WO2009155654A1

WO2009155654A1 - Market intelligence gathering system

Info

Publication number: WO2009155654A1
Application number: PCT/AU2009/000815
Authority: WO
Inventors: Terrance Loughlin
Original assignee: Terrance Loughlin
Priority date: 2008-06-26
Filing date: 2009-06-25
Publication date: 2009-12-30

Abstract

A conveyance (1) is disclosed. The conveyance (1) may comprise a human machine interface (6) arranged for use by a person (20) external of the conveyance (1). The human machine interface (6) may comprise a touch screen (6). The conveyance (1) may also comprise an electronic device (20) in communication with a human machine interface (6) for receiving information from the person (20) via the human machine interface (6).

Description

MARKET INTELLIGENCE GATHERING SYSTEM

Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to market intelligence gathering systems, and particularly but not exclusively to vehicle based market intelligence gathering systems .

Background of the Invention

Social and market researchers use a variety of means and technologies to acquire, store, and manage data from participants for research purposes. A typical tool used by these researchers are surveys, interviews, and intercepting participants in public places.

Unless a person is employed to recruit participants, the data obtained by the survey is provided by self-selected participants and is therefore less representative of the population under investigation.

Summary of Invention

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a conveyance comprising: a Human Machine Interface (HMI) arranged for use by a person external of the conveyance; and an electronic device in communication with the HMI for receiving information from the person via the HMI.

In one embodiment, the conveyance is a self propelled conveyance .

In one embodiment, the HMI is located adjacent an external panel or surface of the conveyance. In one embodiment, the HMI is located external of the conveyance during operation by the person. The HMI may be located internal of the conveyance during propulsion of the conveyance .

In one embodiment, the HMI is at least in part recessed in the panel of the conveyance .

In one embodiment, the conveyance further comprising a cover having a first mode providing protection for the HMI and a second mode providing access to the HMI by the person.

In one embodiment, the electronic device and the HMI are at least part of a market intelligence gathering system.

In one embodiment, the electronic device is programmed with market intelligence gathering software.

In one embodiment, the HMI comprises a touch screen.

In one embodiment, the electronic device is a computer system or device .

In one embodiment, the HMI is attached to the conveyance .

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a kit comprising: a Human Machine Interface (HMI) arranged for installation on a conveyance and for use by a person external of the conveyance; and an electronic device in communication with the HMI for receiving information from the person via the HMI. In one embodiment, the conveyance is a self propelled conveyance .

In one embodiment, the electronic device comprises a computer system or device .

In one embodiment, the computer system is arranged to be located internally of the conveyance.

In one embodiment, the computer system is loaded with market survey software .

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a conveyance comprising a touch screen located adjacent an external panel or surface of the conveyance, arranged for use by a person external of the conveyance .

In one embodiment, the conveyance is a self propelled conveyance .

In one embodiment, the touch screen is at least in part recessed in the panel of the conveyance .

According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a method of gathering information, the method comprising the steps of : presenting to a person a conveyance having a HMI located adjacent an external panel or surface of the conveyance ; causing the HMI to present a stimulus to the person; and receiving a response to the stimulus via the HMI .

In one embodiment, the conveyance is a self propelled conveyance. Brief description of the Figures

In order to achieve a better understanding of the nature of the present invention embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures in which:

Figure 1 shows one embodiment of a method of receiving information in accordance with another aspect of the invention. Figure 2 shows one embodiment of a conveyance in accordance with one aspect of the invention;

Figure 3 shows another embodiment of a conveyance; Figure 4 shows a view into the conveyance of Figure 1 ; and Figure 5 shows a block diagram of one embodiment of an electronic device.

Detailed Description of embodiments of the invention

In one embodiment, as shown Figure 1, a method of gathering marketing intelligence is provided 100. Firstly, a conveyance such as a van or car having a Human Machine Interface (HMI) , such as a touch screen, is presented to a person who is participating in a survey (step 102) . The touch screen is caused to present, in this embodiment visually, a stimulus, in the form of a survey question, to the person (step 104) . The person responds to the question by, for example, touching the touch screen to select one of a plurality of possible responses. In an alternative embodiment a non-touch screen and other input means such as buttons or a mouse are used instead. This response is then sent to a computer system such as a personal or industrial computer, or embedded system, which receives it (step 106) . The response is stored for possible processing and retrieval. In this embodiment, the conveyance is self propelled. However, the conveyance in some embodiments is at least partially human or animal propelled. Any suitable HMI may be used.

In one embodiment, the person is asked to appraise or review an object that is external to the conveyance 1 and not therefore presented by the conveyance. For instance, the person might be asked to taste a new ice-cream and enter via the HMI their perceptions to the taste, flavour and creaminess of the ice-cream. Similarly, they might be given a magazine or newspaper and asked to browse through certain pages and respond to questions via the interface.

