Method and apparatus for collecting survey data via the internet

• US 8,073,013 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2006
• Issued: 12/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Coleman Research, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Coleman Research, Inc.
• Inventors: Coleman, Jon, Barringer, Carl, Fugina, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): MASUR, PAUL H
• Application Number:
  US11/365,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20070206606A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,106 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/312, 370/464, 370/484, 370/485, 370/486, 370/480, 704/200, 704/231, 705/1, 705/7, 705/10, 705/14, 705/14.41, 709/223, 709/224, 709/230, 709/231, 702/127, 702/179, 725 9- 25
• US Class Current: 370/486
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637

Abstract

A method and apparatus for conducting a survey independent of location and participant schedules is disclosed herein. An exemplary method of the present invention comprises sending a multi-media data file to a plurality of survey participants, receiving reactionary feedback from a plurality of participants via a wide area network, and compiling the reactionary feedback to generate the survey results. Subsequently, a viewer synchronously displays the compiled survey results with the corresponding streamed media from the multi-media data file.

Claims

1. A communication network configured to conduct a multi-media survey conducted based on streaming media from a multi-media data file to one or more survey participants, said communication network comprising:

a network gateway configured to receive reactionary feedback via a wide area network from a plurality of participants, and to associate the received reactionary feedback with the corresponding participant, wherein the reactionary feedback comprises a recorded reaction that quantifies a reaction of a participant to the streamed media by corresponding a position of a movable reaction tool to the reaction of the participant as the participant moves the movable reaction tool between a minimum value and a maximum value, and wherein the reactionary feedback further comprises a time marker corresponding to each recorded reaction and representing a time of a recorded reaction relative to a time reference of the multi-media data file;

a study manager configured to compile the reactionary feedback from the plurality of participants to generate survey results comprising a survey value between the minimum value and the maximum value at each of a plurality of time markers spanning at least some portion of the multi-media data file, wherein each survey value comprises a compilation of the reactionary feedback received for the corresponding time marker;

a viewer configured to display synchronized survey results and multi-media data file; and

a view manager configured to control the viewer responsive to user commands, wherein the viewer manager is further configured to synchronize the survey results with the multi-media data file to generate synchronized survey results and multi-media data by associating the survey results with the multi-media data having common time markers.

2. The communication network of claim 1 further comprising a recruit manager configured to select the plurality of participants from a plurality of survey candidates that accept a survey participation request.

3. The communication network of claim 1 wherein the study manager comprises a survey generator configured to generate a sequence of instructions for implementing the survey on a participant'"'"'s personal communication device.

4. The communication network of claim 1 further comprising a media server configured to stream the media from the multi-media file to one or more of the plurality of participants via the wide area network during the survey.

5. The communication network of claim 1 wherein the viewer manager comprises at least one of a zoom control configured to zoom to a selected portion of the displayed synchronized survey results and multi-media data responsive to a user input, a skip control configured to skip to a selected portion of the displayed synchronized survey results and multi-media data responsive to user input, a pause control configured to pause the displayed synchronized survey results and multi-media data responsive to user input, and a volume control configured to control a volume of the streamed media responsive to user input.

6. The communication network of claim 1 wherein the viewer comprises a tracking marker that tracks a time location of the streamed media in the displayed synchronized survey results and multi-media data, and wherein the viewer manager is configured to control the tracking marker responsive to user control.

7. The communication network of claim 1 wherein the study manager comprises a survey generator configured to generate a sequence of instructions for implementing the survey on a participant'"'"'s personal communication device, the communication network further comprising:

a recruit manager configured to select the plurality of participants from a plurality of survey candidates that accept a survey participation request; and

a media server configured to stream the media from the multi-media file to one or more of the plurality of participants via the wide area network during the survey.

8. The communication network of claim 7 wherein the viewer comprises a tracking marker that tracks a time location of the streamed media in the displayed synchronized survey results, and wherein the viewer manager is configured to control the tracking marker responsive to user control.

9. The communication network of claim 1 wherein the study manager comprises a data compiler configured to extrapolate reactionary feedback received from one or more participants to generate extrapolated reactionary feedback comprising a reactionary feedback value at each of a plurality of time markers in a predetermined set of time markers for each survey participant, and wherein the view manager is configured to generate the synchronized survey results and multi-media data by associating the extrapolated reactionary feedback corresponding to the time markers in the predetermined set of time markers with the corresponding time markers of the multi-media data file.

10. A method of compiling reactionary feedback obtained via a wide area network, the method comprising:

receiving reactionary feedback corresponding to a multi-media data file from a plurality of survey participants at a server via the wide area network, wherein the reactionary feedback associated with each survey participant comprises a plurality of reactionary values, each between a minimum value and a maximum value and each resulting from movement of a tool manipulated by the corresponding survey participant between the minimum value and maximum value and responsive to the survey participant'"'"'s reaction to the multi-media data file at a corresponding time marker;

extrapolating the received reactionary feedback for one or more survey participants to generate extrapolated reactionary feedback comprising a reactionary feedback value at each of a plurality of time markers in a predetermined set of time markers for each survey participant;

synchronizing the extrapolated reactionary feedback data from a plurality of participants with the multi-media data file by associating the extrapolated reactionary feedback corresponding to the time markers in the predetermined set of time markers with the corresponding time markers of the multi-media data file; and

