Patent ID: 8161110
Filing Date: 2012-04-17
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A data communications network based system for providing mechanisms for enabling a discussion about a chosen topic, wherein a plurality of participants of a group participate in a group discussion, said plurality of participants being divided into a plurality of overlapping subsets of neighboring participants, said overlapping subsets each includes at least one member in common with another subset the system comprising: a. terminals communicating with the data communications network, each terminal including at least one computer processor and means for said-one of said participants to contribute a statement on a topic; each said terminal also providing means for enabling said one of said participants to rate the statement by assigning a value or code to the statement when said statement has been broadcast to said terminal, whereby a plurality of said terminals enables a plurality of said participants to assign more than one said value or code to the statement, and wherein said more than one said value or code is referred to hereinafter as a plurality of said values or codes to the statement, b. means for sending the statement via the data communications network to an initial one of said overlapping subsets of the participants of the group, wherein said initial one of said overlapping subsets of participants includes a unique set of neighbors of said one of said participants who contributed the statement, c. a controlling mechanism for controlling whether the statement is propagated via the data communications network to an ever increasing number of the rest of the participants of the group according to a first criterion that depends upon the values or codes assigned to the statement by the participants to whom the statement has been sent, such that: if said first criterion is met based upon the values or codes assigned to the statement by said neighbors of said one of said participants who contributed said statement, then said statement is propagated to a first number of said participants that is greater than a number of said neighbors and, if said first criterion is again met based upon the values or codes assigned to the statement by said first number of said participants, then said statement is propagated to a second number of said participants that is greater than said first number of participants, said propagation to ever increasing numbers of said participants continuing as long as said first criterion is met until said statement has been propagated to each of said plurality of participants, and said propagation to ever increasing numbers of said participants ending whenever said first criterion is not met, c1. wherein said controlling mechanism initially determines whether the statement should be sent to a first number of participants outside said initial one of the overlapping subsets based on assignment of said values or codes to the statement by participants in the initial one of the overlapping subsets, c2. wherein said controlling mechanism subsequently determines whether the statement should be sent to a second number of participants other than participants to whom the statement has already been sent based on assignment of said values or codes that have been assigned to the statement by the participants in said first number of participants and said initial one of the overlapping subsets to whom the statement has already been sent, d. means to determine the extent the statement has propagated through the group, and means to determine that at least one statement has been collectively selected, e. whereby determining selection of the at least one statement depends on the extent the at least one statement has propagated through the group.