WO1988009096A1 - Remote teaching system - Google Patents

Remote teaching system Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO1988009096A1
WO1988009096A1 PCT/US1988/001518 US8801518W WO8809096A1 WO 1988009096 A1 WO1988009096 A1 WO 1988009096A1 US 8801518 W US8801518 W US 8801518W WO 8809096 A1 WO8809096 A1 WO 8809096A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
video
player
signal
port
input port
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1988/001518
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Arthur Shapiro
Original Assignee
The Trustees Of The Stevens Institute Of Technolog
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by The Trustees Of The Stevens Institute Of Technolog filed Critical The Trustees Of The Stevens Institute Of Technolog
Publication of WO1988009096A1 publication Critical patent/WO1988009096A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09B—EDUCATIONAL OR DEMONSTRATION APPLIANCES; APPLIANCES FOR TEACHING, OR COMMUNICATING WITH, THE BLIND, DEAF OR MUTE; MODELS; PLANETARIA; GLOBES; MAPS; DIAGRAMS
    • G09B5/00—Electrically-operated educational appliances
    • G09B5/08—Electrically-operated educational appliances providing for individual presentation of information to a plurality of student stations
    • G09B5/14—Electrically-operated educational appliances providing for individual presentation of information to a plurality of student stations with provision for individual teacher-student communication
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09B—EDUCATIONAL OR DEMONSTRATION APPLIANCES; APPLIANCES FOR TEACHING, OR COMMUNICATING WITH, THE BLIND, DEAF OR MUTE; MODELS; PLANETARIA; GLOBES; MAPS; DIAGRAMS
    • G09B7/00—Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers
    • G09B7/02—Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student
    • G09B7/04—Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student characterised by modifying the teaching programme in response to a wrong answer, e.g. repeating the question, supplying a further explanation

Definitions

  • the present invention concerns a system which permits a teacher to instruct a number of students in which the students and the teacher are dispersed among remote sites.
  • Instruction by a teacher of students assembled in a classroom is an effective method of teaching, since a student in a classroom can ask questions of the teacher and receive an immediate answer to clarify points of the lesson being taught which the student does not understand.
  • the teacher can pose questions to students in the classroom and receive immediate replies to maintain the attentiveness of the students and to verify that the students are comprehending the lesson being taught.
  • One approach for teaching students in remote sites involves providing a direct television link between each student site and the teacher in parallel with a telephone link between the student sites and the teacher. In this way the lecture of the teacher can be transmitted "live" to each of the students and the students can ask questions of the teacher over the telephone link.
  • a direct television. link to a remote site is extremely expensive and consequently live broadcasts of a lecture with provision for student response by telephone is generally impractical for economic reasons, particularly when more than a few student sites are involved.
  • Terminal equipment for each study center consists of a microprocessor unit, a television set, two telephone lines and a stereo cassette recorder. Prerecorded lessons can be played on the stereo cassette recorder.
  • One of the telephon lines is for audio communications and the other telephone line is for communicating visual information.
  • the teaching system of the Scott article provides for talk-back and write-back from every terminal. Write-back is accomplished by means of a light pen. The system uses internal programs that can be taped, transmitted live or a mixture of the two.
  • a teacher can make his or her own taped lessons by recording illustrative material with a television camera, making drawings on a graphics tablet, or entering typed information on a keyboard.
  • the picture elements thus entered can be arranged and scaled on a video monitor to suit the teacher and then transferred to a stereo cassette tape.
  • the tape can be used by individual machines or sent over phone lines.
  • the audio-visual teaching system disclosed in the Scott article has a number of significant drawbacks.
  • conventional stereo cassette tapes have limited data storage capacity so that only a relatively limited set of images can be stored on the tape.
  • the remote teaching system of the invention includes a teacher station and a plurality of student stations.
  • the teacher station and the student stations may be located at remote sites which are interconnected by a telephone system.
  • Each station includes a voice telephone set which is connectable to the telephone system for voice communication among the various stations.
  • Each station also includes a video display monitor such as a television set for displaying visual images.
  • Each station also includes a video media player connected to the video display monitor for playing video media such as a video recorded lecture by a teacher to produce visual images on the display monitor.
  • the video media player has a start/stop-control-signal input port and is adapted to start and stop the playing of video media in response to start/stop control signals applied to the start/stop-control-signal input port.
  • Each student station of the remote teaching system of the invention includes a video-media-player controller which is connected to the start/stop-control-signal input port of the video media player.
  • the video-media-player controller is connectable to the telephone system for receiving telephonic start/stop control signals over the telephone system.
  • the video-media-player controller is adapted to transmit start/stop control signals to the start/stop-control-signal input port of the video media player in response to receipt of telephonic start/stop control signals to controllably start and stop the playing of video media in the video media player.
  • the teacher station of the remote teaching system of the invention includes a video-media-player master controller which is connected to the start/stop-control- signal input port of the video media player of the teacher station.
  • the video-media-player master controller is connectable to the telephone system for transmitting telephonic start/stop control signals over the telephone system.
  • the video-media-player master controller is adapted to generate start/stop control signals in response to instructions from an operator of the master controller and to apply the signals to the start/stop-control-signal input port of the video media player of the teacher station.
  • the video-media-player master controller is further adapted to transmit corresponding telephonic start/stop control signals over the telephone system to the video-media-player controllers of the student stations, so that playing of the video media player of the teacher station and the video media players of the student stations can be started and stopped substantially in synchronism.
  • the video-media-player master controller includes a digital computer and a modem.
  • the digital computer has random-access memory for storing data and programs, a central processing unit in communication with the random-access memory for accessing programs stored in the memory, a keyboard in communication with the random-access memory for entering data and programs into the memory, and an input/output channel.
  • the digital computer preferably also includes a removable-media mass storage device such as a floppy magnetic disk storage unit for data and program entry and storage.
  • the modem is connected to the input/output channel of the digital computer for receiving start/stop-control-signal communication commands from the computer.
  • the modem is connectable to the telephone system for transmitting the telephonic start/stop control signals over the telephone system in response to the start/stop-control-signal communication commands.
  • the input/output channel of the digital computer is also connected to the start/stop-control-signal input port of the video-media player of the teacher station for transmitting start/stop control signals to the video media player.
  • the video-media-player controller of each student station preferably comprises a digital computer and a modem.
  • the digital computer has a random-access memory, a central processing unit, a keyboard, and an input/output channel as does the digital computer of the preferred video-media-player master controller of the teacher station.
  • the digital computer of each student station also preferably includes a floppy magnetic disk storage unit or other removable-media mass storage device for data and program entry and storage.
  • the input/output channel of the digital computer of the video-media-player controller of each student station is connected to the modem and to the start/stop-control-signal input port of the video media player of the student station.
  • the modem of each student station is connectable to the telephone system for receiving telephonic start/stop control signals over the telephone system from the video-media-player master controller of the teacher station.
  • the modem transmits start/stop-control-signal control commands to the digital computer in response to the telephonic start/stop control signals.
  • the digital computer in turn transmits start/stop control signals to the start/stop-control-signal input port of the video media player for starting and stopping the playing of video media in the video media player of the student station.
  • the modems of the teacher station and the student stations are preferably integrated voice/data modems, so that the voice telephone set of each station can be connected to the telephone system through the modem.
  • Integrated voice/data modems permit the teacher station and the various student stations to be interconnected over the telephone system by a single conference-call telephone link.
  • the modems of the student stations and the teacher station can be connected over the telephone system by a first conference-call telephone link for exchanging telephonic data signals among the modems, and the voice telephone sets of the teacher station and the student stations can be interconnected by a second conference-call telephone link.
  • the input/output channel of the digital computer of the video-media-player controllers and the master controller includes a computer video-signal output port.
  • the input/output channel of such a preferred digital computer is capable of generating a computer video signal at the computer video-signal output port for driving the video display monitor of the associated student or teacher station.
  • Each of the student stations and the teacher station preferably includes an electrically-controlled double-throw video-signal switch.
  • the electrically-controlled double-throw video-signal switch has a computer video-signal input port, a video-media-player video-signal input port, a display-monitor video-signal output port and a switch-control-signal input port.
  • the double-throw video-signal switch is adapted to connect the display-monitor video-signal output port to one of the computer video-signal input port or the video-media-player video-signal input port in response to a video-signal-selection control signal applied to the switch-control-signal input port.
  • the computer video-signal input port of the video-signal switch is connected to the computer video-signal output port of the digital computer of the station.
  • the video-media-player video-signal input port is connected to a video-signal output port of the video-signal switch.
  • the switch-control-signal input port of the video-signal switch is connected to the input/output channel of the digital computer.
  • the video display monitor of the station can be caused to display either images generated by the digital computer or images from the video media player in response to video-signal-selection control signals generated by the digital computer and applied to the electrically-controlled double-throw video-signal switch.
  • the digital computer associated with each of the preferred student stations having a double-throw video-signal switch may be programmed to generate video-signal-selection control signals in response to telephonic video-signal-selection control signals received by the associated modem from a teacher station over the telephone system so that the teacher at the teacher station can control the source of the video signal displayed on the video display monitor of the student station.
  • Programs and data for the digital computers of the student stations to generate graphic displays preferably can also be transmitted from the digital computer at the teacher station over the telephone system to the digital computers at the student stations.
  • the teacher station includes a graphics tablet or other graphics input device connected to the digital computer at the teacher station so that the teacher can readily enter digitally-encoded graphic images into the computer.
  • digitally-encoded graphic images could be entered by the teacher into the digital computer at the teacher station during a teaching session and transmitted to the digital computers at the student stations for display to the students during the session.
  • the video media players of the student stations and the teacher station are video-tape cassette players because of the ease by which video-tape cassettes may be recorded and distributed.
  • Other video media players such as video disk players may be used if desired.
  • a teacher would ordinarily prepare a videotaped lesson by televising and recording a lecture on video tape.
  • Other televised study material could be included with the lecture if desired.
  • Multiple copies of the video-taped lesson thus prepared would be made on video-tape cassettes, with one copy being provided for each student station and for the teacher station.
  • timing signals can be recorded on the audio channels of the video tapes and each digital computer provided with a timing-signal interface circuit connected to an audio-signal output port of the associated video-tape cassette player to permit the computer to monitor the timing signals.
  • a digital computer so equipped can then identify specific portions of the video tapes by means of the timing signals. The use of such timing signals generally permits the synchronism of the playing of the various video-tape cassette players in a remote teaching system of the invention to be maintained accurately throughout the course of a teaching session.
  • each video media player is preferably capable of performing the functions of fast forward (scan), reverse (scan), and pause to display a single image frame, in addition to the functions of start and stop in response to player-operation control signals applied to a player operation control-signal input port of the video media player.
  • the video-media-player controller of each student station is preferably adapted to transmit player-operation control signals to the player-operation-control-signal input port of the video media player in response to receipt of telephonic player-operation control signals to control the operation of the video media player.
  • the video-media-player master controller of the teacher station is preferably adapted to generate player-operation control signals in response to instructions from the operator and to apply the signals to the player-operation-control-signal input port of the video media player of the teacher station.
  • the video-media-player master controller is also preferably adapted to transmit corresponding telephonic player-operation control signals over the telephone system to the video-media-player controllers of the student stations, so that operation of the video media player of the teacher station and the video media players of the student stations can be controlled substantially in synchronism with respect to the five functions of start, stop, fast forward, reverse, and pause to display a single image frame.
  • a preferred remote teaching system of the invention may be operated as follows. Pre-recorded video-tape cassettes of a video-taped lesson such as a video-taped lecture by the teacher are distributed to each remote student site in advance of a teaching session. At the beginning of the teaching session, the integrated voice/data modems at the remote student sites and at the teacher station are interconnected over a telephone system in a conference-call telephone link. The digital computer at each student station is loaded with a slave video-display control program and the digital computer at the teacher station is loaded with a master video-display control program. The teacher and the students initiate the running of the video-display control programs.
  • Each student at a remote student site loads a video-tape cassette of the lecture into the video-cassette player at the site.
  • the teacher at the teacher station similarly loads the video-tape cassette of the lecture into the video-tape cassette player at the teacher station.
  • the teacher can then start and stop all of the video-tape cassette players at the various remote student sites and at the teacher station substantially in synchronism by entering commands into the digital comouter at the teacher station from the keyboard.
  • the start and stop commands for the video-tape cassette players are transmitted from the digital computer at the teacher station to the computers at the remote student sites via the voice/data modems and the telephone system. Since all of the video-tape cassette players are stopped and started substantially in synchronism, each of the video-tape cassette players plays essentially the same element of the tape at the same time.
  • a student has a question about a point in the lecture playing on the video-tape cassette players, he or she can speak to the teacher over the voice telephone set at the remote site to ask the question. The other students will hear the question since the telephone sets are connected in a conference-call telephone link. Moreover, since all students are watching the same point in the video-taped lecture because of the synchronism of the playing of the video-tape cassette players, all of the students will be able to understand the context of the question with respect to the lecture.
