Responsive book system and method therefor

• US 9,569,977 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2009
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E.V.T.T. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: E.V.T.T. Ltd.
• Inventors: Binyamin, Moshe
• Primary Examiner(s): Yao, Sam
• Assistant Examiner(s): CARLOS, ALVIN LEABRES
• Application Number:
  US12/990,784
• Publication Number:
  US 20110111382A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,912 Days
• Field of Search: 434/317
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/062 Combinations of audio and printed presentations, e.g. magnetically striped cards, talking books, magnetic tapes with printed texts thereon

Abstract

In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a responsive book system comprising: a book comprising a detecting system, for detecting a current page from a plurality of detectable pages of the book (i.e., the opened page); a storage, for storing content associated with each of the detectable pages; and one or more remote responders, for playing and/or displaying the content associated with the current page. In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a responsive book method comprising the steps of: detecting the current page in a book from a plurality of pages; and playing and/or displaying, by a remote responder, content associated with the current page.

Claims

1. A responsive book system comprising:

a book comprising a binding and a plurality of detectable pages and a detecting system for detecting a current page from the plurality of detectable pages of said book, said detecting system including distinctive zones on the cross-sectional area of said book, each distinctive zone uniquely associated with one of said plurality of detectable pages, and including a detectable mark on each of said plurality of pages, each of said detectable marks located in said distinctive zone thereof, for providing said association, each detectable mark including a first magnet;

a storage in the book, for storing content associated with each of said detectable pages, the content of the plurality of detectable pages combining together to form a combined story of the book;

a plurality of remote responders, for playing the content associated with said current page, wherein each of said remote responders comprises a doll having a receiver embedded therein and having a processing unit with access to the storage, the content including audio associated with the current page and movement, if any, of the plurality of dolls accompanying the audio; and

the detecting system in the book also having an array of sensors at locations in one of (i) the binding or (ii) a book cover, uniquely associated with a current page for detecting the detectable marks and for sensing changes in a magnitude of an electromagnetic field as said current page is turned by a user, the magnitude of the electromagnetic field as the current page is turned being proportionate to a distance between (i) a sensor, of the array of sensors, uniquely associated with the current page and (ii) a first magnet located in the distinctive zone uniquely associated with said current page, so as to identify a particular page of the book as the current page, wherein each page of the plurality of detectable pages includes a top and bottom surface configured to present the contents of the book in words and/or pictures, each of the top and bottom surfaces having a surface area, wherein the detectable marks are embedded within the plurality of detectable pages, and wherein the detecting system is embedded within the plurality of detectable pages and at least one of the cover page and binding, such that incorporation of the detecting system into the book does not interrupt the surface area of any page of the plurality of detectable pages and does not extend the surface area of any page of the plurality outward away from the binding;

the book also having at least one transmitter configured to transmit to said plurality of dolls a plurality of signals providing information from the storage including a first signal to the first doll concerning said current page and including a separate and independent second signal to the second doll concerning said current page; and

each of said one or more receivers configured to receive said separate first or second respective signal of the plurality of signals, the processing unit of each particular doll of the plurality of dolls for selecting the response of the particular doll to the current page,

wherein the responsive book system is configured to allow a user to turn current pages of the book and thereby hear the plurality of dolls play contents of the current pages by using a single source of content from the storage to simultaneously provide a plurality of separate and independent signals of the plurality of signals respectively to the plurality of dolls wherein a content played by the first doll is not determined from a content played by the second doll or from an identity of the second doll.

2. A responsive book system according to claim 1, wherein the detecting system and detectable marks are invisibly embedded within the material of the plurality of detectable pages and at least one of the cover page and binding, such that incorporation of the detecting system and the detectable marks into the book does not interrupt the surface area of any page of the plurality of detectable pages and does not extend the surface area of any page of the plurality outward away from the binding.

3. A responsive book system according to claim 1, wherein each doll in the plurality of dolls is configured to respond to said current page in a different manner such that one doll of the plurality responds in one manner and another doll of the plurality responds in a second manner and third doll responds in a third manner, the first, second and third manners being different from one another.

4. A responsive book system according to claim 3, wherein each doll in the plurality of dolls is configured to respond to said current page in a different manner and wherein the different manners are selected from the group consisting of (i) singing contents of the current page, (ii) dancing contents of the current page and (iii) saying content of the current page.

5. A responsive book system according to claim 1, wherein said transmitter comprises a stereo-transmitter using a single standard stereo channel, such that for a given page each sub-channel thereof transmitting a different signal comprising a different response to each of said remote responders, wherein the storage is in the book and wherein the information about the current page received by the receiver of a first doll of the plurality of dolls comprises the content in the first signal to be presented by the first doll and wherein the information about the current page received by the receiver of a second doll in the plurality of dolls comprises the content in the second signal to be presented by the second doll.

