WO2016100480A1 - Whophoto message system - Google Patents

Abstract

A system and method of combined social interaction and knowledge based learning is disclosed. The system may be a software application where a sender transits content, such as a message, a photo, a video, or other formats, to a receiver. To view the contents, the receiver may have to select one of a plurality of icons. Selecting certain icons may initiate a "Knowledge Burst", where content, such as educational content, is delivered to the receiver. Only when the receiver selects the proper icon does the receiver have the opportunity to display the contents that were transmitted by the sender.

Description

WHOPhoto Message System

This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Serial No. 62/092,670, filed December 16, 2014, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety .

Field

This disclosure relates to a software application, and more particularly, to a software application that delivers messages to a user.

Background

Mobile devices are ubiquitous in today's society. The availability and use of smart phones and tablets have exploded in the past several years, with younger members of society at the forefront of this trend. Younger people use these devices for communicating with their friends via text, sharing information via social media sites, playing music and videos, playing games, and various other entertainment purposes.

Simultaneously, parent worry that their children spend insufficient time on schooling and on other academic pursuits .

Therefore, it would be beneficial if there were a system and method to leverage young people's passion for social interaction to facilitate education tasks and other activities . Summary

A system and method of combined social interaction and knowledge based learning is disclosed. The system may be a software application where a sender transits content, such as a message, a photo, a video, or other formats, to a receiver. To view the contents, the receiver may have to select one of a plurality of icons. Selecting certain icons may initiate a "Knowledge Burst", where content, such as educational content, is delivered to the receiver. Only when the receiver selects the proper icon does the receiver have the opportunity to display the contents that were transmitted by the sender.

Brief Description of the Drawings

For a better understanding of the present disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein by reference and in which:

FIG. 1 shows a flowchart of the software application according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 shows a screen shot of the sender's device;

FIG. 3 shows a first screen shot of the receiver's device ;

FIG. 4 shows a listing of messages received using the software application;

FIG. 5 shows a first screen shot using the software application;

FIG. 6 shows a first possible subsequent screen shot; FIG. 7 shows a second subsequent screen shot; and

FIG 8. shows a third possible screen shot. Detailed Description

The embodiments are described herein in connection with a mobile device, such as a smart phone. However, the disclosure is not limited to mobile devices and may be executed using any computing device. The present disclosure describes a software system which has a device specific software component working in conjunction with the rest of the system, which when installed into the storage element of the mobile device and executed by the processing unit of the mobile device, performs the actions described herein. This device specific software component may be written in any suitable programming language and may be downloaded to the mobile device using any means, such as USB, Ethernet, or WIFI. The device specific software component can then be installed and configured, as described in greater detail below. The device specific software component can have numerous variations and configuration options, as described herein .

The WHOPhoto Message System is designed to allow for messages to be sent to a user where, upon receipt of the message, the user is notified of a message arrival. However, the message is temporarily concealed, or held incognito, until the user has completed some criteria. This criteria may include a task or a game. Upon completion of the criteria, the receiver learns who the message was sent from as well as its contents. This criteria can in fact create some time delay that helps support a delay in rendering the actual message making more of a surprise to the receiver.

The present disclosure describes a software system which has a device specific software component working in conjunction with the rest of the system, which when installed into the storage element of the mobile device and executed by the processing unit of the mobile device, performs the actions described herein. This device specific software component may be written in any suitable programming language and may be downloaded to the mobile device using any means, such as USB, Ethernet, or WIFI. The device specific software component can then be installed and configured, as described in greater detail below. The device specific software component can have numerous variations and configuration options, as described herein. In all embodiments, the device specific software component is used to display the screen shots described herein and its associated tasks and receive any inputs given by the user in response to those screen shots. In certain embodiments, the storage element of the mobile device may be used as a database to store a plurality of Knowledge Bursts, as described in more detail below.

The WHOPhoto Message System consists of:

• A WHOPhoto App which includes:

o A message sent by a user to a receiver which could include text, a Photo, video, audio or other formatted content in any combination;

o One or more methods of transmitting and receiving the message; and

o A User-Interface subsystem that is used to send/receive messages in a social gaming or other format ;

• A storage subsystem/method to temporarily store the message ;

• A Verification subsystem that verifies receiver, sender and other items about the message; • A Notification subsystem to notify the receiver of an arrival of an existing message;

• A Rendering/Display subsystem to render/display the message ;

• A Knowledge Burst Management subsystem that interfaces and delivers short Knowledge Burst material that is used in the social gaming and other formats;

• A Registration subsystem to register users of the system;

• A Point Management subsystem to manage delivery and monitoring of sender/receiver points; and

• An Award Management subsystem to setup and manage awards .

