POLLING SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20170316631A1
• Filed: 04/20/2017
• Published: 11/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: BEK Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: BEK Holdings LLC
• Inventors: VESELI, Bekim, PANT, Vikram, JOHNSON, Spencer
• Application Number:
  US15/492,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20170316631A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/00 Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism healthcare informatics G16H
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 13/00 Voting apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

An application server may receive poll creation data comprising a poll identifier, a poll question string, at least two answer identifiers and associated answer strings, and data identifying at least one recipient. The application server may generate a plurality of unique data based on at least a portion of the poll creation data, the plurality of unique data enabling the identification of each of a plurality of poll message recipients. The application server may generate a poll message comprising at least a portion of the poll creation data. The application server may send the poll message to each of the plurality of poll message recipients. The application server may receive at least one poll response. The application server may use the plurality of unique data to identify at least one sender of the at least one poll response and a selected poll answer.

Claims

1. A polling method comprising:

receiving, at an application server, poll creation data comprising a poll identifier, a poll question string, at least two answer identifiers and associated answer strings, and data identifying at least one recipient;

generating, by the application server, a plurality of unique data based on at least a portion of the poll creation data, the plurality of unique data enabling the identification of each of a plurality of poll message recipients;

generating, by the application server, a poll message comprising at least a portion of the poll creation data;

sending, by the application server, the poll message to each of the plurality of poll message recipients;

receiving, by the application server, at least one poll response; and

using, by the application server, the plurality of unique data to identify at least one sender of the at least one poll response and a selected poll answer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

the data identifying the at least one recipient comprises contact information;

and

generating the plurality of unique data comprises associating an answer label with each answer identifier.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

using the plurality of unique data to identify the at least one sender of the at least one poll response comprises matching the contact information with sender information embedded in the at least one poll response; and

using the plurality of unique data to identify the selected poll answer comprises identifying the answer label and the answer identifier within the at least one poll response.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the poll creation data further comprises a poll expiration time, the method further comprising making available for assignment a previously assigned answer label that was previously assigned to a poll that has expired.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein

the poll creation data further comprises an answer label for each answer identifier;

the data identifying the at least one recipient comprises a phone number; and

generating the plurality of unique data comprises creating a message identifier from the poll identifier and the phone number.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

using the plurality of unique data to identify the at least one sender of the at least one poll response comprises matching the phone number with sender information embedded in the at least one poll response; and

using the plurality of unique data to identify the selected poll answer comprises identifying the answer identifier within the at least one poll response and using the answer identifier to look up the answer label for the selected poll answer.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the poll creation data further comprises a poll expiration time, the method further comprising clearing an answer label that was previously assigned to a poll that has expired from a memory.

8. A polling system comprising:

an application server memory; and

an application server processor coupled to the application server memory and configured to;

receive poll creation data comprising a poll identifier, a poll question string, at least two answer identifiers and associated answer strings, and data identifying at least one recipient;

generate a plurality of unique data based on at least a portion of the poll creation data, the plurality of unique data enabling the identification of each of a plurality of poll message recipients;

generate a poll message comprising at least a portion of the poll creation data;

send the poll message to each of the plurality of poll message recipients;

receive at least one poll response; and

use the plurality of unique data to identify at least one sender of the at least one poll response and a selected poll answer.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein

the data identifying the at least one recipient comprises contact information;

and

the application server processor is configured to generate the plurality of unique data by a process comprising associating an answer label with each answer identifier.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the application server processor is configured to use the plurality of unique data to identify the at least one sender of the at least one poll response by a process comprising matching the contact information with sender information embedded in the at least one poll response; and

the application server processor is configured to use the plurality of unique data to identify the selected poll answer by a process comprising identifying the answer label and the answer identifier within the at least one poll response.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the poll creation data further comprises a poll expiration time; and

the application server processor is further configured to make available for assignment a previously assigned answer label that was previously assigned to a poll that has expired.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein

the poll creation data further comprises an answer label for each answer identifier;

the data identifying the at least one recipient comprises a phone number; and

the application server processor is configured to generate the plurality of unique data by a process comprising creating a message identifier from the poll identifier and the phone number.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the application server processor is configured to use the plurality of unique data to identify the at least one sender of the at least one poll response by a process comprising matching the phone number with sender information embedded in the at least one poll response; and

the application server processor is configured to use the plurality of unique data to identify the selected poll answer by a process comprising identifying the answer identifier within the at least one poll response and using the answer identifier to look up the answer label for the selected poll answer.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the poll creation data further comprises a poll expiration time; and

the application server processor is further configured to clear an answer label that was previously assigned to a poll that has expired from the application server memory.

15. The system of claim 8, further comprising a mobile device configured to:

create the poll creation data; and

send the poll creation data to the application server processor.

16. The system of claim 8, further comprising a mobile device configured to:

receive the poll message;

generate the at least one poll response; and

send the at least one poll response to the application server processor.