Interactive information system, interactive information method, and computer readable medium thereof

• US 8,495,133 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2010
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: YFY Global Investment BVI Corp. (YFY Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Locus Publishing Company
• Inventors: Hoo, Ming-Yih
• Primary Examiner(s): WANG, LIANG CHE A
• Application Number:
  US12/838,186
• Publication Number:
  US 20110016173A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/230, 709/232, 709/238, 709/245
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/10 Recognition assisted with metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/287 of Kanji, Hiragana or Katakana characters
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/06 Foreign languages with audible presentation of material to be studied G09B5/04

Abstract

An interactive information system, an interactive information method, and a computer readable medium thereof are provided. The interactive information system comprises a reading apparatus, a first transmission interface, a processing unit, a second transmission interface, and an output apparatus. The interactive information system is adapted to use with a plurality of information gadgets. When an information gadget enters the reading range of the reading apparatus, the reading apparatus reads the information gadget, generates a signal related to the information gadget, and transmits the signal to the processing unit. Then, the processing unit identifies the information gadget indicated by the signal, retrieves a file according to the information gadget, and transmits the file to the output apparatus. Finally, the output apparatus then outputs the file received from the processing unit.

Claims

1. An interactive information system, comprising:

a first transmission interface being configured to receive a signal;

a storage unit being configured to store a database;

a processing unit being electrically connected to the first transmission interface and the storage unit and configured to receive the signal from the first transmission interface to identify a first information gadget indicated by the signal and to retrieve a first file according to the first information gadget from the database;

a second transmission interface being electrically connected to the processing unit and configured to transmit the first file; and

an output apparatus being electrically connected to the second transmission interface and configured to receive the first file from the second transmission interface and to output the first file,

wherein the output apparatus comprises a display unit and a speaker, the first file comprises a video part and an audio part, the display unit is configured to display the video part of the first file and an image of the first information gadget, and the speaker is configured to broadcast the audio part of the first file,

wherein the signal is further related to a second information gadget and the processing unit is further configured to identify the second information gadget indicated by the signal and to determine that a number of the information gadgets is greater than one, and

wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine that a distance between the first information gadget and the second information gadget is not shorter than a predetermined distance and to retrieve a second file according to the second information gadget, and the display unit is further configured to receive the second file from the processing unit and to display the second file and an image of the second information gadget.

2. The interactive information system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first information gadget has an identifier and the processing unit:

identifies the first information gadget according to the identifier;

generates an identification (ID) code representing the first information gadget; and

retrieves the first file according to the ID code.

3. The interactive information system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a reading apparatus being electrically connected to the first transmission interface and configured to read the first information gadget and to generate the signal related to the first information gadget.

4. The interactive information system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first information gadget is displayed on the display unit and the interactive information system further comprises:

an input apparatus being electrically connected to the first transmission interface and configured to generate the signal when the input apparatus selects the first information gadget displayed on the display unit.

5. The interactive information system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the reading apparatus is a Web cam, the reading apparatus is further configured to continuously capture an image of a scene in front of the reading apparatus in real time, and the display unit is further configured to continuously display the captured images of the scene along with the first file in a user interface.

6. The interactive information system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit is connected to a Web server and is further configured to receive a learning material from the Web server.

7. The interactive information system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the processing unit is further configured to record a learning result related to the learning material and to transmit the learning result to the Web server.

8. The interactive information system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the processing unit is connected to an authentication server, the reading apparatus is further configured to read an activation gadget and to generate an activation signal related to the activation gadget, and the processing unit is further configured to receive the activation signal from the reading apparatus, to identify the activation gadget indicated by the activation signal, and to execute an activation procedure with the authentication server.

9. An interactive information method for use in an interactive information system, the interactive information system comprising a first transmission interface, a storage unit, a processing unit, an output apparatus comprising a display unit and a speaker, and a second transmission interface, the storage unit storing a database, the processing unit being electrically connected to the first transmission interface and the storage unit, the second transmission interface being electrically connected to the processing unit, the interactive information method comprising the steps of:

(a) enabling the first transmission interface to receive a signal, wherein the signal is related to a second information gadget;

(b) enabling the processing unit to receive the signal from the first transmission interface;

(c) enabling the processing unit to identify a first information gadget indicated by the signal;

(d) enabling the processing unit to retrieve a first file according to the first information gadget from the database;

(e) enabling the second transmission interface to transmit the first file;

(f) enabling the output apparatus to receive the first file from the second transmission interface, the first file comprising a video part and an audio part;

(g) enabling the output apparatus to output the first file comprising the steps of;

(g1) enabling the display unit to display the video part of the first file and an image of the first information gadget and

(g2) enabling the speaker to broadcast the audio part of the first file;

(h) enabling the processing unit to identify the second information gadget indicated by the signal;

(i) enabling the processing unit to determine that a number of the information gadgets is greater than one

(j) enabling the processing unit to determine that a distance between the first information gadget and the second information gadget is shorter than a predetermined distance,

(k) enabling the processing unit to determine an order of the information gadgets according to relative positions of the information gadgets; and

(l) enabling the processing unit to generate a grouped ID code representing the combination of the first and second information gadgets according to the order;

wherein the processing unit retrieves the first file according to the grouped ID code.

