9. The network of claim 1, wherein the broker further comprises an auction module for managing an auction for the right to associate customer content with original content, the auction module adapted for communication with the customer and the clearing house.

10. The network of claim 1, wherein the broker further comprises an optimization module for automatically identifying combinations of mixed media reality documents and electronic data based on the customer content, technical considerations and aesthetic factors, the optimization module adapted for communication with the customer and the service bureau.

11. The network of claim 1, wherein the broker further comprises a hotspot rights management module for specifying and negotiating the terms of a license for mixed media reality advertising including fees and the charging model, the hotspot rights management module coupled to the customer and the clearinghouse.

12. A computer-implemented method for operation of a mixed media reality brokerage network, the method comprising:

identifying electronic data from a customer;

associating and optimizing the identified electronic data with a hot spot;

securing a hot spot license;

transferring a revenue model and content to a service bureau;

interacting with users via service bureau; and

collecting and distributing revenue generated by the interacting.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein associating and optimizing further comprises advising the customer how best to associate the electronic data with the hot spot based on a criterion.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the criterion is an aesthetic consideration that includes what works best as advertising taking into account recent cultural and demographic data.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the criterion is a technical consideration and is based on whether an interaction that will be performed by a user will be recognizable by a mixed media reality system, whether the interaction conflicts with existing advertisements already in place, and what should be done if another party tries to register a conflicting hot spot.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein securing a hot spot license further comprises:

negotiating license agreements including terms between a broker and a clearinghouse for the documents in electronic data; and

converting the terms to a charging and revenue distribution model capable of being stored in a database and executable by a service bureau.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein transferring a revenue model and content comprises storing the revenue model in a mixed media reality database, storing the content in the mixed media reality database, and associating the content with an existing mixed media document in the database.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein interacting with the users further comprises:

receiving requests for information from a user; and

responding to requests by retrieving and sending information to the user.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein interacting with the users further comprises collecting information about which mixed media documents a user requested.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein interacting with the users further comprises collecting information about which websites the user accessed.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein interacting with the users further comprises collecting information about what communication the user engaged in and with what parties.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein interacting with the users further comprises collecting information about whether a transaction was completed and the terms of the transaction.

23. The method of claim 12, wherein how much the user is charged and how and to whom revenue is distributed is performed according to a charging and revenue distribution model.

24. The method of claim 12, wherein securing a hot spot license further comprises participating in an auction of mixed media reality right.