U.S. patent application number 14/047422 was filed with the patent office on 2015-04-09 for interactive office play station.
The applicant listed for this patent is Nelson Chu, Kimberly Kaiser. Invention is credited to Nelson Chu, Kimberly Kaiser.
Application Number | 20150099419 14/047422 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 52777306 |
Filed Date | 2015-04-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150099419 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kaiser; Kimberly ; et
al. |
April 9, 2015 |
INTERACTIVE OFFICE PLAY STATION
Abstract
Systems and methods are disclosed for providing an office play
station for a child. The office play station includes a desk, an
office controller and one or more peripheral play devices. The
peripheral play devices may represent devices commonly found in an
office setting. Each of the peripheral play devices may be in
communication with the office controller and may include an age
setting that adjusts the functionality of the peripheral play
device. The office controller may configure the age setting for the
peripheral play devices and record activity data that indicates the
manner in which the user interacts with the peripheral play
devices.
Inventors: |
Kaiser; Kimberly; (Lincoln
Park, NJ) ; Chu; Nelson; (East Brunswick,
NJ) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Kaiser; Kimberly
Chu; Nelson |
Lincoln Park
East Brunswick |
NJ
NJ |
US
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
52777306 |
Appl. No.: |
14/047422 |
Filed: |
October 7, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
446/482 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63H 33/3016 20130101;
A63H 33/30 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
446/482 |
International
Class: |
A63H 33/42 20060101
A63H033/42 |
Claims
1. A system for providing an office play station, comprising: a
desk including at least one device integrator situated on a upper
surface of the desk; one or more peripheral play devices including
at least one of a telephone, printer, scanner or fax machine,
wherein each of the one or more peripheral play devices include a
device setting that specifies an age setting; and an office
controller in communication with the one or more peripheral play
devices, wherein the office controller is configured to be coupled
to the at least one device integrator situated on the upper surface
of the desk and includes a display device, an input device and
instructions for configuring the device setting for the one or more
peripheral play devices to specify the age setting.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the office controller is a tablet
device and the input device comprises a touch screen display.
3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a server that is in
communication with the office controller over a network, wherein
the server is accessible from a personal computing device over the
network and the server is configured to remotely modify the
settings of the office play station.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein a user may download multimedia
content and software from the server using the office
controller.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the office controller includes
educational software that may be utilized by a user.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the age setting adjusts the
functionality for the one or more peripheral play devices.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the office controller includes
functions for tracking and recording activity data that indicates
the manner in which a user interacts with the one or more
peripheral play devices and the office controller.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the office controller permits a
user to establish a profile and the activity data is recorded in
the profile as the user interacts with the office play station.
9. A system for providing an office play station, comprising: a
desk; one or more peripheral play devices, wherein each of the one
or more peripheral play devices include a device setting that
specifies an age setting; and an office controller in communication
with the one or more peripheral play devices, wherein the office
controller includes a display device, an input device and a memory
device that stores instructions for: configuring the device setting
for the one or more peripheral play devices to specify the age
setting; maintaining a profile for a user; and recording activity
data.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the office controller is a
tablet device and the input device comprises a touch screen
display.
11. The system of claim 9, further comprising a server that is in
communication with the office controller over a network, wherein
the server is accessible from a personal computing device over the
network and the server is configured to remotely modify the
settings of the office play station.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein a user may download multimedia
content and software from the server using the office
controller.
13. The system of claim 9, wherein the office controller includes
educational software that may be utilized by a user.
14. The system of claim 9, wherein the age setting adjusts the
functionality for the one or more peripheral play devices.
15. The system of claim 9, wherein activity data indicates the
manner in which a user interacts with the one or more peripheral
play devices and the office controller.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein the activity data is recorded
in the profile as the user interacts with the office play station
and the profile is periodically transmitted to a server over a
network.
17. A system for providing an office play station, comprising: a
desk; one or more peripheral play devices each of which includes a
configurable age setting; and an office controller in communication
with the one or more peripheral play devices, wherein the office
controller is configured to be coupled to the an upper surface of
the desk and configured to specify the age setting for the one or
more peripheral play devices.
18. The system of claim 17, wherein the office controller is a
tablet device that includes a touch screen display and the one or
more peripheral play devices include at least one of a telephone,
printer, scanner or fax machine.
19. The system of claim 1, further comprising a server that is in
communication with the office controller over a network, wherein
the server is accessible from a personal computing device over the
network and the server is configured to remotely modify the
settings of the office play station.
20. The system of claim 1, wherein the office controller includes
functions for tracking and recording activity data that indicates
the manner in which a user interacts with the one or more
peripheral play devices and the office controller.
Description
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
[0001] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains
material, which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright
owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of
the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the
Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise
reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present principles are directed to systems and methods
for children devices, and more particularly, to providing an
interactive office play station that includes educational and
entertainment features for children.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] In today's society, many parents work from their homes. The
home may include an office or work area that includes various types
of office equipment. For example, the office may include a
computer, printer, scanner, telephone, fax machine or other types
of devices commonly found in an office. Any parent who works from
home and has young children knows that children enjoy playing in
their office. The children get enjoyment from mimicking what their
parents are doing and from playing with the various devices (e.g.,
computer, phone, scanner, fax machine, etc.) in the office.
[0004] When a child plays in a home office that is used by a
parent, this can be a problem for a variety of different reasons.
