U.S. patent application number 09/814845 was filed with the patent office on 2001-12-13 for system and method for distribution of child care training materials and remote monitoring of child care centers.
Invention is credited to Fryer, Bruce.
Application Number | 20010052132 09/814845 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25461552 |
Filed Date | 2001-12-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010052132 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Fryer, Bruce |
December 13, 2001 |
System and method for distribution of child care training materials
and remote monitoring of child care centers
Abstract
A child care monitoring network integrates a centralized
information dissemination system with live streaming video to
increase parental involvement with child care workers and improve
child care worker training, including provision for enabling
parents to monitor their children during the workday over the
Internet and for providing live training demonstrations during
off-hours. A local area network connects video cameras to a
mult-imedia computer for digitizing and compressing the video feed
and supplying it to a regional broadcast server capable of
delivering multiple broadcast video streams to parent subscribers
either through direct Internet connections, or over a secured
network connected to the Internet via a firewall. A pre-recorded
video library and server may be provided in addition to the live
video broadcast server for providing information and instruction to
both parents seeking child care and to child care providers.
Inventors: |
Fryer, Bruce; (Maplewood,
NJ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BACON & THOMAS, PLLC
4th Floor
625 Slaters Lane
Alexandria
VA
22314-1176
US
|
Family ID: |
25461552 |
Appl. No.: |
09/814845 |
Filed: |
March 23, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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09814845 |
Mar 23, 2001 |
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08931941 |
Sep 17, 1997 |
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6233428 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
725/105 ;
434/308 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G09B 5/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
725/105 |
International
Class: |
H04N 007/173 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A system for increasing access to child care training materials
and services, including demonstrations and lectures, by child care
service providers and parents, as part of an integrated child care
network which also provides for increased parental involvement with
child care personnel, including the ability of parents to observe
classroom activities in real-time during the workday, comprising:
at least one video camera located in a child care facility and
capable of generating a live video feed; means for supplying said
live video feed from said child care facility to a regional
broadcast server, said regional broadcast server including means
for splitting the live video feed into a plurality of live video
feeds for transfer to subscriber client nodes, a number of said
live video feeds equalling a number of client nodes authorized to
receive said live video feeds; and means connected to said client
nodes for displaying one of said live video feeds upon
authorization to receive said one of said live video feeds.
2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said video cameras are
CCD video cameras.
3. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said video camera is
connected to said means for generating said video stream by
connection means selected from the group consisting of a local area
network or a closed circuit television network.
4. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means for
generating said video stream includes a multi-media computer and
router controlled by firewall software.
5. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means for
generating said video stream comprises a multi-media computer
having a video capture card, network card, firewall software, a
presentation monitor, and means by which personnel at the child
care center or school may enter personalized or current information
on the child's activities.
6. A system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a
pre-recorded library of videos and a video server for supplying
said videos to subscribers and to said child care facility on
demand.
7. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said subscriber client
node provides a connection to an employer's local area network
protected by its own firewall.
8. A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said employer's local
area network for splitting video feeds supplied through said client
node into multiple video feeds that can be distributed to
subscriber computers connected to the employer's local area
network.
9. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said supply of live
video feeds from said regional broadcast server to said subscriber
client nodes is by means of an Internet Service Provider.
10. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means for
displaying one of said live video feeds includes web browser
software capable of receiving streaming video feeds.
11. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a number of cameras in
said child care center is greater than one, and each camera
generates a live video feed routed via a network and a firewall to
said regional broadcast server, said network selected from the
group consisting of a local area network and a closed circuit
television network.
12. A system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for
recording a live video feed for delayed broadcast or archiving.
13. A method of increasing access to child care training materials
and services, including demonstrations and lectures, by child care
service providers and parents, as part of an integrated child care
network which also provides for increased parental involvement with
child care personnel, including the ability of parents to observe
classroom activities in real-time during the workday, comprising
the steps of: generating a live video feed from video captured by a
video camera at a location in a child care facility from which
video of the children can be captured; supplying said live video
feed to a regional broadcast server remote from said child care
center; splitting said live video feed into multiple video feeds
and supplying said multiple video feeds to a plurality of client
nodes authorized to receive said live video feeds; displaying said
one of said live video feeds on a subscriber computer connected to
said one of said client nodes upon authorization to receive said
one of said live video feeds.
14. A method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising the steps
of requiring parents to secure a digital certificate that will be
provided to a secure electronic transaction server of the network
in order to limit access to authorized users only.
15. A method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising the step of
supplying on demand videos relating to child care from a
pre-recorded video library.
16. A method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising the step of
supplying live video feeds from a training facility to said child
care center for training purposes.
17. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the step of
transferring the live video feed to client nodes comprises the step
of transferring the live video feed to client nodes as part of a
web page.
18. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein said step of
transferring the live video feed further comprises the step of
transferring notes related to said live video feed from said child
care center for display on said web page.
19. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein said step of
transferring the live video feed further comprises the step of
transferring links to sources of child care information.
20. A method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising the step of
delivering e-mail messages related to said video feed
21. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein one of said client
nodes is a firewall connected to an employer's local area network,
and further comprising the step of said one of said video feeds
supplied to said one of said client nodes into multiple video feeds
for distribution over the employer's local area network.
22. A method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising the step of
recording said video feeds for delayed broadcast or archiving.
23. A method of limiting access to video broadcasts from a child
care center, comprising the steps of: posting a daily password,
which changes each day that video broadcasts are available, in such
a manner that the posting is only visible by persons delivering
children to the child care center; limiting access to broadcasts
from the child care center to persons whose identity has been
verified through the use of digital certificates.
24. A method as claimed in claim 23, wherein the step of limiting
access to broadcasts from the child care center comprises the step
of requiring that the subscriber present her digital certificate
prior to authorizing access to said video broadcast.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates to a system and method for increasing
access to child care training materials and services, including
demonstrations and lectures, by child care service providers and
parents, as part of an integrated child care network which also
provides for increased parental involvement with child care
personnel, including the ability of parents to observe classroom
activities in real-time during the workday.
[0003] The invention also relates to a system made up of either a
local area network (LAN) or a closed circuit television network
(CCTV) that connects video cameras situated in child care
classrooms with a multi-media computer for digitizing and
compressing the video feed and supplying it to a regional broadcast
server capable of delivering multiple broadcast video streams on a
live or delayed basis to subscribers, either through direct
Internet connections or over a secured network connected to the
Internet via a firewall, for use in increasing interaction between
child care providers and parents, and in providing educational and
training services to subscribers of the network.
[0004] In addition, the invention relates to a method of
distributing child care related information and training materials,
for enabling parent subscribers to monitor their children from any
Internet connection, and to a method of limiting unauthorized
access to such a child care monitoring system.
[0005] 2. Discussion of Related Art
[0006] While child care is a central concern in the lives of
millions of parents, most parents have little knowledge of what
goes on at a child care center, and no way of gathering information
despite the numerous sources available. Lack of communication
between child care workers and parents increases anxiety on the
part of the parents, which in turn affects the morale of the
workers, and possibly the quality of care received by children at
the centers. Most child care centers cannot afford a comprehensive
training program, and continuing education provided by state
agencies reaches very few workers. When an incident occurs at a
center, it is often impossible to verify child care worker's
explanations, which can lead to such problems as legal difficulties
for the center and workers, a loss of confidence on the part of
parents, and a decrease in the number of qualified persons willing
to enter the child care field.
[0007] The present invention seeks to address these and other
problems, using currently available technology combined in a unique
manner, by providing an integrated network which can provide
information to the public and training materials to child care
workers while increasing interaction between parents and the
children's caregivers, and which can provide a record of activities
that can be used to increase the confidence of parents and prevent
misunderstandings.
[0008] In order to achieve its objectives, the system and method of
the invention makes use of a technology known as streaming video,
in which a single video feed from a camera is compressed and split
into multiple streams for delivery over the Internet, on demand and
in real time, to computers with access to an Internet Service
Provider (ISP). By using streaming video technology, the system and
method of the invention enables live monitoring of child care
centers, including audio, and also recording of activities for
playback during quiet times and, upon further compression, for
archiving purposes. The use of streaming video in an integrated
network of the type described in detail below also allows live
demonstrations for use in training and accreditation programs, and
in addition can serve as a medium for dissemination of pre-recorded
training and information materials.
[0009] Even though individual elements of the technology used in
the system and method of the invention are known, the combination
of elements and results obtained by the system and method of the
invention have not previously been achieved. There have been prior
attempts to set-up child care center monitoring systems, but each
has clear disadvantages relative to the present system and method,
as explained below.
[0010] The real-time monitoring aspect of the present invention is
related to the field of remote surveillance systems, which involves
linking of multiple video cameras located at different sites to a
central monitoring station, but there is a fundamental difference
between such remote surveillance systems and the type of monitoring
with which the present invention is concerned. This difference
relates to the fact that conventional remote video surveillance
systems are intended for security purposes, such as for use by a
security service in monitoring a bank, convenience store, or
parking facility, or for monitoring by a healthcare provider of the
elderly and those with particular medical needs (an example of the
latter type of surveillance system is found in U.S. Pat. No.
5,441,047, issued Aug. 15, 1995), and therefore generally are free
to use dedicated communications lines between the facility being
monitored and the central station. While the communications lines
can be in the form of an RF, cellular, or satellite link, or even
by modem over a telephone line as described in the afore-mentioned
U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,047, none of these systems provides for
subscriber access, nor is it in general desirable to provide
subscriber access in surveillance systems of this type.
[0011] The type of monitoring with which the present invention is
concerned, in contrast, involves a monitoring entity which is not
located at a central station, but rather to portions of the general
public, including parents who have children in a daycare center and
child care is workers seeking continuing education. In that case,
while security is still desirable, access cannot be limited to a
central station, but rather must be provided to subscribers at
their workplaces or homes.
[0012] The need for such child care center monitoring systems has
not gone unnoticed, but implementations to date, while attracting
significantly publicity, have been unsatisfactory for a number of
reasons. At least three such child care center monitoring systems
have recently been publicized, with all three having significant
disadvantages relative to the system and method of the
invention.
[0013] The first of these systems is the Simplex Knowledge
Company's I See You! service, which was launched as a turnkey
hardware and software system complete with computer, proprietary
software, color camera, digitizer, modem, and marketing package.
The supplied camera takes a snap shot picture every sixty seconds
and continually refreshes the on-screen image with a new
photograph, which is digitized and uploaded to an Internet server
for access on a subscriber basis by the public. A demonstration of
this system can be found on the World Wide Web at
http:.backslash..backslash.www.skc.com.
[0014] The second of these systems is ParentNet, Inc.'s KinderCam
service. The KinderCam service uses an Axis Neteye 200 digital
still picture camera to take snapshots of a child's daycare
classroom for uploading to a server and transfer over the Internet
to the parent's desktop. A demonstration of this system can
currently be found on the World Wide Web at
http:.backslash..backslash.www.kindercam.com, while a description
of the Axis Neteye 200 cameral may be found at
http:.backslash..backslash.ww- w.axisinc.com.
[0015] The third of the three systems currently being publicized is
Online Video Communications, Inc.'s Watch Me! service which
provides a website and equipment for uploading snap-shots of
classrooms at participating child care centers to the wehsite for
access by subscriber parents. A demonstration and schematic of the
system can be found on the World Wide Web at
http:.backslash..backslash.www.ovci.com.
[0016] One of the principal differences between the Simplex,
ParentNet, and Online Video Communications systems and the present
invention, at least with respect to monitoring of centers, is that
these systems utilize digitized still pictures rather than live
streaming video. The effect of viewing the demonstrations of these
systems is similar to watching a slide show, in which images are
changed at a rate of about two per minute, and thus a only limited
sense of action is provided.
[0017] The main problem with such slide show arrangements is that
the "slides" or still images are taken without regard to image
content, and the slides are unaccompanied by narration, which has a
disorienting effect on the viewer. For example, in one frame the
hand of a person might be seen entering the image and in the next
frame the foot of the person is depicted as disappearing from the
opposite side of the image, or in one frame a child might appear to
be playing, and the next frame the child might be crying, with no
clue as to what has occurred during the interval between images.
Aside from being disconcerting to the viewer, the succession of
still images without audio is generally unable to capture the
nuances of an activity or the actions of individuals in a field of
view. Even at a rate of two image changes per minute, downloaded at
28.8 Kbps, the wait for new images in this type of system can seem
interminable. In addition, due to the intermittent nature of the
image capture techniques used by these systems, they are virtually
useless for training purposes, or as a record of activities for use
by accreditation, insurance, and legal authorities.
[0018] In contrast, the use by the present invention of live
streaming video, including audio, for remote monitoring purposes
allows more effective training demonstrations, permits parents to
see their children actually participating in activities, and
provides a record of activities which can be used for evidentiary
and investigative purposes.
[0019] In addition to the problems resulting from the slide show
format, a problem which is barely addressed by most of the current
systems is prevention of unauthorized access to the transmissions.
Security, if provided at all, is generally in the form of a
standard user identification number and password arrangement, which
has the disadvantage that, while the password may be changed as
often as two times per month, those who present a risk to children,
such as ex-spouses, are often known to the custodial parent and may
have, or have recently have had, access to the password, and thus
can easily obtain access to the system. The present invention
avoids this problem by requiring that subscribers register for
digital certificates. These certificates, which will reside on the
user's computer's hard drive, will be used to authenticate the
parent's identity. In a transaction that is not visible to the
parent and which validates his or her current subscriber status (by
entering the username and password, which is compared to a database
of current subscribers), the invention's secure electronic
transaction (SET) server requests an encrypted copy of the user's
digital certificate. If this certificate matches with the username,
the service connection is authorized. If not, the connection is
cancelled.
[0020] The training aspect of the present system and method, which
allows child care centers to utilize their equipment during
non-operating hours for provider education and accreditation
training, as well as individual provider peer review and coaching,
or to provide a complete program of information and training for
both parents and providers, including the availability of
institutional videos and live demonstrations, does not appear to
have been addressed by the currently available systems noted above.
While training programs are available, most are centered at
universities and inaccessible to the majority of childcare
providers, particularly those involving live demonstrations.
Accreditation officials have expressed a desire for a way to
improve access to training and provide for continuing education
programs, but at present such training is limited to individual
classes which, for reasons of time and distance, are inaccessible
to the majority of providers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0021] It is a first objective of the invention to provide an
integrated childcare network that provides improved access to
training, system wide training or mentoring programs, and live
demonstrations, as well as a convenient way for parents to become
more involved with their child care providers, including the
ability to monitor their child's classrooms on a live or delayed
basis.
[0022] It is a second objective of the invention to provide a
remote video monitoring system capable of providing live video and
audio broadcasts from child care centers to parents at their
workplaces, and for use in a system-wide training and education for
childcare providers.
[0023] It is a third objective of the invention to provide a remote
video monitoring system that allows parent subscribers to monitor
their children, and child care workers to view live demonstrations,
from any computer with an Internet connection, by providing live
video and audio broadcasts from child care centers over the
Internet.
[0024] It is a fourth objective of the invention to provide an
integrated child care network which provides live video and audio
broadcasts from child care centers to subscriber parents via the
Internet, and which also provides child care education services to
both providers and parents.
[0025] It is a fifth objective of the invention is to provide an
integrated child care network which provides live video and audio
broadcasts from a child care center over the Internet, but which
includes security features which ensure that access to the
broadcasts is limited to custodial parents with actual physical
access to the child care center or school on the day of access to
the system.
[0026] These objectives are achieved, in accordance with the
principles of a preferred embodiment of the invention, by providing
a wire LAN or CCTV network that connects video cameras to a
multi-media computer for digitizing and compressing the video feed
and supplying it to a regional broadcast server capable of
delivering multiple broadcast video streams to parent subscribers
either through direct Internet connections, or over a secured
network connected to the Internet via a firewall and SET
server.
[0027] These objectives are further achieved by providing a method
of enabling parents to view their children during the workday at
child care centers and schools, and for enabling childcare
providers to view live training demonstrations and live or recorded
training materials, by positioning a video camera at a location at
which video of the child can be captured, capturing the video of
the child and generating a video stream, supplying the video stream
to a regional broadcast server remote from the child care center,
optionally recording the video stream for later playback or use in
training sessions, splitting the live or recorded video stream into
multiple video streams, supplying the multiple video streams to a
plurality of subscribers, and displaying a real-time live video
image of the child on a subscribers computer.
[0028] The invention thus provides a system which enables parent
subscribers to monitor their children from any computer with an
Internet connection, and also a scalable training network that can
provide a variety of information to both subscribers and child care
providers originating either from a central video server located at
the regional office for pay-per-view on request, or at a training
facility for live training sessions using the same type of video
camera and server setup found in each participating child care
center.
[0029] In accordance with an especially preferred embodiment of the
invention, a pre-recorded video library and server are provided in
addition to the live video broadcast server for providing
information and instruction to both parents seeking child care and
to child care providers.
[0030] In addition, the objectives of the invention are achieved by
providing an improved security method according to which access to
live broadcasts can be obtained only verification of the parent's
subscriber status and identity.
[0031] The invention thus provides a secure visual bridge between
parents and their children's child care center or pre-school
classroom, serving as a powerful tool in helping the parents
balance work and family responsibilities by giving them the ability
to connect with their children and child care providers during the
workday, while also serving as a medium to ensure widespread
dissemination of training and educations materials and programs
which can be viewed by child care workers at convenient times and
locations.
[0032] The system and method of the invention has benefits far
beyond the immediate benefit of allowing parents to participate in
the education of their children. The small cost in time spent
viewing their children is more than made up for by allowing
parent/employees to be more relaxed and focused on their work
responsibilities in the assurance that the child has made a smooth
transition from home to the center and is receiving quality care,
and thus it is anticipated that the system will be of interest not
only to individual subscribers, but also to corporations and other
employers as a whole, and thus the videos provided by the system of
the invention are arranged to be distributed and administered by
corporate or agency LAN servers as well as by direct
connection.
[0033] While the invention is described in connection with children
and parents, it will be appreciated that subscribers with a
legitimate interest in viewing the activities at a daycare center
or school could include relatives other than parents, as well as
licensing authorities and school administrators. The ability of the
video streams to be recorded for later playback permits the
assembly of archives which can be used for insurance purposes or by
legal authorities.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0034] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a child care network
constructed in accordance with the principles of the preferred
embodiment of the invention.
[0035] FIGS. 2-4 show various displays illustrated features of the
preferred network.
[0036] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of preventing
unauthorized access to live video broadcasts for use in connection
with the system illustrated in FIG. 1.
[0037] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an overall method of
utilizing the system illustrated in FIG. 1
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0038] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the system of the preferred
embodiment of the invention includes, in its broadest form, at
least one video camera 1, such as a CCD video camera, installed in
at least one classroom of a daycare center, pre-school, or other
supplier of childcare services 2 (hereinafter referred to as a
child care center) and which is capable of supplying live video
feeds from the camera to an open or public network, a regional
broadcast server 3, and a plurality of client or subscriber
computers 4 situated at locations remote from the child care
center, school, or pre-school and capable of receiving and
displaying the live video feed.
[0039] More specifically, each of the video cameras 1 is connected
via a local area network 5, such as an Ethernet LAN capable of
lOMbps or a coaxial CCTV network to a multi-media computer located
in the child care facility. Computer 6 includes a video capture
card, an network interface card, and firewall software for
preventing unauthorized access to the local area network. Connected
to each of the computers 6 is a presentation monitor 7 and a router
(not shown) for supplying video streams under control of the
firewall software (depicted symbolically by element 8) to broadcast
server 3.
[0040] Broadcast server 3 is located at a regional office of or ISP
office capable of serving a number of centers, and is connected to
the routers by a broad bandwidth lease line, serving to split the
video stream from a camera in the classroom into multiple video
streams depending on demand from subscriber computers. The number
of streams produced by broadcast server 3 will equal the number of
subscriber computers online, conserving the amount of bandwidth
that is required for each child care center connection. The
broadcast server 3 is connected to a local Internet Service
Provider (ISP) 9 over another lease line.
[0041] The video stream generated by a camera may, in addition to
being supplied directly to broadcast server 3, be recorded for
delayed broadcast during periods of inactivity at the center or
private-time for center workers, or as part of a menu of viewing
options for the parent, who may be given the option of viewing a
live activity or replaying an earlier activity.
[0042] Furthermore, recorded live sessions can be time stamped,
compressed and archived for later retrieval by legal authorities,
insurance adjusters, and others as the need arises. This is made
feasible by currently achievable compression ratios of 500 to 1 or
greater, and can be carried out either at the center level, or at
the site of the broadcast server or network regional or system-wide
administrator.
[0043] The broadcast server also serves as the SET server, although
this server can also be reside on its own. The SET server validates
the identity of the parent before the requested broadcast services
is authorized.
[0044] The subscriber access side of the preferred system includes
links between Internet Service Provider 9 and the individual
subscriber computers 4 via their own Internet Service Providers.
Corporations and other employers may also install their own
broadcast server 11 for splitting a single video stream into
multiple streams to be distributed over an internal network 12,
allowing the employer to monitor usage and conserve its Internet
bandwidth consumption by allowing more than one employee to view a
classroom based on a single incoming video stream that can be split
once inside of the corporate firewall and then sent to multiple
computers over the corporate LAN 12, either on an individual
subscription basis or as an employee benefit charged to the
employer.
[0045] The network configuration shown in FIG. 1 may also be used
to provide education and training services for the public and for
the child care center industry. For a center to participate, the
center simply needs to attach a television or large screen computer
monitor to one of their LAN nodes or directly to the multi-media
computer. The source of the training materials can originate from
either a central video server 13 located at the regional office for
pay-per-view on request or at a training facility 14 for live
training sessions using the same type of video camera and server
setup found in each child care center.
[0046] For individual training sessions, the user dials into the
video server 13 and makes a selection from a database of available
prerecorded videos. For live events, broadcast to multiple centers,
the regional office's video broadcast server 3 will split a single
live stream into multiple streams and route each one to a
participating center. In addition, arrangements can be made for
viewing by students during the workday, as part of a "mentoring"
program in which inexperienced workers can view more experienced
workers under actual conditions for extended periods, with
permission of parents of the children being viewed.
[0047] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the
individual elements of the preferred child care network illustrated
in FIG. 1 are each by themselves conventional elements. The
technology is similar to that used for video conferencing over the
Internet, but is adapted for use as described above in allowing
parent subscribers to monitor their children during the workday.
Unlike video conferencing, simultaneous interaction is not required
in the present system. Nevertheless, the video cameras,
digitization and compression equipment, video broadcast and
pre-recorded video servers, and firewall technology described below
are all commercially available from vendors such as VDO, Vosaic,
White Pine, zing, and Galaxy-NET Telecom.
[0048] On the other hand, the preferred system will benefit from
improved bandwidth as network capabilities expand, and thus should
not be limited to existing technology. For example, the preferred
network will be adaptable to new technologies such as the Iridium
satellite network. The concept of using the "Internet" or "World
Wide Web" should therefore be considered to encompass any two-way
public network, and associated hardware and software, capable of
carrying digital transmissions of sufficient bandwidth.
Nevertheless, the following description of "displays" for the
preferred system is based on conventional web page technology which
uses widely available browser software to receive streaming video
feeds at the subscriber computer, and in addition has the
capability of displaying static images written in hypertext markup
language and supplied by the regional broadcast server 3 along with
the video feed.
[0049] Administration of the system shown in FIG. 1, including
billing and subscriber services, as well as maintenance of archives
and pre-recorded tape libraries, may be carried out at regional
broadcast centers or a super-regional or nationwide administration
centers.
[0050] FIG. 2 shows a subscriber display screen incorporating a
video feed supplied by the network illustrated in FIG. 1. The
display screen contains links 15 to informational web pages for
both parents and providers including, for example, pages developed
by the network administrator that offer tips on how to effectively
communicate with one another, information on a particular center,
general information provided by the network administration or by
another child care information provider such as the National
Association for the Education of Young Children, Youth and Families
Site, and information on accessing live and pre-recorded training
sessions, as well as a link 16 to the sign-in screen for accessing
a video feed from the child's classroom. This display may also
contain a video feed 17 containing a welcome message or other
information of general interest, and banner advertisements 18 and
sponsor notes of potential interest to the subscriber.
[0051] Access to the display of the child's classroom is through a
sign-in screen (not shown) in conjunction with digital
certification which limits access to current subscribers according
to the method depicted in FIG. 5. New subscribers must register for
a digital certificate with the network's chosen certificate
authority before their subscription begins (step 100). This digital
identification data is stored on the subscriber's computer's hard
disk drive or other suitable storage media (step 110). In addition,
a unique password is provided to all paid subscribers on a monthly
basis (step 120). The subscriber enters this password on the
sign-in screen along with a subscriber chosen username (step 130).
This information is then compared to a subscriber database in order
to confirm the subscriber's current status (step 140) and, if the
username is confirmed, the network's authentication server requests
through the subscriber's Web browser that it identify itself by
sending an encrypted copy of the subscriber's digital certificate
(step 150). This certificate is decoded and matched to the username
data and access is given only if a match is found (step 160).
