Interface for user/agent interaction
First Claim
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1. An interface for user/agent interaction, comprising:
- a user interface element that offers a user intelligent choices of tasks that can be accomplished, based upon a given context and selection, wherein said tasks comprise multiple sub-tasks that are separately executed in conventional systems by calling up appropriate tools in a correct sequence;
said interface element comprising;
a funnel into which a user can type and/or drop objects, wherein said funnel provides a decision overlay that operates upon user requests for actions or resources, where the order of execution of such requests may be simultaneous or sequential, and where sequential tasks may be randomly executed or they may be hierarchically executed, and wherein said user inherits all outside capability of an enterprise; and
a pop-up menu that contains tasks and activities;
wherein said interface element allows multiple ways to communicate a user request and wherein said interface element recognizes a current selection and objects dragged onto it, as well as text typed into it; and
a meta agent that knows about the capabilities of a system and consolidates said capabilities of various plug-in agents into said interface element, wherein a funnel initiated search can be narrowed by user preferences, wherein said search may be time delimited;
wherein said search may be performed in the background and a user may be alerted when said search is completed, and wherein said user can define any task-relevant parameter at said funnel, including any of time, context, and location.
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Abstract
A user interface, for example for Internet and intranet agents, embodies the technical potential of automation and delegation into a cohesive structure. The invention also provides intelligent assistance to the client user interface and provides an interface that is centered on autonomous processing of whole tasks rather than sequences of commands, as well as the autonomous detection of contexts which require the launch of a process, especially where such context is time-based.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. An interface for user/agent interaction, comprising:
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a user interface element that offers a user intelligent choices of tasks that can be accomplished, based upon a given context and selection, wherein said tasks comprise multiple sub-tasks that are separately executed in conventional systems by calling up appropriate tools in a correct sequence; said interface element comprising; a funnel into which a user can type and/or drop objects, wherein said funnel provides a decision overlay that operates upon user requests for actions or resources, where the order of execution of such requests may be simultaneous or sequential, and where sequential tasks may be randomly executed or they may be hierarchically executed, and wherein said user inherits all outside capability of an enterprise; and a pop-up menu that contains tasks and activities; wherein said interface element allows multiple ways to communicate a user request and wherein said interface element recognizes a current selection and objects dragged onto it, as well as text typed into it; and a meta agent that knows about the capabilities of a system and consolidates said capabilities of various plug-in agents into said interface element, wherein a funnel initiated search can be narrowed by user preferences, wherein said search may be time delimited;
wherein said search may be performed in the background and a user may be alerted when said search is completed, and wherein said user can define any task-relevant parameter at said funnel, including any of time, context, and location. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A user point of contact with all of the resources of an enterprise for providing said resources to said user at a single location, comprising:
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a graphic user interface generated on a display, said graphic user interface comprising; a funnel, wherein actions available at resource appear as functionality at said funnel as part of a pop-up menu, wherein said funnel adds functionality in the form of actions that are accessible to said user at said pop-up menu, to the extent that such functionality exists within a system and is available to said funnel, wherein said funnel provides a decision overlay that operates upon user requests for actions or resources, where the order of execution of such requests may be simultaneous or sequential, and where sequential tasks may be randomly executed or they may be hierarchically executed, and wherein said user inherits all outside capability of an enterprise; at least one parser for parsing user entered information to convert said information to a common format and for parsing remote components; a resource interface for accessing any available resource to complete a user requested task, wherein said tasks comprise multiple sub-tasks that are separately executed in conventional systems by calling up appropriate tools in a correct sequence, wherein a resource is registered with said parser when said resource makes itself known to said parser by providing information about itself to said parser, said information consisting of any of name or type of resource, what data types said resource can process, and what actions said resource can perform. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification