Michael J. Freeman

This article is about Dr. Michael J. Freeman, an American inventor. For other people of the same name, see Michael Freeman (disambiguation).
Michael J. Freeman
Born Michael James Freeman
1947 (age 68–69)
Alma mater City University of New York, Baruch College, City College of New York
Occupation Inventor, business and government consultant, educator, entrepreneur
Known for Trend analysis, ACTV Inc., 2-XL toy, Electronic Talk 'N Play, Kasey the Kinderbot, Touch tone phone menus development, Inventor, Philanthropist.

Michael J. Freeman (born in 1947 at Bronx, New York City, United States) is an American entrepreneur, trend consultant,[1] corporate CEO,[2] educator[3][4] and developments in smart toys.[5] He is a philanthropist and a collector.[6][7] He was a professor at three American universities.[8][9]

Freeman was the founder, chairman, and chief executive officer (CEO) of ACTV Inc., a Nasdaq publicly traded corporation.[10][11][12][13] ACTV had a Wall street capitalization of $2 billion [14][15] and was on the 2003 list one of the fastest growing technology companies.[16] He developed pioneering award winning educational products such as 2-XL,[17][18] Talk'N Play,[19][20] and Kasey the Kinderbot.[21] Freeman produced programming and licensed software to Disney, Hasbro, NBC, and others. He is a business and corporate consultant in trend analysis, developed core technology covering touch-tone phone branching, and in 2015 he allowed for the public display of his $8.5 million Astolat Dollhouse Castle for charity.[22][23][24][22][25]

Education

On rare public display at the Time-Warner Center in New York City 2015, from November 10th till December 4th for the exclusive purpose of raising money on behalf of children’s charities. Approximately 7,000 people per day attended not including special events.

Freeman received his bachelor's degree in Economics and Management from the City College of New York-Baruch in 1969. His MBA in Business Management and Economics followed in 1970 from Baruch College.[8] In 1977, he received his Ph.D. in Philosophy majoring in Behavior Sciences and specializing in mental adaptation techniques, from the City University of New York.[26][27]

Career

Freeman was a professor at Baruch College of the City University of New York.[8] at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and at Hofstra University in the Village of Hempstead, New York. He was a consultant to governments and business, and founded a publicly traded US corporation. He has numerous patents covering behavioral systems, interactive learning, smart toys, telephony.

TV Show Producer

Under the Tiger License, Freeman in conjunction with Marc Summers Productions produced a TV game show named Pick Your Brain.[28] Freeman did not voice the character. Within ACTV Inc. Freeman produced over 100 shows for the American, Canadian, and European markets. Via Hyper-TV Freeman produced approximately 50 distance learning shows.

Corporate and Government Consultant

During his career, Freeman consulted for many corporations and governments in trend analysis, mental adaptation techniques, technology, and programming. Freeman holds forty US Patents.

Developments

The world's first Telephone Branching Machine invented by Freeman in 1979.[29]

In 1960, at the age of 13, Freeman was awarded first prize in the Westinghouse Science Fair, now known as the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. He developed and demonstration rudimentary computer memory. He incorporated this into a robot machine which could be programmed to move to a destination and automatically rerun the cycles repeatedly as many times as requested.[30][31]

Leachim

In 1974, Freeman developed Leachim, a 6-ft, 200 pound robot teacher, which verbalized computer output. Leachim was tested in a fourth grade classroom in the Bronx New York and received publicity world-wide.[31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42]

Automated Phone Menus System

Leonard Nimoy giving Dr. Freeman the Vulcan nerve pinch in 1987

In 1984, Freeman pioneered telephone branching technology, the process where callers hear menu options provided by an automated telephone attendant. Callers may then respond to queries using their touch tone phones for call redirects.[43][44][45][46][47]

Cable Television and Hyper TV

In the early 1984, Freeman developed a form of interactive TV and a distance learning technology, that provided different broadcast content based on needs, selections, and interests of the user. He founded New York-based corporation ACTV. It became a publicly held Nasdaq listed Corporation on May 4, 1990. Freeman served as the company's CEO and President until 2001. Leonard Nimoy was the company spokesperson for a number of years.[48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58]

Educational (Smart) Toys

2-XL System

Main article: 2-XL
Left: The Mego 2XL Robot. Right: Michael Jordan appeared in the 2XL TV ads in 1992 to support a charity campaign with Dr. Freeman.

