Screen maker

• US 7,124,357 B1
• Filed: 05/31/2000
• Issued: 10/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joseph K. Orr
• Original Assignee: Joseph K. Orr
• Inventors: Orr, Joseph K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Quoc A.
• Application Number:
  US09/584,631
• Time in Patent Office: 2,330 Days
• Field of Search: 434/350, 434/335, 434/323, 434/322, 434/236, 434/118, 715/704, 715/513, 715/530, 715/500, 715/512, 707/3, 345/1.3, 345/206, 345/473, 345/581, 345/776, 705/27
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A computer program and method for the direct creation of a page having text and image. The program accepts input of text, and the input of an image and directly combines the text and image to a page in an internet common language. The invention also provides a testing method which allows the retrieval of a portion of a previously created master page, provides program code to allow a student to input data in response to the retrieved portion and to directly create an answer page. Program code also allows the master page and the answer page to be retrieved and compared.

A system and method for on-line creation, storage and retrieval of books or pages on books having pages with text and related images. The system can also provide for the on-line testing by the retrieval of a portion the pages of a master book and the creation of an answer page, and permit the comparison of the master and answer page.

Claims

1. A computer program comprising:

Program code for prompting a user to input textual information for association with a computer output image displayed on a computer screen;

Program code responsive to an input command to automatically, without direct human intervention, reset the resolution of the computer screen from a first resolution to a second resolution, save the first resolution, automatically, without direct human intervention, capture an image representing at least a portion of the computer screen at the second resolution, subsequently restore the computer screen to the saved first screen resolution, the portion of the computer screen being defined both by received data and operation of a computer program, and save said image in a predetermined image file format;

Program code which automatically without direct human intervention associates said textual input with said saved image to create a page associating said text and said image in a common internet language; and

Program code to automatically without direct human intervention store said page in a memory.

2. A program of claim 1 further comprising:

Program code to automatically restore said computer screen to said saved first resolution after said image is captured.

3. A program of claim 1, further comprising:

program code to allow placement of indicia on said computer screen prior to capture of the image.

4. A program of claim 1, wherein:

said common internet language is one which allows the inputted information to be stored as data fields.

5. A program of claim 4, further comprising:

program code which allows selected data fields of said page to be displayed to users while other data fields are hidden from the user display.

6. A program of claim 4, further comprising program code to automatically assign page numbers to each said page created and to allow selected ones of a plurality of pages to be displayed by the user in any desired order.

7. A program of claim 1, wherein said common internet language is HTML.

8. A program of claim 1, wherein said common internet language is XML.

9. A program of claim 1, further comprising:

program code containing a database of stored master pages, said pages having text and associated images thereon;

program code to allow the user to display either the text or image portion of said stored master pages; and

program code to automatically associate at least said displayed portion of said master page with an input from the user to create an answer page having both a text portion and an image portion.

10. A program of claim 9, further comprising:

program code to allow retrieval of at least one of said master pages and to compare said master page with said answer page.

11. A program of claim 1, further comprising

program code to retrieve a portion of a previously saved page;

program code for directly combining at least said portion of a previously saved page with said input textual information or an image not from said previously saved page to create a new page; and

program code allowing the full previously saved page to be compared with said new page.

12. A method, comprising the steps of:

receiving input textual information for association with a computer output image displayed on a computer screen in response to an input command;

receiving an image representing at least a portion of a computer screen, automatically, without direct human intervention, resetting the resolution of the computer screen from a first resolution to a second resolution, saving the first resolution, automatically, without direct human intervention, saving the image into a converted predetermined image format in response to an input command, and restoring the computer screen to the saved first resolution, the portion of the computer screen being defined both by received data and operation of a computer program; and

automatically, without direct human intervention combining said textual information with a reference to said saved image to create a page containing said text and reference to said image in a common internet language.

13. A method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

maintaining a database of master books, each book comprising at least one master page;

accessing individual pages of said master books;

retrieving a portion of at least one of said master pages, each master page having content illustrating a computer screen having correct content; and

directly combining at least said retrieved portion with input textual information or an image not from said at least one of said master pages, to create an answer page.

