Bot proxy for group communication service

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11258731-B2
Application number	US-202017000161-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 21, 2020
Priority date	Aug 22, 2019
Publication date	Feb 22, 2022
Grant date	Feb 22, 2022

Abstract

Methods, systems, and software are disclosed herein for secured system access by means of a bot proxy for a bot within a group communication service. In an example embodiment, a bot within a selected group of a group communication service may receive a message from a user of the selected group. The bot may transmit, to a bot proxy node within a secured local network, information related to the message that is relevant to executing a selected command. The bot proxy node, in turn, may transmit an application programming interface (API) instruction to perform the selected command to a target server within the secured local network. The bot may send a response message, via the group communication service, to at least one user from the selected group based on a result of the selected command.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, at a bot active in a selected group of users of a group communication service, a message from a user in the selected group, the bot comprising a software application configured to execute commands in response to messages from users of the selected group;
transmitting, from the bot to a bot proxy node within a secured local network, information related to the message that is relevant to execute a selected command;
transmitting, from the bot proxy node to a target server within the secured local network, an application programming interface (API) instruction to perform the selected command at the target server;
sending, from the bot via the group communication service, a response message to at least one user of the selected group based on a result of the selected command; and
receiving, at the bot proxy node, command transmissions from multiple instances of the bot, each instance of the bot being active in a different group of users of the group communication service, the command transmissions from the multiple instances including an identifier for a respective bot instance to which to transmit a response.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
processing, at the bot, the message to detect a trigger phrase to invoke an operation at the bot; and
identifying, at the bot, the selected command based on the trigger phrase.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein:
the group communication service exchanges audio messages between users in the selected group; and
the message is received at the bot in a text format from a speech-to-text converter of the group communication service.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising:
receiving the message at the bot in an audio format;
converting, at the bot, the message into a text format; and
processing, at the bot, the message in the text format to detect the trigger phrase.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:
generating, at the bot, the response message in the text format;
converting, at the bot, the response message from the text format to the audio format; and
sending the response message to the at least one user in the audio format.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
generating, at the bot, the API instruction corresponding to the selected command; and
transmitting the API instruction from the bot to the bot proxy node as the information related to the message.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating, at the bot proxy node, the API instruction based on the information related to the message.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the bot is executed at a system external to the secured local network;
the bot proxy node is a computing device connected to the secured local network and located behind a firewall of the secured local network;
the bot communicates with the bot proxy server via the internet; and
the bot proxy node is configured to shield the target server from direct internet access.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the bot proxy node is connected to a plurality of servers within the secured local network; and
the method further comprises determining, at the bot proxy node, the target server from the plurality of servers based on the selected command.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein:
different servers from the plurality of servers are configured to execute different types of commands from the bot; and
the bot proxy node determines the target server by matching the selected command with a command processing functionality of the target server.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving, at the bot proxy node, a response from the target server based on the result of the selected command;
transmitting, from the bot proxy node to the bot, result information based on the response; and
generating, at the bot, the response message based on the result information.

12. A communication system comprising:
a first computing device configured to execute a bot to participate in a selected group of users of a group communication service, the bot comprising a software application configured to execute commands in response to messages from users of the selected group;
a second computing device within a secured local network configured to execute a bot proxy node, the bot proxy node configured to exchange communications between the secured local network and the bot;
wherein the first computing device is external to the secured local network, and the bot communicates with the bot proxy server via the internet;
wherein the second computing device is connected to the secured local network and located behind a firewall of the secured local network, and the bot proxy node is configured to shield the target server from direct internet access;
wherein the bot and the bot proxy node are configured to perform a communication process including:
receiving, at the bot, a message from a user in the selected group;
transmitting, from the bot to a bot proxy node, information related to the message that is relevant to execute a selected command;
transmitting, from the bot proxy node to a target server within the secured local network, an application programming interface (API) instruction to perform the selected command at the target server; and
sending, from the bot via the group communication service, a response message to at least one user of the selected group based on a result of the selected command.

13. The communication system of claim 12 further comprising:
the bot is further configured to:
process the message to detect a trigger phrase to invoke an operation at the bot; and
identify the selected command based on the trigger phrase.

14. The communication system of claim 13 wherein:
the group communication service exchanges audio messages between users in the selected group; and
the message is received at the bot in a text format from a speech-to-text converter of the group communication service.

15. The communication system of claim 13 further comprising:
the bot is further configured to:
receive the message in an audio format;
convert the message into a text format;
process the message in the text format to detect the trigger phrase;
generate the response message in the text format;
convert the response message from the text format to the audio format; and
send the response message to the at least one user in the audio format.

16. The communication system of claim 12 wherein:
the first computing device includes a first communication interface to the internet;
the second computing device includes:
a second communication interface to the internet;
a third communication interface to the target server.

17. The communication system of claim 12 wherein:
the bot proxy node is further configured to receive command transmissions from multiple instances of the bot, each instance of the bot being active in a different group of users of the group communication service; and
command transmissions from the multiple instances include an identifier for a respective bot instance to which to transmit a response.

18. A method for executing commands through a bot in a group communication service, the method comprising:
adding the bot as a member of a selected group of users of the group communication service, wherein the users can broadcast audio messages to other users of the selected group;
receiving, at the bot, a message from a user in the selected group;
processing, at the bot, the message to determine a selected command to execute base

Assignees

• Orion Labs
• Orion Labs Inc

Inventors

• Albrecht Greg
• Robbins Jesse

Classifications

• H04L67/56

  Provisioning of proxy services (store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54) · CPC title

• H04L51/10

  Multimedia information · CPC title

• G10L15/26

  Speech to text systems (G10L15/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04L51/02 Primary

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

• H04L12/1813

  for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms (instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15) · CPC title