Patent Application
20220343793
The present invention relates generally to the field of learning systems and methods. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system, a method and an associated computer implemented application for educating individuals about important people and events in black history. The invention provides black history content, quizzes, and games based on the content along with rewards and certificates enabling people to improve their knowledge of black history. Accordingly, the present disclosure makes specific reference thereto. Nonetheless, it is to be appreciated that aspects of the present invention are also equally applicable to other like applications, devices, and methods of manufacture.
By way of background, contributions of black people have been immense in the growth of mankind, technology, art, literature, science and more. However, individuals have a lack of information about the contribution of black people. Black history month has been celebrated every year in February since 1976 for recognizing the contributions of African Americans to U.S. history. However, during the rest of the year individuals forget about the contributions and focus more on the negatives of black culture and thereby remain unaware about contributions of African Americans to the United States. There is a desire in black people to educate people about black history and the contributions made to the United States.
There are limited resources about black history and the resources are not easily accessible to users. With the advent of internet, black people desire a system that can provide to them all the black history resources at a single place with ease such that data is accessible on their smartphones and computing devices.
Therefore, there exists a long-felt need in the art for a system and method that educates individuals about important people and events in black history. There is also a long-felt need in the art for a method that enables individuals to learn about black history in an interactive manner. Additionally, there is a long-felt need in the system that provides contributions and describes positive impacts of black people at a single place. Moreover, there is a long-felt need in the art for a system that creates awareness in individuals about the contribution of black culture in United States. Further, there is a long-felt need in the art for a system that allows individuals to learn about black culture easily on their smartphones and computing devices. Finally, there is a long-felt need in the art for a system and method that provides knowledge and helps in improving awareness of important black historical figures, such as, poets, musicians, inventors, pioneers, and more.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a computer implemented system for educating individuals about contributions of black culture. The system has a client-server architecture wherein the users access information from the server. The system includes at least one processor in a server, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, that when executed, controls the one or more computer processors to be configured for presenting one or more graphical user interfaces for a learner, the graphical user interfaces include black history content, quizzes, meetings, and games wherein the games and quizzes are related to black history; recommending new black history content based on learner's performance in the quizzes and games; and, generating digital certificates for the learner upon winning quizzes and games.
In this manner, the black history computer implemented system and associated method of the present invention accomplishes all of the foregoing objectives and provides a system that educates individuals about important people and events in black history using a software application and website. The system allows users to participate in games, quizzes, and viewing of narrated stories of black history and black historical figures.
The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some general concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a method for educating users about important people and events in black history. The method includes the steps of receiving, by a server, selections of one or more black persons or events related to a black person from a user; transmitting, by the server, videos and other content related to the selected black person or event to a computer implemented software application; displaying, by the application, the received information; determining, by the server, watch history and preferences of the user; determining, by the server, new black history content for display to the user wherein the new black history content includes black history quizzes and games to be played by the user either alone or with other users.
In yet another embodiment, the method further includes the step of generating a certificate for a user winning a quiz or a game.
In yet another embodiment, a computer implemented method for presenting black history data for learners is described. The method comprising the steps of presenting, by a processor, a plurality of graphical user interfaces that include black history content in the form of videos, images, virtual meetings and more; receiving, by the processor, a request for a quiz and a game from a learner; generating, by the processor, a quiz and a game including black history content; recommending, by the processor, new black history content based on the performance of the learner in the quiz and the game.
In yet another embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the programs comprising the instructions for presenting one or more graphical user interfaces for a learner, the graphical user interfaces include black history content, quizzes, meetings, and games wherein the games and quizzes are related to black history; recommending new black history content based on learner's performance in the quizzes and games; and, generating a digital certificate for the learner upon winning quizzes and games.
In yet another embodiment, a computer implemented system is disclosed. The system includes at least one processor in a server, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, that when executed, control the one or more computer processors to be configured for presenting one or more graphical user interfaces for a learner, the graphical user interfaces include black history content, quizzes, meetings, and games wherein the games and quizzes are related to black history; recommending new black history content based on learner's performance in the quizzes and games; and, generating digital certificates for the learner upon winning quizzes and games.
