System and method for providing educational content over a network

• US 6,987,945 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2001
• Issued: 01/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Theanswerpage Incorporated
• Original Assignee: The Theanswerpage Incorporated
• Inventors: Corn, Stephen B., Segal, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Thai, Xuan M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Saadat, Cameron
• Application Number:
  US09/835,046
• Publication Number:
  US 20010053513A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,740 Days
• Field of Search: 434/350, 434/118, 434/322, 434/336, 434/362, 706/927, 725/29, 705/14, 709/224
• US Class Current: 434/350
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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

Abstract

A method of distributing educational content over a network is disclosed. Educational content is divided into topics and the topics are split into smaller educational units. Professionals reviewing the material for accreditation purposes choose particular units to study and are subject to minimum and maximum time parameters. The partitioning of educational topics allows advertisers to deliver episodic advertising over an extended time period.

Claims

1. In a network, a method comprising the steps of:

sending a request from a user for a page having educational content over the network, a professional accrediting authority requiring the review of the educational content by the user prior to the professional accrediting authority certifying the compliance of the user with a professional continuing education requirement;

receiving said page;

displaying the content to a user;

identifying an elapsed time during which the user views the educational content to ensure said user views said content for a time period greater than or equal to a minimum time period and less than or equal to a maximum time period, the identifying occurring without interrupting the user viewing the educational content to determine the elapsed time, the professional accrediting authority certifying the compliance of the user with a professional continuing education requirement based on the user viewing the educational content where said elapsed time is a duration of time between said maximum and said minimum time periods, said viewing of educational content by the user not including an examination based on said content.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said educational content is presented to a user in the form of a daily interrogatory and related answer.

3. The method of claim 1 comprising the additional steps of:

recording the amount of credit granted to each user; and

providing the amount of credit granted to each user to said user upon request.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said method does not award educational credit to a user of said electronic device for reviewing said educational content as a result of the elapsed time exceeding a maximum time parameter.

5. The method of claim 1 comprising the additional steps of:

sending a message to the user indicating an inadequate amount of time has been spent reviewing said educational content, said message generated as a result of the elapsed time not exceeding a minimum time parameter;

receiving subsequently from said user a new recorded amount of time; and

awarding educational credit to the user based on said new recorded amount of time.

6. In a network, a method comprising the steps of:

providing a page having educational content over the network, a professional accrediting authority requiring the review of the educational content by the user prior to the professional accrediting authority certifying the compliance of the user with a professional continuing education requirement;

receiving a request for said page from a user;

sending said page to the user;

identifying an elapsed time during which the user views the educational content to ensure said user views said content for a time greater than or equal to a minimum time period and less than or equal to a maximum time period, the identifying occurring without interrupting the user viewing the educational content to determine the elapsed time; and

certifying the compliance of the user with a professional continuing education requirement based on the user viewing said educational content based on a determination that the elapsed time is a duration of time greater than or equal to said minimum time period and a time less than or equal to said maximum period, said viewing of said educational content not including an examination of said user based on said content, the certifying performed by a professional accrediting authority.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said page has one or more educational units and comprising the further step of:

associating one or more advertising units with one or more of said educational units such that said advertising unit is displayed in connection with said educational unit.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein a plurality of said advertising units constitute an advertisement.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein said advertising units are indexed to said educational units.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein said advertising units displayed are specific to the user.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein said advertisement is part of a sequence of advertising, said sequence of advertising being synchronized with the sequence of educational units.

12. The method of claim 7 comprising the further step of:

forwarding said educational unit and an associated advertisement to a user-designated recipient.

13. In a network, a method comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of web pages holding educational content, said educational content grouped by topics, said topics divided into a plurality of educational units providing substantially complete content, said educational units stored on said web pages, a professional accrediting authority requiring the review of the educational content by the user prior to the professional accrediting authority certifying to compliance of the user with a professional continuing education requirement;

receiving a request from a user of an electronic device interfaced with said network for one of said pages;

forwarding said page in response to said request;

receiving an indication from said user that said user has completed reviewing said educational content, the review not including an examination based on the educational content, the indication indicating an elapsed time the user viewed the educational content, the elapsed time equal to a duration of time lasting equal to or longer then a minimum time parameter and less than or equal to a maximum time parameter, the elapsed time determined without interrupting the user viewing the educational content; and

certifying the compliance of the user with a professional continuing education requirement following the receipt of the indication, the certifying performed by a professional accrediting authority.

14. The method of claim 13 comprising the additional steps of:

grouping selected educational units so as to form a course;

registering said user for said course; and

sending said educational units forming said course to said electronic device for review by said user.

15. The method of claim 13 comprising the additional steps of:

providing user response to an author of said educational units after said user reviews said educational units; and

altering other educational units based on said user response.

16. The method of claim 13 comprising the additional steps of:

presenting said educational unit to said user in the format of a crossword puzzle;

providing hyperlinks to the correct answers for said crossword puzzle; and

using a crossword puzzle completion as a basis for awarding continuing education units to said user.

17. The method of claim 13 comprising the additional step of:

providing a search feature for said educational unit, said search feature searching multiple educational units on a plurality of web pages utilizing a single query.

18. In a network, a computer-readable medium holding computer-executable steps for a method, said method comprising the steps of:

sending a request from a user for a page having educational content over the network, a professional accrediting authority requiring the review of the educational content by the user prior to the professional accrediting authority certifying the compliance of the user with a professional continuing education requirement;

receiving said page;

displaying the content to a user;

identifying an elapsed time during which the user views the educational content to ensure said user views said content for a time period greater than or equal to a minimum time period and less than or equal to a maximum time period, the identifying occurring without interrupting the user viewing the educational content to determine the elapsed time;

the professional accrediting authority certifying the compliance of the user with a professional continuing education requirement where said elapsed time is a duration of time between said maximum and said minimum time periods, said viewing of educational content by the user not requiring user responses to said content.