Patent Description:
The present invention further relates to a data processing system, comprising one or more data processing devices, configured to perform the method of delivering webinars with certified participation.

It is known that the remote attendance of educational sessions, called webinars, which are part of specific online training courses (e-learning) and which are carried out through computer systems usually based on the Internet network, are increasingly widespread. In particular, a webinar can be a live online or even recorded training, marketing or sales event, that allows to faithfully replicate what happens in an educational session, such as a seminar or a lesson, held in the presence, permitting to engage the participating users through various tools, such as chats, questionnaires and surveys, tracing all the participation data acquired during the webinar.

In this context, it is necessary to ensure that a user, who is required to participate in a webinar, has actually participated and carried out all the required activities, such as for instance completing a determined training course and certification of what happens online, certifying the identity of the participants and the authenticity of the training or marketing objectives achieved.

In the prior art, some solutions have been developed to meet this need, such as the systems and methods disclosed in documents <CIT>, concerning a method of managing lifelong learner events on a blockchain, <CIT>, concerning user identity authentication techniques for on-line content or access, and <CIT>, concerning a method and related system for personal identification of a user accessing a network to use contents, as well as in documents <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT>.

However, these prior art solutions are not entirely reliable in guaranteeing the identity of the participants and the authenticity of the training or marketing objectives achieved.

An uncertainty of the training provided to each participating user and of the tracking on participation and on the training results achieved derives from the above. The present invention relates to a method of delivering webinars with certified participation as defined in independent claim <NUM> and relates to a data processing system as defined in independent claim <NUM> and to computer programs and computer readable media as defined in independent claims <NUM> and <NUM>.

It is an object of this invention, therefore, to allow, in a simple, efficient and reliable way, to check and guarantee that a univocally identified user completes a determined training course through one or more webinars, and to guarantee the integrity and authenticity of data relating to the training course and to the user.

It is specific subject matter of the present invention a computer-implemented method of delivering webinars with certified participation comprising the following steps:.

According to another aspect of the invention, in step B, the comparison between images may be based on estimation models the parameters of which are determined through neural learning techniques.

According to a further aspect of the invention, in step B, the biometric facial recognition may use a holistic technique based on a eigenfaces method, in which a facial image is considered as a point of a high-dimensional image space, wherein a lower-dimensional representation is determined through a PCA technique identifying orthogonal axes having maximum variance.

According to an additional aspect of the invention, in step B, the PCA technique may use an adaptive mechanism that, on the basis of external conditions affecting the variance, is configured to perform a class specific projection with a linear discriminant analysis to minimize the variance inside one class, maximizing the variance between classes.

According to another aspect of the invention, in step C, one or more interactions of the participating user with the user data processing device following at least one test and/or at least one questionnaire and/or at least one survey and/or at least one examination proposed during the webinar on the user data processing device may be monitored, and, in step D, said data relating to the participation of the participating user in the webinar stored in said blockchain include data relating to said one or more interactions.

According to a further aspect of the invention, step D may allow the participating user to share with third parties such data relating to the facial biometric recognition of the participating user and said data related to the participation of the participating user in the webinar stored in said blockchain through access to a decentralised application, wherein such sharing is optionally governed by one or more public smart contracts.

According to an additional aspect of the invention, the method may further comprise the following step:
E. recognising and classifying patterns of biometric and/or behavioural data through big data analytics and/or business intelligence.

According to another aspect of the invention, the method may further comprise the following step:
F. performing a behavioural assessment through machine learning to estimate a level of interest of the participating user.

It is also specific subject matter of the present invention a data processing system comprising at least one data processing server and one or more data processing devices, each of which is provided with a screen and a camera, connected through the Internet network to said at least one server, wherein the data processing system is configured to perform the computer-implemented method of delivering webinars with certified participation described above.

It is still specific subject matter of the present invention a set of one or more computer programs comprising instructions which, when executed by a data processing system as just described, cause the data processing system to execute the computer-implemented method of delivering webinars with certified participation described above.

It is still specific subject matter of the present invention a set of one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon the just described set of one or more computer programs.

The computer-implemented method of delivering webinars with certified participation according to the invention is based on a biometric facial recognition, on a tracking of the participation and actual execution of possible surveys and questionnaires, as well as on a certification of data authenticity through blockchain.

The invention is usable for any online training use through, in particular live, of marketing and, more generally, in any context where it is necessary to certify the identity of the participating users, the participation and behaviours, and possibly the results achieved with the webinar attendance, such as for instance surveys, questionnaires and tests. The contexts of application can thus be academic, school, corporate training, lifelong learning, marketing and sales, online interactive audio-visual communication ones and any other context of knowledge sharing, provided that it is made with online or mixed (blended learning) digital tools.