In yet another embodiment, the server is a cloud server system.
In yet another embodiment, the server is a distributed server system.
Numerous benefits and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains upon reading and understanding of the following detailed specification.
To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and are intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.
The description refers to provided drawings in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the different views, and in which:
The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the innovation can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate a description thereof. Various embodiments are discussed hereinafter. It should be noted that the figures are described only to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They are not intended as an exhaustive description of the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention. Additionally, an illustrated embodiment need not have all the aspects or advantages shown. Thus, in other embodiments, any of the features described herein from different embodiments may be combined.
As noted above, there exists a long-felt need in the art for a system and method that educates individuals about important people and events in black history. There is also a long-felt need in the art for a method that enables individuals to learn about black history in an interactive manner. Additionally, there is a long-felt need in the system that provides contributions and describes positive impacts of black people at a single place. Moreover, there is a long-felt need in the art for a system that creates awareness in individuals about the contribution of black culture in the United States. Further, there is a long-felt need in the art for a system that allows individuals to learn about black culture easily on their smartphones and computing devices. Finally, there is a long-felt need in the art for a system and method that provides knowledge and helps improve awareness of important black historical figures, such as, poets, musicians, inventors, pioneers, and more.
The present invention, in one exemplary embodiment, is a novel method for educating users about important people and events in black history. The method includes the steps of receiving, by a server, a selection of one or more black persons or events related to a black person from a user; transmitting, by the server, videos and other content related to the selected black person or event to a computer implemented software application; displaying, by the application, the received information; determining, by the server, watch history and preferences of the user; and, determining, by the server, new black history content for display to the user wherein the new black history content includes black history quizzes and games to be played by the user either alone or with other users.
Referring initially to the drawings,
More specifically, the system 100 includes a computer implemented server 102 which can be in the form of a central server, cloud-based server, or distributed server. The server 102 is configured to provide a plurality of graphical user interfaces (GUI) on the application/website accessed by users through their electronic devices. Details of the server 102 are described in
The system 100 provides access to educational content through a black history learning software application 104 accessible on an electronic device 106. The application 104 includes computer readable instructions readable by the processor of the electronic device 106. The electronic device 106 can be a smartphone, laptop, PDA, smartwatch, or any other conventional computing system and is used for interacting with the server 102, thereby enabling users to access functionalities provided by the server 102.
Similar to the application 104, a website 108 provided by the server 102 provides access to the functionalities and content provided by the server 102. The GUIs on both the application 104 and the website 108 are similar and are scaled and formatted to fit within the display of the devices. The application/website accessible to users is configured to provide different GUIs as illustrated in
A communication network 110 such as the internet is used for communication between the mobile application 104, website 108, and the server 102. The communication network 110 may include a wireless channel, a wired channel, or a combination of wireless and wired channel thereof. The wireless or wired channel may be associated with a data standard which may be defined by one of a Local Area Network (LAN), a Personal Area Network (PAN), a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN), Wireless Area Network (WAN), Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a satellite network, the internet, a fiber optic network, a coaxial cable network, an infrared (IR) network, a radio frequency (RF) network, and a combination thereof. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of communication channel, including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies.
The server 102 is associated with a content database 112 used for securely storing all black history content in various formats. The content can be in the form of files, documents, videos, any other type of media and more and is accessible to users for learning. A user, upon logging into the system, accesses the stored content in a format suitable for display of their electronic device. A user database 114 securely stores information of registered users of the system 100. The information may include, but is not limited to name, location, age, gender, profession and more. The black history education system 100 is designed to provide all resources and information of black history to users and thus create awareness of same.
The server 102 can be a network of computers, a software framework, or a combination thereof, that may provide a generalized approach to create the server implementation. The server 102 has a presentation module 202 configured to generate a plurality of GUIs. The GUIs provide features to users for enabling them to learn educational content, play games, take quizzes, interact with other users and more.
