Surgery – Diagnostic testing – Eye or testing by visual stimulus
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-30
2001-05-08
O'Connor, Cary (Department: 3736)
Surgery
Diagnostic testing
Eye or testing by visual stimulus
C600S595000, C351S210000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06228038
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method and device for collecting and processing stimuli data and measuring the reactions to said data.
Such a method is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,177. With this method, the object is to find out how a number of respondents react to e.g. advertisement illustrations and slogans, tv and cinema commercials, images of persons, logos and other things presented to them. With the known method, one can employ, among other things, answering through push buttons. This can lead to deviations and measuring errors, e.g. by incorrect operation of the push buttons, which can be the cause of incorrect final results. Such errors in final results can also be caused by the fact that respondents feel hindered to give their true opinions, and give an opinion best suitable to the buttons.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the object of the invention is to provide an improved method, by which in a short time, e.g. within one day, a measurement with one hundred or more respondents and with several hundreds of stimuli can be executed, said measurement being applicable in several places, also on an international scale, simultaneously or otherwise. According to the invention, such a method is characterized in that the physiological reactions by respondents to the stimuli presented, or to components of said stimuli, are measured automatically and are recorded in one or more computer systems and that the recorded data, stimuli data, combined with respondent data or otherwise, are automatically processed, e.g. in central units, to interpretable results, said results stored in a database, e.g. a relational database, being accessible to anyone on certain conditions.
The invention relates to a method, as well as a device for massively collecting, processing and making available stimuli performance data and random check survey data within a short time, by massively presenting stimuli to large amounts of respondents, and measuring and recording physiological reactions to said stimuli.
The stimuli concern e.g. visual stimuli, including printed matter, products, illustrations, photos, texts, instructions, manuals, etc., in printed media, including magazines, newspapers, specialist journals, brochures, flyers, free local papers, DM, books, guides, etc. But also stimuli such as e.g. TV-stimuli, productions, spots and/or packages, shop formulas, design, art, concepts, apparatus, models (e.g. car models), reality and photo product concepts, as well as presentation by e.g. projection on screens, including TV-screens.
With the method according to the invention, it is possible to perform qualitative research on a quantitative scale. It unites the high degree of reliability of the quantitative research with the great variety in subjects and depth of the qualitative research.
The device to be used with the method according to the invention comprises a combination of apparatus and subsystems organizationally enabling measurement of the reactions of e.g. more than one hundred persons a day to e.g. several hundreds of stimuli. With the data obtained by said apparatus, for the first time it is possible to produce accurate calculations as regards to qualitative information. At the same time, for the first time it is possible to mutually compare results of calculations and thereby obtaining judgments and insights.
The possibility of confronting e.g. more than one hundred respondents to several hundreds of stimuli in the same way on one day, recording both the visual and other physiological reactions to said stimuli, processing said reactions to clear measurement reports and making said reports available for interested persons within a few hours, in any case within one day, is a breakthrough in relation to all existing methods, applied technologies and devices.
Persons interested in the measurement reports are e.g. companies advertising, marketing officials, design, film and television production, product development, media proprietors, etc. Persons can take an interest in the stimuli data, to the random test data and/or to the data concerning the reactions of the random test on the stimuli presented.
For example, with the use of advertising in marketing activities, everything is about the effectivity thereof. It is of the utmost importance, to find out to what extent an advertisement message is absorbed, and if so, how this can be maximised. Here, the detailed data of the measurement reports play an important role. A lot of information becomes available to the commercials designers, by which e.g. short-comings can be removed.
For example, just like with the known method, the stimuli can be presented on screens, e.g. television screens. Presenting the stimuli to the respondent can take place by means of a computer-controlled program for reproducing on displays stationary or moving images, combined with sound or otherwise, in which the program is adjusted according to items and for the purpose of presenting stimuli in certain sequences, dependent on demographic data and/or the recorded physiological reactions of a respondent during the measurement.
Here, the computer systems provide for coordination between the presentation, the recording and the adjustment of the presentation program employing a common time base.
However, other than with the known method, with the method according to the invention, particularly the presentation of the stimuli to the respondents can also take place in the form of printed media, e.g. magazines and/or newspapers. This way of presentation corresponds to the natural situation. In that situation, the computer systems provide for recording and identification of the stimuli, the presentation thereof occurring as a consequence of the opening of the pages by the respondent. At the same time, the computer systems provide for time and duration recording per presented pages (identified by the computers).
One of the important physiological reactions concerns the direction of the centre of the eye. Therein, it is typical, that as the respondent is allowed more natural freedom, the accurate measurement values are more difficult to obtain.
In order to be able to determine the position a respondent focusses the centre of his eye on, other methods apply a number of different procedures. The method mentioned earlier is characterized by a data recording unit which is positioned on the head of a respondent (headset or “glasses”) and is secured by means of a clamping band. Here, the condition is that the “glasses” can maintain an unchanged position in relation to the head.
As regard to the images, the output of these “glasses” is approximately in adjustment, but movement of the glasses cannot be prevented. Also, weariness and resistance generally occur within 10 minutes. The output is mostly just one videotape with the measurement data of one or some respondents, whose images should be processed and interpreted mainly frame by frame. Furthermore, the results can be affected.
The known eye movement recording systems operate on the basis of fixed references. The stimulus is fixed to the sensor, or the glasses have been fixed on the head, or the head is fixed in relation to the sensor, in any case, there are always geographical references.
With the method and the system according to the invention, no fixed reference is applied. Instead, a clock time, e.g. atomic clock, is applied for all moving parts. All parts, including the respondent's head, the eyes, the radiation sources, the reflections at the cornea, the mirrors, the sensors, the arrangement and the stimuli, are allowed to move in relation to each other within the room. Per unit of time, all moving parts are brought into synchronization adjustment in relation to each other (adjustment: a preselected arrangement of the parts). Time is the fixed reference, without geographical reference. In this way, a fully natural freedom for the respondents is realized for the first time. The head can freely move within wide limits. There is no fastening of parts to the head and the natural freedom of head movemen
Eyelight Research N.V.
Foley & Lardner
O'Connor Cary
Wingood Pamela L.
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