# US 7,744,461 B2 · Customer preference elicitation based on a web-enabled betting game

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- Number: US 7,744,461 B2
- Document ID: US7744461B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/619,402
- Filed: 2007-01-03
- Published: 2008-07-03
- Granted: 2010-06-29
- Earliest claimed: 2007-01-03
- Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation
- Inventors: Claudia Keser; William Tulskie
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7744461B2

## CPC

- G07F 17/3255: {Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements}
- G07F 17/32: for games, toys, sports, or amusements
- G07F 17/3288: {Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking}
- G07F: COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS (coin sorting G07D3/00; coin testing G07D5/00; {handling coins or paper currencies apart from payment activated apparatus G07D; payment architectures, schemes or protocols G06Q20/00})

## Abstract

A method of eliciting customer preferences includes establishing a computer-enabled facility accessible to the target audience of participants, determining features to collect bets on, determining which participants may register, determining a betting period, determining betting rules, determining how to decide winners and prizes, registering the participants participation using the website, instructing the participants about procedures of abetting game and list of possible product features, betting, by the participants, on the product features the participants think will be preferred by the general public, determining whether an end of the betting period has been reached, determining, at the end of the betting period, average bets for each of the product features, predicting average customer preferences based on the average bets, determining a score of each participant who made bets, determining which of the participants has a best score, and using resulting preference information for production planning.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of eliciting customer preferences, comprising:
establishing a computer-enabled facility accessible to the target audience of participants;
determining features to collect bets on;
determining which participants may register;
determining a betting period;
determining betting rules;
determining how to decide winners and prizes;
registering said participants participation using said website;
instructing said participants about procedures of abetting game and list of possible product features;
betting, by said participants, on the product features said participants think will be preferred by the general public;
determining whether an end of the betting period has been reached;
determining, at the end of the betting period, average bets for each of the product features;
predicting average customer preferences based on said average bets;
determining a score of each participant who made bets;
determining which of said participants has a best score; and
using resulting preference information for production planning.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein said betting comprises providing each participant with 100 points that the participant can allocate among each of said features.