Multi-phase multi-group selection methods for real-time collaborative intelligence systems

Claim 2

1 . A method for determining an answer choice set for a group of users participating in real-time collaborative control of at least one graphical object, each user of the group interacting with one of a plurality of computing devices, each computing device running a collaboration application and configured to exchange data with a collaboration server, the collaboration server performing the steps of: receiving of a plurality of answer choice suggestions from at least one of the plurality of computing devices; assigning of each of the plurality of computing devices to one of a plurality of computing device subgroups; assigning of each answer choice suggestion to one of a plurality of suggestion subsets, whereby each suggestion subset comprises at least two of the plurality of answer choice suggestions, and wherein a number of computing device subgroups is equal to a number of suggestion subsets; sending, of each suggestion subset to the computing devices of one computing device subgroup, wherein each computing device subgroup receives a different suggestion subset, and wherein the collaboration application displays the answer choice suggestions included in the suggestion subset as a plurality of answer choices on a target area of a display interface of the computing device; and receiving from each of the plurality of computing device subgroups one target answer choice selected by each computing device subgroup using real-time collaborative control of the at least one graphical object, whereby the plurality of target answer choices comprise a second phase answer choice suggestion set.

Claim 3

2 . The method for determining the answer choice set of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: upon determining that a number of target answer choices in the second phase answer choice suggestion set is greater than a maximum number of displayed answer choices, repeating the method for determining the answer choice set wherein the plurality of target answer choices is substituted for the plurality of answer choices suggestions until the number of target answer choices is less than the maximum number of displayed answer choices; and initiating of an answer period whereby the entire group of users select a final target from the plurality of answer choices using real-time collaborative control of the at least one graphical object.

Claim 4

3 . The method for determining the answer choice set of claim 1 , wherein the number of computing device subgroups is equal to a number of the plurality of answer choice suggestions divided by a number of answer choices displayed simultaneously on the target area of the display interface.

Claim 5

4 . The method for determining the answer choice set of claim 1 , wherein each computing device subgroup has an approximately equal number of users.

Claim 6

5 . The method for determining the answer choice set of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of answer choice suggestions are received during a suggestion time period.

Claim 7

6 . The method for determining the answer choice set of claim 5 , wherein a suggestion countdown timer is displayed on each of the plurality of computing devices during the suggestion time period.

Claim 8

7 . The method for determining the answer choice set of claim 1 , wherein answer choice suggestions are received until an answer choice suggestion limit is reached.

Claim 9

8 . The method for determining the answer choice set of claim 7 , wherein the answer choice suggestion limit is a percentage of a number of users in the group.

Claim 10

9 . The method for determining the answer choice set of claim 8 , wherein the percentage is 50%.

Claim 11

10 . The method for determining the answer choice set of claim 1 , wherein a number of users in one subgroup is displayed for the users in that subgroup.

Claim 12

11 . A method for determining an answer choice set for a group of users participating in a real-time collaborative decision-making process, each user of the group interacting with one of a plurality of computing devices, each computing device running a collaboration application and configured to exchange data with a collaboration server, the collaboration server performing the steps of: receiving of a plurality of first phase answer choice suggestions from at least one of the plurality of computing devices; assigning of each of the plurality of computing devices to one of a plurality of first phase computing device subgroups; assigning of each first phase answer choice suggestion to one of a plurality of first phase suggestion subsets, whereby each first phase suggestion subset comprises at least two of the plurality of first phase answer choice suggestions, and wherein a number of first phase computing device subgroups is equal to a number of first phase suggestion subsets; sending, of each first phase suggestion subset to the computing devices of each first phase computing device subgroup, wherein each first phase computing device subgroup receives a different first phase suggestion subset, and wherein the collaboration application displays the first phase suggestion subset as a plurality of first phase answer choices on a target area of a display interface of the computing device; and receiving from each of the plurality of first phase computing device subgroups one first phase target answer choice selected by each first phase computing device subgroup participating in the real-time collaborative decision-making process, whereby the plurality of first phase target answer choices comprise a second phase answer choice suggestion set; combining users of each of the number of the first phase computing device subgroups into one of a plurality of second phase computing device subgroups, wherein the second phase answer choice suggestion set for each second phase computing device subgroup includes each of the first phase target answer choices selected by the first phase subgroups.

