Interactive user interface to communication-enabled business process platforms method and apparatus

• US 9,043,407 B1
• Filed: 06/12/2009
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Gaulke, David, Kornbluh, Dennis
• Primary Examiner(s): Tiv, Backhean
• Application Number:
  US12/483,851
• Time in Patent Office: 2,174 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/204, 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services

Abstract

An interactive chat-bot user interface to a communication-enabled business process (CEBP) application is provided. The user interface receives instant message commands from a user. The received instant message commands are parsed and transformed into commands formatted according to the application programming interface of the CEBP application. Feedback or other output from the CEBP application can be provided to the user by the interactive interface in an instant message. In addition, the interface can participate in a dialog with the user, all in the natural language of the user and using instant messages, in order to obtain the instructions and parameter information required by the CEBP application in order to perform a requested operation.

Claims

1. A method for interfacing with a communication system, comprising:

initiating a natural language instant messaging communication session between a first user communication device and an agent;

receiving first natural language input from a first user at the first user communication device;

delivering the received first natural language input from the first user communication device to the agent as part of the instant messaging communication session, wherein the first natural language input is a first command directed to operation of a communication-enabled business process (CEBP);

receiving the first command input at the agent;

transforming by the agent the first command into a first CEBP command, wherein the first CEBP command is in an application programming interface of the CEBP;

delivering the first CEBP command from the agent to the CEBP; and

providing a first natural language feedback message from the agent to the first user communication device, wherein the first natural language feedback message at least one of;

requests additional input from the first user or provides a report of the status of an action taken with respect to the first command, wherein the agent provides an interface function that transforms communications contained in an instant message directed to the communication system to the application programming interface of the communication-enabled business process, and that transforms communications in the application programming interface of the communication-enabled business process to a communication in an instant message directed to the first user communication device, wherein the first CEBP command causes the CEBP to send a notification to a plurality of communication devices using a plurality of communication channels, and wherein addresses of the plurality of communication devices are not specified by the user in the first command.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the instant message comprises a command in accordance with a structured language, and wherein the agent translates the command into a command in accordance with the application programming interface of the communication-enabled business process to cause the notification to be sent to the plurality of communication devices.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first natural language feedback message includes a report of a number of communication devices in the plurality of communication devices that have received the notification.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the instant messaging communication session is initiated by a first user, and wherein the number of communication devices in the plurality of communication devices that have received the notification is the number of communication devices from which a response has been received.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

responding by the agent to the initiation of the instant messaging communication session by sending an acknowledgement message to the first user as part of a continuation of the instant messaging communication session, wherein the acknowledgement message is output to the first user by the user communication device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the instant messaging communication session is initiated by the agent.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the instant messaging communication session is initiated by the agent and wherein as part of the instant messaging communication session the first user is sent a first notification message, and wherein subsequent to the first notification message the first user is placed in communication with at least one of a second user and a communication-enabled business process as part of a communication session that is different than the instant messaging communication session.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first notification message or a second notification message includes a communication address of the second user, and wherein the first user using a second communication device initiates the communication session that is different than the instant messaging communication session with the second user.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing by the first user through the user communication device a second natural language input that is a second command to the agent as part of a continuation of the instant messaging communication session, wherein the second command directs the agent to store a command sequence including at least the first command directed to the operation of the CEBP.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the command provided to the agent as part of the instant messaging communication session is transformed by the agent from a natural language command to an XML message.

11. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

the CEBP sending a further notification to the communication devices in the plurality of communication devices for which a response has not been received; and

the agent providing information regarding the status of the notification to a plurality of recipients to the first user as part of an instant messaging communication session.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a sequence of commands.

13. A system, comprising:

a communication network;

a server, wherein the server is interconnected to the communication network;

a communication-enabled business process (CEBP) running on the server, wherein the CEBP is operated using a specified application programming interface;

a first agent device, wherein the first agent device is in communication with the server via the communication network;

a chat-bot interface application running on the first agent device; and

a first client device, including;

a user input;

a user output; and

an instant messaging application, wherein the first client device is in communication with the first agent device via the communication network, wherein a user provides commands to the chat-bot interface using instant messages containing network language commands, wherein the chat-bot interface transforms the natural language commands into the specified application programming interface (API) of the CEBP and provides the transformed commands to the CEBP, wherein the transformed CEBP command causes the CEBP to send a message to a plurality of recipient devices, wherein addresses of the plurality of recipient devices are not specified by the user in a natural language command, wherein the CEBP returns a status report in the API of the CEBP regarding the sending of the message, wherein the chat-bot interface transforms the status report into a natural language status report, and wherein the natural language status report is returned to the first client device as an instant message.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a second client device, wherein the second client device is interconnected to the communication network, wherein in response to a command received by the chat-bot interface from the first client device instructing that a notification event be sent to the second client device the chat-bot interface transforms the command into the application programming interface of the communication-enabled business process, and wherein in response to receiving the transformed command the communication-enabled business process initiates a notification event.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the communication-enabled business process provides information to the chat-bot interface regarding a status of the notification event in a message in the application programming interface of the communication-enabled business process, wherein the chat-bot interface transforms that message to the natural language of the user, and wherein the message in the natural language of the user is sent to the first client device by the chat-bot interface for output to the user.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

second and third client devices, wherein in response to a command received by the chat-bot interface from the first client device instructing that a notification be sent to the second and third client devices over second and third communication channels the chat-bot interface transforms the command into the application programming interface of the communication-enabled business process, and wherein in response to receiving the transformed command the communication-enabled business process initiates a notification event including the second and third client devices.

17. A system, comprising:

a client device;

a communication application running on the client device;

an agent device;

an interface application including an instant message parser running on the agent device; and

a communication channel, wherein an instant message communication directed to the agent over the communication channel is parsed by the instant message parser to obtain a command formatted according to the application programming interface (API) of a communication-enabled business process (CEBP), wherein the command formatted according to the API of the CEBP is provided to the CEBP by the agent, wherein the communication application takes a specified action in response to the provided command, wherein the specified action includes sending by the CEBP a message to a plurality of recipients, and wherein addresses of the plurality of recipient are not specified by the user in the command.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the client device is interconnected to the communication channel, wherein the instant message communication is entered by a user of the client device, and wherein the instant message communication is based on a template retrieved by the agent in response to a request by the user.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

data storage, wherein the command comprises a series of commands, and wherein the series of commands are stored for use in a subsequent operation.