J.T. Colby & Company, Inc. et al v. Apple, Inc.

Filing 89

DECLARATION of Partha P. Chattoraj in Support re: 87 MOTION for Partial Summary Judgment.. Document filed by Ipicturebooks LLC, J.Boyston & Company, J.T. Colby & Company, Inc., Publishers LLC. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit 1, # 2 Exhibit 2, # 3 Exhibit 3, # 4 Exhibit 4, # 5 Exhibit 5, # 6 Exhibit 6, # 7 Exhibit 7, # 8 Exhibit 8, # 9 Exhibit 9, # 10 Exhibit 10, # 11 Exhibit 11, # 12 Exhibit 12, # 13 Exhibit 13, # 14 Exhibit 14, # 15 Exhibit 15, # 16 Exhibit 16, # 17 Exhibit 17, # 18 Exhibit 18, # 19 Exhibit 19, # 20 Exhibit 20, # 21 Exhibit 21, # 22 Exhibit 22, # 23 Exhibit 23, # 24 Exhibit 24, # 25 Exhibit 25, # 26 Exhibit 26, # 27 Exhibit 27, # 28 Exhibit 28, # 29 Exhibit 29, # 30 Exhibit 30, # 31 Exhibit 31, # 32 Exhibit 32, # 33 Exhibit 33, # 34 Exhibit 34, # 35 Exhibit 35, # 36 Exhibit 36, # 37 Exhibit 37, # 38 Exhibit 38, # 39 Exhibit 39, # 40 Exhibit 40, # 41 Exhibit 41, # 42 Exhibit 42, # 43 Exhibit 43, # 44 Exhibit 44, # 45 Exhibit 45, # 46 Exhibit 46, # 47 Exhibit 47, # 48 Exhibit 48, # 49 Exhibit 49, # 50 Exhibit 50, # 51 Exhibit 51, # 52 Exhibit 52, # 53 Exhibit 53, # 54 Exhibit 54, # 55 Exhibit 55, # 56 Exhibit 56, # 57 Exhibit 57, # 58 Exhibit 58, # 59 Exhibit 59, # 60 Exhibit 60, # 61 Exhibit 61, # 62 Exhibit 62, # 63 Exhibit 63, # 64 Exhibit 64, # 65 Exhibit 65, # 66 Exhibit 66, # 67 Exhibit 67, # 68 Exhibit 68, # 69 Exhibit 69, # 70 Exhibit 70, # 71 Exhibit 71, # 72 Exhibit 72, # 73 Exhibit 73, # 74 Exhibit 74, # 75 Exhibit 75, # 76 Exhibit 76, # 77 Exhibit 77, # 78 Exhibit 78, # 79 Exhibit 79, # 80 Exhibit 80, # 81 Exhibit 81, # 82 Exhibit 82, # 83 Exhibit 83, # 84 Exhibit 84, # 85 Exhibit 85, # 86 Exhibit 86, # 87 Exhibit 87, # 88 Exhibit 88, # 89 Exhibit 89, # 90 Exhibit 90)(Chattoraj, Partha)

ExHmiT4

IIIII

11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
US00744 7748B2

United States Patent

(10)

Reynolds et al.

(12)

(45)

(54)

INTERACTIVE WEB BOOK SYSTEM

(75)

Inventors: Brian Reynolds, Hopewell (JM);
RichardS Goldhor, Belmont, MA (US)

(73)

Patent No.:
US 7,447,748 B2
Date of Patent:
Nov. 4, 2008

Assignee: Fasm Network Services, LLC,
Wilmington, DE (US)

( *)

Notice:

Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
patent is extended or adjusted under 35
U.S.C. 154(b) by 261 days.

(21)

Filed:

8/1996 Marks et al ....•.......•.•.. 707/501
10/1996 Kilis .•.•.......•••.....•.•.•.. 395n07
511997 Stefik et al ...•.........•.•..... 380/4

(Continued)
FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
FR

2657451

711991

Appl. No.: 10n83,711

(22)

5,546,517 A
5,561,803 A
5,629,980 A

OfHER PUBLICATIONS

Feb.20,2004
Prior Publication Data

(65)

US 2005/0050166Al

Mar. 3,2005

Related U.S. Application Data
(60)

(51)

(52)
(58)

Continuation of application No. 10/145,979, filed on
May 13, 2002, now Pat. No. 6,721,788, and a division
of application No. 09/329,142, filed on Jun. 9, 1999,
now Pat. No. 6,411,993, which is a continuation of
application No. 08/735,727, filed on Oct. 23, 1996,
now Pat. No. 6,052,717.
lnt.Cl.
G06F 13/14
(2006.01)
G06F 15116
(2006.01)
U.S. Cl•........................ 709/218; 709/203; 709/219
Field of Classification Search ................. 709/218,
709/203, 219; 707/10
See application file for complete search history.
References Cited

(56)

U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
4,768,087
5,050,213
5,193,185
5,359,508
5,410,598
5,532,920

"Interactive Books," by G. M. Manzini et al, International Journal of
Modern Physics C, vol. 5, pp. 785-789 (1991).*

A
811988 Taub et al. . ................... 358/84
9/1991 Shear ... ... .. ... ...... ... . ..... 380/25
A
A
3/1993 Lanter ........................ 707/101
A
1011994 Rossides ..................... 364/401
A
4/1995 Shear ........... ... ... ... ..... ... 380/4
A • 711996 Hartrick et al ....•.•....... 715/500

(Continued)
Primary Examiner-Krisna Lim
(7 4) Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Darby & Darby PC

(57)

ABSTRACT

An interactive Web book (''ibook") system is provided that
allows material to be contributed to the World Wide Web. An
ibook is a self-extending, self-sustaining information-redistributing Web robot, which is resident on a data network such
as the Internet or an intranet. Users may enroll with an ibook
as viewers or contributors. Viewers may view ibook material,
such as text or multimedia content. Contributors may contribute original material to the ibook or may create derivations of
existing ibook material. Attribution information that identifies the source of material in a derivation is automatically
generated. Information concerning the derivation of each
work and its characteristics can be used to help the user
navigate through ibook material. The ibook system keeps
track of how often users access each work within an ibook.
Contributors may be automatically rewarded (e.g., by a monetary distribution) based on the extent to which their contributed material is viewed by the users.
38 Claims, 14 Drawing Sheets

US 7,447,748 B2
Page2
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
5,634,012
5,638,443
5,708,825
5,715,403
5,724,521
5,737,734
5,749,736
5,892,900
6,092,080
6,289,460
6,961,897
6,990,464
7,039,589

A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
Bl
Bl •
Bl •
B2 •

511997
6/1997
1/1998
2/1998
3/1998
4/1998
5/1998
4/1999
7/2000

Stefik et al. . ................ 395/239
Stefik et al ..................... 380/4
Sotomayor .................. 707/501
Stefik .....•.......••.......... 395/244
Dedrick .............•........ 395/226
Schultz .......................... 707/5
Griswold et al .......•..... 434/322
Ginter et al. .........•.....• 713/200
Gustman ................ 707/103 R

9/2001
ll/2005
1/2006
5/2006

Hajmiragha ·······•······ .. 713/200
Peel et al .................... 715/209
Pirillo ......................... 705/26
Whitham ..•.....•........... 704/270

OTHER PUBLICATIONS
"Crystal Web-A Distributing Authoring Environment For the World
Wide Web," by Ralph Peters et al., Computer Networks and ISDN
Systems vol. 27, pp. 861-870 (1995).•