WHOPhoto Software Application Overview

The WHOPhoto Message System includes a WHOPhoto software application, which can be in the form of a mobile or non- mobile software application. It is a messaging system, whereby a user receives a message notification, indicating that a message has arrived but it is not made available to the receiver until they have completed some criteria. In essence, the message notification is a teaser that a message has arrived. The message is typically stored incognito to the receiver and eventually delivered at the discretion of an administrator and/or completion of some criteria .

As such, the WHOPhoto message system involves a sender, which is the user that sends the message, and a receiver, which is the user that receives the message. Note also that the sender' s and/or receiver' s device can be a mobile device or a non-mobile device, including such items as game boxes, TV's, etc. In one embodiment, both the sending device and the receiving device have the WHOPhoto Application installed. However, there maybe cases where the WHOPhoto Application is hosted remotely and still is able to manage the intended features and display.

Note also that the content of the WHOPhoto message may originate from the sender, such as a photo they may have taken. However, in other embodiments, the sender may obtain the content from other means, such as, for example, in a custom or an organized game. In certain embodiments, the content, such as a photo, could be taken from the sender's photo library. In other embodiments, the photo may be taken from within the WHOPhoto Application via the sending device's camera feature. The content could also be extracted from other device applications, such as but not limited to, WEB-based applications. These options are also available for content in other formats other than photos.

The WHOPhoto Message application provides for the creation, formatting, addressing and delivery of the message to intended receiver (s) . Furthermore, a WHOPhoto Message could be send from the sender to more than one person and/or device and could require a reply from the receiver. For example, the sender may request a reply to a question, such as "Where AM I?".

The actual message or transaction that is sent can comprise one or more of the following: an attached or embedded photo, a video, a text, an audio, and/or other formatted material. Over time, other content is expected to be transmitted as well. This content may include transactions of different types including commands, etc. The WHOPhoto messages themselves can be grouped into different types. Some of these messages may have different priorities or different purposes including influencing delivery time, change the rendering of the message on the receivers' device, generate special device commands that affect the rendering, sequencing or games/tasks on the receiver's device itself. The messages could also, in some way, affect the receiver's device in some manner such as altering the sounds, display, etc.

The sender' s message may be formatted in such a way that the receiver's and sender's unique identifier/address are clear, while other fields in the sender' s message could be used to specify unique information/command and/or parameters that could be used by the WHOPhoto Message System in order to alter in some way the rendering/priority/timing/content or games associated with the message. This may be of particular interest if there are multiple knowledge banks of material or multiple games supported by the system.

The content of the WHOPhoto message can be sent using conventional means, such as but not limited to messaging, eMail, Twitter, another conventional application or a custom application, similar to WHOPhoto. The means of sending the WHOPhoto message may include some central or distributed means of sending the message. The messages may be designed to be private to the receiver. However, in some embodiments, the messages may be semi-private or public, such as in certain gaming situations. Storage Subsystem Overview

The sent message can be temporarily stored in a storage subsystem. The storage subsystem may be a volatile or nonvolatile memory and may be disposed in the receiver' s device, a central store or a distributed storage system. In some embodiments, once a message is displayed or shared, it may be removed from the storage subsystem. In other embodiments, the message may be saved until explicitly deleted by the receiver.

Thus, in certain embodiments, the WHOPhoto message is delivered to the receiver' s device and is stored in the internal memory of the receiver's device. In another embodiment, a notification of the WHOPhoto message is sent to the receiver's device. However, the actual WHOPhoto message may be stored in a central or distributed storage device .

In some embodiments, there can be multiple WHOPhoto Messages that arrive and begin to queue up in a receiver' s device. In certain embodiments, these WHOPhoto Messages are rendered or displayed in the order that they were received. In other embodiments, the receiver may be able to select a particular WHOPhoto message to display, regardless of the order in which it was received. Verification Subsystem Overview

As stated above, a sender may send a WHOPhoto message to a receiver. The initial message notification of arrival or existence at the receiver maybe postponed until some conditions are met.

For example, in some embodiments, it may be desirable to ensure that the sender is authentic and is someone that the receiver knows. For example, the verification subsystem may verify that the sender is registered in the receiver's database .

Note that the WHOPhoto Message System may be integrated with the receiver's other applications, and have the permission to look up the sender' s information in the receiver' s address book and use this information in the rendering/display of the message. The WHOPhoto Message System may also allow the receiver to store or edit/delete information regarding this sender in their address book, including a directive to block messages from this sender in the future .