  • the teacher will typically first stop all of the video-tape cassette players by entering appropriate commands into the digital computer at the teacher station. The teacher may then respond to the question verbally over the voice telephone set at the teacher station to transmit a verbal response to the students at the remote student sites. Alternatively, the instructor can provide a written or typed response to the question. Written material such as a formula, diagram or sketch can be entered into the digital computer at the teacher station by means of a graphic tablet or other graphics input device; typed material can be entered by way of the keyboard of the computer. At the command of the teacher, the digital computer at the teacher station transmits such written or typed material to the digital computers at the remote student sites via the modems and telephone system.
  • the computers at the remote student sites - by signalling the video-signal switches to which they are connected - display the written or typed material on the video monitors at the remote sites.
  • the instructor can restart the video-tape cassette players to continue the taped lecture.
  • students receive the benefits of an immediate response to questions even though the students are located at sites remote from the teacher.
  • the teacher can stop the video-tape cassette players at any point in the lecture and pose questions to students individually or collectively. Because of the synchronism of the playing of the video-tape cassette players, the students will be able to understand the context of the teacher's questions with respect to the video-taped lecture.
  • the remote teaching system of the present invention permits students at scattered remote sites to receive the benefits of direct communication with a teacher during a video-taped lecture without the expense of providing direct television links between the teacher and the remote student sites.
  • Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a teacher station and a student station of a preferred remote teaching system of the invention.
  • Figures 2A and 2B together constitute a circuit diagram of an interface controller of the remote teaching system of Figure 1.
  • FIG. 3 is a partial circuit diagram of an alternative interface controller of the remote teaching system of Figure 1.
  • Figure 4 is a circuit diagram of a monostable multivibrator employed in the alternative interface controller of Figure 3.
  • FIG. 2 includes a teacher station 4 and a plurality of student stations 6, only one of which student station is shown in Figure 1 for clarity.
  • the teacher station 4 comprises a digital computer 8, which includes a keyboard 10, random-access memory (not shown), a central processing unit (not shown) an input/output channel (not shown) and a floppy magnetic disk storage unit (not shown).
  • a suitable digital computer is the "IBM Personal Computer” commercially available from IBM Corporation of Armonk, New York or the "Professional 350" personal computer commercially available from Digital Equipment Corporation of Maynard, Massachusetts.
  • a graphics tablet 12 is connected to the input/output channel of the digital computer 8 to permit graphics data to be entered into the computer.
  • the teacher station 4 includes a video display monitor 14 which is capable of displaying standard television video signals.
  • a video-tape cassette player 16 is capable of playing conventional video-tape cassettes to generate video signals suitable for driving the video display monitor 14.
  • a suitable video-tape cassette player 16 is the Model No. NV-8170 video cassette recorder, commercially available from JVC Company of America of Elmwood Park, New Jersey.
  • the personal computer 8 has a computer video-signal output port 18 and a printer output port 20. The computer 8 is capable of generating video signals at the video-signal output port 18 suitable for driving the video display monitor 14.
  • the printer output port 20 is of the parallel interface type.
  • An interface controller 22 interconnects the digital computer 8, the video-tape cassette player 16 and the video display monitor 14 and, as described in detail below, permits the digital computer 8 to control the operation of the video-tape cassette player 16 and enables the computer 8 to select the source of the video signal for the video display monitor 14.
  • a control-signal input port 30 of the interface controller 22 has six control-signal input terminals 31-36 together with a ground-connection terminal 37.
  • the control-signal input terminals 31-36 and ground connection 37 of the control-signal input port 30 are mounted within a connector adapted to mate with cable for a parallel-interface printer.
  • Each of the input terminals 31-36 is connected respectively to the input of an inverting buffer 40-46.
  • the six inverting buffers 41-46 are packaged together in an integrated circuit 40 of the 4049 hex buffer type.
  • a suitable 4049 hex buffer integrated circuit is marketed by RCA Corporation of Summerville, New Jersey under the trade designation "CD4049UB.”
  • the output of each inverting buffer 41-46 is connected respectively to a light-emitting diode 71-76.
  • the light-emitting diodes 71-76 are arranged on the face of a cover (not shown) for the interface controller 22 to provide an indication of the functioning of the controller.
  • the output of each inverting buffer 41-46 is also connected to an actuating coil 87 of a five-volt single-pole single-throw relay 81-86 across a series-connected diode 78.
  • a parallel-connected diode 80 is connected in parallel to the actuating coil 87 of the relay 81-86.
  • a suitable diode for the series and parallel-connected diodes 78 and 80 is signal diode type 1N914.
  • the series-connected diode 78 isolates the output of the inverting buffer 41-46 from the actuating coil 87 of the relay 81-86.
  • the parallel-connected diode 80 tends to suppress transient currents generated in energizing and deenergizing the actuating coil 87.
  • Each relay 81-86 has a switch closure 88 which closes when the actuating coil 87 is energized.
  • a video-player control-signal output port 90 has five video-player control-signal output terminals 91-95 together with a common-connection terminal 97. Each of the video-player control-signal output terminals 91-95 corresponds to a video-player control-signal input terminal of a video-player control-signal input port 98 of the video-tape cassette player 16. Electrical connection of a particular video-player control-signal input terminal to a common-connection terminal causes the video-tape cassette player 16 to perform a specific function in connection with playing a video-tape cassette.
  • the functions controlled by the video-player control-signal input terminals are start, fast forward (scan), reverse (scan), pause to display a single image frame, and stop.
  • the video-player control- signal output port 90 is adapted to be connected to the video-player control-signal input port 98 of the video-tape cassette player 16 by a six conductor cable so that each of the five video-player control-signal output terminals 91-95 is connected to a corresponding video-player control-signal input terminal of the video-tape cassette player.
  • the common-connection terminal 97 of the video-player control-signal output port 90 is likewise connected to a common connection terminal of the video-player control-signal input port 95.
  • One side of the switch closure 88 of a video-signal selection control relay 86 is connected to the supply voltage
  • the other side of the switch closure 88 is connected to an actuating coil 100 of a double-pole double-throw relay 102 across a series-connected diode 78.
  • Two center movable arms 104 of the double-pole double-throw relay 102 are connected to a two-terminal video-display-monitor video-signal output port 106.
  • One pair of contacts of the double-pole double-throw relay 102 are connected to a two-terminal video-player video-signal input port 108.
  • the other pair of contacts of the relay 102 are connected to a two-terminal computer video-signal input port 110.
  • the two terminals of the video-player video-signal input port 108 are connected respectively to the two terminals of the video-display video-signal output port 106.
  • the two terminals of the computer video-signal input port 110 are connected respectively to the two terminals of the video-display-monitor video-signal output port 106.
  • the presence or absence of a control signal on a video-signal-selection control-signal input terminal 36 causes the video-display-monitor video-signal output port 106 to be connected respectively to the computer video-signal input port 110 or to the video-player video-signal input port 108 of the interface controller 22.
  • a data-channel port of an integrated voice/data modem 120 is connected to the input/output channel of the digital computer 18.
  • a speaker telephone 122 is connected to a voice-channel port of the voice/data modem 120.
  • a suitable voice/data modem is commercially available from Optel Communications Inc. of New York, New York under the trade designation "Voice Too Modem.”
  • a telephone-line connection port of the voice/data modem 122 is connected to a telephone system symbolized by telephone line 124 in Figure 1.
  • Each student station 6 includes a voice/data modem 120', a speaker telephone 122', a digital computer 8', a video-display monitor 14', a video-tape cassette player 16', and an interface controller 22'. Except for the programming of the digital computer 8' of the student station 6, the components of the student station 6 are essentially identical to the corresponding components of the teacher station 4 described above and are interconnected in essentially the same way. For conciseness, that description will not be repeated.
  • an alternative interface controller 24 differs from the interface controller 22 discussed above in connection with Figures 2A and 2B in that the output of each inverting buffer 41-46 is connected respectively to a trigger input 50 of a corresponding monostable multivibrator 51-56.
  • the output of each inverting buffer 41-46 is connected respectively to a trigger input 50 of a corresponding monostable multivibrator 51-56.
  • only one of the six inverting buffers 41-46 and only one of the six monostable multivibrators 51-56 is shown in Figure 3, the other five inverting buffers and the other five monostable multivibrators being connected identically.
  • the 51 includes an integrated-circuit timer 60 configured as a monostable multivibrator.
  • the integrated-circuit timer 60 is one half of a dual integrated-circuit timer of the 556 timer type.
  • a suitable integrated circuit timer is marketed by Signetics Corporation of Sunnyvale, California under the trade designation "SE556 Dual Timer.”
  • a threshold input 61 of the integrated circuit timer 60 is connected to a positive supply voltage V cc of about 5 volts across a resistor 62 having a resistance of about 100k .
  • a reset input 63 of the integrated circuit timer 60 is tied directly to the supply voltage V cc .
  • a discharge input 64 of the integrated circuit timer 60 is connected directly to the threshold input 61 and is connected to signal ground across a capacitor 65 having a value of 4.7 !F.
  • a control voltage input 66 is connected to signal ground across a capacitor 67 having a value of 0.01 !F.
  • the supply voltage terminal 68 and the ground return terminal 69 of the integrated circuit 60 are connected respectively to the supply voltage V cc and to a signal ground.
  • the monostable multivibrator 60 produces a pulse approximately 500 msec long at a pulse output 70 in response to a trigger signal applied to the trigger input 50.
  • each monostable multivibrator 51-56 of the alternative interface controller 24 is connected respectively as the output of the corresponding inverter buffer 41-46 of the interface controller 22 of Figures 2A and 2B is connected.
  • the remaining circuitry of the alternative interface controller 24 is identical to the circuitry of the interface controller 22. Reference is made to Figures 2A and 2B and the corresponding discussion above for a description of such circuitry.
  • a train of trigger pulses is applied to the corresponding control-signal input terminal 31-36. So long as the spacing between the trigger pulses is greater than the length of the pulse of the monostable multivibrator 51-56 by an amount less than a response time of the corresponding relay 81-86, the switch closure 88 of the relay remains in a closed configuration.
  • the digital computer 8 can be programmed to generate such a train of trigger pulses on a particular terminal of the parallel printer port 30 in order to control the functions of the video-tape cassette player 16.
  • the preferred remote teaching system 2 of Figure 1 may be used to conduct a teaching session as follows. Video cassettes containing essentially identical copies of a video-taped lecture are distributed to each of the student stations 6 and to the teacher station 4 in advance of the teaching session. At the start of the teaching session, the integrated voice/data modems 120, 120' of the teacher station 4 and the various student stations 6 are interconnected over the telephone system 124 in a conference-call telephone link. Thus the students at the student stations 6 and the teacher at the teacher station 4 can communicate by voice over the speaker telephones 122, 122'. At the instruction of the teacher over the speaker telephones, the students load the video-tape cassettes of the video-taped lecture in the video-tape cassette players 16' at the student stations 6. Similarly, the teacher loads his or her video-tape cassette in the video-tape cassette player 16 of the teacher station 4.
  • floppy magnetic disks containing a slave video-display control program are distributed to each student station.
  • Each student loads the slave video-display control program into the digital computer 8' at his or her student station by inserting the floppy magnetic disk into the floppy-magnetic-disk storage unit of the digital computer 8' and entering the appropriate commands for loading a program on the keyboard of the computer.
  • the students at the student stations 6 initiate the execution of the slave video-display control program stored in the memories of the digital computer 8' at the student stations.
  • the teacher initiates a master video-display control program stored in the digital computer 8 at the teacher station 4.
  • the video-display control programs cause each interface controller 22, 22' to connect the computer video-signal input port 110 of the controller to the video-display-monitor output port 106, so that the associated video display monitor 14, 14' displays a graphic start-up display from the computer to verify proper operation of the computer and the video display monitor.
  • the video display programs also cause the video-tape cassette players 16, 16' to rewind the video tapes to an initial position.
  • the teacher then enters a video-tape start command through the keyboard 10 of the digital computer 8 at the teacher station 4.
  • the master video-display program causes the interface controller 22 of the teacher station 4 to connect the video-player video-signal input port 108 of the interface controller to the video-display monitor video-signal output port 106.
  • the master video-display program also causes the video-tape cassette player 16 to begin playing the video-tape cassette mounted in the player.
  • the program also causes a video-player-start control-signal communication command to be transmitted to the voice/data modem 120, which, in response, transmits a telephonic video-player start-control-signal over the telephone system 124 substantially simultaneously to the voice/data modems 120' of each of the student stations 6.
  • the voice/data modem 120' of each of the student stations 6 in response transmits a video-player-start control-signal control command to the associated-digital computers 8' of the student station 6.
  • the slave video-display control program interprets the video-display start control-signal control command received from the voice/data modem 120' and causes the digital computer 8' to transmit control signals to the interface controller 22' at the student station to connect the video-player video-signal input port 108' of the interface controller to the video-display-monitor video-signal output port 106'.
  • the slave video-display control program also causes the computer 8' to transmit a control signal to the video-display start-control-signal input terminal 31 of the interface controller 22', which in turn causes a video-display-start relay 81 to close.
  • the video-tape cassette-player 16' at each student station 6 is thus caused to begin playing the video-tape cassette.
  • video-tape cassette players 16, 16' of each of the student stations 6 and the teacher station 4 begin playing the video-taped lecture substantially in synchronism.
  • the master video-display control program running on the digital computer 8 at the teacher station can be used to cause the video-tape cassette players 16' at the student stations to scan forward scan reverse, pause to display a single image frame, and stop - all essentially in synchronism - with the same functions performed by the video-tape cassette player 16 at the teacher station 4.
  • a listing of a master video-display control program for an "IBM Personal Computer” is attached hereto as Appendix A and made a part of this specification.
  • a slave video-display control program for the same computer is attached as Appendix B and is also made a part of this specification.
  • the speaker telephones of the teacher station and the various student stations can be connected by a first conference-call telephone link and modems of the stations can be connected over a second conference-call telephone link.
  • Timing signals can be recorded on the audio channels of the video tapes and monitored by the digital computers so that the computer can locate identical portions of the tapes by means of the timing signals.
  • CALL BRANCH CALL PROCEDURE BRANCHING ; ; ; JUMP BACK TO GET ANOTHER COMMAND ; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
  • FORWARD ENDP ; ; ROUTINE TO DO FAST REWIND AND BACKWARD SCAN ;
  • MOV CX.B TOTAL NUMBER OF COMMANDS AVAILABLE
  • BRANCH ENDP BRANCH ENDP ; ; ROUTINE TO CLEAR SCREEN ; ;
  • MOV DELS.CX MOV DELP DX MOV DELSX.SI MOV DELSY, DI ; ; GET INITIAL VALUES FOR X AND Y MOV SI, X1 MOV DI,Y1 ;
  • MOV DELDE,AX MOV DELDE,AX ;
  • JMP LINEEXIT ; CASE FOR DIAGONAL MOVE ;
  • MOV DX.3FDH LP2 IN AL.DX
  • MOV DX.2FDH LP4 IN AL.DX
  • VOUT ENDP ; ROUTINE TO INITIALZE SUMMA-SKETCH ; PADINZ PROC NEAR ;
  • PADGO PROC NEAR PADGO PROC NEAR
  • PADGO ENDP PADGO ENDP
  • MOV DH.AL PUT LOW BYTE OF X IN DH
  • MOV AH,0 MOV AH,0 ;
  • VCRINZ PROC NEAR VCRINZ PROC NEAR ;
  • VCRINZ ENDP VCRINZ ENDP
  • MOV AL.0 TURN LED OFF
  • PLAY ENDP ; ; ROUTINE TO STOP BOTH REMOTE AND LOCAL VCRS ;
  • FORWARD ENDP ; ; ROUTINE TO DO FAST REWIND AND BACKWARD SCAN ;
  • MOV AH.0 INITIALIZE GRAPHIC SCREEN MOV AL.6 ; 640x200 BLACK ANtT WHITE INT 10H ;
  • PTBX CALL CM1IN MOV AH.AL AND AH.0C0H JE DECIDE ;
  • DECIDE CALL CM1IN ; EXECUTE COMMAND FROM KEYBOARD CMP AL.66 ; IF EXIT JE DONE ; JUMP OUT ;
  • MOV DELSE.AX MOV DELSE.AX ;
  • MOV DELDE.AX MOV DELDE.AX ; ; ADJUST COUNT ;
  • MOV YL.DI UPDATE LAST POINT

