Abstract:
Conducting commerce over a network, e.g., the Internet includes receiving a transaction request from a user as text input, using natural programming language to analysis the text input to build conversations with the user based on the transaction request. The technique also includes generating a voice-synthesized response in accordance with the transaction through an avatar and tracking the transaction by storing the transaction in the database.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
       [0001]     This invention relates to a virtual reality avatar.  
         [0002]     Servers located around the Internet serve up content to users on demand. A user interacting through a search engine enters a text query for information and the search results are displayed to the user as text, graphics, audio and/or video, using a graphical user interface (GUI) such as an Internet browser.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0003]     According to an aspect of the present invention a method of conducting commerce includes receiving a transaction request from a user as text input and using natural programming language to analysis the text input to build conversations with the user based on the transaction request. The method also includes conducting the transaction with the user based on the text input, generating a voice-synthesized response in accordance with the transaction through an avatar and tracking the transaction by storing the transaction in the database.  
         [0004]     Tracking searches a database to find related information associated with conducting the transaction. The method can generate follow-up messages to send to the user is based on added information stored in the database. The method can statistically analyze responses to follow-up messages to generate marketing related information.  
         [0005]     The transaction can be a user request as to order status for an order being tracked in the database, an inquiry as to financial information related to the user, support for a sales transaction, a report or a help desk inquiry that involves customer support for a product or service. The transaction can support a report for customer support to report a malfunctioning product, system, or service. The method can generate responses by searching a conversational engine in conjunction with a match and animate the avatar with a voice and facial movements corresponding text produced from the match.  
         [0006]     According to an aspect of the present invention a computer program product for conducting commerce includes instructions to cause a computer to receive a transaction from a user as text input, and use natural programming language to analysis the text input to build conversations with the user based on the transaction request. The method further includes instructions to generate a voice-synthesized response in accordance with the transaction through an avatar and track the transaction by storing the transaction in the database.  
         [0007]     In some aspects the method further includes instructions to search a database for related content that can further assist in conducting the transaction.  
         [0008]     One or more of the following may also be included. The text input may include a user query. The database may include content residing on a server system. The server system may be linked to a globally connected group of computer systems.  
         [0009]     Instructions to generate the response may include instructions to search a database in conjunction with the transaction, and animate the avatar with a voice and facial movements representing text associated with the transaction. Animating may be based on a history of a user interaction with the database. Animating may include generating helpful verbal suggestions for completing the transaction based on further queries to the database. Animating may include natural language processing (NLP) techniques to develop and build conversations between the user and the avatar. Thus, completing the transaction may be in response to receiving the text input and producing a suggestion generated by the avatar.  
         [0010]     Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0011]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a network.  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of the web content server of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a flow diagram of a virtual reality avatar process executed in the web server of  FIG. 2 .  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  is a flow diagram of the input stage of the virtual reality avatar process of  FIG. 3 .  
         [0015]      FIG. 5  is a flow diagram of a thought navigation process executed in the web server of  FIG. 2 .  
         [0016]      FIG. 6  is a flow diagram depicting a process for launching a transaction based on generated key concepts.  
         [0017]      FIG. 7  is an exemplary graphical user interface (GUI). 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0018]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a network  10  includes a user system  12  linked to a group of globally connected computers, i. e., the Internet  20 . The user system  12  includes input/output (I/O) device  14  for display of a graphical user interface (GUI)  16  to a user  18 . The user  18  interacts with the Internet  20  through execution of browser software, such as Netscape Communicator from AOL, Inc. or Internet Explorer from Microsoft Corp., on the GUI  16 .  
         [0019]     The network  10  includes a web content server  22  linked to the Internet  20 . The user, through the web browser software, accesses content residing in databases in the web content server  22 . The user  18  connects to the web content server  22  by entering its Universal Resource Locator (URL) address. The web content server  22  URL may also be obtained from executing a search engine through the browser software on the user system  12 .  
         [0020]     Referring to  FIG. 2 , web content server  22  includes a processor  40 , a memory  42 , and a storage device  44 . Memory  42  includes an operating system (O/S)  46 , such as Linux or Microsoft Windows XP, a TCP/IP stack  48  for interacting with the Internet  20 , and instructions to execute a virtual reality (VR) avatar process  100 . The storage device  44  includes a database  46  of content. Content may include text, audio, video, and so forth, and may be managed by a database management system. In addition, the content may be used to produce information to used in conducting transactions with the web server  22  or other systems that are accessed through the web server  22 .  
         [0021]     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the VR avatar process  100  includes an input stage  102 , a processing stage  104 , a facial modeling stage  106  and a presentation stage  108 . The VR avatar process  100  displays an avatar that answers questions for a user that pertain to content residing in the database  46 . The avatar is a virtual reality person that answers the questions verbally in a life-like manner. The avatar may represent any gender and personality, and may be generated to speak in any language. As an example, described is a female virtual reality person. In this example only the avatar&#39;s head and shoulders are displayed to the user. In another example, the entire body of the avatar is displayed.  
         [0022]     Details of the input stage  102  are discussed in  FIG. 4  below.  
         [0023]     The processing stage  104  is a user interaction process that uses a conversational engine in conjunction with natural language processing (NLP) techniques to develop and build conversations between the user and the avatar. In a preferred example, the conversational engine is the eGain Assistant from eGain Communications.  
         [0024]     The processing stage  104  searches the database  46  for appropriate content to present to the user  18  in response to the user query represented by the text. The response may also include one or words that represent a “key concept” or concepts associated with the response. The key concept triggers a facility to present information on or about the key concept(s). The response and conversation attributes are passed to the facial modeling stage  106 .  