Another example might be that the WHOPhoto message may be in an inadequate resolution or format for the receiving device and may need to be adjusted by the sender or some intermediate software/tools . In some cases, the WHOPhoto Message System can automatically adjust the content and/or its format to be rendered on the receiver's device. It may also be possible that a receiver' s unique address or identifier must be clarified before proceeding or that the appropriateness and legality of the content must be verified before a message is accepted by the WHOPhoto Message System for forwarding.

In another embodiment, it is also possible that the sender's WHOPhoto message is too large in size or playing time to be rendered on the receiver's device. In some instances, the sender needs to be notified in order to adjust the content. In the case that a receiver's device is not currently available to receive the notification or the message itself, the message notification and/or message itself may be delayed and stored at another temporary location until the receiver's device is available. For example, the receiver's device may not be connected to the internet at a certain time. In this case, the WHOPhoto message and notification may be stored in a central store.

Once the conditions are met to accept the sender' s WHOPhoto Message for eventual display, an alert/notification may be sent to the receiver. However, the viewing/rendering of the message will be postponed until some criteria is met by the receiver, such as completing some work/task/game . Note that the work/task/game is normally done in near real time by the receiver using his/her device. The work/task/game could include, for example, reading a Knowledge Burst on the receiver's device. However, other embodiment, such as offline activities, such as finding and taking a picture of something that fits the description in the message and then forwarding that message to the sender which might be part of a game.

The notification of a message arrival may be rendered visually and/or in an audio or tactile manner (as in vibrating) or a notification may arrive on one device and rendered on the receiver's other device (s) . In certain embodiments, the notification may be similar to that used for SMS text messages.

Rendering/Display Subsystem

In a gaming environment, there may be a number of icons on the receiver' s display, where behind one of the icons, access is given to the actual message. In certain embodiments, behind the other icons, there may be a "Knowledge Burst". A "Knowledge Burst" may be information that is displayed on the receiver's device for a limited amount of time. For example, in one embodiment, a "Knowledge Burst" may be a short video. In another embodiment, the "Knowledge Burst" may be an interactive task, where the receiver must select a correct answer from a plurality of choices. In yet other embodiments, the "Knowledge Burst" may be an audio message. The actual "Knowledge Bursts" can come from a number of Knowledge Banks, each with different number of items and frequency of occurrence. A "Knowledge Burst" may be presented for a fixed period of time, such as 10 seconds. The selection of the particular "Knowledge Burst" can be influenced by various means, including information obtained upon initial user signup/registration, analysis of the message types, analysis of message content patterns or even parameters/commands sent by the sender in the message. In certain embodiments, the "Knowledge Bursts" are intended to be educational, and may be geared to the age of the receiver. In certain embodiments, behind other icons may be a screen directing the user to "Try Again". These icons can take one various forms. In one embodiment, the icons may appear as doors. Further, the number of icons is not limited by this disclosure.

In certain embodiments, there may be different layouts of the actual message, Knowledge Bursts and/or other information .

Receivers of WHOPhoto messages can be other WHOPhoto users, users of a system which provides tasks to complete as well as other temporary incognito delivery of message which eventually get identified. Receivers can also be users who are required to complete some work/task/game, also referred to as "Knowledge Burst" herein, prior to viewing the message. Upon completion of the required work/task/game, the message is rendered/unveiled as well as who sent the message and how to reply to them, if desired. FIG. 1 shows a flowchart of the sequence of steps used to send and receive a WHOPhoto message. In Step 1, the WhoPhoto message is sent by the sender. FIG. 2 shows a sample screen shot that the sender may see when engaging the application. In other embodiments, the screen may appear differently, and the disclosure is not limited to this particular embodiment. In FIG. 2, the sender selects the recipient of the WHOPhoto message, and the type of message (photo, video, text, etc.) . The sender may also be able to select how the WHOPhoto message appears on the receiver's device.

Returning to FIG. 1, in step 2, the receiver receives the WHOPhoto message. The contents of this WHOPhoto and optionally the sending are withheld from the receiver, and are held incognito, as shown in step 3.

