Fee determination device

• US 20060178999A1
• Filed: 02/10/2005
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DataGater, LLC
• Original Assignee: DataGater, LLC
• Inventors: Rust, Langbourne W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,272,582 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/085 involving remote charge determination or related payment systems

Abstract

Methods and electronic architectures for volume based handling and processing electronic data, for which a fee is determined based on a selectable metric, are provided. One embodiment includes program instructions for collecting non-aggregated data in an encrypted form that cannot be accessed or presented in aggregation for analysis without first being decrypted. The process of decryption allows for the determination of the fee based on a selectable fee metric associated with the decryption.

Claims

1. A method of handling electronic data, comprising:

receiving non-aggregated data into a number of different records off-line on a data collection device;

locking the data on the data collection device so that individual records are still repeatedly operable upon, including being readable, and editable, but cannot be operated upon by analysis software to aggregate and analyze the data between different records without being unlocked;

receiving a particular key to unlock the data, such that analysis software can operate on the different records to aggregate and analyze unlocked data between different records;

determining a fee for handling the data based on a user controlled selection of a number of keys chosen to unlock particular data, wherein the fee is thus based on a volume of the number of keys the user selects, but is not based on a volume of repeated actual usage and operation on the unlocked data by analysis software; and

subsequently executing additional software to analyze between and/or electronically aggregate results of the unlocked data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes allowing the locked data in a non-aggregated form to be revised or deleted on the data collection device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein operation by analysis software includes performing statistical analysis on the unlocked data.

2-3. -3. (canceled)

5-6. -6. (canceled)

8. A method of processing electronic data, comprising:

collecting unlocked data into a number of different records on a data collection device;

locking the data on the data collection device so that individual records are still repeatedly operable upon, including readable, and editable, but cannot be operated upon by analysis software to aggregate and analyze the data between different records;

unlocking the data wherein the selection of data to be unlocked is user controlled and enables access by analysis software to aggregate and analyze the data between different records;

determining a fee to charge for unlocking the data, wherein the fee is based on a volume of data unlocked, but is not based on a volume of repeated actual usage and operation on unlocked data by analysis software; and

subsequently executing additional software to analyze between and/or electronically aggregate results of the unlocked data.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein unlocking the data includes:

receiving a request to unlock the data by a fee determination device;

transmitting a particular key from the fee determination device to the data collection device; and

unlocking the data using the particular key.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the method includes applying bytes unlocked as the volume to determine the fee to charge for unlocking the data.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the method includes using the volume of data from the group of a number of surveys unlocked, informational content unlocked, and a volume of memory unlocked-to determine the fee to charge for unlocking the data.

9. (canceled)

11. (canceled)

13. (canceled)

15. A method of handling electronic response information, comprising:

collecting response information into a number of different records on a data collection device;

locking the response information in a form that is platform independent to a format of the response information so that individual records are still operable upon, including readable, and editable, but cannot be operated upon by analysis software to aggregate and analyze the response information in such a way that combines the response information from different records;

unlocking the response information, such that analysis software can operate on the different records to aggregate and analyze the unlocked response information between different records;

determining a fee to charge for unlocking the response information based on a user controlled selection of response information to unlock, wherein the fee is based on a volume of response information unlocked, but is not based on a volume of repeated actual usage and operation on the on unlocked response information by analysis software; and

subsequently executing additional software to analyze between and/or electronically aggregate results of the unlocked information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the format includes a survey format with open and closed ended questions.

17. The method of claim 16, the method including determining the fee to charge based on a number count of open ended questions responses and closed ended questions responses unlocked.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the format includes a particular application language suited to a particular operating environment.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the particular application language includes a video capture program.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein unlocking the response information includes facilitating access to the received response information to a different application operable on the particular application language suited to the particular operating system environment.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the format includes behavioral observations.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the behavioral observations are captured by a video capture program.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the response information includes animal behavior response information.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein determining a fee includes determining a bandwidth traffic to the received response information.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the bandwidth traffic includes video bandwidth traffic.

26. The method of claim 20, the method including a video capture program and the different application includes a video analysis program.

27. The method of claim 15, the method including providing data collection software to receive the response information into the data collection device.

28. The method of claim 27, the method including providing question templates with the data collection software.

29. A method of processing electronic data, comprising:

receiving data in an unlocked form into a number of different records on a data collection device;

locking the data on the data collection device so that individual records are still repeatedly operable upon, including readable, and editable, but cannot be operated upon by analysis software to aggregate and analyze the data between different records without being unlocked;

receiving a request to unlock the data by an electronic fee determination device;

receiving a particular key based on a user controlled key selection to unlock a portion of the data such that the particular key enables access to the portion of the data by analysis software to aggregate and analyze unlocked data between different records; and

determining a fee to charge based on the user controlled selection of the portion of the data unlocked, wherein the fee is thus based on a volume of the portion of the data unlocked, but is not based on a volume of repeated actual usage and operation on the unlocked data by analysis software; and

subsequently executing additional software to analyze between and/or electronically aggregate results of the unlocked data.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the method includes allowing the data to be revised or deleted on the data collection device while locked.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein the method includes:

aggregating the unlocked data; and

performing statistical analysis on the aggregated unlocked data.

31-33. -33. (canceled)

35-45. -45. (canceled)