Abstract

A remote teaching system (2) includes a teacher station (4) remotely located from a plurality of student stations (6). Each station (4, 6) includes a speaker telephone (122, 122') connectable to a telephone system (124) for voice communication, a video media player (16, 16') connected to a video display monitor (14, 14'). Each student station (6) also includes a video-media-player controller (8', 22') connected to the video media player (16') of the student station (6) for controlling the player. The teacher station (4) includes a video-media-player master controller (8, 22) connected to the video media player (16) of the teacher station (4) for controlling the player. The video-media-player master controller (8), (22) of the teacher station (4) and the video-media-player controller (8', 22') of the student stations are connectable to the telephone system (124) for transmitting and receiving telephonic control signals over the telephone system, so that the playing of the video media player (16) of the teacher station (4) and the video media player (16') of the student stations (6) can be synchronized.

Description

REMOTE TEACHING SYSTEM
Technical Field
The present invention concerns a system which permits a teacher to instruct a number of students in which the students and the teacher are dispersed among remote sites.
Background Art
Instruction by a teacher of students assembled in a classroom is an effective method of teaching, since a student in a classroom can ask questions of the teacher and receive an immediate answer to clarify points of the lesson being taught which the student does not understand. In addition, the teacher can pose questions to students in the classroom and receive immediate replies to maintain the attentiveness of the students and to verify that the students are comprehending the lesson being taught.
However, it is often necessary to teach students who cannot be brought together in a classroom with a teacher For example, it may be necessary to teach students who are hospitalized or who for some other reason cannot attend a classroom lecture. It may also be desired to provide instruction in a continuing-education program or employee-training program to persons no longer in school who live or work at widely dispersed sites and for whom it would be impractical to bring together in a classroom for instruction. Various schemes involving televised or video-taped lectures have been tried for teaching students at sites remote from a teacher. However, no altogether satisfactory method has heretofore been available for teaching students located at sites remote from each other and the teacher.
One approach for teaching students in remote sites involves providing a direct television link between each student site and the teacher in parallel with a telephone link between the student sites and the teacher. In this way the lecture of the teacher can be transmitted "live" to each of the students and the students can ask questions of the teacher over the telephone link. However, a direct television. link to a remote site is extremely expensive and consequently live broadcasts of a lecture with provision for student response by telephone is generally impractical for economic reasons, particularly when more than a few student sites are involved.
An article by D. Scott published in the February
1982 issue of Popular Science discloses a microprocessor-based audio-visual teaching system for linking students at widely scattered study centers and a teacher at a university. Terminal equipment for each study center consists of a microprocessor unit, a television set, two telephone lines and a stereo cassette recorder. Prerecorded lessons can be played on the stereo cassette recorder. One of the telephon lines is for audio communications and the other telephone line is for communicating visual information. The teaching system of the Scott article provides for talk-back and write-back from every terminal. Write-back is accomplished by means of a light pen. The system uses internal programs that can be taped, transmitted live or a mixture of the two. A teacher can make his or her own taped lessons by recording illustrative material with a television camera, making drawings on a graphics tablet, or entering typed information on a keyboard. The picture elements thus entered can be arranged and scaled on a video monitor to suit the teacher and then transferred to a stereo cassette tape. According to the article, the tape can be used by individual machines or sent over phone lines.
The audio-visual teaching system disclosed in the Scott article has a number of significant drawbacks. For example, conventional stereo cassette tapes have limited data storage capacity so that only a relatively limited set of images can be stored on the tape.
Disclosure of Invention
I have invented a remote teaching system which permits a teacher to instruct a plurality of students at widely separated remote sites and which avoids problems of the prior art noted above.
Broadly, the remote teaching system of the invention includes a teacher station and a plurality of student stations. The teacher station and the student stations may be located at remote sites which are interconnected by a telephone system.
Each station includes a voice telephone set which is connectable to the telephone system for voice communication among the various stations. Each station also includes a video display monitor such as a television set for displaying visual images. Each station also includes a video media player connected to the video display monitor for playing video media such as a video recorded lecture by a teacher to produce visual images on the display monitor. The video media player has a start/stop-control-signal input port and is adapted to start and stop the playing of video media in response to start/stop control signals applied to the start/stop-control-signal input port.
Each student station of the remote teaching system of the invention includes a video-media-player controller which is connected to the start/stop-control-signal input port of the video media player. The video-media-player controller is connectable to the telephone system for receiving telephonic start/stop control signals over the telephone system. The video-media-player controller is adapted to transmit start/stop control signals to the start/stop-control-signal input port of the video media player in response to receipt of telephonic start/stop control signals to controllably start and stop the playing of video media in the video media player.
The teacher station of the remote teaching system of the invention includes a video-media-player master controller which is connected to the start/stop-control- signal input port of the video media player of the teacher station. The video-media-player master controller is connectable to the telephone system for transmitting telephonic start/stop control signals over the telephone system. The video-media-player master controller is adapted to generate start/stop control signals in response to instructions from an operator of the master controller and to apply the signals to the start/stop-control-signal input port of the video media player of the teacher station. The video-media-player master controller is further adapted to transmit corresponding telephonic start/stop control signals over the telephone system to the video-media-player controllers of the student stations, so that playing of the video media player of the teacher station and the video media players of the student stations can be started and stopped substantially in synchronism.
Preferably, the video-media-player master controller includes a digital computer and a modem. The digital computer has random-access memory for storing data and programs, a central processing unit in communication with the random-access memory for accessing programs stored in the memory, a keyboard in communication with the random-access memory for entering data and programs into the memory, and an input/output channel. The digital computer preferably also includes a removable-media mass storage device such as a floppy magnetic disk storage unit for data and program entry and storage. The modem is connected to the input/output channel of the digital computer for receiving start/stop-control-signal communication commands from the computer. The modem is connectable to the telephone system for transmitting the telephonic start/stop control signals over the telephone system in response to the start/stop-control-signal communication commands. The input/output channel of the digital computer is also connected to the start/stop-control-signal input port of the video-media player of the teacher station for transmitting start/stop control signals to the video media player.
The video-media-player controller of each student station preferably comprises a digital computer and a modem. The digital computer has a random-access memory, a central processing unit, a keyboard, and an input/output channel as does the digital computer of the preferred video-media-player master controller of the teacher station. The digital computer of each student station also preferably includes a floppy magnetic disk storage unit or other removable-media mass storage device for data and program entry and storage. The input/output channel of the digital computer of the video-media-player controller of each student station is connected to the modem and to the start/stop-control-signal input port of the video media player of the student station. The modem of each student station is connectable to the telephone system for receiving telephonic start/stop control signals over the telephone system from the video-media-player master controller of the teacher station. The modem transmits start/stop-control-signal control commands to the digital computer in response to the telephonic start/stop control signals. The digital computer in turn transmits start/stop control signals to the start/stop-control-signal input port of the video media player for starting and stopping the playing of video media in the video media player of the student station.
The modems of the teacher station and the student stations are preferably integrated voice/data modems, so that the voice telephone set of each station can be connected to the telephone system through the modem. Integrated voice/data modems permit the teacher station and the various student stations to be interconnected over the telephone system by a single conference-call telephone link. Alternatively, if data-only modems are used, the modems of the student stations and the teacher station can be connected over the telephone system by a first conference-call telephone link for exchanging telephonic data signals among the modems, and the voice telephone sets of the teacher station and the student stations can be interconnected by a second conference-call telephone link. Generally telephone costs involved in operating the remote teaching system are significantly lower if the teacher station and the student stations are interconnected by one conference-call telephone link instead of two conference-call telephone links. Thus the use of integrated voice/data modems is generally preferred over the use of data-only modems.
Preferably, the input/output channel of the digital computer of the video-media-player controllers and the master controller includes a computer video-signal output port. The input/output channel of such a preferred digital computer is capable of generating a computer video signal at the computer video-signal output port for driving the video display monitor of the associated student or teacher station. Each of the student stations and the teacher station preferably includes an electrically-controlled double-throw video-signal switch. The electrically-controlled double-throw video-signal switch has a computer video-signal input port, a video-media-player video-signal input port, a display-monitor video-signal output port and a switch-control-signal input port. The double-throw video-signal switch is adapted to connect the display-monitor video-signal output port to one of the computer video-signal input port or the video-media-player video-signal input port in response to a video-signal-selection control signal applied to the switch-control-signal input port. The computer video-signal input port of the video-signal switch is connected to the computer video-signal output port of the digital computer of the station. The video-media-player video-signal input port is connected to a video-signal output port of the video-signal switch. The switch-control-signal input port of the video-signal switch is connected to the input/output channel of the digital computer. Consequently, the video display monitor of the station can be caused to display either images generated by the digital computer or images from the video media player in response to video-signal-selection control signals generated by the digital computer and applied to the electrically-controlled double-throw video-signal switch. The digital computer associated with each of the preferred student stations having a double-throw video-signal switch may be programmed to generate video-signal-selection control signals in response to telephonic video-signal-selection control signals received by the associated modem from a teacher station over the telephone system so that the teacher at the teacher station can control the source of the video signal displayed on the video display monitor of the student station. Programs and data for the digital computers of the student stations to generate graphic displays preferably can also be transmitted from the digital computer at the teacher station over the telephone system to the digital computers at the student stations. Preferably, the teacher station includes a graphics tablet or other graphics input device connected to the digital computer at the teacher station so that the teacher can readily enter digitally-encoded graphic images into the computer. For example, digitally-encoded graphic images could be entered by the teacher into the digital computer at the teacher station during a teaching session and transmitted to the digital computers at the student stations for display to the students during the session.
Preferably the video media players of the student stations and the teacher station are video-tape cassette players because of the ease by which video-tape cassettes may be recorded and distributed. Other video media players such as video disk players may be used if desired. If video-tape cassette players are used in the remote teaching system of the invention, a teacher would ordinarily prepare a videotaped lesson by televising and recording a lecture on video tape. Other televised study material could be included with the lecture if desired. Multiple copies of the video-taped lesson thus prepared would be made on video-tape cassettes, with one copy being provided for each student station and for the teacher station.
