METHOD TO KNOW THE REACTION OF A GROUP RESPECT TO A SET OF ELEMENTS AND VARIOUS APPLICATIONS OF THIS MODEL

• US 20130097245A1
• Filed: 10/05/2012
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Appgree SA
• Original Assignee: Juan Moran Adarraga
• Inventors: Adarraga, Juan Moran
• Granted Patent: US 10,545,642 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0421 Anonymous communication, i.e. the party's identifiers are hidden from the other party or parties, e.g. using an anonymizer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods that provide knowledge about a reaction (e.g. interest) of a group (normally of people) with respect to a set of elements, wherein each group member can react in a different manner. Assuming that the group is accessible by electronic means (e.g. Internet) this system may be based on a group response algorithm to estimate group reaction minimizing workload of group members and minimizing the time needed.

To minimize or reduce group members'"'"' workload and time, the algorithm uses statistic tools. The group response system estimates group reaction with previously set statistic reliability.

The present invention can use too in some cases, secondary algorithms for specific cases.

Claims

1. A computer aided method for estimating the reaction of an agent set comprising a plurality of agents that are presented with an opportunity to provide an agent reaction to one or more options, said method comprising:

providing a first option set comprising a plurality of options;

dividing, with aid of a computer processor, the agent set into a first plurality of agent subsets, wherein the agents belonging to one or more individual agent subset of the agent set are randomly selected;

dividing the option set into a plurality of option subsets that comprehends the first option set;

assigning one or more different option subsets to each respective agent subset;

providing all the options in every assigned option subset to each agent within the respective agent subset;

receiving an agent reaction to all the options in every assigned option subset from each agent within the respective agent subset; and

inferring, with aid of a computer processor, a statistical estimation of the reaction of the agent set to each and every option in the first option set, based on a selected analysis of the agent reactions in the respective agent subsets to the assigned option subsets,

wherein the ratio of the total number of options in the first option set to the number of options in the assigned option subsets provided to an individual respective agent subset is greater than or equal to 2;

1.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein information about the selected analysis to be conducted using the agent reactions is made available for sharing with the agents before giving the agents the opportunity to provide a reaction.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein a parallel evaluation occurs between the agent subsets of the agent set, wherein the evaluation includes evaluation of all the options in every assigned option subset provided to the respective agent subset.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the statistical estimation includes a confidence interval.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the options are proposals, and the statistical estimation includes an acceptance rate of the proposals by the agents.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the proposals are presented by two or more communities, and the statistical estimation includes the acceptance rate of said proposals by the two or more communities.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the two or more communities are opposing interests communities and the methods are used as part of a negotiation technique, wherein a short list of proposals comprising one or more proposals is generated based on said acceptance rates.

8. The method of claim 5 further comprising utilizing the statistical estimation to create a subsequent option set, with aid of a processor, comprising one or more options from the first option set that are selected for the subsequent option set if the acceptance rate exceeds a predetermined threshold.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising utilizing the statistical estimation to create a subsequent option set, with aid of a processor, comprising one or more options from the first option set, that comprises the most preferred option according to the agent set, at a predetermined confidence level.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising utilizing the statistical estimation to create a subsequent option set, with aid of a processor, comprising one or more options from the first option set, that contains a selected number of most preferred options according to the agent set, at or exceeding a predetermined confidence level.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the one or more options are one or more queries to be presented, wherein a limited number of queries may be presented and said subsequent option set includes the limited number of queries.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a conclusion based on the reaction of the agent set if a predetermined objective is attained.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising, if the predetermined objective is not attained:

(a) utilizing the statistical estimation to create a subsequent option set, with aid of a processor, comprising one or more options from the first option set;

(b) dividing, with aid of a processor, the agent set into a plurality of subsequent agent subsets, wherein the agents belonging to one or more individual subsequent agent subset of the agent set are randomly selected;

(c) dividing the subsequent option set into a plurality of subsequent option subsets that constitute the subsequent option set;

(d) assigning one or more different subsequent option subsets to each respective subsequent agent subset;

(e) providing all the options in every assigned subsequent option subset to each agent within the respective subsequent agent subset;

(f) receiving an agent reaction to all the options in every assigned subsequent option subset from each agent within the respective subsequent agent subset; and

(g) determining a conclusion based on the reaction of the agent set if the predetermined objective is attained, or repeating steps (a)-(g) if the predetermined objective size is not attained.

14. The method of claim 12 or claim 13 wherein said conclusion includes a limited number of options and said objective is attained if this limited number of options contains a selected number of most preferred options according to the agent set, at a predetermined confidence level.

15. The method of claim 12 or claim 13 wherein the one or more options are one or more queries to be presented, wherein a limited number of queries may be presented and said conclusion includes the limited number of queries and said predetermined objective is attained if the limited number of queries contains a selected number of most preferred queries according to the agent set, at a predetermined confidence level.

16. The method of claim 12 or claim 13 wherein the conclusion includes a subsequent option set that is selected based on target acceptance and/or size of the subsequent option set.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the number of the first plurality of agent subsets is determined based on the number of options in the first option set.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the ratio is greater than or equal to 10:

1, 100;

1, 1,000;

1, or 10,000;

1.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein each option subset includes only 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 options.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the agent reaction is received via a user interface of a mobile device.

