Method and apparatus for collecting survey data via the internet

• US 20070206606A1
• Filed: 03/01/2006
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Coleman Research, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Coleman Research, Inc.
• Inventors: Barringer, Carl, Fugina, William, Coleman, Jon
• Granted Patent: US 8,073,013 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.520
• 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 method of conducting a multi-media survey with a survey participant using a wide area network, the method comprising:

streaming media to a user interface of a personal communication device;

recording reactionary feedback of the participant to the streamed media at the user interface;

synchronizing the reactionary feedback with the streamed media; and

uploading the synchronized reactionary feedback from the personal communication device to a network server via the wide area network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein streaming media comprises streaming at least one of audio and video to the user interface.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein streaming media comprises starting, pausing, resuming, and stopping the streaming of the media responsive to participant commands received at the personal communication device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein streaming media comprises streaming media stored in a memory of the personal communication device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein streaming media comprises streaming media from the network server over the wide area network.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein recording reactionary feedback comprises quantifying a reaction of the participant to the streamed media by corresponding a position of a reaction tool to the reaction of the participant as the participant moves the reaction tool.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein synchronizing the reactionary feedback comprises recording a time marker corresponding to each recorded position, where each time marker represents a time relative to a time reference associated with the streamed media.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising posing one or more questions to the participant and recording answers to the one or more questions.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein posing one or more questions comprises posing the one or more questions to the participant at pre-determined times of the streamed media.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein posing one or more questions comprises posing one or more questions to the participant responsive to the reactionary feedback of the participant.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the wide area network comprises a publicly accessible system of interconnected computer networks that transmit data using one or more standardized communication protocols.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the one or more standardized protocols include an Internet protocol.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the wide area network comprises at least one of a wireless wide area network and a wired wide area network.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the personal communication device comprises at least one of a personal computer and a wireless communication device.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication device comprises a laptop computer, a personal data assistant, or a mobile telephone.

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

streaming media to a user interface of a personal communication device;

recording a reaction and corresponding time markers, wherein each recorded reaction quantifies a reaction of the participant by corresponding a position of a reaction tool to the reaction of the participant as the participant moves the reaction tool responsive to the streamed media, and wherein each time marker represents a time corresponding to each recorded reaction relative to a time reference of the streamed media; and

uploading the recorded reaction data and corresponding time markers to a network server via the wide area network.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising recording answers to one or more questions posed to the participant and uploading the recorded answers to the server in the packet data network via the wide area network interface.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the wide area network comprises a publicly accessible system of interconnected computer networks that transmit data using one or more standardized communication protocols.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the one or more standardized protocols include an Internet Protocol (IP).

20. 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; and

compiling the reactionary feedback from the plurality of participants to generate survey results.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein sending the multi-media data file comprises sending the multi-media data file via email or land mail.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising sending survey software to each survey participant, wherein the survey software conducts the survey on a personal communication device.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein sending the multi-media data file comprises streaming media from the multi-media data file via the wide area network.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein receiving the reactionary feedback comprises receiving reaction data associated with a reaction tool, wherein the reaction data quantifies a reaction of the participant to the streamed media by corresponding a position of the reaction tool to the reaction of the participant as the participant moves the reaction tool.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein receiving the reactionary feedback further comprises receiving a time marker corresponding to each recorded reaction, wherein each time marker represents a time relative to a time reference associated with the multi-media data file.

26. The method of claim 20 further comprising corresponding the received reactionary feedback with a particular participant.

27. The method of claim 20 wherein receiving the reactionary feedback from the plurality of participants comprises receiving the reactionary feedback from one participant before receiving the reactionary feedback from another participant.

28. The method of claim 20 wherein receiving the reactionary feedback from the plurality of participants comprises simultaneously receiving the reactionary feedback from at least two participants.

29. The method of claim 20 further comprising establishing a network interface between a network server in the wide area network and a personal communication device associated with one of the participants.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein receiving reactionary feedback comprises receiving the reactionary feedback at the network server via the network interface.

31. The method of claim 20 further comprising displaying the survey results on a viewer.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein displaying the survey results comprises synchronously displaying the survey results on the viewer while streaming media from the multi-media data file to the viewer.

33. The method of claim 31 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.

34. The method of claim 31 further comprising manipulating the displayed results responsive to user control.

35. The method of claim 34 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.

36. The method of claim 34 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.

37. 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

a study manager configured to compile the reactionary feedback from the plurality of participants to generate the survey results.

38. The communication network of claim 37 further comprising a recruit manager configured to select the plurality of participants from a plurality of survey candidates that accept a survey participation request.

39. The communication network of claim 37 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.

40. The communication network of claim 37 further comprising a media server configured to stream media from a multi-media file to one or more participants via the wide area network during the survey.

41. The communication network of claim 37 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 reaction tool to the reaction of the participant as the participant moves the reaction tool.

42. The communication network of claim 41 wherein the reactionary feedback further comprises a time marker corresponding to each recorded reaction, wherein each time marker represents a time relative to a time reference of the multi-media data file.

43. The communication network of claim 37 wherein the study manager comprises a data compiler configured to extrapolate reactionary feedback received from each participant.

44. The communication network of claim 43 wherein the data compiler is further configured to average the extrapolated reactionary feedback from two or more participants to generate average survey results.

45. The communication network of claim 43 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.

46. The communication network of claim 45 wherein the one or more survey categories comprises at least one of a gender, age, interest, and media category

47. The communication network of claim 45 wherein the media category comprises at least one of a sports, news, weather, and entertainment personality category.

48. The communication network of claim 37 further comprising:

a viewer configured to display the survey results generated by the study manager; and

a viewer manager configured to control the viewer responsive to user commands.

49. The communication network of claim 48 wherein the viewer manager is configured to control the viewer by synchronously displaying the survey results on the viewer while streaming media from a multi-media data file to the viewer.

50. The communication network of claim 48 wherein the viewer manager comprises at least one of a zoom control configured to zoom to a selected portion of the displayed results responsive to a user input, a skip control configured to skip to a selected portion of the displayed results responsive to user input, a pause control configured to pause the displayed results responsive to user input, and a volume control configured to control a volume of the streamed media responsive to user input.

51. The communication network of claim 48 wherein the viewer comprises a tracking marker that tracks a time location of the streamed media in the displayed survey results, and wherein the viewer manager is configured to control the tracking marker responsive to user control.

52. 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;

extrapolating the received reactionary feedback for each survey participant;

synchronizing the extrapolated reactionary feedback data from a plurality of participants with the multi-media data file; and

streaming media in the multi-media data file while synchronously displaying the corresponding extrapolated reactionary feedback from the plurality of participants on a user interface of a network media device.

53. The method of claim 52 wherein extrapolating the reactionary feedback comprises populating a reactionary feedback table for each survey participant.

54. The method of claim 52 further comprising averaging the extrapolated reactionary feedback from a plurality of participants to generate average survey results.

55. The method of claim 52 further comprising averaging the extrapolated reactionary feedback from two or more participants corresponding to at least one survey category.

56. The method of claim 52 wherein displaying the survey results comprises displaying survey results corresponding to one or more categories.

57. The method of claim 52 further comprising manipulating the displayed survey results responsive to user control.