If desired, timing signals can be recorded on the audio channels of the video tapes and each digital computer provided with a timing-signal interface circuit connected to an audio-signal output port of the associated video-tape cassette player to permit the computer to monitor the timing signals. A digital computer so equipped can then identify specific portions of the video tapes by means of the timing signals. The use of such timing signals generally permits the synchronism of the playing of the various video-tape cassette players in a remote teaching system of the invention to be maintained accurately throughout the course of a teaching session.
Preferably, functions of the video-media players in addition to start and stop can be controlled by the video-media-player controller associated with each student and teacher station of the remote teaching system of the invention. For example, each video media player is preferably capable of performing the functions of fast forward (scan), reverse (scan), and pause to display a single image frame, in addition to the functions of start and stop in response to player-operation control signals applied to a player operation control-signal input port of the video media player. The video-media-player controller of each student station is preferably adapted to transmit player-operation control signals to the player-operation-control-signal input port of the video media player in response to receipt of telephonic player-operation control signals to control the operation of the video media player. The video-media-player master controller of the teacher station is preferably adapted to generate player-operation control signals in response to instructions from the operator and to apply the signals to the player-operation-control-signal input port of the video media player of the teacher station. The video-media-player master controller is also preferably adapted to transmit corresponding telephonic player-operation control signals over the telephone system to the video-media-player controllers of the student stations, so that operation of the video media player of the teacher station and the video media players of the student stations can be controlled substantially in synchronism with respect to the five functions of start, stop, fast forward, reverse, and pause to display a single image frame.
A preferred remote teaching system of the invention may be operated as follows. Pre-recorded video-tape cassettes of a video-taped lesson such as a video-taped lecture by the teacher are distributed to each remote student site in advance of a teaching session. At the beginning of the teaching session, the integrated voice/data modems at the remote student sites and at the teacher station are interconnected over a telephone system in a conference-call telephone link. The digital computer at each student station is loaded with a slave video-display control program and the digital computer at the teacher station is loaded with a master video-display control program. The teacher and the students initiate the running of the video-display control programs. Each student at a remote student site loads a video-tape cassette of the lecture into the video-cassette player at the site. The teacher at the teacher station similarly loads the video-tape cassette of the lecture into the video-tape cassette player at the teacher station. The teacher can then start and stop all of the video-tape cassette players at the various remote student sites and at the teacher station substantially in synchronism by entering commands into the digital comouter at the teacher station from the keyboard. The start and stop commands for the video-tape cassette players are transmitted from the digital computer at the teacher station to the computers at the remote student sites via the voice/data modems and the telephone system. Since all of the video-tape cassette players are stopped and started substantially in synchronism, each of the video-tape cassette players plays essentially the same element of the tape at the same time.
If a student has a question about a point in the lecture playing on the video-tape cassette players, he or she can speak to the teacher over the voice telephone set at the remote site to ask the question. The other students will hear the question since the telephone sets are connected in a conference-call telephone link. Moreover, since all students are watching the same point in the video-taped lecture because of the synchronism of the playing of the video-tape cassette players, all of the students will be able to understand the context of the question with respect to the lecture.
To answer the question of a student, the teacher will typically first stop all of the video-tape cassette players by entering appropriate commands into the digital computer at the teacher station. The teacher may then respond to the question verbally over the voice telephone set at the teacher station to transmit a verbal response to the students at the remote student sites. Alternatively, the instructor can provide a written or typed response to the question. Written material such as a formula, diagram or sketch can be entered into the digital computer at the teacher station by means of a graphic tablet or other graphics input device; typed material can be entered by way of the keyboard of the computer. At the command of the teacher, the digital computer at the teacher station transmits such written or typed material to the digital computers at the remote student sites via the modems and telephone system. Upon receipt of telephonic video-signal-selection control signals from the teacher station, the computers at the remote student sites - by signalling the video-signal switches to which they are connected - display the written or typed material on the video monitors at the remote sites. After the response to the question has been transmitted to the students, the instructor can restart the video-tape cassette players to continue the taped lecture. Thus students receive the benefits of an immediate response to questions even though the students are located at sites remote from the teacher. In addition, the teacher can stop the video-tape cassette players at any point in the lecture and pose questions to students individually or collectively. Because of the synchronism of the playing of the video-tape cassette players, the students will be able to understand the context of the teacher's questions with respect to the video-taped lecture.
The remote teaching system of the present invention permits students at scattered remote sites to receive the benefits of direct communication with a teacher during a video-taped lecture without the expense of providing direct television links between the teacher and the remote student sites.
Brief Description of the Drawings
A preferred embodiment of the invention is described below with reference to the following drawings.
Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a teacher station and a student station of a preferred remote teaching system of the invention. Figures 2A and 2B together constitute a circuit diagram of an interface controller of the remote teaching system of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a partial circuit diagram of an alternative interface controller of the remote teaching system of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a circuit diagram of a monostable multivibrator employed in the alternative interface controller of Figure 3.
Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention
Referring now to Figure 1, a remote teaching system
2 includes a teacher station 4 and a plurality of student stations 6, only one of which student station is shown in Figure 1 for clarity.
The teacher station 4 comprises a digital computer 8, which includes a keyboard 10, random-access memory (not shown), a central processing unit (not shown) an input/output channel (not shown) and a floppy magnetic disk storage unit (not shown). A suitable digital computer is the "IBM Personal Computer" commercially available from IBM Corporation of Armonk, New York or the "Professional 350" personal computer commercially available from Digital Equipment Corporation of Maynard, Massachusetts. A graphics tablet 12 is connected to the input/output channel of the digital computer 8 to permit graphics data to be entered into the computer.
The teacher station 4 includes a video display monitor 14 which is capable of displaying standard television video signals. A video-tape cassette player 16 is capable of playing conventional video-tape cassettes to generate video signals suitable for driving the video display monitor 14. A suitable video-tape cassette player 16 is the Model No. NV-8170 video cassette recorder, commercially available from JVC Company of America of Elmwood Park, New Jersey. The personal computer 8 has a computer video-signal output port 18 and a printer output port 20. The computer 8 is capable of generating video signals at the video-signal output port 18 suitable for driving the video display monitor 14. The printer output port 20 is of the parallel interface type.
An interface controller 22 interconnects the digital computer 8, the video-tape cassette player 16 and the video display monitor 14 and, as described in detail below, permits the digital computer 8 to control the operation of the video-tape cassette player 16 and enables the computer 8 to select the source of the video signal for the video display monitor 14.
Turning now to Figure 2A, a control-signal input port 30 of the interface controller 22 has six control-signal input terminals 31-36 together with a ground-connection terminal 37. The control-signal input terminals 31-36 and ground connection 37 of the control-signal input port 30 are mounted within a connector adapted to mate with cable for a parallel-interface printer. Each of the input terminals 31-36 is connected respectively to the input of an inverting buffer 40-46. The six inverting buffers 41-46 are packaged together in an integrated circuit 40 of the 4049 hex buffer type. A suitable 4049 hex buffer integrated circuit is marketed by RCA Corporation of Summerville, New Jersey under the trade designation "CD4049UB." The output of each inverting buffer 41-46 is connected respectively to a light-emitting diode 71-76. The light-emitting diodes 71-76 are arranged on the face of a cover (not shown) for the interface controller 22 to provide an indication of the functioning of the controller. The output of each inverting buffer 41-46 is also connected to an actuating coil 87 of a five-volt single-pole single-throw relay 81-86 across a series-connected diode 78. A parallel-connected diode 80 is connected in parallel to the actuating coil 87 of the relay 81-86.
A suitable diode for the series and parallel-connected diodes 78 and 80 is signal diode type 1N914. The series-connected diode 78 isolates the output of the inverting buffer 41-46 from the actuating coil 87 of the relay 81-86. The parallel-connected diode 80 tends to suppress transient currents generated in energizing and deenergizing the actuating coil 87. Each relay 81-86 has a switch closure 88 which closes when the actuating coil 87 is energized.
A video-player control-signal output port 90 has five video-player control-signal output terminals 91-95 together with a common-connection terminal 97. Each of the video-player control-signal output terminals 91-95 corresponds to a video-player control-signal input terminal of a video-player control-signal input port 98 of the video-tape cassette player 16. Electrical connection of a particular video-player control-signal input terminal to a common-connection terminal causes the video-tape cassette player 16 to perform a specific function in connection with playing a video-tape cassette. The functions controlled by the video-player control-signal input terminals are start, fast forward (scan), reverse (scan), pause to display a single image frame, and stop. The video-player control- signal output port 90 is adapted to be connected to the video-player control-signal input port 98 of the video-tape cassette player 16 by a six conductor cable so that each of the five video-player control-signal output terminals 91-95 is connected to a corresponding video-player control-signal input terminal of the video-tape cassette player. The common-connection terminal 97 of the video-player control-signal output port 90 is likewise connected to a common connection terminal of the video-player control-signal input port 95.
One side of the switch closure 88 of a video-signal selection control relay 86 is connected to the supply voltage
Vcc. The other side of the switch closure 88 is connected to an actuating coil 100 of a double-pole double-throw relay 102 across a series-connected diode 78. Two center movable arms 104 of the double-pole double-throw relay 102 are connected to a two-terminal video-display-monitor video-signal output port 106. One pair of contacts of the double-pole double-throw relay 102 are connected to a two-terminal video-player video-signal input port 108. The other pair of contacts of the relay 102 are connected to a two-terminal computer video-signal input port 110. When the actuating coil 100 of the double-role double-throw relay 102 is not energized, the two terminals of the video-player video-signal input port 108 are connected respectively to the two terminals of the video-display video-signal output port 106. When the actuating coil 100 of the double-pole double-throw relay 102 is energized, the two terminals of the computer video-signal input port 110 are connected respectively to the two terminals of the video-display-monitor video-signal output port 106. Thus the presence or absence of a control signal on a video-signal-selection control-signal input terminal 36 causes the video-display-monitor video-signal output port 106 to be connected respectively to the computer video-signal input port 110 or to the video-player video-signal input port 108 of the interface controller 22.
Turning again to Figure 1, a data-channel port of an integrated voice/data modem 120 is connected to the input/output channel of the digital computer 18. A speaker telephone 122 is connected to a voice-channel port of the voice/data modem 120. A suitable voice/data modem is commercially available from Optel Communications Inc. of New York, New York under the trade designation "Voice Too Modem." A telephone-line connection port of the voice/data modem 122 is connected to a telephone system symbolized by telephone line 124 in Figure 1.