Figure 2 shows one embodiment of a self propelled conveyance generally indicated by the numeral 1. The conveyance, in this embodiment, is a van. The van 1 has an external surface or panel 4 having a Human Machine Interface 6 in the form of a touch screen 6 secured or attached thereto by, for example, mounting brackets and mechanical fasteners. Any suitable mounting means may be employed. The attachment may be a permanent attachment. In some embodiments the HMI 6 is attached not to the external panel but to some other, preferably external, part of the vehicle 1. In many embodiments including that shown in figure 1, however, the HMI is fixed so that an active surface of the HMI (in this case but not necessarily touch screen 6) is accessible to and operable by a person 20 external of the conveyance 1. The person 20 may stand or sit outside of the vehicle 1 and interact with the HMI 6. In this embodiment, the touch screen 6 is at least in part recessed into the panel 4. In some embodiments, the touch screen 6 is substantially flush or continuous with the external panel surface 4. The HMI 6 may at least in part be placed in a position otherwise suitable for placement of a window.

The HMI 6 can display requests for information or questions, in the form of text and/or pictures for example, and the person 20 can supply information in response by, for example, touching the touch screen 6 or some other provided input means .

The HMI may have input means such as any one or more of: a speaker 8; a microphone 16; a keyboard 12; a pointing device such as a trackball, joystick or touchpad 14; a camera 10; means of capturing kinesthetic data; means of capturing neural data; eye tracking sensors; and/or other sensors. These are generally mounted in and/or on the panel 4.

In some embodiments, the HMI 6 can dispense tickets similar to the types found, for example, in kiosks at Road & Traffic Authority Offices or bank branches. The purpose of this is to generate an alpha-numeric number comprising a code to be entered into an online database allowing the respondent to be eligible for a prize or monetary compensation .

In this embodiment, the conveyance 1 has more than one HMI 6, 18. This allows more than one person to interface with the conveyance 1 at one time. Other panels of the vehicle may also have further HMIs.

The HMIs such as 6 and 18 in this embodiment are weather and tamperproof . Thus, the conveyance can be moved or driven, or left unattended, without requiring the HMIs to be covered in order to prevent their damage.

Figure 3 shows another embodiment of a conveyance 10. In this embodiment a cover in the form of a roller shutter 22 is attached to the panel above (alternatively below or to the side) the HMIs 24 and 26. The shutter 22 can be drawn over the HMIs 24 and 26 (a first mode) providing protection for the HMI. In figure 3, however, the shutter is shown in a second mode providing access to the HMI 26 by the person 20. The shutter 22 can be locked in either the first and/or second mode as required. Alternatively, a screen may be hingedly connected to the panel 4 and swung out or attached and movable in any suitable manner. In this case, the exposed surfaces of the screen may be arranged to present materials such as information, or promotional items to the person 20.

In some embodiments, an awning, such as a roll out blind is attached to the vehicle. The awning may be used during interrogation of the person 20 providing weather and sun protection for the person and/or HMI.

In some embodiments of a self propelled conveyance, however, the HMI 6 is located external of the conveyance during operation by the person 20, possibly hung off the panel 4 or otherwise detachably connected thereto, but the HMI is then located internal of the conveyance 30 during its propulsion or when unattended.

As shown in figure 4, inside or internal of the vehicle 1 there is an electronic device in the form of a computer system 28 in communication with the HMI 6. In this example, the computer system 28 is wired by a cable 32 to the HMI 6, however the connection may be wireless such as a Bluetooth connection. The computer system 28 may in some embodiments cause the HMI 6 to display the one or more requests for information and receives the information supplied by the person 20 in response. In some embodiments, the participants are led through a survey (or other method of research) by visual and/or audio instructions presented via the HMI . The information provided by the person may not be directly provided, but rather indirectly acquired by the camera (either still or video) , microphone or other sensor. As shown in Figure 5, the computer system 28 includes storage means such as a hard drive 50, a memory 52, a processor 54, a bus 56 connecting these components, and an interface 58 for connecting with the HMI 6. The computer system may be a generic personal computer fixed to the vehicle or installed in a compartment thereof, although it may be a specialised system, possibly an embedded system which may be integral with the HMI. The storage means 50 may be accessed via a connection (such as a USB port 60) to retrieve the information stored on the storage means, possibly in a form processed by the processor 54.

In this embodiment, the HMI 6 and electronic device are powered by batteries in the conveyance 1, although they could also be powered via a power line connected to a power mains .

In some embodiments of the conveyance 1,10 the computing system 28 is loaded or programmed with market survey software, such as software provided by Snap Surveys (TM) . The conveyance 1 then is at least part of a market intelligence gathering system.

In these embodiments, the van 1 provides a portable system to acquire, store and manage data provided and elicited from research participants 20. The van 1 may provide multiple HMIs 6 or portals for participants to provide data for research purposes.

