Abstract: The system of the present invention provides actual interactive choices to members of an audience in the form of three dimensional (3D) objects in space, and after each member of the audience reaches out at, points at, or looks at the 3D object of choice, the system responds and alters the audio and/or video feedback to each member. Specifically, a 3D video production is presented on a screen and at several points during the presentation a character or person, appearing on the screen, requests each user to respond to a question by physically selecting one of several possible 3D objects, the 3D objects appearing through the 3D effect to be floating directly in front of each user. The 3D answer options could be three 3D characters, for example. Selection of one of these objects is facilitated through a unique user interface unit, embodied in either a helmet, gun, or wand configuration. Each of these alternative user interface units allow the interactive selection to be made by physical gestures.

Abstract: A method of programming an interactive scenario on a multi-track storage media is disclosed. The interactive scenario includes a number of time-synchronized frames on separable data streams which are related in content to one-another. The interactive scenario is played back on an apparatus which selectively retrieves the data streams at a given time. A derision-making goal is defined for the interactive scenario. Once the goal has been defined, a set of rules is developed, preferably using knowledge derived from an expert, which lead to the defined goal. The rules relate hierarchically whereby the conclusions of at least some of the rules are premises for other rules. The rules also logically relate whereby the conclusion of a final rule or rules corresponds to the decision making goal. If the rules require premises to be obtained, queries are generated to interactively ask for the premises. The rules, premises, and queries are mapped into time-synchronized frames on a plurality of data streams.

Abstract: A system for simulcasting a fully interactive program with a normal conventional program in the same standard video signal bandwidth. It allows active participation by subscribers who have interactive components connected to a television or personal computer display, as well as normal viewing of the conventional program by viewers with conventional television sets. Interactive participants are not limited to any particular reception system. Users can participate using an interactive program box connected to a standard television set or with a multimedia personal computer with an interactive board. An important feature is that interactivity is offered as an option, without any degradation or interruption in program content to users who choose not to interact or do not have the interactive components. Interactivity is personalized through the use of alternative audio responses and/or graphic displays.

Abstract: An interactive distance learning system which provides individualized and meaningful interactive responses to each student, as if the student is receiving instruction directly from a private tutor or instructor. An interactive program transmission occurs to a diverse number of facilities and locations. The primary transmission is a live lecture by the person making the presentation on the distance learning system. The live lecture is accompanied by questions to gage comprehension by students. The questions, in interrogatory form, are graphically displayed on the screen either as video or overlaying the video showing the lecturer. In addition to the interrogatory question, a set of responses, one correct, the rest incorrect, are also presented for the student choice. A complimentary suite of affirmative supportive commentary is prepared and prerecorded for the plurality of correct and incorrect responses which might be given to a question. Each response teaches, confirms and encourages the learning experience.

Abstract: An apparatus for depositing fluids on a thin-layer chromatography plate is disclosed. The apparatus includes a housing for multiple syringes containing chromatography samples. The apparatus also includes an actuator for independently engaging the syringes to release those samples onto the thin-layer chromatography plate. The apparatus further includes a moveable platform for supporting the thin-layer chromatography plate in proximity to the syringes.

Abstract: The present invention is a real-time interactive conversational apparatus which operates by playing to a child a prerecorded conversation stored on a multi-track media such as magnetic tape. The system conversations are programmed according to a decision-tree logic which allows complex conversations to be developed, branching between the various tracks of the media being accomplished without the aid of a microprocessor or any coding in the conversation source signal. The information is stored on each track in a plurality of reproducible information segments, which contain interrogatory messages and associated multiple choice responses, responsive messages, informational messages, and combinations thereof. The responsive messages contained on the tracks are related in real-time and content to particular interrogatory messages, and correspond with multiple choice selectable responses.

