METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING WEB BASED INTERACTIVE LESSONS WITH IMPROVED SESSION PLAYBACK

• US 20100081116A1
• Filed: 09/29/2009
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interactive Sports Direct Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Interactive Sports Direct Incorporated
• Inventors: BARASCH, MICHAEL A., Haurus, Nicholas J., Auerbach, Philip M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,613,620 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/252
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0012 Comparing movements or motion sequences with a registered reference
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/806 Video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/20 with means for remote communication, e.g. internet or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0003 Analysing the course of a movement or motion sequences during an exercise or trainings sequence, e.g. swing for golf or tennis
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/36 for golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3629 Visual means not attached to the body for aligning, positioning the trainee's head or for detecting head movement, e.g. by parallax
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0038 Sports
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/06 with both visual and audible presentation of the material to be studied

Abstract

The system and method of the present invention provides for realistic, live on live with webcams, interactive, golf lessons from a golf professional who is located at a distance from the golfer. The lesson experience is enhanced by providing tools to the professional for annotating the lesson both verbally and visually, as well as by providing for the recording of the lesson and later playback of same, with enhanced synchronization of audio/visual data streams.

Claims

1. A method for a web-based, live, interactive, lesson session between a golfer and a golf professional located at a distance from the golfer, comprising:

receiving and retrievably storing, in an online locker, a golfer video uploaded by the golfer, the video containing a golf swing of the golfer;

establishing and maintaining audio/visual communication during the lesson session between the golf professional and the golfer;

recording at least a portion of the audio/visual communication during the lesson session between the golf professional and the golfer;

granting the golfer and the golf professional access to the golfer video during the lesson session;

providing the golfer video for display to the golfer and the golf professional during the lesson session;

granting the golf professional access to a library of selectable videos;

providing the golfer video and a selected library video selected by the golf professional from the library simultaneously to the golfer and the golf professional for display during the lesson session;

allowing annotation during the lesson session, by the golf professional, of at least one of the golfer video and the selected library video;

allowing a text comment provided by the golf professional during the lesson session;

retrievably storing the recorded audio/visual communication recording, comprising a plurality of media files and a voice over Internet protocol file, the records of the annotated golfer video, the annotated selected library video, and the text comment, in the locker; and

providing the stored audio/visual communication recording for play back to the golfer.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising allowing the golfer to request a particular golf professional.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the golfer records the golf swing using a hand held device and uses the hand held device to directly upload the golfer video to the web.

4. The method in accordance with claim 3, further comprising the handheld device is a cell phone.

5. The method in accordance with claim 3, further comprising the handheld device is a personal digital assistant.

6. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the golfer shares information and the stored audio/visual communication recording with others.

7. The method in accordance with claim 6, further comprising the shared information and the stored audio/visual communication recording are provided to the golfer and the others by handheld devices.

8. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein annotating the at least one of the golfer video and selected library videos includes using drawing controls which allow the golf professional to use the mouse or input device to draw vector graphics that appear over the golfer video and the selected library video and same are displayed in split screen fashion, the drawing controls comprise a freehand draw control, a straight line draw control, a rectangle draw control, a circle draw control, an eraser draw control, and a split screen control.

9. The method in accordance with claim 8, further including recording wherein, the drawn vector graphics are recorded and saved to the communication server as a position of the mouse or input device only at regular intervals and discarding interim values of the position of the mouse.

10. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the method of recording at least a portion of the audio/visual communication during the lesson session comprises:

creating a lesson file that identifies each media file used in or created during the lesson session, and the time in the lesson at which each media item was played, paused, rewound, or skipped to a particular position, and retrievably storing in said lesson file;

commands that manage each event that occurred during the lesson session, wherein the lesson file comprises;

movements of the mouse or other input device;

pre-existing video files;

a reference to a record of the audio conversation;

a reference to a record of the webcam digital streams from the golfer and the golf professional;

text data displayed during the session;

still images displayed during the session;

retrievably storing a record of the audio conversation conducted via voice over Internet protocol telephony; and

retrievably storing webcam digital streams from the golfer and the golf professional.

11. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein providing the stored audio/visual communication recording for play back to the golfer comprises:

a web browser requests and receives a session key, and an interface page that includes playback executable code;

the web server verifies that the user is permitted access to the requested session and returns a session data file;

a data analysis module analyzes the session data file to identify media files for the session;

a media request/receive module sends requests to appropriate servers for download to a user computer of the identified media files, including a voice over Internet protocol file;

a playback control graphics module is activated and the user begins the session playback by clicking on a master play icon on a user'"'"'s computer screen;

a synch interval timer module is activated and initialized with a time for resynchronization of session playback;

a resynch controller module is activated and initialized;

the synch interval timer module retrieves the current date and time from a local master clock and saves it as an initial playback time;

the resynch controller module then directs the resynchronization of the session playback;

the command manager module executes the commands from the session data file;

the voice over Internet protocol player module plays the voice over Internet protocol file; and

the resynch controller module performs periodic resynchronizations, at the direction of the synch interval timer module, of the media files played by the command manager module and the voice over Internet protocol file played by the voice over Internet protocol player module.