For example, the child may distract the parent from effectively
doing his or her job. In addition, it is unlikely the child knows
how to operate the devices in an office and may therefore
misconfigure the devices (e.g., by randomly pressing buttons on the
devices) or may even damage the devices.
[0005] Unfortunately, an office play station has not been developed
that allows a child to play with various types of office equipment
and occupies the attention of the child with both educational and
entertainment features.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In view of the above, an office play station is provided
herein that replicates an office experience for a child and which
provides both educational and entertainment features for the child.
The office play station includes a desk, an office controller and
one or more peripheral play devices. The office play station and
peripheral play devices may be detachably coupled to the desk
through device integrators. The peripheral play devices may include
devices commonly found in an office setting, including telephones,
fax machines, scanner, printers, and other types of devices. Each
of the peripheral play devices may be in communication with the
office controller and may include an age setting that adjusts the
functionality of the peripheral play device. The office controller
may configure the age setting for the peripheral play devices and
record activity data that indicates the manner in which the user
interacts with the peripheral play devices.
[0007] In accordance with certain embodiments of the present
principles, a system is disclosed for providing an office play
station. The system includes a desk that includes at least one
device integrator situated on an upper surface of the desk. The
system also includes one or more peripheral play devices and each
of the one or more peripheral play devices may include a device
setting that specifies an age setting for each respective
peripheral play device. An office controller is in communication
with the one or more peripheral play devices. The office controller
may be configured to be coupled to the at least one device
integrator situated on the upper surface of the desk and may
include a display device, an input device and instructions for
configuring the device setting for the one or more peripheral play
devices to specify the age setting.
[0008] In accordance with the present principles, another system is
disclosed for providing an office play station. The system includes
a desk, one or more peripheral play devices, and an office
controller. The one or more peripheral play each include a device
setting that specifies an age setting. An office controller is in
communication with the one or more peripheral play devices and
includes a display device, an input device and a memory device that
stores instructions for configuring the device setting for the one
or more peripheral play devices to specify the age setting,
maintaining a profile for a user, and recording activity data.
[0009] In accordance with an even further embodiment of the present
principles, a system is disclosed for providing an office play
station. The system comprises a desk and one or more peripheral
play devices which include a configurable age setting. An office
controller in communication with the one or more peripheral play
devices. The office controller is configured to be coupled to an
upper surface of the desk and further configured to specify the age
setting for the one or more peripheral play devices.
[0010] These and other features and advantages will become apparent
from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments
thereof, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0011] The inventive principles are illustrated in the figures of
the accompanying drawings which are meant to be exemplary and not
limiting, in which like references are intended to refer to like or
corresponding parts, and in which:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for providing an
office play station in accordance with certain embodiments of the
present principles.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a more detailed block diagram of a system for
providing an office play station in accordance with certain
embodiments of the present principles.
[0014] FIG. 3 is an illustration of an exemplary office play
station in accordance with certain embodiments of the present
principles.
[0015] FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method for providing an office
play station in accordance with certain embodiments of the present
principles.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0016] In the following description, reference is made to the
accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is
shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the
invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other
embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made
without departing from the scope of the present invention.
[0017] In accordance with the principles discussed herein, an
office play station is disclosed for entertaining and educating
children. The office play station may generally represent a toy or
article that simulates an office experience for a child and which
provides educational and entertainment features. In certain
embodiments, the office play station comprises a desk which
includes an office controller and a plurality of peripheral play
devices. The office controller may represent a tablet device,
laptop computer, desktop computer or other type of computing
device. The peripheral play devices may represent various types of
devices that are found in an office environment (e.g., fax
machines, scanners, printers, electronic calendars, telephones,
etc.). The office controller and the peripheral play devices may be
integrated into the desk. The office controller may be in
communication with the peripheral play devices (e.g., via wired
and/or wireless links) and may be configured to control various
aspects of the peripheral play devices. For example, the office
controller may control the functionality of the peripheral play
devices, an age setting associated with the office play station
(e.g., an age setting that adjusts the functionality for the
peripheral play devices or increases the difficulty level for
applications which are executed by the office controller), or
interfaces that are displayed on the peripheral play devices.
[0018] The office play station serves a dual role of entertaining
and educating children. With respect to entertaining children, a
parent can download and display multimedia content such as movies,
cartoons, music or other types of multimedia data using the office
play station. Children can also play games using the office
controller and/or peripheral play devices. With respect to
educating children, the office play station can teach children how
to operate real world office equipment (e.g., phones, computers,
fax machine, printer, scanner, etc.). Learning how to operate these
devices at an early age can be very advantageous to children since
the children are likely to utilize in the future. Educational
software applications may also be executed by the office play
station (e.g., by the office controller and/or peripheral play
devices).
[0019] In certain embodiments, a profile may be created for each
child that utilizes the office play station. The profile may store
information about a child (e.g., name, image, birthdate, an avatar
created by the child, etc.) and may be updated with activity data
that indicates how a child has utilized, or interacted with, the
office play station. For example, the profile may be updated with
activity data that indicates how the child is progressing with
respect to the educational aspects of the system. The profile may
also be updated to include data that generally indicates how the
child is using the office play station (e.g., how often the child
is playing games, watching cartoons, interacting with the
educational software, etc.). As will be explained in further detail
below, profiles may also be created for parents or other users that
wish to control the settings of the office play station.
[0020] In certain embodiments, the office play station may be in
communication with a server over a network (e.g., the Internet).
