System and method of segmenting and tagging entities based on profile matching using a multi-media survey

1. An emotional profiling server comprising

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with databases and modules configured to cause a Central Processor Unit (CPU) to execute predetermined steps, wherein said databases and modules further comprise:

a) a media survey module configured to deliver at least one multi-media survey form to a plurality of users and to collect at least one answer from each user; said answer reflecting the emotional reflex of the user;

b) a survey result database to store a plurality of survey results, each of said survey result comprising said at least one answer;

c) a cluster analysis module configured to perform cluster analysis on said survey result database and produce at least one cluster;

d) an emotional profile database that stores at least one emotional profile record

wherein said media survey module collects and aggregates a plurality of answers from a plurality of users and stores said answers as survey results to said survey result database;

wherein said cluster analysis module: i) performs cluster analysis on said aggregated answer to segregate said plurality of users into clusters, each cluster being a user segment, ii assigns an emotional code to said cluster, and iii)) stores said emotional code and other relevant cluster information as an emotional profile record in said emotional profile database.

2. The server according to claim 1 wherein said media survey module is further configured to communicate with said user via a computing device connected to a data communication network; said computing device is a desk-top computer, a portable computer, an information kiosk, a wireless mobile phone device, an interactive TV or an Internet TV; said data communication network is a local area network, a wireless network, the Internet, or any combination thereof.

3. The server according to claim 1 wherein databases and modules are configured to operate in a distributed computing platform such that said media survey module is configured to run on a first computer and to store said survey result to said survey result database in a second computer; said first and second computers being connected by a data communication network.

4. The server according to claim 1 wherein said multi-media object further comprises non-textual objects, check boxes, radio buttons or any combination thereof; said non-textual objects comprising images, photographs, video clips, audio files, or any combination thereof.

5. The server according to claim 1 , wherein said databases and modules further comprise a personal emotional code database, said personal emotional code database configured for storing a plurality of the personal emotional codes for a plurality of users; each said personal emotional code corresponding to the emotional code assigned to the cluster to which said user belongs.

6. The server according to claim 5 wherein the personal emotional code of a specific user is stored in a non-volatile storage device under said specific user's possession, and said non-volatile storage device is a credit card, a debit card, a smart card, an identity card, a Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card, or a Universal Subscriber Identification Module (USIM) card.

7. The server according to claim 5 , wherein said databases and modules further comprise an object emotional code database, said object emotional code database storing the object emotional code of an object; said object emotional code is created by the steps of:

i) assembling a user community of said object according to predetermined criteria;

ii) obtaining said personal emotional code of each said user in said user community;

iii) adding the number of users in said user community belonging to said personal emotional code;

iv) identifying said personal emotional code that has the highest number of users; and

v) assigning said personal emotional code as said object emotional code.

8. The server according to claim 7 , wherein said databases and modules further comprise an emotional code matching module, said emotional code matching module is configured to perform the steps of comparing an emotional code of a first entity with an emotional code of a second entity and computing a matching score between said first entity and said second entity, wherein said first entity is a user or an object and said second entity is a user or an object.

9. A method for emotional profiling performed by an emotional profiling server comprising:

a) delivering at least one multi-media survey form to a plurality of users;

b) obtaining at least one answer to said survey form from each user; said answer reflecting the emotional reflex of the user;

c) aggregating a plurality of answers obtained from a plurality of users;

d) performing cluster analysis on said aggregated answers to segregate said plurality of users into at least one cluster, each cluster being a user segment comprising at least one user; and

e) assigning an emotional code to each said cluster.

10. The method according to claim 9 further comprising the step of assigning a personal emotional code to each said user, said personal emotional code corresponding to the emotional code assigned to the cluster to which said user belongs.

11. The method according to claim 10 further comprising the step of assigning an object emotional code to an object comprising:

i) assembling a user community of said object according to predetermined criteria;

ii) obtaining said personal emotional code of each said user in said user community;

iii) adding the number of users in said user community belonging to said personal emotional code;

iv) identifying said personal emotional code that has the highest number of users; and

v) assigning said personal emotional code as said object emotional code.

