AU2004100316A4

AU2004100316A4 - Method of creating a digital yearbook

Info

Publication number: AU2004100316A4
Application number: AU2004100316A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Peter Maynard
Original assignee: YEARDISK INTERNAT Pty Ltd
Current assignee: YEARDISK INTERNATIONAL Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2003-05-02
Filing date: 2004-04-30
Publication date: 2004-05-27
Anticipated expiration: 2012-04-30

Description

P/00/012 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT invention Title: "METHOD OF CREATING A DIGITAL YEARBOOK" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: 2

TITLE

"A METHOD OF CREATING A DIGITAL YEARBOOK" FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to publishing digital multimedia content.

In particular, this invention relates to a method of collecting, arranging and publishing multimedia files to create a digital yearbook for schools, sporting clubs and the like, BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Traditionally, year books have been published as hard copy books by a professional publishing house. The content is compiled by hand by a committee of students and is delivered to the publishing house for production. This is an extremely time consuming process often involving a number of iterations between the school and the publisher to ensure that the yearbook is correct. The final say regarding the presentation of the content often rests with the publishing house due to the physical limitations of the printing equipment.

Furthermore, the production of the yearbooks can often be a very expensive process for schools with a small number of students, or small level of funding. Some schools may simply not be able to afford to produce a professional yearbook.

The process of producing a yearbook should also be a productive learning experience for school children. The student should be able to take away skills that are readily transferable to the modern work place. The development of a paper yearbook by the student leaves the students with limited employable skills.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The object of the invention is to overcome or at least alleviate one or more of the above problems and/or provide the consumer with a useful or commercial choice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one form, although it need not be the only or indeed the broadest form, the invention resides in a method of creating a digital yearbook including the steps of: collecting digital content; developing relationships between said digital content; compiling a content file containing the digital content and the relationships; sending the content file to a third party; decompiling said digital content and said relationships from the content file and creating an executable version of a digital yearbook by said third party; and performing one or more iterations of replicating and transferring said executable version of the digital year book to a portable digital media device by said third party.

The method may further include the steps of compressing and encrypting the content file.

Optionally, the method may further include the step of previewing the digital content and the relationships prior to compiling said content file.

4 Additionally, the method also has a strong educational aspect wherein software that supports the method has embedded learning aides. These aides explain many fundamental aspects of digital content compilation and also provide valuable insight into the mechanics of the software tools that are used.

Preferably, said digital content may include multimedia content such as digital movies, digital images, interactive multimedia, digital presentations, sound recordings, website links, graphics, text or the like.

Preferably, said encrypted digital content and encrypted relationships between the digital content may be transferred to a portable digital media device and supplied to said third party.

Optionally, said encrypted digital content and encrypted relationships between the digital content may be supplied to said third party by means of a digital network such as the Internet.

Said digital media devices may include CD's, DVD's, Optical Disks, High Density Storage devices, ZIP disks, ORB disks or the like.

Optionally, said method may be applied to projects that are undertaken over a time period that is not equal to a year.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order that the invention may be more fully understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:- FIG. 1 shows a flow chart of a method employed to produce a digital yearbook according to one embodiment of the current invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIG 1 shows a flowchart of a method employed to produce a digital yearbook according to one embodiment of the current invention. For the purposes of this discussion, the method will be discussed as a method of producing a digital school yearbook. It is apparent that this method may be applied to the production of a digital yearbook for any organisation such as schools, sporting clubs, businesses and the like. Furthermore, the method of the present invention is not limited to an annual project and may be applied to projects such as business reports or school projects that have a time span that is not equal to a year.

The method is put into effect by a third party that provides the school with a proprietary software package developed to support the method of the current invention. The method allows the school to collect and create digital content, to develop relationships between this content and to compress and encrypt the collected content and the developed relationships between the content for transferral of this'data to the third party. The software package provides the school with all the necessary tools to be able to accomplish the above tasks.

For example, students are able to capture digital video footage, using a digital video camera, and download the footage recorded to be stored for use in the digital yearbook. The method supports the appropriate communication protocols to interact with a range of different ports including fire wire and USB, among other protocols, to effect the transfer of the digital

MMMM

video footage to the software application. Additionally, the footage can be saved to disk and imported to the package by this means.

The method allows the students to edit the captured footage from within the software package and then to convert the digital footage to a compressed format for display. The edited digital footage is converted to standard movie format for display.

Other forms of digital multimedia content may also be imported including Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Publisher, Portable Document File Format PDF, JPEG, TIFF, GIF and Macromedia Flash files among other file formats including sound formats such as WAV.

Relationships between the content that has been imported to the package are developed and stored. For example, a photo of a person and a description of their interests and activities while at the school can be linked to a short digital video of that person. The software package provides a relational database that facilitates and stores the developed relationship between the content. The method, supported by the software package, also has the ability to allow the students to structure the content in a logical format that is tailored to the needs of the school.

