A system and a method adapted to track people.

Technical field

The present invention pertains to a system adapted to at least one of tracking, identifying, and educating people by questions, and a method therefore.

Background art

In several technical areas there exists a need to track and identify persons. For example, this could be the case in police matters when searching/tracking persons that have a criminal record, a system utilized to perform gaming, finding persons, and other known tasks for searching people or getting to know those people through a system that provides questions concerning them.

A US patent application US 2002/0038302 to Maeda describes a server and a method for answering a form of a questionnaire adapted to conduct a market research through a poll form for a specific task by targeted users. Hereby targeted users are selected from groups of for instance age, occupation, housewife's, young people, and similar groups, which are thus not randomly chosen/selected from all users registered in a database, but carefully selected by the poll managing company and/or its client.

Summary of the invention

The present invention concerns a system and a method adapted to track, identify, and educate people by questions from a questionaries' database. Hereby, it is useful in police matters when searching/tracking persons that have a criminal record, in a system utilized to perform gaming by a quiz, in finding persons, and other known tasks for searching people or getting to know those people through a system that provides questions concerning them.

Hence, the present invention sets forth a system A system adapted to at least one of tracking, identifying and educating people by questions, comprising:

an administration and control center adapted to run the system;

a random generator means;

a search engine determining a selected person by the random generator means;

a database saving a selected person's, and a non-selected person, identity in a first and a second electronic memory area of the database;

a questionaries' database storing different category groups of questions to be answered by at least one of a selected person, and a non-selected person seeking to at least one of providing knowledge of a predetermined task, and receive questions to be answered for the task controlled by the control center; a first switch, being controlled by the administration and control center to connect the persons from the first memory field that are selected to the questionaries' database, when prompted by at least one of the selected person, and the control center of the predetermined task;

a ranking means of the non-selected persons; and

a second switch, being controlled by the control center to automatically direct a person chosen out of the ranking means to the questionaries' database when prompted by them, the persons being stored in the databases second memory area storing non-selected person's identity.

Another embodiment provides that the task of the system is to answer questions about missing/searched persons.

A still further embodiment comprises that the questions regard a quiz in a lottery/game.

Yet another embodiment provides a method adapted to at least one of tracking, identifying and educating people by questions, comprising:

administration and controlling through a center adapted to run the system; random through random generator means suitable for such a purpose;

determining through a search engine a selected person by the random generator means;

saving in a database a selected person's, and a non-selected person, identity in a first and a second electronic memory area of the database;

storing different category groups of questions in a questionaries' database to be answered by at least one of a selected person, and a non-selected person seeking to at least one of providing knowledge of a predetermined task, and receive questions to be answered for the task controlled by the control center;

switching through a first switching means, being controlled by the administration and control center, connecting the persons from the first memory field that are selected to the questionaries' database, when prompted by at least one of the selected person, and the control center of the predetermined task;

a ranking means of the non-selected persons; and

switching through a second switching means, being controlled by the control center to automatically direct a person chosen out of the ranking means to the questionaries' database when prompted by them, the persons being stored in the databases second memory area storing non-selected person's identity.

The attached dependent method claims of the present invention adhere to the attached dependent system claims.

A brief description of the drawing Henceforth, reference is had to the accompanying drawing throughout the present description for a better understanding of the present inventions embodiments, and given examples, wherein:

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a system to perform the tasks of the present invention.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments

The present invention regards a system adapted to track and/or identify/select peoples to answer questions, and a method therefore. As mentioned, in several technical areas there exists, a need to search/track/select persons. For example, this could be the case in police/law matters searching persons that have a criminal record, a system utilized to perform gaming, finding persons, and other known tasks for searching people or getting to know those people through a system that provides questions concerning them.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the task of the system is to answer questions about a selected person, being tracked/search by police/law enforcement, where questions can be answered by both the selected person/non-selected person, to gather information about the selected person. Another embodiment provides that the task of the system is to answer questions about missing/searched persons.

A still further embodiment comprises that the questions regard a quiz in a lottery/game where a selected person can win prizes, and possibly compete with non- selected persons in the quiz .

Yet another embodiment provides that the selected and non-selected persons are registered through a gaming card, having a time stamped validity.

The single Fig.1 schematically depicts one possible embodiment of a system in accordance with the present invention. Hereby, the system comprises a person database 10, connected to a search engine means 12 suitable of, randomly by a random generator means residing in/connected to the engine means 12, retrieving names addresses and/or a given code, and a provided number given to a selected person 20 for the specific task provided by the system. Persons that are selected 20 for a reason such as being the tasks of criminals searched, or participating in a game/lottery are invited to answer questions provided to them, which can be about them, or to be questions regarding a win in a game/lottery to earn extra money if they want that. Thus they are prompted by the system to the opportunity of answering questions or not answering them. These selected persons 20 are stored in a first memory of the person database 10 for a predetermined time, which could be a day, week, month, year, or any other suitable time span for the purpose of the system task for instance by subscription.