A registration module 204 is configured to manage registration of users, manage and control the login process of registered users enabling a secure environment for users without compromising their personal information. Further, the module 204 helps in making the educational content accessible based on the subscription plan (shown in
An input/output (I/O) subsystem 206 allows the server 102 to communicate to one or more electronic devices and one or more databases. The I/O subsystem 206 can be in the form of ports and wireless modules enabling the server 102 to communicate using both wired and wireless medium. The I/O subsystem 206 can also be circuitry and/or components to facilitate input/output operations with the processor 208 and/or other components of the server 102.
The processor 208 may be any type of processor or combination of processors capable of executing software/firmware, such as a one or more microprocessors, digital signal processors, microcontrollers, or the like. The processor 208 may be a single processor or may include multiple processors. The processor 208 is communicatively coupled to the I/O subsystem 206.
A quiz module 210 is configured to generate quizzes using the content stored in the content database of the system 100. The quiz module 210 may generate quizzes that are pre-stored in the memory 216 of the server 102. Questions for the quizzes may also be selected in real time from a dynamic pool of questions.
A games module 212 is configured to generate both passive and interactive games using the content stored in the content database of the system 100. The games may be associated with rewards enabling users to participate and win prizes.
A recommendation module 214 uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to learn interactions of users with the system 100. The recommendation module 214 retrieves the content/information accessed by users for providing recommendation on new data in addition to recommending other users having similar interests. The recommendation module 214 is configured to make the system and learning personalized and interactive.
The memory 216 may include one or more volatile and/or non-volatile memory devices. The memory 216 is communicatively coupled to the I/O subsystem 206 via a number of signal paths. Various data and software may be stored in the memory 216. Any type of devices configured for short-term or long-term storage of data, such as, for example, memory devices and circuits, memory cards, hard disk drives, solid-state drives, or other data storage devices can be used as memory 216.
A plurality of pre-defined topics 306 including exemplary topics like Education, Music, Science, Literature, and more are displayed by the interface 300. Any of the topics can be selected by the user 302 for displaying relevant black history content corresponding to the topic. It should be noted that the system 100 can automatically update the topic list based on the content stored in the database. An in-panel display 308 displays the content in an appropriate format. The length and width of the display 308 can be adjusted automatically to conveniently display the content.
A preferred language can be set for the content using the language tab 310. The system offers content in a plurality of languages including, but not limited to, English, Spanish, African, German, and more. The system 100 of the present invention provides the capability to a user to upload relevant black history content using the upload button 312. The uploaded content is verified by an administration team (not shown) of the system 100 and once verified, can be added to the system 100 as educational content.
History 314 includes the user accessed content enabling a user to revisit the content as per preferences of the user. The history 314 is also used by the recommendation engine of the system to recommend 316 new educational content to the user 302 based on the preferences and tastes of the user. Any of the content available in the system 100 can be searched by the user using the search tab 318. The relevant hits are displayed on the interface 300 enabling users to easily select any of the educational content for learning.
The interface 400 allows the user 302 to select one or more topics from the topic section 306, one or more categories from categories section 304, and/or one or more important black people from people section 408 to add to the favorites section 410. The user 302 has added, as an example, Barack Obama, Black Exodus and Education to the favorites section 410 that allows easy access of these subjects and related information.
The favorites added by a user are also used by the recommendation engine of the system 100 to recommend more similar content, people, and events, thereby providing a more personalized learning environment to the users.
A certificate for a winner of the game is also available for printing using the print certificate tab 506 and also the certificate can be downloaded using the download certificate section 508.
For creating a new event, the user uses the create event tab 806 and the created event can be broadcasted or selectively shared with selected users of the system.
Individual membership 904 is a paid membership that provides access to premium content. The membership 904 can be purchased by an individual and can be cancelled at any time. A corporate membership 906 is a bulk membership that can be purchased by schools, colleges, organizations and more to impart black history knowledge to their students, employees and more.
