System and methods for cross platform interactive electronic books

• US 9,632,985 B1
• Filed: 02/01/2011
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Industry Standard
• Original Assignee: Inkling Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: MacInnis, Charles M, Forman, Joshua John, Cromwell, Robert, Ballard, Kevin, Cho, Peter S., Halsall, Anne K., Kyle, Scott William
• Primary Examiner(s): Utama, Robert J
• Application Number:
  US13/019,211
• Time in Patent Office: 2,275 Days
• Field of Search: 434350, 434322-323
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/109 Font handling; Temporal or kinetic typography
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

Disclosed in some examples is a system for electronic learning support, the system having a content-ingestion module to generate a. digital specification in a first language from a set of input parameters for one or more of a plurality of digital templates, the digital specification including instructions which when executed by an execution environment of an electronic reading device, cause the electronic reading device to present one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects, the execution environment being one of a plurality of execution environments, each execution environment being specific to one of a plurality of heterogeneous electronic reading devices; a digital specification delivery module executed by the one or more processors to transmit the digital specification to the electronic reading device; and an interaction module to: receive content interaction data corresponding to user interactions with the interactive content presentation objects from the execution environment and to send at least a subset of the content interaction data to at least one other electronic reading device, and to receive assessment data corresponding to user interactions with the interactive assessment objects from the execution environment.

Claims

1. A system for electronic learning support, the system comprising:

one or more memories storing instructions and one or more processors that execute the instructions by;

generating a digital specification in a first language from a set of input parameters for one or more of a plurality of digital templates, the digital specification including instructions which when executed by an execution environment of an electronic reading device, cause the electronic reading device to present one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects, the execution environment being one of a plurality of heterogeneous execution environments, each execution environment being specific to one of a plurality of heterogeneous electronic reading devices and having platform-dependent capabilities and user interface elements, and the instructions being such that when executed by each of the heterogeneous execution environments on respective ones of the plurality of heterogeneous electronic reading devices produce a consistent layout within and around the interactive content presentation objects and interactive assessment objects across all of the heterogeneous execution environments on respective ones of the plurality of heterogeneous electronic reading devices;

transmitting the digital specification and pre-processed media data of at least one interactive content presentation object to the electronic reading device wherein the at least one interactive content presentation object is presented with a look and feel of a user interface of the electronic reading device, and wherein the media data is pre-processed to adjust for the platform-dependent capabilities of the execution environment and to ensure the consistent layout within and around the at least one interactive content presentation object; and

receiving content interaction data corresponding to user interactions with the interactive content presentation objects from the execution environment and sending at least a subset of the content interaction data to at least one other electronic reading device; and

receiving assessment data corresponding to user interactions with the interactive assessment objects from the execution environment.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the assessment data comprises interactive test results associated with the one or more interactive assessment objects.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an interactive assessment analysis module to process the assessment data and to generate a report related to the assessment data.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein:

subsequent to the interactive analysis module generating the report, sending the report to the execution environment of the electronic reading device that sent the assessment data.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the report includes information relating to a test performance of a user of the electronic reading device that sent the assessment data as well as information relating to a test performance of a further user of a further electronic reading device.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein subsequent to the interactive analysis module generating the report, sending the report to a third party.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the report includes information relating to a test performance of a user of the electronic reading device that sent the assessment data as well as information relating to a test performance of a further user of a further electronic reading device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the content interaction data comprises user entered text about the one or more interactive content presentation objects.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a digital specification storage module configured to store multiple digital specifications;

a listing module configured to generate a listing of at least one of the digital specifications stored in the storage module and to transmit the listing to at least one electronic reading device; and

a purchasing module configured to cause the digital specification delivery module to transmit the digital specification to the electronic reading device upon payment.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of heterogeneous reading devices include a tablet computer.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of heterogeneous reading devices include a mobile phone.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital specification includes instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive content presentation object comprising a manipulable image object.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the digital specification includes instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to allow a user to rotate the manipulable image object.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the digital specification includes instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to allow a user to zoom the manipulable image object.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the digital specification includes instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive content presentation object comprising a manipulable image object and a caption which is related to the manipulable image object.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the digital specification includes instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive content presentation object comprising a manipulable image object and a poptip, the poptip displayed responsive to a user selection.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital specification includes instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive content presentation object comprising a slideshow object, which comprises a plurality of images in independent displays.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital specification includes instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive content presentation object comprising a guided tour, which comprises an image and allows a user to step through various points in the image.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital specification includes instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive content presentation object comprising a sideline object which comprises a series of static images along a one-dimensional scale.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital specification includes instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive content presentation object comprising a table object, which comprises a series of text segments organized into rows and columns.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital specification includes instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive content presentation object comprising a glossary object, which comprises a definition of one or more words used in other of the content presentation objects.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital specification includes instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive assessment object comprising a multiple choice object, which comprises one or more multiple choice assessments.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital specification includes instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive assessment object comprising a matching object, which comprises at least two categories of interactive objects and allows users to associate items in the at least two categories of interactive objects to each other.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital specification includes instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive assessment object comprising a fill in the blank object, which comprises an image and associated text boxes that allow a user to fill in the text boxes with text associated with a point on the image.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital specification includes instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive assessment object comprising an audio assessment object, which comprises an audio file and a question to a user.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital specification includes instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive assessment object comprising a question progress bar, which comprises an indication to a user of the user'"'"'s progress through a plurality of other interactive assessment objects.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital specification includes instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive assessment object comprising a re-ordering object, which comprises a series of media objects in an order, and allows the user to re-order the media objects.

