Patent Publication Number: US-11032232-B2

Title: Chat-based support of multiple communication interaction types

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/229,614, filed on Mar. 28, 2014, entitled CHAT-BASED SUPPORT OF MULTIPLE COMMUNICATION INTERACTION TYPES, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The disclosure relates generally to communication networks and, more specifically but not exclusively, to use of a chat-based communication paradigm to support various types of communication interactions. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Existing technology provides people with multiple, distinct paradigms for communicating. These communication paradigms are typically associated with specific types of communication interaction types. For example, chat-based communication paradigms may be used for human-to-human interaction, menu-based communication paradigms may be used for human-to-computer interaction, and so forth. While such communication paradigms, and associated communication interaction types, often serve their specific functions well, they also tend to place a significant demand on people using them (e.g., typically requiring their users to learn specific, often distinct, and sometimes conflicting vocabulary and syntax). 
     SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Various deficiencies in the prior art are addressed by embodiments for using a chat-based communication paradigm in order to support various communication interaction types. 
     In at least some embodiments, an apparatus includes a processor and a memory communicatively connected to the processor, where the processor is configured to execute a first chat application configured to provide a chat-based communication interface for a first entity, establish a communication channel between the first chat application and a second chat application of a second entity where the second entity is a non-human entity, and support chat-based communication between the first entity and the second entity via the communication channel. 
     In at least some embodiments, a method includes using a processor and a memory for executing a first chat application configured to provide a chat-based communication interface for a first entity, establishing a communication channel between the first chat application and a second chat application of a second entity where the second entity is a non-human entity, and supporting chat-based communication between the first entity and the second entity via the communication channel. 
     In at least some embodiments, a computer-readable storage medium stores instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method including executing a first chat application configured to provide a chat-based communication interface for a first entity, establishing a communication channel between the first chat application and a second chat application of a second entity where the second entity is a non-human entity, and supporting chat-based communication between the first entity and the second entity via the communication channel. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The teachings herein can be readily understood by considering the detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  depicts an exemplary chat-based system configured to support chat-based communications for multiple communication interaction types; 
         FIG. 2  depicts an exemplary embodiment of a method for supporting chat-based communications for multiple communication interaction types; 
         FIG. 3  depicts an exemplary embodiment of a method for supporting chat-based communications; and 
         FIG. 4  depicts a high-level block diagram of a computer suitable for use in performing functions presented herein. 
     
    
    
     To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements common to the figures. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     A chat-based communication capability is presented herein. In at least some embodiments, the chat-based communication capability utilizes a chat-based communication paradigm to support one or more communication interaction types not typically supported by chat-based communication paradigms. 
     In at least some embodiments, the chat-based communication capability may support chat-based communication between a human entity and a non-human entity (e.g., a device, a program running on a device, a process, an organization, or the like). In at least some embodiments, in addition to or in place of human-human communication typically supported by chat applications, a chat application may be configured to support one or more other communication interaction types for communication between a human entity and a non-human entity, such as one or more of human-device communications between a human and a device (e.g., a content server, a printer, a camera, or the like), human-program communications between a human and a program (e.g., an online e-commerce program, a restaurant order and payment processing program, a human resources program, or the like), human-process communications between a human and a process (e.g., a group conversation, a collaborative session, a digital conference, or the like), human-organization communications between a human and an organization (e.g., a business, a not-for-profit organization, an educational organization, or the like), or the like, as well as various combinations thereof. 
     In at least some embodiments, the chat-based communication capability may support chat-based communication between multiple non-human entities (e.g., where the non-human entities may include devices, programs, processes, organizations, or the like). In at least some embodiments, a chat application may be configured to support one or more communication interaction types for communication between multiple non-human entities, such as one or more of device-device communications between devices (which also may be referred to herein as machine-to-machine (M2M) communications), device-program communications between a device and a program, program-program communications between programs, device-process communications between a device and a process, program-process communications between a program and a process, process-process communications, and so forth. 
     Various embodiments of the chat-based communication capability provide a convenient and uniform way for human and non-human entities to communicate using different communication interaction types (e.g., to communicate with humans, to interact with devices, to interface with computer programs, to participate in processes, to interact with organizations, or the like) using a common chat-based communication paradigm. Various embodiments of the chat-based communication capability provide a convenient way for human and non-human entities to easily and seamlessly move between different communication interaction types. Various embodiments of the chat-based communication capability provide a comprehensive chat-based communication interface, supporting various communication interaction types, which allow human and non-human entities to participate in a wide range of communication interaction types more readily, intuitively, quickly, and simply. 
     These and various other embodiments and advantages of the chat-based communication capability may be better understood by way of reference to the exemplary chat-based system of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 1  depicts an exemplary chat-based system configured to support chat-based communications for multiple communication interaction types. 
     The chat-based system  100  includes a set of entities  110   1 - 110   4  (collectively, entities  110 ), a set of entity representatives  120   1 - 120   4  (collectively, entity representatives  120 ) associated with respective entities  110   1 - 110   4 , and a chat-based core  130 . The entities  110  include human entities (illustratively, a human entity  110   1  and a human entity  110   2 ) and non-human entities (illustratively, device entity  110   3  and a program entity  110   4 ). The chat-based system  100  is configured to support multiple communication interactions types between entities  110 , which may include chat-based communications involving a human entity (primarily depicted and described herein from the perspective of the human entity  110   1 ) or chat-based communications that do not involve a human entity. The chat-based communications involving a human entity may include chat-based communication between human entities (e.g., a typical chat session between human entity  110   1  and human entity  110   2 ), chat-based communication between a human entity and a non-human entity (e.g., again, primarily depicted and described herein from the perspective of human entity  110   1 ), or the like. The chat-based communications that do not involve a human entity may include chat-based communications between devices, chat-based communications between a device and a program, chat-based communications between programs, or the like. The entity representatives  120  and chat-based core  130  are configured to facilitate communications between various entities  110  as discussed in additional detail below. 
