Cross-Media Educational And Entertainment System

Abstract

A cross-media education and entertainment system is provided. A first media includes a puzzle, the puzzle having a plurality of clues representative of an actual solution to be identified. A user enters a proposed solution into a second media, the second media capable of comparing the proposed solution to the actual solution. A prize is made available to the user when the proposed solution is substantially identical to the actual solution.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a puzzle, and in particular to a cross-media educational and entertainment system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Parents and teachers continually strive to combine entertainment and education to maintain the interest of children. For example, the use of puzzles for learning enhances cognitive ability while providing an entertaining and fun way to impart educational information to a target audience. Games and puzzles may also be used for educational purposes to enhance children's various skills. Games that focus on particular skills, such as reading, memory, and cognitive ability, provide a resourceful educational tool that is educational, entertaining and can be socializing for children of different ages. Conventional educational game devices are typically utilized in the home or other like environments, and are not adapted to be played during travel or when families are out-of-home.

[0003] During travel, parents often seek activities to occupy their children during the time it takes to reach a destination. In some instances, travel games are utilized to occupy the children. However, these games typically include a plurality of game pieces and/or a game board, and further may require more than one individual to play the game, both of which may make the game cumbersome to play. Alternatively, the games may be electronic entertainment devices for individual use, which limits interaction between parents and their children.

[0004] During the time it takes to reach a destination, parents may desire to encourage their children to engage in educational activities to pass the time. In some instances, the activities may involve learning information about the destination, for example, information of a geographical, historical or local interest nature. In order to engage the attention and interest of children, parents may also desire to offer motivation to their children in the form of a prize or reward for learning.

[0005] It is therefore desirable to provide parents with a system and method for providing educational content to their children while also providing a motivation for the children to complete activities, such as puzzles or games, that provide educational content.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Concordant and consistent with the present invention, an educational cross-media educational and entertainment system and method that incentivizes completion of educational activities has surprisingly been discovered.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, a puzzle is provided to a user in a first media. The puzzle may include a plurality of clues representative of an item to be identified. The user identifies the item using the clues to obtain a proposed solution. The proposed solution may comprise a portion of the identity of the item. The user tests the proposed solution against an actual solution by entering the proposed solution into a second media. If the proposed solution is correctly entered into the second media, the user may be entitled to a prize or incentive award delivered in the second media. Optionally, the prize or incentive may be delivered in a third media.

[0008] In one embodiment, a plurality of preliminary puzzles each requiring a discrete solution may be provided in a first media. A portion of each discrete solution may form all or a part of a secondary puzzle requiring a secondary puzzle solution. A solution to the secondary puzzle is entered by the user into a second media for access to a prize or an incentive award. In a further embodiment, the actual solution to the secondary puzzle may further comprise all or a portion of a final puzzle.

[0009] In another embodiment, the prize may comprise one of a game, a promotional item, a coupon, an additional clue, or the like. In another embodiment, the user may request additional information in the second media helpful to determine the one or more of the discrete solutions or the solution to the secondary or final puzzles.

[0010] In another embodiment, the user may be required to solve a plurality of puzzles, wherein the user obtains a proposed final solution comprising one of a code and a cipher, portions of the one of the code and the cipher obtained from the solutions of the plurality of puzzles. The proposed final solution is entered into a second media to test the proposed final solution against an actual final solution. Correctly obtaining the actual final solution entitles the user to delivery of a prize. The prize may comprise one of a game, a promotional item, a coupon, an additional clue, or the like, and may be delivered in the second media, or in a third media.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0011] The above, as well as other advantages of the present disclosure, will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment when considered in the light of the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0012] FIG. 1 is an illustration in a first media showing a picture puzzle, including one or more clues according to the present disclosure;

[0013] FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic flow chart of a method for cross-media puzzle solving, including obtaining a prize or a further puzzle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0014] FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic flow chart of a method for cross-media puzzle solving, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The following detailed description and appended drawings describe and illustrate various embodiments of the invention. The description and drawings serve to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any manner. In respect of the methods disclosed, the steps presented are exemplary in nature, and thus, the order of the steps is not necessary or critical.

