Patent ID: 8135609

Claim:
A computer-implemented method comprising: sending a request for a return signal to a plurality of user devices via a wireless network; receiving respective return signals from one or more of the plurality of user devices, each of the return signals indicating a current status of a respective user device and an operational mode of the respective user device; tracking a frequency that the respective user device is in a particular location where a user of the respective user device does not live in the particular location; receiving a survey that is generated at a user device, the survey including an inquiry and selectable responses to the inquiry that are configured to be completed by recipients of the survey, the selectable responses including a set of possible multiple choice answers to the inquiry that are generated at the user device; receiving, along with the survey from the user device, one or more selected characteristics that are attributable to users that are associated with the plurality of user devices, the one or more characteristics including the frequency of the respective user device in the particular location and being utilized as criteria to identify the recipients of the survey; automatically selecting a group of user devices from the plurality of user devices based on the status and operational mode of the user devices and the users having the one or more selected characteristics and identified as the recipients of the survey, each of the users being associated with a respective user device in the selected group of user devices; forwarding the survey to the selected group of user devices via the wireless network, the survey configured to be completed by a user at a respective user device in the selected group of user devices; receiving survey responses to the inquiry from one or more of the user devices in the selected group of user devices; and forwarding the survey responses to the user device from which the survey was generated and received.