"Unifying Tomorrow's Hypermedia" T.H. Nelson, Online Information 88, 12th International Online Information Meeting London Dec.
6-8, 1988, Proceedings vol. 1, pp. 1-7.
"Literary Machines 93.1" Theodor Holm Nelson, Mindful Press,
1992, 286 pages.
"Xanadu: document interconnection enabling re-use with automatic
author credit and royalty accounting" Theodor Holm Nelson, Information Services & Use, vol. 14, No.4, 1994, pp. 255-265.
''The Heart of Connection: Hypermedia Unified by Transclusion"
Theodor Holm Nelson, Communications ofthe ACM, vol. 38, No. 8,
Aug. 1995, pp. 31-33.
"Transcopyright: Pre-Permission for Virtual Republishing" Theodor
Holm Nelson, Computer Technology Review, vol. 15, No. 10, Oct.
1995, p. 10.
"CrystalWeb-A Distributed Authoring Environment For the WorldWide Woo," by Ralph Peters et al., Computer Networks and ISDN
Systems vol. 27, pp. 861-870 (1995).
"Interactive Books,'' by G.M. Manzini et al., International Journal of
Modem Physics C, vol. 5, No.5, pp. 785-789 (1991).
Brown, "Special Edition: Using Netscape 2 Second Edition," Que
Corporation, 1995.

* cited by examiner

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Nov. 4, 2008

US 7,447,748 B2

Sheet 5 of 14

FIG.S
114

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Sheet 7 of 14

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Sheet 8 of14

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FIG. 8
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Sheet 9 of14

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Sheet 10 of 14

US 7,447,748 B2

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Sheet 11 of 14

US 7,447,748 B2

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Sheet 13 of 14

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1

2

INTERACTIVE WEB BOOK SYSTEM

As ibook material is created, derivation information is

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/145,979,
filed May 13, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,721,788, which is a
continuation of application Ser. No. 09/329,142, filed Jun. 9,
1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,411 ,993, which is a continuation of
application Ser. No. 08/735,727, filed Oct. 23, 1996, now
U.S. Pat. No. 6,052,717.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the Internet, and more particularly,
to techniques for creating and viewing material on the World
Wide Web in the form of an interactive Web book.
The World Wide Web has made the Internet accessible to a
broad range of people. One can search the Web and view a
large amount of material using a Web browser. However,
there is no satisfactory framework within the Web to encourage contributions of new material while rewarding contributors for their efforts. As a result, many people who might
make meaningful contributions of entertaining or educational
material to the World Wide Web do not make such contributions.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide
a way in which to facilitate the contribution of material using
a data network such as the World Wide Web and to compensate the contributors of such material.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This and other objects of the invention are accomplished in
accordance with the principles of the present invention by
providing an interactive Web book ("ibook") system. An
ibook is a self-extending, self-sustaining information-redistributing Web robot, which is resident on a data network such
as the Internet or an intranet. Material in an ibook is preferably organized in the form of Web pages. Material may be in
text, two-dimensional, three-dimensional or n-dimensional
graphics, animation, audio, video, source or executable code,
or any type of multimedia format. Within each Web page,
material may be organized in passages. Passages can be of
any suitable size, such as a paragraph for textual material, or
a video or audio clip of a certain length for multimedia material.
Users can preferably enroll as viewers of the ibook or as
contributors to the ibook. Viewers are allowed to view (i.e.,
read, hear, observe, observe the behavior of, etc.) material in
the ibook. Presentation of ibook material for viewing may
involve the execution of computer code associated with or
contained in that material. Contributors can view material and
can contribute material. The contributed material can be
original or can be based on the work of other contributors.
Works that are created based on previously contributed
material are called derivations. When a contributor uses certain authoring functions in the ibook system, such as by
performing a cut and paste operation from existing material or
by using a compiler of the contributor's to compile existing
source code, attribution links are automatically formed
between the material in the derivation and the original material. This attribution information is preferably used by the
ibook system in rewarding contributors. Contributors are
rewarded based on the amount that their material is accessed
by viewers. The more often a contributor's material is used
(either directly or indirectly), the more that contributor will be
rewarded. Preferably, the reward may be made in the form of
an automatic monetary distribution by the ibook system.

10

15

20

compiled that can be used by the ibook navigation system
when a user desires to view material in an ibook. For example,
when viewing a passage for which a derivation exists, the
viewer can be presented with the option of viewing the derivation. The viewer is also presented with options for navigating through the material in an ibook based on a selected
author, subject matter, media type, etc.
The ibook system may automatically advertize its presence
to various search engines by transmitting suitable keyword
information (e.g., keyword information identifYing the subject matter of the contents of the ibook) to databases associated with the search engines.
If desired, new ibooks may be spawned by replicating the
content and structure of an existing ibook. Replicating may be
achieved by copying material or by creating references from
the new ibook to the existing ibook.
Further features of the invention, its nature and various
advantages will be more apparent from the accompanying
drawings and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing interactive Web book
servers and interactive Web book clients interconnected by a
data network.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the content of an illustrative
interactive Web book.
FIG. 3 is a detailed diagram of an interactive Web book
server and an interactive Web book client interconnected by a
data network.
FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the process of enrolling a viewer.
FIG. 5 is a flow chart of the process of enrolling a contributor.
FIG. 6 is a diagram of an interactive Web book authoring
tool.
FIG. 7 is a detailed diagram of the structure of an interactive Web book.
FIG. 8 is a diagram of an interactive Web book navigation
tool.
FIG. 9 is a flow chart of the process by which a user at a
client accesses material at a server.
FIG. 10 is a flow chart of the process of determining the
amount of ibook material a user has viewed and billing the
user accordingly.
FIG. 11 is a flow chart of the process of updating the
passage database to reflect the amount that the passages have
been directly used by viewing or indirectly used.
FIG. 12 is a flow chart of the process of determining the
amount that each contributor's material has been used and
rewarding the contributors accordingly.
FIG. 13 is a flow chart of the process of replicating an
ibook.
FIG. 14 is a system diagram showing how ibook content
may be distributed among clients and servers.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED
EMBODIMENTS

60

65

An interactive Web book ("ibook") system 20 is shown in
FIG. 1. Web server computers that support one or more ibooks
are called ibook servers. !book servers 22 and 24 are interconnected with ibook client computers 26, 28, 30, and 32 via
data network 34. Also connected to data network 34 is search
engine server 36. Data network 34 is preferably a packetbased data network such as the Internet or an intranet (i.e., a

