Patent Publication Number: US-2009222330-A1

Title: System and method for determining like-mindedness

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application is a continuation in part of U.S. Nonprovisional application Ser. No. 11/697,009, entitled, “System and Method for Determining Like-Mindedness,” filed on Apr. 5, 2007, which claims the benefit of Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/870,733, filed Dec. 19, 2006, and incorporates the disclosure of each application in its entirety by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     As the Internet has matured, so have popular attitudes. People increasingly do not think twice about “googling” for information on any given topic, sending their hard-earned money off to a complete stranger for an offbeat item they found on an online auction, or putting their own likeness out on many popular dating web sites that dot the Internet landscape. The initial skepticism that precluded many people from entrusting the Internet early on has progressively subsided. 
     The increasing acceptance of the Internet and willingness to employ it in the service of finding a date, a lifelong partner, just a friend, or even modern day “penpal”, has not necessarily led to viable solutions. Online dating in its current form is not without its fair share of limitations and problems. Matchmaking overall is nothing new, and many of the problems that face matchmaking online are as old as matchmaking itself. In more recent Internet times, however, the potential scale for matchmaking and social network systems, and the scope of those willing to participate, provides potential opportunities and unique challenges. 
     Just as problems existed before the Internet, current systems are fraught with both intentional and unintentional abuse. People intentionally submit false pictures of themselves, lie regarding their age or marital status, or alter their profile information to suggest something that they think others will want rather than real facts. Even if the user does not intend to misrepresent the facts, the user&#39;s self-image does not always match reality. 
     A number of dating sites claim to overcome this problem by introducing the idea of compatibility testing, in which they employ various surveys to collect information about participants. The information is then analyzed and compatible matches are suggested. But these systems generally rely on people&#39;s self-assessments as well, and also rely on assessments that can be flawed. 
     Much of the criticisms that are levied against traditional psychological testing, such as the Minnesota Mutliphasic Personality Inventory (MPPI) and the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R) tests, can be applied to the methods employed in the compatibility testing used in these modern matchmaking systems. Erroneous value judgments made in the information-collecting phase ultimately result in poor results. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     Methods and apparatus for a participant response system according to various aspects of the present invention operate in conjunction with an information system and an assessment system. The information system may store selection information in response to a first participant&#39;s selection of data choices from a set of candidate survey data. The assessment system is responsive to the information system, identifies a correlation between the selection information of the first participant and a set of comparison data. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
       A more complete understanding of the present invention may be derived by referring to the detailed description and claims when considered in connection with the following illustrative figures. In the following figures, like reference numbers refer to similar elements and steps throughout the figures. 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a participant response system according to various aspects of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a flow diagram of a participant response process according to various aspects of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 3A-D  represent potential interfaces showing one, two, three, and four images, respectively. 
     
    
    
     Elements and steps in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been rendered according to any particular sequence. For example, steps that may be preformed concurrently or in different order are illustrated in the figures to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     The following representative descriptions of the present invention generally relate to exemplary embodiments and the inventors&#39; conception of the best mode, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description is intended to provide convenient illustrations for implementing various embodiments of the invention. Changes may be made in the function and/or arrangement of any of the elements described in the disclosed exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 
     The present invention is described partly in terms of functional components and various processing steps. Such functional components and processing steps may be realized by any number of components, operations, and techniques configured to perform the specified functions and achieve the various results. For example, the present invention may employ various elements, materials, computers, networks, databases, storage systems and media, information gathering techniques and processes, and the like, which may carry out a variety of functions. In addition, although the invention is described in the relationship context, the present invention may be practiced in conjunction with any number of applications, environments, and compatibility processes; the systems described are merely exemplary applications for the invention. 
     Methods and apparatus according to various aspects of the present invention comprise a participant response system  100  using images to exact responses from participants, such as employees, customers, survey- or test-takers, and the like. The results may then be utilized for any appropriate purpose, such as to identify characteristics of individual participants, identify potential relationships, determine attitudes of a group, or determine a participant&#39;s aptitude for a job. 
     The various elements and aspects of the participant response system  100  may be implemented in any manner, such as via hardware and/or software. In the present embodiment, the participant response system  100  comprises a computer program operating on a remotely accessible computer such that participants may provide data directly to the participant response system  100 . The participant response system  100  may be implemented, however, on multiple computers, on a local network, in conjunction with intermediaries for supplying participant responses, or in any other appropriate manner. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , in one exemplary embodiment according to various aspects of the present invention, the participant response system  100  includes an information system  110 , an assessment system  112 , and a reporting interface  114 . The information system  110  collects data from the participants, and the assessment system  112  analyzes the collected data. The reporting interface  114  provides conclusions generated by the assessment system  112 . Each of the information system  110 , assessment system  112 , and reporting interface  114  may comprise an aspect or module of a computer program operating on a remote computer accessible via a network, such as the internet or a local area network. 
