Interactive book device

An interactive book system for allowing a reader to have interactions with a printed book, the interactions being determined according to a story depicted in the book and the interactions affecting an outcome of the story, the system comprising:

• a base unit having a plurality of switches assembled in an array and means for providing audio output of varying frequencies from audio signals;
• a book having a plurality of pages positioned to overlay the array of switches, at least some of the pages having indicia correspondingly arrayed to coordinate with specific switches of the array so that the reader can make a response to the story by activating a specific switch by interacting with the corresponding indicium;
• and
• control means for determining a sequence of switches according to the story and responsive to a specific sequence of activation of switches to enable a series of outputs associated with specific switches, the outputs including audio signals for the audio output means to output, the control means requiring the determined sequence of activations associated with the specific page before accepting activations associated with a subsequent page, the activations occurring in a predetermined sequence so that a subsequent switch in the sequence cannot be activated until an immediately prior switch in the sequence has been activated, and for determining the outcome of the story based upon the responses of the reader.

An interactive system for allowing a reader to have interactions with a story in a comic book, the interactions being determined according to a story depicted in the book and the interactions affecting an outcome of the story, the system comprising:

• a base unit comprising:
• a plurality of pressure sensitive switches assembled in an array on an upper surface of the base unit;
• a plurality of switches on the base unit for direct activation by the reader;
• a plurality of light emitting diodes disposed on the base unit and;
• a speaker for providing audio output of varying frequencies from an audio signal;
• a comic book having a plurality of pages, the comic book detachably connected to the base unit by clamping means and positioned to overlay the array of switches, at least some of the pages having indicia correspondingly arrayed to coordinate with specific switches of the array so that the reader can make a response to the story by activating a specific switch by exerting pressure on the corresponding indicium;
• and
• a microprocessor with a built-in program and data, the microprocessor and its program comprising:
• a routine for sequentially executing the built-in program step by step;
• a routine for detecting when one of the switches on the base unit has been activated;
• a routine for determining a location of the activated switch;
• a routine for comparing the location to the program to determine whether a specified switch, for that step, has been activated;
• a routine for performing an output as determined in the program step if the specified switch has been activated, the output including providing an audio signal to the speaker;
• a routine for advancing to the next program step when the specified switch has been activated so that the sequence of specified switches forces the reader to progress forward through the comic book;
• and
• a routine for introducing random variations at predetermined places in the story so as to alter the outcome of the story.

A method of providing interactive responses between a reader and a story presented in printed materials for maintaining proper synchronization between the responses so that the reader progresses in a predetermined direction through the materials, and for allowing the reader to alter an outcome of the story, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a surface divided into a plurality of locations and capable of producing signals which can be used for detecting physical interaction with said surface and for detecting at which location on said surface the physical interaction occurs;
• specifying which locations will produce a response upon physical interaction with said locations and specifying what the response will comprise;
• overlaying a first printed page of a book on the surface, the page presenting a Story and having at least one region delineated to accept reader interaction;
• using the surface to detect when and at what location the reader interacts with the first page;
• and
• producing a predetermined response to the interaction, said response including specifying which subsequent location will produce a response upon physical interaction with said location so that the reader must move in one direction through the pages of the book and so that the reader's response will affect the outcome of the story.