System of reward-based education

• US 8,285,195 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2009
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DimensionU, Inc.
• Original Assignee: DimensionU, Inc.
• Inventors: Etuk, Ntiedo M., Clegg, Robert L.
• Primary Examiner(s): FRISBY, KESHA
• Application Number:
  US12/467,892
• Publication Number:
  US 20090226871A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,240 Days
• Field of Search: 434/322, 434/323, 434/350, 434/365, 705/1, 705/14, 705/26
• US Class Current: 434/350
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/06 Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0218 based on score
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• 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

Abstract

A system and method for rewarding educational accomplishment is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes providing rewards to a user, such as a child, for achievement of one or more goals within an educational activity. The rewards are preferably credit in a form that is widely accepted by merchants and other entities for items, such as goods and services, that they offer. Preferably, information associating the user and items the user purchases with the credit is used to create a purchase history file for each user.

Claims

1. A system for rewarding educational accomplishment, comprising:

a computing device coupled to a communications network, the computing device comprising means for;

providing one or more educational questions to a user;

receiving an answer from the user to each of the one or more questions;

determining if the answer is correct;

awarding one or more points if the answer is correct;

transmitting information containing the one or more points to a system owned by a financial services company, the system owned by the financial services company comprising means for;

managing an account that identifies the user;

allowing the user to apply a monetary value associated with the received one or more points to purchase items from a third party vendor,

securing payment to the third party vendor for the items the user purchases with the account; and

receiving directly from the third party vendor, information associating the identification of the user with the items the user purchases.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the computing device further comprises means for monitoring a progress of the user.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the computing device further comprises means for:

determining an educational strength or educational weakness of the user and

providing remedial recommendations based on the educational weakness of the user.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the computing device is further comprises means for awarding the one or more points based on a difficulty level of the corresponding question.

5. The system of claim 2 wherein the computing device is further comprises means for presenting the user with instructions to solve the one or more questions.

6. The system of claim 2 wherein the computing device is further comprises means for providing a report on the progress of the user, wherein the report identifies the educational strength or educational weakness of the user and the remedial recommendations based on the educational weakness of the user.

7. The system of claim 2 wherein the one or more questions involve math skills needed to excel in standardized state exams.