Patent Publication Number: US-2003232245-A1

Title: Interactive training software

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] The present invention generally relates to software for simulating human interaction for training purposes, and more specifically to software that includes a configurable, interactive presentation and code that records a user&#39;s responses to the presentation for review.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] Training software typically includes a presentation that is created to instruct a user such as an employee on specific subjects such as sales tactics or interpersonal relations. Generally, the software is loaded onto a computer and the user views or listens to the presentation. Some software allows the user to depress a keyboard key or a mouse button to advance through the presentation step by step.  
       [0003] In order to provide interactive training software that allows the user or some other person such as the user&#39;s supervisor to review the user&#39;s responses to the presentation, it is desirable to record the user&#39;s responses to the presentation. Additionally, to improve or update the presentation, it is desirable to enable the user to modify the presentation. Interactive training software that can record a user&#39;s responses to a presentation of questions should also be accessible from a remote location via a computer network.  
       [0004] These features and advantages of the present invention, as well as additional features and advantages, will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the following description and the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0005]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a system for operating software according to the present invention.  
     [0006]FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of the interactive training software.  
     [0007]FIG. 3 is a flow diagram for selecting a training questionnaire.  
     [0008]FIG. 4 is a flow diagram for recording a new questionnaire.  
     [0009]FIG. 5 is a flow diagram for modifying a questionnaire.  
     [0010]FIG. 6 is a flow diagram for modifying a training presentation.  
     [0011]FIG. 7 is a flow diagram for starting a training software.  
     [0012]FIG. 8 is a flow diagram for concluding a training session.  
     [0013]FIG. 9 is a block diagram for another embodiment according to the present invention.  
     [0014]FIG. 10 is a flow diagram for remotely accessing the interactive training software. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION  
     [0015] The embodiments described below are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Instead, the embodiments were selected for description to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the invention.  
     [0016] As shown in FIG. 1, a hardware system such as a computer  10  may be used to run the interactive training software of the present invention. Memory  11  may be used to store collected information and the software. An example of memory  11  is a conventional hard drive. Central processing unit  12  accesses the software stored in memory  11  and runs the software. Computer  10  may also include removable memory  13 . Removable memory  13  may be used by the software to store information on media such as a compact disk for removal and use on another computer. Display  15  may be used to view a presentation generated by the software. Display  15  may include s conventional computer monitor, a television screen, or any other suitable display device. Input device  40  allows users to input information into computer  10 . Input device  40  may include a keyboard, a mouse, or any other suitable input device. Data input  20  transfers data to computer  10 . Data input  20  may include a camera, a microphone, or any other suitable device for capturing a user&#39;s responses. Output device  30  may be used to transfer data from computer  10  to another computer.  
     [0017] As shown in FIG. 2, interactive training software  100  is comprised of a series of steps. Step  101  initiates interactive training software  100  after interactive training software  100  has been loaded onto computer  10 . As should be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, there are a variety of methods for initiating the software such as using input device  40 , a graphical user interface or otherwise inputting a start command. In step  102 , the user selects the desired training questionnaire from a menu of previously generated questionnaires. The questionnaire is a list of questions generated for a specific training session. For example, an employer may prepare training questionnaires for sales representatives that include questions potential clients or customers might ask the sales representatives. Such a questionnaire could then be used to train the sales representatives. Alternatively, the questionnaire could be designed to improve job interview skills by including questions that may typically be asked during an interview. In step  103 , the user starts the training presentation.  
     [0018] The training presentation involves an animated character or simulated being generated by software  100  on display  15 . The being asks the user questions from the selected questionnaire. This allows the user to practice his or her responses to realistic scenarios. In step  104 , the user&#39;s responses to the questions asked by the animated character are recorded by data input  20 . It should be understood that steps  103  and  104  may alternate such that each response is recorded after each question. In step  105 , the recording of the responses is played back to the user on display  15  or to a third party reviewing the user&#39;s performance. The recording can be reviewed in either of two formats. In the first format, the simulated being asks the question on display  15 . After, the simulated being asks the question, the user actuates input device  40  to play the corresponding recorded response on display  15 . In the second format, display  15  appears as a split-screen. The user&#39;s recorded response appears on a portion of display  15 , and simultaneously the simulated being appears on another portion of display  15 . After the simulated being asks the question, the user actuates input device  40  to play the corresponding recorded response on display  15 . The reviewer can view or listen to the recording multiple times to determine areas that need improvement. The recording can also be stored as a file on removable media  13  or memory  11 . The stored recording can be played at a later time by the user or another person such as the user&#39;s employer or instructor.  
     [0019] As shown in FIG. 3, step  102  of FIG. 2 allows the user to select a training questionnaire. Interactive training software  100  may include several other options relating to questionnaires. In step  110 , the user may select an existing questionnaire to be used for the presentation. The questionnaires may be designed for different training purposes. For example, an employer may create questionnaires with questions about different products or services. The user may also record a new questionnaire as indicated by step  111 . The user may create new questionnaires by entering questions into a computer running software  100  via input device  40 . The questions are stored memory  11  of computer  10  for later retrieval and playback during a computerized presentation. The user may also modify a new or existing questionnaire as indicated by step  112 . The user may change or customize existing questions in the questionnaire, add new questions to the questionnaire, or delete questions from the questionnaire as further described below. The user also has the option of deleting entire questionnaires as indicated by step  113 .  