Claim 13

11 . A method for determining an answer choice set for a group of users participating in a real-time collaborative decision-making process, each user of the group interacting with one of a plurality of computing devices, each computing device running a collaboration application and configured to exchange data with a collaboration server, the collaboration server performing the steps of: receiving of a plurality of first phase answer choice suggestions from at least one of the plurality of computing devices; assigning of each of the plurality of computing devices to one of a plurality of first phase computing device subgroups; assigning of each first phase answer choice suggestion to one of a plurality of first phase suggestion subsets, whereby each first phase suggestion subset comprises at least two of the plurality of first phase answer choice suggestions, and wherein a number of first phase computing device subgroups is equal to a number of first phase suggestion subsets; sending, of each first phase suggestion subset to the computing devices of each first phase computing device subgroup, wherein each first phase computing device subgroup receives a different first phase suggestion subset, and wherein the collaboration application displays the first phase suggestion subset as a plurality of first phase answer choices on a target area of a display interface of the computing device; and receiving from each of the plurality of first phase computing device subgroups one first phase target answer choice selected by each first phase computing device subgroup participating in the real-time collaborative decision-making process, whereby the plurality of first phase target answer choices comprise a second phase answer choice suggestion set; combining users of each of the number of the first phase computing device subgroups into one of a plurality of second phase computing device subgroups, wherein the second phase answer choice suggestion set for each second phase computing device subgroup includes each of the first phase target answer choices selected by the first phase subgroups.

Claim 14

12 . The method for determining the answer choice set of claim 11 , further comprising the steps of: upon determining that a number of second phase answer choice suggestions is greater than a maximum number of displayed answer choices, assigning of each second phase answer choice suggestion to one of a plurality of second phase suggestion subsets, whereby each second phase suggestion subset comprises more than one second phase answer choice suggestion; sending, of each second phase suggestion subset to the computing devices of one second phase computing device subgroup, wherein each second phase computing device subgroup receives a different second phase suggestion subset, and wherein the collaboration application displays the second phase answer choice suggestions of the second phase suggestion subset as a plurality of second phase answer choices on the target area of the display interface of the computing device; and receiving from each of the plurality of second phase computing device subgroups one second phase target answer choice selected by each second phase computing device subgroup using real-time collaborative control of the at least one graphical object, whereby the plurality of second phase target answer choices comprise a third phase answer choice suggestion set.

Claim 15

13 . The method for determining the answer choice set of claim 11 , further comprising the steps of initiating of an answer period whereby the entire group of users selects a final target from the plurality of second phase target answer choices using real-time collaborative control of the at least one graphical object.