10. The interactive information method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first information gadget has an identifier, and the step (b) enables the processing unit to identify the first information gadget according to the identifier, the step (c) enables the processing unit to generate an ID code representing the first information gadget, and the step (d) enables the processing unit to retrieve the first file according to the ID code.

11. The interactive information method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the interactive information system further comprises a reading apparatus being electrically connected to the first transmission interface, and the interactive information method further comprises the step of:

(m) enabling the reading apparatus to read the first information gadget; and

(n) enabling the reading apparatus to generate the signal related to the first information gadget according to the result of the step (m).

12. The interactive information method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the interactive information system further comprises an input apparatus being electrically connected to the first transmission interface, and the interactive information method further comprises the steps of:

(m) enabling the display unit to begin to display the first information gadget from a time before the step (a) is executed; and

(n) enabling the input apparatus to generate the signal when the input apparatus selects the first information gadget displayed on the display unit.

13. The interactive information method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the reading apparatus is a Web cam, the interactive information method further comprises the steps of:

(o) enabling the reading apparatus to continuously capture an image of a scene in front of the reading apparatus in real time; and

(p) enabling the display unit to continuously display the captured images of the scene along with the first file in a user interface.

14. The interactive information method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the processing unit is connected to a Web server, the interactive information method further comprises the step of:

(m) enabling the processing unit to receive a learning material from the Web server.

15. The interactive information method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising the following step of:

(n) enabling the processing unit to record a learning result related to the learning material and to transmit the learning result to the Web server.

16. The interactive information method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the processing unit is connected to an authentication server, the interactive information method further comprises the steps of:

(o) enabling the reading apparatus to read an activation gadget and to generate an activation signal related to the activation gadget; and

(p) enabling the processing unit to receive the activation signal from the reading apparatus, to identify the activation gadget indicated by the activation signal, and to execute an activation procedure with the authentication server.

17. An interactive information system, comprising:

a first transmission interface being configured to receive a signal;

a storage unit being configured to store a database;

a processing unit being electrically connected to the first transmission interface and the storage unit and configured to receive the signal from the first transmission interface and to identify a first information gadget indicated by the signal and to retrieve a first file according to the first information gadget from the database;

a second transmission interface being electrically connected to the processing unit and configured to transmit the first file; and

an output apparatus being electrically connected to the second transmission interface and configured to receive the first file from the second transmission interface and to output the first file,

wherein the output apparatus comprises a display unit and a speaker, the first file comprises a video part and an audio part, the display unit is configured to display the video part of the first file and an image of the first information gadget, and the speaker is configured to broadcast the audio part of the first file

wherein the signal is further related to a second information gadget and the processing unit is further configured to identify the second information gadget indicated by the signal and to determine that a number of the information gadgets is greater than one, and

wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine that a distance between the first information gadget and the second information gadget is shorter than a predetermined distance, to determine an order of the first and second information gadgets according to a position of each of the first and second information gadget, and to generate a grouped ID code representing the combination of the first and second information gadgets according to the order, wherein the processing unit retrieves the first file according to the grouped ID code.

18. The interactive information system as claimed in claim 17, further comprising:

a reading apparatus, being electrically connected to the first transmission interface and configured to read the first information gadget and to generate the signal related to the first information gadget.

19. The interactive information system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the first information gadget is displayed on the display unit, and the interactive information system further comprises:

an input apparatus, being electrically connected to the first transmission interface and configured to generate the signal when the input apparatus selects the first information gadget displayed on the display unit.

20. The interactive information system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the reading apparatus is a Web cam, the reading apparatus is further configured to continuously capture an image of a scene in front of the reading apparatus in real time, and the display unit is further configured to continuously display the captured images of the scene along with the first file in a user interface.

21. The interactive information system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the processing unit is connected to a Web server and is further configured to receive a learning material from the Web server.

22. The interactive information system as claimed in claim 21, wherein the processing unit is further configured to record a learning result related to the learning material and to transmit the learning result to the Web server.

23. The interactive information system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the processing unit is connected to an authentication server, the reading apparatus is further configured to read an activation gadget and to generate an activation signal related to the activation gadget, and the processing unit is further configured to receive the activation signal from the reading apparatus, to identify the activation gadget indicated by the activation signal, and to execute an activation procedure with the authentication server.