Online system enabling control of educational and advertising content

• US 8,676,619 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2010
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Di-Walkor III Services LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Lotvin, Mikhail, Nemes, Richard Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Jarrett, Scott L
• Application Number:
  US12/953,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20110099078A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.11, 705/14.4
• US Class Current: 705/7.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• 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 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/20 Education
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0053 Computers, e.g. programming
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/18 Book-keeping or economics
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/14 with provision for individual teacher-student communication
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/04 characterised by modifying the teaching programme in response to a wrong answer, e.g. repeating the question, supplying a further explanation

Abstract

The computer apparatus and methods of the preferred embodiment uses computer technology in a unique way to motivate children to devote more time to educational and cultural enrichment. In the preferred embodiment, educational material is provided at a child'"'"'s local computer under control of a central computer system connected to it over a computer network. On completing a particular educational task, the child is rewarded with a certain number of points. Points that the child accumulates are stored centrally, and at least some of the points can be redeemed towards the purchase of goods and services offered through the system of the preferred embodiment by its commercial participants. The purchasing transactions are also administered by the central computer. Parents, preferably, use the system to support their children'"'"'s purchasing activity financially and to select content available for presentation to the child. In other embodiments, the disclosed apparatus and methods can be used for purposes unrelated to education of children, and distribution of functionality between the central and local computers may be different, including wholly local implementations.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving viewing preferences including categories of educational content, from an educational presentations library, allowed for presentation to a first child account and advertisement preferences including categories of advertising allowed for presentation to the first child account, wherein the viewing preferences and the advertisement preferences are specified from a first parent account of the first child account;

determining, by a computing device, a content selection based on the viewing preferences;

determining an advertisement based on the advertisement preferences;

presenting the content selection to the first child account;

presenting the advertisement to the first child account concurrently with the content selection;

providing financing from the first parent account to the first child account in response to presenting the advertisement;

receiving educational content from the first parent account; and

including the educational content received from the first parent account into the educational presentations library for selectable presentation to the first child account and a second child account of a second parent account.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the content selection and the advertisement are presented concurrently.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the first child account access to the content selection in response to receiving the financing from the first parent account.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting reward data associated with the content selection to the first child account based on the viewing preferences and the advertisement preferences specified by the first parent account.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

storing the reward data associated with the content selection in response to presenting the content selection to the first child account.

6. A system, comprising:

means for receiving viewing preferences including categories of educational content, from an educational presentations library, allowed for presentation to a first child account and advertisement preferences including categories of advertising allowed for presentation to the first child account, wherein the viewing preferences and the advertisement preferences are specified from a first parent account of the first child account;

means for determining, by a computing device, a content selection based on the viewing preferences;

means for determining an advertisement based on the advertisement preferences;

means for presenting the content selection to the first child account;

means for presenting the advertisement to the first child account concurrently with the content selection;

means for providing financing from the first parent account to the first child account in response to presenting the advertisement;

means for receiving educational content from the first parent account; and

means for including the educational content received from the first parent account into the educational presentations library, for selectable presentation to the first child account and a second child account of a second parent account.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising means for presenting the content selection and the advertisement concurrently.

8. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

means for providing the first child account access to content selection in response to receiving the financing from the first parent account.

9. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

means for presenting reward data associated with the content selection to the first child account based on the viewing preferences and the advertisement preferences specified by the first parent account.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

means for storing the reward data associated with the content selection in response to presenting the content selection to the first child account.

11. An article of manufacture including a tangible computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, that in response to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving viewing preferences including categories of educational content, from an educational presentations library, allowed for presentation to a first child account and advertisement preferences including categories of advertising allowed for presentation to the first child account, wherein the viewing preferences and the advertisement preferences are specified from a first parent account of the first child account;

determining, by a computing device, a content selection based on the viewing preferences;

determining an advertisement based on the advertisement preferences;

presenting the content selection to the first child account;

presenting the advertisement to the first child account concurrently with the content selection;

providing financing from the first parent account to the first child account in response to presenting the advertisement;

receiving educational content from the first parent account; and

including the educational content received from the first parent account into the educational presentations library for selectable presentation to the first child account and a second child account of a second parent account.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11 wherein the content selection and the advertisement are presented concurrently.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing the first child account access to content selection in response to receiving funds from the first parent account.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

presenting reward data associated with the content selection to the first child account based on the viewing preferences and the advertisement preferences specified by the first parent account.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

storing reward data associated with the content selection in response to presenting the content selection to the first child account.