Multimedia educational system

• US 6,549,751 B1
• Filed: 07/25/2000
• Issued: 04/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Giuseppe L.I. Mandri
• Original Assignee: Giuseppe L.I. Mandri
• Inventors: Mandri, Giuseppe Li
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H.
• Application Number:
  US09/625,462
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 434/118, 434/234, 434/276, 434/322, 434/323, 434/327, 434/335, 434/336, 434/350, 434/351, 434/354, 434/362, 434/365, 345/705, 345/733, 345/854, 345/978, 700/91, 703/2, 703/11, 705/10, 705/14, 705/27, 706/927, 709/206
• US Class Current: 434/350
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/02 of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/927 Education or instruction

Abstract

A multimedia teaching system and method incorporates portable electronic textbooks, connected in a seamless and secure fashion to supplementary materials, for example on the Web or an intranet. Instructors identify student mistakes as they are being made and direct students to supplementary material. Real-time two-way communication between student and instructor is initiated by both the student and the instructor.

Claims

1. A bi-directional, real time, teaching system, comprising:

a) at least one book in computer-readable format containing links to supplementary information;

b) a data storage device for storing one or more of the books;

c) at least one student computer for downloading, storing, and displaying one or more books stored on the data storage device;

d) an instructor computer for communicating with at cast one student computer and the data storage device;

e) an intra network connecting the data storage device, one or more student computers, and the instructor computer;

f) a first communications device for connecting the intra network with an external network;

g) a second communications device for displaying information contained within the student computer on the instructor'"'"'s computer and information contained within the instructor'"'"'s computer on the student'"'"'s computer; and

h) callable teaching assistant means for providing real time, supplementary information that enables the student to correct incorrect answers.

2. A system as recited by claim 1 wherein the student computer is portable.

3. The system according to claim 2 wherein at least one student computer can send a message to the instructor computer and the instructor computer can respond to the message.

4. A system as recited by claim 1 wherein the external network is the Internet.

5. A system as recited by claim 1 wherein the links are to supplementary information retrievable from the data storage device on the intra network or a computer on the external network.

6. The system according to claim 1 wherein the instructor computer monitors answers to questions on at least one student computer and transmits appropriate supplementary material to the student computer when an incorrect answer is identified.

7. The system according to claim 6 wherein the monitoring and transmission of supplementary material is real-time.

8. The system according to claim 1 wherein an access control portion compares a code transmitted by the student computer with a stored key specific to the student computer and downloads the book to the student computer when there is a match.

9. A method for providing multimedia instruction to students on a bi-directional, real time teaching system, comprising the steps of:

a) storing at least one book in computer-readable format on a data storage device;

b) displaying the book on at least one student computer;

c) linking the book to supplementary material;

d) using an instructor computer to communicate with at least one student computer and the data storage device;

e) connecting the data storage device, one or more student computers and the instructor computer to an intra network;

f) connecting the intra network to an external network;

g) displaying information contained within the student computer on the instructor'"'"'s computer and information contained within the instructor'"'"'s computer on the student'"'"'s computer; and

h) providing real time, supplementary information from callable teaching assistant means that enables the student to correct incorrect answers.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein the supplementary information is downloaded from the data storage device on the intra network to at least one student computer.

11. The method according to claim 9 further wherein the supplementary information is downloaded from the external network to at least one student computer.

12. The method according to claim 9 further including the step of monitoring answers to questions on at least one student computer and transmitting appropriate supplementary material to the student computer from the data storage device when an incorrect answer is identified by the instructor computer.

13. The method according to claim 12 wherein the monitoring of answers and the transmitting supplementary material is real-time.

14. The method according to claim 9 further including the step of sending a message from at least one student computer to the instructor computer and receiving a response to the message from the instructor computer.

15. The method according to claim 9 further including the step of transmitting a code to an access control portion for comparing the code with a stored key specific to the student computer, and downloading the book to the student computer when there is a match.

16. A method of providing multimedia instruction to students, comprising the steps of:

a) storing at least one book in computer-readable format on a data storage device;

b) displaying the book on at least one student computer;

c) linking the book to supplementary material;

d) using an instructor computer to communicate with at least one student computer and the data storage device;

e) connecting the data storage device, one or more student computers and the instructor computer to an intra network;

f) connecting the intra network to an external network;

g) displaying information contained within the student computer on the instructor'"'"'s computer and information contained within the instructor'"'"'s computer on the student'"'"'s computer; and

h) providing real time, supplementary information from callable teaching assistant means that enables the student to correct incorrect answers.

17. An apparatus for providing multimedia instruction to students comprising:

means for storing at least one book in computer-readable format on a data storage device;

means for displaying the book on at least one student computer;

means for linking the book to supplementary material;

means for an instructor computer to communicate with at least one student computer and the data storage device;

means for connecting the data storage device, one or more student computers and the instructor computer to an intra network;

means for connecting the intra network to an external network;

means for displaying information contained within the student computer on the instructor computer and information contained within the instructor'"'"'s computer on the student'"'"'s computer; and

callable teaching assistant means for providing real time, supplementary information that enables the student to correct incorrect answers.

18. Computer executable process steps to provide multimedia instruction to students, the computer-executable process steps being stored on a computer-readable medium and comprising:

a) a storing step for storing at least one book in computer-readable format on a data storage device;

b) means for displaying the book on at least one student computer,

c) a linking step for linking the book to supplementary material;

c) a communicating step for an instructor computer to communicate with at least one student computer and the data storage device;

d) a first connecting step for connecting the data storage device, one or more student computers and the instructor computer to an intra network;

e) a second connecting step for connecting the intra network to an external network;

f) a displaying step for displaying information contained within the student computer on the instructor'"'"'s computer and information contained within the instructor'"'"'s computer on the student'"'"'s computer; and

g) callable teaching assistant means for providing real time, supplementary information that enables the student to correct incorrect answers.