28. A method for electronic learning support, the method comprising:

generating, using one or more processors, a digital specification in a first language from a set of input parameters for one or more of a plurality of digital templates, the digital specification including instructions which when executed by an execution environment of an electronic reading device, cause the electronic reading device to present one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects, the execution environment being one of a plurality of heterogeneous execution environments, each execution environment being specific to one of a plurality of heterogeneous electronic reading devices and having platform-dependent capabilities and user interface elements, and the instructions being such that when executed by each of the heterogeneous execution environments on respective ones of the plurality of heterogeneous electronic reading devices produce a consistent layout within and around the interactive content presentation objects and interactive assessment objects across all of the heterogeneous execution environments on respective ones of the plurality of heterogeneous electronic reading devices;

transmitting the digital specification and pre-processed media data of at least one interactive content presentation object to the electronic reading device wherein the at least one interactive content presentation object is presented with a look and feel of a user interface of the electronic reading device to the electronic reading device using a computer processor, and wherein the media data is pre-processed to adjust for the platform-dependent capabilities of the execution environment and to ensure the consistent layout within and around the at least one interactive content presentation object;

receiving content interaction data corresponding to the user interactions with the interactive content presentation objects from the execution environment; and

sending at least a subset of the content interaction data to at least one other electronic reading device, and

receiving assessment data corresponding to user interactions with the interactive assessment objects from the execution environment.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein receiving assessment data comprises receiving interactive test results associated with the one or more interactive assessment objects.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

processing the assessment data and generating a report related to the assessment data.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein:

subsequent to generating the report, sending the report to the execution environment of the electronic reading device that sent the assessment data.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein generating the report comprises generating a report containing information relating to a test performance of a user of the electronic reading device that sent the assessment data and information relating to a test performance of a further user of a further electronic reading device.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein subsequent to generating the report, sending the report to a third party.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein generating the report comprises generating a report containing information relating to a test performance of a user of the electronic reading device that sent the assessment data and information relating to a test performance of a further user of a further electronic reading device.

35. The method of claim 28, wherein:

receiving content interaction data comprises receiving a user entered text about the one or more interactive content presentation objects.

36. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

storing multiple digital specifications;

generating a listing of at least one of the digital specifications stored and presenting the listing to at least one electronic reading device; and

delivering the digital specification to the electronic reading device upon payment.

37. The method of claim 28, wherein the plurality of heterogeneous reading devices includes a tablet computer.

38. The method of claim 28, wherein generating a digital specification comprises generating instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present a manipulable image object.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein generating a digital specification comprises generating instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to allow a user to rotate a manipulable image object.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein generating a digital specification comprises generating instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to allow a user to zoom a manipulable image object.

41. The method of claim 38, wherein generating a digital specification comprises generating instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive content presentation object comprising a manipulable image object and a caption which is related to the manipulable image object.

42. The method of claim 38, wherein generating a digital specification comprises generating instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive content presentation object comprising a manipulable image object and a poptip, the poptip displayed responsive to a user selection.

43. The method of claim 28, wherein generating a digital specification comprises generating instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive content presentation object comprising a slideshow object comprising a plurality of images in independent displays.

44. The method of claim 28, wherein generating a digital specification comprises generating instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive content presentation object comprising a guided tour which comprises an image and allows a user to step through various points in the image.

45. The method of claim 28, wherein generating a digital specification comprises generating instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive content presentation object comprising a sideline object which presents a series of static images along a one-dimensional scale.

46. The method of claim 28, wherein generating a digital specification comprises generating instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive content presentation object comprising a table object comprising a series of text segments organized into rows and columns.

47. The method of claim 28, wherein generating a digital specification comprises generating instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive content presentation object comprising a glossary object comprising a definition of one or more words used in other of the content presentation objects.

48. The method of claim 28, wherein generating a digital specification comprises generating instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive assessment object comprising one or more multiple choice assessments.

49. The method of claim 28, wherein generating a digital specification comprises generating instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive assessment object comprising a matching object, which comprises at least two categories of interactive objects and allows users to associate items in the at least two categories of interactive objects to each other.