In 1975 Freeman developed the 2-XL educational toy system and licensed it to the Mego Corporation, a US based toy company.[58][59][60][61] Freeman voiced the initial programs and the product was soon expanded into six foreign languages, and sold world-wide.[62][63] The line was later expanded with games.[64][30][65][66][60][61]

In 1992, the toy was reintroduced by Tiger Electronics, an American toy company based in Vernon Hills, Illinois. Famous basketball player Michael Jordan and Freeman teamed up with 2-XL to raise charity money.[67][60][68][69][70][71][72][73]

Talk 'n Play (Electronic Talk'N Play)

Main article: Talk 'n Play

In 1984, Freeman developed Talk 'n Play which allowed children's TV characters to interact with the user. It was originally manufactured by CBS Toys within the Child Guidance brand.[74] Later in 1986, it was reintroduced by Hasbro Toys, a Pawtucket RI, American Toy company, under the Playskool brand. Sub-licenses for programming were awarded to Sesame Street (Children's Television Workshop) and The Walt Disney Company featuring characters such as Big Bird, Elmo, and Mickey Mouse.[75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82]

Kasey the Kinderbot
Main article: Kasey the Kinderbot

In 2002 Freeman developed Kasey the Kinderbot,[83] an educational toy learning system sold by Fisher-Price, a wholly owned division of the Mattel Corporation. Kasey taught forty different learning skills.[84][85][86][87][88][89][90][91] The line was expanded in 2004 with the introduction of two lower priced items. Kasey was reported as an important item in the balance sheet of Fisher-Price.[92][93][94][95][93][96][97][98][99][100][101]

