FI112575B - Procedure for gathering and processing answers, which are requested in a certain way, at least one question by a group of people - Google Patents

Description

112575

A method of collecting and processing responses to a request from a set of people for at least one question

The invention relates to a method according to the preamble of claim 1 for collecting and processing answers 5 to be requested from a group of people for a particular at least one question.

Typical occasions when a crowd is asked to answer a specific question are, for example, voting, opinion polls and opinion polls. It is an object of the invention to provide such queries, in particular a telephone voting service, over a telephone network.

10 According to the prior art, the provision of a voting service or the like via a telephone network has been based on the voter calling either a standard subscriber number or a special service number to express his opinion to the rigid system. When implementing the voting service through a standard subscriber number, the subscriber number is typically connected to a voice automation device configured to answer calls. In this case, the audio automation device asks the caller to key in the number corresponding to the option to be voted on and stores the selection in its database for future reporting.

If, on the other hand, the voting service is implemented by means of a special service number, control and rating of the service: ': can be implemented in a more advanced way than the previous one. Using; 20 advantage of intelligent network control, voting services can be controlled very efficiently, allowing as many voting calls as possible to be processed. Because :: voting services occasionally generate heavy loads in the general ', ·. · In the telephone network, in recent years separate telephone lines have been built into the telephone network to protect other telephone traffic from the adverse effects of voting congestion. In Finland, one such telephone number line, which is mainly used for voting services, is the number line beginning with 0700-7 * '. The performance of the voting service can be further improved by using the so-called "smart grid". Call Filtering, whereby the SSPs (Service * Switching Point) of the intelligent network can independently collect a large number of voice calls and only report to the Service Control Point (SCP) on the number of votes corresponding to these 2 112575 calls at regular intervals. It is also fairly easy to rate calls as desired in a vote based on service numbers.

However, there are some problems with prior art solutions. With standard subscriber numbers and voice automation devices, the voting service capacity 5 remains relatively low. Voting services provided by a service number, on the other hand, are vulnerable during peak periods, provided that there are no dedicated secured passages in the telephone network. Building effective protection measures, on the other hand, leads to extremely complex, difficult to maintain and expensive solutions.

10 If the voting service is implemented through a standard subscriber number, the capacity of the service is typically only a few thousand votes per hour. For a slightly larger vote, this is a completely inadequate capacity, and this solution does not allow any kind of safeguards.

Voting services provided by a service number guarantee significantly higher performance than the previous 15, up to several tens of thousands of votes per hour.

The service number also provides better load control capabilities. However, unless any kind of security is used in the service-number-based voting service, large load peaks can easily crash the SCP Call Control Database 'or, even regionally, the public telephone network. In particular, the congestion experienced by the callers and the numerous new call attempts resulting therefrom constitute a huge: *: signaling load that can quickly paralyze even large parts of the telecommunications network.

! * If the voting service is implemented through a service number and effective safeguards are in place, the cost of setting up the service will be very high. Organizing such a service is also quite complicated. For a high traffic of 25 polling calls, such as over 50,000 calls per hour, you wouldn't be too much of a hindrance. telephony, it has been necessary to build separate voting services in the telecommunications network, · directions reserved for their own, isolated routes. Such per se efficient call barring methods are cumbersome and difficult to maintain the surrounding telecommunication network. constantly evolving.

In addition, the problem of using the service number is always the security of the SCP call control database. Security could only be dispensed with if one 3 112575 SCP call control database could be reserved for voting services only. However, the costs of setting up the service would then be very high. Therefore, the only option is to protect the intelligent network from SCP overload.

The security of the SCP call control database is based on a so-called. The Call Filtering method 5, in which the SSP Center receives all calls in its area, provides the callers with a suitable announcement and adds the sound. the voting option in the sum counter. In this method, the SCP only collects the sum of the tones when receiving them from the SSP exchanges at regular intervals. The weakness of the Call Filtering method is its difficult activation process and the slowness and difficulty in managing the recording functions of numerous SSPs. Also, the Call Filtering method does not allow for flexible call pickup. Call picking means that the polling service selects certain polling calls on the basis of suitable criteria, which are routed to specific processing, typically eg a TV studio for follow-up questions. In the Call Filtering method, calls are picked up randomly at predetermined time intervals or when a predetermined number of songs is reached.

In addition, current methods of conducting a telephone call have a problem in informing callers of the voice cast. For example, in Call Filtering, which gives SCP effective protection, the caller must always be given the same, impersonal standard message, such as "Your voice is registered, thank you for calling!" This prevents 20 callers from being told which candidate they voted for and how many '_; * the candidate has received votes at the time of the call.

i t; · ,! In addition, there is always the problem of insufficient capacity in telephone voting. Although used: systems are designed to be as large as possible, it has been statistically demonstrated that, at peak times, not everyone is able to make a sound but must repeat at least a few times.

