Patent ID: 8484195
Filing Date: 2013-07-09
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method of conducting a referendum anonymously, said method comprising the steps of: (a) transmitting a request from a client system to a server system, wherein said request comprises at least one user specific data, said client system comprises an internet search engine; (b) determining a referendum as identified by a referendum identifier and corresponding to said at least one user specific data of said request; (c) returning said referendum from said server system to said client system, wherein said returning step further comprises: calculating a web position of said referendum relative to at least one other web page indexed by said internet search engine; and said calculating step comprises the steps of (i) indexing said referendum; (ii) determining the number of quality clicks said referendum received; (iii) normalizing the number of quality clicks said referendum received to a normalized value; and (iv) comparing said normalized value to the normalized value corresponding to said at least one other web page, whereby if said normalized value is higher than the normalized value corresponding to said at least one other web page, said referendum is assigned a more favorable web position relative to said at least one other web page indexed by said internet search engine and if said normalized value is lower than other normalized values corresponding to said at least one other web page, said referendum is assigned a less favorable web position relative to said at least one other web page; (d) transmitting a referendum result from said client system to said server system via a message having a header portion and a data portion, wherein said header portion comprises a unique identifier identifiable to said server system as originating from a source but not identifiable with respect to the true identity of said client system; (e) comparing said unique identifier to a list of unique identifiers, whereby if said unique identifier does not match a member of said list of unique identifiers, said referendum result is added to a database relating said referendum to a list of referendum results and if said unique identifier matches a member of said list of unique identifiers, said referendum result is discarded; and (f) adding said unique identifier to said list of unique identifiers.