Each student station 6 includes a voice/data modem 120', a speaker telephone 122', a digital computer 8', a video-display monitor 14', a video-tape cassette player 16', and an interface controller 22'. Except for the programming of the digital computer 8' of the student station 6, the components of the student station 6 are essentially identical to the corresponding components of the teacher station 4 described above and are interconnected in essentially the same way. For conciseness, that description will not be repeated.
Turning now to Figure 3, an alternative interface controller 24 differs from the interface controller 22 discussed above in connection with Figures 2A and 2B in that the output of each inverting buffer 41-46 is connected respectively to a trigger input 50 of a corresponding monostable multivibrator 51-56. For simplicity, only one of the six inverting buffers 41-46 and only one of the six monostable multivibrators 51-56 is shown in Figure 3, the other five inverting buffers and the other five monostable multivibrators being connected identically.
As shown in Figure 4, the monostable multivibrator
51 includes an integrated-circuit timer 60 configured as a monostable multivibrator. The integrated-circuit timer 60 is one half of a dual integrated-circuit timer of the 556 timer type. A suitable integrated circuit timer is marketed by Signetics Corporation of Sunnyvale, California under the trade designation "SE556 Dual Timer." A threshold input 61 of the integrated circuit timer 60 is connected to a positive supply voltage Vcc of about 5 volts across a resistor 62 having a resistance of about 100k . A reset input 63 of the integrated circuit timer 60 is tied directly to the supply voltage Vcc. A discharge input 64 of the integrated circuit timer 60 is connected directly to the threshold input 61 and is connected to signal ground across a capacitor 65 having a value of 4.7 !F. A control voltage input 66 is connected to signal ground across a capacitor 67 having a value of 0.01 !F. The supply voltage terminal 68 and the ground return terminal 69 of the integrated circuit 60 are connected respectively to the supply voltage Vcc and to a signal ground. The monostable multivibrator 60 produces a pulse approximately 500 msec long at a pulse output 70 in response to a trigger signal applied to the trigger input 50.
Turning again to Figure 3, the output 70 of each monostable multivibrator 51-56 of the alternative interface controller 24 is connected respectively as the output of the corresponding inverter buffer 41-46 of the interface controller 22 of Figures 2A and 2B is connected. As noted above, the remaining circuitry of the alternative interface controller 24 is identical to the circuitry of the interface controller 22. Reference is made to Figures 2A and 2B and the corresponding discussion above for a description of such circuitry.
In order to maintain a switch closure 88 of a particular relay 81-86 in a closed configuration in the alternative interface controller 24, a train of trigger pulses is applied to the corresponding control-signal input terminal 31-36. So long as the spacing between the trigger pulses is greater than the length of the pulse of the monostable multivibrator 51-56 by an amount less than a response time of the corresponding relay 81-86, the switch closure 88 of the relay remains in a closed configuration. The digital computer 8 can be programmed to generate such a train of trigger pulses on a particular terminal of the parallel printer port 30 in order to control the functions of the video-tape cassette player 16.
The preferred remote teaching system 2 of Figure 1 may be used to conduct a teaching session as follows. Video cassettes containing essentially identical copies of a video-taped lecture are distributed to each of the student stations 6 and to the teacher station 4 in advance of the teaching session. At the start of the teaching session, the integrated voice/data modems 120, 120' of the teacher station 4 and the various student stations 6 are interconnected over the telephone system 124 in a conference-call telephone link. Thus the students at the student stations 6 and the teacher at the teacher station 4 can communicate by voice over the speaker telephones 122, 122'. At the instruction of the teacher over the speaker telephones, the students load the video-tape cassettes of the video-taped lecture in the video-tape cassette players 16' at the student stations 6. Similarly, the teacher loads his or her video-tape cassette in the video-tape cassette player 16 of the teacher station 4.
in advance of the teaching session, floppy magnetic disks containing a slave video-display control program are distributed to each student station. Each student loads the slave video-display control program into the digital computer 8' at his or her student station by inserting the floppy magnetic disk into the floppy-magnetic-disk storage unit of the digital computer 8' and entering the appropriate commands for loading a program on the keyboard of the computer.
At the instruction of the teacher over the speaker phones, the students at the student stations 6 initiate the execution of the slave video-display control program stored in the memories of the digital computer 8' at the student stations. The teacher initiates a master video-display control program stored in the digital computer 8 at the teacher station 4. Upon initiation, the video-display control programs cause each interface controller 22, 22' to connect the computer video-signal input port 110 of the controller to the video-display-monitor output port 106, so that the associated video display monitor 14, 14' displays a graphic start-up display from the computer to verify proper operation of the computer and the video display monitor. The video display programs also cause the video-tape cassette players 16, 16' to rewind the video tapes to an initial position.
The teacher then enters a video-tape start command through the keyboard 10 of the digital computer 8 at the teacher station 4. In response, the master video-display program causes the interface controller 22 of the teacher station 4 to connect the video-player video-signal input port 108 of the interface controller to the video-display monitor video-signal output port 106. The master video-display program also causes the video-tape cassette player 16 to begin playing the video-tape cassette mounted in the player. The program also causes a video-player-start control-signal communication command to be transmitted to the voice/data modem 120, which, in response, transmits a telephonic video-player start-control-signal over the telephone system 124 substantially simultaneously to the voice/data modems 120' of each of the student stations 6. The voice/data modem 120' of each of the student stations 6 in response transmits a video-player-start control-signal control command to the associated-digital computers 8' of the student station 6. The slave video-display control program interprets the video-display start control-signal control command received from the voice/data modem 120' and causes the digital computer 8' to transmit control signals to the interface controller 22' at the student station to connect the video-player video-signal input port 108' of the interface controller to the video-display-monitor video-signal output port 106'. The slave video-display control program also causes the computer 8' to transmit a control signal to the video-display start-control-signal input terminal 31 of the interface controller 22', which in turn causes a video-display-start relay 81 to close. The video-tape cassette-player 16' at each student station 6 is thus caused to begin playing the video-tape cassette. Thus, video-tape cassette players 16, 16' of each of the student stations 6 and the teacher station 4 begin playing the video-taped lecture substantially in synchronism. Similarly, the master video-display control program running on the digital computer 8 at the teacher station can be used to cause the video-tape cassette players 16' at the student stations to scan forward scan reverse, pause to display a single image frame, and stop - all essentially in synchronism - with the same functions performed by the video-tape cassette player 16 at the teacher station 4.
A listing of a master video-display control program for an "IBM Personal Computer" is attached hereto as Appendix A and made a part of this specification. A slave video-display control program for the same computer is attached as Appendix B and is also made a part of this specification.
It is not intended to limit the present invention to the specific embodiment described above. For example, the speaker telephones of the teacher station and the various student stations can be connected by a first conference-call telephone link and modems of the stations can be connected over a second conference-call telephone link. Timing signals can be recorded on the audio channels of the video tapes and monitored by the digital computers so that the computer can locate identical portions of the tapes by means of the timing signals. It is recognized that these and other changes may be made in the remote teaching system specifically described herein without departing from the scope and teaching of the instant invention and it is intended to encompass all other embodiments, alterations, and modifications consistent with the invention.
APPENDIX A
3675-010 Master Video-Display Control Program
A>type vib.asb
File not found
A>dir
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
VIP ASM 12600 1-01-80 12:04a
PE EXE 45696 10-28-82 12:00p PE PRO 3283 4-27-84 4:2Ba
LINK EXE 38144 3-07-85 1:43p
VIF OBJ 2165 1-01-80 12:06a
VIP EXE 1920 1-01-80 12:06a VIP2 ASM 6778 1-01-80 12:10a
VIP2 OBJ 1240 1-01-80 12:11a
VIP2 EXE 1440 1-01-80 12:11a RVIP ASM 13951 1-01-80 12:17a
RVIP OBJ 2075 1-01-80 12: MODEM ASM 3125 1-01-80 12:00a MODEM OBJ 447 1-01-BO 12:01a MODEM EXE 1024 1-01-80 12:01a
TEMP ASM 12444 1-01-80 1:02a
FINAL 13292 1-01-80 12:51a
16 File(s) 165B88 bytes free
A>
A>type vip. asm ; ; THIS IS THE MAIN PROGRAM ; TO CONTROL ONE VCR ;
STACK SEGMENT PARA STACK 'STACK'
DB 256 DUP (O) STACK ENDS ;
EXTRA SEGMENT PARA PUBLIC 'EXTRA' EXTRA ENDS ;
DATA SEGMENT PARA PUBLIC 'DATA' ; ;
; BUFFERS FOR SIMPLE INPUT/OUTPUT : ; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ;
INBUF DB 1 DUP (O) ; BUFFER FOR INPUT COMMAND
BUTTON DB 1 DUP (O) ; 1BUFFER FOR STATUS BYTE FROM PAD;
; LOOK UP TABLE : ; - - - - - - - - - - - ;
TABLE DW 59
DW PLAY
DW 60
DW STOP
DW 61
DW FORWARD
DW 62
DW REWIND
DW 63
DW HOLD
DW 64
DW SCREEN
DW 65
DW DRAW
DW 66
DW BYE ;
; COORDINATE FOR DRAW LINE ROUTINE : ; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ;
X1 DW 0
X2 DW 0
Y1 DW 0
Y2 DW 0
DELDY DW 0
DELDX DW 0
DELS DW 0
DELP DW 0
DELSX DW 0
DELSY DW 0
DELSE DW 0
DELDE DW 0 ;
; DATA FOR DRAW TO ROUT INE : ; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ;
XL DW 0
YL DW 0 ; DATA BUFFER FOR CONVERSIONS ;
TBUFF DB 20 DUP (O)
;
; END SESSION FLAG FOR PROCEDURE BYE
ENDFLAG DB 1 DUP (O)
;
DATA ENDS ; ;
CODE SEGMENT PARA PUBLIC 'CODE'
MAIN PROC FAR ; ;
; INITIALIZE
; OPEN FILE AND GET FILE HANDLES ; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ;
ASSUME CS:CODE ; INITIALIZE PSP
PUSH DS ; (PROGRAM SEGMENT PREFIX)
MOV AX.O
PUSH AX
MOV AX. DATA
MOV DS.AX
ASSUME DS:DATA
MOV AX.0B800H
MOV ES. AX
ASSUME ES: EXTRA ; ;
CALL INZ ; ; CLEAR THE KEYBOARD BUFFER AND ; GET A COMMAND FROM KEYBOARD ; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ;
START: CALL INCOM : CALL FROCEDURE INPUT-COMMAND ; ; ; BRANCH TO APPFOPRIATE ; COMMAND SUBROUTINE ; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ;
CALL BRANCH : CALL PROCEDURE BRANCHING ; ; ; JUMP BACK TO GET ANOTHER COMMAND ; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -;
CMF ENDFLAG. O JE STAFT ; JUMP TO START
RET ; ; ; ROUTINE TO PLAY THE VCR ;
PLAY PROC NEAR ;
PUSH AX SAVE REGISTORS ;
MOV AL.01H TURN ON PLAY
CALL PP1OUT ,
MOV AL.0 ; TURN LED OFF
CALL PP1OUT ;
MOV AL.59
CALL CM1COM
;
POP AX RET ;
PLAY ENDP
; ; ROUTINE TO STOP BOTH REMOTEAND LOCAL VCRS
;
STOP PROC NEAR
;
PUSH AX ; SAVE REGISTORS
;
MOV AL.10H
CALL PPIOUT ;
MOV AL.0
CALL PP1OUT
;
MOV AL.60
CALL CM1COM
;
;
POP AX RET ;
STOP ENDP ; ; ROUTINE TO DO FAST FORWARD AND FORWARD SCAN ;
FORWARD PROC NEAR ; PUSH AX ; SAVE REGISTORS ;
MOV AL.02H
CALL PPIOUT ; ;
MOV AL.61
CALL CM1COM ;
POP AX
RET ;
FORWARD ENDP ; ; ROUTINE TO DO FAST REWIND AND BACKWARD SCAN ;
REWIND PROC NEAR ; PUSH AX ; SAVE REGISTORS ;
MOV AL.04H
CALL PP1OUT ; ;
MOV AL.62
CALL CM1COM ;
POP AX RET ;
REWIND ENDP
; ROUTINE TO PAUSE (HOLDING)
; BOTH REMOTE AND LOCAL VCRS
;
HOLD PROC NEAR
; ; SAVE REGISTORS
PUSH AX
;
MOV AL.08H
CALL PP1OUT ;
MOV AL.0
CALL PP1OUT ;
MOV AL.63
CALL CM1COM ;
POP AX RET ;
HOLD ENDP ; ;
;; ROUTINT TO SWITCH SCREEN ; SCREEN PROC NEAR ;
PUSH AX ; SAVE REGISTORS ;
MOV AL.30H CALL PP1OUT ;
MOV AL.64 CALL CM1COM ;
POP AX RET ;
SCREEN ENDP ; ; ROUTINE TO END SESSION ; BYE PROC NEAR ;
MOV AH.0 ; SET DISPLAY TO 320x200 COLOR
MOV AL,1
INT 10H ;
MOV AL.66
CALL CM1COM ;
MOV AL.030H
CALL PP1OUT ;
MOV ENDFLAG.0FFH RET ;
BYE ENDP ; ; ; ; ROUTINE TO USE ELECTRIC CHALK BOARD ( THE DRAWING ROUTINE )
RAW PROC NEAR
PUSH AX ; SAVE RESTORES
PUSH BX
PUSH CX
PUSH DX
MOV AH.0 ; INITIALIZE GRAPHIC SCREEN
MOV AL.6 ; 640x200 BLACK AND WHITE
INT 10H ; ;
CALL PADGO ;
MOV AL.65
CALL CM1COM ;
CALL SCREEN ; SWITCH DISFLAY FROM VCR TO COMPUTER;
PTA: MOV AX.0BB00H
MOV ES.AX
CALL CLS ; CLEAR VIDEO RAM ;
PTB: CALL GETPT ; CALL THIS POINT B (ONE) ;
MOV AH.0BH ; CHECK KEYBOARD
INT 21H
CMP AL.0
JNE DECIDE ; IF THERE IS KEYBOARD ENTRY ;
TEST BUTTON.1
JE PTB ;
CMP SI.640
JNC PTB
CMP DI.440
JNC PT&
CMP DI.240
JC PTB ;
MOV XL. SI
MOV YL.DI ;
MOV BUTTON.0
CALL OUTPT ;
PTBX: CALL GETPT
TEST BUTTON, 1
JE PTB ;
CMP SI.640
JNC PTBX
CMP DI.440
JNC PTBX
CMP DI.240
JC PTBX ;
CALL DRAWTO ;
CALL OUTPT ;
JMP PTBX ; GO CHECK KEYBOARD ; ; AFTER PLOTTING A POINT ;
DECIDE: CALL INCOM MOV AL, INBUF CMP AL.66 ; IF EXIT JE DONE JUMP OUT ;
CMP AL.67 ; IF CLEAR-SCREEN JNE PTB ;
MOV AL.67
CALL CM1COM
JMP PTA ; ; ; JUMP TO POINT 1 TO PLOT ANOTHER POINT
DONE: MOV AL.0 CALL PPIOUT ;
CALL PADHOLD ;
MOV AL.66 CALL CM1COM ;
POP DX ; RESTORE REGISTORS POP CX POP BX POP AX RET ;
DRAW ENDP ; ; ; ROUTINE INPUT-COMMAND TO ; CLEAR THE KEYBOARD BUFFER ; AND TAKE A KEY FROM THE ; KEYBOARD ; ;
INCOM PROC NEAR ;
PUSH AX ; SAVE REGISTOR
PUSH BX ; SAVE REGISTOR
PUSH CX ; SAVE REGISTOR
PUSH DX ; SAVE REGISTOR ;
MOV AH.01H
INT 21H ;
MOV INBUF. AL ; AL CONTAINS THE INPUTED CHARACTER;
POP DX ; RESTORE REGISTOR
POP CX ; RESTORE REGISTOR
POP BX ; RESTORE REGISTOR
POP AX ; RESTORE REGISTOR
RET ;
INCOM ENDP ; ; ; ; ROUTINE TO BRANCH TO THE APPROPRIATE ROUTINE ; (CONTROLLING THE VCR) ;
BRANCH PROC NEAR ;
PUSH AX PUSH BX
PUSH CX
PUSH DX ;
MOV CX.B ; TOTAL NUMBER OF COMMANDS AVAILABLE
MOV BX,0
MOV AH.0
MOV AL, INBUF
AGAIN: CMP AX.TABLE[BX] ; LOOK UP COMMAND FROM KEYBOARD
JE FOUND ; JUMP OUT IF FOUND
INC BX
INC BX
INC BX
INC BX
LOOP AGAIN ; LEAVE IF NO SUCH COMMAND
POP DX
POP CX
POP BX
POP AX
RET ;
FOUND: INC BX ; CALL THE SUBROUTINE
INC BX
CALL TABLE[BX]
POP DX ; RESTORE REGISTORES AND LEAVE
POP CX
POP BX
POP AX
