Systems and methods for managing interactions between an individual and an entity

• US 9,805,309 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2016
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Donovan, John, Bedingfield, Sr., James Carlton, Roden, Barbara
• Primary Examiner(s): Hill, Stanley K
• Assistant Examiner(s): OLUDE AFOLABI, OLATOYOSI
• Application Number:
  US14/987,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20160117598A1
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/006 based on simulated virtual individual or collective life forms, e.g. social simulations or particle swarm optimisation [PSO]
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/048 Fuzzy inferencing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a synthesis engine having a controller, and a storage medium for storing instructions to be executed by the controller. The instructions, when executed by the controller, can cause the controller to retrieve collected information associated with a behavior of an individual, synthesize from the information a measure of a mood of the individual to interact with others, and transmit the measure to a system associated with the individual to manage requests between the individual and the entity. The measure of the mood of the individual can indicate an availability of the individual and a receptiveness of the individual to accept a request to interact with an entity. The measure can be described by a plurality of dimensions. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

determining a measure of a mood of an individual to interact with others, the mood indicating an availability of the individual and a receptiveness for the individual to interact;

determining from the measure of the mood of the individual a strategy for negotiating;

receiving a request from equipment associated with a party to interact with the individual;

negotiating with the party a degree of access to the individual, the negotiating comprising;

forwarding, to the equipment of the party, a representation of the measure of the mood of the individual;

receiving user input from the equipment of the party indicating an election to continue with the request to interact with the individual; and

applying the strategy for negotiating with the party by way of the equipment of the party to determine the degree of access to the individual provided to the party.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the measure of the mood is received from equipment, and wherein the measure of the mood comprises a plurality of dimensions.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of dimensions comprise at least one of:

a first dimension to manage a metaphorical expression of the mood of the individual to interact with others;

a second dimension to manage a disclosure to the party of an activity of the individual;

a third dimension to manage a negotiation with the party to provide the party a degree of access to the individual; and

a fourth dimension to manage an intermediary that conducts the negotiation with the party.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the measure of the mood of the individual is determined from monitored activities of a communication device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the measure of the mood of the individual is determined from a context of activity of the individual.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the strategy for negotiating is determined from one of the plurality of dimensions.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise adjusting the strategy according to an identity of the party.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the applying the strategy for negotiating with the party comprises:

initiating communications with an avatar system that presents the equipment of the party an interactive avatar; and

submitting instructions to the avatar system to engage in a communication exchange with the party according to the strategy.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the applying the strategy for negotiating with the party comprises:

initiating communications with equipment of a human agent; and

submitting instructions to the equipment of the human agent to engage in a communication exchange with the party according to the strategy.

10. A machine-readable storage device, comprising instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a measure of a mood of an individual to interact with an entity, wherein the measure comprises a plurality of dimensions, and wherein the measure indicates a receptiveness of the individual to interact with the entity;

determining from the measure of the mood of the individual a strategy for negotiating with the entity;

receiving a request from equipment associated with the entity to interact with the individual; and

negotiating with the entity, by way of equipment associated with the entity, a degree of access to the individual according to the strategy.

11. The machine-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein the plurality of dimensions comprise a first dimension to manage a metaphorical expression of the mood of the individual to interact with others, and a second dimension to manage a disclosure to the entity of one or more activities of the individual.

12. The machine-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein the entity is an artificial intelligence machine requesting to interact with the individual.

13. The machine-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein the negotiating with the entity comprises:

initiating communications with equipment associated with a human agent; and

submitting instructions to the human agent by way of the equipment associated with the human agent to engage in a communication exchange with the entity according to the strategy.

14. The machine-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein the negotiating with the entity comprises:

initiating communications with an avatar system that presents the entity an interactive avatar; and

submitting instructions to the avatar system to engage in a communication exchange with the entity according to the strategy.

15. The machine-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise adjusting the strategy according to an identity of the entity.

16. The machine-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein the negotiating with the entity comprises:

initiating communications with an intermediary system that interfaces with the equipment associated with the entity; and

submitting instructions to the intermediary system to negotiate with the entity, according to the strategy, the degree of access to the individual provided to the entity.

17. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a system comprising a processor, a measure of a mood of an individual to interact with an entity, wherein the measure has a plurality of dimensions;

generating, by the system, from the measure of the mood of the individual a strategy for negotiating with the entity;

detecting, by the system, a request from equipment associated with the entity to interact with the individual; and

negotiating according to the strategy, by the system, with the entity by way of the equipment associated with the entity a degree of access to the individual provided to the entity.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the entity is a human being.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the negotiating with the entity comprises:

initiating, by the system, communications with an intermediary system that interfaces with the equipment associated with the entity; and

instructing, by the system, the intermediary system to negotiate with the entity, according to the strategy, the degree of access to the individual provided to the entity.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the intermediary system comprises an avatar system that presents an avatar to the entity by way of the equipment associated with the entity.