ITMI962003A1 - TELEMATIC SYSTEM FOR PUBLIC MARKETING OPINION SEARCHES AND SIMILAR - Google Patents

Description

Description of the invention entitled:

"TELEMATIC SYSTEM FOR PUBLIC OPINION, MARKETING AND SIMILAR SEARCHES"

DESCRIPTION

The present invention refers to a telematic system for the management and collection of information for public opinion research, marketing and the like.

The widespread takeover of opinions has assumed considerable importance in all sectors. In recent years, the request of public opinion operators to minimize the time gap between question and answer, between survey and analysis of results, especially in surveys similar to those of the telephone type, has become increasingly insistent, in an attempt to reduce the interval between the episode and the assessment of its impact on people.

The present invention falls within this framework, the purpose of which is precisely to provide a telematic system for opinion research, marketing and the like, which minimizes research times, while respecting high quality standards.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a telematic system which is extremely reliable, as well as simple and economical in design.

These purposes are achieved by the telematic search system according to the invention, which has the characteristics of the attached independent claim 1.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention appear from the dependent claims.

Basically, the invention provides a structure articulated in three specific positions: central side (ie the research center or equivalent entity) for the management and processing of the collected data; peripheral side (i.e. subjects equipped with a terminal, which will be called TOP) for receiving the questions and the consequent answers; network side (i.e. the public or private telephone network) for the transfer of information to and from the peripheral user.

The center side provides for the presence of a computer for the management of the peripheral directory, for the preparation of messages to be sent, for the management of communications to and from peripheral users, for the collection of data and the subsequent processing and printing of results (including database archiving), according to specially created computerized procedures.

The peripheral side provides for a structure deposited in x number of families / users / operators, consisting of a series of elements - which will be described below - connected to the normal public telephone network (of any country) or private (regardless of the provider. telephone service or line feature - traditional standard cable, cellular transmission, optical fiber, data line, etc.).

The network side is represented by any public or private telephone signal transfer network regardless of the organization providing the telephone service or the line characteristic - traditional standard cable, cellular transmission, optical fiber, data line, etc.

Further characteristics of the invention will become clearer from the detailed description that follows, referring to a purely exemplary and therefore non-limiting embodiment thereof, illustrated in the attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagram showing a general block arrangement of the remote information detection system according to the invention,

- figure 2 is a schematic view of a terminal or TOP, located near the users, in particular:

a) top plan view of the part of the terminal or mobile TOP;

b) plan view showing schematically, in broken lines, the internal components of the mobile TOP;

c) top plan view of the fixed part of the terminal or TOP-BASE, with the main components dashed, and showing an exploded view of a power supply.

The invention in question is now described, with reference to the attached figures, as a function of the various parts that make up a structure such as: "center side", "network side" and "peripheral side", indicating a single entity for the peripheral side, in the currently chosen form.

The "center side" includes an advanced computer A, connected to a computer B and to a modem rack C connected to the telephone / data transmission network D ("network side") of any type available on the market (including GSM satellite or similar) .

The peripheral side represented by a certain number x of users (in the preferred case represented by subscribers to the public telephone network), one of which example unit , in the reference figure, it is indicated with the abbreviation UT-1.

The peripheral side includes the following:

to. a pass-through telephone plug with filter E that allows connection via a twisted pair on one side to a normal telephone set F - and possibly with housing facilities such as secretary, fax, modem, etc. - and on the other hand, again via a twisted pair, to the component defined as TOP-BASE G;

b. TOP-BASE G, that is a structure equipped with a printed circuit I, a modem card L for the acquisition of the information packets transmitted from the central side, a battery charger device M for keeping the batteries inserted in the mobile or palmtop TOP and the N lamellar connectors for the transfer of information to and from the TOP handheld component. The whole is enclosed in a plastic structure with three possible connections: one for the telephone connection (indicated as LINE and identifiable in a plug type socket), one for the possible connection with the telephone set in the case of residential systems equipped with direct line connection of the plug type (indicated as TEL and identifiable in a plug type socket) and one for a 9 volt, 50 Hz, 600 mA O mains power supply, in the preferred but not limiting case;

c. the TOP mobile handheld H, that is a structure equipped with a printed circuit P, a buffer battery Q for maintaining the configuration, a pack of three 1.5 volt R batteries for a total of 4.5 volts for voltage maintenance and the illumination of a backlit liquid crystal display S showing a total of 1240 corresponding pixels, in the preferred but non-limiting version of 20 columns by 8 rows. The function of the display is to allow viewing of the questions and answers that are gradually provided by the user to the peripheral structure and for the exchange of information to and from the central side. The TOP mobile handheld is also equipped with lamellar T connectors for the transfer of information to and from the TOP-BASE component. The whole is enclosed in a parallelepiped-shaped plastic structure.

