VIRTUAL ASSISTANT ACQUISITIONS AND TRAINING

• US 20150186155A1
• 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., Brown, Megan
• Granted Patent: US 10,928,976 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. One or more non-transitory computer storage media storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed, instruct one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

causing display of a virtual assistant agency interface to offer multiple virtual assistants for acquisition to a user, the multiple virtual assistants being configured with different characteristics, the virtual assistant agency interface displaying, for each of the multiple virtual assistants, a value at which the respective virtual assistant is being offered for acquisition and a level of a training that is associated with the respective virtual assistant;

receiving user input that identifies a particular virtual assistant of the multiple virtual assistants; and

in response to receiving the user input, enabling the user to use the particular virtual assistant.

2. The one or more non-transitory computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the different characteristics of the multiple virtual assistants comprise at least one of different task mappings, different language models, different types of functionality, different visual appearances, different audible manners of output, different levels of security, different levels of training, or different languages in which the multiple virtual assistants communicate.

3. The one or more non-transitory computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining the value for which to offer the particular virtual assistant for acquisition based on at least one of an amount of training that the particular virtual assistant has received, an rating of a trainer that trained the particular virtual assistant, or a rating of the particular virtual assistant.

4. The one or more non-transitory computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the virtual assistant agency interface presents information describing functionality of at least one of the multiple virtual assistants.

5. The one or more non-transitory computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the virtual assistant agency interface presents at least one of an evaluation of a trainer that trained at least one of the multiple virtual assistants or an evaluation of at least one of the multiple virtual assistants.

6. The one or more non-transitory computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise, before causing display of the virtual assistant agency interface:

receiving a virtual assistant of the multiple virtual assistants from an entity and receiving another virtual assistant from another entity, at least one of the entity or the other entity comprising at least one of a service provider, an application, or a trainer.

7. A method comprising:

identifying, by a computing device, a virtual assistant for a first user to train;

obtaining, by the computing device, a trained version of the virtual assistant from the first user by;

monitoring conversations of the virtual assistant with the first user over a time period to learn how to respond to user input; and

configuring a characteristic of the virtual assistant based at least in part on the learning; and

offering, by the computing device, the trained version of the virtual assistant for acquisition at a value to a second user to be implemented within a conversation user interface.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the virtual assistant is identified from input that is received from the first user via a virtual assistant trainer interface.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the obtaining the trained version of the virtual assistant further includes receiving an upload of the trained version from a device associated with the first user.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

evaluating the trained version of the virtual assistant;

determining a rating for the first user based at least in part on the evaluation; and

associating the rating with a user profile of the first user.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

evaluating the trained version of the virtual assistant; and

providing compensation to the first user based at least in part on the evaluation of the trained version of the virtual assistant.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining a number of acquisitions of the trained version of the virtual assistant by users; and

providing compensation to the first user based at least in part on the number of acquisitions of the trained version of the virtual assistant by users.

9. (canceled)

14. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory communicatively coupled to the one or more processors and storing executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

causing display of a virtual assistant trainer interface to enable a trainer to train a virtual assistant;

receiving input regarding training of the virtual assistant from the trainer via the virtual assistant trainer interface;

based at least in part on the input from the trainer, causing a characteristic of the virtual assistant to be configured to obtain a trained version of the virtual assistant; and

causing display of a virtual assistant agency interface to offer the trained version of the virtual assistant for acquisition for a value, the virtual assistant agency interface displaying a level of training associated with the trained version of the virtual assistant, the level of training being based at least in part on an amount of training that is received from the trainer.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the virtual assistant trainer interface displays a previous conversation of the virtual assistant with a user; and

the input regarding training of the virtual assistant comprises feedback from the trainer regarding a response of the virtual assistant that was provided during the previous conversation.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the feedback comprises a rating for the response of the virtual assistant that was provided during the previous conversation.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the characteristic of the virtual assistant comprises at least one of a task mapping, a base language model, functionality, a visual appearance, an audible manner of output, a level of security, or a language in which the virtual assistant communicates.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the virtual assistant trainer interface displays a base language model of the virtual assistant; and

the input regarding training of the virtual assistant comprises input to configure the base language model of the virtual assistant.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the base language model maps a response to a set of user inputs.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the virtual assistant trainer interface displays a set of concepts utilized by the virtual assistant to interpret user input; and

the input regarding training of the virtual assistant comprises input to configure a concept of the set of concepts.