The computer-implemented method of delivering webinars with certified participation according to the invention is configured to detect whether a participating user is actually connected to the webinar, through facial recognition carried out on the basis of images acquired by a camera with which the user's computer is provided or by a different data processing device (e.g. a smartphone) through which the user attends the webinar, and whether he/she remained in front of the screen, with which such user's computer (or different data processing device) is provided, that delivers the webinar itself, for the entire duration or only for a fraction of the webinar. In particular, facial recognition can take place before the start or during the webinar delivery at not necessarily pre-determined times, by acquiring the image of the participating user's face and comparing it with a photograph of the participating user's face taken at the time of registration through an artificial intelligence algorithm, allowing to detect whether there has been a user exchange during at least part of the webinar or not. Also, the analysis of these images taken during the webinar allows to analyse the behaviour of users through artificial intelligence algorithms (behavioural analysis) returning information in real time on the level of attention and the learning degree that are getting reached during the live e-learning training activities. This innovative technique exploits a system of analysis of flows (of images and videos) aimed at analysing the behaviour of the subjects identified through biometric recognition, in order to automatically and transparently evaluate their behavioural degree during the live webinar.

Furthermore, in the case of delivery of tests (or examinations or questionnaires) during the webinar, the method according to the invention allows to check whether the test has been actually made by the participating user registered in the webinar or by another person who unduly replaced him/her.

The present invention will be now described, by way of illustration and not by way of limitation, according to its preferred embodiments, by particularly referring to the Figures of the annexed drawings, in which:.

In the Figures identical reference numerals will be used for alike elements.

With reference to <FIG>, it may be observed that a preferred embodiment of the computer-implemented method of delivering webinars with certified participation according to the invention is implemented in a set of software programs installed on a plurality of data processing devices, for instance comprising at least one data processing server <NUM> and at least one user computer <NUM> (or a different device, for example a portable device such as a tablet <NUM> or a smartphone <NUM>). The user computer <NUM> (as well as the other user data processing devices) is connected through the Internet network <NUM> to said at least one server <NUM>, that is advantageously configured to perform a web application dedicated to the synchronous interactive audio-visual communication via web of contents, making up the webinar, proposed by a teacher or lecturer (who operates directly through the server <NUM> or through a user device, e.g. a computer, connected to the server <NUM>) and received by the user data processing devices (such as those indicated with reference numerals <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM>) which deliver them to respective remote users. Such contents making up the webinar may include: teacher's audio and video, possibly also integrated with slide presentations, images and simulations of use of a program available on the teacher's workstation (i.e. the server <NUM> or a user device, e.g. a computer, connected to the server <NUM>). In particular, the teacher can also share specific contents, such as slides and/or documents, and/or even the entire screen of his/her workstation with the remote users.

In particular, advantageously such web application does not require any specific installation on the user data processing devices, directly delivering the webinar on such user data processing devices with a web browser. During the webinar, the connected users can use a chat service to interact with the teacher, asking questions or specific requests for clarification; the teacher may select the questions or requests that he/she deems most significant and may answer directly in real time during the same webinar. Furthermore, interactive moments such as tests, surveys or evaluation questionnaires with multiple choice questions may be organized: user participation is tracked, as well as the answers and the passing or failure of a possible examination.

With reference to <FIG>, it may be observed that the preferred embodiment of the computer-implemented method of delivering webinars with certified participation according to the invention is based on three main modules: a module <NUM> of biometric facial recognition; a module <NUM> for monitoring participation and possible tests, questionnaires and surveys; and a module <NUM> for the data authenticity certification through blockchain.

The biometric facial recognition module <NUM>, performed at least in part by the server <NUM>, identifies whether the participating user who attends the webinar, delivered by the server <NUM> through a screen <NUM> of the user computer <NUM>, corresponds to the expected participating user. To this end, the biometric facial recognition module <NUM>, optionally based on artificial intelligence algorithms, compares the images acquired by a camera <NUM> of the user computer <NUM> with stored images of the expected participating user, as it will be illustrated in greater detail later.

During the webinar, tests, questionnaires, surveys and/or examinations are proposed for which the participating user who attends the webinar, delivered by the server <NUM> through the screen <NUM> of the user's computer <NUM>, must perform interactions, such as answers and selections, through the user computer <NUM>. The module <NUM> for monitoring the participation and possible tests, questionnaires and surveys, performed at least in part by the server <NUM>, tracks the time of stay of the participating user who attends the webinar, delivered by the server <NUM> through the screen <NUM> of the computer <NUM> of user, and the results of the interactions, such as answers and selections, that the participating user gives in real time to the tests, questionnaires and surveys, optionally proposed live by a teacher.