us 7,447,748 82
3

4

local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN) using
Internet protocols). Communication paths 38 are modem
lines or LAN or WAN network connections.
Contributors at ibook clients 26, 28, and 30 can contribute
material to an ibook, such as ibook A' on server 24. The
contributed material can be in any media type supported by
the Internet, such as text, audio, and video information. Some
contributed material may be literary or artistic in nature, such
as an essay, song, painting, or movie. Other contributed material may be of a more technical or utilitarian nature, such as
the source code for computer program modules (e.g., modules of code implementing ibook functions, such as demons
or plug-ins) or descriptions ofinventive ideas. An ibook may
contain a number of different types of contributions, such as
essays, songs, and video clips, structured around a central
theme. If desired, ibooks may be set up to support more
limited types of media and more focused formats. For
example, an ibook might be devoted to a mystery novel, might
contain only contemporary music, or might be devoted to a
programming environment for a particular computer programming language.
!books may initially be supported by a sponsor who sets up
an ibook on an ibook server and who may, for example,
advertise that ibook's presence and chosen theme by arranging to have suitable information regarding the ibook included
in Web index 40. One way in which to set up an ibook is to
replicate the structure and possibly the contents of an existing
ibook. For example, a sponsor at ibook server 24 might replicate ibookA from the ibook server 22 of a parent organization thereby creating ibook A' at ibook server 24.
People who wish to contribute content to an ibook must
typically enroll with that ibook prior to making any contributions. Each ibook therefore has an associated community of
contributors. Although contributors to an ibook may often
make contributions that are completely their own, contributors may also make contributions that are based upon the
previously contributed material of another contributor or contributors. The ultimate contents of a given ibook is therefore
usually a collaborative effort between many contributors.
A viewer at ibook client 32 can preferably view the material contributed to an ibook without enrolling as a contributor.
"Viewing" (by a contributor or by a viewer) includes reading,
listening, and observing any type of contributed material that
is contained in an ibook and its behavior. Presentation of
ibook material for viewing may involve the execution of
computer code associated with or contained in that material.
Contributed material is preferably stored in the form of
ibook web pages 42, as shown in FIG. 2. An important aspect
of any ibook is that it allows derivations of contributed material to be created by adding additional Web pages. The ibook
system supports derivations that are alternate versions of
existing works. For example, if contributor Smith writes several chapters of a book, contributor Jones may modify a
chapter to create his own alternate version of that chapter. An
association between the original and alternate versions ofthis
material is preferably automatically made by the ibook system. The association is indicated by forming derivation link
44 and attribution link 45.
If contributor Brown creates alternate versions of the material of contributors Smith and Jones, derivation links 46, 48,
and SO and attribution links 47, 49, and 51 are formed. Derivation and attribution links are used by the system when
navigating through ibook Web pages 42. For example, when
a viewer wishes to view a given portion of an ibook, derivation links 46, 48, and 50 may be used to present the viewer
with the option of viewing the alternate versions of the material as well as the original version. Likewise, attribution links

47, 49, and 51 may be used to present the viewer with the
option of viewing the original version of an alternate version.
In addition to creating derivations that are alternate versions of existing material, contributors can create derivations
which are usually viewed in parallel to existing material. For
example, a contributor may wish to create a running commentary on a multimedia segment or a song. Although the commentary is not an alternate version of the existing material, it
is related in such a way that it is appropriate to recognize the
original contributor. Another example is multiple audio
tracks, which may be listened to and mixed in varying proportions in parallel. The ibook system facilitates the automatic or nearly automatic generation of derivation and attribution links between the original material and the derivations.
The ibook system uses the attribution link information for
navigating and to ensure that contributors are rewarded for
their efforts. The ibook system uses the derivation link information to facilitate navigation through ibook material and
thereby encourage contributions by ensuring that a contributor's material may be viewed.
A derivation may contain a quotation of existing material
when a contributor creates material that is in part the same as
that previously contributed by another contributor.
A derivation may be a revision of a work ifit contains all of
the previous work except errors and material that the contributor believes is inappropriate. The revision may have
additional material that the contributor believes should have
been in the original work. For example, the original material
might be a rough draft of a speech, whereas the revision might
be the final draft of the speech.
A derivation may be a combination containing material
derived from two separate sources. For example, a derivation
might be a story containing portions of stories from two
different authors or a sequence of musical fragments from
different composers or a mix of multiple tracks into a single
song.
A derivation may be a sequel in which the subject, characters, and context of a previous work are extended into a new
area. A sequel is typically intended to be viewed after the
original, rather than in place of the original.
A derivation may be a transcription that contains material
in a different media or language than the original material. For
example, the original might contain English text and the
transcription might contain the same material in French.
Alternatively, the original material might contain the score of
a song and the transcription might contain a recording of a
performer singing the song. If the original contains a Java
script for an applet, the transcription might contain an Active
objectthat performs the same function as the Java script. Ifthe
original contains computer source code, the transcription
may contain a translated or compiled version of the code.
A derivation may be an invocation which may be encountered, e.g., in the programming context. An invocation
employs the contents and capabilities of an original work for
the benefit of the invocation. If the original material changes,
these changes are presented the next time that the invocation
is viewed. Invocations therefore allow for a dynamic reference to previously contributed material.
A derivation may contain the same material as an existing
work, but with a different quality or resolution. For example,
it may be desired to store a high fidelity audio track at one
location and a lower fidelity version of the same track at a
different location.
A collaborative derivation may be created by a contributor
who is viewing the work of another contributor without
explicitly incorporating the work of the other contributor. For

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example, a composer may create a track of a song while
listening to an existing track of another composer.
FIG. 3 is a more detailed view of the system of FIG. 1. In
ibook system 52, ibook servers 54 and 56 are interconnected
with ibook clients 58 and 60 via data network 62. !book
servers 54 and 56 are preferably computers or clusters of
computers sufficiently powerful to handle Web traffic from
numerous clients. If desired, the functions of servers 54 and
56 may be divided among several servers, which may be
geographically remote from each other. For example, the
database functions of server 54 could be provided by a database server connected to server 54 directly or through data
network 62. !book clients 58 and 60 may be personal computers. At times, clients 58 may store ibook material and may
perform server-like functions. Data network 62 is preferably
a packet-based data network such as the Internet or an intranet.
!book functions are preferably performed by executing
instructions with ibook server 56 and with client 60. !book
server application 64 directs the overall operation of ibook
server 56. In particular, ibook server application 64 controls
databases 66, 68, 70, 72, 74, and 76, in which various ibook
information is stored. !book demons 78 are programs associated with ibook server application 64, but which run continuously or semicontinuously in the background. Ibook demons
78 perform functions such as revenue collection, revenue
distribution, and advertising.
Oient plug-ins 80 are downloadable executable program
modules that can be run on client 60 in conjunction with Web
browser 82 to add additional capabilities to Web browser 82.
Web browser 82 is preferably a standard Web browser, such as
Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. Downloading of client plug-ins 80 can be accomplished using standard techniques, such as the standard Internet file transfer
protocol (FTP). When client plug-ins 80 are downloaded onto
client 60, they form tools 84, 86, 88, and 90. Web browser 82
also controls local access database 92, which may be used to
store information regarding the amount of time a user (i.e., a
viewer or a viewing contributor) spends viewing a particular
portion of an ibook. Currently downloaded Web pages 94 are
downloaded from ibook Web pages database 76.
Users of a given ibook are preferably either enrolled as
viewers or contributors. Viewers can view any of the material
in an ibook with which they have enrolled, but cannot make
contributions to the ibook. Contributors can contribute new
material or can create a derivation based on previously contributed material in an ibook. Because contributors must be
able to view material before it can used to create a derivation,
contributors are also given rights to view ibook material.
By enrolling, both viewers and contributors agree not to
violate the rights of other contributors (e.g., by copying material from an ibook without permission). Contributors must
also agree to allow their works to become the basis for the
works of other contributors, so that participating in an ibook
is a collaborative effort.
Enrollment is preferably automated and on-line. At ibook
client 60, the functions necessary to support enrollment are
provided by ibook enrollmenttool88 and web browser 82. At
ibook server 56, enrollment functions are provided by ibook
server application 64. !book server application 64 downloads
enrollment tool 88 to ibook client 60, and stores enrollment
information in the ibook server databases.lbook server application stores viewer enrollment information in viewer database 66 and contributor enrollment information in contributor
database 68.
A suitable process for enrolling viewers is shown in FIG. 4.
At step 96, an interested party begins the process of enrolling

