Method and system for interactive, multi-user electronic data transmission in a multi-level monitored and filtered system

• US 9,235,868 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2008
• Issued: 01/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cricket Media Services Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cricket Media, Inc. (Cricket Media Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Irving, John, Bursztein, Marcello, Mulligan, Steve, Lajeunesse, Patrick, Killeen, Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Walsh, John B
• Application Number:
  US12/105,254
• Publication Number:
  US 20080319949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,826 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/205 Education administration or guidance

Abstract

A method and system to permit the creation of “parent” accounts within a school system'"'"'s data transmission system which are associated with a parent'"'"'s child or children who are students in the system. A parent account is capable of creation and access by various levels within the hierarchy of the system and is associated with one or more schools within the community being serviced by the entity providing the servers and community generation implementation engine.

Claims

1. A method for providing users with access to a transmission system comprising at least one server and associated with a school system comprising the steps of:

creating, at the at least one server, a parent account of the transmission system by a first of said users, wherein said first user is associated with a first hierarchical level of the transmission system;

associating said parent account with a family member;

associating, at the at least one server, said parent account with a student account of the transmission system, wherein said student account is associated with a student, said family member is associated with said student, and said student is associated with the school system;

verifying said parent account should be associated to said student account by a second of said users, wherein said second user is associated with a second hierarchical level of the transmission system;

storing on the at least one server data associated with said student account, wherein each piece of said data is categorized by a type;

providing said parent account with access to said data, wherein said access is dependent upon said association of said family member with said student and upon said type of piece of said data, so that the at least one server provides said parent account with access to certain of said data associated with said student account of certain category types and prevents said parent account from accessing certain of said data associated with said student account of other category types to which said student account has access, and wherein said access is managed by any of the users associated with said second hierarchical level.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising verifying said family member should be associated with said parent account.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said family member is a mother of said student.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said family member is a grandparent of said student.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing said family member with a uniform resource locator; and

registering said parent account by said family member.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising accepting a payment for said parent account, wherein said verifying said parent account is based on said payment.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending a confirmation code to said family member, said confirmation code is associated with said parent account; and

transmitting said confirmation code to said second user by said family member, wherein said verifying said parent account is based on said confirmation code.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said verifying said parent account is based on a receipt of a form signed by said family member.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving at least one attempt to register said parent account by an unauthorized user; and

blocking said unauthorized user from the transmission system based on said at least one attempt.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

associating a first access to a first set of certain aspects of the transmission system;

associating a second access to a second set of certain aspects of the transmission system; and

providing said parent account with said first access.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising preventing said parent account from said second access.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said second user determines said first access, said second access, and said preventing said parent account from said second access.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising providing said parent account with said second access.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said second access includes an ability to send an email broadcast to a subset of the users, said subset of the users exhibiting a set of criteria matching a set of specific search criteria.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

creating a teacher account of the transmission system;

associating a teacher with said teacher account;

associating said teacher account with said student account, wherein said teacher is associated with said student;

associating said teacher account with said parent account that is associated with said student account; and

providing said teacher account with said first access and said second access.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said teacher account is associated with said second hierarchical level.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending an advertisement to said parent account via the transmission system.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

reporting all activity by each said user to said second user; and

reporting all associations of each said user to said second user.

19. An electronic computer system accessible by users associated with a school system comprising:

an administrator account associated with a first hierarchical level of the electronic computer system and stored on a server of the electronic computer system, wherein said administrator account is associated with an administrator located at a school within the school system;

a student account associated with a second hierarchical level of the electronic computer system and stored on the server, wherein said student account is associated with a student that attends said school; and

a parent account associated with a third hierarchical level of the electronic computer system and stored on the server, wherein said parent account is associated with a family member,

wherein the users associated with said first hierarchical level manage the users associated with said second hierarchical level and said third hierarchical level, wherein access by the parent account to data associated with the student account is based upon whether there is a relationship between the family member and the student and upon a type of said data being accessed, so that the electronic computer system provides said parent account with access to certain of said data associated with said student account of certain category types and prevents said parent account from accessing certain of said data associated with said student account of other category types to which said student account has access.

20. The electronic computer system of claim 19 further comprising:

a teacher account associated with a fourth hierarchical level of the electronic computer system, wherein said teacher account is associated with a teacher of said school, said teacher being associated with said student,

wherein the users associated with said first hierarchical level manage the users associated with said fourth hierarchical level, and

the users associated with said fourth hierarchical level manage the users associated with said second hierarchical level and said third hierarchical level.