The top of the mobile TOP handheld has a push-button keyboard for answering questions. In the preferred but not limiting form, there are 22 keys, divided as follows:

to. five "qualitative" U keys for responses to judgments such as "very", "quite", "little", "not at all" and "no opinion". In the preferred but non-limiting version the keys are graduated in a green color from the darkest (corresponding to the overwritten term "very") to the lightest (corresponding to the overwritten term "without opinion");

b. ten "numeric" keys V numbered from 1 to 0 of uniform color preferred but not limiting blue;

c. three keys for "dichotomous" W answers of the type "yes", "no", "I don't know" in the preferred but non-limiting version, respectively in green, red and yellow;

d. two scroll keys X characterized by arrows of opposite directions for scrolling any texts that cannot fit on a single screen on the display. These keys, in the preferred version, are white in color;

And. two service keys Y for corrections and / or confirmation of what has been typed in. The keys are characterized, one by the writing "CANC" and the other by the writing "INV" and are, in the preferred version, respectively red and green.

The operation can be summarized as follows, in the preferred but not limiting embodiment, with reference to a single UT-1 unit:

- the operator on the center side prepares the communication and the content of the message to be sent to UT-1.

- A first signal, coming from the center side, pre-alerts the modem contained in the TOP-BASE so that it connects with the center side itself, thanks to the pass-through telephone plug with filter E which diverts the signal to the TOP-BASE, - therefore the peripheral side it connects to the center side, in the preferred but not limiting case, via easy-way on the Telecom Itapac network or similar for data transmission,

- the center side thus makes the alphanumeric message available to the peripheral side of UT-1, in the form of a string of characters, which can thus be loaded by the modem structure contained in the TOP-BASE;

- the message thus reaches the UT-1 room / home and transmits information from the TOP-BASE to the TOP mobile 4 palmtop component, which is thus translated into graphic screens containing the messages sent;

- at this point UT-1 answers the questions via the mobile TOP; and once the answers are completed, the mobile TOP is placed on the TOP-BASE where the reverse process starts from the peripheral side to the center side;

- the modem contained in the TOP-BASE connects to the center side, in the preferred but not limiting case, via easy-way on the Telecom Itapac network or similar for data transmission and transmits the alphanumeric reply message, in the form of a string of characters . Then the center-side structure transmits to the processor A the data string of UT-1 which can thus be processed.

Claims (9)

CLAIMS 1. Telematic system for the management and collection of information for opinion research, marketing and the like, including: - a "center side" comprising at least one processor (A, B) in charge of formulating the questions, managing the registry, sending the questions and processing the results, - a telephone / data transmission network side (D) in charge of transferring messages from the processor (A, B) to a plurality of users (UT-1 ... UT-X), - a peripheral side for each user comprising an apparatus (G, H) connected to said network side (D), comprising at least one display for reading the messages and a keyboard for formulating the replies. 2. System according to claim 1, characterized in that said apparatus (G, H) comprises a fixed part or TOP-BASE (G) and a mobile part or TOP-palm (H), which can be interfaced in order to exchange information in the two directions. 3. System according to claim 2, characterized in that said interface between the fixed and mobile parts (G, H) takes place through lamellar connectors (N, T). 4. System according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said apparatus (G, H) shares the connection to said network side (D) with a telephone user (F), or the like. 5. System according to claim 4, characterized in that a filter (E) is provided on said connection to the network (D) which switches the line to said telephone user (F) or to said apparatus (G, H). 6. System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that respective modems (C) and (L) are provided in said center side and in said peripheral side, 7. System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that at the start of the interrogation procedure, the center side sends a pre-alert signal to said device (G, H). 8. System according to claim 2, characterized in that said viewer (S) and said keyboard (U, V, X, W, Y) are contained in said mobile TOP (H). 9. System according to claim 6, characterized by the fact that said modem (L) is incorporated in said TOP-BASE (G).