Automatically augmenting message exchange threads based on tone of message

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10769155-B2
Application number	US-201615157372-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 17, 2016
Priority date	May 17, 2016
Publication date	Sep 8, 2020
Grant date	Sep 8, 2020

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems, and computer-readable media are provided for automatically augmenting message exchange threads based on a detected tone of messages exchanged between participants. In various implementations, a message contributed to a message exchange thread involving one or more message exchange clients by a participant may be determined. In various implementations, an idle chatter score associated with the message may be calculated. In various implementations, either a conversational response to the message or content responsive to a search query generated based on the message may be selectively incorporated into the message exchange thread based at least in part on the idle chatter score. In some implementations, a search query suitability score associated with the message may also be calculated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method implemented using one or more processors, comprising:
determining, from a message exchange thread involving one or more message exchange clients, a message contributed to the message exchange thread by a participant, wherein the message is directed by the participant to a personal assistant module participating in the message exchange thread as part of a conversation between the participant and the personal assistant module:
analyzing the message;
based on the analyzing:
calculating, an idle chatter score associated with the message, wherein the idle chatter score represents a similarity between the message and previous conversational content known to be idle chatter;
calculating a search query suitability score associated with the message, wherein the search query suitability score represents a similarity between the message and previous messages that were directed to personal assistant modules in order to cause the personal assistant modules to conduct searches;
comparing the idle chatter score with the search query suitability score;
based on the comparing, selecting, as new content to be incorporated into the message exchange thread by the personal assistant module as a response to the message, either a conversational response to the message or content responsive to a search query generated based on the message; and
incorporating, as a message from the personal assistant module, the new content into the message exchange thread.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the incorporating comprises inserting the response into a transcript of the message exchange thread that is displayed in a graphical user interface of a message exchange client operating on a given client computing device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein calculating the idle chatter score comprises providing the message as input to a machine learning model, wherein the machine learning model provides, as output, the idle chatter score.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein the machine learning model further provides, as output, the search query suitability score associated with the message.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein the machine learning model is trained on at least one positive training example, wherein the at least one positive training example includes an instance in which one or more participants of a prior message exchange thread responded positively to incorporation of a conversational response to a prior message of the prior message exchange thread or incorporation of content responsive to a prior search query generated based on the prior message.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising calculating, by one or more of the processors, a search results score associated with the content responsive to the search query, wherein the incorporating is further based on the search results score.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 , wherein the search results score is based at least in part on presence of one or more surfaced search results that are responsive to the search query.

8. The computer-implanted method of claim 1 , wherein the search query suitability score is further calculated based at least in part on one or more known entities or entity types mentioned in the message.

9. A system comprising one or more processors and memory operably coupled with the one or more processors, wherein the memory stores instructions that, in response to execution of the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
determine, from a message exchange thread involving one or more message exchange clients, a message contributed to the message exchange thread by a participant, wherein the message is directed by the participant to a personal assistant module participating in the message exchange thread as part of a conversation between the participant and the personal assistant module;
analyze the message;
based on the analyzing:
calculate, an idle chatter score associated with the message, wherein the idle chatter score represents a similarity between the message and previous conversational content known to be idle chatter;
calculate a search query suitability score associated with the message, wherein the search query suitability score represents a similarity between the message and previous messages that were directed to personal assistant modules in order to cause the personal assistant modules to conduct searches;

perform a comparison of the idle chatter score with the search query suitability score;
based on the comparison, select, as new content to be incorporated into the message exchange thread by the personal assistant module as a response to the message, either a conversational response to the message or content responsive to a search query generated based on the message; and
incorporate, as a message from the personal assistant module, the new content into the message exchange thread.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the incorporating comprises inserting the graphical element into a transcript of the message exchange thread that is displayed in a graphical user interface of one or more of the message exchange clients.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the idle chatter score is calculated by providing the message as input to a machine learning model, wherein the machine learning model provides, as output, the idle chatter score.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the machine learning model is trained on at least one positive training example, wherein the at least one positive training example includes an instance in which one or more participants of a prior message exchange thread responded positively to incorporation of a conversational response to a prior message of the prior message exchange thread.

13. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, in response to execution of the instructions by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform the following operations:
determining, from a message exchange thread involving one or more message exchange clients, a message contributed to the message exchange thread by a participant, wherein the message is directed by the participant to a personal assistant module participating in the message exchange thread as part of a conversation between the participant and the personal assistant module;
analyzing the message;
based on the analyzing:
calculating, an idle chatter score associated with the message, wherein the idle chatter score represents a similarity between the message and previous conversational content known to be idle chatter;
calculating a search query suitability score associated with the message, wherein the search query suitability score represents a similarity between the message and previous messages that were directed to personal assistant modules in order to cause the personal assistant modules to conduct searches;

comparing the idle chatter score with the search query suitability score;
based on the comparing, selecting, as new content to be incorporated into the message exchange thread by the personal assistant module as a response to the message, either a conversational response to the message or content responsive to a search query generated based on the message; and
incorporating, as a message from the personal assistant module, the new content into the message exchange thread.

14. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the incorporating comprises inserting the graphical element into a transcript of the message exchange thread

Assignees

• Google Inc
• Google Llc

Inventors

• Kogan David
• Yuan Wangqing
• Chen Wei
• Horling Bryan
• Itz Michael

Classifications

• G06F18/24765

  Rule-based classification · CPC title

• G06F40/169

  Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes · CPC title

• G06F16/3329 Primary

  Natural language query formulation · CPC title

• G10L15/22

  Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue · CPC title

• H04L51/02

  using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages · CPC title