     As discussed above, chat-based system  110  may support multiple communication interaction types for a human entity (illustratively, for human entity  110   1 ). The human entity  110   1  is using an associated user device  111   1  supporting a chat application  112   1 . The user device  111   1  of human entity  110   1  may be a computer, smartphone, or any other device suitable for executing chat application  112   1 . The chat application  112   1  is an enhanced chat application that is configured to provide more functions than a typical chat application (namely, chat application  112   1  is configured to support multiple communication interaction types in addition to human-to-human communications). The chat application  112   1  is executing on user device  111   1  such that the human entity  110   1  may utilize chat application  112   1  to engage in various types of chat-based communication interactions (e.g., human-to-human, human-device, human-program, or the like) as discussed further below. The chat application  112   1  provides a chat-based communication interface via which human entity  110   1  may provide information for propagation to other entities  110  and via which human entity  110   1  may receive information from other entities  110 . The chat application  112   1  supports establishment of communication channels between chat application  112   1  and chat applications running on other entities  110  (described below), such that information provided by human entity  110   1  via the chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   1  may be propagated to other entities  110  and, similarly, such that information from other entities  110  may be propagated to chat application  112   1  for presentation to human entity  110   1 . The chat application  112   1  has associated therewith a contact list  113   1 , which includes a list of other entities  110  that are associated with human entity  110   1  via chat application  112   1  (illustratively, human entity  110   2 , device entity  110   3 , and program entity  110   4 , as discussed further below) and, thus, with which chat application  112   1  may support communication channels for chat-based communications with other entities  110 . The chat application  112   1 , including associated contact list  113   1 , may be adapted for display to human entity  110   1  via one or more presentation interfaces of user device  111   1  (although it will be appreciated that chat application  112   1  also may continue to run even when not displayed). It will be appreciated that, although primarily depicted and described with respect to embodiments in which chat application  112   1  runs exclusively on user device  111   1  (and, similarly, associated contact list  113   1  is stored on user device  111   1 ), at least some components or functions of chat application  112   1  may also or alternatively be running (and, similarly, at least a portion of content list  113   1  also or alternatively may be stored) on one or more other elements (e.g., entity representative  120   1 , chat-based core  130 , one or more other elements, or the like, as well as various combinations thereof). 
     The chat-based system  100  supports a typical human-to-human interaction between human entity  110   1  and human entity  110   2 . The human entity  110   2  is using an associated user device  111   2  supporting a chat application  112   2 . The user device  111   2  of human entity  110   2  may be a computer, smartphone, or any other device suitable for executing chat application  112   2 . The chat application  112   2  may be a typical chat application that only supports a single interaction type (i.e., human-to-human communications) or may be an enhanced chat application (e.g., such as chat application  112   1  being used by human entity  110   1 ). The chat application  112   2  supports a chat-based communication interface via which human entity  110   2  may provide information for propagation to human entity  110   1  and via which human entity  110   2  may receive information from human entity  110   1 . The chat application  112   2  has associated therewith a contact list  113   2 , which includes a list of other entities  110  that are associated with human entity  110   2  via chat application  112   2  (illustratively, human entity  110   1 ). The chat application  112   2 , including associated contact list  113   2 , may be adapted for display to human entity  110   2  via one or more presentation interfaces of user device  111   2 . The chat-based system  100  supports establishment of a communication channel  140   1  between the chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  and the chat application  112   2  of user device  111   2 . The communication channel  140   1  between the chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  and the chat application  112   2  of user device  111   2  supports propagation of chat-based communication between human entity  110   1  and human entity  110   2 . For example, human entity  110   1  may use the chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   1  to enter and submit messages intended for human entity  110   2  (which are delivered to chat application  112   2  of user device  111   2  via communication channel  140   1  and presented to human entity  110   2  via the chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   2  of user device  111   2 ) and, similarly, human entity  110   2  may use the chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   2  to enter and submit messages intended for human entity  110   1  (which are delivered to chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  via communication channel  140   1  and presented to human entity  110   1  via the chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1 ). In this manner, human entity  110   1  and human entity  110   2  may carry on a conversation in real time. The typical interaction between human entities within the context of a chat session will be understood by one skilled in the art and, thus, a description of such interaction is omitted. The communication channel  140   1  also traverses entity representatives  120   1  and  120   2  and chat-based core  130 , one or more of which may perform various functions in support of the chat-based communication between human entity  110   1  and human entity  110   2  via communication channel  140   1 . 