     [0020] Referring now to FIG. 4, the user records a new questionnaire by activating a “new questionnaire” icon (not shown) on display  15  using input device  40  this evokes step  111 . In step  150 , the user may enter a title for the new questionnaire using input device  40 . In step  151 , the user may enter a question he or she desires to be asked during the training presentation. The user may type the question using input device  40  or may record the question by using data input  20 . The interactive training software converts questions typed or otherwise inputted into the software by the user into an audio/visual format such as an animation including a being (e.g., a person with visible, physical features that move in synchronization with the audio portion of the presentation). In this manner, the simulated being poses the newly created questions to the user. In step  152 , the new question is added to the questionnaire and saved or stored memory  11  as part of the computer file containing the questionnaire information. In step  153 , the software presents the user with the option of adding more new questions to the questionnaire. If the user elects to add another question, then the software returns to step  151  and asks the user to enter the new question. If there are no further questions to be added, then the software evokes step  154  in which the questionnaire is saved or stored in memory  11 . After the questionnaire is stored, it can be selected for use in a training presentation at step  102  of FIG. 3. In an alternative embodiment, the user can create or modify a questionnaire by selecting questions to be added to the questionnaire from a pre-existing list of questions. The user can create or record a plurality of questionnaires using the process depicted in FIG. 4.  
     [0021] As shown in FIG. 5, pre-recorded questionnaires may also be modified using the software of the present invention. To modify a questionnaire, the user activates with input device  40  a “modify questionnaire” icon (not shown) on display  15  with input device  40  that evokes step  112 . In step  161 , the software presents a list of pre-recorded questionnaires retrieved from memory  11  and prompts the user to select a questionnaire to be edited. When the user selects a questionnaire using input device  40 , the software retrieves the questionnaire from memory  11  and presents the user with a list of questions included in the selected questionnaire on display  15 . In step  162 , the software prompts the user to select a question to be edited. In step  163 , the software presents the full question to the user for editing. The user may edit the question using conventional word processing techniques or any other suitable process. After the user has made the desired changes to the selected question, the modified question is saved or stored in memory  11  as part of the selected questionnaire. In step  165 , the software prompts the user to edit more questions. If the user elects to edit another question from the selected questionnaire, then the software returns to step  162  and repeats steps  163 ,  164 , and  165 . If the user is finished editing questions, then the software executes step  166  which saves or stores the modified questionnaire in memory  11 . If the user desires to edit questions from a different questionnaire, the user may activate the “modify questionnaire” icon (not shown) and repeat the process depicted in FIG. 5.  
     [0022] At step  103  of FIG. 2, the software presents the user with the option of modifying the simulated being that performs the training presentation. This procedure is depicted in FIG. 6. As indicated above, the presentation is performed or presented on display  15  by an animated character (or simulated being) or a person recorded in a video clip reciting or asking the user questions from the selected questionnaire. In step  120 , the software provides the user a list of simulated beings and prompts the user to select a simulated being to ask the questions in the presentation. Alternatively, the software may allow the user to select a pre-recorded video that includes a human asking the questions in the presentation. In step  121 , the software present the user with the option of creating a new simulated being for asking the questions during a presentation. A new simulated being may be created using conventional software such as the FACEWORKS software package from COMPAQ computer corporation. Such software is incorporated into the system of the present invention to enable the user to scan or import an image of, for example, a face, into the software. The software then maps the image and simulates facial movement of the image based upon the text to be spoken. For example, the user may scan in a photograph of a face and have the face ask the questions during the presentation. After the user creates a new simulated being, the simulated being is saved in memory  11  at step  122 . Finally, at step  123 , the software presents the user with option of deleting existing simulated beings or newly created simulated beings from memory  11 .  
     [0023]FIG. 7 depicts the sequence of events that occur when a user initiates a training presentation at step  103  of FIG. 2. In step  130 , the user initiates a command to play the presentation of the selected questionnaire. In step  131 , the software causes the simulated being to ask the first question from the selected questionnaire. The software may present the questions by generating a plurality of screens on display  15  depicting a simulated being presenting the question. Alternatively, the software may retrieve a video clip of a person asking the first question of the selected questionnaire and present it on display  15 . In yet another embodiment, the user may select a random mode (as opposed to a sequential mode) for the training presentation wherein the questions are posed in a random order. In step  132 , the user&#39;s response to the question is recorded in memory  11  when computer  10  receives response information from data input  20 . The user indicates that a response is complete by activating input device  40  (e.g., depressing a keyboard key or mouse button), thereby prompting the software to save the response in memory  11 . As should be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, a variety of methods exist for signaling that the response is complete such as depressing a spacebar or clicking on a “response complete” icon (not shown) shown on display  15 . The interactive training software may also enable the user to set a time limit for responding to the questions. At the end of such a time limit, the software automatically advances to the next question.  
