Binding interactive multichannel digital document system

Abstract

A digital document comprising a multi-channel interface is provided that achieves improved user interaction. The digital document includes a plurality of content channels providing primary content continuously in a looping manner and at least one supplementary channel on a single page. The supplementary channel is configured to provide supplementary content upon the occurrence of an event during playback of the document. Channel content may include video, text, images, web page content and audio. The media content can be managed in a spatial and temporal manner. In addition to media content, a channel may contain interactive regions in the form of hot spots and interactive mapping regions. An authoring tool is also provided for generating a multi-channel interactive digital document.

1 - 47 . (canceled)  
   
   
       48 . A method for authoring a digital document comprising: 
 configuring a multi-channel layout for the document;    receiving channel content; and    configuring document settings.    
   
   
       49 . The method of  claim 48  wherein configuring a multi-channel layout includes: 
 receiving input from a user selecting one of a plurality of pre-configured multi-channel layouts.    
   
   
       50 . The method of  claim 48  wherein receiving channel content includes: 
 configuring the document to receive channel content from a specified location over a network.    
   
   
       51 . The method of  claim 48  wherein receiving channel content includes: 
 configuring the document to receive channel content from a specified URL location.    
   
   
       52 . The method of  claim 48  wherein receiving channel content includes: 
 receiving channel content for a first channel    determining the type of the channel content; and    configuring the first channel to present the type of content.    
   
   
       53 . The method of  claim 52  wherein the type of content is one of text, audio, video, web page and image.  
   
   
       54 . The method of  claim 48  wherein configuring document settings includes: 
 configuring a background audio channel, the background audio channel providing background audio throughout playback of the document    
   
   
       55 . The method of  claim 54  wherein providing background audio throughout playback includes: 
 providing background audio throughout playback of the document independent of user interaction with the document.    
   
   
       56 . The method of  claim 54  wherein providing background audio throughout playback includes: 
 determining if an event occurs that triggers audio to be presented in a content channel or supplementary channel; and    adjusting an amplitude level of the background audio if audio is to be presented in a content channel or supplementary channel.    
   
   
       57 . The method of  claim 48  wherein configuring a document setting includes: 
 configuring a timer, the timer configured to: 
 begin counting a period of time upon the occurrence of a first event;  
 trigger the occurrence of a second event upon the expiration of the period of time.  
   
   
   
       58 . The method of  claim 57  wherein the first event is configured to be an event initiated by a user.  
   
   
       59 . The method of  claim 57  wherein the first event is configured to be an automatically occurring event.  
   
   
       60 . The method of  claim 48  wherein configuring a document setting includes: 
 configuring a plurality of scenes, wherein a first scene is associated with a first primary content to display in the multichannel layout, a second scene is associated with a second primary content to display in the multichannel layout, the first primary content and the second primary content not displayed simultaneously.    
   
   
       61 . The method of  claim 48  further including: 
 configuring a channel setting for a channel of the document.    
   
   
       62 . The method of  claim 61  wherein configuring a channel setting includes configuring narration data for a channel, the narration data including narration content associated with a user selected time during channel content playback.  
   
   
       63 . The method of  claim 61  wherein configuring a channel setting includes configuring narration data for a channel, the narration data including narration content associated with a user selected event that occurs during channel content playback.  
   
   
       64 . The method of  claim 62  wherein narration data is received directly into the document.  
   
   
       65 . The method of  claim 61  wherein configuring a channel setting includes configuring looping data for a channel, the looping data including a start loop time, end loop time, and a target time.  
   
   
       66 . The method of  claim 61  wherein configuring a channel setting includes configuring one of the plurality of channels to be a map channel.  
   
   
       67 . The method of  claim 61  wherein configuring a channel setting includes configuring a channel not configured as a map channel to contain mapping data, the mapping data including a location data and a time data, the mapping data used to configure a mapping object associated with the map channel.  
   
   
       68 . The method of  claim 67  wherein the mapping object is configured to trigger an action upon being selected by a user.  
   