     The chat-based system  100  supports human-device interaction between human entity  110   1  and entity  110   3 , which is a device entity. The device entity  110   3  may be any type of device with which user device  111   1  of human entity  110   1  may communicate. For example, device entity  110   3  may be a network device (e.g., a database from which human entity  110   1  may request information, a content server from which human entity  110   1  may request content or on which human entity  110   1  may store content, or the like), a datacenter device (e.g., a host server hosting a virtual machine accessible to human entity  110   1 , a file system accessible to human entity  110   1 , or the like), a device available on a local area network (e.g., a computer, a storage device, a printer, a copier, a scanner, or the like), a smart device for a smart environment (e.g., a sensor, an actuator, a monitor, a camera, an appliance, or the like), an end-user device (e.g., a computer, a smartphone, a television, or the like), a vehicle-mounted communication device, a near-field communication device, or the like. The device entity  110   3  includes a chat application  112   3 . The chat-based system  100  supports establishment of a communication channel  140   2  between the chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  and the chat application  112   3  of device entity  110   3 . The chat application  112   3  supports a chat-based communication interface via which device entity  110   3  may provide information for propagation to human entity  110   1  and via which device entity  110   3  may receive information from human entity  110   1 . The chat-based communication interface may provide an interface between the chat application  112   3  (including the communication channel  140   2  established with chat application  112   3 ) and one or more modules or elements of network entity  110   3  (e.g., modules or elements configured to process information received via communication channel  140   2 , modules or elements configured to provide information for transmission via communication channel  140   2 , or the like, as well as various combinations thereof). The chat application  112   3  may have associated therewith a contact list  113   3 , which includes a list of other entities  110  that are associated with device entity  110   3  via chat application  112   3  (illustratively, human entity  110   1 ). The chat application  112   3  is not expected to include a display interface or component, as the device entity  110   3  is expected to participate in chat-based communication via communication channel  140   2  independent of any human interaction. 
     The communication channel  140   2  between the chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  and the chat application  112   3  of device entity  110   3  supports propagation of chat-based communication between human entity  110   1  and device entity  110   3 . The communication channel  140   2  between the chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  and the chat application  112   3  of device entity  110   3  may support various types of communication between human entity  110   1  and device entity  110   3 , where the types of communication supported may depend on the device type of device entity  110   3 . For example, human entity  110   1  may use a chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   1  to send a request for information or content to device entity  110   3  via communication channel  140   2  (e.g., a request for a video file, a request for an audio file, a request for status information from a sensor, a request for status information from a vehicle information system, or the like), and device entity  110   3  may respond to the request by using a chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   3  to send the requested information or content to chat application  112   1  via communication channel  140   2  for making the information or content accessible to human entity  110   1 . For example, human entity  110   1  may use a chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   1  to send a control command to device entity  110   3  via communication channel  140   2  (e.g., a command sent to a camera to control reconfiguration of the camera, a command sent to an actuator to control the actuator, a command sent to a printer to control configuration of the printer, a command sent to a device hosting a file system to control retrieval of data from the file system, or the like), and device entity  110   3  may respond to the control command by using a chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   3  to send an associated command result to chat application  112   1  via communication channel  140   2  for informing the human entity  110   1  of the result of execution of the command. For example, device entity  110   3  may use a chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   3  to send information (e.g., a sensor status of a sensor, an indicator that a threshold of a sensor has been satisfied, an actuator status of an actuator, a measurement from a monitor, a toner or paper status of a printer, an available storage status of a digital video recorder, an indication of a potential security breach of a home network, an indicator of a status or reading of a vehicle information and control system, or the like) to chat application  112   1  via communication channel  140   2  for providing the information to human entity  110   1 . It will be appreciated that the foregoing examples are merely a few of the various ways in which communication channel  140   2  between the chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  and the chat application  112   3  of device entity  110   3  may be used to support chat-based communication between human entity  110   1  and device entity  110   3 . 
     The communication channel  140   2  between the chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  and the chat application  112   3  of device entity  110   3  may also traverse entity representatives  120   1  and  120   3  and chat-based core  130 , one or more of which may perform various functions in support of chat-based communication between human entity  110   1  and device entity  110   3  via communication channel  140   2 . For example, for a communication from human entity  110   1  to device entity  110   3 , the communication may be routed via a path including entity representative  120   1 , chat-based core  130 , and entity representative  120   3 , one or more of which may process the communication to convert the communication from a format supported by human entity  110   1  (e.g., natural language) to a format supported by device entity  110   3  (e.g., a machine-based format which is expected to vary across different types of devices). For example, for a communication from device entity  110   3  to human entity  110   1 , the communication may be routed via a path including entity representative  120   3 , chat-based core  130 , and entity representative  120   1 , one or more of which may process the communication to convert the communication from a format supported by device entity  110   3  (e.g., a machine-based format, which is expected to vary across different types of devices) to a format supported by human entity  110   1  (e.g., natural language). The entity representatives  120   1  and  120   3  and chat-based core  130  may operate to provide these types of conversions under various conditions in support of communications exchanged between human entity  110   1  and device entity  110   3  via communication channel  140   2 . 
     For example, where device entity  110   3  is a video server, the human-device interaction between human entity  110   3  and the video server may proceed as follows: (1) human entity  110   1  may select a representation of the video server via chat application  112   1  and enter and submit, via a chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   1 , a request such as “I want the latest movie to win a best picture award?”; (2) the request is propagated toward the chat application  112   3  of video server via communication channel  140   2 , (3) one or more of entity representative  120   1 , chat-based core  130 , or entity representative  120   3  operates on the request in order to convert the request into a device language supported by the video server (e.g., REQUEST: MOVIE, METADATA: AWARD, BEST PICTURE WINNER, LATEST) before the request is received by the video server, (4) the chat application  112   3  of video server receives the request and passes the request to a video identification and retrieval module of the video server via a chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   3 , (5) the video identification and retrieval module of the video server identifies and retrieves the requested movie and provides the requested movie to chat application  112   3  of the video server, via a chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   3 , for propagation toward user device  111   1  via communication channel  140   2  for making the movie accessible to human entity  110   1 , and (6) chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  receives movie content from the video server via communication channel  140   2  and makes the video content accessible to human entity  110   1  (e.g., via the chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   1  or by passing the video content to one or more other modules on user device  111   1 ). 
