SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PARENTS' CONNECTION AND COMMUNICATION PLATFORM

• US 20140222918A1
• Filed: 02/05/2014
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elaine Lu, Robert Huang
• Original Assignee: Elaine Lu, Robert Huang
• Inventors: Lu, Elaine, Huang, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 9,762,630 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/20 Education
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/205 Education administration or guidance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15

Abstract

A method implemented by a server in communication with a client for supporting an online communication platform for parents of children enrolled at a school. The method includes receiving a class search request from the client describing class search criteria. The server sends a set of virtual classes associated with the selected virtual school that match the class search criteria. The server receives a selection of a virtual class from the client where the virtual class responds to a real-world class offered during an academic term. The server adds a user as a member of the virtual class.

Claims

1. A method by a server in communication with a client for supporting an online communication platform for parents of children enrolled at a school, the method comprising:

receiving from the client a class search request describing class search criteria;

sending to the client a set of virtual classes that match the class search criteria;

receiving from the client a selection of a virtual class from the set of virtual classes, the virtual class corresponding to a real-world class offered during an academic term; and

adding a user as a member of the virtual class.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the class search criteria includes any one of child name, class name, grade, teacher name, academic term, or classroom name.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the class search criteria includes any one of school location or school name.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving from the client a school search request describing school search criteria;

sending to the client a set of virtual schools that match the school search criteria;

receiving from the client a selection of a virtual school from the set of virtual schools, the virtual school corresponding to a real-world school; and

wherein the set of virtual classes sent to the client are virtual classes associated with the selected virtual school.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the school search criteria includes any one of a school location or a school name.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

adding the user as a member of a virtual school associated with the virtual class.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

adding the user as a member of a virtual grade associated with the virtual class.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving from the client a selection of members selected by the user from any one of the virtual class, a virtual grade, or a virtual school; and

sending a message to the selected members.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the message is an event invitation, the method further comprising:

recording attendance response of invitees; and

notifying the user with a list of adults and children that accepted the event invitation.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

creating a new virtual class in response to receiving a request from the user to create a new virtual class.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the virtual class is named according to a pre-defined naming pattern including an indication of school name, academic term, and class ID.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

creating a new virtual grade that is associated with the new virtual class in response to determining that a virtual grade associated with the new virtual class does not exist.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the virtual grade is named according to a pre-defined naming pattern including an indication of school name, grade, and academic term.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

creating a new virtual school in response to receiving a request from the user to create a new virtual school.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the virtual school is named according to a pre-defined naming pattern including an indication of school name and school location.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

adding the user as a member of a virtual grade in response to receiving a virtual grade join request.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

sending a message to all members of virtual classes associated with the virtual grade in response to receiving a request from the user to send the message to the virtual grade.

18. A system for supporting an online communication platform for parents of children enrolled at a school, the online communication platform having an organization of groups that reflects the organization structure of a real-world school, the system comprising:

a processor;

a data storage to store data;

a web server module executed by the processor to receive a class search request describing class search criteria; and

a school management module executed by the processor to query the data storage for a list of virtual classes that match the class search criteria and to provide a query result to the web server module to send to a client application, the school management module further configured to add a user to a virtual class in response to receiving a virtual class join request wherein the virtual class corresponds to a real-world class offered by a real-world school during an academic term.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising:

a notification module executed by the processor to send a message to a selected member of the virtual class.

20. The system of claim 18 further comprising:

a user management module to register a new user to the online communication platform.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein a set of instructions, which when executed, cause the computer to perform a set of operations comprising:

receiving a school search request describing school search criteria;

querying a data storage for virtual schools that match the school search criteria;

sending a set of virtual schools obtained from the query for virtual schools to a client application;

adding a user as a member of a virtual school in response to receiving a request to add the user as a member of the virtual school, the virtual school corresponding to a real-world school;

receiving a class search request describing class search criteria for search within the selected virtual school;

querying the data storage for virtual classes of the virtual school that match the class search criteria;

sending a set of virtual classes obtained from the query for virtual classes to a client application; and

adding the user as a member of a virtual class in response to receiving a request to add the user as a member of the virtual class, the virtual class corresponding to a real-world class offered by the real-world school during an academic term.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, having stored therein a further set of instructions, which when executed cause the computer to perform a further set of operations comprising:

posting a message that is only viewable by a user that is a member of the virtual class in response to receiving a request from the user to post the message to the virtual class.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, having stored therein a further set of instructions, which when executed cause the computer to perform a further set of operations comprising:

posting a message that is viewable by any user that is a member of any virtual class associated with the virtual school in response to receiving a request from the user to post the message to the virtual school.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, having stored therein a further set of instructions, which when executed cause the computer to perform a further set of operations comprising:

posting a message that is viewable by any user that is a member of any virtual class associated with a virtual grade in response to receiving a request from the user to post the message to the virtual grade.

25. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, having stored therein a further set of instructions, which when executed cause the computer to perform a further set of operations comprising:

receiving a request to create a new virtual class;

validating that the request contains valid class information; and

creating the new virtual class.

26. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, having stored therein a further set of instructions, which when executed cause the computer to perform a further set of operations comprising:

merging two or more virtual classes in response to determining that the virtual classes are duplicates.