Information processors having an agent function and storage mediums which contain processing programs for use in the information processor

• US 6,240,405 B1
• Filed: 04/14/1998
• Issued: 05/29/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Suzuki, Hideo
• Primary Examiner(s): Davis, George B.
• Application Number:
  US09/059,756
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• Field of Search: 706/45, 704/246, 345/339
• US Class Current: 706/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L

Abstract

The subject of the present invention is to cause an agent to smoothly respond to an user'"'"'s request to utilize an agent function of accessing software more effectively than in the prior art. An agent computer block 16 selects an appropriate one of a plurality of agents corresponding to an accessing user on the basis of an agent table where the plurality of agents are recorded from voice data provided by an input/output interface computer block 15, reads out from a storage device 17 agent set information on the selected agent, transfers this set information to the input/output interface computer block 15, displays the selected agent'"'"'s peculiar figure (mainly, face) on a display device 13 in accordance with the agent set information, and outputs from a voice output device 11 a message in the agent'"'"'s peculiar voice.

Claims

1. An information processor which includes a plurality of agents each for performing on behalf of a user a process which meets a respective one of the user'"'"'s various requests in accordance with that request, comprising:

an information storing device which contains user information in which a plurality of users are placed in corresponding relationship to a plurality of agents, and a plurality of expression information items each peculiar to a respective one of the plurality of agents;

input means operated by a user for providing a respective one of the user'"'"'s various processing requests;

identifying means for identifying the user based on the content of that request provided by said input means and the user information; and

selecting means for selecting an agent corresponding to the identified user from the user information stored in said information storing device, and for responding to the processing request provided by said input means on the basis of expression information peculiar to the agent contained in said information storing device,

wherein said responding means changes the agent'"'"'s peculiar expression based on the expression information depending whether the identified user is waiting for a request provided by said input means or if processing based on the provided request is under execution.

2. The information processor according to claim 1, wherein said input means comprises voice input means for providing the respective processing requests in the user'"'"'s voice;

said information storing device contains data on the features or content of the user'"'"'s voice as the user information; and

said identifying means is responsive to the user providing a respective one of the various processing request in the user'"'"'s voice from said voice input means for identifying the user on the basis of the features or content of the user'"'"'s voice contained in said information storing means.

3. The information processor according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of agents and said information storing device belong to another information processor to which the first-mentioned information processor is connected via a line;

and

said identifying means is responsive to said input means operated by the user providing a processing request to read the user information from said information storing device which belongs to said another information processor and identifies the appropriate user, and selects a corresponding agent from among the user information.

4. The information processor according to claim 3, wherein said selecting means selects the agent to read peculiar expression information corresponding to the agent from the information storing device which belongs to said another information processor corresponding to the agent and to make a response based on the read expression information depending on the request provided by said input means by the identified user.

5. The information processor according to claim 4, wherein said responding means changes the agent'"'"'s peculiar expression based on the expression information depending whether the identified user is waiting for a request provided by said input means or if processing based on the provided request is under execution.

6. The information processor according to claim 4, wherein said selecting means is responsive to the information to be presented as a response to the user to change the peculiar expression of the agent based on the expression information.

7. The information processor according to claim 3, wherein said responding means changes the agent'"'"'s peculiar expression based on the expression information depending whether the identified user is waiting for a request provided by said input means or if processing based on the provided request is under execution.

8. The information processor according to claim 3, wherein said selecting means is responsive to the information to be presented as a response to the user to change the peculiar expression of the agent based on the expression information.

9. An information processor which includes a plurality of agents each for performing on behalf of a user a process which meets a respective one of the user'"'"'s various requests in accordance with that request, the information processor comprising:

an information storing device which contains user information in which a plurality of users are placed in corresponding relationship to a plurality of agents, and a plurality of expression information items each peculiar to a respective one of the plurality of agents;

input means operated by a user for providing a respective one of the user'"'"'s various processing requests;

identifying means for identifying the user based on the content of that request provided by said input means and the user information; and

selecting means for selecting an agent corresponding to the identified user from the user information stored in said information storing device, and for responding to the processing request provided by said input means on the basis of expression information peculiar to the agent contained in said information storing device,

wherein said selecting means is responsive to the information to be presented as a response to the user to change the peculiar expression of the agent based on the expression information.

10. The information processor according to claim 9, wherein said plurality of agents and said information storing device belong to another information processor to which the first-mentioned information processor is connected via a line;

and

said identifying means is responsive to said input means operated by the user providing a processing request to read the user information from said information storing device which belongs to said another information processor and identifies the appropriate user, and selects a corresponding agents from among the user information.

