Automatic suggestions and other content for messaging applications

• US 10,757,043 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2016
• Issued: 08/25/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Gershony, Ori, Nazarov, Sergey, De Castro, Rodrigo, Palmer, Erika, Ramage, Daniel, Rodriguez, Adam, Pascovici, Andrei
• Primary Examiner(s): Strange, Aaron N
• Application Number:
  US15/386,760
• Publication Number:
  US 20170180276A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area

Abstract

A messaging application may automatically analyze content of one or more messages and/or user information to automatically provide suggestions to a user within a messaging application. The suggestions may automatically incorporate particular non-messaging functionality into the messaging application. The automatic suggestions may suggest one or more appropriate responses to be selected by a user to respond in the messaging application, and/or may automatically send one or more appropriate responses on behalf of a user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method to automatically provide bot services in a messaging application, the method comprising:

receiving one or more messages of a message exchange thread between multiple users, the one or more messages each being submitted by a corresponding one of the multiple users via a corresponding messaging application, and the multiple users including a first user and a second user;

determining a first bot of a first type based on the one or more messages;

determining a second bot of a second type based on the one or more messages, wherein the second type is different from the first type;

identifying, in the one or more messages, a topic and a sentiment, wherein the sentiment occurs in the one or more messages subsequent to the topic and includes a positive reaction to the topic or a negative reaction to the topic;

selecting the first bot over the second bot based on the topic and the sentiment;

transmitting a bot command to the first bot based on the topic;

receiving responsive content from the first bot after transmitting the bot command to the first bot;

determining that the first user is associated with an active role in organizing an event for the multiple users based on the one or more messages;

based on determining that the first user is associated with the active role in organizing the event for the multiple users, choosing the first user over the second user to receive the responsive content from the first bot;

providing the responsive content from the first bot for presentation to the first user without providing the responsive content for presentation to the second user, wherein the responsive content is an option to organize the event for both the first user and the second user; and

receiving a selection of the option to organize the event from the first user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a user interface that includes an option to request a conversation report that organizes the message exchange thread based on a participant name, the topic, a time, or a combination of the participant name, the topic, or the time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the first user is associated with the active role in organizing the event is further based on one or more of the first user initiating the message exchange or the first user providing more terms than the second user in the one or more messages that relate to the first bot.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first bot and the second bot comprises:

determining that at least one term, of a given message of the one or more messages, is associated with invocation of both the first bot and the second bot; and

wherein selecting the first bot over the second bot based on the topic followed by the sentiment comprises;

selecting the first bot based on at least one additional term, of an additional message of the one or more messages, being associated with invocation of the first bot but not being associated with invocation of the second bot, wherein the additional message was submitted in the message exchange thread prior to the given message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the first bot based on the topic and the sentiment comprises:

generating, prior to the message exchange thread, a trained machine learning model from a training set data;

applying the topic to the trained machine learning model to generate output over the trained machine learning model; and

selecting the first bot based on the output indicating the first bot.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the option to organize the event includes making a reservation at a restaurant or paying for a car service.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

requesting, from an information source, additional information that is particularized to the first bot;

receiving the additional information based on the requesting; and

generating the bot command to conform to the first bot based on the additional information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the one or more messages are associated with a destination; and

determining a time that the first user will be at the destination;

wherein the bot command identifies the destination and the time.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the first user is associated with the active role is based on at least one of the first user initiating the message exchange thread, the first user providing more of the one or more messages than the second user, or the first user providing more terms in the message exchange thread that relate to the first bot than the second user provided.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, responsive to providing the responsive content, a question from the first user that is directed to the first bot;

responsive to receiving the question, instructing the first bot to ask a business owner of a business that is associated with the first bot for additional information;

generating an answer that includes the additional information; and

providing the answer for presentation to the first user in response to receiving the question.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining that the additional information includes new information; and

updating, in one or more computer readable media, a business profile for the business based on the new information.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the responsive content from the first bot comprises:

providing the first user with a user interface that includes a field that sends text entered into the field or a selection to the first bot.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a writing style of the first user based on at least one of sentiment, punctuation, or an emoji that are in the one or more messages; and

providing the responsive content to the first user in the writing style of the first user.

14. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving one or more messages of a message exchange thread between multiple users, the one or more messages each being submitted by a corresponding one of the multiple users via a corresponding messaging application, and the multiple users including a first user and a second user;

determining a first bot of a first type based on the one or more messages;

determining a second bot of a second type based on the one or more messages, wherein the second type is different from the first type;

identifying, in the one or more messages, a topic and a negative sentiment for the topic or a positive sentiment for the topic;

selecting the first bot over the second bot based on the topic and the negative sentiment or the positive sentiment;

transmitting a bot command to the first bot based on the topic and the negative sentiment or the positive sentiment;

receiving responsive content from the first bot in response to transmitting the bot command to the first bot;

determining that the first user is associated with an active role in organizing an event for the multiple users based on the one or more messages;

based on determining that the first user is associated with the active role in organizing the event for the multiple users, choosing the first user over the second user to receive the responsive content from the first bot;

providing the responsive content from the first bot for presentation to the first user without providing the responsive content for presentation to the second user wherein the responsive content is an option to organize the event for both the first user and the second user; and

receiving a selection of the option to organize the event from the first user.

15. The computer storage medium of claim 14, wherein the operations further include:

providing a user interface that includes an option to request a conversation report that organizes the message exchange thread based on a participant name, the topic, a time, or a combination of the participant name, the topic, or the time.

16. The computer storage medium of claim 14, wherein determining that the first user is associated with the active role in organizing the event is further based on one or more of the first user initiating the message exchange or the first user providing more terms than the second user in the one or more messages that relate to the first bot.

17. The computer storage medium of claim 14, wherein determining the first bot and the second bot comprises:

determining that at least one term, of a given message of the one or more messages, is associated with invocation of both the first bot and the second bot; and

wherein selecting the first bot over the second bot based on the topic and the negative sentiment or the positive sentiment comprises;

selecting the first bot based on at least one additional term, of an additional message of the one or more messages, being associated with invocation of the first bot but not being associated with invocation of the second bot, wherein the additional message was submitted in the message exchange thread prior to the given message.

18. The computer storage medium of claim 14, wherein selecting the first bot based on the content within the one or more messages comprises:

generating, prior to the message exchange thread, a trained machine learning model from a training set data;

applying the content to the trained machine learning model to generate output over the trained machine learning model; and

selecting the first bot based on the output indicating the first bot.

19. The computer storage medium of claim 14, wherein selecting the first bot over the second bot is further based on at least one of:

a location of the first user or user information associated with the first user.

20. A system comprising:

one or more processors coupled to a memory that stores executable code, the one or more processors operable to;

receive one or more messages of a message exchange thread between multiple users, the one or more messages each being submitted by a corresponding one of the multiple users via a corresponding messaging application, and the multiple users including a first user and a second user;

determine a first bot of a first type based on the one or more messages;

determine a second bot of a second type based on the one or more messages, wherein the second type is different from the first type;

identify, in the one or more messages, a topic and a sentiment, wherein the sentiment occurs in the one or more messages subsequent to the topic and includes a positive reaction to the topic or a negative reaction to the topic;

select the first bot over the second bot based on the topic and the sentiment;

transmit a bot command to the first bot based on the topic;

receive responsive content from the first bot in response to transmitting the bot command to the first bot;

determine that the first user is associated with an active role in organizing an event for the multiple users based on the one or more messages;

based on determining that the first user is associated with the active role in organizing the event for the multiple users, choose the first user over the second user to receive the responsive content from the first bot;

provide the responsive content from the first bot for presentation to the first user without providing the responsive content for presentation to the second user, wherein the responsive content is an option to organize the event for both the first user and the second user; and

receiving a selection of the option to organize the event from the first user.