Profiles created for the office play station may be uploaded to the
server periodically or in response to receiving a command to upload
the profile. A profile for a child which is uploaded to the server
may be compared with profiles uploaded by other children to assess
the child's progress in relation to other children. A parent or
other person may access the data on the server from a personal
computing device (e.g., computer, tablet, mobile phone, etc.) or
from the office controller that is integrated with the office play
station. The server may provide various types of information,
statistics and charts to an admin user (e.g., a parent) that is
assessing a child's progress or interaction with the office play
station.
[0021] An admin user can also access the server using a personal
computing device in order to remotely modify the settings of the
office play station. For example, a parent who is at work can login
to the server to change the age setting for the office play station
or to restrict the child from watching cartoons and movies. The
server may also be utilized to download new applications and/or
update existing applications on the office controller or peripheral
play devices.
[0022] Embodiments described herein may be hardware-based,
software-based and preferably comprise a mixture of both hardware
and software elements. Thus, while the description herein may
describe certain embodiments, features or components as being
implemented in software or hardware, it should be recognized that
any embodiment, feature or component that is described in the
figures or description of the present application may be
implemented in hardware and/or software. In certain embodiments,
particular aspects are implemented in software, which includes but
is not limited to firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.
[0023] Embodiments may include a computer program product
accessible from a computer-usable or computer-readable medium
providing program code for use by or in connection with a computer
or any instruction execution system. A computer-usable or computer
readable medium may include any apparatus that stores,
communicates, propagates, or transports the program for use by or
in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or
device. The medium can be magnetic, optical, electronic,
electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system (or apparatus or
device) or a propagation medium. The medium may include a
computer-readable storage medium such as a semiconductor or solid
state memory, magnetic tape, a removable computer diskette, a
random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a rigid
magnetic disk and an optical disk, etc.
[0024] A data processing system suitable for storing and/or
executing program code may include at least one processor coupled
directly or indirectly to memory elements through a system bus. The
memory elements can include local memory employed during actual
execution of the program code, bulk storage, and cache memories
which provide temporary storage of at least some program code to
reduce the number of times code is retrieved from bulk storage
during execution. Input/output or I/O devices (including but not
limited to keyboards, displays, pointing devices, etc.) may be
coupled to the system either directly or through intervening I/O
controllers.
[0025] Network adapters may also be coupled to the system to enable
the data processing system to become coupled to other data
processing systems or remote printers or storage devices through
intervening private or public networks. Modems, cable modem and
Ethernet cards are just a few of the currently available types of
network adapters.
[0026] Referring now to the drawings in which like numerals
represent the same or similar elements and initially to FIG. 1, a
system 100 is disclosed for providing an office play station
service in accordance with certain embodiments of the present
principles. As shown therein, the system 100 comprises a server
120, a personal computing device 110 and an office play station 175
that includes an office controller 150 and one or more peripheral
play devices 140. Each of these components may be equipped with one
or more computer storage devices (e.g., RAM, ROM, PROM, SRAM, etc.)
and one or more processing devices (e.g., a central processing
unit) that are capable of executing computer program
instructions.
[0027] The office play station 175 may communicate with the server
120 and/or personal computing device 110 over a network 160. The
network 160 may be any type of network such as one that includes
the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, an
intranet, etc. In certain embodiments, the office controller 150
may communicate with the server 120 and/or personal computing
device 110 over a network 160. In other embodiments, both the
office controller 150 and peripheral play devices 140 may be
configured to communicate with the server 120 and/or personal
computing device 110 over the network 160. The office controller
150 and peripheral play devices 140 may also be configured to
communicate with each other over a different network (not
illustrated in FIG. 1) such as local area network (LAN) that
utilizes Wi-Fi and/or Ethernet communication technologies. Any of
the components or devices illustrated in FIG. 1 may communicate via
wired and/or wireless communication links.
[0028] The office controller 150 may represent a tablet device,
laptop device, desktop computer or other type of computing device.
In a preferred embodiment, the office controller 150 may represent
a tablet device (e.g., an Apple iPad.TM.). The office controller
150 may be equipped with a display that is capable of rendering an
interface and one or more input devices (e.g., keyboard, touch
screen, microphone, camera, video camera, scanner, joystick, remote
control device, etc.). A user (e.g., a child or parent operating
the office controller 150) may manipulate interfaces rendered on
the display using the input devices to communicate with the server
120, the peripheral play devices 140 and/or personal computing
device 110.
[0029] The peripheral play devices 140 may represent devices that
are utilized in an office setting. For example, a peripheral play
device 140 may represent a phone, fax machine, printer, scanner,
calculator, or other type of peripheral device. In certain
embodiments, the peripheral play devices 140 may be integrated into
a desk with the office controller (e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 3),
or may be integrated into other structures associated with the an
office play station 175 (e.g., integrated into shelves or tables
that are included with the office play station 175). I
[0030] The office controller 150 may be configured to control
various aspects of the peripheral play devices 140. For example,
the officer controller 150 can customize the level of functionality
of the peripheral play devices 140, specify age settings for the
peripheral play devices 140, set an operating mode for the
peripheral play devices 140 and (e.g., specify that the peripheral
play devices are to operate in "child mode" or "unrestricted mode"
as explained in further detail below). The office controller 150
may also be configured to execute educational software that teaches
children how to operate the peripheral play devices 140, and which
provides other types of educational aspects (e.g., software that
teaches specific subjects such as mathematics, spelling, history,
etc.) The office controller 150 may further be configured to track
and analyze a child's interactions with the peripheral play devices
140 and to generate reporting data that indicates a child's
progress or other information relating to the child's interactions
with the peripheral devices 140. A more detailed explanation of the
functionality provided by the office controller 150 is discussed
below with reference to FIG. 2.
