Audience response systems, methods and apparatus
In some embodiments of the present invention, a wireless audience response system can have a host unit, presenter device, and a plurality of audience response units with keypads, with the host unit being communicatively coupled to a computer. The audience response units can check-in to the host unit based on adjustable check-in times that are updated and adjusted by the host unit and transmitted to the audience response units.
1 . An audience response system comprising:
at least one host unit; and
a plurality of audience response units, said host unit and plurality of audience response units being configured to communicate in a wireless setting in which the host unit transmits at least one check-in period to the plurality of audience response units and wherein the audience response units check-in as a function of the at least one check-in period.
2 . The audience response system of claim 1 wherein the wireless setting is a network setting and the at least one check-in period is determined as a function of a number of audience response units logged into a network.
3 . The audience response system of claim 1 wherein the wireless setting is a network and wherein a plurality of check-in periods are adjustably determined but constrained by upper and lower limits, with the upper and lower limits being a function of the number of audience response units logged into the network.
4 . The audience response system of claim 1 wherein the at least one check-in period is determined as a function of an activity conducted on the network.
5 . The audience response system of claim 4 wherein the activity is the start of a question presented to an audience for response using the audience response units.
6 . The audience response system of claim 4 wherein when an activity occurs, the at least one check-in period is set to a value pre-associated with the activity.
7 . The audience response system of claim 1 wherein the at least one check-in period is determined as a function of a measured frequency with which audience response units are checking-in to the host unit.
8 . The audience response system of claim 7 wherein the measured frequency is measured by counting the number of audience response units that have checked-in over at least one beacon period.
9 . The audience response system of claim 8 further comprising adjusting at least one check-in period upward when the measured frequency is determined to be at or above a first predetermined value or adjusting at least one check-in period downward when the measured frequency is determined to be at or below a second predetermined value.
10 . The audience response system of claim 9 wherein the predetermined values are between about fifteen to fifty-five percent of a maximum theoretical capacity of the audience response system.
11 . The audience response system of claim 9 wherein the first predetermined value is about twenty-five percent of a maximum theoretical capacity of the audience response system.
12 . The audience response system of claim 7 wherein the determined check-in period is constrained by an upper limit and a lower limit.
13 . The audience response system of claim 12 wherein the upper limit and lower limit are a function of the number of audience response units logged into a network.
14 . The audience response system of claim 1 wherein the audience response units are also configured to execute a random back-off delay prior to transmitting information.
15 . The audience response system of claim 14 wherein the audience response units are configured to assess the state of a channel prior to transmitting information.
16 . A method of communicating using an audience response system having a host unit and a plurality of audience response units that are communicatively connected within a wireless network, comprising:
adjusting check-in periods of the audience response units, the check-in periods being a function of check-in frequency on the network; and
transmitting the adjusted check-in periods to a plurality of the audience response units.
17 . The method of claim 16 further comprising adjusting the check-in periods as a function of an activity conducted on the network.
18 . The method of claim 16 further comprising adjusting the check-in periods as a function of the start of a question posed to audience members.
19 . The method of claim 16 further comprising adjusting the check-in periods as a function of a number of audience response units active on the network.
20 . The method of claim 16 further comprising providing a maximum and minimum constraint on the check-in periods as a function of the number of audience response units active on the network.
21 . A method of communicating using an audience response system having a host unit and a plurality of audience response units that are communicatively connected within a wireless network, comprising:
initiating a check-in by an audience response unit to transmit a message from the audience response unit to the host unit; and
initiating a check-in by the audience response unit to retrieve information from the host unit, wherein when the audience response unit is successful in checking-in to the host unit, the host unit transmits information to the audience response unit.
22 . The method of claim 21 further comprising adjusting periods of the audience response unit as a function of a frequency with which the audience response units are checking-in at the host unit.
23 . The method of claim 21 wherein any transmission sent to an individual audience response unit from the host unit is initiated by the individual audience response unit checking-in.