50. The system of claim 28, wherein generating a digital specification comprises generating instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive assessment object comprising a fill-in-the-blanks object, which comprises an image and associated text boxes that allow a user to fill in the text boxes with text associated with a point on the image.

51. The method of claim 28, wherein generating a digital specification comprises generating instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive assessment object comprising an audio assessment object which comprises an audio file and a question to a user.

52. The method of claim 28, wherein generating a digital specification comprises generating instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive assessment object comprising a question progress bar which comprises an indication to a user of the user'"'"'s progress through a plurality of other interactive assessment objects.

53. The method of claim 28, wherein generating a digital specification comprises generating instructions, which when executed by the execution environment, causes the electronic reading device to present an interactive assessment object comprising re-ordering objects, which comprises a series of media objects in an order, and allows the user to re-order the media objects.

54. A tangible, non-transitory machine readable storage medium that stores instructions which when performed by a machine, causes the machine to perform operations comprising:

generating, using one or more processors, a digital specification in a first language from a set of input parameters for one or more of a plurality of digital templates, the digital specification including instructions which, when executed by an execution environment of an electronic reading device, cause the electronic reading device to present one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects, the execution environment being one of a plurality of heterogeneous execution environments, each execution environment being specific to one of a plurality of heterogeneous electronic reading devices and having platform-dependent capabilities and user interface elements, and the instructions being such that when executed by each of the heterogeneous execution environments on respective ones of the plurality of heterogeneous electronic reading devices produce a consistent layout within and around the interactive content presentation objects and interactive assessment objects across all of the heterogeneous execution environments on respective ones of the plurality of heterogeneous electronic reading devices;

transmitting the digital specification and pre-processed media data of at least one interactive content presentation object to the electronic reading device wherein the at least one interactive content presentation object is presented with a look and feel of a user interface of the electronic reading device to the electronic reading device, and wherein the media data is pre-processed to adjust for the platform-dependent capabilities of the execution environment and to ensure the consistent layout within and around the at least one interactive content presentation object;

receiving content interaction data corresponding to user interactions with the interactive content presentation objects from the execution environment;

sending at least a subset of the content interaction data to at least one other electronic reading device; and

receiving assessment data corresponding to user interactions with the interactive assessment objects from the execution environment.

55. A method for electronic learning comprising:

retrieving, at a first electronic reading device executing a first execution environment, a digital specification in a first language that is one of a plurality of heterogeneous execution environments, wherein the first execution environment has platform-dependent capabilities and user interface elements, and pre-processed media data of at least one interactive content presentation object for the electronic reading device, wherein the at least one interactive content presentation object is presented with a look and feel of a user interface of the electronic reading device, and wherein the media data is pre-processed to adjust for the platform-dependent capabilities of the execution environment and to ensure a consistent layout within and around the at least one interactive content presentation object across heterogeneous execution environments;

parsing the digital specification, and responsive to instructions contained in the digital specification, presenting in the first execution environment of the first electronic reading device one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects by converting the instructions in the digital specification to a second language which is executed by one or more computer processors of the first electronic reading device;

receiving content interaction data corresponding to user interactions with the interactive content presentation objects and sending the interaction data to an interaction server;

receiving a second content interaction data corresponding to a second user'"'"'s interactions with the interactive content presentation objects from the interaction server, the second user'"'"'s interactions having been received at the interaction server from a second electronic reading device executing a second execution environment different from the first execution environment and within which the digital specification was presented with a consistent layout within and around the interactive content presentation objects and interactive assessment objects in comparison to the digital specification in the first execution environment of the first electronic reading device;

presenting, in the first execution environment, the second content interaction data; and

sending to the interaction server, assessment data corresponding to user interactions with the interactive assessment objects.

56. The method of claim 55, wherein:

receiving content interaction data comprises receiving user entered text about the one or more interactive content presentation objects.

57. The method of claim 55, further comprising:

retrieving a listing of a plurality of digital specifications from a server; and

transmitting payment information to the server in response to a user selecting one of the plurality of digital specifications.

58. The method of claim 55, wherein presenting one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes presenting a manipulable image object.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein presenting one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes allowing a user to rotate the manipulable image object.

60. The method of claim 58, wherein presenting one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes allowing a user to zoom the manipulable image object.

61. The method of claim 58, wherein presenting one or more interactive content presentation objects includes presenting a manipulable image object and a caption which is related to the manipulable image object.

62. The method of claim 58, wherein presenting one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes presenting a manipulable image object and a poptip, the poptip displayed responsive to a user selection.

63. The method of claim 55, wherein presenting one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes presenting a slideshow object, which comprises a plurality of images in independent displays.

64. The method of claim 55, wherein presenting one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes presenting a guided tour, which comprises an image and allows a user to step through various points in the image.

