Batch Voting System with Pre-Commit Mechanism for Live Broadcasts

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing online voting systems for reality competition shows are limited by CAPTCHA requirements, restrict users to a single vote per user, and do not account for time zone differences, leading to unfair voting processes for candidates performing later in broadcasts.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus that allow users to allocate and commit multiple votes across candidates with a single CAPTCHA entry, enabling voters to adjust their votes during broadcasts and submit them all at once, with voting windows synchronized across time zones to ensure fairness.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If users are required to submit each vote separately in traditional online voting systems, then CAPTCHA security can be maintained, but user expression capability is limited and voting process becomes complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser expression capabilityVSAvoidvoting process complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-generating multiple CAPTCHA challenges and pre-submitting multiple votes before the actual voting decision is made. This allows users to express nuanced opinions through multiple votes while maintaining security through pre-validated CAPTCHA challenges, resolving the contradiction between expression capability and process complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The voting process is segmented into distinct phases: CAPTCHA challenge generation, vote allocation, and vote submission. By segmenting the process and allowing pre-submission of votes with pre-generated CAPTCHA challenges, the system enables complex user expression without increasing perceived voting complexity for end users.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Productivity

If voting is opened at the beginning of the broadcast in the first time zone, then Eastern Time Zone viewers can vote immediately, but candidates performing later in the broadcast are disadvantaged

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevoting efficiencyVSAvoidvoting fairness

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system allows viewers to pre-allocate their votes during the broadcast before the voting window officially opens. These pre-allocated votes are held in reserve and only submitted when the voting window opens, ensuring all candidates have completed their performances before votes are cast, thus maintaining both efficiency and fairness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The voting system dynamically adjusts the submission timing based on broadcast progress. Votes are pre-allocated but dynamically held until the appropriate time when the voting window opens, allowing the system to adapt to different time zones and broadcast schedules while ensuring fairness to all candidates.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Adaptability or versatility

If multiple votes are allowed per user, then user opinion nuance is improved, but CAPTCHA security requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveopinion expression nuanceVSAvoidCAPTCHA entry requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system generates multiple CAPTCHA challenges in advance and validates them before the user needs to submit their votes. This preliminary validation allows multiple votes to be cast with a single user experience, as the CAPTCHA challenges are pre-resolved, eliminating the need for multiple separate CAPTCHA entries and maintaining security while enabling nuanced expression.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Ease of operation

If votes are committed immediately upon allocation, then voting process is simplified, but time zone fairness is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevoting process simplicityVSAvoidtime zone fairness

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system allows immediate allocation of votes with simple user action, but delays the actual commitment and submission until the voting window opens. This separates the allocation phase (simple and immediate) from the commitment phase (delayed for fairness), maintaining ease of operation while ensuring time zone fairness through the delayed submission mechanism.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS10277949B2Method and apparatus for batch voting on live broadcasts

Publication Date: 2019.04.30 FOX BROADCASTING CO LLC

AI summary

A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and a memory structure for allocating and committing votes in a variety of voting paradigms is described. In one embodiment, the method describes a system applicable in a plurality of time zones and comprises determining if an allocation of at least a portion of N1 votes among one or more candidates is received from a first user via a first device during a first period, accepting and storing the allocation of votes, only if the allocation is received during the first period, receiving a user command committing the stored allocation of the N1 votes among the plurality of candidates, determining if the command is received during a second period, and committing the stored first user allocation of N1 votes among the one or more candidates only if the command is received during the second period.