RET ;
BRANCH ENDP ; ; ROUTINE TO CLEAR SCREEN ; ;
CLS PRDC NEAR
PUSH CX
PUSH AX ;
MOV CX.2000H
MOV AX.O
MOV DI . AX
CLD ;
REF STOSW ;
PDF AX
POP CX ;
RET ;
CLS ENDP ; ; ROUTINE TO PLOT A POINT ON THE 640x200 ; BLACI AND WHITE HIGH RESOLUTION SCREEN ; -UFOM ENTRY : ; SI: X-COORDINATE ; DI: Y-COORDINATE ;
SETPT PROC NEAR ; PUSH AX ; SAVE REGISTOR PUSH CX PUSH DX ; ;
MOV CX.SI
MOV DX.DI ; PLOT A POINT
MOV AH.12
MOV AL,1
INT 10H ;
REJECT: POP DX
POP CX
; RESTORE REGISTOR
POP AX ; AND LEAVE
RET ;
SETPT ENDP ;
I; ROUTINE TO DRAW A LINE ;
SETLINE PROC NEAR ;
PUSH BX ; SAVE REGISTERS
PUSH CX
PUSH DX
PUSH SI
PUSH DI
PUSH AX ; ; SET UP X AND Y UPDATES ; ; START WITH POSITIVE 1 FOR X UPDATE
MOV SI, 1
MOV DI, 1 ;
; FIND IY2-Y1 : ;
MOV DX.Y2
SUB DX.Y1
JGE STOREY
NEG DI
NEG DX
STOREY:
MOV DELDY.DI ; ; FIND :X2-X1 : ;
MOV CX.X2
SUB CX.X1
JGE STOREX
NEG SI
NEG CX
STOREX:
MOV DELDX.SI ;
; SORT :Y2-Y1 : AND :X2-X1 : ;
CMP CX.DX
JGE SETDIAG
MOV SI .0
XCHG CX.DX
JMP STOREDELSXY ;
SETDIAG:
MOV DI .0 ; STORE DELS. DELP. DELSX.AND DELSY STOREDELSXY:
MOV DELS.CX MOV DELP. DX MOV DELSX.SI MOV DELSY, DI ; ; GET INITIAL VALUES FOR X AND Y MOV SI, X1 MOV DI,Y1 ;
; COMPUTE INITIAL VALUE AND INCREMENTS FOR ERROR FUNCTION. ;
MOV AX, DELP
SAL AX, 1
MOV DELSE.AX
SUB AX,CX
MOV BX,AX
SUB AX,CX
MOV DELDE,AX ;
; ADJUST COUNT ;
INC CX ;
; MAIN LOOP STRUCTURE ;
LINELOOP:
CALL SETPT
CMP BX.0
JGE DIAGONAL ;
; CASE FOR STRAIGHT MOVE ;
STRAIGHT: ADD SI.DELSX
ADD DI. DELSY
ADD BX.DELSE
LOOP LINELOOP
JMP LINEEXIT ; ; CASE FOR DIAGONAL MOVE ;
DIAGONAL:
ADD SI.DELDX
ADD DI.DELDY
ADD BX.DELDE
LOOP LINELOOP ;
LINEEXIT:
POP AX
POP DI
POP SI
POP DX
POP CX
POP BX
RET ; ;
SETLINE ENDP ;
; ROUTINE, TO DRAW A LINE FROM LAST POINT TO CURRENT POINT ; DRAWTO PROC NEAR ; ;
PUSH AX MOV AX. XL
MOV XI. AX ; LAST POINT
MOV AX.YL
MOV Yl.AX
MOV X2.SI ; CURRENT POINT
MOV Y2.DI
MOV XL. SI
MOV YL.DI ; UPDATE LAST POINT
CALL SETLINE ;
POP AX
RET
;
DRAWTO ENDP
;
CM1STP PROC NEAR
PUSH DX
PUSH AX
MOV DX.3FBH
MOV AL.80H
OUT DX.AL ;
MOV DX,3F8H
MOV AL.60H
OUT DX,AL ;
MOV DX.3F9H
NOV AL.00H
OUT DX.AL ;
MOV DX.3FBH
MOV AL.03H
OUT DX.AL ;
MOV DX.3FCH
MOV AL.03H
OUT DX.AL ;
POP AX
POP DX
RET
CM1STP ENDP ;
CM2STP PROC NEAR
PUSH DX
PUSH AX ;
MOV DX.2FBH
MOV AL .80H
OUT DX.AL ;
MOV DX.2FBH
MOV AL. OCH
OUT DX.AL ;
MOV DX.2F9H
MOV AL. OOH
PUT DX.AL ;
MOV DX.2FBH
MOV AL.03H
OUT DX.AL ;
POP AX POP Ux RET CM2STP ENDP ;
CM1COM PROC NEAR ;
PUSH AX ;
MOV AL.27 CALL CM1OUT POP AX CALL CM1OUT ;
RET ;
CM1COM ENDP ;
PPIOUT PROC NEAR ;
PUSH DX ;
MOV DX.0378H OUT ; DX.AL ;
POP DX RET ;
PP1OUT ENDP ;
CM1OUT PROC NEAR
PUSH DX
PUSH AX
MOV DX.3FDH LP2: IN AL.DX
AND AL.20H
JE LP2 ;
MOV DX.3FBH POP AX OUT DX.AL POP DX RET ;
CM1OUT ENDP
*;
CM1IN PROC NEAR PUSH DX ;
MOV DX.3FDH
LP3: IN AL.DX AND AL.1H JE LP3 ;
MOV DX.3FBH IN AL.DX POP DX RET ;
CM1IN ENDP ; 1
CM2OUT PROC NEAR
PUSH DX
PUSH AX
MOV DX.2FDH LP4: IN AL.DX
AND AL.20H JE LP4 ;
MOV DX.2FBH
POP AX
OUT DX.AL
POP DX
RET
;
CM20UT ENDP
;
CM2IN PROC NEAR
PUSH DX ;
MOV DX.2FDH
LP5: IN AL.DX
AND AL.1H
JE LP5 ;
MOV DX.2F8H
IN AL.DX
POP DX
RET ;
CM2IN ENDP ;
VOUT PROC NEAR
PUSH DX
PUSH AX ;
MOV DL.AL
MOV AH.02H
INT 21H ;
POP AX
POP DX
RET ;
VOUT ENDP ; ; ROUTINE TO INITIALZE SUMMA-SKETCH ; PADINZ PROC NEAR ;
PUSH AX PUSH DX ;
MOV AL.0 ; RESET PAD CALL CM2OUT ;
MOV AL.44H ; REMOTE REQUEST MODE CALL CM2OUT ;
MOV AL.49H ; INCREMENT COMMAND CALL CM2OUT ;
MOV AL.21H ; INCREMENT VALUE 1 CALL CM2OUT ;
MOV AL.62H ; SET ORIGIN CALL CM2OUT ;
MOV AL.64H ; RESOLUTION : 100 1pi CALL CM2OUT ; ; MOV AL.45H ; DELTA MODE ; CALL CM2OUT MOV DX.2F8H IN AL,DX ; CLEAR PAD OUTPUT BUFFER ;
POP DX POP AX RET ;
PADINZ ENDP ;
PADGO PROC NEAR ;
PUSH AX ;
MOV AL.11H CALL CM2OUT ; START TRANSMISSION ;
POP AX RET ;
PADGO ENDP ;
PADHOLD PROC NEAR ;
PUSH AX ;
MOV AL, 13H CALL ; STANDBY CM2OUT ;
POP AX RET ;
PADHOLD ENDP ;
; ROUTINE TO GET POINT FROM THE PAD ;
GETPT PROC NEAR ;
PUSH AX
PUSH DX ;
MOV AL.50H
CALL CM2OUT ; TRIGGER COMMAND ; ;
PASS: CALL CM2IN
TEST AL.80H ; CHECH BIT 7 FOR PHASI NG
JE PASS
MOV ; BUTTON, AL
CALL CM2IN
MOV DH.AL ; PUT LOW BYTE OF X IN DH
MOV DL.0 ;
CALL CM2IN ; GET HIGH BYTE OF X
MOV AH.0 ; PUT IT IN AX ;
SHL DX.1 ; CONCATINATE
SHL DX.1 ; DUMP 1 ST BIT
RCL AX . 1 ; ATTACH 2ND BIT THROUGH OF
SHL DX.1 ; ATTACJ 3RD BIT THROUGH OF RCL AX.1
SHL DX.1 ; ATTACH 4TH AND 5 TH B IT
RCL AX.1
SHL DX.1
RCL AX.1 MOV SI. AX ;
CALL CM2IN ; PUT LOW BYTE OF Y IN DH
MOV DH.AL
MOV DL.0 ;
CALL CM2IN ; GET HIGH BYTE OF Y
MOV AH,0 ;
SHL DX.1 ; SAME AS X EXCEPT ONLY ATTACH ONE BIT
SHL DX, 1
RCL AX.1
SHL DX.1 ; ATTACH ONE MORE POINT
RCL AX, 1
MOV DI.AX
NOT DI
AND DI.01FFH
SUB DI.70 ; ; ;
POP DX
POP AX
RET ;
GETPT ENDP ; ; ROUTINE TO CONVERT FROM INTERNAL 16-BIT BINARY TO ASCII DECIMAL ;
DEC160UT PROC NEAR ;
PUSH DS
PUSH DI
PUSH DX
PUSH CX
PUSH AX ;
MOV AX.DATA
MOV DS.AX ; ; J NUMBER IS IN DX ; ; INPUT THE DIGITS IN A E ;
MOV CX.0
LEA DI.TBUFF
DEC160UT1:
PUSH CX
MOV AX.DX
MOV DX.0
MOV CX.10
DIV CX
XCHG AX.DX ;
ADD AL.30H
MOV CDIJ.AL
INC DI ;
POP CX
INC CX
CMF DX.0
JNZ DEC16OUT1 ; ; DUMF THE BUFFER OUT ; DEC16OUT2: DEC DI
MOV AL.CDIJ
CALL VOUT
LOOP DEC160UT2 ;
POP AX
POP CX
POP DX
POP DI
POP DS
RET ;
DEC16OUT ENDP ; ; ROUTINE TO GET A POINT FROM SUMMA-SKETCH ; WHILE IT IS OPERATING IN DELTA MODE ; ;
INZ PROC NEAR
CALL CLS
CALL CM1STP
CALL CM2STP
CALL PADINZ
CALL PADHOLD
CALL VCRINZ ;
RET
INZ ENDP ;
VCRINZ PROC NEAR ;
PUSH AX ;
MOV AL.OIH
MOV DX.0379H
OUT DX.AL ;
MOV AL.030H
MOV , DX.0378H
OUT DX.AL ;
POP AX ;
RET ;
VCRINZ ENDP ;
OUTPT FROC NEAR- ;
PUSH AX
PUSH DX ;
MOV DX,SI
SHL DL,1
RCL DH,1
SHL DL,1
RCL DH, 1
TEST BUTTON, 1
JE NOTPUSH
ANP DH.03FH
OR DH.040H
MOV AL.DH
CALL CM1OUT
JMP LOWBYTE ; NO1 PUSH:
AND DH.03FH
OR DH.080H
MOV AL.DH
CALL CM1OUT
;
LOWBYTE:
SHR DL, 1
SHR DL, 1
OR DL,OCOH ;
MOV AL,DL
CALL CM1OUT ;
MOV DX,DI
SHL DL, 1
RCL DH, 1
SHL DL, 1
RCL DH, 1 ;
OR DH,OCOH
MOV AL,DH
CALL CM1OUT ;
SHR DL, 1
SHR DL, 1
OR DL,0C0H
MOV A,.DL
CALL CM1OUT ;
POP DX
POP AX ;
RET ;
OUTPT ENDP ; ;
MAIN ENDP ;
CODE ENDS ;
END MAIN
APPENDI X B Slave Video-Displ ay Control Program
type rvi o . asm ; ; THI S I S THE MAI N PROGRAM ; TO CONTROL ONE VCR ;
STACK SEGME NT F ARA STACK 'STACK'
DB 25 6 DUP (O)
STACK ENDS ;
EXTRA SEGMENT PARA PUBLIC 'EXTRA'
EXTRA ENDS ;
DATA SEGMENT PARA PUBLIC 'DATA' ; ;
; BUFFERS FOF SIMPLE INPUT/OUTPUT : ; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ;
INBUF DB 1 DUP (0) ; BUFFER FOR I NPUT COMMAND
BUTTON DB 1 DUP (0) ; ; LOOK UP TABLE : ; - - - - - - - - - - -;
TABLE DW 59
DW PLAY
DW 60
DW STOP
DW 61
DW FORWARD
DW 62
DW REWIND
DW 63
DW HOLD
DW 64
DW SCREEN
DW 65
DW DRAW
DW 66
DW BYE ; ; COORDINATE FOR DRAW LINE ROUTINE ; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ; X1 DW 0
X2 DW 0
Yl DW 0
Y2 DW 0
DELDY DW o
DELDX DW 0
DELS DW 0
DELP DW 0
DELSX DW 0
DELSY DW 0
DELSE DW 0
DELDE DW 0 ; ; DATA FOR DRAW TO ROUTINE : ; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ;
XL DW 0
YL DW 0 ;
; DATA BUFFER FOR CONVERSIONS ;
TBUFF DB 20 DUP (0) ;
; END SESSION FLAG FOR PROCEDURE BYE ;
ENDFLAG DB 1 DUP (0) ;
DATA ENDS ; ;
CODE SEGMENT PARA PUBLIC 'CODE' ;
MAIN PROC FAR ; ; ; INITIALIZE ; OPEN FILE AND GET FILE HANDLES ; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ;
ASSUME CS:CODE ; INITIALIZE PSP
PUSH DS ; (PROGRAM SEGMENT PREFIX)
MOV AX.0
PUSH AX
MOV AX, DATA
MOV DS,AX
ASSUME DS:DATA
MOV AX,0B800H
MOV ES.AX
ASSUME ES: EXTRA ; ;
CALL INZ ; ; CLEAR THE I EYPOARD BUFFER AND ; GET A COMMAND FROM KEYBOARD ; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ;
START: CALL INCOM ; CALL PFOCEDUFE INFUT-COMMAND; ; ; BRANCH TO AFFFOFRIATE ; COMMAND SUBROUTINE ; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -;
CALL BRANCH ; CALL PROCEDURE BRANCHING ; ; JUMP BACK TO GET ANOTHER COMMAND ; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -;
CMP ENDFLAG.0
JE START : JUMP TO START
RET ; ; ; ROUTINE TO PLAY THE VCR ;
PLAY PROC NEAR ;
PUSH AX ; SAVE REGISTORS;
MOV AL.01H ; TURN ON PLAY
CALL PPIOUT ;
MOV AL.0 : TURN LED OFF
CALL PP1OUT ;
POP AX
RET ;
PLAY ENDP ; ; ROUTINE TO STOP BOTH REMOTE AND LOCAL VCRS ;
STOP PROC NEAR ;
PUSH AX ; SAVE REGISTORS
.;
MOV AL.10H CALL PPIOUT ;
MOV AL.0 CALL PP1OUT ;
POP AX
RET ;
STOP ENDP ; ; ROUTINE TO DO FAST FORWARD AND FORWARD SCAN ;
FORWARD PROC NEAR ; PUSH AX ; SAVE REGISTORS ; ;
MOV AL.02H
CALL PPIOUT ;
POP AX
RET ;
FORWARD ENDP ; ; ROUTINE TO DO FAST REWIND AND BACKWARD SCAN ;
REWIND PROC NEAR ;
PUSH AX ; SAVE REGISTORS ; ;
MOV AL.04H CALL PP1OUT
;
POP AX RET
; REWIND ENDP ; ; ROUTINE TO PAUSE (HOLDING) ; BOTH REMOTE AND LOCAL VCRS ;
HOLD PROC NEAR ;
PUSH AX ; SAVE REGISTORS ;
MOV AL.08H CALL PP1OUT ;
MOV AL.0 CALL PP1OUT ;
POP AX RET ;
HOLD ENDP ; ; ; ROUT I NT TO SWITCH SCREEN ;
SCREEN PROC NEAR ;
PUSH AX ; SAVE REGISTORS ;
MOV AL.30H CALL PP1OUT ;
POP AX RET ;
SCREEN ENDP ; ; ROUTINE TO END SESSION ; BYE PFOC NEAR ;
MOV AH.0 ; SET DISPLAY TO 320:.200 COLOR
MOV AL.1
INT 10H ;
MOV AL.030H
CALL PP1OUT ;
MOV ENDFLAG .0FFH
RET ;
BYE ENDP ; ; ; ; ; ROUTINE TO USE ELECTRIC CHALK BOARD ; ( THE DRAWING ROUTINE ) ; ;
ORAW PROC NEAR ;
PUSH AX ; SAVE RESTORES PUSH BX PUSH CX PUSH DX ;
MOV AH.0 ; INITIALIZE GRAPHIC SCREEN MOV AL.6 ; 640x200 BLACK ANtT WHITE INT 10H ;
CALL SCREEN ; SWITCH DISPLAY FROM VCR TO COMPUTER;
PTA: MOV AX.0B800H ; POINT A (ZERO) MOV ES.AX CALL CLS ; ; COME TO HERE AFTER PLOT POINT;
CALL CM1IN
MOV AH.AL
AND AH.0C0H
JE DECIDE
PTB: CALL CM1IN ; CALL THIS POINT B (ONE)
MOV AH.AL
AND AH.0C0H
JE DECIDE ;
CMP AH.0C0H JE PTB ;
CALL GETPT TEST BUTTON.1 JE PTB ;
MOV XL.SI MOV YL.DI ;
PTBX: CALL CM1IN MOV AH.AL AND AH.0C0H JE DECIDE ;
CMP AH.0C0H JE PTBX ;
CALL GETPT TEST BUTTON.1 JE PTB ;
CALL DRAWTO JMP PTBX ; ;
DECIDE: CALL CM1IN ; EXECUTE COMMAND FROM KEYBOARD CMP AL.66 ; IF EXIT JE DONE ; JUMP OUT ;
CMP AL.67 ; IF CLEAR-SCREEN JE PTA ; JUMP TO BEGINNING OF ROUTINE ;
JMP PTB ; ; JUMP TO POINT 1 TO FLOT ANOTHER POINT
DONE: MOV AL.0 ; CLEAR DRAW FLAG CALL PP1OUT ;
POP DX ; RESTORE REGISTORS POP CX POP BX POP AX RET ;
DRAW ENDP ; ; ; ROUTINE INPUT-COMMAND TO ; CLEAR THE KEYBOARD BUFFER ; AND TAKE A KEY FROM THE ; KEYBOARD ; ;
INCOM PROC NEAR ; PUSH AX ; SAVE REGISTOR ;
NOTFRONT:
CALL CM1IM
CMP AL.27
JNE NOTFRONT ;
CALL CM1IN MOV INBUF.AL ;
POP AX ; RESTORE REGISTOR RET ;
INCOM ENDP ; ; ; ; ROUTINE TO BRANCH TO THE APPROPRIATE ROUTINE ; (CONTROLLING THE VCR) ;
BRANCH PROC NEAR ;
PUSH AX
PUSH BX
PUSH CX
PUSH DX ;
MOV Cx.8 ; TOTAL NUMBER OF COMMANDS AVAILABLE
MOV BX.0
MOV AH.0
MOV AL. INBUF
AGAIN: CMP AX.TABLE[BX] ; LOOK UP COMMAND FROM KEYBOARD
JE FOUND ; JUMP OUT IF FOUND
INC BX
INC BX
INC BX
INC BX
LOOP AGAIN ; LEAVE IF NO SUCH COMMAND
POP DX
POP CX
POP BX
POP AX
RET ;
FOUND: INC BX ; CALL THE SUBROUTINE
INC BX
CALL TABLE[BX]
POP DX ; RESTORE REGISTORES AND LEAVE
POP CX POP BX
POP AX
RET
;
BRANCH ENDP
; ; ROUTINE TD CLEAR SCREEN ; ;
CLS PROC NEAR
PUSH CX
PUSH AX ;
MOV CX.2000H
MOV AX,0
MOV DI.AX
CLD ;
REP STOSW ;
POP AX POP CX ;
RET ;
CLS ENDP ; ; ROUTINE TO PLOT A POINT ON THE 640x200 ; BLACK AND WHITE HIGH RESOLUTION SCREEN ; -UPON ENTRY : ; SI: X-COORDINATE ; DI: Y-COORDINATE ;
SETPT PROC NEAR ;
PUSH AX ; SAVE REGISTOR
PUSH CX
PUSH DX ;
MOV CX.SI
MOV DX.DI
MOV AH.12 ; PLOT A POINT
MOV AL.1
INT 10H ;
POP DX
POP CX
POP AX ; RESTORE REGISTOR
RET ; AND LEAVE ;
SETPT ENDP ; ; ROUTINE TO DRAW A LINE ; SETLINE PROC NEAR ;
PUSH BX ; SAVE REGISTERS
PUSH CX
PUSH DX
PUSH SI
PUSH DI
PUSH AX ; ; SET UP X AND Y UPDATES ;
MOV SI.1 ; START WITH POSITIVE 1 FOR X UPDATE
MOV DI.1 ; ; FIND |Y2-Y1 | ;
MOV DX,Y2
SUB DX,Y1
JGE STOREY
NEG DI
NEG DX
STOREY :
MOV DELDY.DI ;
; FIND |X2-X1|
;
MOV CX.X2
SUB CX.X1
JGE STOREX
NEG SI
NEG CX
STOREX:
MOV DELDX.SI ; ; : SORT ! Y2-Y1 : AND |X2-X1 | ;
CMF CX.DX
JGE SETDIAG
MOV SI,0
XCHG CX.DX
JMP STOREDELSXY ;
SETDIAG:
MOV DI.0 ; STORE DELS. DELP. DELSX.AND DELSY
STOREDELSXY:
MOV DELS.CX
MOV DELP.DX
MOV DELSX.SI
MOV DELSY. DI ; ; GET INITIAL VALUES FOR X AND Y
MOV SI,X1
MOV DI.Y1 ; ; COMFUTE INITIAL VALUE AND INCREM ERROR FUNCTION ;
MOV AX. DELP
SAL AX, 1
MOV DELSE.AX ;
SUB AX.CX
MOV BX. AX ;
SUB AX.CX
MOV DELDE.AX ; ; ADJUST COUNT ;
INC CX ; ; MAIN LOOP STRUCTURE ;
LINELOOP:
CALL SETFT
CMF BX U JGE DIAGONAL ;
; CASE FOR STRAIGHT MOVE ;
STRAIGHT:
ADD SI.DELSX
ADD DI. DELSY
ADD BX.DELSE
LOOP LINELOOP
JMP LINEEXIT ;
; CASE FOR DIAGONAL MOVE ;
DIAGONAL:
ADD SI.DELDX
ADD DI.DELDY
ADD BX.DELDE
LOOP LINELOOP ;
LINEEXIT:
POP AX
POP DI
POP SI
POP DX
POP CX
POP BX
RET ; ;
SETLINE ENDP ; ; ROUTINE TO DRAW A LINE FROM LAST POINT TO CURRENT POINT ;
DRAW TO PROC NEAR ; ;
PUSH AX ;
CMP SI.640
JNC BPT
CMP SI.0
JC BPT
CMP DI.440
JNC BPT
CMP DI.240
JC BPT ;
MOV AX.XL
MOV X1.AX ; LAST POINT
MOV AX.YL
MOV Y1.AX
MOV X2.SI ; CURRENT POINT
MOV Y2.DI
CALL SETLINE
BPT: MOV XL.SI
MOV YL.DI ; UPDATE LAST POINT;
POP AX
RET ;
DRAW TO ENDP ;
CMISTP PROC NEAR
PUSH DX
PUSH AX MOV DX.3FBH
MOV AL.B0H
OUT DX.AL ;
MOV DX.3F8H
MOV AL.60H
OUT DX.AL ;
MOV DX.3F9H
MOV AL .00H
OUT DX.AL ;
MOV DX.3FBH
MOV AL.03H
OUT DX.AL ;
MOV DX.3FCH
MOV AL.01H
OUT DX.AL ;
POP AX
POP DX
RET
CM1STP ENDP ;
CM2STP FROC NEAR
PUSH DX
PUSH AX ;
MOV DX.2FPH
MOV AL.80H
OUT DX.AL ;
MOV DX.2F8H
MOV AL.0CH
OUT DX.AL ;
MOV DX.2F8H
MOV AL.00H
OUT DX.AL ;
MOV DX.2FBH
MOV AL.03H
OUT DX.AL ;
POP AX
POP DX
RET
CM2STP ENDP ;
CM1COM FROC NEAR ;
PUSH AX
PUSH DI ;
MOV DI.DX
FRONT: MOV AL. [DI]
CALL CM1OUT
INC DI
LOOP FRONT ;
POP DI
POP AX
RET ;
CM1COM ENDP ;
PP1OUT PROC NEAR;
PUSH DX ;
MOV DX.037CH
OUT DX.AL;
POP DX RET ;
PP1OUT ENDP ;
CM1OUT PROC NEAR
PUSH DX
PUSH AX
MOV DX.3FDH
LP2: IN AL.DX
AND AL.20H
JE LP2;
MOV DX.3F8H
POP AX
OUT DX.AL
POP DX
RET ;
CMlOUT ENDP ;
CM1IN PROC NEAR
PUSH DX ;
MOV DX.3FDH
LP3: IN AL.DX
AND AL.1H
JE LP3 ;
MOV DX.3F8H
IN AL.DX
POP DX
RET ;
CMl IN ENDP ;
CM2OUT PROC NEAR
PUSH DX
PUSH AX
MOV DX.2FDH
LP4: IN AL.DX
AND AL.20H
JE LP4 ;
MOV DX.2FBH
POP AX
OUT DX.AL
POP DX
RET ;
CM2OUT ENDP ;
CM2IN PROC NEAR
PUSH DX ;
MOV DX.2FDH
LP5: IN AL.DX
AND AL,1H JE LP5 ;
MOV DX.2F8H
IN AL.DX
POP DX
RET ;
CM2IN ENDP ;
VOUT PROC NEAR
PUSH DX
PUSH AX ;
MOV DL,AL
MOV AH.02H
INT 21H ;
POP AX
POP DX
RET ;
VOUT ENDP ; ; ROUTINE TO GET POINT FROM THE PAD ; GETPT PROC NEAR ;
PUSH AX ;
MOV AH.AL
MOV BUTTON.0
TEST AH.040H
JE NOTPUSH ;
ADD BUTTON.1
NOTPUSH:
CALL CM1IN
SHL AL.1
SHL AL.1
AND AH.03FH
SHR AH.1
RCR AL.1
SHR AH.1
RCR AL, 1
MOV SI.AX ;
CALL CM1 IN
MOV AH.AL
CALL CM11N
SHL AL, 1
SHL AL. 1
AND AH.03FH
SHR AH.1
RCR AL.1
SHR AH.1
RCR AL, 1
MOV DI.AX ;
POP AX
RET ;
GETPT ENDP ; ; ROUTINE TO CONVERT FROM INTERNAL 16-BIT BINARY TO ASCII DECIMAL; DEC16OUT PROC NEAR ;
PUSH DS
PUSH DI
PUSH DX
PUSH CX
PUSH AX ;
MOV AX. DATA
MOV DS,AX ; ; NUMBER IS IN DX ; ; INPUT THE DIGITS IN A BUFFER;
MOV CX.0
LEA DI,TBUFF
DEC160UT1:
PUSH CX
MOV AX,DX
MOV DX.0
MOV CX.10
DIV CX
XCHG AX.DX ;
ADD AL.30H
MOV [DI].AL
INC DI ;
POP CX
INC CX
CMP DX.0
JNZ DEC16OUT1 ; ; DUMP THE BUFFER OUT ;
DEC16OUT2:
DEC DI
MOV AL.[DI]
CALL VOUT
LOOP DEC16OUT2 ;
POP AX
POP CX
POP DX
POP DI
POP DS
RET ;
DEC160UT ENDP ;
INZ FROC NEAR
CALL CLS
CALL CM1STP
CALL VCRINZ ;
RET
INZ ENDP ;
VCRINZ PROC NEAR ;
PUSH AX ;
MOV AL.OH
MOV DX.0379H
OUT DX.AL ; MOV AL,030H
MOV DX,0378H
OUT DX,AL
;
POP AX RET ;
VCRINZ ENDP ; ; ;
MAIN ENDP ;
CODE ENDS ;
END MAIN

