GB2437787A

GB2437787A - Electronic system for determining user response

Info

Publication number: GB2437787A
Application number: GB0608622A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Krisman
Original assignee: ANSWERBACK Ltd
Current assignee: ANSWERBACK Ltd
Priority date: 2006-05-02
Filing date: 2006-05-02
Publication date: 2007-11-07
Also published as: WO2007129038A1; GB0608622D0

Abstract

The system comprises at least one unit for receiving user inputs and transmitting data via a wireless communication link, and a receiving unit 40 arranged to receive the transmitted data. The unit for receiving user inputs comprises a plurality of data input units such as keypads 12, 14, 16 and a hub 18 connected to the data input units by wired connections 12A, 14A, 16A. The hub is arranged to process the received user inputs and to transmit resulting data via the wireless communications link to the receiving unit 40 which is preferably connected to a display 50. The hub is preferably in the form of a flat housing surrounded by a circular collar and is mounted on a tabletop. The system is particularly for use in an electronic voting system.

Description

I

ELECTRONIC SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING THE RESPONSE FROM A

PLURALITY OF USERS AND A METHOD FOR THE SAME

The present invention relates to electronic voting systems and more particularly to wireless electronic voting systems.

Electronic voting systems are known in the art, especially in the field of live events. Typically, electronic voting systems are used to enable audience members to participate in live events by allowing users of the system to indicate their preference or response to a question.

Such electronic voting systems typically employ user input units, often in the form of a keypad, located at various points in proximity to a location at which the process of voting or responding takes place. Such input units are typically connected to a central processing unit via hard-wired connections. Thus, a user of the system is required to remain at the particular location at which the input unit is situated. This type of voting system is, therefore, inherently restrictive to the user(s) and is also fixed in a single location requiring complex wiring infrastructure to be installed on a temporary basis.

To overcome the abovementioned problem, it is known to provide an electronic voting system with a plurality of wireless input units, each input unit capable of transmitting a radio signal depending on a user stimulus. Unfortunately, users of the system are known to steal or misplace the input units, resulting in a replacement expense for the owner of the electronic voting system.

It is therefore desirable to realise an electronic voting system that is easy to install and provides a high degree of flexibility and portability but cannot be easily misplaced by users.

According to first aspect of the invention, there is provided an electronic system for determining the response from a plurality of users according to claim 1.

Thus, the invention provides for an electronic system with a high degree of flexibility since the wireless communication of data enables input units to be positioned as required without the overall limitations of wire connections. This means that the electronic system can be positioned in any suitable location and then relocated as required.

However, provision of a processing unit common to a plurality of the input units also ensures that the input units are securely connected to a common location so that the input units cannot be stolen or misplaced. Thus, a two-tier' electronic voting system is provided, a first tier comprising wired connections between input units and a local hub, and a second tier comprising a wireless connection between a hub and a central receiver.

The electronic system may further comprise a plurality of units for receiving user inputs and transmitting data via a wireless communication link. The system may therefore enable use over a general area, with the general area comprising a number of localised areas which cater for use of the system via input units electrically connected to a common hub.

The hub may further comprise a substantially flat housing. Thus, the hub may be arranged on a tabletop, for example, and the housing may be utilised as if it was a conventional tabletop.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for determining the response of a plurality of users, the method according to claim 8.

For a better understanding of the invention, embodiments will now be described, purely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagram of an electronic system for determining the response from a plurality of users according to an embodiment of the invention Figure 2 is a top view of apparatus for use in an electronic system according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 3 is a side view of the apparatus shown in Figure 2 (the user input units and their respective wire connections not being illustrated); and Figure 4 is a bottom view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1.

Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

In this patent specification, the term keypad' refers to apparatus for receiving a user input comprising at least one input interface, such as a button. Although keypads are typically of a shape and size such that they may be easily held in a user's hand, a keypad according to the invention may be of any suitable shape and size. Furthermore, they need not comprise a plurality of buttons but, instead, may comprise any suitable interface means such as, purely by way of example, a jog-dial, a touch-screen or a microphone (or a plurality thereof).

Referring to Figure 1, an electronic system according to an embodiment of the invention is illustrated. The electronic system comprises first 100 and second 200 apparatus for receiving and transmitting user inputs, a receiving unit 40 and a display 50.

The first apparatus for receiving and transmitting user inputs 100 comprises first to third keypads 12,14,16 electrically connected to a processing unit 18 via first to third flexible wires 12A, 14A and 16A, respectively, and a transmitting aerial 19.

The first to third keypads 12,14,16 are provided to different users of the electronic voting system so that each user may indicate their preference or answer a question by activating one of a plurality of switches (not shown) included in each of the keypads. Of course, a greater or lesser number of switches may be provided in each keypad according to the number of different alternatives or suggested responses desired.

