Systems, methods, and media for providing virtual mock trials

• US 9,064,241 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2012
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magna Legal Services LLC
• Original Assignee: Magna Legal Services LLC
• Inventors: Kurzman, Ronny L., Kurzman, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thai, Xuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bullington, Robert P
• Application Number:
  US13/526,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20120322044A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,100 Days
• Field of Search: 434/365, 434/235
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/18 Legal services
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/02 with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/06 with both visual and audible presentation of the material to be studied
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/08 providing for individual presentation of information to a plurality of student stations

Abstract

Systems, methods, and media for providing virtual mock trials are provided. A system includes one or more hardware processors that are operative to initiate an interactive mock trial session via a network to a plurality of remote participants. The one or more hardware processors generate first and second presentation displays of the mock trial, each having an arrangement of content that may include a live-action video, a pre-recorded video, an image, interactive actuators or icons, text, or combinations thereof. The first display has a first set of interactive options and is transmitted to a plurality of mock jurors, while the second display has a second set of interactive options and is transmitted to at least one other remote participant, which may be, for example, a trial manager, an attorney, or an observer. Evaluations of the mock trial are interactively completed and received by the hardware processor.

Claims

1. A method of providing a presentation to a plurality of remote participants for evaluation of the presentation by at least some of the remote participants, the method comprising:

receiving at a hardware processor information pertaining to a presentation that comprises a mock trial for evaluation;

receiving at the hardware processor information pertaining to a plurality of evaluation participants that comprises a mock jury;

receiving at the hardware processor a request to initiate an interactive presentation session;

generating a first display of the presentation and a second display of the presentation, the first display of the presentation and the second display of the presentation each comprising an arrangement of content, the content comprising at least one of a live-action video, a pre-recorded video, an image, text, interactive actuators or icons, or a combination thereof and comprising at least one of a representation of the mock jury, an evidentiary demonstrative, or a representation of an attorney, wherein the first display has a first set of interactive options and the second display has a second set of interactive options;

transmitting via a network the first display of the presentation to a plurality of user devices associated with the plurality of evaluation participants and the second display of the presentation to a user device of at least one other remote participant that comprises a trial manager, an attorney, a witness, or an observer;

receiving at the hardware processor at least one evaluation of the presentation from at least one of the plurality of evaluation participants while the presentation is being displayed, wherein the at least one evaluation of the presentation comprises a persuasiveness indicator that is a non-binary indication of a level of persuasiveness of an argument of the presentation;

determining that one of the plurality of evaluation participants is distracted if an adjustment of a non-binary indication of a level of persuasiveness of the argument of the presentation has not been received from the one of the plurality of evaluation participants for a given period of time;

alerting at least one of the at least one other remote participant that the one of the plurality of evaluation participants is distracted;

receiving a user input from the at least one of the at least one other remote participant to cause a display of the one of the plurality of evaluation participants that is distracted to shake in response to determining that the one of the plurality of evaluation participants is distracted; and

receiving an indication that the one of the plurality of evaluation participants is to be removed from the plurality of evaluation participants.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the second display of the presentation comprises at least some different content, a different arrangement of content, or both than that of the first display of the presentation; and

the at least one other remote participant comprises a presentation manager, a presenter, or an observer.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising initiating an interactive session among a portion of the plurality of evaluation participants and the at least one other remote participant in response to receiving an interactive session request at the hardware processor.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting via a network a participation verification check to a user device associated with an evaluation participant; and

receiving at the hardware processor an acknowledgement of the participation verification check;

or

in response to not receiving an acknowledgement, at least one of;

transmitting via a network to the user device associated with the evaluation participant a visual or audible alert, or

terminating transmission of the first display of the presentation to the user device associated with the evaluation participant.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving at the hardware processor a request to view status of the plurality of user devices associated with the plurality of evaluation participants;

generating a second display of the presentation comprising content regarding the status of the plurality of user devices associated with the plurality of evaluation participants; and

transmitting via a network the second display to the user device of the at least one other remote participant.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving at the hardware processor of at least one evaluation of the presentation comprises at least one of:

receiving at the hardware processor at least one evaluation of the presentation after conclusion of the presentation;

or

initiating an interactive session in response to receiving an interactive session request at the hardware processor, and receiving at the hardware processor at least one evaluation of the presentation during the interactive session.