Claims

1. A remote teaching system, comprising:
(a) a plurality of student stations, each student station including:
(a.1) a voice telephone set connectable to a telephone system for voice communication; (a.2) a video display monitor for displaying visual images;
(a.3) a video media player connected to the video display monitor for playing video media to produce visual images on the display monitor, the video media player having a start/stop-control- signal input port and being adapted to start and stop the playing of video media in response to start/stop-control signals applied to the start/stop-control-signal input port; and
(a.4) video-media-player control means connectable to the telephone system and connected to the start/stop-control-signal input port of the video media player for receiving telephonic start/stop control signals over the telephone system and transmitting corresponding start/stop control signals to the start/stop-control-signal input port of the video media player to controllably start and stop the playing of video media in the video media player; and
(b) a teacher station including:
(b.1) a voice telephone set connectable to the telephone system for voice communication between the teacher station and the student stations; (b.2) a video display monitor for displaying visual images;
(b.3) a video media player connected to the video display monitor for playing video media to produce visual images on the display monitor, the video media player having a start/stop-control- signal input port and being adapted to start and stop the playing of video media in response to start/stop control signals applied to the start/stop-control-signal input port; and
(b.4) video-media-player master control means connectable to the telephone system and connected to the start/stop-control-signal input port of the video media player of the teacher station for generating start/stop control signals in response to instructions from an operator of the teacher station, for applying the start/stop control signals to the start/stop-control-signal input por of the video media player of the teacher station and for transmitting corresponding telephonic start/stop control signals over the telephone system so that the playing of video media players of the teacher station and of the student stations can be started and stopped substantially in synchronism.
2. The remote teaching system according to claim in which each video-media-player control means comprises: (a.4.1) a digital computer having random- access memory for storing data and programs, a central processing unit in communication with the random-access memory for executing programs stored in the memory, a keyboard in communication with th random-access memory for entering data and program into the memory, and an input/output channel, the input/output channel being connected to the start/stop-control-signal input port of the video media player; and
(a.4.2) a modem connected to the input/output channel of the digital computer, the modem being connectable to the telephone system for receiving telephonic start/stop control signals over the telephone system and transmitting corresponding control signals to the input/output channel of the digital computer, the digital computer being capable of transmitting start/stop control signals from the input/output channel to the start/stop- control-signal input port of the video media player in response to the control signals from the modem; and in which the video-media-player master control means comprises:
(b.4.1) a digital computer having random- access memory for storing data and programs, a central processing unit in communication with the random-access memory for executing programs stored in the memory, a keyboard in communication with the random-access memory for entering data and programs into the memory, and an input/output channel, the input/output channel being connected to the start/stop-control-signal input port of the video media player; and
(b.4.2) a modem connected to the input/output channel of the digital computer, the modem being connectable to the telephone system for receiving start/stop control signals from the input/output channel of the digital computer and transmitting corresponding telephonic control signals over the telephone system.
3. The remote teaching system according to claim 2 in which the input/output channel of each digital computer includes a computer video-signal output port, each input/output channel being capable of generating a computer video signal at the computer video-signal output port for driving a video display monitor; each student station further including:
(a.5) an electrically-controlled double-throw video-signal switch having a computer video-signal input port, a video-media-player video-signal input port, a display-monitor video-signal output port, and a switch-control-signal input port, the video- signal switch being adapted to connect the display-monitor video-signal output port to either the computer video-signal input port or the video- media-player video-signal input port in response to a video-signal-selection control signal applied to the switch-control-signal input port, the computer video-signal input port being connected to the computer video-signal output port of the digital computer, the video-media-player video signal input port being connected to a video-signal output port of the video media player, the display-monitor video-signal output port being connected to a video-signal input port of the video display monitor, and the switch-control-signal input port being connected to the input/output channel of the digital computer; and the teacher station further including:
(b.5) an electrically-controlled double-throw video-signal switch having a computer video-signal input port, a video-media-player video-signal input port, a display-monitor video-signal output port, and a switch-control-signal input port, the video- signal switch being adapted to connect the display-monitor video-signal output port to either the computer video-signal input port or the video- media-player video-signal input port in response to a video-signal-selection control signal applied to the switch-control-signal input port, the computer video-signal input port being connected to the computer video-signal output port of the digital computer, the video-media-player video signal input port being connected to a video-signal output port of the video media player, the display-monitor video-signal output port being connected to a video-signal input port of the video display monitor, and the switch-control-signal input port being connected to the input/output channel of the digital computer.
4. The remote teaching system according to claim 3 in which the video media player of each station is a videotape cassette player.
5. The remote teaching system according to claim 3 in which the video media player of each station is a video disk player.
6. The remote teaching system according to claim 3 in which the modem of each station is an integrated voice/data modem having a data-channel port, a voice-channel port, and a telephone-line connection port, the data channel port being connected to the input/output channel of the digital computer associated with the station, the voice-channel port being connected to the voice telephone set associated with the station, and the telephone-line connection port being connectable to the telephone system.
7. The remote teaching system according to claim 1 in which the voice telephone set of each station is a speaker telephone.
8. The remote teaching station according to claim
2 in which the teacher station further includes:
(b.5) graphics input means connected to the input/output channel of the digital computer of the video-media-player master control means of the teacher station for entering digitally encoded graphics images into the digital computer.
9. The remote teaching station according to claim 8 in which the graphics input means includes a digital graphics tablet.
10. A remote teaching system, comprising:
(a) a teacher station including: (a.l) a digital computer having random-access memory for storing data and programs, a central processing unit in communication with the random- access memory for executing programs stored in the memory, a keyboard in communication with the random-access memory for entering data and progra into the memory, and an input/output channel, the input/output channel including a computer video- signal output port and a digital-signal output port, the input/output channel being adapted to generate at the computer video-signal output port computer video signal for driving a video display monitor and to generate digital signals at the digital-signal output port in response to output commands from the central processing unit; (a.2) a video display monitor having a video-display-monitor video-signal input port, the video display monitor being adapted to display visual images in response to video signals applied to the video-signal input port;
(a.3) a video-tape cassette player having a video-player video-signal output port and a video-player control-signal input port, the video-tape cassette player being adapted to play a video-tape cassette mounted in the player in response to video-player operation control signals applied to the video-player control-signal input port, the video signal obtained from the video tape cassette being produced at the video-player video-signal output port;
(a.4) an electrically-controlled double-throw video-signal switch having a computer video-signal input port, a video-player video-signal input port, a display-monitor video-signal output port, and a switch-control-signal input port, the electrically-controlled double-throw video-signal switch being adapted to connect the display monitor video-signal output port to one of the computer video-signal input port or the video-player video-signal input port in response to a video-signal-selection control signal applied to the switch-control-signal input port;
(a.5) video-signal transmission means connecting respectively (i) the video-player video-signal output port of the video-tape cassette player to the video-player video-signal input port of the video-signal switch, (ii) the computer video-signal output port of the digital computer to the computer video-signal input port of the video- signal switch, and (iii) the display-monitor video-signal output port of the video-signal switch to the video-display-monitor video-signal input port of the video display monitor;
(a.6) video-player control-signal transmission means for connecting the digital signal output port of the input/output channel of the digital computer to the video-player control-signal input port of the video-tape cassette player so that video-player operation control signals produced at the digital- signal output port of the digital computer can controllably start and stop the playing of a video-tape cassette in the video cassette player;
(a.7) a speaker telephone connectable to a telephone system for voice communication; (a.8) a modem having a data-channel port and a telephone line connection port for transmitting and receiving telephonic data signals over a telephone system; and
(a.9) digital-signal transmission means interconnecting the input/output channel of the digital computer and the data-channel port of the modem; and
(b) a plurality of student stations, each student station being connectable to the telephone system, each student station including:
(b.l) a digital computer having random-access memory for storing data and programs, a central processing unit in communication with the random- access memory for executing programs stored in the memory, a keyboard in communication with the random-access memory for entering data and programs into the memory, and an input/output channel, the input/output channel including a computer video- signal output port and a digital-signal output port, the input/output channel being adapted to generate at the computer video-signal output port a computer video signal for driving a video display monitor and to generate digital signals at the digital-signal output port in response to output commands from the central processing unit;
(b.2) a video display monitor having a video-display-monitor video-signal input port, the video display monitor being adapted to display visual images in response to video signals applied to the video-signal input port;
(b.3) a video-tape cassette player having a video-player video-signal output port and a video-player control-signal input port, the video-tape cassette player being adapted to play a video tape cassette mounted in the player in response to video-player operation control signals applied to the video-player control-signal input port, the video signal obtained from the video tape cassette being produced at the video-player video-signal output port;
(b.4) an electrically-controlled double-throw video-signal switch having a computer video-signal input port, a video-player video-signal input port, a display monitor video-signal output port, and a switch-control-signal input port, the electrically-controlled double-throw video-signal switch being adapted to connect the display monitor video-signal output port to one of the computer video-signal input port or the video-player video- signal input port in response to a video-signal- selection control signal applied to the switch- control-signal input port; (b.5) video-signal transmission means connecting respectively (i) the video-player video-signal output port of the video-tape cassette player to the video-player video-signal input port of the video-signal switch, (ii) the computer video-signal output port of the digital computer to the computer video-signal input port of the video- signal switch, and (iii) the display-monitor video-signal output port of the video-signal switch to the video-display-monitor video-signal input port of the video display monitor;
(b.6) video-player control-signal transmission means for interconnecting the digital signal output port of the input/output channel of the digital computer and the video-player control-signal input port of the video-tape cassette player so that video-player operation control signals produced at the digital-signal output port of the digital computer can controllably start and stop the playing of a video tape cassette in the video-tape cassette player;
(b.7) a speaker telephone connectable to the telephone system for voice communication with the teaching station and with other student stations;
(b.8) a modem having a data channel port and telephone-line connection port for transmitting a receiving telephonic data signals over on the telephone system; and
(b.9) digital-signal transmission means connecting the input/output channel of the digital computer to the data-channel port of the modem.
11. The remote teaching system according to claim
10 in which each video-tape cassette player is adapted to perform the functions of start, stop, fast forward, reverse and pause to display a single image frame in response to video-player operation control signals applied to the video-player control-signal input port.
12. A remote teaching system, comprising:
(a) a teacher station including
(a.l) a digital computer having random-access memory for storing data and programs, a central processing unit in communication with the random- access memory for executing programs stored in the memory, a keyboard in communication with the random-access memory for entering data and programs into the memory, and an input/output channel, the input/output channel including a computer video- signal output port and a digital-signal output port, the input/output channel being adapted to generate at the computer video-signal output port a computer video signal for driving a video display monitor and to generate digital signals at the digital-signal output port in response to output commands from the central processing unit;
(a.2) a video display monitor having a video-display-monitor video-signal input port, the video display monitor being adapted to display visual images in response to video signals applied to the video-signal input port;
(a.3) a video-tape cassette player having a video-player video-signal output port and a video- player control-signal input port, the video-tape cassette player being adapted to play a video tape cassette mounted in the player in response to video-player start/stop control signals applied to the video-player control-signal input port, the video signal obtained from the video tape cassette being produced at the video-player-video-signal output port;
(a.4) an interface controller having a computer video-signal input port, a video-player video-signal input port, a display-monitor video-signal output port, a computer digital-control-signal input port, and a video-player control-signal output port, the interface controller being adapted to connect the display monitor video-signal output port to one of the computer video-signal input port or the video-player video-signal input port in response to a video-signal-selection control signal applied to the computer digital-control-signal input port, the interface controller being adapted to produce video-player start/stop control signals at the video-player control-signal output port in response to video-player start/stop control signals applied to the computer digital-control-signal input port for controllably starting and stopping the playing of a video tape cassette in the video-tape cassette player;
(a.5) video-signal transmission means connecting respectively (i) the video-player video-signal output port of the video-tape cassette player to the video-player video-signal input port of the interface controller, (ii) the computer video-signal output port of the digital computer to the computer video-signal input port of the interface controller, and (iii) the display-monitor video-signal output port of the interface controller to the video-display-monitor video-signal input port of the video display monitor; (a.6) control-signal transmission means connecting respectively (i) the digital signal output port of the input/output channel of the digital computer to the computer digital-control- signal input port of the interface controller and
(ii) the video-player control-signal output port of the interface controller to the video-player control-signal input port of the video-tape cassette player; (a.7) a speaker telephone;
(a.8) a voice/data modem having a data-channel port, a voice-channel port and a telephone line connection port adapted to be connected to a telephone system;
(a.9) digital-signal transmission means connecting the input/output channel of the digital computer to the data-channel port of the voice/data modem; and
(a.10) voice-telephonic signal transmission means connecting the voice-channel port of the voice/data modem to the speaker telephone; and
(b) a plurality of student stations, each student station being connectable to the teacher station over a telephone system, each student station including:
(b.1) a digital computer having random-access memory for storing data and programs, a central processing unit in communication with the random- access memory for executing programs stored in the memory, a keyboard in communication with the random-access memory for entering data and program into the memory, and an input/output channel, the input/output channel including a computer video- signal output port and a digital-signal output port, the input/output channel being adapted to generate at the computer video-signal output port computer video signal for driving a video display monitor and to generate digital signals at the digital-signal output port in response to output commands from the central processing unit;
(b.2) a video display monitor having a video-display-monitor video-signal input port, the video display monitor being adapted to display visual images in response to video signals applied to the video-signal input port;
(b.3) a video-tape cassette player having a video-player video-signal output port and a video-player control-signal input port, the video-tape cassette player being adapted to play a video tape cassette mounted in the player in response to video-player start/stop control signals applied to the video-player control-signal input port, the video signal obtained from the video tape cassette being produced at the video-player video-signal output port;
(b.4) an interface controller having a computer video-signal input port, a video-player video-signal input port, a display monitor video-signal output port, a computer digital-control-signal input port, and a video-player control-signal output port, the interface controller being adapted to connect the display monitor video-signal output port to one of the computer video-signal input port or the video-player video-signal input port in response to a video-signal-selection control signal applied to the computer digital-control-signal input port, the interface controller being adapted to produce video-player start/stop control signals at the video-player control-signal output port in response to video-player start/stop control signals applied to the computer digital-control-signal input port for controllably starting and stopping the playing of a video tape cassette in the video-tape cassette; (b.5) video-signal transmission means connecting respectively (i) the video-player video-signal output port of the video-tape cassette player to the video-player video signal input port of the interface controller, (ii) the computer video-signal output port of the digital computer to the computer video-signal input port of the interface controller, and (iii) the display-monitor video-signal output port of the interface controller to the video-display-monitor video-signal input port of the video display monitor;
(b.6) control-signal transmission means connecting respectively (i) the digital signal output port of the input/output channel of the digital computer to the computer digital-control-signal input port of the interface controller and (ii) the video-player control-signal output port of the interface controller to the video-player control-signal input port of the video-tape cassette player;
(b.7) a speaker telephone;
(b.8) a voice/data modem having a data-channel port, a voice channel port and a telephone line connection port adapted to be connected to the telephone system for voice/data communication with the teaching station and with other student stations;
(b.9) digital-signal transmission means connecting the input/output channel of the digital computer and the data-channel port of the voice/data modem; and (b.10) voice telephonic signal transmission means connecting the voice-channel port of the voice/data modem and the speaker telephone.
PCT/US1988/001518 1987-05-11 1988-05-10 Remote teaching system WO1988009096A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US07/048,158 US4785472A (en) 1987-05-11 1987-05-11 Remote teaching system
US048,158 1987-05-11

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1988009096A1 true WO1988009096A1 (en) 1988-11-17

Family

ID=21953039

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US1988/001518 WO1988009096A1 (en) 1987-05-11 1988-05-10 Remote teaching system

Country Status (4)

Country Link
US (1) US4785472A (en)
AU (1) AU1789888A (en)
CA (1) CA1303847C (en)
WO (1) WO1988009096A1 (en)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0580397A2 (en) * 1992-07-23 1994-01-26 Workspace Technologies Limited Conferencing apparatus
FR2702063A1 (en) * 1993-02-24 1994-09-02 Infomedia Communication Computer-aided school assessment process, for the knowledge rating of a pupil, for diagnosing shortcomings and for rerating and system, unit and server for implementing the process
DE19516619A1 (en) * 1995-04-28 1996-10-31 Uthe Friedrich Wilhelm Information system connecting computer to telephone line
CN107067855A (en) * 2017-06-19 2017-08-18 西安瓜大网络科技有限公司 Autonomous prepare lessons system and its unmanned tutoring system
CN107622704A (en) * 2017-10-11 2018-01-23 镇江乐科信息科技有限公司 A kind of tutoring system based on information technology