The data authenticity certification module <NUM>, performed at least in part by the server <NUM>, stores the data acquired by the other two modules <NUM> and <NUM> and related to the participation of the participating user (who attended the webinar, delivered by the server <NUM> through the screen <NUM> of the user computer <NUM>) and the results of his/her interactions, such as answers and selections, tests, questionnaires and surveys, through blockchain. The participating user can access these data authenticated by the blockchain and can share them with third parties, such as an employer or a professional association that require certified training of the participating user.

In other words, the preferred embodiment of the computer-implemented method of delivering webinars with certified participation according to the invention performs a certification process including three main procedures.

First of all, the method according to the invention ascertains the identity of the user attending the webinar, delivered by the server <NUM> through the screen <NUM> of the user computer <NUM>, through biometric facial recognition. Subsequently, the method according to the invention monitors what happens during the webinar, such as for instance the participation and the results of interactions, such as answers and selections in questionnaires. Finally, all data are stored so as to guarantee the integrity and authenticity of such data, as well as possible participation certificates (e.g. diplomas) through blockchain technology, optionally permissionless (such as the Ethereum blockchain or the EOS blockchain or the Gochain blockchain), which guarantees incorruptibility and transparency of data.

Optionally, the participating user may share the authenticated data with third parties, e.g. an employer, through access to a decentralised application (also known as DAPP and that, as known, is implemented through a decentralised code executed on a P2P (peer-to-peer) computer network). Advantageously, such sharing is exclusively governed by public smart contracts (as known, a smart contract translates a contract into code so as to automatically check the fulfilment of certain conditions and to automatically perform actions when the conditions determined between the parties are reached and verified). The third party wishing to verify data accesses the (encrypted) server <NUM> which queries the DAPP blockchain to verify the authenticity of the data; the user who participated in a webinar may access the server <NUM> and obtain a two-dimensional bar code, also known as QR code, that may be transmitted to a third party who can verify the authenticity of a certificate using the QR code received from the user, as it will be illustrated in more detail later.

The biometric facial recognition module <NUM> is configured to recognise the participating user through images acquired by the camera <NUM> of the user computer <NUM>, checking his/her identity through a facial recognition system based on advanced image processing and machine learning techniques. In particular, biometric facial recognition is carried out by comparing the photographic images automatically acquired by the module <NUM> at different times of webinar delivery with sample photographic images stored in the server <NUM> which have been automatically acquired when the user registered on a platform of webinar delivery (advantageously by accessing the server <NUM>). The comparison takes place through eigenfunctional classifiers which extract the salient features of the facial image and perform the comparison on the basis of estimation models the parameters of which are determined through neural training techniques.

The module <NUM> does not merely use face recognition techniques based on the geometric characteristics and marker points of the face, such as the position of the eyes, the position of the ears and the nose position, since these techniques have various limitations of performance. Differently, the biometric facial recognition module <NUM> uses a holistic technique based on the eigenfaces method, disclosed by <NPL>. In particular, the module <NUM> considers a facial image as a point of a high-dimensional image space, substantially determined by the resolution of the images, whereby a lower-dimensional representation is determined in which the classification of the face and the associated recognition becomes easier.

The lower dimension subspace is found through the technique of principal component analysis, also known as PCA, disclosed by <NPL>, and by <NPL>. The PCA technique identifies the orthogonal axes having maximum variance.

Although this type of transformation is optimal from the reconstruction point of view, any class labels are not taken into account. In the method according to the invention, the module <NUM> implements an adaptive mechanism that, based on external conditions, such as for instance lighting, noise and clutter, which may affect data variance (as disclosed by<NPL>), possibly carries out a class specific projection with a linear discriminant analysis, also known as LDA (Linear Discriminant Analysis), by Fisher (as disclosed by <NPL>), to minimise the variance inside one class, while maximising the variance among classes.

In other words, the module <NUM>, although starting from a mechanism consolidated in literature for facial representation, implements an innovative mechanism of modelling and classification of data according to the specific characteristics of the reference application problems. In particular, to drastically reduce the computational burden, biometric facial recognition of a particular face, represented by the projection in the appropriate feature space, is not carried out by comparing all the faces already stored and available in the database, the number of which may be too high with respect to the time constraints required to carry out the recognition; differently, the module <NUM> uses the webinar identification protocol, for which it is possible to know in advance the identity of the expected participant user to be recognised and accredited.

In this way, the vector of features (PCA eigenvectors) representing a face is compared only with those of the expected participant user, i.e. the participating user who declares to attend the webinar, i.e. with the sample photographic images of that expected participating user previously stored in the registration phase. To this end, the computer-implemented method of delivering webinars with certified participation according to the invention advantageously uses a conventional mechanism of authorised access to the webinar through username, password and/or token generation.