65. The method of claim 55, wherein presenting one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes presenting a sideline object, which comprises a series of static images along a one-dimensional scale.

66. The method of claim 55, wherein presenting one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes presenting a table object, which comprises a series of text segments organized into rows and columns.

67. The method of claim 55, wherein presenting one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes presenting a glossary object, which comprises a definition of one or more words used in other of the content presentation objects.

68. The method of claim 55, wherein presenting one or more interactive assessment presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes presenting one or more multiple choice assessments.

69. The method of claim 55, wherein presenting one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes presenting a matching object, which comprises at least two categories of interactive objects and allows users to associate items in the at least two categories of interactive objects to each other.

70. The system of claim 55, wherein presenting one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes presenting a fill-in-the-blanks object, which comprises an image and associated text boxes that allow a user to fill in the text boxes with text associated with a point on the image.

71. The method of claim 55, wherein presenting one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes presenting an audio assessment object which causes the electronic reading device to play an audio file and presents a question to a user.

72. The method of claim 55, wherein presenting one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes presenting an indication to a user of the user'"'"'s progress through a plurality of other interactive assessment objects.

73. The method of claim 55, wherein presenting one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes presenting a re-ordering object, which comprises a series of media objects in an order, and allows the user to re-order the media objects.

74. A system for electronic learning comprising:

one or more memories storing instructions and one or more processors that execute the instructions by;

receiving a digital specification in a first language and pre-processed media data of at least one interactive content presentation object for an electronic reading device having one of a plurality of heterogeneous execution environments, wherein the respective execution environment has platform-dependent capabilities and user interface elements wherein the at least one interactive content presentation object is presented with a look and feel of a user interface of the electronic reading device, and wherein the media data is pre-processed to adjust for the platform-dependent capabilities of the execution environment and to ensure the consistent layout within and around the at least one interactive content presentation object across heterogeneous execution environments;

parsing the digital specification, and responsive to instructions contained in the digital specification, presenting, in a first execution environment, one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects by converting the instructions in the digital specification to a second language which is executed by one or more computer processors;

receiving content interaction data corresponding to user interactions with the interactive content presentation objects and to send the interaction to an interaction server;

receiving a second content interaction data corresponding to user interactions with the interactive content presentation objects from the interaction server, the second content interaction data having been received at the interaction server responsive to second user interactions with the digital specification as rendered in a second execution environment different from the first execution environment and within which the digital specification was presented with a consistent layout within and around the interactive content presentation objects and interactive assessment objects in comparison to the digital specification in the first execution environment, and presenting the second digital interaction; and

sending assessment data corresponding to user interactions with the interactive assessment objects from the execution environment.

75. The system of claim 74, wherein:

the received content interaction data comprises a user entered text about the one or more interactive content presentation objects.

76. The system of claim 74, further comprising:

a selection module to retrieve a listing of a plurality of digital specifications from a server; and

a payment module to send payment information to the server in response to a user selecting one of the plurality of digital specifications.

77. The system of claim 74, wherein the one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes a manipulable image object.

78. The system of claim 77, wherein the one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes a rotatatable manipulable image object.

79. The system of claim 77, wherein the one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes a zoomable manipulable image object.

80. The system of claim 77, wherein the one or more interactive content presentation objects includes a manipulable image object and a caption which is related to the manipulable image object.

81. The system of claim 77, wherein the one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes a manipulable image object and a poptip, the poptip displayed responsive to a user selection.

82. The system of claim 74, wherein the one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes a slideshow object, which comprises a plurality of images in independent displays.

83. The system of claim 74, wherein the one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes a guided tour, which comprises an image and allows a user to step through various points in the image.

84. The system of claim 74, wherein the one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes a sideline object, which comprises a series of static images along a one-dimensional scale.

85. The system of claim 74, wherein the one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes presenting a table object, which comprises a series of text segments organized into rows and columns.

86. The system of claim 74, wherein the one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes presenting a glossary object, which comprises a definition of one or more words used in other of the content presentation objects.

87. The system of claim 74, wherein the one or more interactive assessment presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes a multiple choice object.

88. The system of claim 74, wherein the one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes a matching object, which comprises at least two categories of interactive objects and allows users to associate items in the at least two categories of interactive objects to each other.

89. The system of claim 74, wherein the one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes a fill-in-the-blanks object, which comprises an image and associated text boxes that allow a user to fill in the text boxes with text associated with a point on the image.

90. The system of claim 74, wherein the one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes an audio assessment object, which comprises an audio file and presents a question to a user.

91. The system of claim 74, wherein the one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes an indication to a user of the user'"'"'s progress through a plurality of other interactive assessment objects.

92. The system of claim 74, wherein the one or more interactive content presentation objects and one or more interactive assessment objects includes a re-ordering object, which comprises a series of media objects in an order, and allows the user to re-order the media objects.