System and method for logical agent engine

• US 7,103,585 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2002
• Issued: 09/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Logic Junction
• Original Assignee: Logic Junction
• Inventors: Kessock, Hans Christopher, Jowell, Mark Samuel
• Primary Examiner(s): STARKS, WILBERT L
• Application Number:
  US10/139,487
• Publication Number:
  US 20030023572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,583 Days
• Field of Search: 706/11, 706/45, 706/60, 715/707
• US Class Current: 706/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/243 Natural language query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/02 Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/022 Knowledge engineering; Knowledge acquisition

Abstract

A method of providing information through an intelligent agent with human appearance. The method comprises: executing a script for providing the intelligent agent to a user; receiving queries directed to the intelligent agent by the user; querying a knowledge base associated with the intelligent agent to determine an appropriate response to the query; should the knowledge base associated with the intelligent agent fail to provide an appropriate response to the query, querying a general knowledge base to determine an appropriate response to the query; and providing the appropriate response to the query to the user via the intelligent agent.

Claims

1. A method of providing interactive responses to a user through an intelligent agent provided by a computer system, comprising:

executing a script for providing the intelligent agent to a user at a display, wherein the intelligent agent is an animated character that produces speech in response to user queries and wherein executing the script comprises loading the script into the memory of a computer, parsing the script, and executing the script within a thread on the computer;

receiving, from a user input, a query directed to the intelligent agent by the user;

querying a knowledge database that is specifically associated with the intelligent agent to determine an appropriate response to the query;

should the querying of the knowledge database that is specifically associated with the intelligent agent fail to provide an appropriate response to the query, querying a general knowledge database that is accessible by a plurality of intelligent agents to determine an appropriate response to the query;

providing the appropriate response to the query to the user, via the intelligent agent; and

displaying a multimedia object on a display for the user.

2. A method of providing interactive responses to a user through an intelligent agent provided by a computer system, comprising:

executing a script for providing the intelligent agent to a user at a display, wherein the intelligent agent is an animated character that produces speech in response to user queries;

receiving, from a user input, a query directed to the intelligent agent by the user;

querying a knowledge database that is specifically associated with the intelligent agent to determine an appropriate response to the query;

should the querying of the knowledge database that is specifically associated with the intelligent agent fail to provide an appropriate response to the query, querying a general knowledge database that is accessible by a plurality of intelligent agents to determine an appropriate response to the query; and

providing the appropriate response to the query to the user, via the intelligent agent, wherein providing the appropriate response further comprises animating the intelligent agent to convey the appropriate response to the user.

3. A method of providing interactive responses to a user through an intelligent agent provided by a computer system, comprising:

executing a script for providing the intelligent agent to a user at a display, wherein the intelligent agent is an animated character that produces speech in response to user queries;

receiving, from a user input, a query directed to the intelligent agent by the user;

querying a knowledge database that is specifically associated with the intelligent agent to determine an appropriate response to the query;

should the querying of the knowledge database that is specifically associated with the intelligent agent fail to provide an appropriate response to the query, querying a general knowledge database that is accessible by a plurality of intelligent agents to determine an appropriate response to the query;

providing the appropriate response to the query to the user, via the intelligent agent; and

storing information about the user in a database.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising retrieving the stored information about the user from the database if the user has information previously stored.

5. A machine readable medium for storing instructions for operating a computer system for providing interactive responses to a user through an intelligent agent provided by the computer system, the instructions comprising:

executing a script for providing the intelligent agent to a user on a display, wherein the intelligent agent is an animated character that produces speech in response to user queries and wherein executing the script comprises loading the script into the memory of a computer, parsing the script, and executing the script within a thread on the computer;

receiving from a user input, a query directed to the intelligent agent by the user;

querying a knowledge database that is specifically associated with the intelligent agent to determine an appropriate response to the query;

should the knowledge database that is specifically associated with the intelligent agent fail to provide an appropriate response to the query, querying a general knowledge database that is accessible by a plurality of intelligent agents to determine an appropriate response to the query;

providing the appropriate response to the query to the user via the intelligent agent; and

displaying a multimedia object on a display for the user.