[0031] The server 120 may generally represent any type of computing
device that is capable of communicating with the personal computing
device 110 and/or office play station 175 over the network 160. In
certain embodiments, the server 120 comprises one or more mainframe
computing devices that execute a web server for communicating with
the office play station 175 and/or personal computing device 110
over the Internet.
[0032] The server 120 and the office play station 175 may
communicate to perform various types of functions. For example, the
office play station 175 may transmit data to the server 120 that
relates to the child's interactions with the office play station
175. The data relating to the child's interactions may be compared
with data provided by other children (e.g., provided by other
office play stations located at different households or other
remote locations) at the server 120 to assess the child's progress
in relation to other children. The server 120 may display various
types of information, statistics and charts to a parent or other
user (e.g., relating to assessing a child's progress or interaction
with the office play station 175) via the office controller
150.
[0033] The server 120 may also store applications (e.g.,
educational or gaming applications) and/or multimedia items (e.g.,
videos, songs, books, images, etc.) that can be searched via an
interface on the office controller 150 and downloaded to the office
controller 150 and/or peripheral play devices 140. In some cases, a
child or admin user may be required to purchase the applications
and multimedia content that is downloaded to the office controller
150 or peripheral play devices.
[0034] The server 120 may further include functions for updating
software on the office controller 150 and peripheral play devices
140, and for performing maintenance operations on the office
controller and peripheral play devices (e.g., installing software
patches or fixes). In certain embodiments, a user may specify that
the updates and/or maintenance operations are to be performed
automatically when available.
[0035] An admin user (e.g., a parent or adult) may access the
server 120 from a personal computing device 110. The personal
computing device may represent a desktop computer, laptop computer,
tablet device, cell phone, smart phone, personal digital assistant
or any other type of computing device. In certain embodiments, an
admin user accessing the server 120 from a personal computing
device 120 may specify a username and password (or provide other
types of login credentials) in order to access an account
associated with the office play station 175.
[0036] By accessing the server 120 from a personal computing device
110, an admin user is able to configure various aspects of the
office play station 175 from a remote location (e.g., a parent can
configure the office play station 175 from work or from a hotel
when travelling on a business trip). When the user accesses the
server 120, the server 120 may provide the user with various
interfaces for configuring the interactive play station 175. Any
configuration preferences specified by the user may be transmitted
to an office play station 175 that is connected to the network 160.
Generally speaking, any feature or functionality of the office play
station 175 may be customized remotely using the personal computing
device 175. For example, the admin user can adjust the settings and
functionality of the peripheral play devices, adjust age settings,
identify multimedia items that can be viewed by a child interacting
with the office play station 175, or customize the office play
station 175 in other ways. In certain embodiments, rather than
communicating with a server 120 to control the functionality of the
office play station 175, the personal computing device 110 may
communicate directly with the office play station 175. For example,
the personal computing device 110 may communicate directly with the
office controller 150 and/or peripheral play devices 140 over a
local area network.
[0037] The personal computing device 150 can also access the
reporting data and statistical data relating to a child's
interactions with the office play station 175 from the server 120.
Interfaces may also be provided that permit a user to specify
applications and/or multimedia content that should be pushed to the
office play station 175 and/or installed on the office play station
175.
[0038] It should be noted that the system in FIG. 1 is merely meant
to demonstrate an embodiment of an operating environment that can
be utilized in conjunction with the principles taught herein, and
should not be construed as limiting in any manner whatsoever. The
particular configuration in FIG. 1 can be altered in numerous ways
without departing from the principles herein. For example, although
FIG. 1 depicts a single server 120 connected to a single office
play station 175, any number of servers 120 and office play
stations 175 may be utilized with the system and the system may be
configured in a variety of different ways. Likewise, while the
exemplary embodiment disclosed in FIG. 1 discloses an office play
station 175 that includes five peripheral play devices 140, any
number of peripheral play devices 140 may be utilized. In addition,
it should be recognized that the functionality provided by the
server 120 may be performed locally by the office controller 150 or
by other components of the office play station 175.
[0039] Moving on to FIG. 2, a detailed view of a system 200 for
providing an office play station 175 is disclosed in accordance
with certain embodiment of the present principles. As shown
therein, the system 200 includes a server 120, an office controller
150 and a peripheral device 140, each of which may include one or
more non-transitory storage devices (e.g., RAM, ROM, PROM, SRAM,
etc.) and one or more processors (e.g., central processing units).
The server 120, office controller 150 and peripheral device 140
each include a plurality of software components (e.g., profile
manager 251, device controller 255, remote office controller 221,
device settings 241, etc.). Each of these components may be stored
on a storage device which is in communication with one or more
processors. The processor(s) may be configured to execute the
instructions associated with software components.
[0040] It should be noted that although the components of the
system 200 in FIG. 2 may be described throughout this disclosure as
software modules, such is not necessary. Rather, any component
shown in FIG. 2 may be implemented as software, hardware or a
combination of software and hardware. Furthermore, while the
components may be illustrated as separate and distinct components,
it should be recognized that the components can be combined in any
manner (e.g., all of the components may be executed as a part of a
single program or as separately executing processes or threads) and
that the functions performed by these components may overlap in
some instances.
[0041] A profile manager 251 provided by the office controller 150
may be configured to create, update, modify and delete profiles
that are created for use with the office play station 175. Profiles
may be created for child users and admin users (e.g., parents or
adult users). The profiles may be stored on the office controller
150, the server 120, or at both locations. An admin user (e.g.,
such as a child or admin user) may logon to a user account on the
server 120 or office controller 150 (e.g., using a username and
password). By logging onto the user account, the server 120 or
office controller 150 may provide interfaces which utilize data
from the admin profile and child profiles associated with the admin
profile. The interfaces may also permit the admin user to configure
settings for the office play station 175 for child users.
[0042] A child profile may include any information that relates to
the child or that relates to the child's interaction with the
office play station 175. For example, the profile may include
personal information for a child that indicates a child's name,
login credentials, images, age, sex, interests, hobbies or other
types of data related to the child. The profile manager may 251
provide interfaces that permit a user to specify and edit such
information. In addition, as explained in further detail below, the
activity tracker 254 may monitor, track and analyze the manner in
which a child interacts with the office play station 175. This
activity data may be used to update a child's profile. For example,
as a child interacts with the office play station 175, the profile
may be updated to include data that indicates a child's interaction
with the educational and entertainment features of the office play
station 175. Any data included in a child profile may be utilized
to customize a child's interaction or experience with the office
play station 175.
[0043] With respect to recording educational data in a profile for
a child, the profile may indicate a child's progress with respect
to learning how to operate the peripheral play devices 140. For
example, the profile may indicate the number of times a child
successfully utilized the peripheral play devices to send a fax,
place a phone call, check voicemail, scan a document, compute a
value using a calculator, print a document or to perform other
functions related to utilizing the peripheral play devices 140. The
profile may also indicate that a child requires further practice
operating particular peripheral play devices 140 (e.g., in response
to detecting the child was unable to perform certain functions on
the peripheral play devices 140). As explained in further detail
below, the education system 252 may also include software that may
be utilized to teach a child additional types of educational skills
(e.g., typing skills, analytical skills, reading skills, etc.) and
subject matter (e.g., mathematics, spelling, languages, history,
social studies, geography, etc.) using the office play station 175.
Thus, a child profile may also include information that indicates
the child's progress with respect to using these educational
software applications or other types of related data.
[0044] The child profile may further include information that
relates to entertainment features provided by the office play
station 175. For example, a child may be permitted to view or
interact with multimedia content (e.g., videos, audio recordings,
songs, etc.) and various types of games. Thus, the data in the
profile may store data that indicates the multimedia items and
games that the child has interacted with, along with other types of
related information (e.g., scores for the games that the child
played, the amount of time that the child spent interacting with
the multimedia content or games, etc.).
[0045] As mentioned above, an admin profile may also be set up for
a parent, adult or other user via the profile manager 251. An admin
profile may be associated with one or more child profiles to permit
the admin user to have access to the information or data in the
child profiles. An admin account associated with an admin profile
may be utilized to control various aspects of the office play
station 175 and to monitor a child's interaction with the office
play station 175. In certain embodiments, the data stored in a
parent profile may be utilized by the office controller 150 to
configure the office play station 175 for a child user, including
configuring the functionality of the office play station 175 and
configuring permissions to applications and multimedia content
provided by the office play station 175.
[0046] Like the child profile, an admin profile may also include
personal information for a user associated with the profile (e.g.,
name, login credentials, email address, home address, pictures,
etc.). The admin profile may also include data that indicates
settings that have been specified by the user to control the
functionality of the office play station 175 for one or more
children. For example, the admin profile may include data that
specifies age settings for a child (e.g., which specifies
particular types of software or peripheral play devices 140 that
may be utilized by a child or which specifies particular difficulty
settings for the software or peripheral play devices 140). The
admin profile may also include data that specifies educational
applications and entertainment content (e.g., multimedia content
and games) that should be made available to children interacting
with the office play station 175. Any information stored in the
admin profile (or a child profile) may be retrieved by the office
controller 150 and utilized to customize the settings of the office
play station 175. Thus, the information in the admin profile may
permit a parent to control the manner in which children interact
with the office play station, and may further permit the parent (or
other user) to adjust settings as a child progresses or grows
older.
[0047] When a user logs in and accesses an admin profile, the user
may also be permitted to monitor a child's interaction with the
office play station 175. For example, an admin profile may be
associated with one or more child profiles that have been setup for
use with a particular office play station 175. By logging into the
admin profile, the user can access the data stored in the
associated child profiles and assess the child's interaction with
the office play station (e.g., determine whether certain education
goals are being met, determine whether a child is able to use
particular peripheral play devices, determine multimedia content
that the child is interested in, etc.). As mentioned above, the
user may adjust the settings stored in the parent profile to modify
settings for a child or children that interact with the office play
station 175.
[0048] As mentioned briefly above, the activity tracker 254 may be
configured to monitor, record and analyze a child's interactions
with the office play station 175, and this information may be
utilized to update a child profile (or an admin profile). The
activity tracker 254 can track any type of interaction with either
the office controller 150 or the peripheral play devices 140. This
may include tracking user inputs received at the office controller
150 and peripheral play devices 140, and tracking a child's use and
progress with respect to utilizing software applications (e.g.,
software applications which provide games or entertainment features
and software applications that are used to teach a child
educational skills). This may further include tracking whether a
child has successfully completed tasks associated with the
peripheral play devices 140 (e.g., tracking whether a child
successfully operated a peripheral play device 140 to send a fax,
e-mail or place a telephone call).
