Opinion poll utilizing a wireless data transmission connection

• US 6,418,308 B1
• Filed: 04/05/1999
• Issued: 07/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Tuomi, Ilkka, Okkonen, Harri, Heinonen, Pekka
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CRAVER, CHARLES R
• Application Number:
  US09/242,955
• Time in Patent Office: 1,191 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422, 455/432, 455/433, 455/458, 455/445, 455/466, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/414.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration

Abstract

A method for performing an opinion poll with a mobile communication system having a data processing block, a plurality of recipient mobile stations comprising a wireless communication block and a display, and service center having a buffer. A query message is entered to the data processing block, a predetermined answering period is defined, and the buffer is provided with the query message. This is followed by attempting to send wirelessly the query message from the buffer substantially simultaneously to the recipient mobile stations, attempting again if necessary, and storing at least temporarily the query message at the recipient mobile stations. The query messages are then presented at recipient mobile stations and their users are allowed, at a convenient moment, to enter a written answer message to the mobile station. The written answer messages are sent wirelessly to the service center, forwarded from the service center to the data processing block; and processed by the data processing block, if received by the processing block within the answering period.

Claims

1. In a mobile communication system comprising:

a data processing block;

a service center having a buffer, configured to communicate with the data processing block; and

a plurality of recipient mobile telephones each assigned to at least one user and each comprising a display and a wireless communication block for communicating with at least one base station of a mobile telephone network;

a method comprising the steps of;

entering a query message to the data processing block;

defining a predetermined answering period for answering to the query message;

sending the query message from the data processing block over a network to the service center;

storing the query message in the buffer of the service center;

attempting to send wirelessly the query message from the service center substantially simultaneously to at least two of the recipient mobile telephones;

attempting again to send the query message to any of said at least two recipient mobile telephones to which the attempting to send the query message has not succeeded;

storing at least temporarily the query message at the recipient mobile telephones;

presenting the query message at each recipient mobile telephone to which said query message has been sent;

allowing each of the users of each recipient mobile telephone, at a suitable moment for that user, to enter an answer message to the mobile telephone in reply to the query message;

sending wirelessly over the mobile telephone network the answer message from the mobile telephone to said service center;

forwarding the answer message from said service center to said data processing block; and

processing each answer message received within said answering period in a predetermined way in the data processing block.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the service center is a short message service center of the mobile communication system, and wherein the step of sending the query message to at least two of the recipient mobile stations is accomplished by short message service.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the mobile communication system is a cellular mobile communication system comprising a plurality of communication cells;

further comprising the steps of;

determining the location of a plurality of mobile telephones in said mobile communication system at a given time using the communication cells; and

selecting the recipients based upon said determined locations.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein said determining the location of said plurality of mobile telephones has an accuracy of one cell.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of analyzing the answer messages statistically by the data processing block.

6. A mobile communication system comprising:

a data processing block;

means for entering a query message to the data processing block;

means for defining a predetermined answering period;

a service center having a buffer for receiving and storing the query message, the data processing block being configured to send the query message from the data processing block over the network to the service center, the service center being configured to attempt sending wirelessly the query message substantially simultaneously to at least two recipient mobile telephones;

a plurality of recipient mobile telephones of a mobile telephone network each assigned to at least one user and each comprising a wireless communication block and a display,

wherein the service center is configured to attempt sending again said query message to any of said at least two recipient mobile telephones to which the attempting to send the query message has not succeeded;

means for storing at least temporarily the query message at the recipient mobile telephones;

means for presenting the query message at each recipient mobile telephone to which said query message has been sent;

means for allowing each of the users of the recipient mobile telephones, at a suitable moment for that user, to enter an answer message to the mobile telephone in reply to the query message;

wireless communication blocks at the recipient mobile telephones for sending wirelessly over the mobile telephone network the answer message to said service center;

means for forwarding the answer message from said service center to said data processing block; and

wherein the data processing block is configured to process in a predetermined way each answer message received within said predetermined answering period.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein said service center is a short message service center.

8. A system according to claim 6 wherein said query message is in a digital format.

9. A system according to claim 6, wherein the means for presenting the query message is a display.

10. A mobile communication system comprising:

a data processing block;

means for entering a query message to the data processing block;

means for defining a predetermined answering period;

a service center having a buffer for receiving the query message, configured to attempt sending wirelessly the query message substantially simultaneously to at least two of the recipient mobile stations;

a plurality of recipient mobile stations each assigned to at least one user and each comprising a wireless communication block and a display, the service center being configured to attempt sending again said query message to any of said at least two recipient mobile stations to which the attempting to send the query message has not succeeded;

means for storing at least temporarily the query message at the recipient mobile stations;

means for presenting the query message at each recipient mobile station to which said query message has been sent;

means for allowing each of the users of the recipient mobile station, at a suitable moment for that user, to enter an answer message to the mobile station in reply to the query message;

wireless communication blocks at the recipient mobile stations for sending wirelessly the answer message to said service center;

means for forwarding the message from said service center to said data processing block; and

the data processing block being configured to process in a predetermined way each answer message received within said predetermined answering period; and

wherein the service center comprises means for crediting an interviewee'"'"'s account with a sum determined by the data processing block in response to receiving said answer message.