streaming the synchronized extrapolated reactionary feedback and multi-media data file to display the synchronized reactionary feedback and multi-media data file on a user interface of a network media device.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein extrapolating the reactionary feedback comprises populating a reactionary feedback table for each survey participant, wherein said reactionary feedback table includes the time markers in the predetermined set of time markers and the corresponding reactionary feedback values.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising averaging the extrapolated reactionary feedback from a plurality of participants to generate average survey results.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising averaging the extrapolated reactionary feedback from two or more participants corresponding to at least one survey category.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein streaming the synchronized extrapolated reactionary feedback and multi-media data file comprises streaming the synchronized extrapolated reactionary feedback and multi-media data file corresponding to one or more categories on the user interface.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising manipulating the displayed synchronized extrapolated reactionary feedback and multi-media data file responsive to user control.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein extrapolating the reactionary feedback comprises populating a reactionary feedback table for each survey participant, wherein said reactionary feedback table includes the time markers in the predetermined set of time markers and the corresponding reactionary feedback values, the method further comprising averaging the extrapolated reactionary feedback from a plurality of participants to generate average survey results.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising averaging the extrapolated reactionary feedback from two or more participants corresponding to at least one survey category, wherein synchronizing the extrapolated reactionary feedback and streaming the synchronized extrapolated reactionary feedback and multi-media data file comprises synchronizing the averaged and extrapolated reactionary feedback corresponding to at least one survey category with the multi-media data file and streaming the synchronized averaged and extrapolated reactionary feedback and multi-media data file to display survey results corresponding to one or more survey categories.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising manipulating the displayed survey results responsive to user control.

19. A method of conducting a multi-media survey using a wide area network, the method comprising:

sending a multi-media data file to a plurality of survey participants;

receiving reactionary feedback from a plurality of participants via the wide area network, wherein the reactionary feedback for each survey participant comprises a plurality of reactionary values, each between a minimum value and a maximum value and each resulting from movement of a tool manipulated by the corresponding survey participant between the minimum value and maximum value and responsive to the survey participant'"'"'s reaction to the multi-media data file at a corresponding time marker;

compiling the reactionary feedback from the plurality of participants to generate survey results comprising a survey value between the minimum value and the maximum value at each of a plurality of time markers spanning at least some portion of the multi-media data file, wherein each survey value comprises a compilation of the reactionary values received for the corresponding time marker; and

synchronously displaying the survey results on a viewer while streaming media from the multi-media data file to the viewer by displaying the survey values and sections of the multi-media data file having common time markers at the same time.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein displaying the survey results comprises displaying one or more sorted groups of the survey results, wherein the sorted groups are sorted based on at least one survey category, the method further comprising manipulating the displayed survey results responsive to user control.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein compiling the reactionary feedback further comprises extrapolating the reactionary feedback received from one or more participants to generate extrapolated reactionary feedback comprising a reactionary feedback value at each of a plurality of time markers in a predetermined set of time markers for each survey participant, and wherein synchronously displaying the survey results comprises synchronizing the extrapolated reactionary feedback from a plurality of participants by associating the extrapolated reactionary feedback corresponding to the time markers in the predetermined set of time markers with the corresponding time markers of the multi-media data file and streaming the synchronized extrapolated reactionary feedback and multi-media data file to display the synchronized reactionary feedback and multi-media data file.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein displaying the survey results comprises displaying one or more sorted groups of the survey results, wherein the sorted groups are sorted based on at least one survey category.

23. The method of claim 19 further comprising manipulating the displayed results responsive to user control.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein manipulating the displayed results comprises at least one of zooming to a selected portion of the displayed results responsive to a zoom control, skipping to a selected portion of the displayed results responsive to a skip control, pausing the displayed results responsive to a pause control, and controlling a volume of the streamed media responsive to a volume control.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein manipulating the displayed results comprises manipulating a tracking marker responsive to user control, wherein the tracking marker tracks a location of the streamed media in the displayed survey results.

26. A communication network configured to conduct a multi-media survey comprising:

a network gateway configured to receive reactionary feedback via a wide area network from a plurality participants, wherein the network gateway is further configured to associate the received reactionary feedback with the corresponding participant, and wherein the reactionary feedback associated with each survey participant comprises a plurality of reactionary values, each between a minimum value and a maximum value and each resulting from movement of a tool manipulated by the corresponding survey participant between the minimum value and maximum value and responsive to the survey participant'"'"'s reaction to the multi-media data foe; and

a study manager configured to compile the reactionary feedback from the plurality of participants to generate the survey result, wherein the study manager comprises a data compiler configured to extrapolate reactionary feedback received from one or more participants to generate extrapolated reactionary feedback comprising a reactionary feedback value at each of a plurality of time markers in a predetermined set of time markers for each survey participant.

27. The communication network of claim 26 wherein the data compiler is further configured to average the extrapolated reactionary feedback from two or more participants to generate average survey results.

28. The communication network of claim 26 wherein the data compiler is further configured to generate average survey results for one or more survey categories based on the extrapolated reactionary feedback from two or more participants associated with the one or more survey categories.

29. The communication network of claim 28 wherein the one or more survey categories comprises at least one of a gender, age, interest, and media category.

30. The communication network of claim 28 wherein the media category comprises at least one of a sports, news, weather, and entertainment personality category.