[0049] Any of the data which is tracked by the activity tracker 254
may be recorded. The activity data may be stored on the server 120,
the office controller 150 or one or more of the peripheral play
devices 140. In certain embodiments, the data may be utilized to
update a child or admin profile.
[0050] The education system 252 may provide education features for
the office play station 175. In certain embodiments, the education
features provided by the education system 252 may promote the
following objectives to assist with early childhood
development:
1) Gross motor skills: Using large groups of muscles to sit, stand,
walk, run, etc., keeping balance, and changing positions. 2) Fine
motor skills: Using hands to be able to eat, draw, dress, play,
write, and do many other things. 3) Language skills: Speaking,
using body language and gestures, communicating, and understanding
what others say. 4) Cognitive skills: Thinking skills, including
learning, understanding, problem-solving, reasoning, and
remembering skills. 5) Social skills: Interacting with others,
having relationships with family, friends, and teachers,
cooperating, and responding to the feelings of others.
[0051] In certain embodiments, the education system 252 may teach
children how to operate the peripheral play devices 140. For
example, education system 252 may include software that is
configured to display interfaces on the office controller 150 that
walk a child through the process of performing particular tasks on
the peripheral play devices 140 (e.g., scanning a document, sending
a fax, making a phone call, checking voicemail, etc.). The
education system 252 may also provide other types of educational
software that a child may utilize by interacting with the office
controller 150 or the peripheral play devices 140. The education
software may represent software that assists a child with learning
particular subjects, such as mathematics, languages, history,
science or any other subjects, or particular types of skills, such
as computing skills, typing skills, analytical skills, etc. Like
other features of the office play station 175, the education system
252 and related software can be customized based on a child's age
(e.g., the difficulty level of the software can be adjusted).
[0052] The entertainment system 253 may provide various types of
entertainment features for a child that utilizes the office play
station 175. For example, the entertainment system 253 may output
or display various types of multimedia content (e.g., cartoons,
movies, songs, images, etc.) to children on the office controller
150 or peripheral play devices 140. The entertainment system 253
may also provide various types of entertainment software, such as
gaming applications, creative applications (e.g., that permit a
child to create a drawing or song), or other types of entertainment
software. The entertainment system 253 may provide other
entertainment features as well.
[0053] The device controller 255 may provide functionality that
permits the office controller 150 to communicate with and control
the peripheral play devices 140. For example, the device controller
255 may customize the functionality of a peripheral play device 140
by adjusting device settings 241 that are stored on the peripheral
play devices 140. In certain embodiments, the office controller 175
may customize the device settings and functionality of the
peripheral play devices 140 based on the settings specified in an
admin profile.
[0054] In certain embodiments, the device controller 150 can
specify whether a peripheral play device 140 should be operated in
a "child mode" or "unrestricted mode". In child mode, the
functionality of the peripheral play device 140 may be limited or
restricted. For example, a parent or other user may specify that a
child can interact with the peripheral play devices to a limited
extent, but cannot send real faxes or make real phone calls. Thus,
when a child makes a phone call using a peripheral play device 140,
pre-recorded audio messages may be output to the child via the
phone or the child may interact with an interactive application
that speaks to the child and which includes speech recognition
features to interpret and respond to the child's input speech. A
plurality of different child modes may exist that provide for
different levels and types of functionalities. On the other hand,
in unrestricted mode, a peripheral play device 140 may be fully
functional. Thus, a child may be permitted to send actual faxes or
make actual phone calls (e.g., by transmitting data over the
network 160).
[0055] In certain embodiments, the device controller 255 can
configure the functionality of the peripheral play devices 140 to
limit or restrict the types of applications which may be executed
on the peripheral play devices 140. The device controller 255 may
further configure the peripheral play devices 140 for a particular
age setting. The particular types of functions which may be
performed by the peripheral play devices 140 may be customized
based on the age setting specified for a device. As an example, if
the age setting for a telephone peripheral device 140 was set to
ages 2-4, a child interacting with the phone may not be permitted
to make actual phone calls, but may be permitted to play with the
phone (e.g., by pressing buttons) and listen to pre-recorded
digital messages. However, if the age setting for the telephone
peripheral device 140 was set to ages 7-9, a child interacting with
the device may be permitted to make actual phone calls (e.g., using
a VoIP service provided by the server 120), check voicemail
messages and perform additional types of functions. Similar types
of age setting controls may also be placed on other peripheral play
devices 140 to adjust the functionality of the peripheral play
devices 140.
[0056] Any of the data associated with the peripheral play devices
140 may be stored on the peripheral play devices 140 themselves,
the office controller 150 and/or server 120. For example, if the
child utilizes a peripheral play device 140 such as a scanner to
scan an image, the image created by the scanner may be stored on
the scanner, office controller 150 and/or the server 120. Likewise,
if a child utilizes a peripheral play device 140 such as a phone to
access voicemail, data associated with voicemails may be stored on
the phone, office controller 150 and/or server 120.
[0057] As mentioned above, the office play station 175 may
communicate with a server 120 over the network 160 for various
reasons. In certain embodiments, the profiles (e.g., child profiles
or admin profile) created for an office play station 175 may be
uploaded to the server 120. The profiles may be uploaded
periodically (e.g., once a day or once a week) or may be uploaded
in response to a user command (e.g., in response to a user
selecting a function or button the office play station 175 for
uploading the profiles).