6. A responsive book system according to claim 1, further comprising a recorder, for recording new content to be associated with said detectable pages.

7. A responsive book system according to claim 1, wherein said array of sensors of said detecting system is situated in a binding of the book.

8. A responsive book system according to claim 1, wherein for at least one furthest detectable page having a detectable mark in a particular distinctive zone associated with the page furthest from the array of sensors, one or more closer pages closer to the array of sensors has both a detectable mark at the distinctive zone associated with the page and an additional detectable mark at the particular distinctive zone, the additional detectable mark comprising a magnet and configured to improve detection by the array of sensors of the detectable mark in the at least one furthest detectable page.

9. A responsive book system according to claim 2, wherein a first doll of the plurality of dolls dances contents of a current page and a second doll of the plurality of dolls sings or says contents of the current page.

10. A responsive book system according to claim 1, wherein each of said magnetic sensors comprises a resonance circuit in said distinctive zone in at least one of a cover and a binding of said book, for detecting said current page.

11. A responsive book system according to claim 10, wherein said detecting system further comprises at least a second magnet located in said distinctive zone on at least one page between said first magnet and said resonance circuit, said second magnet for increasing the detectability of said first magnet.

12. A responsive book system according to claim 1, wherein each page of the plurality of detectable pages of the book having an electrically conductive mark situated in a distinctive zone on a cross-sectional area of said book, each distinctive zone associated with one of said plurality of detectable pages, the detecting system also including detectors for detecting the electrically conductive marks, wherein each of said electrically conductive marks comprises an electrical contact for closing and opening an electrical circuit between said electrical contacts of adjacent pages, upon leafing of each of said current pages.

23. A responsive book system according to claim 1, wherein the detectable pages are shaped as rectangular blocks and the distinctive zones on the cross-sectional area of said book are hidden within the rectangular blocks and spaced apart from any edge of the rectangular blocks such that the detectable marks are invisible to a user of the book as a result of being embedded within a material of each page of the plurality of detectable pages.

13. A method for using a responsive book, said method comprising the steps of:

storing, in a storage, content associated with each of a plurality of detectable pages of a book, the content of the plurality of detectable pages combining together to form a combined story of the book;

the book using a detecting system to sense changes in a magnitude of an electromagnetic field when a current page of the book is turned by a user, the sensing of the change identifying a particular page of the book as the current page, wherein said detecting system includes (a) distinctive zones on the cross-sectional area of said book, each distinctive zone uniquely associated with one of said plurality of detectable pages, and includes a detectable mark on each of said plurality of pages, each of said detectable marks located in said distinctive zone thereof, for providing said association, each detectable mark including a first magnet and (b) an array of sensors at locations in one of (i) the binding or (ii) a book cover, uniquely associated with a current page for detecting the detectable marks and for sensing changes in a magnitude of an electromagnetic field as said current page is turned by a user, the magnitude of the electromagnetic field as said current page is turned being proportionate to a distance between (i) a sensor, of the array of sensors, uniquely associated with the current page and (ii) a magnet located in the distinctive zone uniquely associated with said current page, wherein for at least one furthest detectable page having a detectable mark in a particular distinctive zone associated with the page furthest from the array of sensors, one or more closer pages closer to the array of sensors has both a detectable mark at the distinctive zone associated with the lower numbered page and an additional detectable mark at the particular distinctive zone, the additional detectable mark comprising a magnet and configured to improve detection by the array of sensors of the detectable mark in the at least one furthest page, wherein each page of the plurality of detectable pages includes a top and bottom surface configured to present the contents of the book in words and/or pictures, each of the top and bottom surfaces having a surface area, wherein the detectable marks are invisible to a user of the book as a result of being embedded within a material of each page of the plurality of detectable pages, and wherein the detecting system and detectable marks are invisibly embedded within the material of the plurality of detectable pages and at least one of the cover page and binding, such that incorporation of the detecting system and detectable marks into the book does not interrupt the surface area of any page of the plurality of detectable pages and does not extend the surface area of any page of the plurality outward away from the binding, wherein the detectable pages are shaped as rectangular blocks and the distinctive zones on the cross-sectional area of said book are hidden within the rectangular blocks and spaced apart from any edge of the rectangular blocks;

the book detecting the current page uniquely associated with the distinctive zone by using sensed changes in magnitude of the electromagnetic field as the current page of the book is turned by a user to identify a particular page of the book as the current page;

