ONLINE MUSIC WORKSHOP AND METHOD FOR IMPLEMENTING THE SAME

• US 20110016057A1
• Filed: 07/15/2010
• Published: 01/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The Intune, LLC
• Original Assignee: The Intune, LLC
• Inventors: Halpern, Matthew Jeremy
• Application Number:
  US12/836,680
• Publication Number:
  US 20110016057A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/326
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/205 Education administration or guidance

Abstract

An online music workshop and method of implementing the same. A server device maintains a lessons calendar for an instructor. The lessons calendar may be generated by the server device from availability data relating to the instructor. The lessons calendar identifies blocks of time as available or unavailable. The server device receives a selection from a user of a user access device for an available block of time of the instructor. The server device may determine whether to schedule the selection for the user based on rules associated with the instructor. The server device may construct a unique identifier from the lesson information for use in billing a user for a lesson.

Claims

1. A system for providing lessons over a network comprising:

a network;

a user access device connected to the network;

a server device connected to the network, wherein the server device comprises a processor configured with instructions that cause the server device to perform operations comprising;

receiving availability data relating to an instructor;

maintaining a lessons calendar for the instructor using the availability data, wherein the lessons calendar identifies blocks of time as available or unavailable;

receiving a selection from a user of the user access device for an available block of time of the instructor;

receiving lesson information;

generating a unique identifier from the lesson information; and

sending the unique identifier to a billing system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructor provides instruction in a subject selected from the group consisting of playing an instrument, music theory, music history, song writing, lyric writing, poetry writing, and music business management.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a rules datastore, wherein the rules datastore comprises rules established for the instructor, and wherein the processor is further configured with instructions that cause the server device to perform operations comprising:

accessing the instructor rules in the rules datastore;

applying the rule to the selection of the available block of time;

determining whether the selection of the available block of time complies with the instructor rules; and

associating the selected block of time with the user and identifying the selected block of time as unavailable when the selection of the available block of time complies with the instructor rules.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the rule establishes conditions selected from the group consisting of a minimum duration of a lesson, a minimum and maximum period of time between a selected lesson start time and a preceding block of time that is unscheduled.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the rule establishes conditions selected from the group consisting of a skill level of the user wherein the processor is further configured with instructions that cause the server device to perform operations comprising acquiring information about the skill level of a user of the user access device.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured with instructions that cause the server device to perform operations comprising sending a communication to the user access device when the selection of the available block of time does not comply with the instructor rules, wherein the communication provides one or more reasons why the selection of the available block of time does not comply with the instructor rules.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured with instructions that cause the server device to perform operations comprising receiving a revised selection from the user of the user access device.

8. The system of claim 3, wherein the instructor rule comprises a price for the selected block of time and wherein determining whether the selection of the available block of time complies with the instructor rules comprises receiving payment of the price from the user.

9. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured with instructions that cause the server device to perform operations comprising notifying the instructor when the selected block of time is unavailable.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the notification is provided in a form selected from the group consisting of an e-mail, a text message, an audio message and an update to a web page.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises an instructor access device and wherein the processor is further configured with instructions that cause the server device to perform operations comprising establishing a session with a sessions server to form a video and audio link between the user access device and the instructor access device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the lesson information comprises an instructor name and a time and date of the selected block of time.

13. A method for providing lessons over a network comprising:

a server device receiving availability data relating to an instructor;

the server device maintaining a lessons calendar for the instructor using the availability data, wherein the lessons calendar identifies blocks of time as available or unavailable;

the server device receiving a selection from a user of a user access device for an available block of time of the instructor;

the server device receiving lesson information;

the server device generating a unique identifier from the lessons information; and

the server device sending the unique identifier to a billing system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the instructor provides instruction in a subject selected from the group consisting of playing an instrument, music theory, music history, song writing, lyric writing, poetry writing, and music business management.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

the server device accessing an instructor rule in a rules datastore;

the server device applying the rule to the selection of the available block of time;

the server device determining whether the selection of the available block of time complies with the instructor rules; and

the server device associating the selected block of time with the user and identifying the selected block of time as unavailable when the selection of the available block of time complies with the instructor rules.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the rule establishes conditions selected from the group consisting of a minimum duration of a lesson, a minimum and maximum period of time between a selected lesson start time and a preceding block of time that is unscheduled.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the rule establishes conditions selected from the group consisting of a skill level of the user and wherein the method further comprises the server device acquiring information about a user of the user access device to assess the skill level of the user.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising the server device sending a communication to the user access device when the selection of the available block of time does not comply with the instructor rules, wherein the communication provides one or more reasons why the selection of the available block of time does not comply with the instructor rules.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising receiving a revised selection from the user of the user access device.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the instructor rule comprises a price for the selected block of time and wherein determining whether the selection of the available block of time complies with the instructor rules comprises receiving payment of the price from the user.

21. The method of claim 15 further comprising notifying the instructor when the selected block of time is unavailable.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the notification is provided in a form selected from the group consisting of an e-mail, a text message, an audio message and an update to a web page.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises establishing a session with a sessions server to form a video and audio link between the user access device and an instructor access device.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein the lesson information comprises an instructor name and a time and date of the selected block of time.