[0058] The profiles may be uploaded to the server 120 for a variety
of reasons. For example, uploading a child profile to the server
120 permits the child profile to be downloaded and utilized by any
office play station 175 that is connected to the network 160. In
addition, uploading the profiles to the server 120 permits a parent
or other user to remotely access various types of information
related to the profiles and to remotely configure settings of an
office play station 175 using a personal computing computer
110.
[0059] For example, a user may access a website provided by the
server 120 using a personal computing device 110. The user may
login to an account on the website using the information (e.g.,
username and password) in an admin profile stored on the server
120. Once logged in, the user is logged in to the admin account,
the user may analyze data in child profiles associated with the
admin account, compare data in the child profiles to other child
profiles stored on the server and remotely configure settings for
an office play station 175. Further details regarding these
functions are provided below.
[0060] The profile analyzer 223 may be configured to perform
functions that involve displaying or analyzing data in a child
profile. As explained above, an admin profile may be associated
with one or more child profiles that permit a user associated with
an admin profile to access the child profiles. Thus, the profile
analyzer 223 may display any data that is included in a child
profile associated with the admin profile, or otherwise related to
an associated child profile, to an admin user. For example, the
profile analyzer 223 may analyze the data in a child profile to
display or report any activity data that was recorded by the
activity tracker 254. This may include displaying data related to a
child's use of educational features (e.g., provided via the
education system 252) or entertainment features (e.g., provided via
entertainment system 253). This may also include displaying data
related to a child's use of the peripheral play devices 140. The
profile analyzer 223 may display the data associated with a child
profile as raw statistical data, charts, graphs, or in any other
manner.
[0061] The profile analyzer 223 may also be configured to compare
data in a child profile with other child profiles stored on the
server 120 (e.g., other profiles provided by office play stations
located at different households or other remote locations) to
assess the child's progress in comparison to other children. For
example, the data in a child profile may indicate a child's
progress with respect to utilizing the software associated with the
education system 252 (e.g., the data may indicate a reading level
for a child or may indicate the extent to which a child is able to
successfully operate the peripheral play devices 140). This data
may be compared with other child profiles stored on the server 120
in order to determine the child's progress relative other children
who are the same age, thus assisting an admin user with identifying
weaknesses and strengths of the child. In the case that a child is
weak in certain areas (e.g., mathematics), an admin user can
specify that the education system 252 should assist the child with
developing certain skills and may adjust difficult settings for the
child. As explained below, the admin user may also download
additional educational software or content from the digital
distribution platform 222 on the server 120 to assist the child
with overcoming identified weaknesses.
[0062] The digital distribution platform 222 permits users (e.g.,
child users and admin users) to download, purchase and install
various types of digital content on the office play station 175.
The digital distribution platform 222 may permit a user to download
multimedia content (e.g., videos, cartoons, music, movies, TV
shows, images, etc.), educational software and entertainment
software (e.g., gaming applications). For example, the office
controller 150 may display interfaces that permit a user to search
the content provided on the digital distribution platform 222 and
to download the content to the office play station 175. In
addition, users may logon to an account on the server 120 using a
personal computing device 110 and select content that is to be
pushed to the office play station 175.
[0063] As explained above, an admin user or other user may also
logon to an account on the server 120 using a personal computing
device 110 in order to remotely configure the settings of the
office play station 175. Specifically, once logged in, the remote
office controller 221 may display various interfaces to the admin
user that permit the user to configure the settings for a child
that utilizes the office play station 175. The settings specified
by the user may be stored in child profiles or admin profiles. This
information may be retrieved by the office controller 150 to
configure the office play station 175.
[0064] The remote office controller 221 may permit an admin user to
customize any type of setting for the office play station 175. For
example, the remote office controller 221 may permit an admin user
to configure an age setting for a child and may customize the
device settings 241 of the peripheral play devices (e.g., which may
control the level of functionality provided by the peripheral play
devices 140). The remote office controller 221 may also permit an
admin user to enable or disable certain entertainment features and
educational features on the office play station 175.
[0065] It should be noted that the exemplary system 200 illustrated
FIG. 2 may be varied in numerous ways. For example, in some
embodiments, various components provided by the server 120 (e.g.,
profile analyzer 223) may alternatively be provided by the office
controller 150. Likewise, components provided by the office
controller 150 (e.g., the profile manager) may be alternatively be
provided by the server 120. Other types of variations are also
contemplated and are encompassed by the principles described
herein.
[0066] Moving on, FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary office play
station 175 in accordance with certain embodiments of the present
principles. As shown therein, the office play station 175 includes
a desk 350, an office controller 150 (e.g., which is represented by
a tablet in this embodiment), a plurality of peripheral play
devices (140A, 140B and 140C), and a keyboard 320. The desk may be
made of any type of material such as plastic, wood, metal or other
type of material.
