Interactive tutorial

• US 6,692,256 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2000
• Issued: 02/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Spatafora, Vito, Seelemann, Dirk Alexander, Starkey, Michael, Chan, Kevin, Melhem, Wassim
• Primary Examiner(s): Hughes, S. Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John
• Application Number:
  US09/730,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20020168616A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 434/118, 717/108, 717/109, 717/135, 703/22
• US Class Current: 434/118
• 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

Abstract

The invention pertains to a computer tutorial system wherein software product training is provided interactively by guiding the user, for example, through one or more examples or applications that can be created in and/or using the product. More particularly, the invention involves a computer implemented, interactive tutorial system providing online instruction in conjunction with a contemporaneously operating software product to, for example, create such examples or applications and the tutorial system further providing for the creation of such examples or applications in and/or using the product.

Claims

1. A method for providing an interactive tutorial of a software product comprising the steps of:

presenting tutorial content relating to the software product through a tutorial system;

initiating a transfer of data to the software product, the data being associated with the tutorial and defining an application of the software product;

transferring the data from the tutorial system to the software product upon the initiation of the data transfer;

processing of the data in the software product to generate the application of the software product defined by the data; and

presenting a representation of the generated application through the software product.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of providing a user interactivity element for initiating a transfer of the data and wherein initiating a transfer of the data is caused through activation of the user interactivity element.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the user interactivity element is a push button and activation of the user interactivity element comprises clicking the push button.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of initiating a transfer of data to the software product comprises loading the data and establishing a connection with the software product.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the software product comprises a WebDAV server and the connection is according to WebDAV protocol.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the loading is done by an applet.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of processing of the data in the software product comprises receipt by the WebDAV server of the data and processing of the data by the WebDAV server for execution of commands and updating of information in the software product.

8. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the software product is a software application development product and the data defines a software application developed in the software application development product.

9. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7 further comprising the step of configuring the tutorial content based on information in the software product through data transfer to the tutorial system and wherein the software product is a software application development product and the data defines a software application developed in the software application development product.

10. A computer program product in a computer readable medium, comprising computer readable program code means therein for providing an interactive tutorial of a software product, the computer readable program code means in said computer program product comprising:

computer readable code means for presenting tutorial content relating to the software product through a tutorial system;

computer readable code means for initiating a transfer of data to the software product, the data being associated with the tutorial and defining an application of the software product;

computer readable code means for transferring the data from the tutorial system to the software product upon the initiation of the data transfer;

computer readable code means for processing of the data in the software product to generate the application of the software product defined by the data; and

computer readable code means for presenting a representation of the generated application through the software product.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 further comprising computer readable code means for providing a user interactivity element for initiating a transfer of the data and wherein the computer readable code means for Initiating a transfer of the data is started through activation of the user interactivity element.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the user interactivity element is a push button and activation of the user interactivity element comprises clicking the push button.

13. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the computer readable code means for initiating a transfer of data to the software product comprises computer readable code means for loading the data and establishing a connection with the software product.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the software product comprises a WebDAV server and the connection is according to WebDAV protocol.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the loading is done by an applet.

16. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the computer readable code means for processing of the data in the software product comprises computer readable code means for receipt by the WebDAV server of the data and computer readable code means for processing of the data by the WebDAV server for execution of commands and updating of information in the software product.

17. The computer program product of any one of claims 10 to 16 wherein the software product is a software application development product and the data defines a software application developed in the software application development product.

18. The computer program product of any one of claims 10 to 16 further comprising computer readable code means for configuring the tutorial content based on information in the software product through data transfer to the tutorial system and wherein the software product is a software application development product and the data defines a software application developed in the software application development product.

19. A computer system for providing an interactive tutorial of a software product comprising:

means for presenting tutorial content relating to the software product through a tutorial system;

means for initiating a transfer of data to the software product, the data being associated with the tutorial and defining an application of the software product;

means for transferring the data from the tutorial system to the software product upon the initiation of the data transfer;

means for processing of the data in the software product to generate the application of the software product defined by the data; and

means for presenting a representation of the generated application through the software product.

20. The computer system of claim 19 wherein the means for initiating a transfer of data to the software product comprises means for loading the data and establishing a connection with the software product.

21. The computer system of claim 20 wherein the software product comprises a WebDAV server, the loading is done by an applet and the connection is according to the WebDAV protocol.