14. A method of claim 13, further comprising:

providing on-line access to at least one of the complete pages of said master book;

and providing the ability to compare said complete page of said master book with said answer page.

15. A method of claim 13 further comprising:

maintaining a database of authorized users; and

providing the ability to deny access to unauthorized users.

16. A method of claim 13, comprising:

providing a database of existing pages;

accessing one or more pages in the database;

creating new pages using one or more of said input textual information and image; and

combining new and existing pages into a book, said book having at least one page.

17. A method of claim 16, further comprising:

providing the ability to store said book of combined new and existing pages in said database.

18. A method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

maintaining a database containing pages of two or more books, each book having at least one page;

accessing individual pages from said books;

combining one or more individual pages from each of said books to create a new book, and

providing the ability to store said new book in said database.

19. A method of claim 18 further comprising:

providing the ability to transfer said book to a remote location.

20. A method of claim 18, further comprising:

combining said automatically combined page with individual pages from each of said books to create a new book.

21. A method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

providing the ability to store in a database individual pages having associated authorship therewith;

providing the ability to access each of said pages having associated copyright information therewith; and

providing the ability to combine individual pages having copyright information therewith from two or more authors to create a book in which the authorship information for each page is maintained associated therewith.

22. A, method of claim 21, further comprising:

providing a database of authorized users; and

providing the ability to limit said ability to access each of said pages to said authorized users.

23. A, method of claim 22 wherein said associated authorship information includes copyright use information and further comprises:

providing the ability to limit access to each of said pages in accordance with the copyright use information associated with said page.

24. A system comprising:

means for automatically, without direct human intervention, associating text received from a user and a stored image representing at least a portion of a computer display, the stored image being generated by automatically, without direct human intervention, saving a first screen resolution of the computer display, resetting the resolution of the computer display from the first resolution to a second resolution, capturing the computer display image at the second resolution, and resetting the computer display to the saved first resolution, said image comprising content defined by both data and operation of a computer program, to create an original page in a common internet language, said page being displayable in a format containing said text and said image.

25. A system of claim 24, further comprising:

means for associating two or more of said original pages as a book.

26. A system of claim 24, further comprising:

means for displaying only a portion of a said original page to a user;

means to input data to be associated with said portion of said original page; and

means to automatically associate at least said portion of said original page and said data in a common Internet language to create an answer page.

27. A system of claim 26, further comprising:

means to permit comparison of a said original page with said answer page.

28. A system of claim 24, further comprising:

means for displaying a portion of a master page having text and image information, said master page being in a common internet language, said master page comprising a correct content illustrating a computer screen comprising content defined by both data and operation of a computer program.

29. A system of claim 28, further comprising:

means to display said master page and said original page so that they can be compared.

30. A system comprising:

an input to receive textual information;

an input prompting capture of an image representing at least a portion of a computer screen, the system automatically, without direct human intervention, saving a first resolution, resetting the resolution of the computer screen from the first resolution to a second resolution, capturing the image at the second resolution, and restoring the saved first resolution;

a processor for converting the captured image to a predetermined image format, saving the converted captured image, said saved image comprising elements defined by both data and by operation of a computer program, and automatically, without direct human intervention, combining said textual information with a reference to said saved image to create a page containing said textual information and reference to said image in a common internet language; and

means for storing one or more pages having textual information and a reference to an image in a database; and

means for making available said one or more pages available for display.

31. A system of claim 30, further comprising:

means for receiving additional pages and for adding said additional pages to said database.

32. A system of claim 30 further comprising:

means for associating predetermined groups of pages into books.

33. A system comprising:

an output for presenting a page having text and media information contained on said original page defined in accordance with a common internet language;

a processor responsive to a user input for creating in automated fashion additional pages having text and associated media information representing at least a portion of a computer media output, comprising content defined by both data and operation of a computer program, said page being defined in accordance with a common internet language, said processor automatically, without direct human intervention, storing a first screen resolution, resetting the computer screen from the first screen resolution to a second screen resolution, capturing the associated media information by receiving an image representing at least a portion of a computer screen, and restoring the screen to the stored first screen resolution; and

means for transmitting said additional pages to a remote site.