     For example, where device entity  110   3  is a sensor, the human-device interaction between human entity  110   3  and the sensor may proceed as follows: (1) human entity  110   1  may select a representation of the sensor via chat application  112   1  on user device  111   1  and enter and submit, via a chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   1 , a query such as “what is the latest reading?”, (2) the query is propagated toward the chat application  112   3  of sensor via communication channel  140   2 , (3) one or more of entity representative  120   1 , chat-based core  130 , or entity representative  120   3  on the communication channel  140   2  operates on the query in order to convert the query into a formatted query using device language supported by the sensor (e.g., REQUEST: DEVICE READING, LATEST) before providing the query to the sensor, (4) the chat application  112   3  of sensor receives the formatted query and passes the formatted query to a sensor reading module of the sensor via a chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   3 , (5) the sensor reading module of the sensor identifies and obtains the requested sensor reading and provides a formatted sensor reading response to chat application  112   3  of the sensor, via a chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   3 , for propagation toward user device  111   1  via communication channel  140   2  for making the requested sensor reading accessible to human entity  110   1 , (6) one or more of entity representative  120   3 , chat-based core  130 , or entity representative  120   1  operates on the formatted sensor reading response in order to convert the formatted sensor reading response into a natural language sensor reading response before providing the sensor reading to human entity  110   1 , and (7) chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  receives the natural language sensor reading response via communication channel  140   2  and presents the natural language sensor response to human entity  110   1  via the chat-based communication interface of the chat application  112   1 . 
     For example, where device entity  110   3  is a printer, the human-device interaction between human entity  110   3  and the printer may proceed as follows: (1) human entity  110   1  may select a representation of the printer via chat application  112   1  on user device  111   1  and enter and submit, via a chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   1 , a request such as “please print document1” while also attaching a copy of document1, (2) the request is propagated toward the chat application  112   3  of printer via communication channel  140   2 , (3) one or both of chat-based core  130  and entity representative  120   3  operates on the request in order to convert the request into a formatted request using device language supported by the printer before providing the request to the printer, (4) the chat application  112   3  of printer receives the formatted request and associated document and passes the formatted request and associated document to a print control module of the printer via a chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   3 , (5) the print control module of the printer initiates printing of the document and, when printing is complete, provides a formatted print status response to chat application  112   3  of the printer, via a chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   3 , for propagation toward user device  111   1  via communication channel  140   2  for making the print status accessible to human entity  110   1 , (6) one or both of entity representative  120   3  or chat-based core  130  operates on the formatted print status response in order to convert the formatted print status response into a natural language print status response before providing the print status to human entity  110   1 , and (7) chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  receives the natural language print status response and presents the natural language print status response to human entity  110   1  via the chat-based communication interface of the chat application  112   1 . 
     It will be appreciated that the foregoing examples represent merely a few of the various ways in which chat-based system  100  may support human-device interactions between human entity  110   1  and device entity  110   3  via the communication channel  140   2  between chat application  112   1  and chat application  112   3 . 
     The chat-based system  100  supports human-program interaction between human entity  110   1  and entity  110   4 , which is a program entity. The program entity  110   4  may be any type of program on any type of device with which user device  111   1  of human entity  110   1  may communicate. For example, program entity  110   4  may be an online ordering program (e.g., an e-commerce shopping program, an order and payment processing program of a restaurant, or the like), an online service provider program (e.g., a program of a telecommunications service provider, a program of an electricity provider, or the like), a program available on a network device or datacenter device (e.g., an application hosted in the network or datacenter), an ordering program of a business, a concierge program of a hotel, a taxi scheduling program of a taxi company, a vehicle information and control program of a vehicle, or the like. The program entity  110   4  includes a chat application  112   4 . The chat-based system  100  supports establishment of a communication channel  140   4  between the chat application  112   4  of user device  111   1  and the chat application  112   4  of program entity  110   4  running on device  111   4 ). The chat application  112   4  supports a chat-based communication interface via which program entity  110   4  may provide information for propagation to human entity  110   1  and via which program entity  110   4  may receive information from human entity  110   1 . The chat-based communication interface may provide an interface between the chat application  112   4  (including the communication channel  140   4  established with chat application  112   3 ) and one or more modules or elements of program entity  110   4  (e.g., modules or elements configured to process information received via communication channel  140   3 , modules or elements configured to provide information for transmission via communication channel  140   3 , or the like, as well as various combinations thereof). The chat application  112   4  may have associated therewith a contact list  113   4 , which includes a list of other entities  110  that are associated with program entity  110   4  via chat application  112   4  (illustratively, human entity  110   1 ). The chat application  112   4  is not expected to include a display interface or component, as the program entity  110   4  is expected to participate in chat-based communication via communication channel  140   3  independent of any human interaction. The communication channel  140   3  between the chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  and the chat application  112   4  of program entity  110   4  may support various types of communication between human entity  110   1  and program entity  110   4 , where the types of communication supported may depend on the program type of program entity  110   4 . The communication channel  140   3  between the chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  and the chat application  112   4  of program entity  110   4  may also traverse entity representatives  120   1  and  120   4  and chat-based core  130 , one or more of which may perform various functions in support of communication between human entity  110   1  and program entity  110   4  via communication channel  140   4 . The human-program interaction between human entity  110   1  and program entity  110   4  via communication channel  140   4  is expected to be similar to the human-device interaction human entity  110   1  and device entity  110   3  via communication channel  140   3  and, thus, detailed examples are omitted. For example, human entity  110   1  may use a chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   1  to request and receive reservations from a restaurant reservation scheduling program, a dentist office patient scheduling program may use a chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   4  to request and receive confirmation that human entity  110   1  intends on keeping his or her scheduled appointment, and so forth. It will be appreciated that such programs will be executing on devices (e.g., servers, physical resources hosting VMs, computers, or the like) and, thus, that various embodiments discussed herein with respect to human-device interaction between human entity  110   1  and device entity  110   3  also may be used for human-program interaction between human entity  110   1  and program entity  110   4 . Namely, in at least some embodiments, human-program interaction between human entity  110   1  and program entity  110   4  also may be considered to be human-device interaction between human entity  110   1  and a device hosting the program entity  110   4 . 