12. A system for a web-based, live, interactive, lesson session between a golfer and a golf professional, located at a distance from the golfer, comprising:

means for receiving and retrievably storing, in an online locker, a golfer video uploaded by the golfer, the video containing a golf swing of the golfer;

means for establishing and maintaining audio/visual communication during the lesson session between the golf professional and the golfer;

means for recording at least a portion of the audio/visual communication during the lesson session between the golf professional and the golfer;

means for granting the golfer and the golf professional access to the golfer video during the lesson session;

means for providing the golfer video for display to the golfer and the golf professional during the lesson session;

means for granting the golf professional access to a library of selectable videos;

means for providing the golfer video and a library video selected by the golf professional simultaneously to the golfer and the golf professional for display during the lesson session;

means for allowing annotation during the lesson session, by the golf professional, of the golfer video and the selected library video;

means for recording the annotated golfer video and the selected library video during the lesson session;

means for recording a text comment provided by the golf professional during the lesson session;

means for retrievably storing the audio/visual communication recording, comprising the records of the annotated golfer video, the annotated selected library video, and the text comment, in the locker; and

means for providing the stored audio/visual communication recording for play back to the golfer.

13. An Internet based system for connecting people, located a distance apart, for a real-time interactive instructional session concerning the physical movement of at least one of the people, comprising:

one or more servers, connected to the Internet, for establishing and managing a web-based, live, interactive session between a person and a professional person located at a distance from the person, providing for display of a physical movement of the person, analysis, annotation and comment upon the physical movement by the professional, and retrievably storing at least a part of the session, said servers including;

a web server, connected to a database and to the Internet, for managing the session;

a communication server, connected to a file system and to the Internet, for managing the transfer of digital information among the person and the professional during said session; and

a phone server, connected to a file system and to the Internet, for listening for incoming connections from each of the person'"'"'s and professional'"'"'s voice over Internet protocol telephone and, during said session, for receiving and managing voice over Internet protocol data.

14. The system in accordance with claim 13 further comprising a voice over Internet protocol gateway connected to the Internet.

15. The system in accordance with claim 13 wherein the people are a golfer and a golf professional, and the physical movement is a golf swing by the golfer.

16. The system in accordance with claim 13 wherein the one or more servers is a central server whose functionality is logically partitioned as comprising:

the web server;

the communication server; and

the phone server.

17. A playback system, operating under a web browser, for playback of at least part of a real-time interactive audio/visual communication session, comprising:

a playback request module for sending a request to a web server requesting playback of the session, in response the web server returns a data session file;

a data analysis module for analyzing the returned session data file to identify media files and voice over internet protocol files needed for the session;

a media/request receive command manager module for sending requests to appropriate servers for download of the identified media files;

a synch interval timer module for determining when it is time to resynchronize at least one playback media file and a voice over Internet protocol file as they are playing and for keeping track of the time since the last resynchronization;

a resynch controller for resynchronizing the playback media file and the voice over Internet protocol file; and

media player modules, comprising at least a VOIP player module and one other media player module.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the media player modules further comprise:

a video player;

a drawing player; and

a webcam playback player.

19. A method for playback of all or part of a real-time interactive communication session comprising:

a user requests a session playback through a web browser;

the web browser requests and receives a session key and an interface page that includes playback executable code;

the web server verifies that the user is permitted access to the requested session and returns a session data file;

a data analysis module analyzes the session data file to identify media files for the session;

a media request/receive module sends requests to appropriate servers for download to a user computer of the identified media files, including a VOIP file;

a playback control graphics module is activated and the user begins the session playback by clicking on a master play icon on a user'"'"'s computer screen;

a synch interval timer module is activated and initialized with a time for resynchronization of session playback;

a resynch controller module is activated and initialized;

the a synch interval timer module retrieves the current date and time from a local master clock and saves it as an initial playback time;

the resynch controller module then activates a command manager module and a VOIP player module;

the command manager module executes the commands from the session data file;

the VOIP player module plays the VOIP file; and

the resynch controller module performs periodic resynchronizations, at the direction of the synch interval timer module, of the media files played by the command manager module and the VOIP file played by the VOIP player module.

20. A method of establishing a real-time interactive audio/visual communication session between an instructor and a subscriber by providing data representing real-time interactive instructions to a subscriber station and an instructor station, the method comprising the activities of:

receiving data from the subscriber comprising a video showing the physical movement of the subscriber for which instruction is desired;

receiving a message including data representing a request for instruction from the subscriber;

providing an alert message to the instructor alerting the instructor to the received request;

receiving data comprising a response from the instructor to the request from the subscriber;

forwarding the received response data to the subscriber station via said communication interface;

establishing the real-time interactive audio/visual communication session between the instructor station and the subscriber station;

receiving during the session further data from and transmitting data representing instruction on the physical movement of the subscriber to the subscriber station, including data representing marks placed on the video by the instructor during the session and text comments made by the instructor during the session to illustrate points being made by the instructor during the session; and

storing at least a portion of the data sent and received at a central database, including data representing the marks place on the video and the text comments, said stored data being accessible by the subscriber after the session.