     The information system  110  gathers relevant data from the participants, such as by presenting survey data to the participant and permitting the participant to make selections based on the information provided. The information system  110  may then store the participant&#39;s selections for analysis by the assessment system  112 . 
     In one embodiment, the information system  110  comprises an audio visual interface to provide video data, audio data, or a combination of audio-visual data to a participant, such as a program configured to present one or more video images to a remote user, for example via the internet and a display. The information system  110  may present any suitable survey data, such as audio sounds, music, random audio-visual images, video images related to assessing a particular personality trait, a preselected sequence of video images, and the like. The survey data may relate to any subject matter, such as music, people, landscapes, sports, faces, animation, movies, television programs, and art. In the present embodiment, the information system  110  presents multiple sets of videos, for example in a sequence, to gather the responses of the participant to each set of presented video images. The information system  110  may present a series of video images in which each set comprises two videos presented simultaneously ( FIG. 3B ), sequentially, or on command. Alternatively, a participant may be required to select from more than two videos in each presentation of video images ( FIGS. 3C-D ), or respond to presentation of a single video image ( FIG. 3A ), such as by giving a positive or negative response. 
     The information system  110  may generate survey data configured to elicit a participant&#39;s reactions to the information to assist in determining like-mindedness of the participant with other participants based, at least in part, on the participants&#39; responses to the data. Alternatively, the information system  110  may generate survey data configured to identify a habit-of-thought category of the participant or other grouping of the participant based, at least in part, on the participants&#39; responses to the information provided. In one embodiment, video images are provided with no associated text or audio that may affect the participants&#39; responses. Although text may be included with the videos, the text is not associated with the particular videos displayed. For example, the text may include instructions ( FIG. 3A ), copyright notices, web information, or advertising, but does not include text associated with the content, such as labels or descriptions of the image content, names or locations of items in the images, or characterizations of the content in the images. In one embodiment, the videos are accompanied by no text whatsoever ( FIG. 3B ). 
     The information system  110  prompts the participant to make a selection according to one or more criteria, such as according to which video the participant finds more appealing. The information system  110  may register the participant&#39;s selection, for example via a graphic interface, keyboard selection, voice activation, or other appropriate selection interface or system. The information system  110  may permit the user to use a tracking device, touch screen, or mobile or cell phone interface to designate the selected image. 
     The information system  110  stores the selection made by the participant in a memory  116 , such as a conventional data storage system. The selection may be indexed to the individual participant or stored anonymously. In the present embodiment, the selection is associated with identification information of the participant, such as an identification number. After the participant makes a selection, a new set of survey data is presented to the user. The survey data may be continually updated, and the field of survey data may be sufficiently large that duplicate data sets do not occur for individual users, though individual pieces of data may be repeated. 
     In one embodiment, the information system  110  includes a selection interface, which may comprise a program or other mechanism configured to collect responses based on the participants selecting one or more videos among an arrangement of videos based on any appropriate criteria, such as personal appeal to the user or impressions of which choice might be better in the view of the user. The selections may be made according to participant preferences based upon their biases related to a given instruction set. Image selection may be one video out of a group based on various criteria, or may involve a selectable range of preference levels among videos in a group. Preferences are not limited to a user liking one video more than others. Preferences may include but are not limited to value judgments, moral questions, closer association with/against, or invocation of feelings such as fear, pride, or happiness. 
     In another embodiment, the information system  110  may allow participants to add remarks to the survey data to assist in the assessment process. For example, the participant may provide descriptions of why they selected a given video, notes regarding what they viewed as important in the image, or describing the content of the image. Some survey data may be easy to describe and can be described as a simple noun; others may convey a concept which may elicit a more detailed response. 
     The information system  110  may also record additional information that may relate to the participants&#39; reactions. For example, the information system  110  may record behavioral information about the user&#39;s selections in the selection process, such as the coordinate information tracking where the user actually clicked on an image or the amount of time taken by a user to make selections. 
     After the participant makes a selection, the user may be given the option to continue or to stop at various intervals based on a number of selections made or elapsed time. The information system  110  may be configured, however, to collect responses from the participant for any appropriate duration, for any number of videos, until the participant elects to quit, or according to any other suitable criteria. 