as a viewer, e.g., by clicking on an icon labeled "enroll as
viewer." The nature, obligations, and benefits of enrolling as
a viewer of the ibook are explained to the interested party at
step 98.At step 100, the party is asked whether enrollment is
desired. If the party declines enrollment at step 100, viewer
enrollment terminates at step 102. If the party accepts enrollment, enrollment information, such as the party's address,
electronic billing information, credit card number, etc., is
collected at step 104.
Provided that the enrollment information collected at step
104 does not reveal a reason that the party cannot be enrolled,
the party is offered an opportunity to sign up as an ibook
viewer at step 106. If the party does not sign up at step 106,
viewer enrollment terminates at step 102. If the party decides
to sign up, signing up can be accomplished by a number of
techniques, including clicking on an icon, typing the words "I
ACCEPr', transmitting an electronic signature, live teleconference with an ibook representative, voice-mail, fax, mail, or
a combination of these techniques. After signing up at step
106, information concerning the viewer and the viewer
enrollment process is stored in viewer database 66 at step 108.
At step 110, ibook server application 64 generates a viewer
ID for the viewer. The viewer ID is used to access the ibook
with which the viewer has enrolled. If desired, the viewer ID
can be used in conjunction with additional secnrity measures,
such as a password, etc. The viewer enrollment process ends
at step 112.
A suitable process for enrolling contributors is shown in
FIG. 5. At step 114, an interested party begins the process of
enroiJing as a contributor, e.g., by clicking on an icon labeled
"enroll as contributor." The nature, obligations, and benefits
of enrolling as a contributor of the ibook are explained to the
interested party at step 116. At step 118, the party is asked
whether enrollment is desired. If the party declines enrollment at step 118, contributor enrollment terminates at step
120. If the party accepts enrollment, enrollment information,
such as the party's address and electronic banking information, is collected at step 122.
Provided that the enrollment information collected at step
122 does not reveal a reason that the party cannot be enrolled,
the party is offered an opportunity to sign up as an ibook
contributor at step 124. If the party does not sign up at step
124, contributor enrollment terminates at step 120. If the
party decides to sign up, signing up can be accomplished by
a number of suitable techniques, including clicking on an
icon, typing the words "I ACCEPr', transmitting an electronic signature, live teleconference with an ibook representative, voice-mail, fax, mail, or a combination of these techniques. After signing up at step 124, information concerning
the contributor and the contributor enrollment process is
stored in contributor database 68 (FIG. 3) at step 126. At step
128, ibook server application 64 generates a contributor ID
for the contributor. The contributor ID is used to access the
ibook with which the contributor has enrolled. If desired, the
contributor ID can be used in conjunction with additional
security measures, such as a password, etc. The contributor
enrollment process ends at step 130.
Once enrolled with an ibook, a contributor may view material in the ibook, may create new original material, or may
contribute material derived from that contributed by other
contributors to create a derivation. Derivation types supported by the ibook system include alternate versions, commentaries, quotations, revisions, combinations, sequels, transcriptions,
invocations,
alternate resolutions, and
collaborations. To create or modify material in an ibook, a
contributor uses ibook authoring tool 86 (FIG. 3). As shown
in FIG. 6, ibook authoring tool 86 includes derivation tool

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132, linking tool134, and editing tool136. Editing tool136 is
used to enter original material and linking tool134 is used to
create hypertext links to existing material.
Derivation tool 132 is used to create material based on
existing material. Preferably, derivation tool 132 provides
style templates for different types of derivations. When a
contributor wishes to create a derivation based on existing
material, the contributor selects from the available derivation
types (e.g., alternate version, commentary, quotation, revision, combination, sequel, transcription, invocation, alternate
resolution, and collaboration). When the contributor creates
the derivation, (e.g., by creating commentary based on an
existing video work), derivation tool 132 automatically or
semi-automatically generates attribution information identifYing the work from which the derivation was derived. Attribution information may be automatically generated by navigation tool 132 when a contributor creates a derivation of
existing source code (e.g., using the contributor's compiler).
The functions provided by authoring tool 86 may differ
depending on the content of a particular ibook passage. For
example, editing tool136 preferably supports standard word
processing functions for entering text and source code and
supports graphics, animation, audio, and video editing functions for creating and modifying multimedia material. Editing tool136 also preferably supports creation of audio material from telephone calls and audio-visual material from
video conferencing sources. Authoring tool 86 preferably
prevents the deletion of previously contributed material and
facilitates the creation of material derived from previously
contributed material.
The structure of the content of an illustrative ibook is
shown in detail in FIG. 7. The material contributed to an ibook
is contained in one or more Web pages. The content of the
ibook Web pages is preferably stored in ibook Web pages
database 76 (FIG. 3). !book Web pages 138 may contain both
static Web pages and Web pages with content that changes
dynamically whenever referenced. Web pages 138 include
welcome message page 140 to introduce a user to the ibook.
If desired, welcome message page 140 can include summary
information concerning the content of ibook web pages 138.
For example, welcome message page 140 can include information regarding the authors who have contributed material,
the dates on which material was contributed, the sponsor's
description of the theme of the ibook, the specific subject
matter contained in the ibook, the media used, etc. Welcome
page 140 preferably includes hypertext links to viewer, contributor, and sponsor enrollment pages. It is not possible to
proceed past welcome page 140 without enrolling with the
ibook. After viewing welcome message page 140 and completing an appropriate enrollment process, users can view,
add, or create derivative material using authoring tool 86
(FIGS. 3 and 6).
In FIG. 7, ibookWebpages 142,144, 146werecontributed
by contributor Smith, ibook Web page 148 was contributed by
contributor Jones, and ibook Web page 150 was contributed
by contributor Brown. Contributor Smith was the first contributor, and his pages were added as original material. Contributor Jones added material that was based on some of the
material contributed by contributor Smith. Contributor
Brown added material that was based on material contributed
by Smith and material contributed by Jones.
Web pages 142, 144, 146, 148, and 150 are preferably
organized in the form of one or more passages 152. For
example, ibook Web page 142 contains passages 1, 2, and 3
and ibook Web page 150 contains passages 4c and 6c. The
amount and type of material contained in a passage may
depend on the type of media used. If an ibook contains only

