Software engine for enabling proxy chat-room interaction

• US 20030187925A1
• Filed: 02/15/2001
• Published: 10/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Yodlee Incorporated (Envestnet Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Yodlee Incorporated (Envestnet Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kumar, Srihari, Inala, Suman Kumar
• Application Number:
  US09/784,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20030187925A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2119 Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A software application for emulating a user in an interactive chat session hosted on a data-packet-network is provided. The software application comprises, a navigation interface for accepting input from a navigation system, a dialog interface for inputting dialog into the chat session, a session recorder for recording a chat session, a timer for regulating intervals of input of dialog entered into the chat session and a function disabler for disabling undesired communication events sourced from the chat session. The software application is characterized in that a user pre-configures a list of queries for input into an impending chat session, sending the queries along with session-associated parameters in the form of a request for navigation to and proxy interaction in a session on behalf of the user.

Claims

1. A software application for emulating a user in an interactive chat session hosted on a data-packet-network comprising:

a navigation interface for accepting input from a navigation system;

a dialog interface for inputting dialog into the chat session;

a session recorder for recording a chat session;

a timer for regulating intervals of input of dialog entered into the chat session; and

a function disabler for disabling undesired communication events sourced from the chat session, characterized in that a user pre-configures a list of queries for input into an impending chat session, sends the queries along with session-associated parameters in the form of a request for navigation to and proxy interaction in a session on behalf of the user.

2. The software application of claim 1, wherein the data-packet-network is the Internet network.

3. The software application of claim 2, wherein the navigation system automatically navigates to the chat session and logs into the session on behalf of the user.

4. The software application of claim 3, wherein the navigation system relinquishes session control to the software application after logging into the session.

5. The software application of claim 2, wherein the navigation system relinquishes session control to the software application and wherein the software application logs the user into the session.

6. The software application of claim 4, wherein instruction enabling proxy emulation of the user in the chat session is of the form of a machine-readable language.

7. The software application of claim 6, wherein the machine-readable language is an XML based language.

8. The software application of claim 7, wherein the dialog interface emulates keyboard typing of queries when entering them into the chat session.

9. The software application of claim 7, wherein the dialog interface emulates macro functionality when entering queries into the chat session.

10. The software application of claim 7, wherein the dialog interface inputs voice recordings into the chat session.

11. The software application of claim 8, wherein the timer functions according to preset parameters.

12. The software application of claim 8, wherein the timer functions according to dynamic conditions.

13. The software application of claim 8, wherein the session recorder records the entire chat session as it progresses.

14. The software application of claim 8, wherein the session recorder records only user queries and posted replies.

15. The software application of claim 8, wherein the session recorder renders a playable version of the chat event that may be stored for or sent to a user for the purpose of replaying the event.

16. Software application of claim 15, wherein the function disabler sends a pre-configured notice as a reply to the undesired communication events sourced from the session event.

17. A software interface for configuring and ordering a proxy chat-emulation sequence at a target chat session hosted on a data-packet-network-comprising:

a first data-input section for enabling a user to input required parameters associated with the logistics of the session;

a second data-input section for enabling a user to input in a plurality of queries to be executed during chat emulation;

a third data-input section for enabling a user to set time intervals for posting the queries into the session; and

a submission function for submitting the order to a service provider operating on the network for order execution.

18. The software interface of claim 17, wherein the data-packet-network is the Internet network.

19. The software interface of claim 18, wherein the logistics of the session include all or a combination of a user name, a password, a session address, a session date, a session start-time, a session duration, and a session topic.

20. The software interface of claim 19, wherein the interface is generated from a server operating on the network.

21. The software interface of claim 19, wherein the interface is a client application running on a client machine.

22. The software interface of claim 21, wherein the client machine is an Internet-capable appliance.

23. The software interface of claim 22, wherein the Internet-capable appliance is a desktop computer.

24. A network-based system for providing proxy navigation to and proxy representation of a user in an interactive chat session hosted on the network comprising:

a navigation system for spawning a personalized navigator for network navigation on behalf of the user;

a chat emulation engine for spawning a personalized chat module for emulating the user in the chat session; and

a session-configuration tool for enabling the user to configure the logistics of a target chat session, and to configure a list of queries into a request order for receiving a proxy navigation and user-emulation.

25. The network-based system of claim 24, wherein the network is the Internet network.

26. The network-based system of claim 25, wherein the navigation system navigates to the chat session and logs into the session with a user name, a password, or a moniker created by the navigation system.

27. The network-based system of claim 25, wherein the navigation system navigates to the chat session and logs into the session with a user name, a password, or a moniker created by the user.

28. The network-based system of claim 26, wherein network connection and control is passed from the navigation system to the chat emulation engine immediately after log-in to the chat session.

29. The network-based system of claim 28, wherein the personalized chat module conducts the user-portion of the session and records the entire session on behalf of the user.

30. The network-based system of claim 29, wherein the chat emulation engine is hosted on a network-connected server.

31. The network-based system of claim 30, wherein the personalized chat module terminates the connection to the chat session at the closing time of the chat session.

32. A method for automatically navigating to and representing a user in an interactive chat session hosted on a data-packet-network comprising steps of:

(a) receiving a request order from a requesting user, the request order containing logistics pertaining to a target chat session and a list of queries for posting into the chat session;

(b) incorporating data from the request order to construct a machine-readable order for navigation and login;

(c) transferring session control from a navigation server to a chat-representation server after login; and

(d) posting the queries into the chat session in a timed manner throughout the session.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the data-packet-network is the Internet network.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein in step (a), the logistics include all or a combination of a user name, a password, a session address, a session date, a session start-time, a session duration, and a session topic.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein in step (b), the machine-readable order is an XML based order.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein in step (c), the navigation server and the chat-representation server spawn personalized instances of software each executing on behalf of a single user.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein in step (d), the queries are posted according to a pre-configured time parameter.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein in step (d), the time parameter for posting the queries is dynamic.