   
       69 . The method of  claim 61  wherein configuring a channel setting includes configuring a hot spot, the hot spot associated with hot spot data, the hot spot data including dimensional data representing a region within the channel and a corresponding action, the action triggered during document playback upon user selection of the region within the channel.  
   
   
       70 . The method of  claim 61  wherein configuring a channel setting includes enabling a channel to accept user annotation content during document playback.  
   
   
       71 . The method of  claim 61  wherein configuring a channel setting includes: 
 configuring channel content to be pre-loaded into memory before document playback.    
   
   
       72 . The method of  claim 61  wherein configuring a channel setting includes: 
 configuring channel content to be loaded from a data stream as requested by the document during document playback.    
   
   
       73 . A method for storing data for a digital document having multiple channels, the method comprising: 
 saving a file configured with the data for the digital document, the data including: 
 multi-channel layout data;  
 channel content data;  
 document settings data; and  
 channel settings data  
   
   
   
       74 . The method of  claim 73  wherein saving the file includes: 
 saving the file in read-only format, the read-only format preventing the user from changing, adding, or removing data in the digital document.    
   
   
       75 . The method of  claim 73  wherein saving the file includes: 
 saving the file in an annotation format, the annotation format allowing a user to add data to the digital document but preventing the user from overwriting or erasing existing data in the digital document.    
   
   
       76 . The method of  claim 73  wherein saving the file includes: 
 saving the file in a read/write format, the read/write format allowing a user to add or delete data in the digital document.    
   
   
       77 . The method of  claim 48 , further including: 
 configuring channel settings for multiple channels at a time.    
   
   
       78 . The method of  claim 61 , wherein configuring a channel setting includes at least one of configuring a supplementary channel and configuring a primary channel.  
   
   
       79 . The method of  claim 61 , wherein configuring a channel setting includes configuring hot spot data.  
   
   
       80 . The method of  claim 79 , wherein configuring hot spot data includes configuring settings for visually highlighting a hot spot within the channel.  
   
   
       81 . The method of  claim 79 , wherein configuring hot spot data includes configuring a shape of the hot spot within the channel.  
   
   
       82 . The method of  claim 48 , further comprising: 
 initiating a channel configuration mode for a channel of the document.    
   
   
       83 . The method of  claim 82 , wherein initiating a channel configuration mode includes providing an editing tool, the editing tool configured to allow an author to configure the channel.  
   
   
       84 . The method of claims  62 , wherein the digital document includes a content channel and a supplementary channel, wherein the narration content is configured to be displayed in the supplementary channel, the supplementary channel associated with the content channel being configured.  
   
   
       85 . The method of  claim 67 , wherein the mapping data includes two-dimensional location data.  
   
   
       86 . The method of  claim 85 , wherein configuring the location data includes entering a coordinate into an interface of the channel.  
   
   
       87 . The method of  claim 85 , wherein configuring the location data includes selecting a location within the map channel using an input device.  
   
   
       88 . The method of  claim 87 , further comprising: 
 providing coordinates of the selected location in a channel interface upon selecting the location in the map channel.    
   
   
       89 . The method of  claim 67 , wherein configuring a channel not configured as a map channel to contain mapping data includes configuring the time data by entering a time into an interface of the channel.  
   
   
       90 . The method of  claim 67 , wherein the time data includes a start time and an end time.  
   
   
       91 . The method of  claim 67 , wherein configuring a channel not configured as a map channel to contain mapping data includes: 
 providing input to initiate playback of content of the channel; and    providing input to pause playback of content of the channel, wherein the mapping object is configured to appear in the map channel during content playback between a time indicated by the initiated playback and the paused playback, wherein the time indicated by the initiated playback and the paused playback is automatically provided in an interface within the channel.    
   
   
       92 . The method of  claim 61 , wherein configuring a channel setting includes configuring a channel not configured as a map channel to contain mapping data, the mapping data including a plurality of location data and a plurality of time data, the mapping data used to configure a plurality of mapping objects associated with the map channel.  
   