; ·, In some cases, the cost of a voice call may also be a problem. Since the charge for a telephone vote is based on pulses, the call; Length becomes a critical factor if the caller is to be charged a little. larger sums. This is because only about two pulses per second can be reliably transmitted to the subscriber's heart rate counter. In such cases, charging even slightly higher rates is very difficult because the purpose of the vote is to serve as many as 4,115,775 as many callers as possible and to keep the caller 's announcement of the vote as short as possible. However, there is a need for higher tax rates, especially in the context of various charity votes.

The object of the present invention is to provide a completely new type of method 5 for gathering and processing answers requested from a group of people for a particular at least one question, and to substantially reduce the significance of the prior art problems described above.

The invention is based on the fact that all or at least some of the information collected from the respondents to the question or questions is received in a short message transmitted over the mobile communication network 10. Respondents then send their original answer, or at least part of it, in a short message. Thereafter, the answers or the data of the respondents may be refined, if necessary, by new short messages or by opening a voice connection between the information-gathering service and the respondent.

More specifically, the method according to the invention is characterized in what is set forth in the characterizing part of claim 1.

The invention provides considerable advantages.

The invention enables more flexible pricing and billing than existing paid service numbers. Because voting is not charged as pulses, pricing of voting services need not be limited to multiplying the pulse rate by 20 times. Likewise, even a large sum can easily be charged without delaying the '.: Voting event for nothing.

When using the method of the invention, the fixed telephone network is considerably less loaded than before. Since the voting services mainly use, ·, ·, offline, short messages, the voice channels of the radio network also remain entirely available for other telecommunications. Due to the structure of the short message broadcast, voters do not, 'see the potential load on the network in the same way as ordinary telephone voting. If the caller does not receive an acknowledgment message during a regular telephone call, he or she is likely to call several times immediately, causing * additional congestion on the network. Instead, after the sending of the short message, the '30 voter will understand to wait longer before sending the new short message.

5, 112575

The method according to the invention also enables the desired acknowledgment to be given. The acknowledgment may be different for those who have chosen different voting options, or may vary depending on, for example, the additional information that came with the short message.

The invention also provides an easy way for a poll producer to manage 5 polling events, monitor real-time status, and the ability to pick voters for interview, for example, on a TV broadcast. In addition, the additional information stored in the database that came with the short message could have added value in compiling the specifics of supporters of the different voting options and in examining the possible correlation between those who chose the same voting option. The additional information 10 could be used, where applicable and within the legal framework, for secondary purposes.

In preferred embodiments of the invention, it is also readily possible to track the progress of the vote in real time over data networks or by sending a separate short message requesting information on the progress of the vote. The polling service provider can easily define the information he wants to pass on to the voters 15. In this way, voting can also be paid for, whereby the voting service provider receives income from voting and not only voting. When tracking voting over computer networks, typical online payment methods can be used to charge. In short message tracking, you may be charged for the service by taxing these short messages. * 20 sending more expensive than usual.

* »Y. In the following, the invention will be further explored by means of the following examples, •, ·.

'; 'Figure 1 illustrates one method by which a service may be voted on using a digital mobile phone.

: 25 Figure 2 illustrates one service provider management interface and vote tracking on a digital mobile phone.

Figure 1 also shows how a subscriber 21 of a cellular network makes a voice

'· * * I

by sending a short message to a specific address. The MSC center 22 forwards the short message '..,' to the SMS center 23 which records the message. Record information; The Y * 30 message will be priced appropriately for post-processing. SMS Center 23 forwards 6 112575 short messages to Voting Service Database 24. Voting Service Database 24 extracts an option to vote from the received short message and stores it in its database. At the same time, it records any other information requested from the voter, which is also attached to the short message. Voting Service Database 24 sends 5 voters a short message as an acknowledgment of the vote. This acknowledgment may be accompanied by information such as a personal greeting or thank you, or information about the current status of the vote. The acknowledgment first goes to the SMS center 23, which forwards it to the MSC center 22.

If the interviewer is to be picked up in the studio 35 for interview, according to the invention, a so-called interviewer can be used. wake-up call function for implementation of the pick. In the case of picking, the voting database 24 transmits to the SCP call control database 25 information on a suitable picking interface. The extraction is such that the SCP Call Control Database 25 transmits an ICA message (InitiateCallAttempt) and a Continue message to the S SP. The telephone number of the mobile subscriber 15 is then entered in the DestinationRoutingAddress field of the ICA message. At the same time, the SCP call control database 25 requests the SSP exchange 26 to tune in to the EDP (Event Detection Point) monitoring EDP (Event Detection Point) of the mobile subscriber 21 using the Request Report BCSM message on the DP7-R criterion. In this connection, a label defining FCI message may also be sent to the SSP exchange 26.

