Computer-implemented method for facilitating creation of an advanced digital communications network, and terminal, system and computer-readable medium for the same

Abstract

A method for facilitating the creation of a digital communications network by collaborative interaction among users at computer interfaces, the method comprising, at a terminal in a digital communications network: receiving question data; collecting answer data, collaboration data, and selection data relating to the terminal; transmitting the collected answer data to at least one first remote terminal; receiving answer data from the at least one first remote terminal responsive to identical question data as the received question data; receiving collaborative data from the first remote terminal; one or more of storing and displaying the question data and responsive answer data; and displaying answer data from the at least one first remote terminal in accordance with whether the at least one first remote terminal is assigned to a same predetermined first-tier group as the terminal in an answer data driven device hierarchy. A terminal, system and computer-readable medium are also disclosed.

1 . A method for facilitating the creation of an advanced digital communications network by collaborative interaction among users at computer interfaces, the method comprising, at a terminal in a digital communications network:
 receiving question data;   collecting answer data, collaboration data, and selection data relating to the terminal;   transmitting the collected answer data to at least one first remote terminal;   receiving answer data from the at least one first remote terminal responsive to identical question data as the received question data;   receiving collaborative data from the first remote terminal;   one or more of storing and displaying the question data and responsive answer data;   displaying answer data from the at least one first remote terminal in accordance with whether the at least one first remote terminal is assigned to a same predetermined first-tier group as the terminal in a one or more of an answer data-driven and collaboration data-driven terminal hierarchy;   receiving collaborative answer data from a second remote terminal responsive to identical question data as the received question data;   displaying the collaborative answer data from the second remote terminal in accordance with whether the second remote terminal is assigned to a same predetermined second-tier group as the terminal in the answer driven device hierarchy, collaborative answer data having been transmitted for presentation to the second remote terminal in dependence upon the collected collaboration data and collaboration data from the at least one first remote terminal, both in dependence on the answer data collected by the software component in the terminal and on the answer data received from the first remote terminal;   receiving selection answer data from a third remote terminal responsive to identical question data as the received question data; and   displaying answer data from the third remote terminal in accordance with whether the third remote terminal is assigned to a same predetermined third-tier group as the terminal in the answer driven device hierarchy, selection answer data having been transmitted for presentation to the third remote terminal in dependence upon the collected selection data and selection data from the second remote terminal.   
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1 , comprising:
 incrementally increasing, in relation to each subsequent tier, a number of digitally-represented characters that may be input as data for collection by the terminal.   
     
     
         3 . A method according to any of  claims 1 - 2 , wherein the question data is displayed on each of three separate occasions and at each subsequent occasion the method comprises performing one or more of:
 increasing a range of available data input time;   decreasing data input time allowed;   increasing a number of allowed transmissions to other terminals per user of the terminal;   increasing a number of allowed transmissions to other terminals per group; and   increasing a number of characters available for inputting data to be collected.   
     
     
         4 . A method according to any of  claims 1 - 3 , comprising:
 performing one or more of determining, receiving or broadcasting only one second-tier answer for each second-tier group and only one third-tier answer data for each third-tier group.   
     
     
         5 . A method according to any of  claims 1 - 4 , comprising:
 allowing one or more entities in the communications network to designate a user associated with a terminal within a given group as anonymous.   
     
     
         6 . A method according to any of  claims 1 - 5 , comprising:
 transmitting answer data for presentation at all terminals participating in the collaboration at a time pre-defined by one or more entities in the communications network, by virtue of broadcast sharing among all terminals in each group.   
     
     
         7 . A method according to any of  claims 1 - 6 , comprising:
 after displaying data from other terminals at each tier, allowing for the input of data to change collected data only one time before transmission.   
     
     
         8 . A method according to any of  claims 1 - 7 , wherein one or more entities in the communications network broadcasts given test data prior to group assignment, whereby terminals are assigned to groups based at least in part on test results relating to the given test data. 
     
     
         9 . A method according to any of  claims 1 - 8 , comprising:
 inhibiting further user input in relation to the collaboration after one or more deadlines dictated by one or more entities in the communications network expires.   
     