[0067] In this embodiment, the desk 350 includes a plurality of
device integrators 310 that permit the peripheral play devices 140
and office controller 150 to be connected to the desk 350, and
which may permit the peripheral play devices 140 to communicate
with the office controller 150. For example, in the case of the
office controller 150, the device integrator 310 may represent a
male connector associated with an iPod.TM. docking station which
attaches to the female connector on the bottom portion of an
iPad.TM. (e.g., the female connector that permits a charger to be
coupled to the iPad.TM. or which permits the iPad.TM. to be coupled
to a desktop computer). Similar types of device integrators 310 may
be utilized for the peripheral play devices 140 as well. The device
integrators may also represent Ethernet wires and/or Ethernet jacks
for connecting the office controller 150 or peripheral play devices
140. In certain embodiments, the desk 350 may also include
circuitry and/or wiring that permits connected peripheral play
devices 140 to communicate with each other and to communicate with
the office controller 150. As explained above, the peripheral play
devices and office controller 150 may communicate in other ways as
well which do not require device integrators 310 (e.g., the devices
may communicate wirelessly or may be coupled directly to each
other).
[0068] In this exemplary embodiment, the desk 350 includes
peripheral play devices including a telephone 140A, a printer/fax
machine 140C and an electronic calendar 140C (e.g., which permits a
user to input or view appointments and which displays historical
information about events that happened on a particular dates).
[0069] It should be recognized that the interactive play station
175 illustrated in FIG. 3 is merely provided as an example and is
not meant to be limiting in any manner whatsoever. Numerous other
types of peripheral play devices 140 (e.g., scanners, telephones,
etc.) and input devices (e.g., microphones, video cameras,
joysticks, mouse, remote controls, etc.) may also be included. In
certain embodiments, the office play station 175 may include also
include shelving, seats and other types of related office
structures. In addition, although it is not shown, the office play
station 175 may further include a calculator, stapler (preferably,
a staple-less stapler for safety reasons), drawing boards,
calendars, chalkboards, or other similar types of items.
[0070] FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method 400 for providing an
office play station in accordance with certain embodiments of the
present principles. The method 400 begins by setting up an office
play station 175 and connecting one or more peripheral play devices
140 to an office controller 150 (step 410). As explained above, the
office play station 175 may include an office controller 150 (e.g.,
tablet device, laptop computer or desktop computer) that
communicates with one or more peripheral play devices 140 (e.g.,
printers, scanners, electronic calendars, fax machines, telephones
or other types of devices that may be found in an office
environment). The office controller 150 may be connected to the
peripheral play devices 140 using any type of known communication
protocol. In certain embodiments, the office controller 150 may
communicate via a wireless connection (e.g., using an IEEE 802.11
or Wi-Fi connection) or wired connection (e.g., wired LAN or
Ethernet network).
[0071] A profile may be created for at least one child (step 420).
For example, a profile may be created by a parent, child or other
user. The profile may be created or established using the office
controller 150 or by using a personal computing device 110 that is
in communication with the office controller 150 or server 120 that
is coupled to the office play station 175. As explained above, the
child profile may include various types of information. For
example, the profile may store information about a child (e.g.,
name, image, birthdate, an avatar created by the child, etc.) and
may include activity data that indicates how a child has utilized,
or interacted with, the office play station 175.
[0072] An appropriate age setting may be determined for the at
least one child (step 430). In certain embodiments, a parent or
other admin user may be permitted to set the age setting for a
child based on the age of the child. For example, different age
settings may be provided for children who are 2-5 years old, 6-8
years old, 9-12 years old, etc. An admin user select an appropriate
age settings for a child user and the determined age setting may be
stored in a child profile or admin profile.
[0073] Activity data is recorded for the at least one child (step
440). As explained above, as a child interacts with the office
controller 150 and peripheral play devices 140, various types of
activity data may be recorded. For example, a child profile may be
updated to include information that indicates the child's progress
with respect to using educational features, entertainment features
(e.g., games played or multimedia items viewed by the child) or
other types of related data. In addition, the recorded activity
data may indicate a child's interaction with the peripheral play
devices 140.
[0074] The age setting and activity data associated with the child
profile may be utilized to customize interactive features of the
office play station 175 (step 450). For example, the age setting
and activity data may be utilized to customize educational software
that executes on an office controller 150, entertainment features
provided by the office play station 154, device settings 241 on
peripheral play devices 140 (e.g., which control the functionality,
difficulty level or age setting for the devices), or other features
of the play station 175.
[0075] Feedback is provided based on the recorded activity data
(step 460). The feedback may be provided to an admin user via the
office controller 150. Alternatively, the admin user may view the
feedback associated with the activity data from a personal
computing device 110 that is in communication with the server 120
or in communication with office play station 175. The feedback may
be provided in various ways (e.g., provided as statistical
information charts, graphs, etc.). The admin user can analyze the
feedback in order to assess a child's progress and to adjust the
settings of the office play station (e.g., adjust age settings,
device settings 241, difficulty level, availability of particular
features, etc.).
[0076] While there have shown and described and pointed out various
novel features of the invention as applied to particular
embodiments thereof, it will be understood that various omissions
and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the
systems and methods described and illustrated, may be made by those
skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the
invention. Amongst other things, the steps shown in the methods may
be carried out in a different orders in many cases where such may
be appropriate. Those skilled in the art will recognize, based on
the above disclosure and an understanding therefrom of the
teachings of the invention, that the particular hardware and
devices that are part of the medical system described herein, and
the general functionality provided by and incorporated therein, may
vary in different embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, the
particular system components shown in the figures are for
illustrative purposes to facilitate a full and complete
understanding and appreciation of the various aspects and
functionality of particular embodiments of the invention as
realized in system and method embodiments thereof. Those skilled in
the art will appreciate that the invention can be practiced in
other than the described embodiments, which are presented for
purposes of illustration and not limitation, and the present
invention is limited only by the claims which follow.
* * * * *