Online story collaboration

• US 7,810,037 B1
• Filed: 08/04/2000
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Manowitz, Neal Jacob, Edwards, Eric, Fisher, Clay Harvey, Jonach, Kurt
• Primary Examiner(s): KE, PENG
• Application Number:
  US09/632,535
• Time in Patent Office: 3,714 Days
• Field of Search: 345/751, 707/103, 707749- 56, 707/700, 273/429, 715749- 56, 715/700, 715/751
• US Class Current: 715/749
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

An online collaborative story system allows multiple people to collaborate on creating a story by contributing content of various types to a server computer, where it is voted on by the collaborators or a designated editor to create the finished story. Additionally, one or more of the collaborators can be rewarded for their participation in the story.

Claims

1. A computerized method for creating a story by multiple collaborators being on-line users supplying content associated with a fictional story concept comprising:

receiving the fictional story concept for the story, the fictional story concept including an indication of one or more editors that are selected to edit the story by an originator of the fictional story concept;

determining whether the fictional story concept includes content that meets a predetermined criteria set by a party separate from the multiple collaborators and deleting the fictional story concept if the concept fails to meet the predetermined criteria;

making the fictional story concept available for online access to enable the multiple collaborators to submit competing story content related to elements in the fictional story concept;

accepting the received competing story content associated with the fictional story concept from the multiple collaborators if the received competing story content meets the predetermined criteria;

determining selected story content from the accepted competing story content submitted from each of the multiple collaborators that is approved for inclusion in the story based on votes received online through a wide area network connection from the one or more editors and at least one of the multiple collaborators;

creating the story from the selected story content that is approved; and

deleting the accepted competing story content if the received votes have failed to approve the content.

2. The computerized method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining if the content meets pre-determined criteria; and

deleting the content if it does not meet the pre-determined criteria.

3. The computerized method of claim 1 further comprising:

publishing the story online for public viewing.

4. The computerized method of claim 1 further comprising:

publishing the story online for private viewing.

5. The computerized method of claim 1 further comprising:

notifying an editor when the content is received and posted for review by the editor.

6. The computerized method of claim 1 wherein after receiving the story concept is available, further comprises:

notifying the one or more editors upon a receipt of the fictional story concept.

7. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the content is deleted automatically without user intervention.

8. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the content received from one of the multiple collaborators is of a different type than content received from another one of the multiple collaborators.

9. The computerized method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a reward for one or more of the multiple collaborators.

10. The computerized method of claim 9, wherein determining a reward comprises:

requesting a vote via online from each viewer of the story; and

counting the votes.

11. The computerized method of claim 9, wherein the reward is based on a category for the story.

12. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions to a cause a server computer to perform a method comprising:

receiving a fictional concept for a story, the fictional story concept including an indication of one or more editors that are selected to edit the story by an originator of the fictional story concept;

determining whether the fictional story concept includes content that meets a predetermined criteria set by a party separate from multiple collaborators being on-line users supplying the content associated with the fictional concept of the story and deleting the fictional story concept if the content of the fictional story concept fails to meet the predetermined criteria;

if the content of the fictional story concept is acceptable, making the fictional story concept available for online access to enable the multiple collaborators to submit the competing story content related to an element in the fictional story concept from two of the multiple collaborators coupled to the server computer;

accepting the received competing story content associated with the fictional story concept from the multiple collaborators if the received competing story content meets the predetermined criteria;

receiving votes online through a wide area network connection from the one or more editors, at least one of the multiple collaborators, and the originator of the fictional story concept to select between the accepted competing story content;

including the selected story content in the story if the received votes indicate that the content is approved; and

deleting the accepted competing story content if the received votes fail to indicate that the competing story content is approved.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 having further computer-executable instructions comprising:

publishing the story online when all content for the concept is approved.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 having further computer-executable instructions comprising:

deleting the content if it does not meet pre-determined standards.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 having further computer-executable instructions comprising:

receiving the concept for the story from the originator.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 having further computer-executable instructions comprising:

making the concept available if it meets pre-determined standards.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 having further computer-executable instructions comprising:

determining a reward for one or more of the originator and the plurality of collaborators.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the reward is based on online votes from viewers of the story.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the reward is based on a category for the story.

20. A computerized system comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor through a system bus;

a computer-readable medium coupled to the processor through the system bus; and

an online collaborative story process executed from the computer-readable medium by the processor to cause the processor to receive a fictional concept for an online story, the fictional story concept including an indication of one or more editors that are selected to edit the story by an originator of the fictional story concept and to post the fictional story concept online if the concept meets a predetermined criteria set by a site administrator and to delete the fictional story concept if the fictional story concept fails to meet the predetermined criteria, wherein the concept defines content for the story, to receive the content for the story from multiple collaborators being online users supplying competing story content associated with elements in the fictional story concept, to accept the received competing story content associated with the fictional story concept from the multiple collaborators if the received competing story content meets the predetermined criteria, to receive votes online through a wide area network connection from the one or more editors and at least one of the multiple collaborators to select between the accepted competing story content, to include the selected story content in the story if the received votes indicate that the selected story content is approved and to delete the accepted competing story content if the received votes do not approve inclusion of the accepted competing story content.

21. The computerized system of claim 20, wherein the online collaborative story process further causes the processor to publish the story online.

22. The computerized system of claim 20, wherein the online collaborative story process further causes the processor to delete the content when the content does not satisfy pre-determined criteria.

23. The computerized system of claim 20, wherein the online collaborative story process further causes the processor to request online votes from viewers of the story and to determine a reward based on votes received in response to the request.

24. A networked server system comprising:

means for posting a fictional concept for a story in a story concept area for access by multiple collaborators being on-line users supplying the content associated with the fictional story concept, the fictional story concept including an indication of one or more editors that are selected to edit the story by an originator of the fictional story concept;

means for reviewing the fictional story concept prior to posting the concept in the story concept area and deleting the fictional story concept if the concept fails to meet a predetermined criteria set by a site administrator;

means for posting competing story content associated with elements in the fictional story concept in a working content area, the competing story content being received from the multiple collaborators;

means for determining selected story content from the accepted competing story content submitted from each of the multiple collaborators that is approved for inclusion in the story;

means for voting online through a wide area network connection by the one or more editors and at least one of the plurality of collaborators on the content in the online working content area, wherein votes selected between the competing story content that is approved for publishing;

means for publishing the selected story content approved by the means for voting in a published story area to create the story; and

means for deleting the competing story content if not approved by the means for voting.

25. The networked server system of claim 24, further comprising:

means for collecting votes from viewers of the story; and

means for awarding one or more of the plurality of collaborators for the story based on the votes collected by the means for collecting.