Also, there is a group of non-selected people 22 in the person database 10, being stored in a second memory of the database 10, which are only invited to answer questions from a query database 28, when logging into the system of the present invention as they are not searched, but providing answers regarding the selected persons 20 when they are investigated by the law, or to answer questions regarding the win of money in a game/lottery. These non-selected persons 22 can reside in the person database second memory the same time span as selected persons 20, and being subscribers to the system. In order to clarify, the second database contains persons that have for instance a former criminal record, gamers in a specific lottery, but for instance given the opportunity to provide information to the law enforcement, or answering questions in a quiz, and possibly compete with selected persons in the quiz.

In one embodiment of the present invention it is appreciated that when a person has been selected as a selected person 20, all persons that are not selected are moved to the database 10 second memory area in order to be able to participate in a questionnaire.

Moreover, the system comprises a computerized task control and administration center 14 for instance partly provided by Millionminds, Inc. in California to provide questions, to which a person selected 20 by the person database 10 can be connected to via for instance a PC, laptop, cellular phone, smartphone such as I phone ®, Ipad ®, a game console, public switched telephone network (PSTN)/cellular phone and a TV set, and like apparatuses/devices, or a person visiting a studio site where the center 4 is situated answering questions by voice, console, or keyboard. In one embodiment a display screen can be broadcasted to the mentioned apparatuses/devices or provided through a homepage.

Furthermore, the center 14 is connected to a display device 16 with the display screen 18, which also in one embodiment of the present invention is visible to the selected person 20 and/or the non-selected person 22 for instance through the mentioned

apparatuses. Also, in one embodiment of the present invention there is a query database 28 in connection with the center 14, which provides questions to a selected person 20 and/or a non-selected person 22.

Through one task of the present invention system a police/law enforcement department could track/search a former criminal or criminal person selected 20 from the person database 10, and direct non-selected persons 22 in the database 10 to answer questions about a selected person 20 for any reason suitable of for instance a similar criminal trade, done time in the same prison, and other like police/law matters. The system could also be utilized to find persons 20, or for gaming/lottery purposes, whereby the selected person 20 is a winner of the lottery, and the non-selected person 22 did not win, but being provided the chance of a win by answering questions in a quiz. Moreover, the system of the present invention can enhance people's common knowledge and educate them about specific category groups of questions, as not necessarily being professionals in answering quiz questions to earn money or other prizes.

In order to track/identify a selected person 20 to non-selected persons 22 all residing in the database 10, a selected person 20 is first tracked/identified, by being delivered randomly from the engine means 12 through center 14. An engine means 12 provides the selected person 20 from the person database 10 by utilizing a software means/algorithm suitable for the task of the system. The center 1 prompts the software to identify the selected person 20 from the person database 10 through at least one of a person name, address, given code, and a provided number given to the selected person. A number or a code could for instance be civic registration number/code/characters, a lottery ticket number/code, a bank account number, or other like codes/characters.

Hereby, the retrieved selected person 20 is asked to either answer questions from the query database 28, or not to answer. A first switch connects the selected person 20 to answer questions about themselves, or about questions in a quiz to earn more

money/prizes than they already have earned as being selected persons 20. This is achieved by the selected person 20 through a prompting by the administration center 14, either by themselves, or by an administration center 14 manager asking them if they would like to participate in a quiz, for example, if they are in a broadcasting studio. The switch 24 only connects them to the query database 28 if they agree to this. They could also be randomly connected or not connected by the switch through a random generator.

A non-selected person 22 is in one embodiment automatically connected to the query database 28 through the switch 26, when he/she agrees to participate in answering questions about the selected person 20, or questions in a quiz, depending on the task of the system. The switches 24, 26 are for instance made of software. It is appreciated that non- selected persons can be ranked in for instance a list in order of the time when they agreed to participate, whereby the first person in time is ranked top, and later participants in descending ranks. This is to minimize the number of non-selected persons. As an alternative a random generator can decide the non-selected persons ranking in the list. If a random generator is utilized, there can be a decided time period, e.g. one hour or any other suitable time span, in which non-selected persons 22 can decide if they would like to participate.

The ranking list id for instance residing in/connected to the administration center 14, which establishes the list through a suitable software.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the questions answered are broadcasted to a display device 16 with a display screen 18 from the administration center 14, so that selected persons 20, and non-selected persons 22 can interact in answering questions from the query database 28 by utilizing apparatuses mentioned, only if they are registered in the person database 10. This can occur through a PC, laptop, cellular phone, smartphone such as Iphone ®, Ipad ®, a game console, public switched telephone network (PSTN)/cellular phone and a TV set, and like apparatuses/devices, or a person visiting a studio site where the center 14 is situated answering questions by voice, console, or keyboard. In one embodiment a display screen 18 can be broadcasted to the mentioned apparatuses/devices or provided through a homepage.

In another embodiment of the invention people who game are

connected/registered to the system of the present invention through a gaming card for instance having a time stamped validity. Such a gaming card is utilized by the Norwegian gaming provider "Norsk Tipping, NT", and is a mandatory customer card for all those who play at NT. The card has a unique number identifying every player. When registered to receive a gaming card, the person registering is checked against a central database storing all citizens in Norway from which the persons address, identity, and other data is retrieved. All games performed through the card are registered in an account in order to be able to find persons having a gaming problem, detect fraud, and the like. In the quiz task of the present invention, the unique gaming card identity number can be utilized as a lottery number.

The attached set of claims determines other possible embodiments of the present invention to a person skilled in the art of the present technical field.