METHODS FOR INTERACTIVE AND SYNCHRONOUS DISPLAY SESSION

• US 20100205533A1
• Filed: 02/16/2010
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 7842317 Canada Incorporated, Xenogenic Development Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: 7842317 Canada Incorporated
• Inventors: Nykamp, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,311,894 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/733
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

A system for interactively displaying and distributing information. The information may relate to consumer products, any type of article of commerce, marketing and advertising layouts, floor plans, planograms or any other type of information that is capable of being illustrated graphically. A consumer engages in an Interactive Information Session with an attendant, such a help desk attendant. During the Interactive Information Session, the attendant and consumer see synchronized displays of images or animations of the information, which may be manipulated by either one of them. The attendant and the user can communicate interactively by voice or text during at least part of the Interactive Information Session. In another embodiment, two or more users of a system according to the invention can collaboratively design a product, marketing or advertising layouts, planograms, floor plans or other graphical information in an Interactive Design Session. During the session one of the users controls the design at any time. Different users may have control at different times. The users can engage in interactive voice or text communications during at least part of the Interactive Design Session.

Claims

1. A method for an interactive session between two or more user computers, wherein each of the user computers is operated by a user, the method comprising:

storing at least one data object in a database, wherein the data object is selected from the group consisting of;

an image, an image of a planogram, an image of a floor plan, a consumer product, a moving image, a video, an animation, a photograph, a model, an architectural plan, textual information, an audio file, a color scheme, alternate configurations, and layout options;

transmitting the data object to at least some of the user computers, wherein at least some of the data object is displayed on the user computers by user client software; and

synchronizing the display of at least some of the data object on the user computers, wherein synchronizing comprises;

at one of the user computers, generating one or more Update Messages that describe a modification of the display of at least some of the data object;

transmitting a corresponding one or more Update Messages to the remaining user computers;

and at the remaining user computers, updating the display of at least some of the data object in response to the corresponding one or more Update Messages.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the data object includes initial display instructions for defining how the data object is displayed when initially displayed on to each of the user computers.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the user computers is designated as a controlling computer and the remaining user computers are designated as viewing computers and wherein the modification of at least some of the data object occurs on the controlling computer.

4. The method of claim 3 including permitting a user to designate the user'"'"'s computer as the controlling computer, wherein a computer previously designated as the controlling computer is then designated as a viewing computer.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein synchronizing comprises receiving the one or more Update Messages at a system server and transmitting the corresponding one or more Update Messages from the system server to the remaining user computers.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein at least some of the Update Messages are Camera Position Update messages that describe a current camera position of the at least one data object on the controlling computer and wherein the viewing computer is configured to change a display of the at least one data object on the viewing computer to correspond to the current camera position of the at least one data object on the controlling computer.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein the data object includes pre-recorded information and wherein at least some of the Update Messages are Play Pre-Recorded Information messages.

8. The method of claim 3 wherein the data object includes information relating to alternative configurations and wherein at least some of the Update Messages are Change Design messages.

9. The method of claim 3 wherein the data object comprises an animation and wherein synchronizing comprises synchronizing the display of the animation on the user computers.

10. The method of claim 3 further comprising receiving a Store Current View message from a user computer, in response to the Store Current View message, recording view data related to the current display of the data object.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising transmitting a New View message to each of the user computers other than the user computer from which the Store Current View message was received, wherein the New View message includes the view data and an identifier for the view data.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising receiving a Display Stored View message from the controlling computer, wherein the Display Stored View message includes the identifier for the view data, and transmitting to the viewing computer a corresponding Display Stored View message.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing an interactive communication link between the user computers to allow the users to communicate interactively, wherein the interactive communication link is an audio communication link.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing an interactive communication link between the user computers to allow the users to communicate interactively, wherein the interactive communication link is a text communication link.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the database is stored in a system server and wherein the data object is transmitted from the system server to the user computers.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the data object is transmitted to the user computers in response to an Initiate Interactive Information Session message from the consumer computer.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the data object comprises product data relating to a product and an image of the product.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the data object comprises at least one image selected from the group consisting of:

planograms, floor plans, photographs, drawings, architectural plans and models.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving additional data from one of the user computers;

storing the additional data in the database; and

transmitting the additional data to the remaining user computers, wherein the additional data is displayed on each of the remaining user computers.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting a link to join the interactive session to a user computer, wherein the link comprises a URL relating to the interactive session.

21. The method of claim 3 wherein the one or more Update Messages describe an annotation of the data object on the controlling computer and wherein the viewing computer is configured to display an annotation of the data object to correspond to the annotation of the data object.

22. The method of claim 6 wherein the Camera Position Update messages define the current camera position using polar coordinates and an orbit distance, wherein the polar coordinates are relative to a horizontal reference plane and a vertical reference plane defined with respect to the data object.

23. The method of claim 6 wherein the Camera Position Update messages define the current camera position using Cartesian coordinates relative to a reference position defined with respect to the at least data object.