Thereafter, the call is forwarded via the MSC mobile switching center 22; to subscriber 21, which answers the call. After the mobile subscriber has responded, the SSP exchange 26 reports the response to the SCP call control database 25 by saying ERB. '(Event Report BCSM). The SCP 25 then sends a call switch operation (Connect) to the SSP exchange 26 to establish a call to the studio. When studio 25 35 answers this call, a call is established between studio 35 and subscriber 21. Also, with this switching operation, a label 26 may be sent to the SSP exchange; ', The dominant FCI message.

•. A: The above-described pick-up event is thus implemented in the wake-up call mode.

": The practical implementation of INAP messages may, in the future, differ from the solutions described above; however, the invention encompasses all '·'; wake-up call extraction solutions.

7, 112575

In the example described above, the connection is first made to the mobile subscriber 21 and then to the studio 35. Naturally, the connection can also be implemented in the other way, first to the studio 35 and then to the mobile subscriber 21.

Thus, according to Fig. 1, giving a mobile subscriber's voice, acknowledging a given voice and picking up a caller 5 can be accomplished, for example, as follows: 1) The voting person 21 sends his voice via digital mobile phone to a specific address. The content of the short message indicates the option to vote on. In addition, voter 21 may also be asked for other information, which may also be attached to the short message. Such information is, for example, the voter's telephone number, name, age or gender. Sending a short message may be subject to a surcharge instead of the standard fee, or may be free to the voter.

2) The short message arrives at the MSC, from where it is forwarded to the SMS center 23, according to which it is priced appropriately.

3) The SMS center 23 forwards the short message to the voting service database 24, which extracts the option to vote from the 15 received short message and stores it in its database 24.

At the same time, it stores any other information requested from the voter 21, which is also attached to the short message. Other information may typically be the voter's telephone number, name, age, address, or gender.

4) Voting Service Database 24 sends a voter a short message as an acknowledgment of 20 votes cast. You can also attach other content to the acknowledgment, such as thank you audio. . * giving, greeting or information on the current state of the vote.

5) SMS center 23 transmits a short message to MSC center 22.

6) The MSC exchange 22 forwards the acknowledgment to the mobile subscriber 21.

;,; 7) For picking, the voting database 24 sends the SCP call control database 25 25 information about which interface to pick up in the studio 35.

8) The SCP call control database 25 sends a request to the SSP exchange 26 to establish a call to the mobile subscriber 21 and to monitor the mobile subscriber's response pattern 21.

9 112575 9) The request is transmitted through the MSC mobile switching center 22 to the mobile subscriber 21.

10) The mobile subscriber 21 answers the call.

11) The SSP Center 26 reports the response of the mobile subscriber 21 to the SCP 25.

The SCP 25 establishes a call to the studio 35 and thus establishes a call between the mobile subscriber 21 and the studio 35.

Figure 2 again illustrates how a voting service provider manages its voting service database 24 typically through data networks, e.g., via a web-based user interface 31. The polling service provider can use interface 31 to activate or deactivate voting, compile various statistics on the poll, examine the distribution of different opinions according to different criteria, and request a pick-up call to the desired mobile subscriber.

The poll follower connects, for example through a computer and a web browser 32, via a computer network to the polling service database 24, from which the polling follower receives 15 polling service providers' limited information on the voting process. Information can be sent either on a question / answer basis. This can be done e.g.

by visiting the producer's web site and requesting the latest voting information, which is conveniently available on the producer's web site. Alternatively, for example, so-called.

) push method, in which the producer database constantly sends new information to the vote * *! 20 runs at a separately agreed time.

'·· Vote tracking via digital mobile phone 41 is done by sending, ·. * a short message with the appropriate content to a specific address. The MSC center 22 forwards the V * short message to the SMS center 23, on the basis of which the short message is priced as desired. The SMS center 23 forwards the short message 25 to the polling service database 24, which extracts from the received short message information related to the poll ''.

'! The polling service database 24 sends a short message containing the desired information to the SMS center 23 on request. The SMS center 23 forwards the short message to the MSC mobile switching center 22 which directs the short message 30 to the voting mobile digital phone 41.

9 112575

Thus, as depicted in Figure 2, the service provider management interface and the voting monitoring via the Internet or digital mobile phone can be implemented as follows: 51) The voting service provider manages its voting service database 24 typically 5 through data networks, e.g. The polling service provider, through its user interface 31, can activate or deactivate the poll, compile various statistics on the poll, examine the distribution of different opinions according to different criteria and request a pick-up call to the desired mobile subscriber.

52) The poll follower accesses the polling database 24 via his or her computer and web browser 32 through the computer networks 60.