     The assessment system  112  analyzes the responses of the participant to generate conclusions. The assessment system  112  may analyze the responses in any suitable manner and for any objective. For example, the assessment system  112  may analyze the responses to determine aspects of the participant&#39;s personality, psychology, or perspective. The assessment system  112  may analyze the participant&#39;s responses to evaluate potential relationships, business potential, friendships, aptitudes, compatibility, personalities, networking possibilities, like-mindedness, and/or other aspects relating to the participant. 
     The assessment system  112  may perform any appropriate analysis to generate the conclusions. In one embodiment, the assessment system  112  compares the responses of a particular participant to comparison data. The comparison data may comprise any suitable data to which the participant&#39;s data may be compared to make conclusions about the participant. For example, the comparison data may comprise the responses of other participants. High correlations between the selections made by different participants may identify those participants that are like-minded. For example, those who responded similarly to a large percentage of the survey data may be more like-minded than those who responded less similarly. The assessment system  112  may also consider any other relevant information, such as the gender and/or location of the respective participants. 
     The assessment system  112  may also compare the participant&#39;s responses to other comparison data, such as historical information or known patterns, which may provide conclusions relating to the participant. The comparison data may comprise, but are not limited to, historical information, known patterns, participant responses, algorithms and other stored information. The assessment system  112  may then assign the participant to one or more habit-of-thought categories, which may comprise any appropriate characterizations of the participant, such as personality traits, moral perceptions, behavioral tendencies, and the like. For example, the historical information may indicate that previous participants that selected a certain set of images tend to be more solitary and less sociable. If the current participant selected the same set of images, the assessment system  112  may conclude that the current participant is likewise more solitary and less sociable than other participants. The assessment system  112  may also be configured to receive feedback so that the assessment system  112  may apply improved algorithms as additional participants submit answers and results are received from prior analyses. 
     In one embodiment, the assessment system  112  may accord no weight to the content of the selected survey data. For example, a music video carries no more weight or meaning than a video of a nuclear blast. The assessment system  112  may correlate the number of similarly selected survey data to determine which participants are like-minded. In another embodiment, the assessment system  112  may analyze the participant&#39;s responses based on other criteria, such as the content of the survey data, historical data, professional assessment and industry knowledge. For example, the participants&#39; responses to certain questions may be given greater or lesser weight in determining correlations with other participants&#39; responses or for identifying relevant habit-of-thought categories for the participant. 
     The reporting interface  114  provides the conclusions and/or the participant&#39;s responses. The reporting interface  114  may comprise any output system for providing information, such as a monitor, printer, memory  116 , acoustic system, and the like. In addition, the reporting interface  114  may provide any appropriate information. For example, the reporting interface  114  may communicate information relating to other participants identified as like-minded to the participant, and the participant may browse, contact, or make notes on the other participants that have been identified by the assessment system  112  as like-minded and/or satisfying other criteria. In the present embodiment, the reporting interface  114  may provide information regarding other participants that appear to be like-minded based on similarity of the responses provided. In one embodiment, the reporting interface  114  may show information regarding potential matches with other participants or otherwise identify like-minded participants. 
     The reporting interface  114  may provide additional information, such as a description and/or an interpretation of the results. For example, the reporting interface  114  may provide a listing of the habit-of-thought categories identified by the assessment system  112  for the participant, as well as an explanation of the categories. The reporting interface  114  may provide additional functions, such as allowing exchanges of messages with other participants. For example, the reporting interface  114  may offer an inbox, discussion board, email system, or other communication options. Additionally, participants may make additional personal information available to other participants. Participants may also send invitations to other potential participants via the reporting interface  114 . 
     Additionally, in an alternative embodiment, participants may compare their results to the results of other participants of the system or data regarding various populations. For example, the reporting interface  114  system may report and/or rank the degree of similarity between the participant and one or more participants, groups of participants, or habit-of-thought categories, such as numerically or graphically. In one embodiment, the reporting interface  114  may provide identification information for other participants that appear to be compatible, for example due to a high correlation between the responses provided, as well as a ranking according to the degree of correlation and/or a quantification of the correlation. 
     In operation, the information system  110  collects selection information from a participant by registering the participant&#39;s selections. The assessment system  112  analyzes the selection information to determine characteristics of the participant or otherwise identify correlations to other data. The reporting interface  114  provides conclusions derived from the participant&#39;s responses and generated by the assessment system  112 . 
     For example, the participant may initially access the participant response system  100  by accessing a website via the Internet. The information system  110  may collect initial information from the participant, such as contact information, name, gender, age, interests, or other desired information. 
     The information system  110  then begins collecting the participant&#39;s responses. For example, referring to  FIG. 2 , the information system  110  may display a selected number of survey data, such as two videos, on the participant&#39;s computer ( 210 ). The participant selects a video according to any suitable criteria, such as the greater appeal of one video over the other to the participant ( 212 ). In the present embodiment, the participant identifies the selection by designating the selected video via the computer. The information system  110  registers the participant&#39;s selection and stores the response ( 214 ). The information system  110  then provides another group of videos to the participant for selection and again stores the response. The information system  110  may repeat the process until a selected number of responses have been received, until the participant elects to terminate the process, or other suitable termination event ( 216 ). The information system  110  may also collect any other responses from the participant, such as responses to questions. 
     The assessment system  112  analyzes the participant&#39;s responses to generate the results. In the present embodiment, the assessment system  112  receives the responses from the information system  110  and performs the assessment according to one or more selected algorithms and/or comparison data. For example, the assessment system  112  may compare the participaint&#39;s responses to the responses of other participants or other data. In the present embodiment, the assessment system  112  correlates the current participant&#39;s responses to the responses of other participants to identify participants that made the same or most similar responses as the current participant ( 218 ). Those participants that selected the same videos or many of the same videos may be like-minded. These like-minded individuals may comprise a like-minded grouping. Information on the like-minded participants, such as identification information, may be stored or provided to the reporting interface  114 . The assessment system  112  may, however, apply any criteria or algorithm to the responses, such as comparing the responses to historical data or applying different criteria to different sets of responses. 
     The results generated by the assessment system  112  are received by the reporting interface  114 , and the reporting interface  114  provides an output report. For example, the reporting interface  114  may provide information regarding the participants identified by the assessment system  112  as being like-minded. In the present embodiment, the reporting interface  114  provides basic information relating to the identified like-minded participants, such as identification information, contact information, and/or basic biographical information ( 220 ). The reporting system may, however, provide any appropriate information. 
     In the present embodiment, the results may be provided to the participant via a display to aid participants in contacting other like-minded individuals. The reporting interface  114  may also provide other information generated by the assessment system  112 , such as conclusions relating to the participant&#39;s personality or other habit-of-thought categories. The participants may elect to return to the information system  110  and continue selecting images ( 222 ). Participants may also be given the option of selecting from the identical set of videos presented to another participant to see how like-minded one is with the other participant. This may be an ongoing process as the other participant makes additional selections from the survey data. 
     The participant may use the information provided for any purpose. For example, the participant may wish to contact the other participants identified as being like-minded, such as to initiate possible relationships. The participant may be given the option of reviewing these results or returning to selecting survey data. In reviewing these results, the participant may be given the option to contact other participants or invite other parties to participate. The information and results may be used for other purposes as well. For example, employers or analysts may use the selection information and results to determine compatibility or aptitude for particular tasks or assignments. The present methods and apparatus provide tools to accommodate the ever-increasing scale and scope of the Internet in helping people to find, identify, and compare with other like-minded individuals online, for whatever purpose, whether to find a lifelong committed partner to an online friend for chat and beyond. Such a tool has useful applications, however, beyond the domain of matchmaking. 
     In the present specification, the invention is described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments. Various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims. The specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrative manner, rather than a restrictive one and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should not be limited to merely the examples described above. 
     For example, the steps recited in any method or process may be executed in any order and are not limited to the specific order presented. Additionally, the components and/or elements may be assembled or otherwise operationally configured in a variety of permutations to produce substantially the same result as the present invention and are accordingly not limited to the specific configuration recited. 
     Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described with regard to particular embodiments. Any benefit, advantage, solution to problem or any element, however, that may cause any particular benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or to become more pronounced are not to be construed as critical, required or essential features or components. 
     The terms “comprise”, “comprises”, “comprising”, “having”, “including”, “includes” or any variation thereof, are intended to reference a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, composition or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements recited, but may also include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, composition or apparatus. Other combinations and/or modifications of the above-described structures, arrangements, applications, proportions, elements, materials or components used in the practice of the present invention, in addition to those not specifically recited, may be varied or otherwise particularly adapted to specific environments, manufacturing specifications, design parameters or other operating requirements without departing from the general principles of the same. 
     Furthermore, the terms “first”, “second”, and the like, if any, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequential or chronological order. Moreover, the terms “front”, “back”, “top”, “bottom”, “over”, “under”, “forward”, “aft”, and the like, if any, are generally employed for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for comprehensively describing exclusive relative position. Any of the preceding terms so used may be interchanged under appropriate circumstances such that various embodiments of the invention described may be capable of operation in other configurations and/or orientations than those explicitly illustrated or otherwise described.