text, passages 152 may be paragraphs. Alternatively, passages
152 may be characters, words, sentences, paragraphs, sections, or chapters. If an ibook contains multimedia material,
passages 152 can be graphic images, animation sequences,
portions of a sound track, still video images, or video clips. If
an ibook contains executable material, passages 152 can be
modules of code.
When an ibook contributor adds material that is based on
the material previously contributed by another contributor,
attribution information is preferably automatically generated
that keeps track of the identity of the source of the material.
The attribution information may be provided, for example, in
the form of attribution links 154, 156, 158, and 160 between
passages 152.
Attribution link 154 indicates that passage 3b, which was
contributed by Jones, was based on passage 3, contributed by
Smith. Similarly, attribution link 160 indicates that passage
6c, which was contributed by Brown, was based on passage 6,
contributed by Smith. Attribution link 156 indicates that
Jones contributed passage 4b based on passage 4 of Smith.
Attribution link 158 indicates that Brown contributed passage
4c based on passage 4b of Jones.
Attribution information is preferably automatically generated when a contributor copies existing ibook material. For
example, contributor Jones may have used a cut and paste
feature in derivation tool132 to cut and paste text or multimedia material from passage 3 when creating passage 3b.
During the process of cutting and pasting from passage 3 to
passage 3b, authoring tool 86 automatically generates attribution information including attribution link 154.
Another way in which attribution information can be generated is when a contributor selects a certain derivation style
template with derivation tool132, prior to contributing new
material. After the style template is selected, derivation tool
132 prompts the contributor for attribution information,
which is used to automatically create attribution links that
relate the new material to the original material. For example,
Jones may select the derivation type commentary, in order to
create a commentary based on passages 3 and 4 of Smith's
work. Derivation tool132 queries Jones as to the authorship
ofthe material on which the commentary is based. Jones must
enter suitable information identifying the original contributor's material. Derivation tool 132 preferably will not let
Jones proceed until valid attribution information has been
provided. If desired, a system supervisor can monitor the
creation and use of attribution information, such as the implementation of attribution links 154, 156, 158, and 160.
Sequence links 162, 164, and 166 are hypertext links that
link welcome message page 140 and ibook pages 142, 144,
and 146. Sequence links 162, 164 and 166 were created by
authoring tool 86 when contributor Smith created ibook Web
pages 142, 144, and 146. Sequence link 168 was created by
contributor Brown using linking tool134 (FIG. 6). The creation of sequence links such as sequence link 168 is at the
discretion of the contributor.
Derivation links 170, 172, 174, and 176 are another type of
link that is formed in connection with ibook web pages 142,
144, 146, 148, and 150. Derivation links 170, 172, 174, and
176 preferably point in the opposite direction of attribution
links 154, 156, 158, and 160. Whenever a derivation is formed
of an existing passage, a derivation link is formed that indicates that the derived passage has been formed.
Derivation links 170, 172, 174, and 176 are preferably
automatically generated when passages 3b, 4b, 4c, and 6c are
created. For example, if a contributor uses a cut and paste
feature in derivation tool132 to cut and paste material from

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one passage to another, authoring tool 86 automatically generates derivation information including derivation links 170,
172, 174, and 176.
The derivation information for each passage 152 (e.g., the
existence and identity of any associated derivation links for a
given passage) and the attribution information (e.g. the existence and identity of any associated attribution links for a
given passage) are used by navigation tool 84 when a user
navigates through the material in an ibook. For example,
when a user views a passage that has a corresponding derivation, the user can be alerted that the derivation exists and can
be given an opportunity to view the derivation. Likewise,
when a user views a passage that is a derivation, the user can
be alerted that a corresponding original exists. Derivation
information and attribution information may be stored in
passage database 74 (FIG. 3).
Multigenerational derivation and attribution relationships
exist between passages 152 (e.g., between passages 4 and 4c
in FIG. 7). These relationships may either be represented by
links between inimediately adjoining passages (e.g. 4 and 4b
or 4 and 4c) as shown in FIG. 7, or may be represented by
direct links between nonadjoining passages (e.g., between
passages 4 and 4c).
In addition, during the creation of passages 152 authoring
tool 86 and ibook server application 64 cause information to
be stored in passage database 74 that identifies which Web
page 138 contains each passage 152. Information regarding
the content of passages 152 ("passage characteristics") is
preferably also stored during passage creation. Passage characteristics include the identity of the passage's contributor
(which may be stored in contributor database 68), the media
(e.g., text, audio, video), the time and date of passage creation, the language of the passage, the interpreter for the
passage if the passage is executable code, and the subject
matter of the passage. Some of these passage characteristics
can be determined automatically by ibook system 52. For
example, the identity of the contributor can be determined
from the ID number of the contributor. Other passage characteristics might be more easily entered by the contributor,
such as the language of the material in the passage. Regardless ofhow the passage characteristics are entered into system
52, these characteristics are preferably stored in passage database 74 and are used during navigation through the ibook.
An illustrative ibook navigation tool84 is shown in FIG. 8.
In FIG. 8, passages 152 are illustrated as paragraphs of text
178. In a multimedia environment, passages 152 would be
multimedia segments presented on a computer monitor as
video accompanied by sound. When passages 152 are executable modules, navigation tool 84 presents the passages by
downloading and executing the passages. Style buttons 180
allow a user to select a desired format for the presentation of
information on client 60. Each style is controlled by an ibook
passage (e.g., a Java program) which implements that style.
Suitable styles include a Microsoft Windows 3.1 format with
a title bar at the top of the screen or a photorealistic style, in
which navigation controls are displayed in a realistic manner
(e.g., as a desk containing a file drawer, etc.). Window size
buttons 182 allow the user to adjust the size of the window
containing ibook navigation tool 84 when Web browser 82 is
operating in a windows-type environment. Magnification
buttons 184 allow the user to adjust the magnification of the
contents of the display window.
Cursor keys 186 move cursor 188 up, down, left, or right
within a passage 152 on a given ibook Web page 138. If
desired, inner portion 190 of cursor keys 186 can be used to
provide slow cursor movement. Whenever a user moves cursor 188 into a passage that has an associated derivation or

original, the user may be alerted. For example, bar 191 may be
provided in parallel with passage 178b to indicate that a
derivation or original exists for that passage, which the user
may wish to view. Navigation tool 84 determines when to
display bars such as bar 191 based on the derivation information (i.e., derivation links 170, 172, 174, 176 and derivation
type information) and attribution information stored in passage database 74. Derivation traverse buttons 192 preferably
light up when cursor 188 enters a passage (such as passage
178b) that has an associated derivation or original.
Clicking on the right derivation traverse button causes
navigation tool to present, e.g., the next most recent derivation associated with that passage and clicking on the left
derivation traverse button produces the opposite result. For
example, if a user is viewing passage 4b (FIG. 7) and the right
derivation traverse button 192 is selected, navigation tool 84
displays the contents of passage 4c. If, however, a user is
viewing passage 4b and the left derivation traverse button 192
is selected, navigation tool 84 displays the contents of passage4.
Back and forward buttons 194 allow a user to navigate
along a browsing trail through Web pages 138 that has been
defined by the user or a contributor who has previously navigated through the material using scroll buttons 186 and derivation traverse buttons 192. Volume buttons 193 control the
sound volume in multimedia material. Multiple volume control buttons are preferably provided to control the mix when
playing audio tracks in parallel.
An additional navigation control feature provided by navigation tool 84 is drop-down menu 196. The user can make
selections with drop-down menu 196 that aid in navigating
ibook passages 152. For example, drop-down menu 196 may
contain a list of all derivations and original material associated with the passage that the user is currently viewing. The
user can navigate to one of these derivations or originals by
selecting a desired entry or entries from the list. Drop-down
menu 196 can also contain a list of common passage characteristics, such as media type, identity of contributor, date of
creation, language, and subject matter (e.g., as predefined by
keywords entered by the contributor or extracted from passages 152 automatically by the ibook system). If desired, a
user can view only the works of Jones by selecting "Jones"
from drop down menu 196. Similarly, if the user were only
interested in viewing material in English, the user could select
English under the drop-down menu heading entitled "language."
If desired, the manner in which passages 152 are presented
to a viewer by navigation tool 84 may be based in part on
derivation type information associated with a passage. For
example, if a passage is a revision of a previous passage,
navigation tool 84 can, as a default, present only the most
recent version of the passage. If a passage is an alternate
version of another passage, navigation tool 84 can, as a
default, offer the user a choice of viewing either passage. If a
passage is a transcription of another passage, then navigation
tool 84 can present both the original passage and the transcribed passage on the screen of client 60 at the same time, in
a split screen format. Navigation tool84 could give priority to
a particular media (such as video) when derivations of the
same passage are present in more than one type of media.
Viewer preferences that may be used to automatically chose
between alternative passages are preferably stored in the
viewer database 66. If a passage is a combination, navigation
tool 84 may enable a user to view the components of the
combination sequentially (e.g., when the components are
chapters in a book) or in parallel (e.g., when the components
are audio tracks in a song).

