THE COMPUTER-TO-HUMAN CONNECTION
A historical journey toward computers that sense, evaluate and respond personally to people.
Evidence Library
The FINALSTEP Evidence Library preserves selected public documentary material supporting the historical narrative presented throughout this archive. It brings together selected patent records, correspondence, technical material, research documents, commercial demonstrations, market information, litigation records and other source material associated with the development and later history of Richard Baker's personalised instructional architecture.
Purpose of the Evidence Library
FINALSTEP has been constructed so that historical commentary and documentary evidence remain distinguishable from one another. Sections 1 through 19 explain the history and significance of the events under examination. The Evidence Library allows readers to move beyond that commentary and examine selected underlying documents from which much of the historical record has been assembled.
The intention is not simply to describe what occurred. Wherever practical and appropriate for public release, FINALSTEP provides selected original material so that readers can examine correspondence, patent records, technical documents, demonstrations, court filings and other evidence for themselves.
How the Evidence is Organised
The documentary evidence has been organised around the same historical sequence used within Sections 1 through 19 of the main archive. Evidence relevant to a particular stage of the history is associated with the corresponding section wherever practical.
This approach allows readers to first understand the historical context and then examine the documents connected with that part of the story. It also avoids separating documents from the events, technologies, organisations and legal issues to which they relate.
Some documents may be relevant to more than one section. In those circumstances, the same underlying document may be referenced from different parts of the archive without changing the original evidence.
What the Public Evidence Library Contains
Patent and Patent Office Records
Patent specifications, applications, prosecution records, correspondence, citation records, notices, filing records and related documents concerning the Personalized Instructional Aid patent family and later personalised instructional developments.
Early Development and Correspondence
Documents recording the conception, investigation and early development of the system, including communications with patent advisers, universities, telecommunications specialists, technology organisations and other parties approached during the development period.
Research and Prototype Material
Technical and research material associated with the development of practical implementations, including work examining visual sensing, movement analysis, comparison with expert performance and automated personalised feedback.
Technology and Product Evidence
Material concerning later sensing and interactive technologies, including camera-based systems, movement tracking, motion sensing, consumer interactive systems and products relevant to the historical development examined within FINALSTEP.
Commercial and Market Material
Contemporary product information, demonstrations, sales material, market reports and other records showing the scale on which motion-based and personalised interactive systems entered consumer markets.
Notice and Patent Prosecution Material
Documents concerning efforts to bring Baker's earlier patent work to the attention of relevant parties, together with records associated with later patent prosecution including the Microsoft Gesture Coach prosecution history.
Litigation and Court Records
Pleadings, infringement contentions, court decisions, appeal material and other records arising from the later patent litigation. These documents preserve both the formal judicial outcomes and the positions advanced by Baker during the proceedings.
Video and Demonstration Material
Where preserved, video material provides a direct historical record of products, demonstrations, interviews and interactive systems discussed within the archive. These materials can be particularly useful when examining how sensing, evaluation and personalised audio-visual feedback operated in practice.
Evidence and Sections 1 through 19
The main archive is divided into 19 sections that follow the development of the personalised instructional architecture from its origins through technological development, commercial implementation, patent prosecution and litigation.
Evidence links contained within those sections provide the principal route into the selected public documentary archive. Readers interested in a particular event or issue should normally begin with the relevant section and follow the associated evidence links.
Original Documents and Historical Context
The Evidence Library includes documents created at different times and for different purposes. Some were produced during the original development of the technology. Others arose during later patent prosecution, commercial activity or litigation.
A document should therefore be considered in its historical context. The fact that a document is preserved within FINALSTEP does not mean that every statement contained within it is independently established as fact. Correspondence records what its author communicated. Litigation documents record positions advanced by parties. Court decisions record judicial findings and outcomes. Patent documents record the content and history of patent applications and granted rights.
FINALSTEP seeks to preserve those distinctions rather than combine different types of material into a single retrospective narrative.
Evidence, Commentary and Conclusions
The historical narrative presented by FINALSTEP reflects Richard Baker's account of the development of his personalised instructional architecture and the significance he attributes to later technological and legal events.
Where the archive discusses disputed matters, including patent infringement allegations or interpretations of later events, selected underlying documentary material is provided wherever practical and appropriate for public release so that the reader can distinguish Baker's position from established judicial findings and reach their own conclusions.
This separation between evidence and commentary is an important part of the archive. FINALSTEP is intended to preserve the historical record rather than require acceptance of any particular interpretation of it.
A Living Historical Record
The public Evidence Library represents the documentary material selected, cleared and organised for FINALSTEP Version 1.0. Additional original material may still exist within older archives, storage media and historical records.
Where significant additional evidence is recovered in the future, it may be added to the archive while preserving the existing historical structure and version record.
The objective is to maintain a durable documentary resource through which the development of adaptive personalised instructional technology can continue to be examined from its original records.
Version 1.0 - Evidence Library
Page updated: 14 September 2026