     
         10 . A method according to any of  claims 1 - 9 , wherein the communications network comprises one or more of a partially centralized digital communications exchange network comprising a plurality of terminals, a centralized digital communications exchange network comprising a plurality of terminals, and a decentralized digital communications exchange network comprising a plurality of terminals. 
     
     
         11 . A method according to any of  claims 1 - 10 , wherein one or more entities in the communications network determines one or more amounts of time available for each tier of the collaboration prior to the start of the collaboration. 
     
     
         12 . A method according to any of  claims 1 - 11 , comprising:
 discontinuing communication of data to or from a given terminal in a given group in response to a request being made that the given terminal be removed from the given group.   
     
     
         13 . A method according to any of  claims 1 - 12 , wherein selection answer data have been transmitted for presentation to the third remote terminal further in dependence upon selection data from the first remote terminal, other remote terminals in the same predetermined first-tier group as the terminal, selection data from the second remote terminal, and other remote terminals in the same predetermined second-tier group as the terminal. 
     
     
         14 . A method according to any of  claims 1 - 13 , wherein collaboration answer data have been transmitted for presentation to the second remote terminal further in dependence upon collaboration data from other remote terminals in the same predetermined first-tier group as the terminal. 
     
     
         15 . A method according to any of  claims 1 - 14 , comprising:
 transmitting data representative of information selected or inputted via an input device to facilitate the making of a competitive determination of a best second-tier collaborative answer.   
     
     
         16 . A method according to any of  claims 1 - 15 , comprising:
 tabulating or calculating which of one or more second-tier collaborative answers is associated with vote data the most number of times to arrive at the third-tier selection answer.   
     
     
         17 . A method according to any of  claims 1 - 16 , comprising:
 after final response data reception, allowing or prompting all terminals within a group to receive or initiate receiving of vote data to determine what single answer will represent the group as its group consensus results.   
     
     
         18 . A method according to any of  claims 1 - 17 , comprising:
 transmitting answer data to at least one terminal assigned to a different predetermined first-tier group as the terminal.   
     
     
         19 . A method according to any of  claims 1 - 18 , wherein answer data ascends the answer driven device hierarchy based on being displayed on increasingly greater numbers of terminals for each subsequent tier. 
     
     
         20 . A method according to any of  claims 1 - 19 , wherein the terminal is configured to be able to broadcast data only from terminals assigned to the same group as the terminal before a response or answer determined by the group is transmitted to or presented at a terminal in a different assigned group. 
     
     
         21 . A terminal for an advanced digital communications network, the terminal comprising:
 a software component arranged to collect answer data, collaboration data, and selection data relating to the terminal;   transceiving means arranged to receive question data, to transmit the collected answer data to at least one first terminal remote from the terminal, and to receive answer data from the at least one first remote terminal responsive to identical question data as the received question data, and to receive collaborative data from the first remote terminal;   one or more of a store arranged to store and a display means arranged to display the question data and responsive answer data;   display means arranged to display answer data from the at least one first remote terminal in accordance with whether the at least one first remote terminal is assigned to a same predetermined first-tier group in an answer data driven device hierarchy as the terminal;   transceiving means arranged to receive collaborative answer data from a second remote terminal responsive to identical question data as the received question data; and   display means arranged to display the collaborative answer data from the second remote terminal in accordance with whether the second remote terminal is assigned to a same predetermined second-tier group as the terminal in the answer driven device hierarchy, collaborative answer data having been transmitted for presentation to the second remote terminal in dependence upon the collected collaboration data and collaboration data from the at least one first remote terminal, both in dependence on the answer data collected by the software component in the terminal and on the answer data received from the first remote terminal;   transceiving means arranged to receive selection answer data from a third remote terminal responsive to identical question data as the received question data; and   display means arranged to display answer data from the third remote terminal in accordance with whether the third remote terminal is assigned to a same predetermined third-tier group as the terminal in the answer driven device hierarchy, selection answer data having been transmitted for presentation to the third remote terminal in dependence upon the collected selection data and selection data from the second remote terminal.   
     
