Displaying workstations requests in differentiating manner according to their respective priorities

• US 6,314,438 B1
• Filed: 07/25/1994
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Stein, Michael Victor, Wenker, Paul Richard, Butah, Jon D., Neubieser, Mark Alfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Paula, Cesar B.
• Application Number:
  US08/280,343
• Time in Patent Office: 2,661 Days
• Field of Search: 395/153, 395/155-161, 434/336, 434/350, 434/352, 434/307.R, 434/308, 434/322, 434/323
• US Class Current: 715/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/14 with provision for individual teacher-student communication

Abstract

A supervisory arrangement for a networked multimedia computing system provides features which facilitate the use and control of the networked system. One disclosed feature enables slave workstations to request attention from a master station. At the master workstation, multiple requests are prioritized in order of receipt, so that a supervisor or administrator is prompted to respond to the oldest pending request. As soon as the request is responded to, for example by audio communication with the slave station, the request is automatically cleared without the need for any input by the administrator or the person who made the request.

Claims

1. In an interactive computer network of a type including at least one master workstation and a plurality of other workstations, a method for communicating requests for attention from the other workstations and displaying said requests at the master workstation, comprising the steps of:

generating requests for attention at respective ones of said plurality of other workstations;

transmitting each of said requests to said master workstation;

storing each of said requests at said master workstation;

assigning a priority to each of the stored requests;

displaying an identification of at least some of said other workstations at said master workstation, in a predetermined order that is independent of any priority assigned to pending requests; and

displaying an indicator in association with each of said other workstations that has a pending request at the master workstation in a manner such that the indicator associated with the workstation whose request has a highest priority is distinguished from the indicators associated with all other workstations with pending requests.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said priority is assigned to said requests in accordance with an order in which they are received at said master workstation, and wherein the stored request that was received first has the highest priority.

3. The method of claim 1 further including the step of displaying a global indicator, independent of particular workstations that generate requests, when at least one request is pending at the master workstation.

4. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of detecting that a communication is occuring from the master workstation to one of the other workstations, determining whether said other workstation has a request pending at the master workstation, and removing the indicator associated with said other workstation from the display at the master workstation.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said communication is an audio communication from the master workstation to said other workstation.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein identifications of other workstations are displayed at said master workstation independent of whether said other workstations whose identifications are displayed have a request for attention pending at the master workstation.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the identifications of all other workstations actively connected to the master workstation are displayed at said master workstation.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said indicators are distinguished from one another by different colors.

9. In an interactive computer network of a type including at least one master workstation and a plurality of other workstations, a method for communicating requests for attention from the other workstations and displaying said requests at the master workstation, comprising the steps of:

generating requests for attention at respective ones of said plurality of other workstations;

transmitting each of said requests to said master workstation;

assigning a priority to each of the requests;

displaying an identification of other workstations independent of whether said other workstations whose identification are displayed have a request for attention pending at the master workstation; and

displaying an indicator in association with each of said other workstations that has a pending request at the master workstation in a manner such that the indicator associated with the workstation whose request has a highest priority is distinguished from the indicators associated with all other workstations with pending requests.

10. An interactive networked computer system, comprising:

at least one master workstation including a CPU, a memory storage device, a display device, a user input device, and operational instructions stored within the memory storage device;

a plurality of other workstations each including a CPU, a memory storage device, a display device, a user input device, and operational instructions stored within the memory storage device;

a networking device for allowing information to be shared between said master workstation and said other workstations;

a means for generating requests for attention from the master workstation at respective ones of said plurality of other workstations;

a means for transmitting said requests by the networking device from respective ones of said plurality of other workstations to said master workstation;

a means for storing each of said requests at said master workstation;

a means for assigning a priority to each stored request;

a means for displaying an identification of at least some of said other workstations at said master workstation, in a predetermined order that is independent of any priority assigned to pending requests;

a means for displaying an indicator in association with each of said other workstations that has a pending request at the master workstation; and

a means for distinguishing a request with a highest priority from other requests.

11. An interactive networked computer system of claim 10 wherein the means for prioritizing said requests for attention prioritizes said requests on the basis of an order in which the requests are received at said master station.

12. An interactive networked computer system of claim 10 where the means for displaying the requests for attention includes means for displaying a global indicator, independent of particular workstations that generate requests, when at least one request is pending at the master workstation.

13. An interactive networked computer system of claim 10 further comprising:

a means for determining whether a communication is taking place from the master workstation to one of said other workstations;

a means for determining whether said other workstation has a request pending at the master workstation; and

a means for removing said pending request from the master workstation.

14. An interactive networked computer system for a learning environment, comprising:

at least one teacher workstation including a CPU, a memory storage device, a display device, a user input device, and operational instructions stored within the memory storage device;

a plurality of student workstations each including a CPU, a memory storage device, a display device, a user input device, and operational instructions stored within the memory storage device,

a networking device for allowing information to be shared between said teacher workstation and said student workstations;

a means for generating requests for attention from the teacher workstation at respective ones of said plurality of student workstations;

a means for transmitting said requests by the networking device from respective ones of said plurality of student workstations to said teacher workstation;

a means for storing each of said requests at said teacher workstation;

a means for assigning a priority to each stored request;

a means for displaying an identification of at least some of said student workstations at said teacher workstation, in a predetermined order that is independent of any priority assigned to pending requests;

a means for displaying an indicator in association with each of said student workstations that has a pending request at the teacher workstation; and

a means for distinguishing a request with a highest priority from other requests.

15. An interactive networked computer system for a learning environment of claim 14 wherein the means for prioritizing said requests for attention prioritizes requests on the basis of an order in which the requests are received at said teacher station.

16. An interactive networked computer system for a learning environment of claim 14 where the means for displaying the requests for attention includes a means for displaying a global indicator, independent of particular workstations that generate requests, when at least one request is pending at the teacher workstation.

17. An interactive networked computer system for a learning environment of claim 14 further comprising:

a means for determining whether a communication is taking place from the teacher workstation to one of said student workstations;

a means for determining whether said student workstation has a request pending at the teacher workstation; and

a means for removing said pending request from the teacher workstation.

18. An interactive networked computer system, comprising:

at least one master workstation;

a plurality of other workstations;

a networking device for allowing information to be shared between said master workstation and said other workstations;

means for generating requests for attention at each of said other workstations, said requests for attention being directed to the master workstation;

means for transmitting said requests for attention from respective other workstations to said master workstation;

means for storing said requests at said master workstation;

means for assigning a priority to each of the stored requests;

means for displaying said requests at the master workstation;

means for distinguishing a request with a highest priority from other requests;

means for determining whether a communication is occuring from the master workstation to one of said other workstations;

means for determining whether said other workstation has a request pending at the master workstation; and

means for removing said pending request from the master workstation.