# US 2021/0279748 A1 · Method, apparatus, and computer-readable media for a web-based opinion survey factory > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0279748 A1 - Document ID: US20210279748A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/209,522 - Filed: 2021-03-23 - Published: 2021-09-09 - Earliest claimed: 2016-11-23 - Assignees: Head Research Inc. - Applicants: Head Research Inc. - Inventors: MELINDA HEAD; Hemant Kumar; James Andrew Wright; Brian Blakeny Rattenbury; Martin Daniel Nathanson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210279748A1 ## CPC - G06Q 30/0203: Market surveys; Market polls - G06F 3/04847: Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials - G06F 3/0486: Drag-and-drop - G06F 16/00: Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor - H04L 12/16: Arrangements for providing special services to substations - G06F 8/20: Software design - G06Q 30/02: Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising - G06Q 50/26: Government or public services (business processes related to the transportation industry G06Q50/40) - G16H 10/20: for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires - H04L 51/18: Commands or executable codes - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA ## Abstract Web-based opinion survey method, apparatus, and computer-readable media operable to cause propositional function responses to be provided to a survey server from a client device. The propositional functions are P(x), where P and x are the predicate and subject. Each P(x) is evaluated in the client device for subjects, each with a different x. Preferably, the client device displays the subjects within a Web Single Page Application (SPA) running on the client device. Preferably, the SPA displays a nonnumerical scale, the granularity of which is directly proportional to the number of pixels spanned by the scale. For each P(x), the client device displays labeled markers along the scale, to provide an indication of a level of agreement with the expressed P(x). For each P(x) subject, the client expresses an opinion on a position on the scale, whereby a pixel position corresponds to a rating for the selected subject. ## Claims ### Claim at position 1 1-15. (canceled) ### Claim 16 A Web-based opinion survey client device apparatus operable to cause a plurality of propositional function responses to be provided from the client device to at least one web-based survey server, the propositional functions expressed as P(x), where P and x are respectively the predicate and the subject of said P(x), where each said P(x) is evaluated in the at least one client device for a plurality of subjects, each with a different value of x, wherein said predicate and said plurality of subjects are pre-configurable on the at least one survey server, the client device comprising: at least one client device display; at least one client device input; at least one memory storing program code which when executed constitutes a Web Single Page Application (SPA), wherein the SPA does not interact with the survey server during execution, thereby obviating any client-server interaction that would engender network communications latency and adversely affect motivation of respondents to be thorough in completing the web-based opinion survey: and at least one processor executing said SPA to cause the client device to perform at least one process for each said P(x), comprising: to display on the at least one client device display the each P(x) plurality of subjects; causing said SPA to display on the at least one client device display a non-numerical scale of which a measure of granularity is directly proportional to the number of pixels spanned by said scale; for each P(x) plurality of subjects, causing the client device to display on the at least one client device display a plurality of pre-configurable labeled markers along said scale to provide an indication on said scale of a relative level of agreement with, or preference for, the proposition expressed by the corresponding P(x); for each P(x) plurality of subjects, causing the client device to enable at least one client to express opinion on said scale using the at least one client device input, whereby a pixel position corresponding to the position of the client input selection comprises a rating for the selected subject; and for each P(x) plurality of subjects, forwarding said ratings to the at least one survey server. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the scale consists essentially of a line. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the scale is absent indicia of differing scale values. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein for any one of said plurality of P(x), the client device sends to the at least one survey server a plurality of survey evaluations performed on the client device, said plurality of evaluations, enabled by said SPA, obviating repetitive client-server interaction, thereby avoiding network latency. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the client device receives the SPA from the at least one survey server, wherein the SPA enables the at least one client to express opinion on said scale using at least one input device of the client device, whereby a pixel position corresponding to the position of the client input selection comprises a rating for the selected subject. ### Claim 21 (depends on 16) The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein a page displayed on the client device display comprises a palette having at least one of (i) a pre-configurable text label and (ii) an image, and wherein said client device enables the client, for each of said at least one of (i) a pre-configurable text label and (ii) an image selected from said palette, to express opinion by dragging and dropping said at least one of (i) a pre-configurable text label and (ii) an image onto said scale, whereby the pixel corresponding to a drop position comprises the rating for the selected subject, and in response to the drop, the client device causes the dropped at least one of (i) a pre-configurable text label and (ii) an image to be removed from said palette such that indicia is provided that said subject has already been selected. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the client device display displays, for each rating of said plurality of subjects, a connector attaching the drop position to said at least one of (i) a pre-configurable text label and (ii) an image. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the client device enables the client to change the rating of any one of said plurality of subjects, using a drag-and-drop function that allows user input selection of said connector, such that said connector and said at least one of (i) a pre-configurable text label and (ii) an image can be dragged-and-dropped onto a new position, establishing a new rating for the selected subject, wherein the ability to change the rating mitigates a possibility of order bias. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the client device is operable, following initial rating of all of said plurality of subjects and until transition to a new set of propositions P(x), to accumulate the variation in rating or rank order of each subject, due to said new rating for a selected subject, thereby facilitating the acquisition of data to support conjoint analysis that is otherwise more costly to acquire. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the client device is operable to weight said variations in rating or rank order of each subject, according to the elapsed time between successive ratings and a pre-configurable parameter. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the client device is operable to cause a change in the default sequence of presentation of said each P(x) plurality of subjects, based on the condition that the cumulative variation in ratings or rank ordering of said subjects exceeds a pre-configured threshold. ### Claim 27 (depends on 16) The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein for any one of said plurality of P(x), all of the evaluation occurs in the client device. ### Claim 28 (depends on 16) The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein for any one of said plurality of P(x), the evaluation in the client device occurs only in the client device. ### Claim 29 (depends on 16) The apparatus, according to claim 16, wherein for any P(x) plurality of subjects comprising combinations of features, and for any feature within any said combination of features that cannot be measured numerically, a further P(x) plurality of subjects, comprising a set of qualitative attributes of said feature, are rated as quantitative measures of preference along said scale, said ratings used to establish a numerical value for said attributes.