[0016] An illustration 10 of the type shown in FIG. 1 is provided to a user, where the illustration contains a clue, a partial solution, or other puzzle for solving. As a non-limiting example, the illustration 10 may be targeted to a particular age group, or may be targeted to a particular demographic, such as to adolescent girls or boys. The illustration may be accompanied by one or more puzzles 12 intended to assist the user in finding a solution to the puzzle. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the puzzle 12 shown in the illustration 10 is a partial photograph of a larger feature representative of a place or thing. A first clue 14 may contain the answer in scrambled letters, or may include further clues 16, 18, 20 that provide information aimed at assisting the user in solving the puzzle 12 of illustration 10. It is understood that each puzzle 12 may contain more or fewer clues 14, 16, 18, 20, and it is further understood that a puzzle 12 may be comprised of one or more separate illustrations 10 wherein each illustration 10 includes one or more clues. Additionally, a plurality of blank spaces 22 may be included wherein each blank space represents a single letter of the anticipated solution 24.

[0017] According to the present disclosure, a user receives a first media containing one or more puzzles 12, as shown in FIG. 2 as step 30. In one embodiment, the one or more puzzles 12 may be combined as a first media containing multiple puzzles 12 but no solutions thereto. As non-limiting examples, a plurality of puzzles 12 may be combined as a paper book, an electronic book, a mobile application, a game or the like. The plurality of puzzles contained in the first media may be targeted at a specific age group, and may include a plurality of puzzles 12 directed at places or things within a specific city or locale. In step 32, the user decodes the clues 14, 16, 18, 20 or identifies an answer to a puzzle 12. In step 34, the user checks to see if the identified answer to the puzzle 12 is correct by using a second media. As a non-limiting examples, the second media may be a website, a text message, a twitter account, a mobile application, electronic mail or the like. The users' identified answer is correct, indicated by reference 36, or incorrect at reference 38. If incorrect, the user may enter a new answer to the puzzle 12 by repeating step 34. Alternatively, the user may request assistance or help at step 40. The assistance or help at step 40 may include additional clues 14, 16, 18, 20 or any other information to assist the user in identifying the correct answer to the puzzle 12. After receiving the assistance at step 40, the user continues to repeat step 34 until a correct solution 36 is provided by the user for puzzle 12. Once the correct solution 36 is provided by the user, the second media optionally provides access to one or more incentive awards, such as a prize or a game, at reference 42. As non-limiting examples, the prize may be another puzzle, a game, an application, a message, a voucher for an item, or any other type incentive award. It is understood that the prize may comprise an actual item, or may comprise a virtual item, or a combination of actual and virtual items. It is also understood that the prize may be delivered in the second media, or it may be delivered in a third media, such as mail or electronic delivery to a phone or an email account.

[0018] In a further embodiment shown with reference to FIG. 3, a plurality of puzzles 112a, 112b, 112c, 112d are combined in a first media 114. As non-limiting examples, the first media may include a paper book, an electronic book, a mobile application, a game or the like. It is understood that any number of puzzles 112 may be combined in the first media 114, as described below.

[0019] Each of the puzzles 112a, 112b, 112c, 112d requires a respective independent solution 136a, 136b, 136c, 136d that, when correctly entered into the second media 116, may merit an incentive award. Alternatively, each of the puzzles 112a, 112b, 112c, 112d may be considered a preliminary puzzle, each requiring respective discrete solutions 136a, 136b, 136c, 136d thereto. The resulting discrete solutions 136a, 136b, 136c, 136d may themselves comprise a secondary puzzle or cipher 140. As a non-limiting example, the plurality of discrete solutions 136a, 136b, 136c, 136d shown in FIG. 3 include highlighted letters 142 that are used to form the solution 144 to the secondary puzzle 140. It is understood that the discrete solutions 136a, 136b, 136c, 136d may be used in any manner to present a secondary puzzle 140 to the user, as, for example, a word scramble, a set of clues, or the like. The solution 144 to the secondary puzzle 140 may then be entered into the second media 116 to provide access to an incentive award, or the solution 144 to the secondary puzzle 140 may itself comprise all or a portion of a further intermediate puzzle that requires an ultimate solution 144 be entered into the second media to provide access to the incentive award or prize 146. In particular, the puzzles 112a, 112b, 112c, 112d and the secondary puzzles 140 may be combined in any number, manner or sequence to create a multi-step puzzle having a plurality of solutions required to identify the ultimate solution 144 for entry into the second media to provide access to the prize 146. The puzzles 112a, 112b, 112c, 112d may therefore be arranged to accommodate any age or experience level.

