VIRTUAL ASSISTANT TEAM CUSTOMIZATION

• US 20150186154A1
• Filed: 06/02/2014
• Published: 07/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verint Americas Incorporated (Verint Systems Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Next IT Corporation (Verint Systems Incorporated)
• Inventors: Brown, Fred A., Miller, Tanya M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,830,044 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90332 Natural language query formulation or dialogue systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/006 based on simulated virtual individual or collective life forms, e.g. social simulations or particle swarm optimisation [PSO]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/20 Education
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages

Abstract

Techniques and architectures for implementing a team of virtual assistants are described herein. The team may include multiple virtual assistants that are configured with different characteristics, such as different functionality, base language models, levels of training, visual appearances, personalities, and so on. The characteristics of the virtual assistants may be configured by trainers, end-users, and/or a virtual assistant service. The virtual assistants may be presented to end-users in conversation user interfaces to perform different tasks for the users in a conversational manner. The different virtual assistants may adapt to different contexts. The virtual assistants may additionally, or alternatively, interact with each other to carry out tasks for the users, which may be illustrated in conversation user interfaces.

Claims

1-6. -6. (canceled)

7. A method comprising:

analyzing, by a computing device, contextual information to identify one or more tasks that are deemed to be of interest to a user, the contextual information related to a conversation between the user and a virtual assistant; and

customizing, by the computing device, a group of virtual assistants to include one or more virtual assistants that are configured to perform the one or more tasks that are deemed to be of interest to the user.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the customizing the group of virtual assistants comprises automatically creating a new group of virtual assistants to be associated with at least one of the user or a device associated with the user.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the customizing the group of virtual assistants comprises automatically updating an existing group of virtual assistants to include the one or more virtual assistants, the existing group of virtual assistants being associated with at least one of the user or a device associated with the user.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the contextual information comprises conversation information describing the conversation between the user and the virtual assistant; and

the customizing the group of virtual assistants comprises updating the group of virtual assistants to include a virtual assistant that is configured to perform a task that was performed during the virtual assistant conversation.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the contextual information comprises content output history describing content that has been output to the user during the conversation between the user and the virtual assistant; and

the customizing the group of virtual assistants comprises updating the group of virtual assistants to include a virtual assistant that is configured to perform a task that is related to the content output history.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the contextual information comprises calendar information describing an event associated with the user; and

the customizing the group of virtual assistants comprises updating the group of virtual assistants to include a virtual assistant that is configured to perform a task that is related to the event.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the contextual information comprises location information describing a previous or future location of a smart device associated with the user; and

the customizing the group of virtual assistants comprises updating the group of virtual assistants to include a virtual assistant that is configured to perform a task that is related to the location information.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the contextual information comprises preference information describing a preference of the user; and

the customizing the group of virtual assistants comprises updating the group of virtual assistants to include a virtual assistant that is configured to perform a task that is related to the preference of the user.

15. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

based at least in part on the analyzing, providing a suggestion to the user identifying a particular virtual assistant to be included in the group of virtual assistants; and

receiving input from the user that selects the particular virtual assistant to be included in the group of virtual assistants,

wherein the customizing the group of virtual assistants comprises including the particular virtual assistant in the group of virtual assistants.

16. One or more computer storage media storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed, instruct one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

analyzing conversation information to identify how a user interacted with a virtual assistant during one or more conversations; and

customizing the virtual assistant to emulate how the user has interacted with the virtual assistant during the one or more conversations.

17. The one or more computer storage media of claim 16, wherein:

the analyzing comprises analyzing the conversation information to identify a manner of speech that the user used during the conversation; and

the customizing the virtual assistant comprises customizing a manner of audible output of the virtual assistant based at least in part on the manner of speech that the user used during the conversation.

18. The one or more computer storage media of claim 16, wherein:

the analyzing comprises analyzing the conversation information to identify a mode of input that the user has used more than a threshold number of times during the conversation; and

the customizing the virtual assistant comprises customizing a mode of output of the virtual assistant based at least in part on the mode of input of the user.

19. The one or more computer storage media of claim 18, wherein the mode of input comprises at least one of text, touch, or speech, and the mode of output comprises at least one of content or audio.

20. The one or more computer storage media of claim 16, wherein:

the conversation information includes one or more images of the user that were captured during the conversation;

the analyzing comprises analyzing the one or more images to identify one or more facial expressions that were expressed by the user during the conversation; and

the customizing the virtual assistant comprises customizing the virtual assistant to express one or more facial expressions that are based at least in part on the one or more facial expressions that were expressed by the user.

21. The one or more computer storage media of claim 16, wherein the customizing the virtual assistant comprises customizing a speed at which the virtual assistant communicates based at least in part on a speed at which the user communicated with the virtual assistant during the one or more conversations.

22. The one or more computer storage media of claim 16, wherein the customizing the virtual assistant comprises customizing an accent of the virtual assistant based at least in part on an accent that is used by the user during the one or more conversations.

23. The one or more computer storage media of claim 16, wherein the customizing the virtual assistant comprises customizing a mode of output of the virtual assistant to be the same as a mode of input that is used by the user during the one or more conversations.

24. The one or more computer storage media of claim 16, wherein the customizing the virtual assistant comprises customizing a mode of output of the virtual assistant to be text when the user uses text input and customizing the mode of output of the virtual assistant to be audio when the user uses speech input.

25. The one or more computer storage media of claim 16, wherein the customizing the virtual assistant comprises customizing the virtual assistant to express one or more facial expressions that are the same as one or more facial expressions that were expressed by the user.