The receiver may receive a notification that a WHOPhoto has been received, as shown in step 4. This may be a visual, audio or tactile notification. On the receiver's device, there may be an icon for the WHOPhoto Message application. A number may appear near this icon, indicating the number of unread WHOPhoto messages that the receiver has in their device. In this particular embodiment, the receiver has 8 unread WHOPhoto messages, as shown in FIG. 3

At some point in time, the receiver opens the WHOPhoto application, as shown in step 5. This action may cause the receiver's display to change. In one embodiment, the display may show a list of all unread WHOPhoto messages, as shown in step 6. This embodiment is also shown in FIG. 4. In this example, the receiver has a total of 8 unread WHOPhoto messages. In this embodiment, the receiver is unable to determine the content of the WHOPhoto message, or the sender of that message. In certain embodiments, such as that shown in FIG. 4, the type of message (text, video, photo, etc.) is displayed for the receiver. However, in other embodiments, this is not shown. The receiver may then select one of the WHOPhoto messages, such as by clicking on the particular WHOPhoto message of interest. This action may cause the receiver's display to change.

In one embodiment, the receiver is now presented with a number of icons, such as is shown in FIG. 5, and described in step 7 of FIG. 1. Each icon may be identical to the others, offering no indication of where the WHOPhoto is located. While FIG. 5 shows 4 icons, the disclosure is not limited to this value. Any suitable number of icons may be used.

The receiver now selects one of these icons, such as by pressing on the icon, as shown in step 8. In certain embodiments, the next response may be determined based on which icon was selected. For example, in one embodiment, there are 4 icons, where the WHOPhoto message is hidden behind one icon. Behind at least one of the other icons may be a "Knowledge Burst". Behind the remainder of the icons may be an indication that the receiver should select another icon. In some embodiments, there are 4 icons, where the WHOPhoto message is hidden behind one icon, a "Knowledge Burst" is behind a second icon, and an indication that the receiver should select another icon is behind the remaining two icons. However, other embodiments are also possible. For example, a "Knowledge Burst" may be hidden behind 2 or 3 of the icons. In certain embodiments, the WHOPhoto message application may be set up to create probabilities of each outcome. For example, assume that there are 4 icons, where a "Knowledge Burst" is hidden behind 1 icon, the WHOPhoto is hidden behind a second icon, and an indication to "Try Again" is hidden behind the remaining 2 icons. In this embodiment, there is 1 in 4 chance that the receiver will select the WHOPhoto on the first attempt. There is also a 1:2 chance that the receiver will select the "Knowledge Burst" before selecting the WHOPhoto message. If, in the same configuration, "Knowledge Bursts" are placed behind 2 of the icons, the chance that the receiver will select at least one "Knowledge Burst" increases to 2:3.

FIG. 6 represents a screen shot after the receiver has selected an icon which has neither the WHOPhoto message nor a "Knowledge" Burst (referred to as a "Try Again" icon) . Rather, an indication that the receiver should select another icon is displayed. In certain embodiments, audio feedback may accompany the selection of a "Try Again" icon.

FIG. 7 represents a screen shot after the receiver has selected an icon which is associated with a "Knowledge Burst". In certain embodiments, these "Knowledge Bursts" last a fixed amount of time, such as 10 seconds. These "Knowledge Bursts" may be are stored or associated with their respective topic categories and subcategories in one or more Knowledge Banks. For example, a database, which may be on the receiver's device, or located remotely, may contain content from a plurality of different third party content providers. Non-personalized task content from a plurality of third party task content providers may be stored in several Knowledge Banks, where a Knowledge Bank is a portion of the content contained in the database that is associated with a particular third party task content provider. Additionally, the Knowledge Bank may include additional information, such as information inferred about the user based on responses to previous content. In another embodiment, each Knowledge Bank may be associated with a particular subject or category. For example, a Knowledge Bank is also sometimes referred to as Knowledge Base may include knowledge and task content associated with math or a foreign language or another category. A more detailed explanation of Knowledge Banks and tasks may be found in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14/892,357, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIG. 8 represents a representative screen shot that the receiver may be presented if he selects the icon associated with the WHOPhoto message, as shown in step 9.

In certain embodiments, the chance aspect of the WHOPhoto message is not present. In this embodiment, after the receiver selects a WHOPhoto message (step 6), the WHOPhoto message is automatically displayed to the receiver (see step 10) . This WHOPhoto message may appear as shown in FIG. 8.

Knowledge Burst Subsystem

The WHOPhoto Message System has a content system that is used to provide work/ task/game material for use as a "Knowledge Burst". The WHOPhoto Message System may connect to other content systems and/or allow users to create custom content that meets certain conditions such as teachers creating content for students.

As described above, the Knowledge Burst subsystem may include Knowledge Banks, which include one or more databases, which may contain the content that is intended to be presented to the user. This task content may be visual, audio, interactive, or other data types. The content may be located within a central or distributed database and may be created in a number of ways. In some embodiments, the content may be personalized task content, created by, for example, the parent or content administrator. The term "Personalized Content" signifies that the content is made specifically for the particular user or group of users, rather than being generic content generated for a plurality of users. This term refers to the close relationship between the content and the user. The created content may be photographs, slides, videos or other types of content.