The software package has a series of interface templates that help the students to structure the content and also has a series of customisable buttons that can be inserted within a template that can link to other multimedia files or to other menus. The students are able to create their own interface templates from a selection of backgrounds, buttons, title banner and fonts that are present in the database. Furthermore, the students can 7 develop their own menu structure and apply this menu structure to the interface templates that the students have created.

Throughout the process described above, the method provides explanations regarding the mechanics of the software operating within the program. This is facilitated by means of sound files, movies and text screens among other types of prompts.

Once all the content has been imported and a structure for the content has been developed by the students, the data is sent to the third party. This process is supported by a tool that encrypts the multimedia content and the structure of the content. This involves compiling all the separate content files, the interface graphics files and a database that supports the relationships between the content files and the interface files into a single, encrypted file. This file is then encrypted so that only the third party may be able to decrypt the file to view and duplicate the data. Optionally, the compiled file is compressed prior to being encrypted.

The encrypted data is then saved to a CD or similar digital media device such as a DVD, a ZIP disk or the like and sent to the third party.

Optionally, the data may be transferred to the third party by means of a digital network such as the Internet.

For example, the software package that supports the method of the present invention may provide a pack and send function that is initiated by the students when the students have finished importing the multimedia content, design layout elements and developing the relationships between this content. The students may have imported 500 files of textual description, 3 movie files and 20 graphics files. The pack and send function will package the content files, along with the database file containing the relationships between this content, into one single source file and encrypt this file. The file can then be sent to the third party as outlined above. The students also have the option of previewing the digital content and the relationships between the content prior to initiating the pack and send function.

Upon receipt of the data from the school, the third party decrypts the file and, if necessary, decompresses the data. The third party then compiles the content and the relationships between the content and produces an executable version of a digital yearbook based on the data collected and developed by the students. The executable digital yearbook is a stand-alone application that can be run like a normal application without the need for proprietary software.

The third party duplicates this executable file to the number of CDs required by the school and returns these CDs to the school for distribution.

Any portable digital media device can be used to package the executable digital yearbook including CD's, DVD's, Optical Disks, High Density Storage devices, ZIP disks, ORB disks or the like. Furthermore, it should be noted that any operating system can be selected as the target operating system for the executable yearbook including Windows, Macintosh, Linux, UNIX and the like.

The third party may also produce packaging for the CD such that pamphlets and covers are included within the CD case. These pamphlets may contain information that is present in traditional paper yearbooks such as space for well wishes and signatures from school friends. Hence the digital yearbook produced as part of this method augments an existing paper based yearbook.

The method of the current invention provides for the production of a digital school yearbook that is cost efficient for the school. Rather than employing a professional printing company to construct the layout for the content and to print the desired number of yearbooks, schools are able to have full control over the layout, presentation and content of the yearbook without having to go through a series of iterations with the printers.

Furthermore, the digital yearbook produced as a result of the method of the current invention provides a yearbook that is interactive and has multimedia content that provides the students with a more memorable yearbook in which they will be able to see and hear their friends from their schooldays. In contrast with a traditional paper yearbook the digital yearbook provides a far superior product.

Additionally, the method provided in the current invention is also intended as an educational tool for students. Throughout the production of the digital yearbook the software introduces many fundamental multimedia concepts to the students regarding the mechanics of the software application without compromising the final product. The skills acquired by the students during the yearbook project are highly transferable to the workplace.

Students developing a traditional paper yearbook would not have acquired these skills.

Throughout this specification the aim has been to describe the preferred embodiments of the invention without limiting the invention to any one embodiment or specific collection of features. Other embodiments of the current invention are possible that do not depart from the pith and marrow of the invention as described herein.

Claims

1. A method of creating a digital yearbook including the steps of: collecting digital content: developing relationships between said digital content: compiling a content file containing said digital content and said relationships between said digital content; communicating said content file to a third party said third party decompiling from said content file said digital content and said relationships between said digital content; creating an executable version of a digital yearbook; and said third party performing one or more iterations of: replicating said executable version of said digital yearbook; and storing said executable version of said digital yearbook on a digital media device.

2. The method of creating a digital yearbook of claim 1, wherein said method further includes the step of encrypting said content file prior to communicating said content file to said third party.

3. The method of creating a digital yearbook of claim 1, wherein said method further includes the step of compressing said content file prior to communicating said content file to said third party. 12

4. A method of creating a digital yearbook of claim 1, wherein said method further includes the step of previewing the digital content and the relationships between the digital content prior to compiling said content file.

5. A method of creating a digital yearbook as described herein with reference to the accompanying figures. Dated this 3 0 th day of April, 2004 YEARDISK INTERNATIONAL PTY LTD By their Patent Attorneys FISHER ADAMS KELLY