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billed based on the number of accesses made. If desired, the
As a user views passages 152, ibook server application 64
preferably stores information concerning which passages
user can be billed at a fiat rate. At step 224, the users's account
balance is adjusted accordingly. The user is billed (e.g., by
have been accessed in access database 70. Web browser 82
mail or automatic credit card debit) at step 226.
and ibook navigation tool 84 are also involved in keeping
Automatic revenue distribution may be performed by
track of the length of time a user views each passage. This 5
ibook demons 78 that implement the processes shown in
information is used to reward the contributors whose material
FIGS. 11 and 12. FIG. 11 shows a process for collating
is viewed. In addition, the contributors whose material was
passage information from access database 70. The steps
used to form the basis of the viewed work are rewarded.
shown in FIG. 11 are performed for each passage in ibook
Contributors may therefore be compensated, even if their
work is not accessed and viewed directly by the user. For 10 Web pages database 76. At step 228, access database 70 is
scanned for records containing access information pertaining
example, if Smith contributes a book and Jones writes an
alternate chapter, both Jones and Smith may be rewarded
to the passage. At step 230, server 56 uses these records to
update passage database 74 to reflect the amount that the
when the alternate chapter is viewed. The process of rewardpassage has been directly accessed by a viewer (e.g., using
ing contributors may be substantially automatic and may be
administered by ibook server 24 of the current ibook sponsor 15 navigation tool84, as shown in FIG. 9). The "amount" thatthe
or may be administered by ibook server 22 at the ibook parent
passage has been accessed can be determined based on the
cumulative access time for that passage and/or the number of
organization.
As the user navigates through an ibook using navigation
"hits" the passage has received (as determined from the
access information in the access database). When a contributool 84, navigation tool 84 transmits certain access information to server 56, making requests to view material. The steps 20 tor's material is directly accessed by the user, the material is
being directly used and the contributor is rewarded based on
involved in processing and storing the access information are
the amount of that access.
shown in FIG. 9.At step 198, theuseratclient 60 determines
Preferably, a contributor is also rewarded when a derivation
which passage is to be viewed, for example, by using the
various buttons provided by navigation tool 84 (FIG. 8).
based on the contributor's material is accessed. When the
Navigation tool 84 preferably generates a request to view a 25 derivation is accessed, the contributor's material is being
indirectly used. At step 232, server 56 uses attribution infordesired passage and transmits this request to server 56 at step
200. Server application 64 at server 56 receives the request
mation associated with each passage that has been accessed to
and locates the requested passage in ibook Web pages datadetermine whether the passage was based on the work of
another contributor. If the passage was based on the passage
base 76 at step 202.At step 204, server 56 records information
about the access request, such as a time and date entry iden- 30 of another contributor, the passage database 74 is updated
based on the attribution information. There are preferably
tifYing when the requested access took place. Server 56 transmits the requested passage to client 60 at step 206. Client 60
separate data fields associated with each passage in passage
database 74 that allow passage database 74 to maintain a
displays the passage and may make a time and date entry in
local access database 92 at step 208. If time and date entries
record of the amount of direct and indirect usage for each
are made in local access database 92, this information is 35 passage. For example, each passage can have associated data
fields in which the number of direct hits and the number of
periodically made available to server 56 for storage in access
indirect hits (i.e., hits on a derivation based on the passage)
database 70. At step 210, the user completes viewing of the
passage and at step 212, client 60 transmits information indiare stored.
After the process of FIG. 11 is used to update the passages
cating that viewing is complete to server 56. At step 214,
server 56 records access information in access database 70 40 in passage database 74 to reflect the amount of direct and
indirect usage of these passages by users, the process of FIG.
that indicates when the viewing of the passage was completed, e.g., by making a time and date entry.
12 is used to collate this information for each of the contribuAs defined herein, the term "access information" includes
tors and to reward the contributors accordingly. The process
information such as a passage identifier, time and date entries,
steps of FIG. 12 are performed for each contributor. At step
and information indicating the nature of the transmission 45 234, server 56 scans passage database 74 for the passages
contributed by the contributor. The total amount that these
from client 60 to server 56. The passage identifier is preferably a universal resource locator (URL) for the passage
passages have been directly used (e.g., when a viewer directly
requested from the ibook Web pages database 76. The inforaccesses a passage) is determined at step 236. For example, if
each of the contributor's passages in the passage database 74
mation indicating the nature of the transmission indicates
whether the transmission from client 60 to server 56 is a so has an associated data field that indicates the amount of direct
request for the display of a passage (shown by arrow 216) or
use for that passage, step 236 involves totaling the amount of
such direct use for all of the passages. The total amount that
is a transmission indicating that the user has completed viewthe contributor's passages have been indirectly used (e.g.,
ing the passage (shown by arrow 218).
when a viewer accesses a derivation based on the contribu!book functions related to revenue collection and distribution are preferably provided by ibook demons 78 (FIG. 3). An 55 tor's passage) is determined at step 238. For example, if each
of the contributor's passages in the passage database 74 has
illustrative revenue collection process that is implemented
an associated data field that indicates the amount of indirect
with an ibook demon 78 is shown in FIG. 10. The revenue
collection process shown in FIG. 10 may be run periodically
use of those passages, step 238 involves totaling the amount
of such indirect use for all of the passages.
(e.g., once per day). As shown in FIG. 10, server 56 scans
The contributor is rewarded at step 240. If desired, the
access database 70 to collect all access records for the user 60
contributor may receive a non-monetary reward. For
who has viewed material at step 220. The access records
example, ibook server 56 may publicly post the amount that
contain information regarding the number of accesses of
the contributor's material receives hits, which serves to
ibook material that were made and the start and stop times of
each access. At step 222, server 56 charges the user who has
reward contributors with publicity regarding the popularity of
viewed material according to a predetermined rate schedule. 65 the material they contribute. Contributors may also be
rewarded by distributing revenue that has been collected from
For example, the user can be billed based on the on-line time
the users with the process of FIG. 10 or that has been generspent by the user accessing ibook material or the user can be