         [0025]     The facial modeling stage  106  combines the response and the conversational attributes to a face and voice of the avatar. The avatar is a photo-realistic, life-like virtual person. The facial modeling stage  106  uses a facial modeling system, such as LifeFX from LifeFX Stand-In Technology, to bring the avatar to life. The avatar is generated from simple two-dimensional photographs and animated in the facial modeling stage  106 .  
         [0026]     LifeFX&#39;s present humanlike communication, facial expressions and emotions draws on advanced research for sophisticated medical applications by the University of Auckland. LifeFX is a biologically based facial modeling system. The LifeFX Stand-In Virtual Person is realistic and interactive. Rather than requiring developers to spend days generating realistic images, Stand-Ins are “ready to use,” human-like faces that serve as flexible containers for the audio content and facial expressions and interactivity.  
         [0027]     The animation generated in the facial modeling stage  106  is passed to the presentation stage  108 . The presentation stage  108  delivers an appropriate answer or a warning message to the user  18  through the avatar displayed on the GUI  16 .  
         [0028]     Referring to  FIG. 4 , the input stage  102  ( FIG. 3 ) displays ( 200 ) an avatar to the user  18  on the GUI  16 . The input stage receives ( 202 ) input through the GUI  16  as text from the user  18 . The text may be phrased as a question or keywords without grammar and generally relates to content residing in the database  46 . In particular, the text can relate to an event e.g., a transaction that the user desires to conduct with the web server  22  thought assistance by the avatar. The input stage  102  analyzes ( 204 ) the input text and determines ( 206 ) whether the text relates to content residing in the database  46 . If the text does not relate to content residing, in the database, the input stage  102  determines ( 208 ) whether the text is inappropriate text. If the text is inappropriate text, the input stage  102  passes ( 210 ) a default warning message pertaining to inappropriate input. If the text does not relate to content residing in the database  46  and is not inappropriate input, the input stage  102  passes ( 212 ) a warning message indicating that the request content is not contained within the database. If the text is appropriate, e.g., relates to subject matters contained in the database  46 , the input stage  102  passes ( 214 ) the text to the processing stage  104 . The text is used to access information that can assist the avatar in advising the user during conducting the transaction, can offer options, or suggest other transactions to the user based on a relation between the present transaction and what the process  120  ( FIG. 5 ) determines from the text.  
         [0029]     Referring to  FIG. 5 , thought navigation process  120  includes an input stage  122 , a conversational engine stage  124 , a text-to-speech stage  126 , a key concept generation stage  128  and a presentation stage  130 . The thought navigation process  120  uses the avatar to answer questions for the user that pertain to the transaction based at least in part on content residing in the database  46 . The thought navigation process converts the transactions and any questions that the user may pose to the web server to concepts, and presents the user with further information related to the concepts. The further information is presented on the GUI  16  in a format so the user may click on a hyperlink listing the related information and be directed to that related information. The avatar answers the questions and verbally presents the related information in a life-like manner. The information can be used to conduct the transaction, suggest another transaction or process other types of events.  
         [0030]     In a preferred embodiment, the related information is displayed on the GUI  16  on a matrix representation using “TheBrain” from TheBrain Technologies Corporation of Santa Monica, Calif.  
         [0031]     In  FIG. 5 , the related content text stream is fed to thought navigation process  120 . The Avatar generates a key phrase in the response and sends to thought navigation process  120 , which retrieves information on the key phrase. While the thought navigation process  120  is an informational-based retrieval process, the system can also include a process  130  in which a program performs an action based on the related concept.  
         [0032]     Referring to  FIG. 6 , a user can initiate an event or transaction, e.g., request  132  an inquiry as to order status for an order being tracked in the database. A program would add  134  “information on order” to the database i.e., that someone asked about a specific product. Follow-up messages with the user can be generated and analyzed statistically  136 . The program combines the conversational systems generated in text string or key phrase with a transaction based program. The text file representing the key concept can be displayed or it could be spoken with synthetic speech or it could be spoken with synthetic speech and synchronized with an animated avatar that can pronounce the words.  
         [0033]     Subsequently there are a number of actions that the program can take based on the added information. For example, the actions can be marketing related. The program can follow up with messages to the user or other marketing data and can statistically analyze information stored in the database to derive useful market data. Thus, the program retrieves information from the database and sends it to the user, but in addition the program tracks  138  the interaction with the user and stores that interaction in the same or a different database. Thus, the tracked transaction can be subsequently used for either specific marketing to that person or can be analyzed statistically to produce information used in market research.  
         [0034]     Alternatively or in addition, the program performs  138  an action such as an inquiry as to financial information that relates to the user. The program can also perform a sales transaction. The program can perform a help desk inquiry that involves customer support for a product or service. The program can also file a report for customer support to report a malfunctioning product, system, or service, e.g., when initiating a transaction by receiving an order to buy a product. In addition, the program can call another program to process an inquiry. For example, the other program can be involved in trading a stock, moving money from one account to another and other forms of transactions.  
         [0035]     Referring to  FIG. 7 , the graphical user interface (GUI)  16  includes a text inquiry field  220  and an avatar. In one example, the user  18  types a query in the text inquiry field  220 . In another example, the user verbally inputs a query into the I/O device  14 . The avatar  222  answers the query with simulated motions and voice. The avatar&#39;s motions simulate an actual person&#39;s voice and movements.  
         [0036]     Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.