Tangible social network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10462196-B2
Application number	US-201514680750-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2015
Priority date	Feb 18, 2008
Publication date	Oct 29, 2019
Grant date	Oct 29, 2019

Abstract

A tangible social network system comprises at least two interactive physical objects adapted for communicatively linking with each other, a visualization application for providing a visual representation of a user's tangible social network, and an object communication frame. An interactive physical object comprises a controller for forming a communicatively linked relationship with another interactive physical object and for receiving and responding to commands and data received from a linked object, and an audio or visual response subsystem. An object communication frame comprises a housing adapted to receive interactive physical objects, a communications subsystem for managing communications with installed objects and with interactive physical objects communicatively linked with installed objects, a controller, and a power subsystem for powering installed objects. The frame or objects may interact with a visualization application, comprising subsystems for receiving information about the user's tangible social network and deriving a representation of it, and a graphical user interface for providing the visual representation to the user.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An interactive physical object communication frame, comprising:
a housing, the housing being adapted to receive physical installation of, and to display, multiple ones of a plurality of interactive physical objects in such a manner that the physically installed interactive physical objects are physically connected to the frame and are located inside the perimeter of the housing when installed, the physical connection being such that the interactive physical objects are repeatably removable, rearrangeable as to their position with respect to installed ones of the plurality of interactive physical objects, and then reinstallable within the frame according to the desire of a user;
a communications subsystem, the communications subsystem being adapted for receiving and managing communications with the installed interactive physical objects, and for receiving and managing communications between each installed interactive physical object and an associated remote interactive physical object that is installed in a second physical object communication frame and is communicatively-linked to, and paired with, the installed interactive physical object in such a manner that an exclusive paired dedicated communication channel is formed between the installed interactive physical object and the associated remote interactive physical object; and
a controller, the controller being located within the housing and being adapted for:
receiving and processing commands and data received from the communications subsystem; and
generating at least one response command or data in response to the received commands and data.

2. The object communication frame of claim 1 , further comprising an interactive physical object power subsystem adapted for providing power to installed interactive physical objects.

3. The object communication frame of claim 1 , the controller being further adapted for:
receiving and processing commands and data received from at least one tangible social network visualization application; and
generating at least one response command in response to the received visualization application commands and data.

4. The object communication frame of claim 1 , further comprising at least one user interface capable of accepting direct user input.

5. The object communication frame of claim 4 , further comprising at least one user control feedback device capable of providing confirmation to a user that user input has been received.

6. The object communication frame of claim 1 , further comprising at least one response subsystem, the response subsystem being adapted for displaying at least one visual or audio response to a response command received from the controller.

7. The object communication frame of claim 6 , the response subsystem comprising at least one of a video display, a light emitting diode, or an audio device.

8. The object communication frame of claim 1 , wherein the communications subsystem communicates with the communicatively linked interactive physical objects via a computing or internet-based device.

9. The object communication frame of claim 1 , the communications subsystem being further adapted to send and receive commands and data to and from a tangible social network management application.

10. The object communication frame of claim 1 , wherein the object communication frame is physically extensible by connection to at least one other object communication frame.

11. The object communication frame of claim 1 , wherein each interactive physical object comprises:
an interactive physical object housing;
an interactive physical object controller, the interactive physical object controller being located within the interactive physical object housing and adapted for:
forming a communicatively linked relationship with at least a second interactive physical object;
receiving and processing commands and data received from the linked interactive physical object; and
generating at least one response command in response to the received commands and data; and

at least one interactive physical object response subsystem, the interactive physical object response subsystem adapted for displaying at least one visual or audio response to a response command received from the interactive physical object controller.

12. The object communication frame of claim 11 , wherein the communicatively linked relationship formed by the interactive physical object with the at least one other interactive physical object is a communicatively linked exclusively-paired relationship, such that the interactive physical object and the linked exclusively-paired interactive physical objects form a dedicated communications channel.

13. The object communication frame of claim 11 , the interactive physical object further comprising at least one interactive physical object user interface capable of accepting direct user input.

14. The object communication frame of claim 13 , the interactive physical object further comprising at least one interactive physical object user control feedback device capable of providing confirmation to a user that user input has been received.

15. The object communication frame of claim 11 , the interactive physical object controller being further adapted for:
receiving and processing commands and data received from at least one tangible social network visualization application; and
generating at least one response command in response to the received visualization application commands and data.

16. The object communication frame of claim 11 , the interactive physical object further comprising an on-board power source.

17. The object communication frame of claim 11 , wherein the interactive physical object is customizable by a user.

18. The object communication frame of claim 13 , the interactive physical object user interface comprising at least one of a button or an adjustable knob.

19. The object communication frame of claim 11 , the interactive physical object response subsystem comprising at least one of a video display, a light emitting diode, or an audio device.

20. The object communication frame of claim 11 , wherein the interactive physical object is physically connectible directly to at least one other interactive physical object.

Assignees

• Kalanithi Jeevan James
• Bove Jr V Michael
• Massachusetts Inst Technology

Inventors

• Kalanithi Jeevan James
• Bove Jr V Michael

Classifications

• G06F3/0219

  Special purpose keyboards · CPC title

• H04L65/403 Primary

  Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences (data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15) · CPC title

• G06F3/0338

  with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks · CPC title

• H04L67/306

  User profiles · CPC title

• G06F3/002 Primary

  Specific input/output arrangements not covered by G06F3/01 - G06F3/16 (other optical apparatus G02B27/00) · CPC title