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a ted by licensing intellectual property developed by the community of contributors associated with an ibook. Preferably,
the contributor is rewarded based on both the direct use of the
contributor's material (e.g., by direct viewer access) and on
the indirect use of the material (e.g., access of a derivation
based on the contributor's material).
Monetary rewards may be distributed automatically, e.g.,
by crediting the bank accounts of the relevant contributors.
Preferably, the sponsor of the ibook that is viewed is also
rewarded. If desired, the ibook parent organization may be
compensated. If the structure or content of an ibook (e.g.,
ibookAinFIG.1) is replicated to form a second ibook (e.g.,
ibook A' in FIG. 1), this information (or references to this
information) is stored in ibook offspring database 72 and may
be used to compensate the sponsor and contributors of the
parenting ibook (ibook A) for revenue derived from the offspring ibook (ibookA').
The replication function used to replicate ibook A' from
ibookA in FIG. 1 may be provided by a program that prompts
an enrolled sponsor for information concerning the replication process (i.e., by a wizard program).Theprogram used for
replication is preferably a downloadable plug-in, such as
ibook replication tool 90 (FIG. 3). Steps involved in replication of an ibook are shown in FIG. 13. At step 242, a potential
sponsor completes an enrollment process similar to the
viewer and contributor enrollment processes shown in FIGS.
4 and S. During the enrollment process, the nature, obligations, and benefits of becoming a sponsor of an ibook are
explained. A sponsor who has already created a new ibook
may enroll with additional ibooks so that the sponsor will be
permitted to replicate material from any such additional
ibooks into the new ibook. If the sponsor agrees to the rules
governing ibook sponsorship and the replication of material
from an existing ibook, the sponsor is enrolled.
At step 244, the sponsor specifies the identity of the child
ibook server onto which a new ibook is to be placed or onto
which additional material is to be replicated. At step 246, the
sponsor specifies the identity of the new ibook. At step 248, it
is determined whether the child server identified at step 244
has a server application installed. If the server application is
not installed, server application 64 from the parent ibook with
which the sponsor has enrolled is replicated (e.g. by downloading or referencing) at step 250. If server application 64 is
already installed, step 250 is bypassed. At step 252, the sponsor selects which ibook demons 78 it is desired to replicate
from the parent server to the child server. The selected
demons 78 are replicated at step 254. At step 256, the sponsor
selects which ibook parent plug-ins 80 are to be replicated
onto the child server. The selected plug-ins are replicated at
step 258. At step 260, it is determined whether ibook databases have been initialized on the child server. If not, the child
ibook server databases are initialized at step 262. If the child
ibook server databases have already been initialized, step 262
is bypassed.
At step 264, the sponsor decides whether content of the
parent ibook (e.g., in the form of text or multimedia information stored in ibook Web pages database 76 and linking information stored in passage database 74) should be replicated
from the parent server onto the child server. The selected
ibook Web pages and associated linking information are replicated from the parent server to the child server at step 266.
The child ibook databases are updated at step 268. Information concerning the replication process is stored in offspring
database 72. Replication terminates at step 270. The content
of multiple ibook parents can be merged into a single child
ibook by repeating the process of FIG. 13.

Because the ibook can be replicated, successful ibooks can
spawn additional ibooks. Further, since ibooks may be created to specifically support certain media or themes, different
ibooks may spawn different families of offspring ibooks each
of which has an associated community of interested users.
In order to ensure that the presence of an ibook is known to
those who would be interested in contributing to or viewing
the content of the ibook, ibooks preferably support various
functions for advertizing their presence to popular search
engine databases. Suitable search engines to which the ibook
can advertize its presence include Yahoo, Alta Vista, and
Lycos. One suitable way in which to advertise the presence of
an ibook is for ibook server application 56 (FIG. 3) to send
suitably formatted e-mail messages to the Web site manager
at the Web site address associated with the various search
engines. As shown in FIG.1, search engine server 36 contains
Web index 40. !book server application 64 or an ibook demon
78 may automatically extract hypertext markup language
(HTML) keyword information from the ibook Web pages
stored in ibook Web pages database 76 and/or the passage
characteristics for these Web pages stored in ibook passage
database 74 and submit this information for inclusion in Web
index 40. !book authoring tool84 preferably also presents the
contributor with queries for keywords during the authoring
process. This keyword information can also be submitted for
inclusion in Web index 40.
If desired, the ibook server associated with the ibook parent
organization can be used to support a comprehensive database. The ibook server application 64 of each existing ibook
can provide keyword and other ibook indexing information to
this database.
Certain aspects involved in using an ibook system to facilitate the creation of musical works are shown in FIG. 14. In
ibook system 272, a first composer at client 274 records a
high-fidelity track (track A) in the form of ibook passage 276
using ibook authoring tool 86. For example, the first composer may create a rhythm guitar track to form the basis of a
new song. Because high-fidelity audio requires a substantial
amount of memory to store, the first composer can create a
low-fidelity derivation of track A on server 278 as passage
280 and make this version available to other ibook contributors. Passage 280 is an alternate resolution derivation of passage 276 and has an associated derivation link 282. Attribution link 284 shows that passage 280 was derived from
passage 276.
The low-fidelity version of track A in passage 280 can be
viewed (listened to) by a second composer at client 286, who
can then add material, such as a vocal track. Low-fidelity
passage 280 contains less information than the corresponding
high-fidelity passage 278, so it is easier to provide passage
280 to client 286. The second composer may listen to the
contents of passage 280 in realtime over data network 288, or
a local copy of passage 280 can be downloaded onto client
286. Playback of low-fidelity track A may be accomplished
using navigation tool84. If desired, the second composer can
use authoring tool 86 to add a vocal track, while listening to
the rhythm guitar track of the first composer. A high-fidelity
version ofthe vocal track (track B) can be stored on client 286
in passage 290. Passage 290 is a collaboration derivation of
passage 280 and has an associated derivation link 294 and
attribution link 295. The second composer can create a lowfidelity version of track B on server 278 in passage 292.
Passage 292 is an alternate resolution derivation of passage
290 and has an associated derivation link 297 .Attribution link
296 shows that page 292 was derived from page 290.
Authoring tool 86 preferably supports the automatic generation of derivation and attribution information during the