Each keypad is capable of generating any one of a phirality of signals according to which one of the switches is activated by its user. The signals provided by the first to third keypads 12,14,16 are transmitted to the processing unit 18 via the first to third wires I 2A, 1 4A, 1 6A respectively, along with any other further information that may be required by the processing unit 18.

The processing unit 18 communicates with the keypads 12,14,16 and process the received signals as necessary. Such processing may include any or all of the steps of converting, accumulating, counting, deleting and storing the received signals in either their received form or any other form into which the received signals are converted by the processing unit 18.

After processing the received signals, the processing unit 18 will convert and store the processed signals and will transmit these upon demand or upon a pre-determined schedule over a wireless communication link via the aerial 19. It will be appreciated that any suitable wireless communication protocol may be used to establish the wireless communication link. Furthermore, it is not essential to the invention that the aerial 19 is arranged externally to the processing unit 18. In alternative embodiments of the invention, the positioning of the aerial 19 may be modified as necessary, for example it may be arranged internally of the processing unit 18.

The second apparatus for receiving and transmitting user inputs 200 comprises first to fourth keypads 22,24,26,28 electrically connected to a processing unit 30 via first to third flexible wires 22A, 24A,26A, 28A respectively, and a transmitting aerial 32.

Signals provided by the first to fourth keypads 22,24,26,28, according to a user of each keypad, are transmitted to the processing unit 30 via the first to fourth wires 22A, 24A,26A,28A respectively, along with any other further information that may be required by the processing unit 30.

As detailed above for the first apparatus for receiving and transmitting user inputs 10, the processing unit 30 receives the signals from the keypads 22,24,26,28 and processes the received signals as necessary. After processing the received signals, the processing unit 30 will convert and store the processed signals and will transmit these upon demand or upon a pre-determined schedule transmit the processed signals over a wireless communication link via the aerial 32.

The receiving unit 40 is arranged to communicate with the first and second apparatus and receive the signal transmitted by each for receiving and transmitting user inputs 100 and 200 and process the received signals so that they can be displayed, if appropriate, on a display 50. Such processing may include any or all of the steps of converting, accumulating, counting, deleting and storing the received signals in either their received form or any other form into which the received signals are subsequently converted by the receiving unit 40.

In alternative embodiments, the receiving unit 40 may also be arranged to display data for response on the display 50 as well as data received through the wireless communication link. Furthermore the data received by the receiving unit 40 may be stored in a database and be processed for future use during or after the live event that is taking place.

It will be appreciated that the processing undertaken by the receiving unit 40 may depend upon the processing undertaken by the processing units 18 and 30. For example, the processing units 18 and 30 may be arranged to simply relay the keypad signals via their respective wireless communication link, therefore undertaking a minimal amount of processing. Conversely, the processing units 18 and 30 may complete numerous steps of processing on the signals received from the keypads so that the signals transmitted via the wireless communication links are in a format suitable for display on a display unit 50 with only minimal processing being required by the receiving unit 40. It will, therefore, also be appreciated that a trade-off may be made between the apparatus for receiving and transmitting user inputs 100,200 and the receiving unit 40 in terms of their complexity and resultant size or cost, for example.

Further, provision of a display 50 is not essential to the invention. Instead, the information provided by the received signals may be communicated to interested parties using a loudspeaker. In other embodiments, the receiving unit 40 may be arranged to store the received signals in any suitable form for retrieval or processing at a later time.

It will also be appreciated that the receiving unit 40 and display 50 may be provided in the form of a personal computer or laptop computer, the computer comprising a display and a wireless receiver unit for example.

Referring to Figures 2, 3 and 4, the apparatus for receiving and transmitting user inputs 100 comprises a hub 109 having a housing 110, the housing comprising a top surface 112. The hub is surrounded by a wide, flat, heavy collar 114, the principal purpose of which is to hold electrical cables in place upon a tabletop.

The hub 109 is sized to be mounted on a tabletop, for example with a diameter of 10cm to 20cm. The hub 109 together with the keypads 118 and the collar 114 thus forms an integral unit that may be placed readily on a table, allowing complete installation of multiple integral units to be readily deployed. However, it will be appreciated that the housing may be of any suitable size and included fixing means so that it can be mounted above or below a tabletop or chair, for example.

The apparatus also comprises a plurality of keypads 118, a processing unit 120 and a transmitting unit 122. The processing unit 120 and the transmitting unit 122 are arranged within the housing 110 such that they are generally enclosed by the housing 110 and a surface upon which the apparatus is arranged.