7. A system for providing a presentation to a plurality of remote participants for evaluation of the presentation by at least some of the remote participants, the system comprising one or more hardware processors operative to:

receive information pertaining to a presentation that comprises a mock trial for evaluation;

receive information pertaining to a plurality of evaluation participants that comprises a mock jury;

receive a request to initiate an interactive presentation session;

generate a first display of the presentation and a second display of the presentation, the first display of the presentation and the second display of the presentation each comprising an arrangement of content, the content comprising at least one of a live-action video, a pre-recorded video, an image, text, interactive actuators or icons, or a combination thereof and comprising at least one of a representation of the mock jury, an evidentiary demonstrative, or a representation of an attorney, wherein the first display has a first set of interactive options and the second display has a second set of interactive options;

transmit via a network the first display of the presentation to a plurality of user devices associated with the plurality of evaluation participants and the second display of the presentation to a user device of at least one other remote participant that comprises a trial manager, an attorney, a witness, or an observer;

receive at least one evaluation of the presentation from at least one of the plurality of evaluation participants while the presentation is being displayed, wherein the at least one evaluation of the presentation comprises a persuasiveness indicator that is a non-binary indication of a level of persuasiveness of an argument of the presentation;

alert at least one of the at least one other remote participant that the one of the plurality of evaluation participants is distracted;

receive a user input from the at least one of the at least one other remote participant to cause a display of the one of the plurality of evaluation participants that is distracted to shake in response to determining that the one of the plurality of evaluation participants is distracted; and

receive an indication that the one of the plurality of evaluation participants is to be removed from the plurality of evaluation participants.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein:

the second display of the presentation comprises at least some different content, a different arrangement of content, or both than that of the first display of the presentation; and

the at least one other remote participant comprises a presentation manager, a presenter, or an observer.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the one or more hardware processors are further operative to initiate an interactive session among a portion of the plurality of evaluation participants and the at least one other remote participant in response to receiving an interactive session request.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein the one or more hardware processors are further operative to:

transmit via a network a participation verification check to a user device associated with an evaluation participant; and

receive an acknowledgement of the participation verification check;

or in response to not receiving an acknowledgement, at least one of;

transmit via a network to the user device associated with the evaluation participant a visual or audible alert, or

terminate transmission of the first display of the presentation to the user device associated with the evaluation participant.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein the one or more hardware processors are further operative to:

receive a request to view status of the plurality of user devices associated with the plurality of evaluation participants;

generate a second display of the presentation comprising content regarding the status of the plurality of user devices associated with the plurality of evaluation participants; and

transmit via a network the second display to the user device of the at least one other remote participant.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein the one or more hardware processors operative to receive at least one evaluation of the presentation are operative to:

receive at least one evaluation of the presentation after conclusion of the presentation;

or

initiate an interactive session in response to receiving an interactive session request, and receive at least one evaluation of the presentation during the interactive session.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method of providing a presentation to a plurality of remote participants for evaluation of the presentation by at least some of the remote participants, the method comprising:

receiving information pertaining to a presentation that comprises a mock trial for evaluation;

receiving information pertaining to a plurality of evaluation participants that comprises a mock jury;

receiving a request to initiate an interactive presentation session;

generating a first display of the presentation and a second display of the presentation, the first display of the presentation and the second display of the presentation each comprising an arrangement of content, the content comprising at least one of a live-action video, a pre-recorded video, an image, text, interactive actuators or icons, or a combination thereof and comprising at least one of a representation of the mock jury, an evidentiary demonstrative, or a representation of an attorney, wherein the first display has a first set of interactive options and the second display has a second set of interactive options;

transmitting via a network the first display of the presentation to a plurality of user devices associated with the plurality of evaluation participants and the second display of the presentation to a user device of at least one other remote participant that comprises a trial manager, an attorney, a witness, or an observer;

receiving at least one evaluation of the presentation from at least one of the plurality of evaluation participants while the presentation is being displayed, wherein the at least one evaluation of the presentation comprises a persuasiveness indicator that is a non-binary indication of a level of persuasiveness of an argument of the presentation;

determining that one of the plurality of evaluation participants is distracted if an adjustment of a non-binary indication of a level of persuasiveness of the argument of the presentation has not been received from the one of the plurality of evaluation participants for a given period of time;

alerting at least one of the at least one other remote participant that the one of the plurality of evaluation participants is distracted;

receiving a user input from the at least one of the at least one other remote participant to cause a display of the one of the plurality of evaluation participants that is distracted to shake in response to determining that the one of the plurality of evaluation participants is distracted; and

receiving an indication that the one of the plurality of evaluation participants is to be removed from the plurality of evaluation participants.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the method further comprises initiating an interactive session among a portion of the plurality of evaluation participants and the at least one other remote participant in response to receiving an interactive session request at the hardware processor.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting via a network a participation verification check to a user device associated with an evaluation participant; and

receiving an acknowledgement of the participation verification check;

or

in response to not receiving an acknowledgement, at least one of;

transmitting via a network to the user device associated with the evaluation participant a visual or audible alert, or

terminating transmission of the first display of the presentation to the user device associated with the evaluation participant.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a request to view status of the plurality of user devices associated with the plurality of evaluation participants;

generating a second display of the presentation comprising content regarding the status of the plurality of user devices associated with the plurality of evaluation participants; and

transmitting via a network the second display to the user device of the at least one other remote participant.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the method step of receiving at least one evaluation of the presentation comprises at least one of:

receiving at least one evaluation of the presentation after conclusion of the presentation;

or

initiating an interactive session in response to receiving an interactive session request, and receiving at least one evaluation of the presentation during the interactive session.