Bot group messaging method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11711326-B2
Application number	US-202117479245-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 20, 2021
Priority date	Mar 27, 2017
Publication date	Jul 25, 2023
Grant date	Jul 25, 2023

Abstract

Methods, apparatuses, and computing systems are provided for bot messaging. In an implementation, a method may include one or more of receiving, by a group messaging service coupled to the internet and a group, a message from a user node of the group. The message includes an address and an identification of the group and the user node. The method further includes determining that the group includes a bot, which includes a software application for performing one or more tasks over the internet. The method also includes identifying that the message address corresponds to the bot and sending, by the group messaging service, the message to the bot.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
maintaining, by a group messaging service configured to manage communications of a plurality of groups of user nodes, a data structure identifying members of a selected group;
receiving, at the group messaging service, a message directed to a bot from a user node of the selected group, the message including recorded audio data;
responsive to the message, determining, at the group messaging service, whether the selected group includes the bot based on the data structure; and
based on determining that the selected group does not include the bot, sending a notification to the user node as an audio message that the bot is not a member of the group.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the message includes:
a bot identifier; and
a group identifier for the selected group.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:
retrieving, based on the group identifier, the data structure for the selected group at the group messaging service; and
comparing, via the group messaging service, the bot identifier with the members identified in the data structure to determine whether the selected group includes the bot.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving a request to add the bot to the selected group at the group messaging service; and
responsive to the request, adding the bot to the selected group as a member, including adding a bot identifier and a bot address to the data structure.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
based on determining that the selected group does include the bot:
sending data from the message to the bot via the group messaging service;
receiving a response from the bot at the group messaging service; and
providing a response notification corresponding to the response to the user node.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:
based on determining that the selected group does include the bot, not sending the message to other members of the selected group besides the bot.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising:
providing the response notification to the user node as an audio acknowledgement.

8. An apparatus comprising:
a computing system including a processor configured to implement a group messaging service to manage communications of a plurality of groups of user nodes, including:
maintain a data structure identifying members of a selected group;
receive a message directed to a bot from a user node of the selected group, the message including recorded audio data;
responsive to the message, determine whether the selected group includes the bot based on the data structure; and
based on determining that the selected group does not include the bot, send a notification to the user node as an audio message that the bot is not a member of the group.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the message includes:
a bot identifier; and
a group identifier for the selected group.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 comprising the processor further configured to:
retrieve the data structure for the selected group based on the group identifier; and
compare the bot identifier with the members identified in the data structure to determine whether the selected group includes the bot.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 comprising the processor further configured to:
receive a request to add the bot to the selected group; and
responsive to the request, add the bot to the selected group as a member, including adding a bot identifier and a bot address to the data structure.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 comprising the processor further configured to:
based on determining that the selected group does include the bot:
send data from the message to the bot;
receive a response from the bot; and
provide a response notification corresponding to the response to the user node.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising:
the processor further configured to provide the response notification to the user node as an audio acknowledgement.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 comprising the processor further configured to:
based on determining that the selected group does include the bot, do not send the message to other members of the selected group besides the bot.

15. A memory device storing instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to perform a method comprising:
maintaining, by a group messaging service configured to manage communications of a plurality of groups of user nodes, a data structure identifying members of a selected group;
receiving, at the group messaging service, a message directed to a bot from a user node of the selected group, the message including recorded audio data;
responsive to the message, determining, at the group messaging service, whether the selected group includes the bot based on the data structure; and
based on determining that the selected group does not include the bot, sending a notification to the user node as an audio message that the bot is not a member of the group.

16. The memory device of claim 15 storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform the method further comprising:
extracting from the message:
a bot identifier; and a group identifier for the selected group;
retrieving, based on the group identifier, the data structure for the selected group at the group messaging service; and
comparing, via the group messaging service, the bot identifier with the members identified in the data structure to determine whether the selected group includes the bot.

17. The memory device of claim 15 storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform the method further comprising:
receiving a request to add the bot to the selected group at the group messaging service; and
responsive to the request, adding the bot to the selected group as a member, including adding a bot identifier and a bot address to the data structure.

18. The memory device of claim 15 storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform the method further comprising:
based on determining that the selected group does include the bot:
sending data from the message to the bot via the group messaging service;
receiving a response from the bot at the group messaging service; and
providing a response notification corresponding to the response to the user node.

19. The memory device of claim 18 storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform the method further comprising:
based on determining that the selected group does include the bot, not sending the message to other members of the selected group besides the bot.

20. The memory device of claim 18 storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform the method further comprising:
providing the response notification to the user node as an audio acknowledgement.

Assignees

• Orion Labs
• Orion Labs Inc

Inventors

• Robbins Jesse
• Albrecht Greg
• Juhlin Ellen

Classifications

• H04L51/04 Primary

  Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM] · CPC title

• H04L51/02

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

• H04W4/08

  User group management · CPC title

• H04L61/5069

  for group communication, multicast communication or broadcast communication · CPC title