     
         22 . An advanced digital communications network system, comprising:
 one or more digital processors configured to execute instructions in at least one device set of a plurality of device sets, causing the at least one device set to:   electronically transmit responsive data from the at least one device set, each of the at least one device sets configured to be organized into a predetermined group within an answer driven yet-to-be determined digital communication device hierarchy structure and to represent one or more individual participants, the responsive data responsive to one or more challenges posed by one or more entities with digital access to the yet-to-be determined digital communication device hierarchy structure, the responsive data being designated as one or more of a total number of individual first-tier responses for each predetermined group communicated in a partially centralized, centralized or decentralized, digital communications exchange network comprising a plurality of devices;   display or broadcast one or more of the total number of individual first-tier responses on at least one of the plurality of devices in the communications exchange network in accordance with its predetermined group if any; and   one or more of receive from or transmit to, one or more other of the plurality of devices in the exchange network, collaborative individual participant commentary data or revision data through the digital communications exchange network to optimize the one or more individual first-tier responses in response to the one or more challenges, the optimized first-tier responses being designated as one or more of a total number of second-tier consensus answers to the one or more challenges, the total number of the second-tier consensus answers being less than the total number of the individual first-tier responses.   
     
     
         23 . A system according to any of  claims 1 - 22 , wherein at least one of the plurality of devices is configured to discontinue communication of data to or from a group, class or school when a device set group requests via input data into one or more of the plurality of devices that a device set be removed from the group, class or school, optionally by all group device sets, or a super majority or majority of device sets transmit vote data to exclude the device set. 
     
     
         24 . A system according to any of  claims 1 - 23 , wherein at least one of the plurality of devices is configured to discontinue communication of data to or from a group, class or school when a device set group requests via input data into one or more of the plurality of devices that a device set be removed from the group, class or school, optionally by all group device sets, or a super majority of device sets transmit vote data to exclude the device set. 
     
     
         25 . A system according to any of  claims 1 - 24 , wherein a device set group answer data ascends the digital communication device hierarchy structure based on being displayed on concentrically greater numbers of device sets. 
     
     
         26 . A system according to any of  claims 1 - 25 , comprising:
 providing text or audio chat after a challenge has gone through a collaborative and competitive process on two occasions within the groups, and for the first time all groups present at least one set of consensus data from other groups available for viewing by virtue of broadcast sharing.   
     
     
         27 . A system according to any of  claims 1 - 26 , wherein device set membership in a first-tier group is based on each device set in a first-tier group having at least one characteristic common to other device sets in the first-tier group set, the at least one character being based on a user data profile associated with each device set. 
     
     
         28 . A system according to any of  claims 1 - 27 , wherein at least one of the plurality of devices is configured to display side-by-side answer data spaces, at least one space for each device set, each answer data space configured sequentially to contain answer data and then collaboration answer data from one corresponding assigned device set, the answer data displayed from one time to another time changing based on updates derived from revisions to that device set's answer from that device set. 
     
     
         29 . A system according to any of  claims 1 - 28 , wherein at least one of the plurality of devices is configured to display at least one distinct and separate dialog data input field for displaying and receiving dialog comprising one or more of comment, question, clarification, suggestion, and explanation to improve answer and collaborative answer data in at least one answer data space, each of the at least one answer data spaces being assigned to display data from one device set in a session, the dialog data input field being adjacent to, and separate and distinct from, the at least one answer data input field. 
     
     
         30 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing a program, which when executed by one or more computers each and/or collectively containing one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to cause at least one device set of a plurality of device sets in a communications network to:
 electronically transmit responsive data from the at least one device set, each of the at least one device sets configured to be organized into a predetermined group within an answer driven yet-to-be determined digital communication device hierarchy structure and to represent one or more individual participants, the responsive data responsive to one or more challenges posed by one or more entities with digital access to the yet-to-be determined digital communication device hierarchy structure, the responsive data being designated as one or more of a total number of individual first-tier responses for each predetermined group communicated in a partially centralized, centralized or decentralized, digital communications exchange network comprising a plurality of devices;   display or broadcast one or more of the total number of individual first-tier responses on at least one of the plurality of devices in the communications exchange network in accordance with its predetermined group if any; and   one or more of receive from or transmit to, one or more other of the plurality of devices in the exchange network, collaborative individual participant commentary data or revision data through the digital communications exchange network to optimize the one or more individual first-tier responses in response to the one or more challenges, the optimized first-tier responses being designated as one or more of a total number of second-tier consensus answers to the one or more challenges, the total number of the second-tier consensus answers being less than the total number of the individual first-tier responses.