21. The electronic computer system of claim 20 further comprising:

a first aspect of the electronics computer system associated with said student account; and

a second aspect of the electronics computer system associated with said student account;

wherein said student account and said teacher account being configured to access said first aspect and said second aspect, and

said parent account being configured to access said first aspect and to be prevented access to said second aspect.

22. The electronic computer system of claim 21 wherein said first aspect is a plurality of homework assignments, and said second aspect is a private folder.

23. The electronic computer system of claim 20 further comprising a virtual classroom configured to allow an interaction between said parent account, said student account, and said teacher account.

24. The electronic computer system of claim 20 further comprising a virtual conference configured to allow an interaction between said parent account and said teacher account.

25. An online electronic computer system hosted by at least one server and accessible via a network by a plurality of users utilizing at least one computer, the system comprising:

an administrator account defined at the server and associated with an administrator;

a first user account defined at the server and associated with a first of the plurality of users, the first user account being associated with data stored by the at least one server, wherein each piece of data associated with the first user is defined by a data type; and

a second user account defined at the server and associated with a second of the plurality of users, wherein the server stores data representative of a relationship between the first and second users outside of the online electronic computer system;

wherein the administrator account assigns to the second user account a level of access to the data associated with the first user account, wherein the level of access is based upon the relationship and upon the data type, so that the level of access to the data provides the second user account with access to data associated with the first user account defined by certain data types and prevents the second user account from accessing data associated with the first user account defined by other data types to which said first user account has access.

26. A method for providing users with access to a transmission system comprising at least one server and associated with a school system comprising the steps of:

creating, at the at least one server, a parent account of the transmission system by a first of said users, wherein said first user is associated with a first hierarchical level of the transmission system;

associating said parent account with a family member;

associating, at the at least one server, said parent account with a student account of the transmission system, wherein said student account is associated with a student, said family member is associated with said student, and said student is associated with the school system;

verifying said parent account should be associated to said student account by a second of said users, wherein said second user is associated with a second hierarchical level of the transmission system;

storing on the at least one server data associated with said student account and that is accessible by said student account, wherein each piece of said data is categorized by a type;

providing said parent account with access to said data, wherein said access is dependent upon said association of said family member with said student and upon said type of piece of said data, so that the at least one server provides said parent account with access to certain of said data associated with said student account of certain category types and prevents said parent account from accessing certain of said data associated with said student account of other category types to which said student account has access, and wherein said access is managed by any of the users associated with said second hierarchical level.

27. An electronic computer system accessible by users associated with a school system comprising:

an administrator account associated with a first hierarchical level of the electronic computer system and stored on a server of the electronic computer system, wherein said administrator account is associated with an administrator located at a school within the school system;

a student account associated with a second hierarchical level of the electronic computer system and stored on the server, wherein said student account is associated with a student that attends said school; and

a parent account associated with a third hierarchical level of the electronic computer system and stored on the server, wherein said parent account is associated with a family member,

wherein the users associated with said first hierarchical level manage the users associated with said second hierarchical level and said third hierarchical level, wherein access by the parent account to data associated with the student account that is accessible by the student account is based upon whether there is a relationship between the family member and the student and upon a type of said data being accessed, so that the electronic computer system provides said parent account with access to certain of said data associated with said student account of certain category types and prevents said parent account from accessing certain of said data associated with said student account of other category types to which said student account has access.

28. An online electronic computer system hosted by at least one server and accessible via a network by a plurality of users utilizing at least one computer, the system comprising:

an administrator account defined at the server and associated with an administrator;

a first user account defined at the server and associated with a first of the plurality of users, the first user account being associated with data stored by the at least one server and that is accessible by the first user account, wherein each piece of data associated with the first user is defined by a data type; and

a second user account defined at the server and associated with a second of the plurality of users, wherein the server stores data representative of a relationship between the first and second users outside of the online electronic computer system;

wherein the administrator account assigns to the second user a level of access to the data associated with the first user account, wherein the level of access is based upon the relationship and upon the data type, so that the level of access to the data provides the second user account with access to data associated with the first user account defined by certain data types and prevents the second user account from accessing data associated with the first user account defined by other data types to which said first user account has access.