The user device 106 includes input device(s) 1004 such as a touch input device, voice input device, etc. for entering data and information. Preferably, the touch interface of the user device 106 is used as the input and various buttons/tabs shown on the application 104 are pressed or clicked by the user. Other input devices such as cameras and microphones are used during video chatting by the user. The display of the user device 106 also acts as the output device 1006 for displaying various contents (i.e., text, images, videos, icons, and/or symbols, etc.) to the user. The display can include a touch screen, and may receive, for example, a touch, gesture, proximity, or hovering input using an electronic pen or a part of a user's body.
Electronic device 106 has memory 1008 used for storing programs (sequences of instructions) or data (e.g., program state information) on a temporary or permanent basis for use in the computer system. Memory 1008 can be configured for short-term storage of information as volatile memory and therefore not retain stored contents if powered off. Examples of volatile memories include random access memories (RAM), dynamic random-access memories (DRAM), static random-access memories (SRAM), and other forms of volatile memories known in the art. The processor 1002, in combination with one or more of memory 1008, input device(s) 1004, output device(s) 1006, is utilized to provide users to execute instructions on the application 104. The connection to a network is provided by wireless interface 1010.
The wireless interface 1010 enables the user device 106 to communicate with the server 102 and other components of the system 100 over the communication network 110, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Examples of the communication interface 1010 may include, but are not limited to, a modem, a network interface such as an Ethernet card, a communication port, and/or a Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) slot and card, an antenna, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, one or more amplifiers, a tuner, one or more oscillators, a digital signal processor, a coder-decoder (CODEC) chipset, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, and a local buffer circuit. It will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the communication interface 1010 may include any device and/or apparatus capable of providing wireless or wired communications between the user device 106 and the server 102.
As used herein, the term “server” refers to any computerized component, system, or entity regardless of form which is adapted to provide data, files, applications, content, or other services to one or more other devices or entities on a computer network.
As used herein, the term “user interface” or “graphical user interface” refers to, without limitation, any visual, graphical, tactile, audible, sensory, or other means of providing information to and/or receiving information from a user or other entity.
Embodiments of the present disclosure take the form of computer-executable instructions, including algorithms executed by a programmable computer. However, the disclosure can be practiced with other computer system configurations as well. Certain aspects of the disclosure can be embodied in a special-purpose computer or data processor that is specifically programmed, configured, or constructed to perform one or more of the computer-executable algorithms described below. Accordingly, the term “computer” as generally used herein refers to any data processor and includes internet appliances, hand-held devices (including tablets, computers, wearable computers, cellular or mobile phones, multi-processor systems, processor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network computers, minicomputers) and the like.
Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different persons may refer to the same feature or component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components or features that differ in name but not structure or function. As used herein “system”, “black history learning system”, “black history system”, and “system” are interchangeable and refer to the black history learning system 100 of the present invention. Similarly, as used herein “software application”, “black history learning application”, and “application” are interchangeable and refer to the black history learning software application 104 of the present invention.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the black history learning system 100 and the black history learning software application 104 of the present invention can be of any suitable size and configuration as is known in the art without affecting the overall concept of the invention, provided that it accomplishes the above-stated objectives. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the black history learning system 100 and the black history learning software application 104 as shown in the FIGS. are for illustrative purposes only, and that many other sizes and shapes of the black history learning system 100 and the black history learning software application 104 are well within the scope of the present disclosure. Although the dimensions of the black history learning system 100 and the black history learning software application 104 are important design parameters for user convenience, the black history learning system 100 and the black history learning software application 104 may be of any size that ensures optimal performance during use and/or that suits the user's needs and/or preferences.
Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplary embodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the present invention. While the embodiments described above refer to particular features, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments having different combinations of features and embodiments that do not include all of the described features. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the scope of the claims, together with all equivalents thereof.
What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subject matter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimed subject matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.
The present application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/178,249 which was filed on Apr. 22, 2021 and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63178249 | Apr 2021 | US |
