Interactive education system

• US 6,775,518 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2002
• Issued: 08/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Maximus Multimedia International, LLC
• Original Assignee: SVI Systems Inc.
• Inventors: Norcott, Alfred A., Manov, Aleksandar S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H.
• Application Number:
  US10/056,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20030143517A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 434/118, 434/169, 434/201, 434/307.R, 434/308, 434/322, 434/323, 434/336, 434/350, 434/362, 434/365, 434/219, 434/270, 705/14, 709/203, 345/733
• US Class Current: 434/350
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/06 with both visual and audible presentation of the material to be studied

Abstract

An interactive educational system simultaneously provides educational materials to multiple users. The educational system tests and records each user'"'"'s demonstrated comprehension of the materials provided. The server-based system can provide materials that are data, video data, or audio data. The user may input video, audio or other data. Each user can randomly access the precise location of the educational materials or portion thereof to be presented to the user.

Claims

1. An interactive educational system for providing educational materials to multiple, simultaneous users, the system comprising:

a central operations including a processor, a storage, and an input/output including a console for providing interaction between the system and an administrator, wherein the interaction including capture of content to be stored in the storage, a network I/O, a modem, telephony I/O, an audio/video I/O;

a plurality of terminals for multiple users to receive the educational materials wherein at least one of said terminals include;

a telephonic user interface for upstream control; and

a video channel for downstream presentation of said educational materials; and

a plurality of bi-directional communications channels whereby the central operations communicates with each of the plurality of terminals through the plurality of communications channels, wherein the multiple users interact with the terminals to communicate with the central operations, wherein the central operations provides the multiple, simultaneous users random access to the educational materials, and wherein at least one of the bi-directional communications channels includes a telephony channel in an upstream direction and a video channel in a downstream direction.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the central operations is a computer server.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the system allows multiple users to access simultaneously the precise location of the materials which each of the multiple users desires to be presented.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said input/output includes a telephonic user interface, a video decoding application, and an internet server for utilizing world wide web pages, wherein at least one of the terminals includes a computer and a browser for viewing world wide web pages.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said storage includes program storage and content storage.

6. The system of claim 1 further including interaction between the system and a remotely located administrator, the interaction including capture of content to be stored in the storage.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the communications channels includes a computer data channel.

8. An interactive educational system for presenting to multiple, simultaneous users educational materials, the system comprising:

a central operations including;

a processor;

a storage including a program memory, a content media storage, a test database,

and a usage database;

and an input/output including a console for providing interaction between the system and an administrator, wherein the interaction including capture of content to be stored in the storage,

wherein the central operations provides the multiple, simultaneous users random access to the educational materials;

a plurality of terminals for multiple users to receive the educational materials; and

a plurality of bi-directional communications channels whereby the central operations communicates with each of the plurality of terminals through the plurality of communications channels, and wherein the multiple users interact with the terminals to communicate with the central operations.

9. The system of claim 8 further including interaction between the system and a remotely located administrator, the interaction including capture of content to be stored in the storage.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein said storage is remotely accessible, communicates with said terminals, provides information downstream to said terminals, and records information upstream from said terminals.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said information provided downstream includes educational media content selection and testing material related to said educational materials.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the educational materials are stored in the content media storage, wherein the users are tested on the educational materials by presenting test questions, wherein the test questions and correct responses are stored in the test database, and wherein answers to the test questions provided by the users are stored in the usage database.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the test questions correspond to the educational materials.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the central operations evaluates the correctness of a user'"'"'s responses, wherein, in the event the user answers the test question correctly, the system presents another test question until a prescribed course of questions has been presented, and wherein, in the event the user answers the test question incorrectly, the system re-presents relevant portion of the educational materials to the user.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the central operations stores information locating the relevant portion of the educational materials on which the user is being tested.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the central operations includes a report composition wherein reports of the interaction by a user or users with the system may be downloaded to an external database or to a printer.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the user is automatically re-presented with the relevant test materials, an automatically re-presented with the question until the correct answer is provided by the user.

18. The system of claim 12 wherein said educational materials comprise audio, video, text, and/or data.

19. The system of claim 12 wherein said interaction is communicated over the communications channels as web pages, text documents, audio files, video files, or standard computer files.

20. The system of claim 12 wherein said interaction is communicated over the communications channels as wireless signals, RF frequency signals, infrared signals, satellite links, digital signals, or analog signals.

21. The system of claim 8 further including a content selection database containing information about what materials are stored in the content media storage.

22. An interactive educational system for presenting to multiple, simultaneous users educational materials and testing the users on the educational materials, the system comprising:

a central operations including;

a processor;

a storage;

an input/output including a console for providing interaction between the system and an administrator, wherein the interaction including capture of content to be stored in the storage, a network I/O, a modem, a telephony I/O, an audio/video I/O, wherein the network I/O communicates with a network, the modem communicates with a public switching telephone network, the telephony I/O communicates with a private branch exchange which in turn communicates with a telephonic user interface, and the audio/video I/O communicates with analog audio/video sources and/or a TV modulator which in turn communicates with a monitor; and

a plurality of terminals for multiple users to receive the educational materials, wherein the terminals include one or more of the following;

a telephonic user interface, and a television or monitor, and a computer terminal; and

a plurality of bi-directional communications channels whereby the central operations communicates with each of the plurality of terminals through the plurality of communications channels, and wherein the multiple users interact with the terminals to communicate with the central operations.

23. The system of claim 22 including a user database wherein the users login into the system, and wherein the system verifies the identity or location of the users, and the permission of the users access the system.

24. The system of 23 wherein the users login into the system via one of the following:

a private branch exchange;

a computer network, herein the computer network is a local area network or world area network;

a public switching telephone network; and

an internet connection.

25. The system of 24 wherein the computer network includes a wireless connection, and wherein the users login into the system via a wireless device.