# US 7,610,337 B2 · Method and apparatus for creating and executing internet based lectures using public domain web pages

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- Number: US 7,610,337 B2
- Document ID: US7610337B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/082,160
- Filed: 2005-03-15
- Published: 2005-07-21
- Granted: 2009-10-27
- Earliest claimed: 1999-07-08
- Inventors: Mark A. Boys
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7610337B2

## CPC

- G09B 5/00: Electrically-operated educational appliances (working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F)
- H04L 65/611: for multicast or broadcast (systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06)
- H04L 67/02: based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
- G09B: EDUCATIONAL OR DEMONSTRATION APPLIANCES; APPLIANCES FOR TEACHING, OR COMMUNICATING WITH, THE BLIND, DEAF OR MUTE; MODELS; PLANETARIA; GLOBES; MAPS; DIAGRAMS (devices for psychotechnics or for testing reaction times A61B5/16; games, sports, amusements A63; projectors, projector screens G03B)
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

An Internet-enabled subscription teaching service system has an Internet-connected lecture server executing a software suite, one or more teacher-author stations coupled to the Internet-connected lecture server, having input and display apparatus, and including lecture-authoring software, and one or more Internet-capable lecture client stations having lecture-participation software. Teacher-authors use the teacher-author stations to prepare lectures through the lecture-authoring software, the lecture server stores prepared lectures and provides lectures on a pre-determined schedule to lecture clients at the lecture client stations, and the lecture clients follow the provided lectures at the lecture client stations through the lecture-participation software. Some lectures are fully automatic, and some are directed by the teacher-authors in real time. In the real time case recipients are directed to WEB pages in unison, and annotation and commentary is provided by the teacher-author as pages are visited.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A teacher-author station of an Internet-enabled subscription teaching service system comprising:
a processor; and
logic to be operated by the processor and configured to
facilitate a teacher-author in composing a lecture on-line at the teacher-author station by browsing web pages, altering copies of pages found, and saving altered pages in a particular order as a lecture, and
upload the lecture, when completed, to a lecture server of the Internet-enabled subscription teaching service system for playing, by the lecture server, the lecture on the Internet at an agreed-to time to a plurality of lecture clients at Internet-connected client workstations.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The teacher-author station of claim 1 wherein said altering includes one or more of masking content, text annotating, attaching audio or video files, or adding graphic elements to the copies of the pages found.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The teacher-author station of claim 1 wherein the logic is further configured to enable the teacher-author to author new pages, and to arrange the new pages in order with the saved altered pages in creating a lecture.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The teacher-author station of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the logic is implemented on the teacher-author station as a browser plug-in.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The teacher-author station of claim 1, wherein the logic is further adapted to facilitate the teacher author station in participating in the lecture and in interacting with the lecture clients.

### Claim 6

A method comprising:
facilitating, by a teacher-author station, a teacher-author in composing a lecture on-line at the teacher-author station by browsing web pages, altering copies of pages by one or more of masking content of the pages, annotating the pages, inserting text or graphics in the pages, and attaching audio or video files to the pages, and saving altered pages in a particular order as a lecture; and
uploading, by the teacher-author station, the lecture, when completed, to a lecture server for playing, by the lecture server, the lecture on the Internet at an agreed-to time to a plurality of lecture clients at Internet-connected client workstations.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, further comprising enabling, by the teacher-author station the teacher-author to author new pages, and to arrange the new pages in order with the saved altered pages in creating a lecture.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6 wherein at least one of said facilitating and said uploading is performed by a browser plug-in.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, further comprising facilitating, by the teacher-author station, the teacher author station in participating in the lecture and in interacting with the lecture clients.

### Claim 10

A lecture server of an Internet-enabled subscription teaching service system comprising:
a processor; and
logic operated by the processor and configured to
receive an upload of a completed lecture from a teacher-author station, the teacher-author station having facilitated a teacher-author in composing the lecture on-line at the teacher-author station by browsing web pages, altering copies of pages found, and saving altered pages in a particular order as a lecture, and
play the lecture, including presenting the altered pages, on the Internet at an agreed-to time to a plurality of lecture clients at Internet-connected client workstations.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The lecture server of claim 10 wherein the logic is further configured to store the completed lecture and parameters for replaying the lecture on the Internet, and said play includes accessing and replaying the stored lecture to the lecture clients according to the stored parameters.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The lecture server of claim 11 wherein the logic is further configured to negotiate with the lecture clients for participation in the lecture, manage assignment of the lecture clients with the lecture, and alert the lecture clients as to the agreed-to time for lecture.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The lecture server of claim 10 wherein the logic is further configured to require interaction with the lecture by the lecture clients.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The lecture server of claim 10 wherein the logic is further configured to
require participation in the lecture by the teacher-author station of the lecture,
while a lecture is played, direct lecture clients to web pages in real time, and
while the lecture clients view pages to which they are directed, facilitate interaction between the lecture clients and the teacher-author station.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The lecture server of claim 10, wherein the logic operated by the processor configured to present the altered pages comprises logic operated by the processor configured to present the altered pages for interaction by a plurality of lecture clients.

### Claim 16

A method comprising:
receiving, by a lecture server, an upload of a completed lecture from a teacher-author station, the teacher-author station having facilitated a teacher-author in composing the lecture on-line at the teacher-author station by browsing web pages, altering copies of pages found, and saving altered pages in a particular order as a lecture; and
playing, by the lecture server, the lecture on the Internet at an agreed-to time to a plurality of lecture clients at Internet-connected client workstations.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, further comprising organizing, by the lecture server, groups of lecture clients prior to playing a lecture to the organized clients on the Internet.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, further comprising requiring, by the lecture server, interaction with the lecture by the lecture clients.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16 further comprising
requiring, by the lecture server, participation in the lecture by the teacher-author station of the lecture,
while a lecture is played, directing, by the lecture server, lecture clients to web pages in real time, and
while the lecture clients view pages to which they are directed, facilitating, by the lecture server, interaction between the lecture clients and the teacher-author station.

### Claim 20

An apparatus comprising:
means for facilitating a teacher-author in composing a lecture on-line at the teacher-author station by browsing web pages, altering copies of pages by one or more of masking content of the pages, annotating the pages, inserting text or graphics in the pages, and attaching audio or video files to the pages, and saving altered pages in a particular order as a lecture; and
means for uploading the lecture, when completed, to a lecture server for playing the lecture on the Internet at an agreed-to time to a plurality of lecture clients at Internet-connected client workstations.