Thus, the positive or negative decision on the recognition takes place through a template matching technique (as disclosed by<NPL>), once a proper metric and an accurately calculated proper threshold have been established. In this regard, a training algorithm determines a data-driven model that, after a proper training phase on all available data, allows to automatically define the threshold for each one of the possible users to be recognised. In particular, the training is not necessary at each recognition to be carried out, but only periodically when the size and assortment of the registered users significantly changes in the database stored in the server <NUM>.

As stated, a participating user may share authenticated data with third parties. By way of example, at the end of a webinar (that may possibly include the passing of an examination by the user), the participating user obtains a digital certificate (e.g. in pdf). The data authenticity certification module <NUM> calculates the hash of the content of the digital certificate that, via smart contract, is stored in the blockchain. From this moment, it can be said that the content of the digital certificate is "notarised" and a third party can verify the authenticity of the certificate according to two possible modes.

In a first mode, the digital certificate also carries a QR code containing the hash of the certificate. When the third party scans the QR code through a software application configured to connect to the server <NUM>, a smart contract function is called that checks that the hash is actually present in the blockchain: in the positive (the hash is present in the blockchain), a successful check message is returned; otherwise, a message notifying of the possible counterfeiting of the document is returned (e.g. "this document may be counterfeited").

In a second mode, the third party may access the server <NUM> through a web page where he/she can upload the digital certificate, and the server <NUM> calculates the hash of the content of the digital certificate and checks whether it is present in the blockchain.

Other embodiments of the computer-implemented method of delivering webinars with certified participation may be structured so as to implement big data analytics and business intelligence techniques, configured to recognise and classify biometric and/or behavioural data patterns for a given optimization objective. In this case, the method comprises an additional analysis module implementing further feature extraction techniques, permitting to represent the acquired information in a data space sufficiently descriptive and adequate to guarantee the structural diversity of the data themselves (as disclosed by<NPL>, and by <NPL>). Also, the additional analysis module implements machine learning techniques to solve the specific problems of unsupervised learning for the recognition of similarities and diversities in data (clustering), i.e. of supervised learning for problems of classification, regression, and prediction of historical series (as disclosed by <NPL>, by <NPL>, and by<NPL>).

Further embodiments of the computer-implemented method of delivering webinars with certified participation may also carry out a behavioural assessment, through machine learning, to estimate the level of interest of each user participating in a webinar. In this regard, the method comprises an further additional behavioural assessment module that, through the massive collection and subsequent processing of data concerning the degree of engagement of the participating users, is configured to determine a level of interest for a given topic by the participating users. In this case, the additional behavioural assessment module performs a data extraction process defining structured patterns that unambiguously describe a determined behavioural measure, in particular through the coding of facial/vocal expression, the frequency of use of the interfaces of communication and results of previous individually distributed questionnaires. Once the behavioural classes that is desired to consider have been defined, taken a sufficiently descriptive sample of the various behavioural modes (training set), the additional behavioural assessment module trains neural classifiers for the association of the behavioural mode to a new observation of a participating user, optionally using non-exclusive techniques based on probabilistic or fuzzy data-driven models. In fact, with such models, it is possible to manage data uncertainty with greater robustness as several behavioural modes may be associated at the same time, each with its own level of probability/reliability, as disclosed by <NPL>, and by<NPL>. A decision support system, possibly even a human expert, may then make decisions on the behavioural assessment, depending on the objective to be pursued and the actions to be carried out, also taking account of possible risk matrices (as disclosed by <NPL>, by <NPL>). Therefore, the behavioural assessment module allows to monitor the users participating in the webinar through the camera <NUM> of the user computer <NUM>, thus permitting to interpret their attitudes, such as attitudes of interest, boredom or engagement.

This allows to apply the computer-implemented method of delivering webinars with certified participation also in fields contiguous to those of e-learning, specifically in the security, advertising, and social networking fields.

Claim 1:
Computer-implemented method of delivering webinars with certified participation comprising the following steps:
A. supplying a webinar to a participating user through a screen (<NUM>) of a user data processing device (<NUM>; <NUM>; <NUM>);
B. performing (<NUM>) a biometric facial recognition of the participating user through a plurality of images acquired by a camera (<NUM>) with which the user data processing device (<NUM>; <NUM>; <NUM>) is provided, wherein said images automatically acquired by the camera (<NUM>) in a corresponding plurality of different instants during delivery of the webinar are compared with one or more stored sample images of an expected participating user, identified on the basis of user credentials, which have been automatically acquired before the delivery of the webinar, wherein comparison between images is made through eigenfunctional classifiers extracting salient facial features;
C. monitoring (<NUM>) a participation of the participating user in the webinar; and
D. storing (<NUM>) data relating to the biometric facial recognition of the participating user and data relating to the participation of the participating user in the webinar in a blockchain.