(53) From the Voting Service Database, 24 followers of polls will receive limited information about the voting process as requested by the polling service provider.

54) Voting tracking by digital mobile phone 41 is accomplished by sending 15 short messages of appropriate content to a specific address.

(55) The short message is forwarded by the MSC 22 to the SMS 23, which measures the price as desired.

'. 1 56) The SMS center 23 forwards the short message to the voting service database 24 which picks up. 'The query information you received from the short message you received.

. . : 20 57) The polling service database 24 returns a short message based on the query,: ': ": containing the desired information.

58) The SMS center 23 forwards the short message to the MSC mobile switching center 22.

: 59) MSC Center 22 directs a short message voting follower to a digital:: mobile phone 41.

': 25 An important alternative embodiment of the invention is the WAP concept (Wireless

Application Protocol) in connection with the method. WAP is the Internet ,,,: a data transmission architecture resembling the specific needs of wireless communications; '. · Taken into account. The WAP concept, as it emerges, will enable web browsers 10 112575 to be integrated with mobile terminals so that the narrow bandwidth of the radio path will be better utilized. WAP will be fully integrated into the Internet; all components of the Internet architecture have their counterparts on the WAP side. For example, the Internet HMTL language and Java scripts in WAP have been replaced by WML (Wireless Markup 5 Language) and WML scripts respectively. In practice, the conversions between these two instruction bases are done in so-called. In the filter elements, unless the web server in question recognizes that the information needs to be sent to that mobile terminal in WAP format.

In this case, the short message-based communication method according to the invention will still be preserved, but in practice the user will not see the short message to be transmitted, but will instead use the WAP browser of the mobile terminal. When a terminal user wishes to vote through this WAP browser, he / she will go to the voting service provider's web site, leave his / her vote there and receive an acknowledgment from his / her terminal browser. In practice, however, the communication takes place in both directions in one or more short messages. The advantage of short messages here is that, compared to a 15-switch (e.g. 13 kbit / s GSM) connection, the communication efficiency is significantly higher, both on the radio and in the telecommunications network. Sending and receiving a few short messages requires only a fraction of the capacity required for a switched bearer. In addition, packet-type short message delivery by different retransmission methods is easier to guarantee because the transmission is not *. · 20 time critical.

. ·. Voting or voting in a polling service: A digital mobile phone can bill using the WAP concept instead of short messages using payment methods in computer networks. In this case, for example, voting is done by going to the voting service provider's web site with a WAP browser, leaving a vote, and at the same time approving the execution of the payment transaction. Follow-up to the vote follows a similar principle. The billing service user will then receive:: billing for other web services.

• In the context of the invention, voting is understood as referring to persons, opinions, prices or other similar matters. Thus, the scope of the invention 30 includes e.g. political advance and other voting; · Marketing research and referendums such as measuring popularity of music.

Claims (7)

1. A method for collecting and processing requested responses to at least one particular question from a group of people, in which process 5. responses provided by multiple persons are received via a telephone network in such a way that at least some of the response information is collected from vaije an individual is received included in a short message transmitted via a mobile communication network (41, 22), and - the received responses are collected in a database (24) for further processing of the information contained in the responses, characterized by - after receiving it via the mobile communication network ( 41, 22) the transmitted short message forms a voice connection between a voice automation device connected to a data acquisition system (24) or a network terminal for a person collecting additional information, and the terminal which transmits the received short message or terminal in the mobile communication network using: ·, , the subscriber connection (21) that sent the message, The '*' - the gathering of some of the information that is collected takes place by means of the voice connection. ; V: 20 Method according to claim 1, characterized in that, upon receipt of the short message transmitted via the mobile telecommunication network (41, 22), a receipt, in the form of a short message, is sent upon receipt of the information included in the short message to the terminal which is transmitted. the received short message t · ·, 25 and / or to the terminal using the subscriber connection in the mobile communication network which transmitted the message. > "" "112575 Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the information included in the responses stored in the database is processed in real time by means of a computer (32) and via a computer network (60). 5 Method according to any of claims 1-3, characterized by - the received responses are analyzed, - the distribution of the responses is stored in the database (24) and - a user interface (32, 41) is provided for observing the distribution of those in the database (24). stored the answers. 10 Method according to claim 4, characterized by - a short message sent from the terminal (41) in the mobile communication network for the person wishing to receive information about the distribution of responses, in which message a certain information is requested, and 15. the requested information is sent in the form of a short message to the terminal (41) in the mobile communication network of the person desiring the information. Method according to any of claims 1-5, characterized in that the response received in the form of a short message contains the voice that a person cast in a poll, information about the person's view or other information about the person. Process according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by the abattoir; a person (21) who has cast a vote is selected to be interviewed in a studio (35) by means of a wake-up call.