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4. The method of claim 3, wherein the automatically
process of recording new tracks based on previously contribrewarding the contributors further comprises automatically
uted tracks. lbook navigation tool 84 allows users to listen to
multiple tracks in parallel, in the form of a song. Users can
making monetary distributions to the contributors.
select which tracks are played back and the mix of the track
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the derivation type is an
using tools such as drop down menu 196 and volume buttons 5 alternate version.
for each track. For example, the user can elect to hear only
6. The method of claim 4, wherein the derivation type is a
those tracks contributed by a certain composer. In addition,
commentary.
contributors can create songs by copying selected tracks and
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating derivations
editing them using authoring tool86.
comprises allowing a contributor of derivative material based
Server 278 maintains sufficient information concerning 10 on previously contributed material to enter a derivation type
original passages 276 and 290 to allow passages 276 and 290
to be associated with the derivative material.
to be copied to server 278 or any suitable location upon
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing
request. For example, server 278 may contain the URLs of
Web pages in the form of a plurality of passages and allowing
passages 276 and 290 in ibook databases such as passage
a contributor to enter passage characteristics associated with
database 74 and ibook Web pages database 76. If desired, the 15 each passage.
URLs of passages 276 and 290 can be used by navigation tool
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically
84 and authoring tool 86 to play back the high-fidelity vergenerating a derivation link from each previously contributed
sions of tracks A and B.
material to each of the derivations based on that previously
Although various information concerning the ibook pascontributed material, wherein the user navigates from the
sages, such as derivation linking information, derivation type 20 previously contributed material on which a given derivation is
information, passage characteristics, and attribution informabased to the given derivation using one of the derivation links.
tionhave been described as being stored in passage databases,
10. A method for managing interactive web books, coma suitable alternative is to store this information in the Web
prising:
pages that contain the passages or as a set of relations and
supporting a first interactive web book;
tables in a suitable relational database, or as a set of objects in 25
allowing a sponsor to replicate the first interactive web
an object database. Another suitable alternative is to use linkbook to create a second interactive web book;
ing technology, such as Object Linking and Embedding
allowing contributors to create derivations of material in
(OLE) or Component Object Model (COM) technology to
the interactive web book; and
represent the passages and their attribution and derivation
compensating contributors of the first interactive web book
30
relationships.
based on revenue derived from the second interactive
Various techniques may be used to represent the contents
web book and/or the derivations.
ofibook Web pages (e.g., the ibook Web pages in ibook Web
11. The method of claim 10, further comprising generating
pages database 76). For example, ibook Web pages may be
attribution information identifYing the contributors whose
represented by static data. Alternatively, ibook Web pages
may be represented by code that is capable of generating the 35 material is used to create the derivations.
12. The method of claim 11, further comprising automatiWeb page contents, e.g., code that generates the entries of a
cally rewarding the contributors based on the amount that
table or list. If desired, ibook Web pages on a given server or
their material is accessed by users and the attribution inforclient may be represented by a reference (e.g., a URL) to
mation.
material that is actually stored elsewhere in the data network.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the automatically
In addition, although the data network preferably supports 40
rewarding the contributors further comprises automatically
the HTML protocol that is commonly used to implement
making monetary distributions to the contributors.
World Wide Web communications (because the HTML for14. The method of claim 13, wherein the creating derivamat has the advantages of standardization, wide-use, and
tions comprises allowing a contributor of derivative material
sufficient capacity to implement the features of the ibook
system), other protocols may be used, such as one based on 45 based on previously contributed material to enter a derivation
type to be associated with the derivative material.
Vtrtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) or Structured
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the derivation type is
Generalized Markup Language (SGML) or any client-server
an alternate version.
transaction-based packet-switched protocol.
16. The method of claim 14, wherein the derivation type is
The foregoing is merely illustrative of the principles ofthis
invention and various modifications can be made by those so a commentary.
17. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing
skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of
Web pages in the form of a plurality of passages and allowing
the invention.
a contributor to enter passage characteristics associated with
What is claimed is:
each passage.
1. A method for managing interactive web books, compris18. The method of claim 10, further comprising automatically generating a derivation link from each previously conallowing a sponsor to set up an interactive web book;
tributed material to each of the derivations based on that
allowing contributors to contribute material to the interacpreviously contributed material, wherein the user navigates
tive web book;
from the previously contributed material on which a given
allowing contributors to create derivations of material in
the interactive web book; and compensating both the 60 derivation is based to the given derivation using one of the
derivation links.
sponsor and the contributors.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating
19. A computer-readable storage medium containing computer executable instructions for allowing a sponsor to set up
attribution information identifYing the contributors whose
an interactive web book, allowing a contributor to contribute
material is used to create the derivations.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising automatically 65 material to the interactive web book, allowing the contributor
to create a derivation of material in the interactive web book,
rewarding the contributors based on the amount that their
material is accessed by users and the attribution information.
and compensating both the sponsor and the contributor.

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US 7,447,748 B2
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20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19,
further comprising computer executable instructions for
automatically rewarding the contributor based on the amount
that their material is accessed by users and the attribution
information.
21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20,
wherein automatically rewarding the contributor further comprises automatically making monetary distributions to the
contributors.
22. A computer-readable storage medium containing computer executable instructions for managing interactive web
books, comprising computer executable instructions for supporting a first interactive web book, allowing a sponsor to
replicate the first interactive web book to create a second
interactive web book, allowing a contributor to create a derivation of material in the interactive web book, and compensating the contributor of the first interactive web book based
on revenue derived from the second interactive web book
and/or the derivation.
23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 22,
wherein the creating a derivation comprises allowing a contributor of derivative material based on previously contributed material to enter a derivation type to be associated with
the derivative material.
24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 23,
wherein the derivation type is an alternate version.
25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 23,
wherein the derivation type is a commentary.
26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 22,
further comprising providing Web pages in the form of a
plurality of passages and allowing a contributor to enter passage characteristics associated with each passage.
27. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 22,
further comprising automatically generating a derivation link
from each previously contributed material to each derivation
based on that previously contributed material, wherein the
user navigates from the previously contributed material on
which a given derivation is based to the given derivation using
one of the derivation links.
28. A system for managing interactive web books, comprising:
means for allowing a sponsor to set up an interactive web
book;
means for allowing a contributor to contribute material to
the interactive web book;
means for allowing the contributor to create a derivation of
material in the interactive web book; and
means for compensating both the sponsor and the contributor.

29. The system of claim 28, further comprising means for
generating attribution information identifYing the contributor
whose material is used to create the derivation.
30. The system of claim 29, further comprising means for
automatically rewarding the contributor based on the amount
that their material is accessed by users and the attribution
information.
31. The system of claim 30, wherein the means for automatically rewarding the contributor further comprises a
means for automatically making monetary distributions to the
contributor.
32. A system for managing interactive web books, comprising means for supporting a first interactive web book,
means for allowing a sponsor to replicate the first interactive
web book to create a second interactive web book, means for
allowing a contributor to create a derivation of material in the
interactive web book, and means for compensating the contributor of the first interactive web book based on revenue
derived from the second interactive web book and/or the
derivation.
33. The system of claim 32, wherein the means for creating
a derivation comprises means for allowing a contributor of
derivative material based on previously contributed material
to enter a derivation type to be associated with the derivative
material.
34. The system of claim 33, wherein the derivation type is
an alternate version.
35. The system of claim 33, wherein the derivation type is
a commentary.
36. The system of claim 32, further comprising means for
providing Web pages in the form of a plurality ofpassages and
allowing a contributor to enter passage characteristics associated with each passage.
37. A system comprising a server, at least one client linked
by a data network, and software configured to allow a sponsor
to set up an interactive web book, allow a contributor to
contribute material to the interactive web book, allow the
contributor to create a derivation of material in the interactive
web book, and compensate both the sponsor and the contributor.
38. A system, comprising a server, at least one client linked
by a data networlc, and software configured to support a first
interactive web book, allow a sponsor to replicate the first
interactive web book to create a second interactive web book,
allow a contributor to create a derivation of material in the
interactive web book, and compensate the contributor of the
first interactive web book based on revenue derived from the
second interactive web book and/or the derivation.

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UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION
PATENT NO.
APPLICATIONNO.
DATED
INVENTOR(S)

:7,447,748 B2
: 10/783711
:November 4, 2008
: Brian Reynolds et al.

Page 1 of 1

It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent is
hereby corrected as shown below:

Title page 2, in field (56), under "Other Publications", in column 2, line 18-19, below
"(1995)." delete ""Interactive .... (1991 ). ".
ln Sheet 5 of 14, FIG. 5, Ref. Num. 116, line I, delete "OBLIGATONS" and insert
--OBLIGATIONS --, therefor.
In Sheet 5 of 14, FIG. 5, Ref. Num. 124, line I, delete "OFEER" and insert
-- OFFER --, therefor.
ln column I, line 2, below "SYSTEM" insert-- CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED
APPLICATIONS--.
ln column 16, line 42, in Claim 14, delete "13" and insert-- 10 --,therefor.

Signed and Sealed this
Third Day of February, 2009

JOHN DOLL
Acting Director ofthe United States Patent and Trademark Office