Methods and systems for conducting research operations

• US 20070294705A1
• Filed: 12/20/2006
• Published: 12/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Neuhauser, Alan, Gopalakrishnan, Vijoy, Zhang, Jack, Crystal, Jack
• Application Number:
  US11/643,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20070294705A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/315
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0208 Trade or exchange of goods or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Methods and systems for setting up, promoting, operating, maintaining and/or terminating a research operation carried out with the use of a PUA are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for setting up, promoting, operating, maintaining and/or terminating a research operation carried out automatically with the use of a PUA, comprising:

communicating a message to a PUA and/or to a user of a PUA comprising at least one of instructions for participating in a research operation carried out automatically by means of the PUA, a message for the user of the PUA providing or offering to provide a benefit to the user in exchange for the user'"'"'s participation in a research operation, a message requesting a response from the user identifying the user, and a command or a request for the PUA to automatically gather, store and/or communicate research data; and

receiving a participation message from at least one of the PUA, the user of the PUA and the benefit provider.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the participation message comprises at least one of research data gathered automatically by the PUA, a message from the PUA indicating an operational status or ability thereof to carry out a research operation, a message from the user of the PUA concerning participation of the user in the research operation, a message from the user of the PUA identifying such user, and a message from the PUA indicating receipt thereby of an activation message.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the participation message comprises a message from the user of the PUA indicating agreement to participate in the research operation.

4. The method of claim 3, comprising communicating a message for the user of the PUA providing or offering to provide a benefit to the user in exchange for the user'"'"'s participation in a research operation, and wherein the PUA comprises a personal communication device and the benefit comprises a communication service provided by means of the PUA.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the PUA comprises a cellular telephone.

6. The method of claim 3, comprising, in response to the participation message, communicating a message to a credit facility to transfer the at least one of a cash benefit and a credit to an account of the user.

7. The method of claim 3, comprising, in response to the participation message, communicating a message to a service provider requesting provision of a service to the user.

8. The method of claim 3, comprising, in response to the participation message, communicating a message to the user comprising media data for the user'"'"'s benefit and/or data enabling the user to access media data for the user'"'"'s benefit.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising storing data identifying the PUA and identifying a user thereof, and communicating a maintenance message to the PUA after storage of the identifying data.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising communicating a message to the PUA comprising instructions for participating in a research operation carried out automatically by means of the PUA.

11. The method of claim 1, comprising communicating a message to the PUA requesting a response from the user identifying the user.

13. The method of claim 1, comprising communicating a command or request for the PUA to automatically gather, store and/or communicate research data.

12. The method of clam 11, wherein the participation message comprises a message identifying the user.

14. A method for setting up, promoting, operating, maintaining and/or terminating a research operation carried out automatically with the use of a PUA, comprising:

communicating at least one of an activation message, a maintenance message and a termination message to a PUA, to a user of a PUA and/or to a benefit provider; and

receiving a participation message from at least one of the PUA, the user of the PUA and the benefit provider; and

wherein the participation message comprises at least one of a message from the PUA indicating an operational status or ability thereof to carry out a research operation, a message from the PUA indicating an availability thereof to carry out a research operation, and a message from the user of the PUA identifying the user.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising storing data identifying the PUA and identifying a user thereof, and communicating a maintenance message to the PUA after storage of the identifying data

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the participation message comprises a message indicating an ability of the PUA to carry out a research operation.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the participation message comprises a message indicating an availability of the PUA to carry out a research operation.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the participation message comprises a message from the PUA indicating an operational status thereof.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the participation message comprises a message from the user of the PUA identifying the user.

20. A method for setting up, promoting, operating, maintaining and/or terminating a research operation carried out automatically with the use of a PUA, comprising:

communicating at least one of an activation message, a maintenance message and a termination message to a PUA, to a user of a PUA and/or to a benefit provider; and

receiving a participation message from at least one of the PUA, the user of the PUA and the benefit provider; and

further comprising communicating a termination message to at least one of the PUA and a benefit provider.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the participation message comprises at least one of a message from the PUA indicating that a function thereof to carry out a research operation has been deactivated and a message from the PUA indicating receipt thereby of the termination message.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the termination message comprises a deactivation message for the PUA to deactivate a function thereof to carry out a research operation.

23. The method of claim 22, comprising providing a control operable by the user to deactivate at least one additional function of the PUA to carry out a research operation.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the termination message comprises a deactivation message for the user of the PUA instructing the user to deactivate a function of the PUA to carry out a research operation.

25. The method of claim 24, comprising providing a control operable by the user to deactivate an additional function of the PUA to carry out a research operation.

26. The method of claim 25, comprising providing the control operable by the user on the condition that the function is deactivated by the user.

27. The method of claim 24, comprising, on the condition that the user has deactivated the function, crediting an account of the user with a final consideration.

28. The method of claim 20, wherein the termination message comprises a benefit message to a benefit provider for providing a final consideration for the user'"'"'s participation in the research operation.

29. A method of gathering research data, comprising:

receiving a message from a user'"'"'s PUA including research data and identification data identifying the user'"'"'s PUA; and

storing the research data, together with an identification of the user'"'"'s PUA from which it was received.

30. A method of recruiting a person to participate in a research operation, comprising:

communicating a recruitment message as media data to a plurality of PUA users to solicit participation in the research operation; and

receiving a participation message from a PUA of a user who received the recruitment message.

31. A method of recruiting persons within a population to participate in a research operation, comprising:

obtaining a list of cellular telephone numbers of persons within a population;

communicating a message addressed to at least some telephone numbers in the cellular telephone number list soliciting participation of persons in a research operation; and

communicating a message to cellular telephones corresponding to the at least some telephone numbers to initiate, provide or enable a capability of the cellular telephones to carry out a research operation.

