Method and apparatus for administering a survey

• US 6,616,458 B1
• Filed: 09/14/1999
• Issued: 09/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Inventor Holdings LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Walker, Jay S., Jorasch, James A., Mik, Magdalena
• Primary Examiner(s): Rovnak, John Edmund
• Application Number:
  US09/396,155
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• Field of Search: 434/236, 434/322, 434/323, 434/353, 434/354, 434/362, 455/2.01, 705/10
• US Class Current: 434/322
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/085 involving remote charge determination or related payment systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/22 Payment schemes or models
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/383 Anonymous user system
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/56 Arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition covered by groups H04H60/29-H04H60/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

In accordance with the present invention, a controller such as an online service provider computer or an ISP computer receives a survey including survey questions from a client desiring to have a survey conducted. The controller creates respondent questions based on the survey questions. The controller also selects one or more respondents from a list of possible respondents, such as a list of customer accounts. The respondent questions are transmitted to the selected respondents. Responses corresponding to the respondent questions are received. The controller applies an inconsistency test to the responses to generate an inconsistency test result. The inconsistency test determines if the responses originate from computers or humans not paying attention to the questions. Based on the inconsistency test result, a fraud signal may be generated. The fraud signal may result in several actions, such as the controller ignoring the responses received from the corresponding respondent, reducing or eliminating payment to the respondent, transmitting a message of reprimand to the respondent, and/or barring the respondent from future participation in surveys.

Claims

1. A system for administering a survey including a survey question and a respondent, the system comprising:

means for creating a respondent question based on the survey question;

means for transmitting the respondent question to the respondent;

means for receiving a response from the respondent, the response corresponding to the respondent question;

means for applying an inconsistency test to the response to generate an inconsistency test result; and

means for creating an adjusted question based on the response and the survey question.

2. A system for administering a survey including a survey question and a respondent, the system comprising:

means for creating a respondent question based on the survey question;

means for transmitting the respondent question to the respondent;

means for receiving a response from the respondent, the response corresponding to the respondent question; and

means for applying an inconsistency test to the response to generate an inconsistency test result,

wherein the means for receiving a response comprises;

means for receiving responses from a plurality of respondents; and

means for creating an adjusted question based on the responses and the survey question.

3. A method comprising:

selecting a first value for a question parameter;

generating a first respondent question having the first value for the question parameter;

transmitting the first respondent question to the respondent;

receiving a response to the first respondent question from the respondent;

applying an inconsistency test to the response to the first respondent question to generate an inconsistency test result;

selecting a second value for the question parameter based on the response to the first respondent question; and

generating a second respondent question having the second value for the question parameter.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

transmitting the second respondent question to the respondent; and

receiving a response to the second respondent question.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

transmitting the second respondent question to a second respondent; and

receiving a response to the second respondent question.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

generating a fraud signal if the inconsistency test result is greater than a predetermined threshold.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

selecting the respondent from a plurality of respondents.

8. The method of claim 3, in which generating the first respondent question comprises:

generating the first respondent question based on a survey question, in which the survey question includes at least one question parameter.

9. The method of claim 3, in which selecting the first value comprises:

selecting the first value at random.

10. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

transmitting the second respondent question to the respondent;

receiving a response to the second respondent question; and

determining whether the response to the first respondent question and the response to the second respondent question define a predetermined pattern.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

generating a fraud signal if the response to the first respondent question and the response to the second respondent question define a predetermined pattern.

12. The method of claim 3, in which the question parameter corresponds to at least one of:

a color,

a font size, and

a font type.

13. The method of claim 3, in which the first respondent question comprises at least one of:

a logo,

a slogan, and

a sound.

14. A method comprising:

selecting a first value for a feature;

generating a first object having the first value for the feature;

selecting a second value for the feature,

in which the second value is not equal to the first value;

generating a second object having the second value for the feature;

generating a first respondent question, the first respondent question including;

the first object having the first value for the feature, and

the second object having the second value for the feature;

transmitting the first respondent question to a respondent;

receiving a response to the first respondent question from the respondent,

the response to the first respondent question indicating a preference of the respondent for the first object over the second object;

applying an inconsistency test to the response to the first respondent question to generate an inconsistency test result;

selecting a third value for the feature,

in which the third value is not equal to the first value;

generating a third object having the third value for the feature;

generating a second respondent question, the second respondent question including;

the third object having the third value for the feature, and

the second object having the second value for the feature; and

transmitting the second respondent question to the respondent.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

generating a fraud signal if the inconsistency test result is greater than a predetermined threshold.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

selecting the respondent from a plurality of respondents.

17. The method of claim 14, in which generating the first respondent question comprises:

generating the first respondent question based on a survey question,

in which the survey question defines a comparison.

18. The method of claim 14, in which selecting the first value comprises:

selecting the first value at random.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

transmitting the second respondent question to the respondent;

receiving a response to the second respondent question; and

determining whether the response to the first respondent question and the response to the second respondent question define a predetermined pattern.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

generating a fraud signal if the response to the first respondent question and the response to the second respondent question define a predetermined pattern.

21. The method of claim 14, in which the feature corresponds to at least one of:

a color,

a font size, and

a font type.

22. The method of claim 14, in which the first respondent question comprises at least one of:

a logo,

a slogan, and

a sound.