Group communications system

Claim 2

A communication system for facilitating formation of a message consisting of successive informational characters chosen by a plurality of the individual voting entities constituting a group, comprising: a plurality of keyboard selector units operable during each polling interval to manifest any one of a variety of coded output signals indicative of a selected informational character; a plurality of vote counting means each responsive to a respective one of said coded output signals for registering a vote total indicative of the number of voting entities selecting the associated informational character during a polling interval; and, winning vote detecting means responsive to a sequential comparison of the vote totals accumulated in each said counting means upon termination of each polling interval for detecting the informational character selected by a predetermined plurality of said voting entities during the preceding polling interval; and, means for selectively signaling the termination of each polling interval to initiate the operation of said winning vote detecting means.

Claim 3

The system of claim 1 further comprising: display means responsive to the operation of said winning vote detecting means for displaying to each of said voting entities a representation of the informational character detected to have been selected by said predetermined plurality of voting entities during preceding polling intervals.

Claim 4

A communication system for facilitating formation of a message using successive choices of informational characters by individual voting entities within a group, comprising: plurality of selector unit means each providing a predetermined variety of informational characters to be selected by one of said voting entities and output means for generating a coded electrical signal indicative of the informational character selected; means for receiving the coded electrical signals generated by each of the plurality of selector unit means; decoding means coupled to said receiving means and responsive to each coded electrical signals received to generate a distinct vote output for each informational character that corresponds to the coded electrical signal being received; a plurality of means for counting each of said distinct vote outputs from said decoding means during a predetermined polling interval for registering the total number of voting entities selecting each informational character during a given polling interval; means for signaling the initiation and termination of each polling interval; means responsive to the signaling of the termination of each polling interval for comparing the total number contained in each of said counting means to detect the informational character having a predetermined plurality relative to the total number of voting entities selecting each other informational character and for producing a winning signal output indicative of said detected informational character; and, means responsive to said winning signal output for communicating to each of said voting entities the identity of said detected character as the next successive element of said message, said signaling means being responsive to said winning signal output to signal initiation of a subsequent polling interval.

Claim 5

A communication system for facilitating formation of a message using successive choices of informational characters by individual voting entities within a group, comprising: plurality of selector unit means each providing a predetermined variety of informational characters to be selected by one of said voting entities and output means for generating a coded electrical signal indicative of the informational character selected; means for receiving the coded electrical signals generated by each of the plurality of selector unit means; decoding means coupled to said receiving means and responsive to each coded electrical signals received to generate a distinct vote output for each informational character that corresponds to the coded electrical signal being received; a plurality of means for counting each of said distinct vote outputs from said decoding means during a predetermined polling interval for registering the total number of voting entities selecting each informational character during a given polling interval; means for signaling the initiation and termination of each polling interval; means responsive to the signaling of the termination of each polling interval for comparing the total number contained in each of said counting means to detect the informational character having a predetermined plurality relative to the total number of voting entities selecting each other informational character and for producing a winning signal output indicative of said detected informational character; and, means responsive to said winning signal output for communicating to each of said voting entities the identity of said detected character as the next successive element of said message, said signaling means being responsive to said winning signal output to signal initiation of a subsequent polling interval.

Claim 6

The communication system of claim 3 wherein: each of said selector unit means includes timing means responsive to the initial generation of said coded electrical signal for disabling said output means after a predetermined code pulse interval for the duration of each polling interval and responsive to said signaling means for subsequently enabling said output means upon signaling of the initiation of a subsequent polling interval.

Claim 7

The system of claim 3 wherein: said signaling means includes a total vote control means for setting a selectable vote number corresponding to the total vote entities, a total vote detector responsive to each coded electrical signal from said receiving means for counting all the informational characters selected during a polling interval, and means for comparing said selectable total vote number with the count for said total vote detector to signal the termination of a polling interval when the total vote count reaches the total vote number selected by said total vote control means.

Claim 8

The system of claim 3 wherein: said signaling means includes a timer control means for selectively establishing a time setting corresponding to a desired time limit for each polling interval, clock means for registering elapsed time from the initiation of each polling interval, and means for comparing said elapsed time registered with said time setting for signaling the termination of a polling interval when the elapsed time registered equals the time setting.

Claim 9

The system of claim 3 wherein: said signaling means includes a winning vote control means for setting a selectable winning vote number corresponding to a predetermined proportion of the total voting entities participating, and winning vote comparison means responsive to the number contained in each of said counting means for signaling the termination of a polling interval when the count contained in any one of said counting means exceeds the winning vote number selected by said winning vote control means.

Claim 10

The communication system of claim 3 further comprising: digital display means responsive to the total number registered in said counting means for each informational character for indicating the total number of voting entities selecting each informational character during the preceding polling interval.

Claim 11

The communications system of claim 3 wherein: said comparing means includes means for registering the coded electrical signal indicative of the informational character detected to have said predetermined plurality; and, further comprising a winning character display means responsive to said coded electrical signal in said registering means and to said winning signal output for displaying a representation of said detected informational character as an element of the message being formed.

Claim 12

The communication system of claim 3 wherein: said selector unit means includes timing means responsive to the initial generation of said coded electrical signal for disabling said output means after a predetermined code pulse interval, and means selectively operable for resetting said timing means in each of said plurality of selector unit means to permit other voting entities to select another one of said informational characters during each polling interval, whereby each selector unit means is capable of generating at least two of said coded electrical signals during each polling interval.