11. The information processor according to claim 9, wherein said responding means is responsive to said identifying means selecting the agent to read peculiar expression information corresponding to the agent from the information storing device which belongs to said another information processor corresponding to the agent and to make a response based on the read expression information depending on the request provided by said input means by the identified user.

12. An information processor having a plurality of agents each for performing on behalf of a user a process depending on a respective one of a user'"'"'s various processing requests, the information processor comprising:

an expression information storing device which contains for the plurality of agents a corresponding plurality of peculiar expression information items each for expressing features of a respective one of the plurality of agents;

selecting means for selecting one of the plurality of agents and for providing a respective one of the user'"'"'s various processing requests; and

receiving means responsive to said selecting means for receiving from said expression information storing device expression information peculiar to the selected agent to send to the user a response to characterize the agent and for responding to the respective processing request provided by the selecting means on the basis of the peculiar expression information.

13. The information processor according to claim 12, wherein said plurality of agents has set a corresponding plurality of processing divisions into which the various processing requests are divided and a corresponding plurality of response divisions into which response levels corresponding to the various requests are divided;

and

said responding means responds to the request, provided by said selecting means, on the basis of the peculiar expression information for the agent in accordance with the processing division and sets the response on the basis of the responding division, and sets the content of the response on the basis of the response division.

14. The information processor according to claim 13, wherein the processing division and the responding division of at least one of the plurality of agents correspond to the content of the processing request which relates to a business field of a user who uses the present information processor.

15. The information processor according to claim 13, wherein the processing division and the responding division of at least one of the plurality of agents correspond to the content of the processing request which relates to a personal field of a user who uses the present information processor.

16. The information processor according to claim 12, wherein a face such as a peculiar one, a voice such as a peculiar one, and a name such as a peculiar one are settable in a peculiar expression information item stored for each of the plurality of agents in said expression information storing device, and said responding means is responsive to a peculiar name set in said expression information storing device being provided by said selecting means to select an agent corresponding to the peculiar name.

17. The information processor according to claim 12, wherein:

a display means is provided for selectively displaying peculiar image information which include that on a face set as the peculiar expression information for each of the plurality of agents; and

said receiving means is responsive to said selecting means selecting one of the displayed plurality of peculiar image information items to display the selected peculiar image information alone on said display means.

18. An information processor which includes a plurality of agents each for performing a process responding to a respective one of various processing requests, the information processor comprising:

an information storing device which contains for the plurality of agents a corresponding plurality of peculiar expression information items each different in a peculiar image or peculiar voice which characterizes a respective one of the plurality of agents and which has set a plurality of time divisions each such as a date or time corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of agents;

output means for outputting a respective one of the various processing requests; and

selecting means responsive to said output means for selecting from said information storing device an agent for a time division corresponding to a time when the processing request was provided by said input means, for receiving from said expression information storing device peculiar expression information corresponding to that agent, and for responding to the processing request in an expression form based on the peculiar image or voice of that agent.

19. The information processor according to claim 18, wherein the time division set in each of the plurality of agents contained in said information storing device comprises one of time divisions of a day or a division of a day of the week.

20. The information processor according to claim 18, wherein the time division of at least one of the plurality of agents is set in working hours and to correspond to the content of the processing request related to a business field of a user who uses the present information processor.

21. The information processor according to claim 18, wherein the time division of at least one of the plurality of agents is set in non-working hours and to correspond to the content of the processing request related to an individual field of a user who uses the present information processor.

22. A recording medium which contains a computer executable program, comprising:

a program code for causing a respective one of a plurality of agents to perform a process responding to a respective one of various processing requests on a user'"'"'s behalf on the basis of peculiar expression information; and

a program code responsive to input means selecting one of the plurality of agents to get peculiar expression information corresponding to that agent, to make a response to characterize that agent, and to make a response based on the peculiar expression information to the respective one of the various processing requests provided by the input means.

23. A storage medium which contains a computer executable program, comprising:

a program code for causing each of a plurality of agents to perform on behalf of a user a process in a respective one of time divisions corresponding to a date or time to respond to a respective one of the user'"'"'s various processing requests on the basis of a plurality of expression information items different in at least one of peculiar image, peculiar voice; and

a program code responsive to input means providing a respective one of the user'"'"'s various processing requests for selecting an agent in a time division corresponding to the time when the input means provided that processing request from among the plurality of agents, for getting peculiar expression information corresponding to that agent, and for causing that agent to respond to the processing request in an expression form based on the peculiar image or voice of that agent.