Chat information system for portable electronic devices

• US 8,949,725 B1
• Filed: 05/25/2011
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Speaktoit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Goncharuk, Artem, Sirotin, Pavel, Gelfenbeyn, Ilya
• Primary Examiner(s): Pesin, Boris
• Assistant Examiner(s): Badawi, Angie
• Application Number:
  US13/115,174
• Time in Patent Office: 1,350 Days
• Field of Search: 715/758
• US Class Current: 715/758
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A method and graphical user interface intended to simplify interaction between a user and a chat information system running on a portable electronic device that includes a touch screen. User interfaces and methods include user input controls (i.e., a virtual keyboard or voice recognition devices). The system also includes output trays, means for viewing chat history, means for displaying the Internet content and means for displaying graphical elements and avatars.

Claims

1. A chat information system for a handheld portable electronic device, the system comprising:

a touch screen, a processor, and a chatbot interface;

at least one tray for displaying a chatbot avatar;

a tray for displaying a message generated by a chat system;

a tray for displaying Internet content;

a tray for displaying a virtual keyboard;

a tray for user input fields;

a system voice output component;

a user voice input component; and

a plurality of interactive elements, wherein a user input is processed by the chatbot interface and the chatbot avatar is updated based on a chatbot response to the user input;

wherein the chatbot interface is configured to;

monitor user actions and identify the user actions, the user actions include;

a device rotation, a tap and hold on the touch screen, a swipe on the touch screen, an author user input on the touch screen, an edit user input on the touch screen, and a multiple topic request;

when the swipe on the touch screen is identified, determine a swipe direction; and

when a first swipe direction is identified, display a first response from the chatbot system instead of a second response from the chatbot system; and

when a second swipe direction is identified, display the second response from the chatbot system instead of the first response from the chatbot system, wherein the second swipe direction differs from the first swipe direction;

when the device rotation is identified, change a vertical layout to a horizontal layout, or vice versa, of at least one of the following;

the at least one tray for displaying a chatbot avatar, the tray for displaying a message generated by a chat system, the tray for displaying Internet content, the tray for displaying a virtual keyboard, the tray for user input fields;

when the tap and hold on the touch screen is identified, launch the user voice input module;

when the author user input on the touch screen is identified, launching the virtual keyboard;

when the edit user input on the touch screen is identified, launch the virtual keyboard and display the user input for editing;

when the multiple topic request is identified, display one or more supplementary topics.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the external system connectors belong to remote information servers.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the external system interface retrieves information from the remote information servers based on user requests.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein chatbot user interface includes a voice engine for receiving and processing user voice input.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the chatbot user interface includes an avatar for displaying animations, static graphics, or videos reflecting chat system response to user actions.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the chatbot user interface monitors user inputs or requests and pushes the user inputs or requests to a dialog processor.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the chatbot user interface accepts and processes a voice user input and sends requests to the remote external systems based on the first user input or the second user input.

8. A method for implementing a chatbot on a portable electronic device having a touch screen, the method comprising:

displaying a chatbot avatar;

displaying a message generated by a chat system;

displaying Internet content;

displaying user input fields; and

displaying a plurality of interactive elements, wherein a user input is processed by the chatbot interface and the chatbot avatar is updated based on a chatbot response to the user input;

wherein the chatbot interface is configured to;

monitor user actions and identify the user actions, the user actions include;

a device rotation, a tap and hold on the touch screen, a swipe on the touch screen, an author user input on the touch screen, an edit user input on the touch screen, and a multiple topic request;

when the swipe on the touch screen is identified, determine a swipe direction; and

when a first swipe direction is identified, display a first response from the chatbot system instead of a second response from the chatbot system; and

when a second swipe direction is identified, display the second response from the chatbot system instead of the first response from the chatbot system, wherein the second swipe direction differs from the first swipe direction;

when the device rotation is identified, change a vertical layout to a horizontal layout, or vice versa, of at least one of the following;

the chatbot avatar, the message generated by a chat system, the Internet content, the virtual keyboard, the user input fields;

when the tap and hold on the touch screen is identified, launch a user voice input component;

when the author user input on the touch screen is identified, launch a virtual keyboard;

when the edit user input on the touch screen is identified, launch the virtual keyboard feature and display the user input fields for editing;

when the multiple topic request is identified, display one or more supplementary topics.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein when the device rotation is identified, changing a vertical layout of the chatbot interface to a horizontal layout of the chatbot interface.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein when the device rotation is identified, changing a horizontal layout of the chatbot interface to a vertical layout of the chatbot interface.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein when the tap and hold on the touch screen is identified, launching a voice user prompt feature.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein when the author user input on the touch screen is identified, launching a virtual keyboard feature of the chatbot interface.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein when the edit user input on the touch screen is identified, launching a virtual keyboard feature of the chatbot interface and displays the user input for editing.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein when the multiple topic request is identified, displaying new supplementary topics.

15. A portable device having a touch screen, a processor and a chatbot interface, the portable device comprising:

at least one tray for displaying a chatbot avatar;

a tray for displaying a message generated by a chat system;

a tray for displaying Internet content;

a tray for displaying a virtual keyboard;

a tray for user input fields;

a system voice output;

a user voice input; and

a plurality of interactive elements, wherein a user input is processed by the chatbot interface and the chatbot avatar is updated based on a chatbot response to the user input;

wherein the chatbot interface is configured to;

monitor user actions and identify the user actions, the user actions include;

a device rotation, a tap and hold on the touch screen, a swipe on the touch screen, an author user input on the touch screen, an edit user input on the touch screen, and a multiple topic request;

when the swipe on the touch screen is identified, determine a swipe direction; and

when a first swipe direction is identified, display a first response from the chatbot system instead of a second response from the chatbot system; and

when a second swipe direction is identified, display the second response from the chatbot system instead of the first response from the chatbot system, wherein the second swipe direction differs from the first swipe direction;

when the device rotation is identified, change a vertical layout to a horizontal layout, or vice versa, of at least one of the following;

the at least one tray for displaying a chatbot avatar, the tray for displaying a message generated by a chat system, the tray for displaying Internet content, the tray for displaying a virtual keyboard, the tray for user input fields;

when the tap and hold on the touch screen is identified, launch the user voice input;

when the author user input on the touch screen is identified, launching the virtual keyboard;

when the edit user input on the touch screen is identified, launch the virtual keyboard and display the user input for editing;

when the multiple topic request is identified, display one or more supplementary topics.

16. The portable device of claim 15, wherein the chatbot avatar displays animations, including graphics or video, reflects emotions of the chatbot avatar.

17. The portable device of claim 15, wherein the interactive elements are any of:

buttons;

select boxes;

links;

menus; and

input boxes.