System and method for collecting and disseminating human-observable data

• US 20060167971A1
• Filed: 12/29/2005
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: UBIQ Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: UBIQ Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Breiner, Sheldon
• Application Number:
  US11/322,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20060167971A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for creating a network of persons, efficiently connected to a computer through a location-aware mobile phone network, to enable them to perform the duties of sensing agents to collect and deliver to a computer server human-observable data of commercial or public value across a large area. The data collection process tightly integrates the agents, using the phones as the primary interface to the server, to program the actions and objective results of the agent-observers, effectively making them extensions of software programs resident on a computer server. Requests, via Internet browser-based interfaces from clients of such data, are translated by software into specific instructions to appropriate agents in the network specifying such parameters as observations sought, sample densities, locations, frequencies of observations and other such critical parameters. Reporting and delivery of analyzed results to the client is automatic, modulated as necessary by other database information.

Claims

1. A system for collecting data from a plurality of agents and disseminating the data as information to a client comprising:

(a) a computer server having software for accepting requests received via Internet browser-based interfaces from the client to collect the data generated by data-collecting agents and for receiving the data from the agents at a remote source;

(b) at least one wireless communication device interfaced to the computer server for each of the plurality of agents for downloading instructions to carry out the client'"'"'s request and for uploading the collected data to the computer server; and

(c) operating means for analyzing, and converting the data received from each of the agents by the server into information for disseminating to the client.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein an agent database and a client request database in the server are used for assigning the client'"'"'s request to each of the agents.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the client request database receives input from the client for specifications of the client'"'"'s request.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the server software matches information in the agent database with the information in the client request database to determine the agents to be assigned to carry out the client'"'"'s request.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the server software prepares the instructions for each of the assigned agents on the details for collecting the data based on the client'"'"'s request.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the instructions for the agents are translated by the server software into the tasks to be carried out by the agents including observation parameters of the density, frequency and location of observations.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device is equipped with positioning means for determining the location of the device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the wireless communication device is, also equipped with data collecting means selected from the group consisting of image data collector, audio data collector, keypad for stylus-entered data, barcode scanner, radio frequency identification (RFID) scanner, other wireless electronic signal coupler, and combinations thereof.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the server software facilitates payment to the agents for services rendered in connection with the data collection.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the information is disseminated to the client via the Internet.

11. A method for collecting data from a plurality of agents and disseminating the data as information to a client comprising:

(a) receiving from the client via Internet browser-based computer server interfaces a request to collect the data generated by the data-collecting agents;

(b) downloading instructions to carry out the client'"'"'s request by each of the agents via at least one wireless communication device interfaced to the computer server;

(c) uploading the data collected by each of the agents via the wireless communication device to the computer server; and

(d) analyzing and converting the data received from the agents by the server into information for disseminating to the client.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the agents are assigned to carry out the client'"'"'s request from an agent database and a client request database.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the client inputs specifications of the client'"'"'s request.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the information in the agent database is matched with the information in the client request database to determine the agents to be assigned to carry out the client'"'"'s request.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the instructions for each of the assigned agents are prepared on the details for collecting the data based on the client'"'"'s request.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein each of the assigned agents download from the server the instructions that have been translated into the tasks to be carried out by the agents including observation parameters of the density, frequency and location of observations.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the agents'"'"' wireless communication devices has positioning means for determining the location of the device.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the agents collect data using data collecting means selected from the group consisting of image data collector, audio data collector, keypad for stylus-entered data, barcode scanner, radio frequency identification (RFID) scanner, other wireless electronic signal coupler, and combinations thereof.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the client receives via the Internet a report of the information based on the data collected by the agents.

20. A system for collecting human-observable data from a plurality of agents and disseminating the data as information to a client comprising:

(a) a computer server having software for accepting requests received via Internet browser-based interfaces from the client to collect the data generated by data-collecting agents and for receiving the data from the agent at a remote source;

(b) an agent database within the computer server;

(c) a client request database within the computer server, the server software for also matching information in the agent database with the information in the client request database to determine the agents to be assigned to carry out the client'"'"'s request and preparing the instructions for each of the assigned agents on the details for collecting the data based on the client'"'"'s request;

(d) at least one mobile phone equipped with a global poisoning system interfaced to the computer server for each of the plurality of agents for downloading instructions to carry out the client'"'"'s request and for uploading the collected data to the computer server, said mobile phone is also equipped with data collecting means selected from the group consisting of image data collector, audio data collector, keypad for stylus-entered data, barcode scanner, radio frequency identification (RFID) scanner, other wireless electronic signal coupler, and combinations thereof for electronically-transmitted the data by the agent into the phone from a source near the agent, and subsequently translated into digital alphanumeric characters; and

(e) operating system within the computer server having system software for analyzing, and converting the data received from the agent by the server into information for disseminating to the client via the Internet.

21. The system for collecting data from a plurality of agents for a user comprising:

(a) a computer server operated by the user having software to collect the data generated by data-collecting agents and for receiving the data from the agents at a remote source;

(b) at least one wireless communication device interfaced to the computer server for each of the plurality of agents for downloading instructions to carry out the user'"'"'s request and for uploading the collected data to the computer server; and

(c) operating means for analyzing, and converting the data received from each of the agents by the server into information for disseminating to the user.

22. A method for collecting data from a plurality of agents comprising:

(a) transforming data specifications into specific instructions for each of the plurality of agents to satisfy said data collection specifications;

(b) downloading the instructions to carry out the data collection by each of the agents via at least one wireless communication device interfaced to the computer server;

(c) uploading the data collected by each of the agents via the wireless communication device to the computer server; and

(d) analyzing and converting the data received from the agents by the server into information for disseminating to the user.