Additional security could also be provided by current access
limiting technology, including use of smartcard-based digital
signature authentication schemes or, in a corporate environment,
access to the system could be limited to designated computers.
[0052] Once the access to the system has been gained, as shown in
FIG. 3, a customized page for the selected center or classroom will
be displayed, which may include, in addition to the live broadcast
display 20, messages 21 entered by the teacher or center
administrator via the multi-media computer 6 in each center. The
administrators of the preferred network will gather a database of
center curricula in order to provide "parent notes" on screen while
subscriber's view their child's activities, the notes explaining
what the children are doing and which developmental skills are
being taught. For example, the on-screen "parent notes" displayed
while a classroom of toddlers is working on a holiday decoration
project could explain that the activity is helping the children
learn basic shapes and colors.
[0053] A center's broadcast could also include multiple levels of
displays, with an introductory page containing center
announcements, upcoming events, and other news preceding the page
which displays the video feed page, rather than being displayed
simultaneously, and the video feed portion of the page may also
occupy a full-screen display. Advantageously, provision for more
personalized messages either from the parent or from the center
could be made by including e-mail capabilities.
[0054] In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, displays accessible either
by a general password or on an unrestricted basis could be made
available to site visitors to provide a digital photo album of the
center, allowing prospective customers to take a virtual tour of
the facility such as is shown in FIG. 2, either via the regional
server or through the servers of state and national resource and
referral agencies offering listings of local child care providers,
in connection with information regarding a center's size,
accreditation, price and the availability of space.
[0055] The overall method of implementing the system is illustrated
in FIG. 6. It includes the steps of capturing live video and,
optionally, sound using video cameras located in classrooms of a
child care center or school (step 200), digitizing the video (step
210), supplying the video over a local area network to a
multi-media computer and router (step 220), supplying the video
feed to a regional broadcast server (step 230), splitting the video
feed into multiple video streams (step 240), and supplying the
multiple video streams to subscribers either on a live or delayed
basis through modem connections to the Internet or via a firewall
to a corporate broadcast server (step 250), the step of supplying
the video streams to an employer's broadcast server including the
optional step (step 260) of further splitting a video stream for
individual subscribers on the employer's internal network.
[0056] As indicated above, the method also can be used to supply
live training broadcasts to centers from educational facilities
equipped in the same manner as the child care centers, and as part
of the step of supplying the video streams to subscribers, includes
the steps of broadcasting display pages including information of
general and specific interest to parents and child care providers,
notes from a particular center or classroom, e-mail of personal
messages, and display of banner advertisements.
[0057] The invention thus provides both a system and method of
enabling subscribers to monitor children at participating child
care centers by means of live video feeds from any properly
equipped client computer, upon entry of a daily password, and also
an integrated child care network with information dissemination in
addition to monitoring capabilities. As a result, the system and
method of the invention addresses a widespread societal problem,
offering the potential to both increase the confidence of parents
in their children's child care providers and at the same time
increase the morale of child care workings through improved
training, and increased interaction with and understanding of
parents.
[0058] Having thus described various preferred embodiments of the
invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that variations
and modifications of the preferred embodiment may be made without
departing from the scope of the invention.
[0059] For example, regional servers could be supplemented by
connections to databases or servers connected to more than one
regional server, and the system could be adapted to provide video
streams in different formats, if necessary. On a local level, wire
LAN 5 and computer 6 could be replaced, respectively, by wireless
networks with network controllers capable of splitting a feed to
distribute video streams as needed within a facility while saving
bandwidth, or by local area networks shared by separate child care
facilities.
[0060] Furthermore, while the invention is especially adapted to
utilizing the technique known as streaming video, in which the
video is displayed as it is being downloaded, the invention is
intended to encompass any live action video broadcasting
techniques, including transfer of video in packets using the
technique known as pseudo-streaming video, and may be adapted for
use with two-way interactive cable networks as well as
Internet-type computer networks.
[0061] Finally, in addition to the live video and prerecorded video
broadcast servers, the system of the preferred embodiment could
include a software library, or at the ability to provide client
software having security features and video reception capabilities
for different types of subscriber computers, with the ability to
update the software. All such variations and modifications are
intended to be included within the scope of the invention.
[0062] Accordingly, those skilled in the art will appreciate that
the invention is not intended to be limited by the above
description or accompanying drawings, but rather is intended to be
defined solely in accordance with the appended claims.
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