Abstract: The present invention is a real-time interactive conversational toy which operates by playing to a child a prerecorded conversation stored on a multi-track media such as magnetic tape. The system conversations are programmed according to a decision-tree logic which allows complex conversations to be developed, branching between the various tracks of the media being accomplished without the aid of a microprocessor or any coding in the conversation source signal. The information is stored on each track in a plurality of reproducible information segments, which contain interrogatory messages and associated multiple choice responses, responsive messages, informational messages, and combinations thereof. The responsive messages contained on the tracks are related in real-time and content to particular interrogatory messages, and correspond with multiple choice selectable responses.

Abstract: A closed circuit interactive television system (10) provides a multichannel television signal from a localized head end (12) which is used for individualized interactive selections by a plurality of users (22, 24, 26). Each user station contains a conventional televison receiver (32a, 32b, 32c) and a smart box or interface and selection device (30a, 30b, 30c). The smart box or interface and selection device (30) is disposed between the television receiver (32) and the RF distribution amplifier (36). The number of user stations (22, 24, 26) on the system (10) is virtually unlimited.

Abstract: A method for providing a full motion synched compatible audio/visual interactive television display from a plurality of syllable synched compatible audio choices for a common full motion video frame presentation. Two or more audio channels are synched to a common video channel by first recording the most likely branch and then rerecording the audio portions for the alternate branches by syllable synching the alternate branch choices to the original video presentation so as to make the video compatible with all audio channels. Animated characters, such as puppets, cartoon animations or humans, are used in the video with the audio being synched to the mouth movements of such an animated character so that all branches appear to be visually the same. The same techniques can be used to convert appropriate preexisting non-interactive programming into interactive programming.

Abstract: An interactive television system (10, 10a) for providing full motion synched compatible audio visual displays based on dynamic user selection (26) of a plurality of syllable synched compatible audio choices for a common full motion video frame presentation provided over a common television channel. Two or more audio channels are synched to a common video channel, with the video being compatible will all audio channels. The interactive programming is stored on video cassette (12, 12a) or other storage media and the audio channels are either multiplexed into the video line or the existing audio channels and are provided to a control module (14, 14a) which demultiplexes the signal (16, 16a) and ultimately combines the user selected audio signal with the video in an RF modulator (20) under computer control (18, 22, 24, 26) to provide the interactive display.

Abstract: An interactive television system (10, 10a) for providing full motion synched compatible audio visual displays based on dynamic user selection (26) of a plurality of syllable synched compatible audio choices for a common full motion video frame presentation received over a common television channel. Two or more audio channels are synched to a common video channel, with the video being compatible will all audio channels. The interactive programming is transmitted via broadcast or cable TV and received (28) by VCR used as a tuner (12, 12a) or by a simplified TV head-end tuner (30), with the transmitted television signal having the audio channels either multiplexed into the video line or the existing audio channels. The received television signal is provided to a control module (14, 14a) which demultiplexes the signal (16, 16a) and ultimately combines the user selected audio signal with the video in an RF modulator (20) under computer control (18, 22, 24, 26) to provide the interactive display.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an interactive communication system, such as an interactive cable television system (10), for providing an interactive information output over a common output channel from a plurality of remotely transmitted different information inputs (22, 24, 26, 28, 30) and, more particularly, relates to an improved method for interactively creating a selection profile for a subscriber and interactively selecting in real time one of a plurality of messages, such as television commercials or game scores, based upon the selection profile whereby multiple users of a one-way television signal distribution network (60) may obtain an individualized or tailored program information content for a television programming sequence. The selection profile may be created in advance of transmission of the television program or commercial or during transmission of a given program and may be varied from the head end.

Abstract: A verbally interactive broadcast type of telephone interrogation system (100) capable of simultaneously handling multiple callers over a two-way telephone subscriber network (102, 104, 106) to provide individualized interactive responses. A plurality of telephone boards (108, 110, 112) are connected in parallel to prerecorded data and deck address logic (114) to enable parallel processing of interactive telephone communications with the multiple callers, with one telephone board (108, 110, 112) being provided per incoming telephone line (102, 104, 106) to provide an unlimited number of potential interactive users for the system (100). The prerecorded data is stored by channel and level, with each level (150, 152, 154, 156, 158, 160) comprising, by way of example, four channels per multitrack tape deck (162, 164, 166, 168) with four decks (162, 164, 166, 168) being provided per level for a total of sixteen channels per level or ninety-six channels per telephone board (108, 110, 112).

