Structured Communication Framework

• US 20180131644A1
• Filed: 07/10/2017
• Published: 05/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PONG Labs LLC
• Original Assignee: PONG Labs LLC
• Inventors: Bueker, Craig Alan, McQuinn, Michael Graham
• Granted Patent: US 10,447,620 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages

Abstract

In a structured communication system, a message is received at a server from a communication application of a first client device. Based on content of the message, an unstructured portion of the message and a predefined set of allowable responses to the message are identified. The message is then outputted to a second client device. A response is received to the message from the second client device. The server determines whether response to the message complies with the predefined set of allowable responses to the message. Responsive to the response not complying, an invalid response message is sent to the second client device indicating that the response is not compliant. Responsive to the response complying, the response is sent to the first client device.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A method for tracking a workflow action item, the method comprising:

receiving at a server via a computer network, a message from a first client device;

performing, by a processor, natural language processing of the message to identify an intended recipient of the message and the workflow action item associated with the message;

updating an entry in a workflow tracking application to indicate that the workflow action item is open;

outputting the message to a second client device associated with the intended recipient via the computer network;

receiving at the server via the computer network, a response to the message from the second client device;

processing, by the processor, the response to identify the workflow action item associated with the response and to determine a status of the workflow action item from content of the response; and

responsive to the status indicating that the workflow action item is completed, updating the entry in the workflow tracking application to indicate that the workflow action item is closed.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the message from the first client device comprises:

receiving the message in a first transport-specific format from a communication application executing on the first client; and

converting the message from the first transport-specific format to a standardized format prior to processing the message.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein outputting the message to the second client device comprises:

determining a desired delivery mechanism of the message to the second client device based on a stored profile associated with the intended recipient; and

converting the message to a transport-specific format associated with the desired delivery mechanism of the intended recipient.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the message comprises a sequence of text characters, and wherein processing the message comprises:

performing a character analysis of the first sequence of text characters of the message to automatically separate the first sequence of text characters into a first subset of characters corresponding to an unstructured portion of the message and a second subset of characters corresponding to a predefined set of allowable responses to the message; and

storing the first subset of characters to a message content field associated with the message; and

storing the predefined set of allowable responses to a response rules field associated with the message.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein performing the character analysis comprises:

identifying one or more end-of-message characters in the first sequence of text characters;

identifying a first portion of the message before the end-of-message character as the first subset of the first sequence of text characters corresponding to the unstructured portion;

identifying a second portion of the message after the end-of-message character as the second subset of the first sequence of text characters corresponding to the predefined set of allowable responses;

identifying a delimiter character in the second subset of the first sequence of text characters; and

determining the predefined set of allowable responses as a first allowed response corresponding to a first group of characters in the second subset before the delimiter character and a second allowed response corresponding to a second group of characters in the second subset after the delimiter character.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the response comprises a second sequence of text characters, wherein processing the response further comprises:

determining whether the response to the message complies with the predefined set of allowable responses to the message stored in the response rules field by comparing the second sequence of text characters to the second subset of the first sequence of text characters; and

sending a notification to the second client responsive to the response not complying.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining whether the response to the message complies comprises:

comparing content of the response to each of the predefined set of allowed responses;

determining that the response is not compliant if the content of the response does not match any of the predefined set of allowed responses.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for tracking a workflow action item, the instructions when executed by a processor causing the processor to perform steps including:

receiving at a server via a computer network, a message from a first client device;

performing natural language processing of the message to identify an intended recipient of the message and the workflow action item associated with the message;

updating an entry in a workflow tracking application to indicate that the workflow action item is open;

outputting the message to a second client device associated with the intended recipient via the computer network;

receiving at the server via the computer network, a response to the message from the second client device;

processing the response to identify the workflow action item associated with the response and to determine a status of the workflow action item from content of the response; and

responsive to the status indicating that the workflow action item is completed, updating the entry in the workflow tracking application to indicate that the workflow action item is closed.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein receiving the message from the first client device comprises:

receiving the message in a first transport-specific format from a communication application executing on the first client; and

