Touch Screen Survey Method and Apparatus

• US 20110227852A1
• Filed: 09/07/2009
• Published: 09/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Customer Research Technology Limited
• Original Assignee: Customer Research Technology Limited
• Inventors: Gamble, Richard Stephen, Rowland, Simon John
• Granted Patent: US 8,970,514 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

The invention relates to methods and apparatus for performing touch-screen surveys. The surveys comprise a plurality of screen displays each including a survey question and one or more screen buttons by means of which the user signifies an answer to the survey question by touching the screen button. A method of quarantining responses to a touch screen survey comprises defining a set of criteria for identifying if a response is likely to be a serious response or a nuisance response. The method includes monitoring the screen touches to determine the number of survey questions answered and the time intervals between screen touches. The monitored screen touches are compared with the defined criteria to categorise the response as a likely nuisance response or a likely serious response. The response is quarantined if it is categorised as a likely nuisance response. A method of discriminating between valid and nuisance responses comprises: monitoring screen touches; determining a same place touch count depending on a zone at which the screen is touched and the number of consecutive touches in the zone; comparing the same place touch count to a threshold; and determining if the response is valid or a nuisance response based on the comparison.

Claims

1. A method of discriminating between valid and nuisance responses to a touch screen survey, wherein the survey comprises a plurality of screen displays each including a survey question and one or more screen buttons by means of which the user signifies an answer to the survey question by touching the screen button, and wherein the touch screen comprises a plurality of zones, each zone being an area of surface of the touch screen, the method comprising:

monitoring screen touches;

determining a same place touch count depending on a zone at which the screen is touched and the number of consecutive touches in the zone;

comparing the same place touch count to a threshold; and

determining if the response is valid or a nuisance response based on the comparison.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the same place touch count comprises:

identifying a screen touch as a valid tap when the user touches the screen in a zone that comprises a screen button, and assigning a valid tap rating to the screen touch;

identifying a screen touch as an invalid tap when the user touches the screen in a zone that does not comprise a screen button, and assigning an invalid tap rating to the screen touch; and

incrementing the same place touch count by an amount corresponding to the assigned tap rating.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising defining the plurality of zones

4. The method of claim 3 wherein defining the plurality of zones comprises specifying a grid of zones.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the grid of zones is defined by specifying a number of horizontal grid lines and a number of vertical grid lines.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the grid of zones is defined by specifying a number of rows of and a number of columns in the grid.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the zones are pre-defined.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising quarantining the response if the determination is made that it is a nuisance response.

9. A touch screen survey apparatus comprising:

a touch screen operable to detect a location of the touch screen surface touched by a user and to display the survey as a plurality of screen displays each including a survey question and one or more screen buttons by means of which the user signifies an answer to the survey question by touching a screen button, and wherein the touch screen comprises a plurality of zones, each zone being an area of surface of the touch screen; and

a processor operable to control the presentation of the screen displays, to monitor screen touches, to determine a same place touch count depending on the zone at which the screen is touched and the number of consecutive touches in the zone, to compare the same place touch count to a threshold, and to determine if the response is valid or a nuisance response based on the comparison.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising an operator interface operable for entering a valid tap rating and an invalid tap rating, and wherein the processor is operable to:

identify a screen touch as a valid tap when the user touches the screen in a zone that comprises a screen button;

identify the screen touch as an invalid tap when the user touches the screen in a zone that does not comprise a screen button; and

to increment the same place touch count by an amount corresponding to the tap rating of the screen touch.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the operator interface is operable for entering instructions including definition of a plurality of zones, each zone being an area of surface of the touch screen and/or a threshold same place touch count.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 comprising a computerised touch screen survey device such as a personal computers, Tablet PC, personal digital assistants or a touch screen terminal.

13. A method of quarantining responses to a computerised survey, wherein the survey comprises a plurality of screen displays each including a survey question and one or more screen buttons by means of which the user signifies an answer to the survey question by touching the screen button, the method comprising:

defining a set of criteria for identifying if a response is likely to be a serious response or a nuisance response, the criteria are based on the number of survey questions answered and the timing between answers to survey questions;

monitoring the screen touches to determine the number of survey questions answered and the time intervals between screen touches;

comparing the monitored responses with the defined criteria to categorise the response as a likely nuisance response or a likely serious response; and

quarantining the response if it is categorised as a likely nuisance response.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the criteria include one or more of:

a maximum number of answers in a time period;

a minimum time between survey responses;

a minimum number of questions answered;

a maximum time between answers;

a minimum number of selected answers to a question where multiple answers can be provided;

a maximum number of selected answers to a question where multiple answers can be provided;

a maximum number of screen touches in the same screen location;

a maximum number of touches to a “

previous screen”

or “

previous question”

button;

bad language used in a response;

repeating letter sequences in a response;

repeat pressing of a “

previous”

button;

an out of hours response entry;

conflicting answers.