Families Citing this family (121)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4987492A (en) * 1987-09-28 1991-01-22 Stults Robert A User interface control for communication system
US4882747A (en) * 1988-05-12 1989-11-21 Jerry Williams Infrared communication apparatus for remote site applications
US4890320A (en) * 1988-06-09 1989-12-26 Monslow H Vincent Television broadcast system for selective transmission of viewer-chosen programs at viewer-requested times
US5002491A (en) * 1989-04-28 1991-03-26 Comtek Electronic classroom system enabling interactive self-paced learning
US6243446B1 (en) 1997-03-11 2001-06-05 Inline Connections Corporation Distributed splitter for data transmission over twisted wire pairs
US5844596A (en) 1989-07-14 1998-12-01 Inline Connection Corporation Two-way RF communication at points of convergence of wire pairs from separate internal telephone networks
US5929896A (en) * 1989-07-14 1999-07-27 Inline Connection Corporation RF broadcast system utilizing internal telephone lines
US5010399A (en) 1989-07-14 1991-04-23 Inline Connection Corporation Video transmission and control system utilizing internal telephone lines
US5176520A (en) * 1990-04-17 1993-01-05 Hamilton Eric R Computer assisted instructional delivery system and method
GB9009701D0 (en) * 1990-04-30 1990-06-20 Hewlett Packard Co Object based computer system
KR100220042B1 (en) * 1990-06-07 1999-09-01 가부시키가이샤 히타치 세이사쿠쇼 Presentation supporting method and apparatus therefor
US5263869A (en) * 1990-07-19 1993-11-23 Interactive Communication Systems, Inc. Interactive group communication system
JPH04113385A (en) * 1990-09-03 1992-04-14 Fujitsu Ltd Remote lecture system
US5544347A (en) * 1990-09-24 1996-08-06 Emc Corporation Data storage system controlled remote data mirroring with respectively maintained data indices
US5437555A (en) * 1991-05-02 1995-08-01 Discourse Technologies, Inc. Remote teaching system
US5570415A (en) * 1991-08-29 1996-10-29 Sasktel Video programming and storage control using the telephone network
DE4141920A1 (en) * 1991-12-19 1993-06-24 Mathias Zirm METHOD FOR LEARNING MICRO-SURGICAL OPERATING TECHNIQUES AND DEVICE FOR EXERCISING THE METHOD
US5303042A (en) * 1992-03-25 1994-04-12 One Touch Systems, Inc. Computer-implemented method and apparatus for remote educational instruction
FR2690267B1 (en) * 1992-04-15 1996-10-25 Levin Jacques TELE-TEACHING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ESTABLISHING A COURSE FOR USE IN THIS SYSTEM.
US5987149A (en) * 1992-07-08 1999-11-16 Uniscore Incorporated Method for scoring and control of scoring open-ended assessments using scorers in diverse locations
US5437554A (en) * 1993-02-05 1995-08-01 National Computer Systems, Inc. System for providing performance feedback to test resolvers
FR2702867B1 (en) * 1993-03-15 1995-06-16 Educatel Groupe ELECTRONIC DISTANCE EDUCATION SYSTEM.
US5458494A (en) * 1993-08-23 1995-10-17 Edutech Research Labs, Ltd. Remotely operable teaching system and method therefor
US5490207A (en) * 1994-01-21 1996-02-06 Schorr; Andrew Method of dispersing information and collecting data via telephone systems
US5700149A (en) * 1994-06-03 1997-12-23 Johnson, Iii; Oscar R. Method of personal verification for an in-resident system for administrating course material
US5850250A (en) * 1994-07-18 1998-12-15 Bell Atlantic Maryland, Inc. Video distance learning system
US5675373A (en) * 1994-08-19 1997-10-07 Marion County School Board Interactive television service utilizing both unidirectional and omnidirectional broadcasting
US5802281A (en) 1994-09-07 1998-09-01 Rsi Systems, Inc. Peripheral audio/video communication system that interfaces with a host computer and determines format of coded audio/video signals
US5808662A (en) * 1995-11-08 1998-09-15 Silicon Graphics, Inc. Synchronized, interactive playback of digital movies across a network
US5833468A (en) * 1996-01-24 1998-11-10 Frederick R. Guy Remote learning system using a television signal and a network connection
GB2310527A (en) * 1996-02-23 1997-08-27 Martin Kalnins Interactive v.c.r. interface
US10152876B2 (en) 1996-03-27 2018-12-11 Gtj Ventures, Llc Control, monitoring, and/or security apparatus and method
US7253731B2 (en) 2001-01-23 2007-08-07 Raymond Anthony Joao Apparatus and method for providing shipment information
US10011247B2 (en) 1996-03-27 2018-07-03 Gtj Ventures, Llc Control, monitoring and/or security apparatus and method
US6052797A (en) * 1996-05-28 2000-04-18 Emc Corporation Remotely mirrored data storage system with a count indicative of data consistency
US5901327A (en) * 1996-05-28 1999-05-04 Emc Corporation Bundling of write data from channel commands in a command chain for transmission over a data link between data storage systems for remote data mirroring
WO1998003953A2 (en) * 1996-07-23 1998-01-29 Avalon Information Technologies Inc. Method of interactive computer based instruction
US6192399B1 (en) 1997-07-11 2001-02-20 Inline Connections Corporation Twisted pair communication system
US6219695B1 (en) * 1997-09-16 2001-04-17 Texas Instruments Incorporated Circuits, systems, and methods for communicating computer video output to a remote location
JP3693474B2 (en) * 1997-09-30 2005-09-07 フーリエ有限会社 Display device
US9075136B1 (en) 1998-03-04 2015-07-07 Gtj Ventures, Llc Vehicle operator and/or occupant information apparatus and method
US6480510B1 (en) 1998-07-28 2002-11-12 Serconet Ltd. Local area network of serial intelligent cells
US6155840A (en) * 1998-09-18 2000-12-05 At Home Corporation System and method for distributed learning
US6760748B1 (en) 1999-01-20 2004-07-06 Accenture Llp Instructional system grouping student terminals
GB9902797D0 (en) * 1999-02-09 1999-03-31 Norris Daniel A small-scale communications system
US7188193B1 (en) 2000-01-20 2007-03-06 Sonic Solutions, A California Corporation System, method and article of manufacture for a synchronizer component in a multimedia synchronization framework
US20060041639A1 (en) * 1999-04-21 2006-02-23 Interactual Technologies, Inc. Platform detection
US6769130B1 (en) * 2000-01-20 2004-07-27 Interactual Technologies, Inc. System, method and article of manufacture for late synchronization during the execution of a multimedia event on a plurality of client computers
US7178106B2 (en) * 1999-04-21 2007-02-13 Sonic Solutions, A California Corporation Presentation of media content from multiple media sources
CN1367926A (en) * 1999-04-21 2002-09-04 研究投资网络公司 System, emthod and article of manufacture for updating content stored on portable storage medium
US20050182828A1 (en) * 1999-04-21 2005-08-18 Interactual Technologies, Inc. Platform specific execution
US7346920B2 (en) 2000-07-07 2008-03-18 Sonic Solutions, A California Corporation System, method and article of manufacture for a common cross platform framework for development of DVD-Video content integrated with ROM content
US20050198574A1 (en) * 1999-04-21 2005-09-08 Interactual Technologies, Inc. Storyboard
US7458091B1 (en) 2000-01-20 2008-11-25 Sonic Solutions, A California Corporation System, method and article of manufacture for a business layer component in a multimedia synchronization framework
US20060193606A1 (en) * 1999-04-21 2006-08-31 Interactual Technologies, Inc. Two navigation
US6529949B1 (en) 2000-02-07 2003-03-04 Interactual Technologies, Inc. System, method and article of manufacture for remote unlocking of local content located on a client device
US6288753B1 (en) 1999-07-07 2001-09-11 Corrugated Services Corp. System and method for live interactive distance learning
US6690677B1 (en) 1999-07-20 2004-02-10 Serconet Ltd. Network for telephony and data communication
US20020086275A1 (en) * 1999-07-30 2002-07-04 Boney James L. Methods and apparatus for computer training relating to devices using a resource control module
US6514085B2 (en) * 1999-07-30 2003-02-04 Element K Online Llc Methods and apparatus for computer based training relating to devices
US20040220926A1 (en) * 2000-01-03 2004-11-04 Interactual Technologies, Inc., A California Cpr[P Personalization services for entities from multiple sources
US20040220791A1 (en) * 2000-01-03 2004-11-04 Interactual Technologies, Inc. A California Corpor Personalization services for entities from multiple sources
US7392481B2 (en) * 2001-07-02 2008-06-24 Sonic Solutions, A California Corporation Method and apparatus for providing content-owner control in a networked device
US20050251732A1 (en) * 2000-01-20 2005-11-10 Interactual Technologies, Inc. System, method and article of manufacture for executing a multimedia event on a plurality of client computers using a synchronization host engine
US6549616B1 (en) 2000-03-20 2003-04-15 Serconet Ltd. Telephone outlet for implementing a local area network over telephone lines and a local area network using such outlets
IL135744A (en) 2000-04-18 2008-08-07 Mosaid Technologies Inc Telephone communication system over a single telephone line
US6842459B1 (en) 2000-04-19 2005-01-11 Serconet Ltd. Network combining wired and non-wired segments
AU2001279170A1 (en) * 2000-08-03 2002-02-18 Edwin L. Lyda Apparatus for remote learning system
US7689510B2 (en) * 2000-09-07 2010-03-30 Sonic Solutions Methods and system for use in network management of content
US6928260B2 (en) 2001-04-10 2005-08-09 Childcare Education Institute, Llc Online education system and method
JP2003008768A (en) * 2001-06-27 2003-01-10 Nova:Kk Personal computer school system utilizing videophone
US7114172B2 (en) * 2001-06-28 2006-09-26 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. Synchronized personal video recorders
IL144158A (en) 2001-07-05 2011-06-30 Mosaid Technologies Inc Outlet for connecting an analog telephone set to a digital data network carrying voice signals in digital form
US7436842B2 (en) 2001-10-11 2008-10-14 Serconet Ltd. Outlet with analog signal adapter, a method for use thereof and a network using said outlet
US8909729B2 (en) 2001-11-20 2014-12-09 Portulim Foundation Llc System and method for sharing digital media content
US8504652B2 (en) 2006-04-10 2013-08-06 Portulim Foundation Llc Method and system for selectively supplying media content to a user and media storage device for use therein
US8122466B2 (en) * 2001-11-20 2012-02-21 Portulim Foundation Llc System and method for updating digital media content
US7503059B1 (en) 2001-12-28 2009-03-10 Rothschild Trust Holdings, Llc Method of enhancing media content and a media enhancement system
US7711774B1 (en) 2001-11-20 2010-05-04 Reagan Inventions Llc Interactive, multi-user media delivery system
WO2003058965A1 (en) * 2001-12-27 2003-07-17 Digeo, Inc. Conferencing with synchronous presention of media programs
FR2836731B1 (en) * 2002-03-01 2004-12-03 Abdulai Danso METHOD FOR REALIZING AND IMPLEMENTING A MULTIFUNCTIONAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND SYSTEM OBTAINED ACCORDING TO SAID METHOD
US10562492B2 (en) 2002-05-01 2020-02-18 Gtj Ventures, Llc Control, monitoring and/or security apparatus and method
US8751247B1 (en) * 2002-05-23 2014-06-10 At&T Intellectual Property Ii, L.P. Network-based collaborative control of distributed multimedia content
US20040064472A1 (en) * 2002-09-27 2004-04-01 Oetringer Eugen H. Method and system for information management
IL154234A (en) 2003-01-30 2010-12-30 Mosaid Technologies Inc Method and system for providing dc power on local telephone lines
IL154921A (en) 2003-03-13 2011-02-28 Mosaid Technologies Inc Telephone system having multiple distinct sources and accessories therefor
US20050003330A1 (en) * 2003-07-02 2005-01-06 Mehdi Asgarinejad Interactive virtual classroom
IL157787A (en) 2003-09-07 2010-12-30 Mosaid Technologies Inc Modular outlet for data communications network
IL159838A0 (en) 2004-01-13 2004-06-20 Yehuda Binder Information device
IL161869A (en) 2004-05-06 2014-05-28 Serconet Ltd System and method for carrying a wireless based signal over wiring
US7873058B2 (en) 2004-11-08 2011-01-18 Mosaid Technologies Incorporated Outlet with analog signal adapter, a method for use thereof and a network using said outlet
WO2006066052A2 (en) 2004-12-16 2006-06-22 Sonic Solutions Methods and systems for use in network management of content
US8386909B2 (en) * 2005-04-07 2013-02-26 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Capturing and presenting interactions with image-based media
US20060246412A1 (en) * 2005-05-01 2006-11-02 George Pieczenik Professor Pieczenik's instruction method and system
US7555715B2 (en) * 2005-10-25 2009-06-30 Sonic Solutions Methods and systems for use in maintaining media data quality upon conversion to a different data format
US20070099163A1 (en) * 2005-10-27 2007-05-03 Hsin-Tung Tseng Integrated teaching base station
US20070130261A1 (en) * 2005-11-26 2007-06-07 Shaub Frances J Control/satellite electronic work station configurations in which stations interact among themselves on a real-time basis
US7813451B2 (en) 2006-01-11 2010-10-12 Mobileaccess Networks Ltd. Apparatus and method for frequency shifting of a wireless signal and systems using frequency shifting
US8435038B2 (en) * 2006-10-17 2013-05-07 Apollo Finance, Llc Methods and systems for teaching a practical skill to learners at geographically separate locations
WO2009005781A1 (en) * 2007-07-02 2009-01-08 Dave Young System and method for clinical trial investigator meeting delivery and training, including dynamic media enrichment
US9124845B2 (en) 2007-07-19 2015-09-01 At&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. System and method to control media display functions
US8074581B2 (en) 2007-10-12 2011-12-13 Steelcase Inc. Conference table assembly
EP2203799A4 (en) 2007-10-22 2017-05-17 Mobileaccess Networks Ltd. Communication system using low bandwidth wires
US8175649B2 (en) 2008-06-20 2012-05-08 Corning Mobileaccess Ltd Method and system for real time control of an active antenna over a distributed antenna system
US20090249222A1 (en) * 2008-03-25 2009-10-01 Square Products Corporation System and method for simultaneous media presentation
US20140361954A1 (en) 2013-06-07 2014-12-11 Lewis Epstein Personal control apparatus and method for sharing information in a collaboration workspace
US10631632B2 (en) 2008-10-13 2020-04-28 Steelcase Inc. Egalitarian control apparatus and method for sharing information in a collaborative workspace
US8897215B2 (en) 2009-02-08 2014-11-25 Corning Optical Communications Wireless Ltd Communication system using cables carrying ethernet signals
US10884607B1 (en) 2009-05-29 2021-01-05 Steelcase Inc. Personal control apparatus and method for sharing information in a collaborative workspace
EP2829152A2 (en) 2012-03-23 2015-01-28 Corning Optical Communications Wireless Ltd. Radio-frequency integrated circuit (rfic) chip(s) for providing distributed antenna system functionalities, and related components, systems, and methods
TW201344555A (en) * 2012-04-16 2013-11-01 Hon Hai Prec Ind Co Ltd Multi-display control system
WO2014078965A1 (en) 2012-11-22 2014-05-30 8303142 Canada Inc. System and method for managing several mobile devices simultaneously
US10546441B2 (en) 2013-06-04 2020-01-28 Raymond Anthony Joao Control, monitoring, and/or security, apparatus and method for premises, vehicles, and/or articles
US9821738B2 (en) 2014-06-30 2017-11-21 Raymond Anthony Joao Battery power management apparatus and method
US9184960B1 (en) 2014-09-25 2015-11-10 Corning Optical Communications Wireless Ltd Frequency shifting a communications signal(s) in a multi-frequency distributed antenna system (DAS) to avoid or reduce frequency interference
US10691398B2 (en) * 2014-09-30 2020-06-23 Accenture Global Services Limited Connected classroom
US10216523B2 (en) 2015-07-17 2019-02-26 General Electric Company Systems and methods for implementing control logic
CN106601053A (en) * 2016-10-28 2017-04-26 浙江工商职业技术学院 Multi-media controller
US10264213B1 (en) 2016-12-15 2019-04-16 Steelcase Inc. Content amplification system and method
CN106652614A (en) * 2017-03-10 2017-05-10 牟树霞 Bidirectional remote education system of computer
US11760227B2 (en) 2021-02-15 2023-09-19 Raymond Anthony Joao Battery power management apparatus and method

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1488654A (en) * 1974-09-23 1977-10-12 Croft G Electronic games device
US4682957A (en) * 1986-02-24 1987-07-28 Young Gordon W Teleconferencing and teaching method and apparatus
US4689022A (en) * 1984-04-30 1987-08-25 John Peers System for control of a video storage means by a programmed processor

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3077038A (en) * 1958-10-10 1963-02-12 Williams Res Corp Instructional desk
US3233346A (en) * 1962-09-13 1966-02-08 Cornberg Sol Carrel
US3654708A (en) * 1969-05-26 1972-04-11 Westinghouse Learning Corp Computer-assisted instruction via video telephone

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1488654A (en) * 1974-09-23 1977-10-12 Croft G Electronic games device
US4689022A (en) * 1984-04-30 1987-08-25 John Peers System for control of a video storage means by a programmed processor
US4682957A (en) * 1986-02-24 1987-07-28 Young Gordon W Teleconferencing and teaching method and apparatus

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
D. SCOTT, "Electronic Teacher Links farflung Classrooms", POPULAR SCIENCE, Vol. 220, No. 2, February 1982, page 60. *

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0580397A2 (en) * 1992-07-23 1994-01-26 Workspace Technologies Limited Conferencing apparatus
EP0580397A3 (en) * 1992-07-23 1995-01-25 Workspace Technologies Limited Conferencing apparatus.
FR2702063A1 (en) * 1993-02-24 1994-09-02 Infomedia Communication Computer-aided school assessment process, for the knowledge rating of a pupil, for diagnosing shortcomings and for rerating and system, unit and server for implementing the process
DE19516619A1 (en) * 1995-04-28 1996-10-31 Uthe Friedrich Wilhelm Information system connecting computer to telephone line
CN107067855A (en) * 2017-06-19 2017-08-18 西安瓜大网络科技有限公司 Autonomous prepare lessons system and its unmanned tutoring system
CN107622704A (en) * 2017-10-11 2018-01-23 镇江乐科信息科技有限公司 A kind of tutoring system based on information technology

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CA1303847C (en) 1992-06-23
AU1789888A (en) 1988-12-06
US4785472A (en) 1988-11-15

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
WO1988009096A1 (en) Remote teaching system
US3609227A (en) Random access audio/video information retrieval system
US4846693A (en) Video based instructional and entertainment system using animated figure
US4609358A (en) Video training system for simulataneously training a plurality of students
US3654708A (en) Computer-assisted instruction via video telephone
US4422105A (en) Interactive system and method for the control of video playback devices
US4449198A (en) Device for interactive video playback
US3996671A (en) Instruction machine
US6141529A (en) Learning system with random assignments, conferencing and modeling
EP0299831A1 (en) Method for providing an interactive full motion synched compatible audio/visual television display
Gayeski Making sense of multimedia: Introduction to special issue
US6154631A (en) Learning system with synchronized control of hardware and switching network
CA1257386A (en) Method of and system for controlling video tape recorder with computer
EP0441864A4 (en) Interactive audiovisual control mechanism
CN105872828A (en) Television interactive learning method and device
US3718984A (en) Free-standing audio-visual-response teaching system
GB1582930A (en) Device for multiplexing video signals
US5087205A (en) Adjustable interactive audio training system
US3596378A (en) Automatic tape machine
Barker et al. A practical introduction to authoring for computer assisted instruction. Part 3: MICROTEXT
SU693427A1 (en) Device for displaying educational information
US3538504A (en) Computer controlled peripheral processing devices for a telemetry system
JPS59214881A (en) Learning apparatus
Pratt et al. The development of multi‐media teaching aids for users of computer‐based information retrieval systems
CN110413803B (en) PPT projection control method for online education system of joint school

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AK Designated states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): AU BB BG BR DK FI HU JP KP KR LK MC MG MW NO RO SD SU

AL Designated countries for regional patents

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): AT BE BJ CF CG CH CM DE FR GA GB IT LU ML MR NL SE SN TD TG