converting the message from the first transport-specific format to a standardized format prior to processing the message.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein outputting the message to the second client device comprises:

determining a desired delivery mechanism of the message to the second client device based on a stored profile associated with the intended recipient; and

converting the message to a transport-specific format associated with the desired delivery mechanism of the intended recipient.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the message comprises a sequence of text characters, and wherein processing the message comprises:

performing a character analysis of the first sequence of text characters of the message to automatically separate the first sequence of text characters into a first subset of characters corresponding to an unstructured portion of the message and a second subset of characters corresponding to a predefined set of allowable responses to the message; and

storing the first subset of characters to a message content field associated with the message; and

storing the predefined set of allowable responses to a response rules field associated with the message.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein performing the character analysis comprises:

identifying one or more end-of-message characters in the first sequence of text characters;

identifying a first portion of the message before the end-of-message character as the first subset of the first sequence of text characters corresponding to the unstructured portion;

identifying a second portion of the message after the end-of-message character as the second subset of the first sequence of text characters corresponding to the predefined set of allowable responses;

identifying a delimiter character in the second subset of the first sequence of text characters; and

determining the predefined set of allowable responses as a first allowed response corresponding to a first group of characters in the second subset before the delimiter character and a second allowed response corresponding to a second group of characters in the second subset after the delimiter character.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the response comprises a second sequence of text characters, wherein processing the response further comprises:

determining whether the response to the message complies with the predefined set of allowable responses to the message stored in the response rules field by comparing the second sequence of text characters to the second subset of the first sequence of text characters; and

sending a notification to the second client responsive to the response not complying.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein determining whether the response to the message complies comprises:

comparing content of the response to each of the predefined set of allowed responses;

determining that the response is not compliant if the content of the response does not match any of the predefined set of allowed responses.

16. A system for tracking a workflow action item, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, the instructions when executed by the processor causing the processor to perform steps including;

receiving at a server via a computer network, a message from a first client device;

performing natural language processing of the message to identify an intended recipient of the message and the workflow action item associated with the message;

updating an entry in a workflow tracking application to indicate that the workflow action item is open;

outputting the message to a second client device associated with the intended recipient via the computer network;

receiving at the server via the computer network, a response to the message from the second client device;

processing the response to identify the workflow action item associated with the response and to determine a status of the workflow action item from content of the response; and

responsive to the status indicating that the workflow action item is completed, updating the entry in the workflow tracking application to indicate that the workflow action item is closed.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein receiving the message from the first client device comprises:

receiving the message in a first transport-specific format from a communication application executing on the first client; and

converting the message from the first transport-specific format to a standardized format prior to processing the message.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein outputting the message to the second client device comprises:

determining a desired delivery mechanism of the message to the second client device based on a stored profile associated with the intended recipient; and

converting the message to a transport-specific format associated with the desired delivery mechanism of the intended recipient.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the message comprises a sequence of text characters, and wherein processing the message comprises:

performing a character analysis of the first sequence of text characters of the message to automatically separate the first sequence of text characters into a first subset of characters corresponding to an unstructured portion of the message and a second subset of characters corresponding to a predefined set of allowable responses to the message; and

storing the first subset of characters to a message content field associated with the message; and

storing the predefined set of allowable responses to a response rules field associated with the message.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein performing the character analysis comprises:

identifying one or more end-of-message characters in the first sequence of text characters;

identifying a first portion of the message before the end-of-message character as the first subset of the first sequence of text characters corresponding to the unstructured portion;

identifying a second portion of the message after the end-of-message character as the second subset of the first sequence of text characters corresponding to the predefined set of allowable responses;

identifying a delimiter character in the second subset of the first sequence of text characters; and

determining the predefined set of allowable responses as a first allowed response corresponding to a first group of characters in the second subset before the delimiter character and a second allowed response corresponding to a second group of characters in the second subset after the delimiter character.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the response comprises a second sequence of text characters, wherein processing the response further comprises:

determining whether the response to the message complies with the predefined set of allowable responses to the message stored in the response rules field by comparing the second sequence of text characters to the second subset of the first sequence of text characters; and

sending a notification to the second client responsive to the response not complying.