transmitting, by using a transmitter in the book, a plurality of signals from said book to each doll in a plurality of dolls, each doll having a receiver configured to receive separate and independent signals of the plurality of signals, the plurality of signals configured to provide information to each doll about said current page including a first signal to the first doll concerning said current page and including a separate and independent second signal to the second doll concerning said current page;

each doll receiving said separate first or second signal of the plurality of signals and responding to said signal by playing content associated with said current page, each doll playing the content associated with said current page in a different manner,

wherein the method using a single source of content from the storage to simultaneously provide a plurality of separate and independent signals of the plurality of signals respectively to the plurality of dolls such that a content played by first doll is not determined from a content played by the second doll or from an identity of the second doll.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising locating the storage in the dolls such that a first doll in the plurality of dolls stores content to be presented by the first doll and a second doll in the plurality of dolls stores content to be presented by the second doll, and further comprising including in each doll of the plurality of dolls, a processing unit with access to the storage, the processing unit configured to select content from the storage.

15. A method according to claim 13, wherein said transmitting is carried out by a stereo-transmitter using a single standard stereo channel, such that for a given page each sub-channel of the stereo channel transmits a different signal comprising a different response to each doll of the plurality of dolls.

16. A method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of recording a new content to be associated with a page.

17. A method according to claim 13, wherein said detecting step comprises influencing a resonance circuit by a magnet located on a page.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein said detecting step comprises closing or opening an electric circuit upon leafing using electric contacts on said pages.

19. A method according to claim 13, wherein said playing comprises a doll of the plurality of dolls responding to the current page by reading said current page and a doll from the plurality of dolls responding by moving consistent with a content of said page.

20. The method according to claim 14, further comprising having each doll in the plurality of dolls respond to said current page in different manners selected from the group consisting of (i) singing contents of the current page, (ii) dancing contents of the current page and (iii) saying content of the current page.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising watching different dolls of the plurality of dolls respond differently to leafed pages of the book.

22. The method of claim 13, further comprising positioning the magnetic sensors in at least one of a binding of the book, a front cover of the book and a back cover of the book.

24. A responsive book system comprising:

a book comprising a binding and a plurality of detectable pages and a detecting system for detecting a current page from the plurality of detectable pages of said book, said detecting system including distinctive zones on the cross-sectional area of said book, each distinctive zone uniquely associated with one of said plurality of detectable pages, and including a detectable mark on each of said plurality of pages, each of said detectable marks located in said distinctive zone thereof, for providing said association, each detectable mark including a first magnet;

a storage, for storing content associated with each of said detectable pages, the content of the plurality of detectable pages combining together to form a combined story of the book;

a plurality of remote responders, for playing the content associated with said current page, wherein each of said remote responders comprises a doll having a receiver embedded therein and having a processing unit with access to the storage and configured to select content from the storage pertaining to the doll, the content including audio associated with the current page and movement, if any, of the plurality of dolls accompanying the audio; and

the detecting system in the book also having an array of sensors at locations in one of (i) the binding or (ii) a book cover, uniquely associated with a current page for detecting the detectable marks and for sensing changes in a magnitude of an electromagnetic field as said current page is turned by a user, the magnitude of the electromagnetic field as the current page is turned being proportionate to a distance between (i) a sensor, of the array of sensors, uniquely associated with the current page and (ii) a first magnet located in the distinctive zone uniquely associated with said current page, so as to identify a particular page of the book as the current page, wherein each page of the plurality of detectable pages includes a top and bottom surface configured to present the contents of the book in words and/or pictures, each of the top and bottom surfaces having a surface area, wherein the detectable marks are embedded within the plurality of detectable pages, and wherein the detecting system is embedded within the plurality of detectable pages and at least one of the cover page and binding, such that incorporation of the detecting system into the book does not interrupt the surface area of any page of the plurality of detectable pages and does not extend the surface area of any page of the plurality outward away from the binding;

the book also having at least one transmitter configured to transmit to said plurality of dolls a plurality of signals providing information from the storage including a first signal to the first doll concerning said current page and including a separate and independent second signal to the second doll concerning said current page; and

each of said one or more receivers configured to receive said separate first or second respective signal of the plurality of signals, the processing unit of each particular doll of the plurality of dolls for selecting the response of the particular doll to the current page,

wherein the responsive book system is configured to allow a user to turn current pages of the book and thereby hear the plurality of dolls play contents of the current pages,

by using a single source of content from the storage to simultaneously provide a plurality of separate and independent signals of the plurality of signals respectively to the plurality of dolls wherein a content played by the first doll is not determined from a content played by the second doll or from an identity of the second doll.