     [0024] After recording the most recent user response in memory  1 , the software determines whether all of the questions of the questionnaire have been posed to the user. If there are more questions to be asked, then the software returns to step  131  and repeats steps  132  and  133 . If there are no more questions to be asked, then the software advances to step  134  where a training session recording is generated. The training session recording includes all of the user&#39;s responses recorded during the training presentation. The training session is concluded at step  135 .  
     [0025] As shown in FIG. 8, after step  135  concludes the training session, the user is presented with several options. In step  140 , the user can review or play back the training session recording. Using input device  40 , the user may activate a “play recording” icon (not shown) presented on display  15  to initiate the playback of the recording. In step  141 , the user can delete a training session recording from memory  11 . The user may activate a “delete recording” icon (not shown) to delete the recording. It may be desirable to record another training session if the user was interrupted during the presentation or otherwise unsatisfied with the outcome of the training session. In step  142 , the user can create a supplemental copy of the training session recording file by saving or storing the file to removable memory  13 . The user may activate a “save recording” icon (not shown) to save the recording file to removable memory  13 . In step  143  the user can export the training session recording to another computer application such as software enabling the user to convert the recording to textual form. The user may activate an “export recording” icon (not shown) to export the recording to another computer application. In step  144 , the user can send the training session recording to another computer by activating output device  30 . The user may activate a “send recording” icon (not shown) to send the recording file to another computer. In this manner, the training session recording may be reviewed and critiqued by others, for example, the user&#39;s employer. The training session recording can be formatted as a computer file or email attachment so that it is easily transferable. As should be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, there are a variety of file formats that could be used for the training session recording such as MPEG or MPEG-2. Moreover, the training session recording may be a video recording including both the audio and visual components of the presentation and responses, or an audio-only recording.  
     [0026] Referring now to FIG. 9, an alternate embodiment of a system for operating the software of the present invention is depicted as computer network  450 . Computer network  450  generally includes central computer  502  and remote computer  500 . Network  501  transfers data between central computer  502  and remote computer  500 . Examples of network  501  include the internet, an intranet, an extranet, a local area network, or any other networking system. Input device  504  allows a user to input information and/or commands into central computer  502 . Similarly, input device  505  allows a user to input information and/or commands into remote computer  500 . Central computer  502  may include a portion  503  of interactive training software  100 . Remote computer  500  may include another portion  506  of interactive training software  100 . To run interactive training software  100  a user at remote computer  500  may access central computer  502  through network  501 . Next, the remote user must access software portion  503 . If the remote user gains access to software portion  503 , software portions  503  and  506  cooperate to allow the user of remote computer  500  to run interactive training software  100  on remote computer  500 . It should be understood that either or both of central computer  502  and remote computer  500  may include all of the components depicted in FIG. 1.  
     [0027] As shown in FIG. 10, in one embodiment of the invention, interactive training software  100  is stored on central computer  502  as shown in step  201 . In step  202 , users such as field agents can use remote computer  500  and software such as a web browser to gain access to interactive training software  100 . Generally, as shown in step  202 , the user may enter access information such as a password into remote computer  500  which then contacts central computer  502  through network  501 . In step  203 , the access information is verified by either remote computer  506  or central computer  502 . In step  204 , if the access information is not valid, for example the password is incorrect, access to interactive training software  100  is denied. If the correct access information is given, the user can activate interactive training software  100 .  
     [0028] In step  205 , the user begins by selecting a training questionnaire using input device  505 . In step  206 , the training presentation corresponding to the selected training questionnaire is loaded onto remote computer  500  via network  501  or is executed from central computer  502  and accessed through remote computer  506  via network  501 . In step  207 , the user starts the training presentation. In step  208 , the presentation of the selected questionnaire is played on remote computer  500  in the manner described above. In step  209 , the questions from the questionnaire are asked by the simulated being or animated character. In step  210 , the user&#39;s responses to the questions asked are recorded. In step  211 , interactive training software  100  determines if there are more questions to be asked. If there are more questions to be asked, the software then returns to step  209  and asks the next question in the questionnaire repeating steps  210  and  211 . If there are no more questions to be asked, the software advances to step  212  and generates a training session recording. The training session recording is a file containing the recorded responses to all of the questions of the questionnaire.  
     [0029] In step  213 , the user concludes the training session. In step  214 , central computer  502  receives the training session recording either via network  501  or on a removable, computer readable media submitted by the user. The recording may then be reviewed by users with access to central computer  502 . This embodiment of the invention may be patentably suitable for use by companies to train remotely located employees or independent contractors. For example, the training questionnaires could include questions a potential client might ask regarding a product or service or questions subordinate employees might ask a supervisor.  
     [0030] The foregoing description of the invention is illustrative only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the precise terms set forth. Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to certain illustrative embodiments, variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of the invention as described and defined in the following claims.