     The chat-based system  100  also may be configured to support other communication interaction types between human entity  110   1  and other types of non-human entities. For example, chat-based system  100  also may be configured to support human-process interaction between human entity  110   1  and one or more processes (e.g., a digital conference, a collaborative session, or the like). For example, chat-based system  100  also may be configured to support human-organization interaction between human entity  110   1  and one or more organizations (e.g., a business, a not-for-profit organization, an educational organization, or the like). The chat-based system  100  also may be configured to support other communication interaction types between human entity  110   1  and other types of non-human entities. For example, other types of non-human entities may include locations (e.g., a store, a restaurant, a library, or the like), objects, or the like. It will be appreciated that interaction by human entity  110   1  with such non-human entities may be performed using devices associated with the non-human entities, as communication between human entity  110   1  and such non-human entities will be performed using communication channels established between the chat application  112   1  running on user device  111   1  of human entity  110   1  and chat applications running on devices associated with the non-human entities or chat applications integrated or associated with programs on devices associated with the non-human entities, respectively. Accordingly, various embodiments discussed herein with respect to human-device interaction between human entity  110   1  and device entity  110   3  and human-program interaction between human entity  110   1  and program entity  110   4  also may be used for other communication interaction types between human entity  110   1  and other types of non-human entities. Namely, in at least some embodiments, other communication interaction types between human entity  110   1  and other types of non-human entities also may be considered to be human-device interaction between human entity  110   1  and a device that is associated with the non-human entity or human-program interaction between human entity  110   1  and a program that is associated with the non-human entity. 
     The chat-based system  100  supports identification of entities  110  to chat-based core  130  such that the entities  110  are available for association with other entities  110  of chat-based system  100 . For example, human entities  110  (illustratively, human entities  110   1  and  110   2 , as well as various other human entities) may register with chat-based core  130  (e.g., by establishing an account with chat-based core  130 ). Similarly, for example, non-human entities  110  (illustratively, device entity  110   3  and program entity  110   4 , as well as various other non-human entities) may register with chat-based core  130  or may be registered with chat-based core  130  (e.g., such as where a non-human entity is registered with chat-based core  130  by a human but may then participate in chat-based communications independent of human interaction). In this manner, various entities  110  become discoverable within chat-based system  100  and, thus, associations supporting various communication interactions types may be established between entities  110  as discussed herein. 
     The chat-based system  100 , as discussed above, supports association of entities  110  with human entity  110   1  via chat application  112   1  and, similarly, supports establishment of communication channels  140  between chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  of human entity  110   1  and chat applications of devices or programs associated with entities  110  that are associated with human entity  110   1  via chat application  112   1 . As discussed above, entities  110  that are associated with human entity  110   1  via chat application  112   1  may be associated with human entity  110   1  via a contact list  113   1  of chat application  112   1  for human entity  110   1  (and, similarly, via corresponding contact lists of chat applications of the entities). The association of entities  110  with human entity  110   1  or disassociation of entities  110  from human entity  110   1  (e.g., via addition to or removal of entities  110  from the contact list  113   1  of the chat application  112   1 ) may be performed manually by human entity  110   1  via chat application  112   1  or automatically by chat-based system  100  based on context information. The establishment of communication channels  140  between chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  of human entity  110   1  and chat applications of devices or programs associated with entities  110  may be performed, when chat application  112   1  is invoked on user device  111   1 , for any entities  110  already associated with human entity  110   1  (e.g., based on entities already included in the contact list  113   1  of the chat application  112   1 ). For example, chat-based core  130  may be configured to maintain the contact list  113   1  of chat application  112   1  and, based on detection that chat application  112   1  has been invoked on user device  111   1 , to provide the contact list  113   1  to chat application  112   1  for use by chat application  112   1  in establishing communication channels  140  between chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  of human entity  110   1  and entities  110  on the contact list  113   1  of chat application  112   1 . The establishment or termination of communication channels  140  between chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  of human entity  110   1  and chat applications of devices or programs associated with entities  110  also may be performed at any time that chat application  112   1  is running on user device  111   1  (e.g., as non-human entities  110  are dynamically added to and removed from contact list  113   1  of the chat application  112   1  for human entity  110   1  based on context). For example, chat-based core  130  may be configured to detect association of a new entity  110  with human entity  110   1  or disassociation of an existing entity  110  from human entity  110   1 , update the contact list  113   1  of chat application  112   1  to add the new entity  110  or remove the existing entity  110 , and initiate establishment of a new communication channel  140  for the new entity  110  or termination of the existing communication channel  140  of the existing entity  110 . 
