Real-time wireless audience response system

• US 5,226,177 A
• Filed: 08/03/1992
• Issued: 07/06/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Viewfacts, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Viewfacts, Inc.
• Inventors: Nickerson, Rand B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H.
• Application Number:
  US07/925,236
• Time in Patent Office: 337 Days
• Field of Search: 455/2, 455/4.1, 455/4.2, 455/5.7, 455/6.3, 455/32.1, 455/53.1, 455/54.1, 455/54.2, 455/70, 358/84, 358/86, 340/825.54, 340/825.55, 379/53, 379/92, 434/350, 434/351
• US Class Current: 725/24
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/063 with hand-placed probe or plug
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

A system for collecting data from a plurality of respondents having a central portion with a central processor and a base station and a remote portion with a plurality of wireless response units for respondents to be prompted to enter response data to a visually perceptible display which may be shown live, on a television monitor or may be taped. The display may include multiple choice questions. The central processor accumulates the response data via radio, optical or acoustic communication links with the remote units, each of which has a unique address. The central processor displays the accumulated response data in real time and may overlay the processed response data and originate display shown to the respondents.

Claims

1. A system for real-time collection of data from a plurality of respondents comprising:

a) a central portion having a central processor and a radio base station;

b) a remote portion having a plurality of wireless radio response units each having a display, the response units being in wireless communication with the radio base station for transmitting response data from individual respondents to the central processor wherein the central processor transmits a series of asynchronous message packets, each message packet containing a display update instruction and a message address corresponding to a unit address of the wireless radio response units, reception of the packet by the corresponding radio response unit causing the corresponding unit, in turn, to alter the display of the corresponding unit in accordance with the display update instruction and to transmit the response data from the individual respondent to the central processor, which when received by the central processor causes the central processor to i) check the validity of the data and send an invalidity message to response units which transmit invalid data, ii) accumulate valid individual response data and iii) provide a real-time display of accumulated response data.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein a unique address is appended to individual response data of each response unit.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the base station and each response unit each respectively further comprise a radio transmitter and receiver.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the base station transmitter and the response unit receivers have a common first carrier frequency.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the base station receiver and the response unit transmitters have a common second carrier frequency.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the first and second carrier frequencies are different from each other.

7. The system of claim 3 wherein the base station transmitter and receiver share an antenna.

8. The system of claim 3 wherein the transmitter and receiver in a particular response unit share an antenna.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising a first video monitor means for displaying program material to the respondents.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising a second video monitor means for displaying the accumulated response data.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the second video monitor means further comprises displaying the accumulated response data as a graphical overlay on the program material.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the second video monitor displays the accumulated response data synchronized to the program material.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the display of the remote portions provides a visual indication to the individual respondents that the response data was received by the central portion.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the invalidity message transmitted by the central processor portion of the central portion causes the display of the remote portion which transmitted invalid data to indicate that the transmitted data was invalid.

15. A method of collecting data from a plurality of respondents comprising the steps of:

a) displaying a sequence of visually perceptible images to a plurality of respondents, with each respondent having a wireless remote response unit having a display;

b) transmitting a plurality of asynchronous message packets, each message packet containing a display update instruction and a message address corresponding to one of the plurality of unit addresses of the wireless radio response units;

c) promoting the plurality of respondents to enter response data into their respective response units by displaying a prompt on the display of their remote response unit in response to the display update instruction received;

d) transmitting the response data from each of the remote response units to a central base station as each unit receives a message packet containing the message address corresponding to the unit;

e) checking the validity of the response data at the central processor of the base station and then transmitting an invalidity message to remote response units that transmit invalid response data;

f) accumulating response data in a central processor associated with the base station; and

g) displaying the accumulated response data in real time.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein step a) further comprises displaying previously recorded video program material.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein step a) further comprises display a live presentation.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein step a) further comprises displaying a predetermined sequence of inquiries presented to the respondents.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the sequence has an inquiry-to-inquiry time interval controlled by the central base station.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the sequence has an inquiry-to-inquiry time interval controlled by the pace of the individual respondents, such that each respondent may respond to the inquiries at their own pace.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein step g) further comprises analyzing response data by respondents'"'"' classifications before the analyzed response data is displayed in real time.

22. The method of claim 15 wherein step f) further comprises monitoring compliance of respondents in entering response data into their respective response units.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein step f) still further comprises monitoring the performance of respondents in entering response data into their respective response units.

24. The method of claim 15 wherein step c) and d) further comprise collecting moment-to-moment qualitative evaluation of the display of step a) by the respondents.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the prompting of step c) further comprises multiple choice questions and further wherein the response data of step d) comprises answers to the multiple choice questions.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein step f) further comprises monitoring compliance of respondents in entering response data into their respective response units.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein step f) still further comprises monitoring the performance of respondents in entering response data into their respective response units.

28. The method of claim 24 wherein step f) further comprises analyzing response data by bivariate analysis before the analyzed response data is displayed, where one variable is the elapsed time for the segment being tested and the other is an aggregated variable corresponding to the respondents.

29. The method of claim 15 wherein step g) further comprises displaying accumulated response data as a graphical overlay on a video image of the display of step a).

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the video image of step g) is a real-time image of the display of step a).

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the video image of step g) is a replay of a recorded image of the display of step a).

32. The method of claim 15 wherein step f) further comprises editing the accumulated response data according to a first set of decision rules that determine if one or more of the respondents were not actively participating in the session;

and also applying a second set of decision rules to determine if respondents were exhibiting abnormal or extreme behavior.

33. The method of claim 15 wherein step d) further comprises the central base station polling the remote response units for response data.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein step f) further comprises echoing response data entered on a display of the respective remote unit into which that response data was entered.

35. The method of claim 15 wherein step e) further comprises manipulating the display of the remote response unit in response to the invalidity message in order to indicate to the respondent that the response data previously transmitted was invalid.

36. The method of claim 15 wherein step e) further comprises repeating the prompt that was written on the display when the invalid data was entered in response to the invalidity message.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein step f) further comprises recording an error flag as the data entry after three consecutive invalid data entries.

38. The method of claim 15 wherein step d) further comprises indicating on the display of a particular remote response unit that response data sent by the particular remote response unit has been received by the central base unit.

39. A system for real-time collection of data from a plurality of respondents comprising:

a) a central portion having central processor means for receiving and accumulating response data; and

b) a remote portion having a plurality of wireless response units, each having a display and each transmitting response data to the central processor means as each unit receives a message packet containing a display update instruction for controlling the display of the unit and a message address corresponding to a unit address of that unit;

wherein a plurality of individual respondents enter response data into respective individual wireless response units which data is collected and analyzed by the central processor means in real time, and wherein the central processor also checks the validity of the response data and sends an invalidity message to response units which transmit invalid response data.

40. The system of claim 39 wherein each response unit transmits response data to the central portion via a wireless radio communications link.

41. The system of claim 39 wherein each response unit transmits response data to the central portion via a wireless optical link.

42. The system of claim 41 wherein the optical link is an infrared communications link.

43. The system of claim 39 wherein each response unit transmits response data to the central portion via a wireless acoustic link.

44. The system of claim 43 wherein the acoustic link is an ultrasonic communications link.

45. The system of claim 39 wherein the central portion prompts a respondent to respond at a response unit and the system measures and stores the time taken by an individual respondent to enter response data into the respective response unit.

46. The system of claim 45 wherein the time measured and stored is per respondent and per question.

47. The system of claim 46 wherein the time measured and stored is displayed on an observation monitor.