Personification of software agents

• US 8,775,935 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2009
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Butcher, Thomas C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chow, Doon
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, LE V
• Application Number:
  US12/629,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20110131507A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,679 Days
• Field of Search: 715/706, 715/751
• US Class Current: 715/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Personification techniques for software agents are described. In an implementation, a plurality of software agents is personified in a user interface to be selectable as friends in a social network service. Each of the software agents is executable to make one or more recommendations based on criteria of the software agent, respectively. Recommendations made by particular software agents are communicated via user accounts of the social network service that have selected the particular software agents as friends.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a computing device, the method comprising:

personifying a plurality of software agents in a user interface to be selectable as friends in a social network service for inclusion with representations of one or more user accounts of the social network service that are selected as friends, each said software agent is executable to make one or more recommendations based on criteria of the software agent, respectively, and the personifying corresponding to a modality for content consumption crafted as a personality for use in the social network service; and

communicating recommendations made by particular said software agents via user accounts of the social network service that have selected the particular said software agents as friends such that;

the recommendations are communicated for inclusion a network feed that includes at least one status update from at least one said user account of the social network service that is selected as a friend; and

at least one user account of the social network service that did not select the particular said software agents as friends do not receive the recommendations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of software agents are personified in a user interface that also include representations of user accounts of the social network service, the representations of the user accounts being selectable to add the user account as a friend in the social network service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the personifying is performed using anthropomorphism to give one or more human characteristics to the software agent that correspond to the criteria of the software agent that are used to make the one or more recommendations.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the personifying is performed using an icon that has the one or more human characteristics.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the personified software agents are selectable to view the criteria to be used to make the recommendations.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one said recommendation specifies particular content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one said recommendation specifies a live event.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one said recommendation suggests another user account to be specified as a friend of the user account.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one said recommendation is made using the criteria of a respective said software agent and one or more criteria of a human user of the social network service that is specified as a friend of the user account.

10. A system comprising one or more computing devices configured to implement a social network service and perform one or more operations comprising:

executing a plurality of software agents, each personified with human characteristics and having one or more criteria that are usable to make recommendations, the recommendations affected by both the human characteristics in which the software agent is personified and the one or more criteria;

providing a user interface having an icon for each of the plurality of software agents, the icon representative of the criteria of a respective said software agent and selectable to add the respective said software agent as a friend associated with a user'"'"'s account in the social network service; and

communicatiing the recommendations made by respective ones of the plurality of selected said software agents that are friends with the user'"'"'s account in the social network service for output in a network feed of the user'"'"'s account as a plurality of status updates from the plurality of selected said software agents along with a status update from another user account that is not provided by one of the software agents.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one said icon personifies one or more human characteristics that correspond to the criteria of the software agent that are used to make the one or more recommendations.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the personification is performed using an icon that has the one or more human characteristics.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the recommendations are communicated in a network feed provided by the social network service along with one or more status updates.

14. A computing device comprising one or more modules implemented at least partially in hardware, the one or more modules configured to perform operations comprising:

personifying a plurality of software agents in a user interface to be selectable as friends in a social network service for inclusion with representations of one or more user accounts of the social network service that are selected as friends, each said software agent is executable to make one or more recommendations based on criteria of the software agent, respectively, and the personifying corresponding to a modality for content consumption crafted as a personality for use in the social network service; and

communicating recommendations made by particular said software agents via user accounts of the social network service that have selected the particular said software agents as friends such that;

the recommendations are communicated for inclusion a network feed that includes at least one status update from at least one said user account of the social network service that is selected as a friend; and

at least one user account of the social network service that did not select the particular said software agents as friends do not receive the recommendations.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the plurality of software agents are personified in a user interface that also include representations of user accounts of the social network service, the representations of the user accounts being selectable to add the user account as a friend in the social network service.

16. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the personifying is performed using anthropomorphism to give one or more human characteristics to the software agent that correspond to the criteria of the software agent that are used to make the one or more recommendations.

17. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the personifying is performed using an icon that has the one or more human characteristics.

18. The computing device of claim 14, wherein at least one of the personified software agents are selectable to view the criteria to be used to make the recommendations.

19. The computing device of claim 14, wherein at least one said recommendation specifies particular content.

20. The computing device of claim 14, wherein at least one said recommendation specifies a live event.