12. The method according to claim 9 further comprising the steps of:

i) identifying a user segment;

ii) performing a second cluster analysis on a second emotional survey to obtain at least one sub-cluster; and

iii) assigning an sub-emotional code to said sub-cluster.

13. The method according to claim 9 wherein said delivering step further comprises the step of obtaining a question and a plurality of multi-media objects to compose said multi-media survey form; said question and said plurality of multi-media objects retrieved from a multi-media database.

14. The method according to claim 9 further comprising the step of preferential questioning comprising the steps of:

i) analyzing said answer in step (b);

ii) composing a second survey form based on the result of said analyzing step by retrieving a question and a plurality of multi-media objects from a multi-media database; and

iii) repeating step (b) to obtain additional answers from said user

whereby further emotional reflexes of said user may be collected and analyzed.

15. The method according to claim 9 wherein said obtaining step further comprises the step of recording the time it takes for said user to answer.

16. The method according to claim 9 wherein said obtaining step further comprises the step of recording the sequential ordering of answers said user makes when said user selects more than one answer in said survey form.

17. The method according to claim 9 further comprising the step of comparing an emotional code of a first entity with an emotional code of a second entity and computing a matching score between said first entity and said second entity, wherein said first entity is a user or an object and said second entity is a user or an object.

18. A method of matching the emotional profile of a new user against at least one existing user in a survey result database performed by an emotional profiling server comprising the steps of:

a) selecting an emotional survey document; said emotional survey document being designed for a specific domain and comprising at least one survey form;

b) sending said survey form to said new user, said survey form further comprising at least one question and a choice of a plurality of multi-media objects;

c) prompting said new user to choose at least one choice from said plurality of multi-media objects according to the emotional reflex response of said new user;

d) collecting said at least one choice from said new user as survey result;

e) repeating steps (b), (c) and (d) for all survey forms in said emotional survey document;

f) matching said survey result against at least one survey result record retrieved from said survey result database and computing a matching score; said survey result record further comprising survey results from said existing user, answering same emotional survey document;

g) comparing said matching score with a pre-defined criterion; and

h) identifying said new user to said at least one existing user whose matching score satisfies said pre-defined criterion.

19. The method according to claim 18 wherein

i) said matching step further comprising computing a plurality of matching scores for a plurality of survey result records in said survey result database; storing said plurality of matching scores to a matching list and sorting said matching list in descending order;

ii) said comparing and identifying steps are replaced by the step of identifying at least one said existing user whose corresponding matching score is within the top-N entries in said matching list wherein N is a numerical integer between one and the size of said matching list and is specified by a designer.

20. The method according to claim 18 wherein said matching step further comprises the steps of:

i) identifying an existing choice by said existing user in said survey form for said at least one survey result records;

ii) incrementing said matching score by one if said choice from said new user in said survey form is the same as said existing choice in step (i); and

iii) repeating steps (i) and (ii) until all survey results are processed.

21. A method of identifying emotional profile of a new user performed by an emotional profiling server comprising the steps of:

a) Selecting an emotional survey document, said emotional survey document comprising at least one survey form;

b) sending said survey form to said new user; said survey form further comprising at least one question, a plurality of multi-media objects, and a plurality of choices, each said choice corresponding to said multi-media object;

c) prompting said new user to choose at least one choice from said plurality of multi-media objects according to the emotional reflex response of said new user;

d) collecting said at least one choice from said new user as survey result;

e) repeating steps (b), (c) and (d) for all survey forms in said emotional survey document;

f) computing at least one matching score using said survey result and at least one emotional profile record retrieved from an emotional profile database; said emotional profile record being created by clustering a plurality of previous obtained survey results obtained from at least one existing user; further comprising an emotional code, and cluster statistics associated with said emotional code;

g) comparing said matching score with a pre-defined criterion; and

h) assigning said new user to said emotional code in said emotional profile record whose match score satisfies said pre-defined criterion.