Abstract: A movie changeover system (20,200,2004,400) capable of providing a real time decision tree movie presentation having a variable movie display content dependent on the viewing audience response to branching choices which occur during the course of the movie. A pair of movie projection devices (22, 24), each having an associated portion of a substantially continuous overall motion picture presentation therefrom, has stored thereon a projectable portion of the overall motion picture presentation content. A changeover shutter mechanism (26) is operatively associated with the pair of projectors (22, 24) for selectively projecting a movie display choice of one of the projectable portions from one of the pair of projectors (22, 24) in a real time continuous movie display presentation with the previous movie display portion in response to a changeover signal.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an interactive communication system, such as an interactive cable television system (10), for providing an interactive information output over a common output channel from a plurality of remotely transmitted different information inputs (22, 24, 26, 28, 30) and, more particularly, relates to a method for expanding the interactive displayable choices for a given channel capacity whereby multiple users of a one-way television signal distribution network (60) may obtain an individualized program information content for a television programming sequence, with the quantity of available interactively selectable program information contents for the television programming sequence being greater than the quantity of available channels (300, 302, 304, 306) of contemporaneous message transmission.

Abstract: Interactive programming may be provided by the system (26) of the present invention which can enable both manual and automatic selection of various interactive responses from simultaneously transmitted programming on different channels. In a cable television system (20), the channels used to transmit the interactive programming are the midband channels with the selected response being treated by the system converter (26) to convert the individually selected response to a common assigned television channel frequency for ultimate reception and display on the subscriber's television (24, 22). Automatic selection may then be accomplished by the provision of a selection signal from the logic network (48) to a local oscillator (52) which, in turn, generates a beat frequency to be mixed in a mixer (54) with the various midband channel frequencies to convert the selected midband channel frequency to the assigned television channel frequency.

Abstract: An improved verbally interactive telephone interrogation system is provided in which a two-way telephone subscriber network, such as a Touch-Tone type two-way telephone subscriber network, is utilized to enable both telephone call placement and individualized remote variable audio message selection and interrogation of prerecorded audio messages as well as remote response accumulation. The Touch-Tone type telephone, which is employed to maintain normal telephone contact with other subscribers, is also utilized to call-up a multitrack magnetic storage device which provides selectible reproducible conversational responsive audio messages to particular primary reproducible interrogatory message from a plurality of different selectible audio messages stored thereon.

Abstract: An interactive cable television system, such as a one way system, simultaneously provides both regular television programmings for one or more television reception channels and subscriber selectable multi-information television programming for a designated common one of those channels to a plurality of subscribers. Each individual subscriber having a multi-information interface network connected to the multichannel television receiver input may independently choose between reception of the regular television programming on any of the channels, including the designated common channel, and reception of the multi-information television programming which comprises a plurality of multi-information packets. Each packet comprises a plurality of simultaneously transmitted different information message signals which are related in real time and content to each other but which are transmitted at a different frequency from each other and from the associated frequencies of the television reception channels.

Abstract: An interactive cable television system, such as a one-way system, in which a plurality of subscribers are simultaneously provided with multi-information television programming and regular television programming independently selectably directly receivable by the individual subscribers on the television reception channels of a conventional multichannel television receiver. The multi-information television programming comprises a plurality of different program information message signals related in time and content to each other and each transmitted at a different associated communication frequency which corresponds to a different television reception channel associated frequency, with regular television programming being simultaneously provided at one or more further different television reception channel frequency.

Abstract: A closed circuit interactive television system (10) provides a multichannel television signal from a localized head end (12 which is used for individualized interactive selections by a plurality of users (22, 24, 26). Each user station contains a conventional televison receiver (32a, 32b, 32c) and a smart box or interface and selection device (30a, 30b, 30c). The smart box interface and selection device (30) is disposed between the television receiver (32) and the RF distribution amplifier (36). The number of user stations (22, 24, 26) on the system (10) is virtually unlimited.