21. A method for formulating potential responses to a query comprising:

presenting the query to a plurality of agents in a response sample group, wherein the response sample group is a subset of an agent set;

receiving a plurality of potential responses to the query from the plurality of agents within the response sample group;

creating a first option set comprising a plurality of options, wherein the plurality of options are the plurality of potential responses; and

performing the method of claim 1.

22. A method for formulating a query comprising:

receiving, from a user, a proposal for a query to be presented to an agent set;

presenting the query to a plurality of agents within a query sample group, wherein the query sample group is a subset of the agent set;

receiving agent reactions to the query from the plurality of agents within the first sample group;

determining, with aid of a processor, if the query exceeds a predetermined threshold based on the agent reactions, and if the agent reaction exceeds a predetermined threshold performing the method of claim 21.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein information about the selected analysis to be conducted using the agent reactions is made available for sharing with the agents before receiving the agent reaction.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein a parallel evaluation occurs between the agent subsets of the agent set, wherein the evaluation includes evaluation of all the options in every assigned option subset provided to the respective agent subset.

25. The method of claim 21 further comprising utilizing the statistical estimation to create a subsequent set of potential responses, with aid of a processor, comprising one or more potential responses from the first option set.

26. The method of claim 21 wherein the number of the first plurality of agent subsets is determined based on the number of potential responses in the first option set.

27. The method of claim 21 wherein the query is presented via the display of a mobile device.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the plurality of potential responses are received via said mobile device.

29. The method of claim 22 wherein the response sample group and the query sample group include one or more of the same agents.

30. The method of claim 22 wherein the response sample group and the query sample group include one or more different agents.

31. The method of claim 21 wherein if any duplications in potential responses exist, they are removed from the plurality of potential responses.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein if any duplications in potential responses exist provided by different agents, the agents that provided the potential responses get credit for having provided the potential responses.

33. A method of determining opinions on a total set of options in a community comprising a

plurality of agents, the method comprising:

defining a number of groups based on a number of options in the total set of options or an expected number of options;

assigning each agent of said plurality to one of the groups;

for each group, presenting to each agent within the group for evaluation a number of options fewer than the number of options in the total set of options;

for each group, receiving from each agent an evaluation of each option presented to the agent; and

determining, with aid of a processor, a best option or set of options according to community opinion using the evaluations received from each of the agents in each of the groups.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein the agents are assigned to their respective groups using a statistical sampling method.

35. The method according to claim 33, wherein the number of options presented to each group is the same.

36. The method according to claim 33, wherein the number of options presented to each group is determined by equally dividing the number of options in the total set of options by the number of groups.

37. The method according to claim 33, wherein the number of options presented to each group is one.

38. The method according to claim 33, wherein a number of the agents assigned to each group is determined by equally dividing the number of the plurality of agents by the number of options in the total set of options.

39. The method according to claim 33, wherein for each group, the options presented to each agent of the group are different from the options presented to agents in remaining groups.

40. The method according to claim 33, further comprising:

(a) determining a set of best option candidates using the evaluations received from each agent in each group;

(b) for each group, presenting to each agent within the group for evaluation at least one option from the set of best option candidates; and

(c) for each group, receiving from each agent an evaluation of the at least one option from the set of best option candidates presented to the agent.

41. The method according to claim 40, further comprising:

repeating, a predefined number of times or until a desired statistical confidence level is achieved, the steps of (a)-(c), wherein

the agents are assigned to their respective groups using a statistical sampling method, and

for each repetition, a number of options in the set of best option candidates is further reduced.

42. The method according to claim 33, wherein determining the best option or set of options comprises selecting an option or set of options that received a most favorable evaluation among the total set of options based on the evaluation from each of the agents in each of the groups.

43. The method according to claim 40, wherein the step of (a) determining the set of best option candidates comprises selecting n options having n most favorable evaluations among the total set of options, where n>

1 and n is less than the number of options in the total set of options.

44. The method according to claim 33, wherein the total set of options comprises submissions received from at least one of the plurality of agents.

45. The method according to claim 33, wherein aggregate information regarding the evaluations is made available to the plurality of agents.

46. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process for determining opinions on a total set of options in a community comprising a plurality of agents, the process comprising:

defining a number of groups based on a number of options in the total set of options or an expected number of options;

assigning each agent of said plurality to one of the groups;

for each group, presenting to each agent within the group for evaluation a number of options fewer than the number of options in the total set of options;

for each group, receiving from each agent an evaluation of each option presented to the agent; and

determining a best option or set of options according to community opinion using the evaluations received from each of the agents in each of the groups.

47. A computer system that determines opinions on a total set of options in a community comprising a plurality of agents, the computer system comprising:

a programmable processor configured to;

define a number of groups based on a number of options in the total set of options or an expected number of options;

assign each agent of said plurality to one of the groups;

for each group, present to each agent within the group for evaluation a number of options fewer than the number of options in the total set of options;

for each group, receive from each agent an evaluation of each option presented to the agent; and

determine a best option or set of options according to community opinion using the evaluations received from each of the agents in each of the groups; and

a display device configured to display the best option or set of options.