Conversion of declarative statements into a rich interactive narrative

• US 9,582,506 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2011
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Datha, Narendranath, Joy, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Debrow, James J
• Application Number:
  US13/327,802
• Publication Number:
  US 20120089904A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,901 Days
• Field of Search: 715/235
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4393 Multimedia presentations, e.g. slide shows, multimedia albums

Abstract

Technologies pertaining to conversion of declarative statements written in a domain-specific language to data that is playable by a rich interactive narrative (RIN) player are described herein. A web browser can be configured to support a RIN player. Source code of a web page includes an indication that the RIN player is to be invoked, declarative statements written in the domain-specific language, and data that identifies a network-accessible location of a converter. The converter is configured to convert declarative statements in the domain-specific language to RIN data that is playable by the RIN player. Thus, a developer of a web page can utilize declarative statements in the domain-specific language to cause a RIN to be included in a web page.

Claims

1. A method that facilitates conversion of declarative statements in a domain specific language to data that is executable by an interactive narrative player, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of declarative statements in the domain specific language, the plurality of declarative statements defining a narrative and a sequence of the narrative, the sequence defines an order in which interactive segments are included in the narrative, each interactive segment includes an interactive environment that is traversable by an end user who is presented with the narrative;

responsive to receiving the plurality of declarative statements in the domain specific language, converting, using a computer-executable conversion file, the declarative statements to interactive narrative data, the interactive narrative data executable by the interactive narrative player; and

providing the interactive narrative data to the interactive narrative player, the interactive narrative player outputting the narrative in the sequence defined by the declarative statements, the narrative output by way of a computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of declarative statements are written in XML.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of declarative statements are comprised by a web page.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of segments comprise a plurality of images, the method further comprising presenting, by the interactive narrative player, the plurality of images on a web page in the order defined in the plurality of declarative statements.

5. The method of claim 1, the interactive narrative player being referenced in a web page.

6. The method of claim 5 configured for execution by a web browser.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the web page includes machine-readable code, the machine-readable code comprising data that identifies a network-accessible location of the computer-executable conversion file, the machine-readable code comprising data that identifies a network-accessible location of at least one interactive segment in the interactive segments.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the declarative statements comprise data that identifies a size of the narrative to be presented by the interactive narrative player on the web page.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the declarative statements comprise an indication that selectable controls are to be displayed on a web page that is to display the narrative, the method further comprising:

presenting, by the interactive narrative player, the narrative on the web page;

presenting, by the interactive narrative player, the selectable controls on the web page while the narrative is presented;

receiving a selection of the selectable controls; and

causing the narrative to pause responsive to receiving the selection of the selectable controls.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to receiving the plurality of declarative statements in the domain specific language, accessing the computer-executable conversion file from a library of computer-executable conversion files.

11. The method of claim 1, the narrative being a web tutorial that comprises a sequence of instructions.

12. A system that facilitates provision of an interactive narrative to an end user, the system comprising:

a processor; and

memory that comprises instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising;

converting a plurality of declarative statements written in a domain specific language to a data format that is executable by an interactive narrative player, the plurality of declarative statements defining the interactive narrative, the interactive narrative being at least one of an audio or video narrative, the interactive narrative has a sequence of segments, each segment comprising at least one of an audio clip, an image, or a video, the sequence defines an order of presentment of the segments in the interactive narrative, and each segment being interactive in that the interactive narrative player alters the interactive narrative in response to user interaction with the segment; and

using the interactive narrative player, executing the interactive narrative responsive to the converter component converting the plurality of declarative statements from the domain specific language to the data format that is executable by the interactive narrative player.

13. The system of claim 12 being comprised by a mobile telephone.

14. The system of claim 12 being comprised by a tablet computing device.

15. The system of claim 12, the interactive narrative player being a downloadable plug-in for a web browser.

16. The system of claim 12, the plurality of statements in the domain specific language configured to define a sequence of images that are to be displayed on a web page as a slideshow, the interactive narrative player configured to present the images in the sequence responsive to the converter component converting the plurality of statements from the domain specific language to the data format that is executable by the interactive narrative player.

17. The system of claim 12, the plurality of statements in the domain specific language configured to define a sequence of audio and/or video instructions in a web tutorial on a web page, the interactive narrative player configured to present the audio and/or video instructions in the sequence responsive to the converter component converting the plurality of statements from the domain specific language to the data format that is executable by the interactive narrative player.

18. The system of claim 12, the interactive narrative comprising a sequence of images, and the declarative statements defining an order of presentation of the sequence of images on a web page.

19. The system of claim 18, the declarative statements further defining an amount of time an image is to be presented on a web page prior to a next image of the sequence being presented on the web page.

20. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising:

receiving a request to load a web page into a web browser, the web page comprising a plurality of declarative statements therein that are written in a domain specific language, the plurality of declarative statements defining a narrative with a sequence, the sequence comprising a plurality of images that are to be displayed on the web page in conformance with the sequence, each image in the plurality of images having at least one interactive element associated therewith, the web page comprising an indication of position on the web page where the images are to be displayed, a durations of time that each image is to be displayed, and network-accessible locations of the images, the web page further comprising a network-accessible location of a computer-executable conversion file that converts the declarative statements in the domain specific language to code that is executable by an interactive narrative player;

identifying the plurality of declarative statements in the web page;

responsive to identifying the declarative statements, accessing the computer-executable conversion file at the network-accessible location;

using the computer-executable conversion file, converting the declarative statements into the code that is executable by the interactive narrative player;

initiating the interactive narrative player in the web browser; and

executing, at the interactive narrative player, the code, wherein executing the code causes the plurality of images to be displayed on the web page in conformance with the sequence, wherein the plurality of images are displayed on the web page at the position identified in the web page and for the time durations identified in the web page.