   
       93 . The method of  claim 69 , wherein the corresponding action is configured to be an event scripted in a customized manner by an author of the document.  
   
   
       94 . The method of  claim 69 , wherein configuring the hot spot includes receiving the dimensional data.  
   
   
       95 . The method of  claim 94 , wherein receiving the dimensional data includes receiving a first two-dimensional point data and a second two-dimensional point data.  
   
   
       96 . The method of  claim 94 , wherein receiving the dimensional data includes receiving a first two-dimensional point data and a radius data.  
   
   
       97 . The method of  claim 69 , wherein the dimensional data includes location data corresponding to a selection of at least one location within the map channel by a user.  
   
   
       98 . The method of  claim 97 , further comprising: 
 automatically providing the selected location location data in an interface associated with the channel.    
   
   
       99 . The method of  claim 61 , wherein configuring a channel setting includes configuring a moving hot spot, the moving hot spot associated with hot spot data, the hot spot data including hot spot area data, time data, and a corresponding action, the corresponding action triggered during document playback upon user selection of the moving hot spot within the channel.  
   
   
       100 . The method of  claim 99 , wherein the time data includes a beginning hot spot time and an ending hot spot time, the hot spot area data includes a beginning hot spot location and an ending hot spot location, the moving hot spot configured to move from the beginning hot spot location to the ending hot spot location between the beginning hot spot time and the ending hot spot time.  
   
   
       101 . The method of  claim 99 , wherein the beginning hot spot location includes a first two dimensional point and the ending hot spot location includes and a second two dimensional point.  
   
   
       102 . The method of  claim 99 , wherein the time data includes a beginning hot spot time and an ending hot spot time, the beginning hot spot time configured by receiving data corresponding to a selection of a first time during document playback, the ending hot spot time configured by receiving data corresponding to a selection of a second time during document playback.  
   
   
       103 . The method of  claim 61 , wherein configuring a channel setting includes: 
 receiving input to begin hot spot configuration;    receiving continuous input along a path within the channel;    recording data corresponding to the path; and    receiving input to end hot spot configuration.    
   
   
       104 . The method of  claim 103 , wherein recording data includes: 
 recording location information at determined intervals during playback of the document.    
   
   
       105 . The method of  claim 104 , wherein recording data includes: 
 recording time data associated with the location information.    
   
   
       106 . The method of  claim 104 , wherein the intervals are configured as a function of a distance between the location information.  
   
   
       107 . A method for authoring a digital document having a hot spot, comprising: 
 configuring a multi-channel layout for the document;    receiving channel content;    configuring document settings; and    configuring the hot spot for a channel of the document, the hot spot associated with hot spot data, the hot spot data including dimensional data and a corresponding action, the dimensional data representing a region within the channel, the action triggered during document playback upon user selection of the region within the channel.    
   
   
       108 . A method for authoring a digital document having a moving hot spot, comprising: 
 configuring a multi-channel layout for the document;    receiving channel content;    configuring document settings; and    configuring the moving hot spot, the moving hot spot associated with hot spot data that includes hot spot area data defining a hot spot region within the channel, time data, and a corresponding action, the corresponding action triggered during document playback upon user selection of the hot spot region within the channel.    
   
   
       109 . The method of  claim 48  wherein the method is performed by a user interacting with a graphical user interface.  
   
   
       110 . The method of  claim 48  wherein configuring document settings includes: 
 configuring slides to be displayed in a channel of the digital document upon the occurrence of a user initiated event.    
   
   
       111 . The method of  claim 48  wherein configuring document settings includes: 
 configuring slides to be displayed in a channel of the digital document upon the occurrence of a programmed event.    
   
   
       112 . The method of  claim 60  wherein the plurality of scenes are configured such that the during playback, the digital document proceeds from a first scene to a second scene upon receiving a user input.  
   
   
       113 . The method of  claim 60  wherein the plurality of scenes are configured such that the during playback, the digital document proceeds from a first scene to a second scene automatically upon the occurrence of a programmed event.