System and method for conducting focus groups using remotely loaded participants over a computer network

• US 6,256,663 B1
• Filed: 01/22/1999
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Interactive Tracking Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Greenfield Online, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Davis, Hugh O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coulter, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US09/236,143
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 345/330, 345/229, 370/260
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104

Abstract

A system and method for conducting focus group discussions among remotely located participants is provided. The system includes a respondent computer interface for each respondent computer which controls display of a plurality of respondent chat messages provided by at least one moderator and the respondents and which blocks display of client and moderator chat messages generated by the clients and the moderator respectively, and at least one input device, which allows the respondent to input respondent chat messages. The system also includes a client computer interface for each client computer, which controls display of all of the respondent chat messages and a plurality of client chat messages which are provided by the moderator and the client(s). Each client computer also includes at least one input device to allow each client to input client chat messages. Also included in the system is a moderator computer for each moderator. Each moderator computer includes a moderator interface, which displays both the client chat messages and the respondent chat messages, preferably in client chat and moderator chat windows, respectively. Each moderator computer further includes an input device to allow moderators to input both client chat messages and respondent chat messages. The respondent computers, client computers and moderator computers are all interfaced to each other via a computer network.

Claims

1. A system for conducting focus group discussions among participants including at least one moderator, at least one client and at least one respondent, wherein said participants are remotely located one from another and are interconnected with each other over a computer network allowing at least electronic data exchange among said participants, said system comprising:

a respondent computer interface for a respondent computer, said respondent computer interface for displaying, on a respondent display associated with each respondent computer, a plurality of respondent chat messages generated by said at least one moderator and said at least one respondent, said respondent computer interface for not displaying client chat messages and moderator chat messages and for also allowing each said respondent to input respondent chat messages through said respondent computer interface using at least one respondent computer input device associated with each said respondent computer;

a client computer interface for a client computer, said client interface for displaying, on a client display associated with each client computer, said plurality of respondent chat messages generated by said at least one moderator and said at least one respondent, a plurality of client chat messages generated by said at least one client and said at least one moderator, said client computer interface for also allowing said at least one client to input client chat messages through said client computer interface using at least one client input device associated with each said client computer and for preventing said at least one client from entering respondent chat messages; and

a moderator computer interface for a moderator computer, said moderator computer interface for displaying, on a client display associated with each moderator computer, said plurality of respondent chat messages and said plurality of client chat messages, said moderator computer interface for also allowing said at least one moderator to input respondent chat messages to be displayed to said at least one respondent and said at least one client, and client chat messages to be displayed to said at least one client through said moderator computer interface using at least one moderator input device associated with each said moderator computer.

2. The system for conducting focus group discussions as claimed in claim 1, wherein said computer network comprises the Internet World-Wide-Web.

3. The system for conducting focus group discussions as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of said respondent or client chat messages include audio files.

4. The system for conducting focus group discussions as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of said respondent or client chat messages include graphical images.

5. The system for conducting focus group discussions as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of said respondent or client chat messages include video data provided by at least one of said client, respondent and moderator.

6. The system for conducting focus group discussions as claimed in claim 1, wherein said client computer interface provides at least two display areas arranged on said client computer display, a first of said two display areas for displaying said client chat messages and a second of said two display areas for displaying said respondent chat messages.

7. The system for conducting focus group discussions as claimed in claim 1, wherein said moderator computer interface provides at least two display areas arranged on said moderator computer display, a first of said two display areas for displaying said client chat messages and a second of said two display areas for displaying said respondent chat messages.

8. The system for conducting focus groups as claimed in claim 7, wherein said moderator computer interface provides a chat message destination selector, for allowing said moderator to select between providing input as a client chat message and a respondent chat message.

9. The system for conducting focus group discussions as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a chat message database, for storing said respondent and client chat messages exchanged during a focus group discussion.

10. A method for conducting focus group discussions among participants including at least one moderator, at least one client and at least one respondent, wherein said participants are remotely located, one from another, each said at least one respondent having a respondent computer including a respondent computer interface, responsive to respondent chat messages, for displaying, on a respondent computer display device said respondent chat messages, each said at least one client having a client computer including a client computer interface, responsive to said respondent chat messages and client chat messages, for displaying, on a client computer display device said respondent chat messages in a respondent chat display area on said client computer display device, and for displaying said client chat messages in a client chat display area on said client computer display device, and each moderator having a moderator computer including a moderator interface, responsive to said respondent and client chat messages, for displaying, on a moderator computer display device said client chat messages in a client chat display area and for displaying said respondent chat messages in a respondent chat display area on said moderator computer display device, said at least one respondent computer, said at least one client computer and said at least one moderator computer interconnected with each other over a computer network, said method comprising the steps of:

accepting and transmitting respondent chat messages provided by said at least one moderator from at least one moderator computer input device;

accepting and transmitting respondent chat messages provided by said at least one respondent from at least one respondent computer input device in response to said respondent chat messages transmitted from said at least one moderator;

displaying said respondent chat messages on said respondent computer display device and blocking display of client and moderator chat messages by said respondent computer interface;

displaying said respondent chat messages in said respondent chat display area on said moderator and client computer display devices by said moderator and client computer interfaces respectively;

accepting client chat messages provided by said at least one client from at least one client computer input device and provided by said at least one moderator from at least one moderator computer input device;

displaying said client chat messages in said client chat display area on said on said moderator and client computer display devices by said moderator and client computer interfaces; and

prohibiting, by said client computer interface, said respondent chat messages from being generated by said at least one client.

11. The method for conducting focus group discussions as claimed in claim 10, wherein said respondent, client and moderator computers are interconnected over a computer network comprising the Internet World-Wide-Web.

12. The method for conducting focus group discussions as claimed in claim 10, wherein said steps of accepting chat messages comprise accepting text messages from said at least one client, respondent and moderator.

13. The method for conducting focus group discussions as claimed in claim 10, wherein said steps of accepting chat messages provided by said at least one client, respondent and moderator comprises accepting graphical images from said at least one client, respondent and moderator.

14. The method for conducting focus group discussions as claimed in claim 10, wherein said steps of accepting chat messages provided by said at least one client, respondent and moderator comprises accepting audio files from said at least one client, respondent and moderator.

15. The method for conducting focus group discussions as claimed in claim 10, wherein said steps of accepting chat messages provided by said at least one client, respondent and moderator comprises accepting video data provided by said at least one client, respondent and moderator.

16. The method for conducting focus group discussions as claimed in claim 10 further comprising the step of storing said chat messages in a database.