Software-based system for educational tools

• US 20030001903A1
• Filed: 06/07/2002
• Published: 01/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Anabasis Software LLC
• Original Assignee: Anabasis Software LLC
• Inventors: Duffy, Michael
• Application Number:
  US10/165,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20030001903A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

The present invention is a method and apparatus for the development and implementation of complex educational and training software systems. The system employs a macromedia software engine that, using a tag-based text document as an input, is capable of creating customizable macromedia output for display via a computer and through a network.

Claims

1. A computer-based bicycle maintenance resource, including:

a computer running a software program for dynamically creating a plurality of interrelated scenes for display;

a user-interface for displaying said scenes, wherein a plurality of the scenes represent hierarchical menu screens and where a main menu screen utilizes an image of a bicycle for the selection of menu items by a user rolling over the item and selecting the item; and

a user input device, where the user'"'"'s selection of an item with the user input device will result in the display of the selected one of a plurality of modules and any components therein.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user-selectable menu item for the display of a glossary of related terms associated with one or more components.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for customizing the system in accordance with at least one user-specified preference.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the user-specified preference is the make and model of bicycle.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is implemented as a stand-alone software system running on a remote computer.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is implemented using a client-server model, where a remote computer accesses the system via a network.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a step-by-step instruction sequence, with associated illustrations, for a plurality of diagnostic and maintenance procedures.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein each component menu screen includes user-selectable links to at least one of the group of links consisting of:

a listing of tools required to complete a procedure;

a component installation procedure;

a component removal procedure;

a component adjustment procedure;

a component maintenance and lubrication guide;

a technical description and illustration of the component;

an emergency repair procedure; and

problem-solution guidelines.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one scene of the user-interface is created by the software program in response to input from a tag-based input file.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the tag-based input file is a native word processing file.

11. A computer-based training resource, including:

a computer running a software program for dynamically creating a plurality of scenes for display;

a user-interface for displaying said scenes, wherein a plurality of the scenes represent a plurality of menu screens and where a main menu screen utilizes an image to which the training is directed and lower level menu screens depict particular components or portions of the image; and

wherein the image is selected from a database of images, where each of said images includes an identifier of the manufacturer of an item depicted in the image, wherein the images may be inserted into the user-interface in accordance with a pre-selected identifier.

12. The computer-based training resource of claim 11, further including:

a cache, associated with said computer, said cache comprising;

a look-ahead module, wherein loading of each linked element of a current display into the cache is initiated by the current display prior to a user selection, thereby improving the performance of the software.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

running, on a computer the generated software program, for dynamically creating a plurality of scenes for display to a user;

interacting with a user-interface associated with the computer, for displaying said scenes, wherein a plurality of the scenes represent a plurality of menu screens and where a main menu screen utilizes an image with which the resource is related, and lower level menu screens depict particular components or portions of said image; and

a database of sub-images, each depicting elements of the image, wherein each of said sub-images includes a unique identifier to control its insertion into the user-interface.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the image and database of sub-images incorporate high-resolution image data further including the steps of:

compressing a plurality of image files to less than about fifteen percent of their original size;

hosting the plurality of compressed images as a plurality of video elements;

associating at least one of said video elements as a cast member to be depicted in a scene of the system, wherein the step of associating at least one of said video elements as a cast member does not result in an expansion of the amount of data necessary to represent the image file.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of displaying a user-selectable menu item for the display of a glossary of related terms associated with one or more components, wherein the text-based document determines those terms to be included within the glossary of related terms.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of customizing the system in accordance with at least one user-specified preference.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of creating a text-based document to direct the display of the computer-generated media further comprises including within the text-based document a step-by-step instruction sequence for a plurality of maintenance procedures.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the plurality of maintenance procedures are related to the maintenance of a bicycle.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of creating a text-based document to direct the display of the computer-generated media includes inserting a user-selectable link selected from the group of links consisting of:

a listing of tools required to complete a procedure;

a component installation procedure;

a component removal procedure;

a component adjustment procedure;

a component maintenance and lubrication guide;

a technical description and illustration of the component;

an emergency repair procedure; and

problem-solution guidelines.

13. A computer-based media development resource, including:

a computer running a software program for dynamically creating a plurality of scenes for display;

a user-interface for displaying said scenes, wherein a plurality of the scenes represent a plurality of menu screens and where a main menu screen utilizes an image with which the resource is related, and lower level menu screens depict particular components or portions of said image; and

a database of sub-images, each depicting elements of the image, wherein each of said sub-images includes a unique identifier to control its dynamic display in the user-interface.

14. A method for the dynamic display of computer-generated media, including the steps of:

creating a text-based document to direct the display of the computer-generated media;

parsing the text-based document to determine relationships between elements of the computer-generated media; and

generating, in response to step of parsing the text-based document, a software program incorporating graphical and textual information defined by the text-based document.