Alternatively, the conveyance may provide a digital media or information portal. For example, MPEG3 ' s may be downloaded via a Bluetooth connection to a portable handheld device. In this case, the computer 28 includes a suitable connection 60, such as a Bluetooth transceiver for communicating the media or information to a personal ^■ device such as a MPEG3 player, iPhone, or portable computer or any other suitable device. It will be appreciated that the market intelligence gathering system can be supplied as a kit ready for installation on a self propelled conveyance such as the van 1.

Alternatively, the self propelled conveyance may be used as an information kiosk, or electronic data (such as digital media) kiosk.

Now that embodiments have been described, it will be appreciated that some embodiments may have some of the following advantages:

• The conveyance is highly portable, and may be transported to relevant locations such as street malls, corners, university campuses, outdoor or sporting events wherever information may be exchanged between a computer and a person;

• The system provides multiple portals in a single conveyance;

• The labour required to move, and set up and breakdown the system is relatively low and unskilled;

• Face-to-face interviewer bias should may be reduced as the interviewer is displaced by the HMI; • A person other than that from which market intelligence is being gathered may control the survey by interacting with the HMI or electronic device, for example. This may be done according to circumstance and tailoring the questions or the survey to the interviewee as seen fit by the interviewer. For example, the survey questions may be altered depending on the interviewer's perception of the interviewee's sex or fashion sense, or other parameter or demographic . The interviewer may be asking the questions or showing the interviewee samples and ask the interviewee to respond by interacting with the HMI . • The system is novel and may attract participants, especially if packaged attractively (eg, in a cute or sports vehicle) ;

• The vehicle may be large and thus command attention;

• Audio visual means may be employed on the screens or conveyance to attract participants;

• Because the HMI is located on the outside of the vehicle intercepting research participants will be far more straightforward than what is customary. This is because the participant will not need to significantly deviate from their current locality. Potential participants are known to avoid conducting research if they perceive moving to another location will cause them some (cognitive or physical) discomfort. For similar reasons potential participants may avoid entering the internal space of a vehicle for the purpose of participating in a research project.

It will be appreciated that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. For example, the conveyance may be a motorcycle, truck, car, pedal cab, pedapod or pedicab. The self propelled conveyance may include a trailer attached to a vehicle on which the HMI and computer system is located. The HMI may be mounted on an arm that can be swung out of the vehicle, for example through the back doors or side windows. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

It is to be understood that, if any prior art publication is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.

In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.

Claims

1. A conveyance comprising: a Human Machine Interface (HMI) arranged for use by a person external of the conveyance; and an electronic device in communication with the HMI for receiving information from the person via the HMI.

2. A conveyance defined by claim 1 wherein the HMI is located adjacent an external panel or surface of the conveyance .

3. A conveyance defined by claim 2 wherein the HMI is located external of the conveyance during operation by the person.

4. A conveyance defined by claim 3 wherein the HMI is located internal of the conveyance during propulsion of the conveyance .

5. A conveyance defined by claim 2 wherein the HMI is at least in part recessed in the panel of the conveyance.

6. A conveyance defined by any one of the proceeding claims further comprising a cover having a first mode providing protection for the HMI and a second mode providing access to the HMI by the person.

7. A conveyance defined by any one of the proceeding claims wherein the electronic device and the HMI are at least part of a market intelligence gathering system.

8. A conveyance defined by any one of the preceding claims wherein the HMI comprises a touch screen.

9. A conveyance defined by any one of the previous claims wherein the electronic device is a computer system or device.

10. A conveyance defined by any one of the previous claims wherein the HMI is attached to the conveyance.

11. A kit comprising: a Human Machine Interface (HMI) arranged for installation on a conveyance and for use by a person external of the conveyance; and an electronic device in communication with the

HMI for receiving information from the person via the HMI.

12. A kit defined by claim 11 wherein the electronic device comprises a computer system or device.

13. A kit defined by claim 12 wherein the computer system is arranged to be located internal of the conveyance.

14. A kit defined by either claim 12 or 13 wherein the computer system is loaded with market survey software.

15. A conveyance comprising a touch screen located adjacent an external panel or surface of the conveyance, arranged for use by a person external of the conveyance .

16. A conveyance defined by claim 15 wherein the touch screen is at least in part recessed in the panel of the conveyance .

17. A method of gathering information, the method comprising the steps of: presenting to a person a conveyance having a HMI located adjacent an external panel or surface of the conveyance ; causing the HMI to present a stimulus to the person; and receiving a response to the stimulus via the HMI.

18. A method defined by claim 17 which is a method of gathering market intelligence.

19. A conveyance of claim 1 to 10 arranged for gathering market intelligence.

20. A kit defined by claims 11 to 14 arranged for gathering market intelligence.

21. A conveyance defined by any one of claims 1 to 10 wherein the electronic device is programmed with market intelligence gathering software.

22. A conveyance substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying figures.

23. A kit substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying figures.

24. A method of gathering information substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying figures .