References

  1. ↑ "World Future Society". Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  2. ↑ HARRIS, KATHRYN (7 June 1992). "MTV Whiz Jumps From Hyperactive to Interactive : Entertainment: The free-spirited John A. Lack must persuade cable firms to try the new hands-on TV technology.". Retrieved 11 November 2016 – via LA Times.
  3. ↑ University, Office of Web Communications, Cornell. "Cornell University - Search People". Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  4. ↑ http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/magazine/documents/BCAM-FW15-16.pdf
  5. ↑ Parker, Kevin (October 31, 2012). "Reversal Of Fortunes". Citybizlist Washington DC. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  6. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/17/arts/design/dollhouse-appraised-at-8-5-million-is-to-tour.html?_r=2
  7. ↑ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3207184/World-s-expensive-dollhouse-crafted-13-years-carpenters-goldsmiths-glassblowers-worth-8-5-MILLION-goes-display-time.html
  8. 1 2 3 "Michael J Freeman - Inventor". IPEXL. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  9. ↑ Dr. Michael Freeman on Larry King Live; Radio (14 September 2016). "Larry King Live, Radio 1978". Retrieved 11 November 2016 – via YouTube.
  10. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/15/technology/liberty-media-and-actv-in-web-tv-deal.html
  11. ↑ http://digitalcollections.library.cmu.edu/awweb/awarchive?type=file&item=501364
  12. ↑ "ACTV FINDS PARTNERS FOR U.S. TV TEST". Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  13. ↑ "California Viewers Getting the Chance to Direct Their Sportscasts". The New York Times. 17 April 1995. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  14. ↑ http://www.nasdaq.com/markets/spos/company/actv-inc-de-2652-25048
  15. ↑ https://www.valueinvestorsclub.com/idea/ACTV_Inc./686
  16. ↑ ohttp://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/deloitte--touche-to-announce-ranking-of-the-2003-new-york-technology-fast-50-71030537.htmlf
  17. ↑ "Remembering the First Smart Toy: 2-XL". Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  18. ↑ Jones, Jonathon (1 October 2016). "Toys, Games, and Action Figure Collectibles of the 1970s: Volume IV Star Wars to Zorro". Lulu Press, Inc. Retrieved 11 November 2016 – via Google Books.
  19. ↑ "Electronic Talk 'n Play". Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  20. ↑ "In The 80s - Toys of the Eighties, Talk 'n Play". Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  21. ↑ Inc., Toy Industry Association,. "2002 TOTY Winners". Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  22. 1 2 "Dollhouse Appraised at $8.5 Million Is to Tour". The New York Times. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  23. ↑ "Inside Astolat, the $8.5 Million Dollhouse". Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  24. ↑ "This Dollhouse Costs $8.5 Million. Let's Take a Tour". Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  25. ↑ Budin, Jeremiah (4 November 2015). "The World's Most Expensive Dollhouse Is Coming to New York, Will Probably Be Mistaken For a Regular Apartment". Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  26. ↑ ^ Schein, Edgar H. (1971). Coercive Persuasion: A Socio-Psychological Analysis of the "Brainwashing" of American Civilian Prisoners by the Chinese Communists. New York: W.W. Norton. ISBN 0-393-00613-1.
  27. ↑ "MAKING LEARNING FUN INVENTOR-INNOVATOR MICHAEL J. FREEMAN" (PDF). Baruch College. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  28. ↑ "Pick Your Brain". 27 October 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  29. ↑ "US Patent 4420656 A: Interactive telephone answering system". IFI CLAIMS Patent Services. Google Patents. December 13, 1983. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  30. 1 2 "Make-your-own cable heading to California". Times-Post News Service. Toledo, Ohio. Toledo Blade. March 21, 1995. p. 17. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  31. 1 2 Colligan, Douglas (July 30, 1979). "The Robots Are Coming". New York. New York Media, LLC. 12 (30): 40–44. ISSN 0028-7369.
  32. ↑ Grosswirth, Marvin (August 1974). "Leachim the teaching robot". Datamation. 20 (8): 64–67. ISSN 0011-6963.
  33. ↑ "A Brief History of Data Base Management". Datamation: 64. August 1974.
  34. ↑ Robot: Reel to Reel. Arco Publishers. 1982. ISBN 0-668-05139-6.
  35. ↑ "The Robot in Room 317 " Scholastic Magazine, (Dayton Ohio). May 9, 1974 Volume 44 Number 13 Cover Story and Page 5. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
  36. ↑ "You have selected B: Leachim". 2XL Robot. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  37. ↑ ???????????? (in Chinese). New Oriental. March 19, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  38. ↑ "Thresholds in Education: Issues 1979-1975". 18 July 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  39. ↑ Radolf, Andrew (June 1974). "The Robot Who Teaches in The Bronx". The PTA Magazine. 68 (10).
  40. ↑ Freeman, Michael J. (May 1975). "Advanced Verbal Computers in Education". Educational Technology. 15 (5): 58–60.
  41. ↑ Freitas, Robert A. Jr. "Xenology: An Introduction to the Scientific Study of Extraterrestrial Life, Intelligence and Civilization". Xenology Research Institute. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  42. ↑ "La Premiere Classe Du Robot-Professeur". Paris Match (in French). 1302 (4F): 76–77. April 20, 1974.
  43. ↑ Davis, Kristin (February 2003). "Your Call Is Important to Us". Kiplinger's Personal Finance. 57 (2): 76–79. ISSN 1528-9729.
  44. ↑ "US Patent 4320256 A: Verbally Interactive Telephone Interrogation System with Selectable Variable Decision Tree". IFI CLAIMS Patent Services. Google Patents. March 16, 1982. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  45. ↑ Jon, Anton. "Article : Empower Your Callers With Self-Service Speech Recognition". Contact Center World. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  46. ↑ "Verbally interactive telephone interrogation system with selectible variable decision tree". IFI CLAIMS Patent Services. Google Patents. March 16, 1982. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
  47. ↑ "Verbally interactive telephone interrogation system with selectible variable decision tree". Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  48. ↑ "ACTV planning for active TV viewing". Associated Press. Port Washington, New York. The Milwaukee Sentinel. May 22, 1984. p. 4. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  49. ↑ "New TV System Lets Viewers Set Newscast". Associated Press. Port Washington, New York. Waycross Journal-Herald. May 30, 1984. p. 4. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  50. ↑ "Entrepreneurs rush to join interactive TV revolution". Skenazy, Lenore. The Milwaukee Journal. May 9, 1989. pp. 1D, 3D. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  51. ↑ The Wall Street Journal, February 24, 2000 pR-2
