Verification system for non-traditional learning operations

• US 6,263,439 B1
• Filed: 02/09/1999
• Issued: 07/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Solocron Education, LLC (Solocron Group, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Ronald Hill
• Inventors: Hondros, John G., Wilson, Robert A., Hill, Ronald E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Peeso, Thomas R.
• Application Number:
  US09/043,719
• Time in Patent Office: 889 Days
• Field of Search: 705/51, 705/52, 705/54-56, 705/57-59, 713/182-183, 709/204, 434/433
• US Class Current: 713/182
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/40 by quorum, i.e. whereby two or more security principals are required
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00137 involving measures which result in a restriction to contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier to authorised users
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00152 involving a password
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0071 involving a purchase action

Abstract

An audit and verification process (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120) is used to encode at least one personal identifier (70, 75) onto a media (80, 90) capable of interfacing with a personal computer, typically a floppy disk (80), encoding at least one password onto a viewable media, typically a videocassette (110) onto the floppy disk (80), displaying a prompt on a computer screen of the personal computer which requires a match of the at least one password from the videocassette (110) with the at least one password encoded on the floppy disk (80), storing multiple questions pertinent to a subject matter of the videocassette (110) on the floppy disk, displaying at least one question of the multiple questions on the computer screen of the personal computer and storing the answer to the at least one question on the floppy disk (120). The at least one password on the videocassette (100, 110) is preferably an audio password, but may include visual passwords as well as combinations.

Claims

1. A process which comprises the steps of:

encoding at least one personal identifier onto a user interface media;

displaying a prompt on said user interface media for the at least one personal identifier which requires a match of the at least one personal identifier encoded on the user interface media;

encoding at least one password onto a data storage media;

encoding the at least one password from the data storage media onto the user interface media; and

displaying a prompt on the user interface media for entering the at least one password which requires a match of the at least one password from the data storage media with the at least one password encoded on the user interface media.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein

the user interface media is a removable magnetic disk drive.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the at least one password on the data storage media comprises a password selected from the group consisting of audio passwords, visual passwords and combinations thereof.

4. The process of claim 1 which further comprises

recording an audio response onto an audio cassette.

5. The process of claim 1 which further comprises

taking at least one image of a viewer of the system.

6. The process of claim 5 wherein the at least one image is stored on a storage medium selected from the group consisting of a film, the interfacing media and the viewable media.

7. The process of claim 1, wherein the data storage media is selected from the group consisting of video cassettes, audio cassettes, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs and sites on a global computer network.

8. The process of claim 1 further comprising:

storing a plurality of questions pertinent to a subject matter of the data storage media on the user interface media;

displaying at least one question of the plurality of questions on the user interface media;

displaying a prompt for entering an answer to said at least one question;

storing an answer to said at least one question; and

comparing said entered answer to said stored answer.

9. The process of claim 8 wherein the step of storing further comprises:

selecting a random base key;

generating at least one encrypted key from the base key; and

encrypting each question using the at least one encrypted key.

10. The process of claim 9 wherein the step of encrypting further comprises:

using a different encrypted key for each question.

11. The process of claim 9 wherein

the step of selecting a base key comprises selecting a random numeric value of at least two digits.

12. The process of claim 11 wherein

the step of generating at least one encrypted key from the base key uses a mathematical formula which includes at least one personal identifier.

13. The process of claim 12 wherein

the step of generating at least one computed key from the base key uses a mathematical formula which further includes at least a software version number.

14. The process of claim 11 wherein

the step of generating at least one encrypted key from the base key uses a mathematical formula which includes at least one variable which is selected from the group consisting of question number, section number, date-created, social security number, credit card number and credit card expiration date.

15. The process of claim 9 wherein

a base encryption key, an encryption scheme identification and the at least one personal identifier are encrypted using an encryption algorithm using the starting key and written in data files on a magnetic disk.

16. The process of claim 15 wherein

the magnetic disk further comprises

an encrypted question database,

an encrypted answer key, and

an encrypted number of required correct responses.

17. The process of claim 16 wherein

subsequent to achieving the required correct responses, a section of the question database is marked as passed and inaccessible to a user.

18. The process of 17 wherein

subsequent to the section of the question database being marked as passed, an entry is made on the magnetic media indicating at least a date and a time of completion.

19. A process for verifying that a user is attentive to an entire course of study comprising:

developing a defined length course of study and affixing said course of study to a tangible medium;

generating a set of pass codes;

inserting said pass codes at random locations throughout said defined length of said course of study;

requiring said user to collect said pass codes; and

evaluating users collection of pass codes.

20. The process as recited in claim 19 further comprising:

providing credit to said user based on user'"'"'s ability to correctly collect a defined number of pass codes.

21. The process as recited in claim 19 wherein said set of pass codes is generated for a group of users.

22. The process as recited in claim 19 wherein said set of pass codes is generated for an individual user.

23. The process as recited in claim 19 wherein said set of pass codes is unique for every user.

24. The process as recited in claim 19 further comprising the steps of:

encoding identification information for a user onto a media;

requiring said user to enter said pass codes onto said media containing said user identification information.

25. The process as recited in claim 24 wherein said media is capable of interfacing with a computer.

26. The process as recited in claim 19 wherein said tangible medium contains an audio component and a video component.

27. The process as recited in claim 26 wherein one or more of said pass codes are contained in said audio component.

28. The process as recited in claim 19 wherein said tangible medium is selected from the group consisting of video cassettes, audio cassettes, compact discs, digital versatile discs, and sites on a global informational network.

29. The process as recited in claim 19 further comprising:

generating a set of questions pertaining to the subject matter of said course of study.

30. The process as recited in claim 29 further comprising:

providing credit to said user when a predetermined number of correct responses to said set of questions have been provided.

31. The process as recited in claim 19 further comprising:

dividing said course of study into a plurality of segments;

inserting a first pass code from said set of pass codes in a random location in a first segment of said course of study;

requiring said user to collect said first pass code;

requiring said user to enter said first pass code to view a set of questions pertaining to the subject matter of said first segment of said course of study.

32. The process as recited in claim 31 further comprising:

generating a second pass code after a predefined number of correct responses have been entered in response to said set of questions pertaining to the subject matter of said first segment of said course of study; and

displaying said second pass code.

33. The process as recited in claim 32 further comprising:

requiring said user to enter said second pass code to view a set of questions pertaining to the subject matter of a second segment of said course of study.

34. The process as recited in claim 31 further comprising:

inserting a second pass code from said set of pass codes in a random location in a second segment of said course of study;

requiring said user to collect said second pass code; and

requiring said user to enter said second pass code to view a set of questions pertaining to the subject matter of said second segment of said course of study.

35. A process for verifying that a user is attentive to an entire course of study comprising:

developing a defined length course of study;

affixing said course of study to a tangible medium;

dividing said course of study into a plurality of segments;

generating a plurality of pass codes;

inserting at least one pass code into each of said plurality of segments;

requiring said user to collect said pass codes; and

requiring said user to enter said at least one pass code from each of said plurality of segments to view a set of questions pertaining to the subject matter of each of said segments.