Each keypad 118 is electrically connected to the processing unit 120 via a flexible and insulated conductor 124. In other words, the keypads 118 are hard-wired to processing unit 120, the keypads 118 and their respective conductors 124 being arranged upon the tabletop and pinioned in place by the heavyweight collar 114.

The flexible and insulated conductor 124 is arranged to be sufficiently strong so that the keypads 118 cannot easily be stolen.

A keypad 118 is provided to each user of the apparatus so that they may indicate their preference or answer a question by activating one of a plurality of switches 126A, 126B included in each keypad 118. For example, each user may indicate their preference between two alternatives, A and B, by activating one of the switches 1 26A and I 26B, respectively. Of course, a greater or lesser number of switches may be provided in each keypad according to the number of different alternatives or suggested responses desired.

Each keypad 118 is capable of generating any one of a plurality of signals according to which one of the switches 126A,126B is activated by its user. Thus, there is provided a plurality of keypads 118, each separate keypad 118 being able to receive an input from a respective separate user. In other words, a first keypad 11 8A may receive an input from a first user at the same time that a second keypad 11 8B receives an input from a second user.

The signals provided by the keypads 118 are respectively communicated to the processing unit 120 via the conductors 124, along with any other further information that may be required by the processing unit 120. The processing unit 120 then receives the signals from the keypads 118 and processes the received signals as may be necessary.

Such processing may include any or all of the steps of converting, accumulating, counting, deleting and storing the received signals in either their received form or any other form into which the received signals are converted by the processing unit 120.

The processing unit 120 then provides the processed signals to the transmitting unit 122 which is arranged to transmit the processed signals over a wireless communication link via an aerial 128. As before, it will be appreciated that any suitable wireless communication protocol may be used to establish the wireless communication link.

For the purpose of generally improving a transmission range of the apparatus, the aerial may be arranged such that is positioned externally of the housing and above the top surface 112. However, it will be readily apparent that the positioning of the aerial 128 may be modified as necessary and is not essential to the invention, although it may alter the wireless transmission range of the apparatus.

Each keypad 118 may further comprise a synchronization unit arranged to receive a synchronization signal provided by the processing unit 120. Thus, each keypad 118 may be arranged to only send a signal to the processing unit 120 during a predetermined time period after reception of such a synchronization signal.

The hub 109 and keypads 118 may be powered by portable battery power. These batteries may be installed in the hub 109 or the keypads 118, or in both. As will be appreciated, such batteries may be rechargeable or conventional disposable units.

It may therefore be appreciated that the housing 110 can be arranged on a conventional tab letop, the collar 114 thereby providing a surface upon which items such as tableware and drinks glasses may be placed. For example, the collar 114 may have a diameter of 20cm to 150cm.

The collar 114 may also be rotatably mounted to the housing 110 such that it can rotate with respect to the housing 110.

Those skilled in the art will realise that the above embodiments are purely by way of example and that modification and alterations are numerous and may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS

1. An electronic system for determining the response from a plurality of users comprising: at least one unit for receiving user inputs and transmitting data via a wireless communication link; and a receiving unit with a receiver arranged to receive the transmitted data, wherein the unit for receiving user inputs and transmitting data via a wireless communication link comprises: a plurality of data input units, the data input units each comprising interface means for receiving user inputs including votes; and a hub connected to the plurality of data input units and arranged to process the received user inputs and to transmit the processed user inputs via the wireless communication link, wherein the hub is connected to the data input units by wires.

2. An electronic system according to claim 1, wherein the hub further comprises a substantially flat housing.

3. An electronic system according to claim 2, wherein the housing is surrounded by a generally circular collar with a diameter of 20cm to 150cm.

4. An electronic system according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the unit for receiving user inputs and transmitting data via a wireless communication link further comprises fixing means so that it may be fixed at a predetermined location.

5. An electronic system according to any preceding claim comprising a plurality of units for receiving user inputs and transmitting data via a wireless communication link to the receiving unit.

6. An electronic system according to any preceding claim further comprising a display unit connected to the receiving unit.

V

7. An electronic system according to claim 6 wherein the receiving unit is adapted to display on the display data for response as well as data received through the wireless communication link.

8. A method of determining the response of a plurality of users, the method comprising the steps of: receiving an input from each user via separate data input units operated by respective separate users communicating each of the received inputs to a common processing unit via a wire; processing the communicated user inputs with a common processing unit; transmitting the processed user inputs via a wireless communication link; and receiving the transmitted user inputs.

9. A method according to claim 9 further comprising the step of displaying the received transmitted user inputs.

10. A method according to claim 9 or 10 further comprising the step of processing the received transmitted user inputs so as to generate signals representative of all of the received transmitted user inputs.