6. A machine readable medium for storing instructions for operating a computer system for providing interactive responses to a user through an intelligent agent provided by the computer system, the instructions comprising:

executing a script for providing the intelligent agent to a user on a display, wherein the intelligent agent is an animated character that produces speech in response to user queries;

receiving from a user input, a query directed to the intelligent agent by the user;

querying a knowledge database that is specifically associated with the intelligent agent to determine an appropriate response to the query;

should the knowledge database that is specifically associated with the intelligent agent fail to provide an appropriate response to the query, querying a general knowledge database that is accessible by a plurality of intelligent agents to determine an appropriate response to the query;

providing the appropriate response to the query to the user via the intelligent agent; and

animating the intelligent agent to convey the appropriate response to the user.

7. A machine readable medium for storing instructions for operating a computer system for providing interactive responses to a user through an intelligent agent provided by the computer system, the instructions comprising:

executing a script for providing the intelligent agent to a user on a display, wherein the intelligent agent is an animated character that produces speech in response to user queries;

receiving from a user input, a query directed to the intelligent agent by the user;

querying a knowledge database that is specifically associated with the intelligent agent to determine an appropriate response to the query;

should the knowledge database that is specifically associated with the intelligent agent fail to provide an appropriate response to the query, querying a general knowledge database that is accessible by a plurality of intelligent agents to determine an appropriate response to the query;

providing the appropriate response to the query to the user via the intelligent agent; and

storing information about the user in a database.

8. The machine readable medium of claim 7, further comprising instructions for retrieving the stored information about the user from the database if the user has information previously stored.

9. A computer system for providing an intelligent agent to interact with a user, comprising:

a general knowledge database and a knowledge database that is specifically associated with the intelligent agent;

memory;

a display for displaying the intelligent agent;

an input device for receiving input from the user; and

a processor coupled to the databases, the memory, the display and the input device, wherein said processor is operable to;

execute a script for providing the intelligent agent to the user on the display, wherein the intelligent agent is an animated character that produces speech in response to user queries wherein executing the script comprises loading the script into the memory of a computer, parsing the script, and executing the script within a thread on the computer;

receive a query directed to the intelligent agent by the user from the input device;

query the knowledge database that is specifically associated with the intelligent agent to determine an appropriate response to the query;

should the querying of the knowledge database that is specifically associated with the intelligent agent fail to provide an appropriate response to the query, query the general knowledge database to determine an appropriate response to the query;

provide the appropriate response to the query to the user via the intelligent agent on the display; and

displaying a multimedia object on a display for the user.

10. A computer system for providing an intelligent agent to interact with a user, comprising:

a general knowledge database and a knowledge database that is specifically

associated with the intelligent agent;

memory;

a display for displaying the intelligent agent;

an input device for receiving input from the user; and

a processor coupled to the databases, the memory, the display and the input device, wherein said processor is operable to;

execute a script for providing the intelligent agent to the user on the display, wherein the intelligent agent is an animated character that produces speech in response to user queries;

receive a query directed to the intelligent agent by the user from the input device;

query the knowledge database that is specifically associated with the intelligent agent to determine an appropriate response to the query;

should the querying of the knowledge database that is specifically associated with the intelligent agent fail to provide an appropriate response to the query, query the general knowledge database to determine an appropriate response to the query;

provide the appropriate response to the query to the user via the intelligent agent on the display; and

animating the intelligent agent to convey the appropriate response to the user.

11. A computer system for providing an intelligent agent to interact with a user, comprising:

a general knowledge database and a knowledge database that is specifically associated with the intelligent agent;

memory;

a display for displaying the intelligent agent;

an input device for receiving input from the user; and

a processor coupled to the databases, the memory, the display and the input device, wherein said processor is operable to;

execute a script for providing the intelligent agent to the user on the display, wherein the intelligent agent is an animated character that produces speech in response to user queries;

receive a query directed to the intelligent agent by the user from the input device;

query the knowledge database that is specifically associated with the intelligent agent to determine an appropriate response to the query;

should the querying of the knowledge database that is specifically associated with the intelligent agent fail to provide an appropriate response to the query, query the general knowledge database to determine an appropriate response to the query;

provide the appropriate response to the query to the user via the intelligent agent on the display; and

storing information about the user in a database.