Abstract: A method for obtaining audience preference market survey data, such as a radio and/or television listening audience survey and/or supplemental data, such as bar coded data (156), from a plurality of diverse locations for accumulative processing by a remote data processor, involves recording (22, 30, 40, 42, 44, 56, 54, 52) a plurality of audio signals (46, 48, 50) at each of the diverse locations which corresponds to the ambient radio and/or television audio sound at predetermined synchronized discrete sampling times (42, 60, 64, 66, 62) or windows which are synchronized to a master recording (110) of the programs being surveyed. The sampling windows are of short duration with respect to the measurement interval. The master recording (110) audio signals frequency intervals are matched against the frequency of the diverse location audio samples to provide an indication of audience preference and tested for a correct match in a configurable filter array (120, 122, 124).

Abstract: In a method for providing a self-administered survey using a bar coded survey questionnaire having a plurality of survey questions and a plurality of selectable responses to the questions, with the selectable bar coded responses (10) being scannable for storing the selected responses (10); the improvement comprising providing a bar code scannable skip pattern prompt (12a, 12b) embedded in a scannable bar code pattern (10) also containing the selectable response (14a, 14b), the skip pattern prompt (12a, 12b) being dependent on the selected response (14a, 14b); selecting a response to a particular survey question by scanning (22) the bar code pattern (10) associated with the selected response (14a, 14b); storing the selected response (14a, 14b) based on the scanned bar code pattern (10) and displaying (24) a prompt message, indicating a next question to be answered in the survey questionnaire based on the same scanned bar code pattern (10), whereby a single scanning of the selected bar code pattern (10) provide

Abstract: An audio frequency based data capture tablet (26) includes a working surface (210) upon which a data collection document having marked responses is placed. A movable cursor (212, 222), which is mechanically disposed above the working surface (210), produces an audio signature indicating both its position and relative motion orthogonally. shaded bars (214, 216) along the top and sides of the tablet (26) which comprise binary encoded sections, cause a composite of audio frequencies to be produced. The intersecting members (212, 222) of the movable cursor are orthogonally disposed with the x-axis member including seven phototransistors (220) as does the y-axis member (225), with each of the phototransistors (220, 223) being uniquely associated with an audio frequency oscillator (330-342, 334-356) whose outputs are mixed and combined (400) to provide a composite audio signature; and optically alignable with the shaded bars (214, 216).

Abstract: A method for independently centrally electronically accumulating market survey data from different content rapidly disseminated multiple inquiry market surveys from a plurality of panelist stations (14, 16, 18, 20) located at diverse locations. Variable market survey questionnaires to diverse located panelists may be remotely rapidly disseminated from a centrally located host computer (12) to the panelist stations (14, 16, 18, 20) over a common communications link (22 or 104) for individual visual display at the panelist stations (14, 16, 18, 20), such as on a CRT (42) or television set (44) or alphanumeric display (45), with the displayed questionnaires resulting from a downstream loaded set of control instructions stored in a local survey program RAM (54) whose content may be remotely varied from the head end or host computer (12).

Abstract: A method for independently electronically collecting related market survey data from a plurality of diverse locations (6,6') for temporary storage at each of the independent diverse locations (6,6') where the data is collected for subsequent transmission thereof from these locations (6,6') over a telephone type link (30,36,42) for accumulative processing thereof at a remote central electronic data processor. An interactive interchangeable prompt message display is displayed on a visual display device (32) indicating one of a plurality of market survey categories in a predefined sequence. An actual data input signal may be provided via a keyboard (70) or barboard (29) and/or wand (18,28) in response to the prompt message display with this input being stored in a memory (16) for subsequent transmission. Prior to storage in the memory (16), the data is stored in a buffer and is displayed on the display device (32) to enable confirmation prior to transfer to the bulk memory (16).

Abstract: A method .[.for.]. independently electronically .[.collecting.]. .Iadd.collects .Iaddend.related market survey data from a plurality of diverse locations (6,6') for temporary storage at each of the independent diverse locations (6,6') where the data is collected for subsequent transmission thereof from these locations (6,6') over a telephone type link (30,36,42) for accumulative processing thereof at a remote central electronic data processor. An interactive interchangeable prompt message display is displayed on a visual display device (32) indicating one of a plurality of market survey categories in a predefined sequence. An actual data input signal may be provided via a keyboard (70) or barboard (29) and/or wand (18,28) in response to the prompt message display with this input being stored in a memory (16) for subsequent transmission.