     The chat-based system  100  may be configured to support manual or automated identification of entities  110  available for association with human entity  110   1  and, similarly, may support manual or automated association of identified entities  110  with human entity  110   1  (e.g., via inclusion in contact list  113   1  of chat application  112   1 ). 
     The chat-based system  100  may support a search-based entity association capability in which the human entity  110   1  may enter and submit specific search criteria to be used by chat-based core  130  in searching for other entities  110 . For example, human entity  110   1  may specify that he or she is searching for printers available at a particular location, restaurants available in a particular geographic area, a human resources program of a company for which he or she works, a banking program of a bank with which he or she maintains an account, a collaborative session related to a particular area of interest, or the like. The chat-based core  130  may use the search criteria to identify a set of potential entities  110  which satisfy the search criteria. The chat-based core  130  may then either (1) propagate search results, including indications of the potential entities  110 , toward user device  111   1  for presenting the potential entities  110  to the human entity  110   1  and providing the human entity  110   1  an opportunity to explicitly accept (or not) association of one or more of potential entities  110  with the human entity  110   1  or (2) initiate automatic association of the potential entities  110  with the human entity  110   1  (e.g., via addition of the potential entities  110  to the contact list  113   1  of the chat application  112   1  of human entity  110   1 ). The manual or automatic association of a potential entity  110  with human entity  110   1  may trigger establishment of a communication channel  140  between chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  of human entity  110   1  and a chat application of the associated entity  110 . 
     The chat-based system  100  may support a context-based entity association capability in which chat-based core  130  obtains context information and determines whether to modify the entities  110  with which human entity  110   1  is associated (e.g., associating with one or more entities  110  with which human entity  110   1  is not currently associated, disassociating from one or more entities  110  with which human entity  110   1  is currently associated, or a combination thereof). The context information may include context information associated with human entity  110   1 , context information associated with a potential or existing entity  110 , or the like, as well as various combinations thereof. The context information associated with human entity  110   1  may represent a context of human entity  110   1 , a context of user device  111   1 , a context of chat application  112   1 , any other context which may be associated with human entity  110   1 , or the like, as well as various combinations thereof. The context information associated with human entity  110   1  may be a location of the human entity  110   1  or user device  111   1  (e.g., a geographic location, an indoor location, or the like), information communicated via one or more communication channels  140  supported by chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  for human entity  110   1 , an indication of a need or desire of human entity  110   1 , or the like, as well as various combinations thereof. The context information associated with a potential or existing entity  110  may represent a context of the potential or existing entity  110 , a context of a device associated with the potential or existing entity  110 , or the like, as well as various combinations thereof. The context information associated with a potential entity  110  (e.g., being considered for being associated with human entity  110   1 ) may be a location of the potential entity  110  (e.g., a geographic location, an indoor location, or the like), a capability of the potential entity  110  (e.g., a zoom capability of a camera, a print capability of a printer, or the like), or the like, as well as various combinations thereof. The context information associated with an existing entity  110  (e.g., being considered for being disassociated from human entity  110   1 ) may be a location of the existing entity (e.g., a geographic location, an indoor location, or the like), a problem associated with the existing entity, or the like, as well as various combinations thereof. The context information may be provided to chat-based core  130 , obtained by chat-based core  130  based on monitoring of communications exchanged via one or more communication channels  140  supported by chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  and traversing chat-based core  130 , provided to chat-based core  130  or otherwise obtained by chat-based core  130  from one or more other devices, or the like, as well as various combinations thereof. The management of entities  110  associated with human entity  110   1  may include identifying a set of potential entities  110  based on the context information and either (1) propagating indications of the potential entities  110  (for association with or disassociation from human entity  110   1 ) toward user device  111   1  for presenting the potential entities  110  to the human entity  110   1  and providing the human entity  110   1  an opportunity to explicitly accept (or not) association of one or more of potential entities  110  with the human entity  110   1  or disassociation of one or more of potential entities  110  from the human entity  110   1  or (2) initiating automatic association/disassociation of the potential entities  110  with/from the human entity  110   1  (e.g., via addition of the potential entities  110  to the contact list  113   1  of the chat application  112   1  of human entity  110   1  in the case of association or removal of the potential entities  110  from the contact list  113   1  of the chat application  112   1  in the case of disassociation). For example, upon detecting that the user device  111   1  of human entity  110   1  has entered a particular geographic area, chat-based core  130  may identify a list of potential entities  110  at or near the geographic area of the user device  111   1  (e.g., a concierge entity at a hotel, a receptionist entity at a dentist office, a printer entity at an office location, or the like). For example, upon detecting particular content in chat-based communication between human entity  110   1  and human entity  110   2 , chat-based core  130  may identify, on the basis of the content, a list of potential entities  110  that may be of interest to human entity  110   1  (e.g., upon detecting the word “print” or some variation thereof in a chat session, chat-based core  130  may infer that human entity  110   1  has a need to print a document and, thus, may identify a list of printer entities which may be useful to human entity  110   1 ). The manual or automatic association of a potential entity  110  with human entity  110   1  may trigger establishment of a communication channel  140  between chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  of human entity  110   1  and the associated entity  110 . As discussed above, it will be appreciated that, although primarily described with respect to use of context information for associating a potential entity  110  with human entity  110   1  and triggering establishment of a communication channel  140  between chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  of human entity  110   1  and the chat application of the associated entity  110 , context information also may be used for disassociating an associated entity  110  from human entity  110   1  (e.g., via removal of the associated entity  110  from contact list  113 ) and triggering termination of the existing communication channel  140  between the chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  of human entity  110   1  and the chat application of the existing entity  110 . Accordingly, chat-based system  100  may support a dynamic contact list capability whereby associations of human entity  110   1  with other entities  110  may be updated dynamically (including addition and removal) based on context information associated with human entity  110   1  and, similarly, communication channels  140  between chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  of human entity  110   1  and chat applications of other entities  110  may be controlled dynamically (including establishment and termination). Various embodiments of the dynamic contact list capability may be better understood by way of the following exemplary embodiments and examples. 