32. A method of recruiting PUA users within a population to participate in a research operation, comprising:

communicating a recruitment message to PUA'"'"'s of PUA users within a population to solicit participation in the research operation; and

if a response to the recruitment message is received from a PUA user indicating an unwillingness to participate in the research operation or if no response thereto is received, storing negative data indicating a failure to recruit the PUA user to participate in the research operation and subsequently communicating a further recruitment message to the PUA user to solicit participation in the research operation.

33. The method of claim 32, comprising communicating the further recruitment message at a time differing from a time of communication of the recruitment message.

34. The method of claim 32, comprising communicating the further recruitment message based on a content of the response from the PUA user.

35. A method of administering surveys to persons for gathering research data, comprising:

communicating a first survey including a first number of questions to a person;

receiving a response to the first survey from the person;

based on the response, selecting a second survey including a second number of survey questions, the second number of survey questions being fewer than the first number of survey questions; and

communicating the second survey to the participant.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the response to the first survey includes answers to a number of the survey questions less than the first number.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the second number of survey questions is based on the number of survey questions of the first survey which were answered.

38. A method of terminating participation of a person in a research operation carried out by means of a PUA used by the person, comprising:

at least one of;

(1) communicating a deactivation message to the PUA used by the person to deactivate a capability thereof to carry out a research operation;

(2) communicating a deactivation message to the person instructing them to deactivate a capability of the PUA to carry out a research operation; and

(3) providing a benefit to the person as a final consideration for the person'"'"'s previous participation in the research operation.

39. A method of operating a PUA in the course of setting up, operating, maintaining and/or terminating a research operation carried out automatically with the use of the PUA, comprising:

receiving a maintenance message in a PUA including at least one of a message requesting a response from the user identifying the user and a command or request to the PUA to automatically gather, store and/or communicate research data; and

communicating a participation message from the PUA.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the participation message comprises a message identifying the user.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein the participation message comprises at least one of research data gathered by the PUA and a message indicating receipt by the PUA of the maintenance message.

42. The method of claim 39, comprising communicating data identifying the PUA and identifying a user thereof, and wherein the maintenance message is received by the PUA after communication of the identifying data.

43. The method of claim 39, wherein the participation message comprises a message indicating an ability of the PUA to carry out a research operation.

44. The method of claim 39, wherein the participation message comprises a message indicating an availability of the PUA to carry out a research operation.

45. A method of operating a PUA in the course of setting up, operating, maintaining and/or terminating a research operation carried out automatically with the use of the PUA, comprising:

receiving a termination message in a PUA; and

communicating a participation message from the PUA.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the participation message comprises at least one of a message indicating that a function of the PUA for gathering, storing and/or communicating research data has been deactivated and a message indicating receipt by the PUA of the termination message.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the termination message comprises a deactivation message for the PUA to deactivate a function thereof to carry out a research operation.

48. The method of claim 47, comprising providing a control operable by the user to deactivate at least one additional function of the PUA to carry out a research operation.

49. The method of claim 45, wherein the termination message comprises a deactivation message for the user of the PUA instructing the user to deactivate a function of the PUA to carry out a research operation.

50. The method of claim 49, comprising providing a control operable by the user to deactivate an additional function of the PUA to carry out a research operation.

51. The method of claim 50, comprising providing the control operable by the user on the condition that the function is deactivated by the user.

52. A method of terminating participation of a person in a research operation by means of a PUA used by the person, comprising:

at least one of;

(1) receiving a deactivation message in the PUA used by the person to deactivate a capability thereof to carry out a research operation; and

(2) inputting a deactivation command in the PUA instructing it to deactivate a capability thereof to carry out a research operation.

53. A method of recruiting a user of a PUA to participate in a research operation, comprising:

communicating a participation message from the PUA of the user relating to participation in a research operation; and

communicating, in response to a message from the user, an initiation message to the PUA of the user to initiate, enable or establish a capability of the PUA to carry out a research operation; and

further comprising communicating at least one of a data collection type to the PUA of the user specifying a type of data to collect by means of the PUA, calibration data to the PUA for use in calibrating an operation of the PUA and destination data to the PUA specifying a destination for research data gathered or received by the PUA.

54. The method of claim 53, comprising communicating a data collection type to the PUA comprising one of audio data, location data, purchase data, presence data, exposure to advertisements data, and responses to questions data.

55. The method of claim 53, comprising communicating calibration data to the PUA for carrying out an operation for calibrating at least one of a clock of the PUA and a location of the PUA.

56. A method of terminating participation of a PUA user in a research operation by means of a PUA of the user, comprising:

receiving a deactivation message in the PUA comprising data for deactivating at least one function of the PUA to carry out a research operation, without deactivating at least one additional function of the PUA to carry out a research operation; and

providing a control operable by the PUA user to deactivate the at least one additional function of the PUA.

57. The method of claim 56, comprising providing the control operable by the PUA user conditioned on receipt of the deactivation message by the PUA.

58. A method of initiating participation of a PUA user in a research operation using multiple PUA'"'"'s, comprising:

assigning user identification data to the user;

associating the user identification data with data identifying multiple PUA'"'"'s used by the user; and

at least one of (1) activating or enabling each of the multiple PUA'"'"'s to carry out a research operation, and (2) receiving research data from plural ones of the multiple PUA'"'"'s.

59. The method of claim 58, comprising storing data associating the user identification data with data identifying multiple PUA'"'"'s used by the user in a database accessible by a research organization.