System for sound file recording, analysis, and archiving via the internet for language training and other applications

Abstract

The invention is a system for sound file recording, comparison, and archiving for network-based language and communications training, or other applications. The invention allows capture of multimedia data from a user, and allows the user to play back his or her self-created sound inputs and to view various comparisons of his or her sound inputs with model sounds. The invention displays a waveform or spectrogram of a model sound superimposed over a waveform (or spectrogram) of the user's sound input. It can display a failure/success indication for the user's sound input relative to a predetermined standard. Further, the invention allows a user to archive sound files for subsequent review and analysis.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for training using a network, comprising: 
 capturing multimedia data from a user;    providing feedback to the user by allowing the user to play and capture multimedia data; and    archiving the captured multimedia data over a network.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising downloading an applet-type program for capturing the multimedia data from a user and one or more multimedia source files.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising comparing the captured multimedia data against the one or more multimedia source files.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising displaying waveforms associated with the captured multimedia data to the user for review.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising displaying spectrograms associated with the captured multimedia data to the user for review.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising displaying a spectrogram associated with the captured multimedia data over a spectrogram associated with one or more multimedia source files.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the multimedia data is speech or audio data.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the multimedia data is video data.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the applet-type program is a Java Sound applet.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising storing the captured multimedia data in a data storage structure.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising uploading the captured multimedia data to a remote server.  
     
     
         12 . A network training system, comprising: 
 means for capturing multimedia data from a user;    means for providing feedback to the user by allowing the user to play and capture multimedia data; and    means for archiving the captured multimedia data over a network.    
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , further comprising means for downloading an applet-type program for capturing the multimedia data from a user and one or more multimedia source files.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising means for comparing the captured multimedia data against the one or more multimedia source files.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising means for displaying waveforms associated with the captured multimedia data to the user for review.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising means for displaying spectrograms associated with the captured multimedia data to the user for review.  
     
     
         17 . An educational workstation, comprising: 
 a processor;    a display device coupled to the processor;    a network interface device coupled to the processor to allow the processor to communicate with a server over a network    a sound system coupled to the processor;    a data storage device coupled to the processor, the data storage device adapted to store instructions to: 
 capture multimedia data from a user;  
 provide feedback to the user by allowing the user to play and capture multimedia data; and  
 archive the captured multimedia data on a server over the network.  
   
     
     
         18 . A remote training system, comprising: 
 a server adapted to download instructional materials over a network and to archive captured multimedia data over the network;    a workstation adapted to communicate with the server, the workstation including 
 means for capturing multimedia data from a user;  
 means for providing feedback to the user by allowing the user to play and capture multimedia data; and  
 means for archiving the captured multimedia data over a network.  
   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the server sends materials from a publisher.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the server sends materials from a content provider.