     In at least some embodiments, chat-based system  100  may be configured to, in response to one or more stimuli specified within chat-based system  100 , generate a contact list identity (representing an entity  110 ) in the contact list  113   1  of human entity  110   1 , as well as to create an associated communication channel  140  which may be used for communication between human entity  110   1  and entity  110  represented by the generated contact list identity. The stimuli may include device or program state, receipt of a message (e.g., a notification, an event, or the like), or the like, as well as various combinations thereof. The chat-based system  100  (or remote processing capabilities associated with the chat-based system  100 ) may then support, or even enhance, interaction by human entity  110   1  with the entity  110  that is represented by the generated contact list identity (e.g., facilitating communication between the human entity  110   1  and the entity  110 , acting upon messages or information sent from human entity  110   1  to the entity  110 , acting upon messages or information sent from entity  110  to human entity  110   1 , or the like, as well as various combinations thereof). 
     In at least some embodiments, for example, dynamic contact list identities may be generated in the contact list  113   1  of human entity  110   1  according to the location of human entity  110   1 . For example, a contact list identity named “receptionist” (e.g., a device or program that is configured to provide “receptionist” functions) might appear on contact list  113   1  of human entity  110   1  when human entity  110   1  enters the reception area of a building, such that the chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   1  may be used by human entity  110   1  to send to the “receptionist” entity a request for directions to a particular location in the building, and the chat-based communication interface of the chat application of the “receptionist” entity may be used by the “receptionist” entity to send the requested directions to human entity  110   1  (where the information is exchanged via the communication channel  140  established between the chat application  112   1  and the chat application of the “receptionist” entity). For example, a contact list identity named “concierge” (e.g., a device or program that is configured to provide “concierge” functions) might appear on contact list  113   1  of human entity  110   1  when human entity  110   1  enters a hotel lobby area, such that the chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   1  may be used by human entity  110   1  to send to the “concierge” entity a request for a reservation at a local Italian restaurant, and the chat-based communication interface of the chat application of the “concierge” entity may be used by the “concierge” entity to send to the human entity  110   1  directions to the Italian restaurant at which the “concierge” entity made reservations on behalf of the human entity  110   1  (where the information is exchanged via the communication channel  140  established between the chat application  112   1  and the chat application of the “concierge” entity). For example, a contact list identity named “printer” might appear on contact list  113   1  of human entity  110   1  when human entity  110   1  enters his or her work location, such that the chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   1  may be used by human entity  110   1  to send to the “printer” entity document and a request for the document to be printed, and the chat-based communication interface of the chat application of the “printer” entity may be used by the “printer” entity to send to the human entity  110   1  directions to the location of the printer at which the document was printed for the human entity  110   1  (where the information is exchanged via the communication channel  140  established between the chat application  112   1  and the chat application of the “printer” entity). For example, a contact list identity named “cafeteria” might appear on contact list  113   1  of human entity  110   1  when human entity  110   1  enters a designated location, such that (1) the chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   1  may be used by human entity  110   1  to send a request for a menu, (2) the chat-based communication interface of the chat application of the “cafeteria” entity may be used by the “cafeteria” entity to provide the requested menu to the human entity  110   1 , (3) the chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   1  may be used by human entity  110   1  to send an order for food listed on the menu, (4) the chat-based communication interface of the chat application of the “cafeteria” entity may be used by the “cafeteria” entity to request payment for the food ordered by human entity  110   1 , (5) the chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   1  may be used by human entity  110   1  to provide payment for the food ordered by human entity  110   1 , and (6) the chat-based communication interface of the chat application of the “cafeteria” entity may be used by the “cafeteria” entity to direct the human entity  110   1  to a location where the food may be picked up (where the information is exchanged via the communication channel  140  established between the chat application  112   1  and the chat application of the “cafeteria” entity). 
