Wireless response system and method

• US 7,277,671 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2003
• Issued: 10/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fleetwood Group Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Fleetwood Group Incorporated
• Inventors: Glass, Michael S., Derks, Harry G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng; George
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUYNH, NAM TRUNG
• Application Number:
  US10/248,583
• Publication Number:
  US 20030153263A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,706 Days
• Field of Search: 455/89, 455/186.1, 455/2.01, 455/517, 379/357, 434/332, 434/322, 434350-352, 434/118, 434/428, 434334-336, 434/362, 370/261, 370/276, 370/413, 364/411, 348/13, 340/10.41, 725/9, 725/13, 725/6, 725/10, 725/16, 463/9, 463/39, 463/40, 463/37, 700 91- 92
• US Class Current: 455/2.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/06 using polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A wireless response system includes a base unit and a plurality of handheld response units communicating with the base unit over a wireless communication link. The base unit sends polling commands to the response units over the wireless communication. The response units send the response data to the base unit over the wireless communication link in response to the polling signals. The response data is entered in the respective response units by a user.

Claims

1. A wireless response system, comprising:

a base unit and a plurality of handheld response units, said base unit having a wireless base transceiver, each said response unit having a wireless response transceiver, said wireless base transceiver communicating with each said wireless response transceiver over a wireless communication link, each of said response units comprising a plurality of keys for entry of actual user responses and a key press timer, said base unit comprising a base unit timer;

said response units sending transmissions to said base unit over said wireless communication link, said transmissions including actual user responses and a value of said key press timer, the actual user responses being entered in the respective response unit by a user operating one of said keys;

wherein said base unit determines a derived time of response for at least some of said response units and compares the derived times of responses for said at least some of said response units with each other to establish an order in which actual user responses were entered for said at least some of said response units; and

the derived time of response being determined for a response unit at said base unit at least from the value of said key press timer that is received by said base unit from that response unit and from a value of said base unit timer when a transmission is received from that response unit, the value of said key press timer being obtained at the corresponding one of said response units and sent to said base unit, the value of said key press timer being a difference between time that a response is entered at that response unit and time that the corresponding transmission is sent to said base unit, wherein the derived time of response is a function of the time of entry of an actual user response.

2. The response system of claim 1 wherein said wireless communication link comprises at least one chosen from an RF link and IR link.

3. The response system of claim 1 wherein said base unit sends a polling signal to said response units and said response units send user responses to said base unit in response to the polling signal.

4. A wireless response system, comprising:

a base unit and a plurality of handheld response units, said base unit having a wireless base transceiver, each said response unit having a wireless response transceiver, said wireless base transceiver communicating with each said wireless response transceiver over a wireless communication link, each of said response units comprising a plurality of keys for entry of actual user responses and a key press tuner, said base unit comprising a base unit timer;

said response units sending transmissions to said base unit over said wireless communication link, said transmissions including actual user responses and values of said key press timers;

wherein derived times of response are determined for at least some of said response units and compared with each other to establish an order in which actual user responses were entered at the corresponding said response units;

wherein said base unit sends polling signals to said response units and wherein said response units send the transmission to said base unit in response to one of said polling signals and wherein the value of said key press timer transmitted from a response unit comprises time difference between an actual user response and receipt of one of said polling signals by that response unit, and wherein the derived time of response for that response unit is a function of the value of said key press timer transmitted from that response unit and a value of said base unit timer when the said base unit sends one of said polling signals.

5. The response system of claim 4 wherein said wireless communication link comprises at least one chosen from an RF link and IR link.

6. A wireless method of retrieving response data from a plurality of users, comprising:

providing a base unit and a plurality of handlield response units, said base unit having a wireless base transceiver, each of said response units having a wireless response transceiver;

communicating between each said wireless response transceiver and said wireless base transceiver over a wireless communication link, including providing a plurality of keys at each of said response units for entry of actual user responses, providing at each of said response units a key press timer and providing a base unit timer at said base unit;

entering an actual user response in the respective response unit by a user operating one of said keys;

sending actual user responses and values of said key press timers from said response units in a transmissions to said base unit over said wireless communication link; and

determining a derived time of response for a response unit at said base unit from a value of said key press timer that is received by said base unit from that response unit and from a value of said base unit timer when the transmission is received from that response unit; and

comparing the derived times of response for at least some of said user responses to establish an order in which responses were entered for said at least some of said response units, wherein the value of said key press timer being a difference between time a user response is entered at that response unit and time the corresponding value of said key press timer is sent to said base unit.

7. The method of claim 6 including said base unit sending polling signals to said response units and said response units sending the response data to said base unit in response to one of said polling signals and wherein the value of said base unit timer comprises a value of said base unit timer when said base unit sends a respective one of said polling signals.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein said wireless communication link comprises at least one chosen from an RF link and an IR link.

9. The method of claim 6 including sending a polling signal from said base unit to said response units and sending user responses from said response units to said base unit in response to one of the polling signal.