Market survey data collection method

Claim 1

A method for independently electronically collecting related market survey data from a plurality of diverse locations for temporary storage at each of said independent diverse locations where said data is independently collected for subsequent transmission thereof from said independent diverse locations over a telephone type link for accumulative processing thereof at a remote central electronic data processor, said method at said independent data collection diverse locations comprising the steps of electronically independently displaying an interactive changeable prompt message display on a visual display device at said independent diverse location indicating a particular one of a plurality of market survey information categories in a predefined sequence of said categories, said categories comprising at least product identification data, pricing data and purchase demographic data; providing a market survey data input signal to a buffer storage means in response to said interactive prompt message display, said provided market survey data input signal comprising an actual data input corresponding to said particular category; selectively interactively processing said provided market survey data input signal at said diverse location in a microcomputer means in accordance with said predefined sequence; providing a verification signal corresponding to said actual data input in response to the input thereof at said independent diverse location for verifying entry of said actual data input; providing a confirmation command input signal to said microcomputer means in response to said verification signal; and independently temporarily storing said displayed particular category market survey data input signal content of said buffer storage means in a static memory means at said independent diverse location in response to said confirmation command input signal and changing said visual display at said diverse location for electronically displaying the next prompt message in said predefined sequence in response to said confirmation command input signal for providing a next temporarily storable corresponding market survey data input signal in response to said next prompt message, said sequence defining a market survey data transaction expository of each product, said interactive sequence recycling for each market transaction for enabling independent integral storage of each product transaction at said diverse location; whereby subsequently transmitted market survey data may be rapidly independently collected at a central location from a plurality of independent diverse locations for said accumulative processing thereof with minimal error potential.

Claim 2

A method for independently electronically collecting related market survey data from a plurality of diverse locations for temporary storage at each of said independent diverse locations where said data is independently collected for subsequent transmission thereof from said independent diverse locations over a telephone type link for accumulative processing thereof at a remote central electronic data processor, said method at said independent data collection diverse locations comprising the steps of electronically independently displaying an interactive changeable prompt message display on a visual display device at said independent diverse location indicating a particular one of a plurality of market survey information categories in a predefined sequence of said categories, said categories comprising at least product identification data, pricing data and purchase demographic data; providing a market survey data input signal to a buffer storage means in response to said interactive prompt message display, said provided market survey data input signal comprising an actual data input corresponding to said particular category; selectively interactively processing said provided market survey data input signal at said diverse location in a microcomputer means in accordance with said predefined sequence; providing a verification signal corresponding to said actual data input in response to the input thereof at said independent diverse location for verifying entry of said actual data input; providing a confirmation command input signal to said microcomputer means in response to said verification signal; and independently temporarily storing said displayed particular category market survey data input signal content of said buffer storage means in a static memory means at said independent diverse location in response to said confirmation command input signal and changing said visual display at said diverse location for electronically displaying the next prompt message in said predefined sequence in response to said confirmation command input signal for providing a next temporarily storable corresponding market survey data input signal in response to said next prompt message, said sequence defining a market survey data transaction expository of each product, said interactive sequence recycling for each market transaction for enabling independent integral storage of each product transaction at said diverse location; whereby subsequently transmitted market survey data may be rapidly independently collected at a central location from a plurality of independent diverse locations for said accumulative processing thereof with minimal error potential.