[0020] If the user encounters difficulty in deriving a solution to the puzzles 112a, 112b, 112c, 112d, the user may go to the second media 116 for help, indicated by button 150 in FIG. 3. Advertising 152 may also be present in the second media as desired. Thus, for each preliminary puzzle 112a, 112b, 112c, 112d, the user is encouraged to go across media for help 150; solutions 136a, 136b, 136c, 136d to the preliminary puzzles 112a, 112b, 112c, 112d; prize 146 validation and delivery; possible secondary puzzles 140; and advertising or cross-promotional items 152 may be available.

[0021] While certain representative embodiments and details have been shown for purposes of illustrating the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure, which is further described in the following appended claims.

Claims

1. A cross-media education and entertainment system, comprising: a first media having a puzzle, the puzzle having a plurality of clues representative of an actual solution to be identified; a second media into which a user enters a proposed solution, the second media capable of comparing the proposed solution to the actual solution; and a prize made available to the user when the proposed solution is substantially identical to the actual solution.

2. The cross-media education and entertainment system of claim 1, wherein the prize is delivered in the second media.

3. The cross-media education and entertainment system of claim 1, wherein the prize is delivered in a third media.

4. The cross-media education and entertainment system of claim 1, wherein the prize is one of a game, a promotional item, a coupon, a second puzzle, and a clue.

5. The cross-media education and entertainment system of claim 1, wherein the first media is one of a paper book, an electronic book, a mobile application, and a game.

6. The cross-media education and entertainment system of claim 1, wherein the second media is one of a website, a text message, a twitter account, a mobile application, and electronic mail.

7. The cross-media education and entertainment method of claim 1, wherein the second media further includes at least one advertisement.

8. A cross-media education and entertainment system, comprising: a first media having a plurality of preliminary puzzles, each preliminary puzzle respectively having plurality of clues representative of an actual solution thereto; a second media into which a user enters a proposed solution for each respective preliminary puzzle, the second media capable of comparing the proposed solution for each respective puzzle to the actual solution thereof; and a first prize made available to the user when the proposed solutions for each respective preliminary puzzle entered into the second media is substantially identical to the actual solution thereto.

9. The cross-media education and entertainment system of claim 8, wherein a portion of each preliminary puzzle actual solution comprises at least a portion of a secondary puzzle, the secondary puzzle requiring an actual secondary solution.

10. The cross-media education and entertainment system of claim 9, wherein the second media is further capable of comparing a proposed secondary solution provided by a user to the actual secondary solution, wherein a second prize is made available to the user when the proposed secondary solution is substantially identical to the actual secondary solution.

11. The cross-media education and entertainment system of claim 10, wherein the secondary puzzle is a final puzzle.

12. The cross-media education and entertainment system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the first prize and the second prize is delivered in a third media.

13. The cross-media education and entertainment system of claim 12, wherein at least one of the first prize and the second prize is one of a game, a promotional item, a coupon, a second puzzle, and a clue.

14. The cross-media education and entertainment system of claim 8, wherein the first media is one of a paper book, an electronic book, a mobile application, and a game.

15. The cross-media education and entertainment system of claim 8, wherein the second media is one of a website, a text message, a twitter account, a mobile application, and electronic mail.

16. The cross-media education and entertainment method of claim 8, wherein the second media further includes at least one advertisement.

17. A cross-media education and entertainment method, comprising the steps of: providing a puzzle to a user in a first media, the puzzle having a plurality of clues representative of an actual solution to be identified; requiring the user to enter a proposed solution into a second media; comparing the proposed solution against the actual solution in the second media; and providing a prize to the user when the proposed solution is identical to the actual solution.

18. The cross-media education and entertainment method of claim 8, wherein the prize is delivered in one of the second media and a third media.

19. The cross-media education and entertainment method of claim 8, wherein the prize is one of a game, a promotional item, a coupon, a second puzzle, and a clue.

20. The cross-media education and entertainment method of claim 8, wherein the first media is one of a paper book, an electronic book, a mobile application, and a game, and wherein the second media is one of a website, a text message, a twitter account, a mobile application, and electronic mail.