Claim 16

14 . A method for collecting suggestions and reaching decisions among a large group of users participating in a real-time collaborative decision-making process, comprising the steps of: enabling a plurality of computing devices to communicated with a collaboration server over a communication network, each of the plurality of computing devices associated with each user in the large group of users; sending of a question by the collaboration server to each of the plurality of computing devices, wherein a representation of the question is displayed on a display of each computing device; receiving a plurality of suggested answers from the plurality of computing devices, each suggested answer being entered into one of the plurality of computing devices by the user associated with that computing device, the suggested answers being entered by the group of users in response to the question; dividing the plurality of suggested answers into a plurality of suggestion subsets; dividing the plurality of computing devices into a plurality of computing device subsets such that a number of computing device subsets is at least as large as a number of the plurality of suggestions subsets; assigning one of the plurality of suggestion subsets to each of the plurality of computing device subsets such that all suggested answers are assigned to at least one computing device subset; enabling a collaborative decision-making process among users of each computing device subset, such that the users of each computing device subset collaboratively choose one preferred answer suggestion from the suggestion subset assigned to that computing device subset, adding, by the collaboration server, of each preferred answer suggestion to a refined answer set comprising a plurality of refined suggested answers; upon determining, by the collaboration server, that a number of suggestions in the refined answer set is greater than a threshold number, repeating the steps of: dividing the plurality of suggested answers into the plurality of suggestion subsets, wherein the plurality of suggested answers is the plurality of refined suggested answers; dividing the plurality of computing devices into the plurality of computing device subsets such that a number of computing device subsets is at least as large as a number of the plurality of refined suggested answers; assigning one of the plurality of suggestion subsets to each of the plurality of computing device subsets such that all refined suggested answers are assigned to at least one computing device subset; enabling the collaborative decision-making process among the users of each computing device subset, such that the users of each computing device subset collaboratively choose one preferred answer suggestion from the suggestion subset assigned to that computing device subset; and adding, by the collaboration server, of each preferred answer suggestion to the refined answer set comprising the plurality of refined suggested answers; and enabling a final collaborative decision-making process among the entire group of users to select a final answer from the plurality of refined suggested answers.

Claim 17

14 . A method for collecting suggestions and reaching decisions among a large group of users participating in a real-time collaborative decision-making process, comprising the steps of: enabling a plurality of computing devices to communicated with a collaboration server over a communication network, each of the plurality of computing devices associated with each user in the large group of users; sending of a question by the collaboration server to each of the plurality of computing devices, wherein a representation of the question is displayed on a display of each computing device; receiving a plurality of suggested answers from the plurality of computing devices, each suggested answer being entered into one of the plurality of computing devices by the user associated with that computing device, the suggested answers being entered by the group of users in response to the question; dividing the plurality of suggested answers into a plurality of suggestion subsets; dividing the plurality of computing devices into a plurality of computing device subsets such that a number of computing device subsets is at least as large as a number of the plurality of suggestions subsets; assigning one of the plurality of suggestion subsets to each of the plurality of computing device subsets such that all suggested answers are assigned to at least one computing device subset; enabling a collaborative decision-making process among users of each computing device subset, such that the users of each computing device subset collaboratively choose one preferred answer suggestion from the suggestion subset assigned to that computing device subset, adding, by the collaboration server, of each preferred answer suggestion to a refined answer set comprising a plurality of refined suggested answers; upon determining, by the collaboration server, that a number of suggestions in the refined answer set is greater than a threshold number, repeating the steps of: dividing the plurality of suggested answers into the plurality of suggestion subsets, wherein the plurality of suggested answers is the plurality of refined suggested answers; dividing the plurality of computing devices into the plurality of computing device subsets such that a number of computing device subsets is at least as large as a number of the plurality of refined suggested answers; assigning one of the plurality of suggestion subsets to each of the plurality of computing device subsets such that all refined suggested answers are assigned to at least one computing device subset; enabling the collaborative decision-making process among the users of each computing device subset, such that the users of each computing device subset collaboratively choose one preferred answer suggestion from the suggestion subset assigned to that computing device subset; and adding, by the collaboration server, of each preferred answer suggestion to the refined answer set comprising the plurality of refined suggested answers; and enabling a final collaborative decision-making process among the entire group of users to select a final answer from the plurality of refined suggested answers.

Claim 18

15 . The method for collecting suggestions and reaching decisions among a large group of users participating in a real-time collaborative decision-making process of claim 14 , wherein the threshold number is no more than twelve.

Claim 19

16 . The method for collecting suggestions and reaching decisions among a large group of users participating in a real-time collaborative decision-making process of claim 14 , further including the step of eliminating, by the collaboration server, of duplicate suggested answers prior to the step of dividing the plurality of suggested answers into the plurality of suggestion subsets.