In some embodiments, the content may be non- personalized content, and may be generated by third party content providers. This non-personalized content may be generated in a format that is readily accepted by the Knowledge Burst subsystem. However, in other embodiments, the content may need to be reformatted, such as by the use of a Plug-In, which converts the non-personalized content to a format acceptable to the Knowledge Burst subsystem. Reformatting of content is within ordinary skill in the art and only requires an understanding of the required output format and the various acceptable input formats. These third party content providers may be application developers, schools, or other commercial entities.

Content, which as described above, may be generated for and personalized for a particular user, or for a plurality of users, may be stored in a remote database. This database may be a depository for all content that is accessible to the user. In other embodiments, the database may only contain content that is appropriate for the user.

Once the conditions for rendering/display the message are met, the WHOPhoto message will remain viewable or available until the user decides to continue. The WHOPhoto Message System could allow for replaying or repeating the message or other content rendering for some period of time. In certain embodiments, this would be done by locally storing it in the receiver' s device with access to the WHOPhoto Application. Once the message is rendered/displayed, the receiver can choose to share the message with others via the WHOPhoto Message System or via traditional social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or in any other provided manner. Registration Subsystem

The WHOPhoto Message System supports a user registration subsystem which allows users to register, identify their unique device, address or other information which is used by the WHOPhoto message system to send/receive and render messages. Also, the user registration subsystem may allow for belonging to one or more groups such as "classes" or peer groups.

Point Management Subsystem

The WHOPhoto Message System supports a point management subsystem which provides game points and/or other points based upon some criteria and can support receipt of short Knowledge Burst content that might remain displayed for some period of time. The point can be for both the sender and the receiver and maybe different in number or value depending on what they sent or how they responded upon receipt. The point can be automated awarded based upon some criteria and automatically display. The point management subsystem will also display summary statistics to the users (perhaps overall and/or by group membership) and will keep the users aware on how to use and obtain points. Award Management Subsystem

The WHOPhoto Message System may support an award management subsystem which provides rewards to receivers, and optionally to senders. Special contents and/or awards are managed by this award subsystem.

The present disclosure is not to be limited in scope by the specific embodiments described herein. Indeed, other various embodiments of and modifications to the present disclosure, in addition to those described herein, will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from the foregoing description and accompanying drawings. Thus, such other embodiments and modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, although the present disclosure has been described herein in the context of a particular implementation in a particular environment for a particular purpose, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that its usefulness is not limited thereto and that the present disclosure may be beneficially implemented in any number of environments for any number of purposes. Accordingly, the claims set forth below should be construed in view of the full breadth and spirit of the present disclosure as described herein.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method of combining knowledge learning and social

interaction using a computing device, comprising:

receiving, at the receiver, a notification that new content is available;

displaying, on a display of the computing device, a plurality of icons, wherein selecting a first of the plurality of icons will display the new content, and selecting a second of the plurality of icons will display a Knowledge Burst, where the Knowledge Burst comprises visual or audio content intended to provide a learning opportunity for the receiver;

displaying the content if the first icon is

selected; and

displaying the Knowledge Burst if the second icon is selected.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a third icon of the plurality of icons provides an indication to the receiver to select another icon.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the new content

comprises at least one of a photograph, a text message, a video and an audio file.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a mobile telephone.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the new content is

stored on the computing device and wherein the

contents and identity of a sender of the content is withheld from the receiver.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the Knowledge Burst

originates at a Knowledge Bank.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein selection of a

particular Knowledge Burst is determined based on information obtained upon initial user

signup/registration, analysis of content types,

analysis of message content patterns or

parameters/commands sent by a sender in the content.

8. A device, comprising a processing unit, a display, and a software application, wherein, when the software application is executed by the processing unit, the device:

provides a notification to a user that new

content has been received;

displays, on the display, a plurality of icons, wherein selection of a first of the plurality of icons by the user will display the new content, and selection of a second of the plurality of icons will display a Knowledge Burst, where the Knowledge Burst comprises visual or audio content intended to

provide a learning opportunity for the user;

displays the content on the display if the first icon is selected by the user; and

displays the Knowledge Burst if the second icon is selected by the user.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the device displays a

third icon, wherein selection of the third icon by the user causes the device to provide an indication to the user to select another icon.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the device

comprises a mobile telephone.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein the new content

comprises at least one of a photograph, a text message, a video and an audio file.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein the device comprising a storage element to store a database comprises a plurality of Knowledge Bursts.