  52. ↑ Yahoo Finance, 9/30/2003 P1
  53. ↑ "EDGAR Pro". Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  54. ↑ "Personalized TV". Associated Press. Port Washington, New York. The Daily Times. June 27, 1984. p. 7. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  55. ↑ Ruthenberg, Fred (May 23, 1984). "New TV System Lets You Create Own Programming". Associated Press. Ocala, Florida. Star-Banner. pp. 9E. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  56. ↑ Sandomir, Richard (April 17, 1995). "California Viewers Getting the Chance to Direct Their Sportscasts". The New York Times. pp. 1–2. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  57. 1 2 Mannes, George (September 1, 2001). "Almost Famous Interactive television company ACTV has been the next big thing in the entertainment field for 18 years. Here's how the startup has managed to keep the dream alive. Sort of.". Fortune Small Business. CNN. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  58. ↑ "The Year of the Turned-On Toys". Newsweek: 76. December 11, 1978.
  59. 1 2 3 Kaminski, Joseph (May 22, 2008). "Retro Tech: Mego's 2-XL". CNET. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  60. 1 2 "2-XL Electronic Game Console and Tape Player". The Strong. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  61. ↑ "Mego Museum Spotlight : John and Linda McNett". Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  62. ↑ Turner, Peter (November 1979). "New toys with minds of their own". Omni. 2 (2): 53.
  63. ↑ "2-XL". Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  64. ↑ "US Patent 4078316 A: Real Time Conversational Toy". IFI CLAIMS Patent Services. Google Patents. March 14, 1978. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  65. ↑ "2-XL: Learning To Think". Psychology Today. 13 (6): 93. November 1979.
  66. ↑ "You have selected B: Tiger 2-XL Type 3". 2XL Robot. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  67. ↑ "Tapes". 16 March 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  68. ↑ <http://2-xl.net/?page_id=171#International_Tapes
  69. ↑ "2-XL on TV". 2XL Robot. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  70. ↑ Adams, Mark R. "General Information of 2-XL". 2-XL. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  71. ↑ Adams, Mark R. "Types of 2-XL". 2-XL. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  72. ↑ "General Information". 12 March 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  73. ↑ "Electronic Talk 'n Play". Best of the 80s. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  74. ↑ "70 Years of Magic: Hasbro Toys Continue to Dazzle". The Free Library. February 4, 1993. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  75. ↑ "Talk 'n Play Learning System: Operating and Maintenance Instructions" (PDF) (PDF). Hasbro. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  76. ↑ Takiff, Jonathan (February 13, 1992). "Makers Let Their Toys Do The Talking". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  77. ↑ "Macy's Thanksgiving Parade: 1985 & 1986". X-Entertainment. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  78. ↑ "You have selected C: Other Robots by Dr. Freeman". 2XL Robot. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  79. ↑ "Daily Trivia: 10/9/12". Return to the 80s. October 9, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  80. ↑ "Hasbro, Inc. announces record results for fourth quarter and full year 1993". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. February 10, 1994. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  81. ↑ "electronic talk n play learning system - Google Search". Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  82. ↑ "Kasey the Kinderbot by Fisher Price - The Old Robots Web Site". Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  83. ↑ "Fisher-Price Reports Strong Retail Sales for Kasey the Kinderbot TM". Mattel. November 27, 2002. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  84. ↑ "Hot holiday toys disappearing fast". Associated Press. RecordNet. December 10, 2002. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  85. ↑ "Too few top toys". The Washington Times. December 11, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  86. ↑ Fabrizio, Richard (November 3, 2002). "Hot toys hit the shelves for holiday season". The Portsmouth Herald. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  87. ↑ "What Else: Kasey the Kinderbot". Language Technology World. December 11, 2002. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  88. ↑ "Kasey the robot has a lot to teach". The Washington Times. August 18, 2002. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  89. ↑ "Theatre: Kamala Kruszka - California State University, Bakersfield". Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  90. ↑ Kasey the Kinderbot's appearance on CNNfn. YouTube, Sune Nagusi. December 18, 2013.
  91. ↑ "Making Smart Choices on Electronic Learning". Scholastic. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  92. 1 2 Day, Sherri (November 27, 2002). "Learning Can Be Fun, At Least for the Makers Of Electronic Toys". New York Times. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  93. ↑ "The buzz". Progressive Business Media. September 1, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  94. ↑ Goldman, Abigail (December 23, 2003). "Big Battle For Young Minds: Fisher-price Poses Challenge To Leapfrog". Los Angeles Times. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  95. ↑ "Kasey The Kinderbot And Pals Toby And Fetch High On Santa's List This Christmas". Best Stuff. November 18, 2004. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  96. ↑ Sovocool, Carole (November 27, 2002). "Fun and Games". New York Post. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  97. ↑ Bowler, Mike (December 1, 2002). "Toys that teach haven't varied much over time". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  98. ↑ "Mattel and Fisher-Price Head Into the Holiday Season With Award-Winning Toys". PR Newswire. November 6, 2002. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  99. ↑ "Fisher-Price® Launches Major Learning Initiative with Shipment of Groundbreaking PowerTouchTM learning system". BestBooks. July 2003. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  100. ↑ "Fisher-Price Announces Two New Learning Platforms and Major Expansion of Existing Systems for 2004". Business Wire. February 9, 2004. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
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