     In at least some embodiments, for example, dynamic contact list identities may be generated in the contact list  113   1  of human entity  110   1  according to association of human entity  110   1  with a process. For example, a contact list identity named “voice conference” might appear on contact list  113   1  of human entity  110   1  when human entity  110   1  joins the voice conference, such that a communication channel  140  established between the chat application  112   1  and the chat application of the “voice conference” entity (e.g., a device or program that is associated with the voice conference) may be used by the human entity  110   1  and the “voice conference” entity to perform various functions within the context of the voice conference (e.g., to request and control sending of an invite for an additional party to join the voice conference, to request a copy of the slides being discussed and have the requested slides be retrieved from a server and delivered to the chat application  112   1  for presentation to human entity  110   1 , or the like). For example, a set of contact list identities associated with functions supporting a multi-party remote collaboration session (e.g., “attendance”, “minutes”, “slides”, “video” or the like, which, for example, might be organized under a higher-level entity called “collaborative support”) might appear on contact list  113   1  of human entity  110   1  when human entity  110   1  joins the multi-party remote collaboration session, such that communication channels  140  established between the chat application  112   1  and chat applications of the “collaborative support” entities (e.g., devices or programs associated with the multi-party remote collaboration session) may be used by the human entity  110   1  and the “collaborative support” entities to perform various functions within the context of the multi-party remote collaboration session (e.g., to request a copy of the slides being discussed and have the requested slides be retrieved from a server and delivered to the chat application  112   1  for presentation to human entity  110   1 , to request a video feed of a physical location where parties to the multi-party remote collaboration session are located and have the video feed delivered to the chat application  112   1  for presentation to human entity  110   1 , or the like). 
     In at least some embodiments, chat-based system  100  may be configured to, in response to one or more stimuli specified within chat-based system  100 , remove an existing contact list identity (representing an entity  110  with which human entity  110   1  is associated) from the contact list  113   1  of human entity  110   1 , as well as to terminate an existing communication channel  140  previously established for communication between human entity  110   1  and the entity  110  represented by the existing contact list identity. The stimuli may include device or program state, receipt of a message (e.g., a notification, an event, or the like), or the like, as well as various combinations thereof. This embodiment may be better understood by further considering the examples discussed above in conjunction with dynamic generation of contact list identities. For example, the “receptionist” entity may be removed from the contact list  113   1  based on a determination that the human entity  110   1  has left the building, the “concierge” entity may be removed from the contact list  113   1  based on a determination that the human entity  110   1  has left the lobby area of the hotel, the “printer” entity may be removed from the contact list  113   1  based on a determination that the human entity  110   1  has left the building, the “cafeteria” entity may be removed from the contact list  113   1  based on a determination that the human entity  110   1  has left the building, the “voice conference” entity may be removed from the contact list  113   1  based on a determination that the human entity  110   1  has left the voice conference, the “collaborative support” entities may be removed from the contact list  113   1  based on a determination that the human entity  110   1  has left the multi-party remote collaboration session, and so forth. 
     In at least some embodiments, chat-based system  100  may be configured to support associations between contacts of an entity  110  (e.g., between contacts included in the contact list  113   1  of chat application  112   1  of human entity  110   1 ). The associations between contacts of human entity  110   1  may be established or removed one or more of manually responsive to input from human entity  110   1 , automatically by chat-based core  130  or entity representatives  120  (e.g., based on knowledge or inference of relationships or interfaces, or knowledge or inference of lack of relationships or interfaces, between the contacts), or the like, as well as various combinations thereof. For example, a “home” contact may be associated with, and configured to act as an interface to, a collection of more specialized contacts (e.g., a “computer” contact, an “entertainment system” contact, a “smart device” contact, or the like). For example, a “work” contact may be associated with, and configured to act as an interface to, a collection of more specialized contacts (e.g., a “printer” contact, a “copier” contact, a “fax machine” contact, a “cafeteria” contact, a “human resources” contact, one or more co-worker contacts, or the like). For example, a “car” contact may be associated with, and configured to act as an interface to, a collection of more specialized contacts (e.g., an “engine” contact, “a climate control” contact, a “radio” contact, or the like). The associations between contacts of human entity  110   1  may be used in various ways to support interactions between human entity  110   1  and various other entities  110 . 
     The chat-based system  100  may support a single login authentication capability for human entity  110   1  via the chat application  112   1 , whereby human entity  110  is only required to login chat application  112   1  in order to access other entities  110  associated with human entity  110   1 . For example, when human entity  110   1  invokes the chat application  112   1 , human entity  110   1  may be prompted to enter authentication information (e.g., login and password) which may then be sent to chat-based core  130  for use in authenticating the human entity  110   1  (namely, for determining whether human entity  110   1  is permitted to access chat application  112   1 ). Here, authentication of the human entity  110   1  to access other entities  110  may have been previously established, or may be performed by chat-based core  130  on behalf of human entity  110   1  responsive to authentication of human entity  110   1  to access chat application  112   1  (e.g., where chat-based core  130  initiates authentication with one or more of the entities  110  included in the contact list  113   1  associated with human entity  110   1 ). In either case, human entity  110   1  is authenticated to access the other entities  110  automatically, without requiring the human entity  110   1  to enter additional authentication information for each of the other entities  110 . In other words, the authentication procedures of the chat application  112   1  allow interaction with various devices (e.g., device entity  110   3 ) and programs (e.g., program entity  110   4 ). In this manner, authentication by the human entity  110   1  for multiple other entities  110  (e.g., devices, programs, or the like) becomes seamless for human entity  110   1 . 
     The chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  is configured to provide various function supporting human-to-human interactions (e.g., between human entity  110   1  and human entity  110   2  via communication channel  140   1 ) as well as other communication interaction types, including human-device interactions (e.g., between human entity  110   1  and device entity  110   3  via communication channel  140   2 ) and human-program interactions (e.g., between human entity  110   1  and program entity  110   4  via communication channel  140   3 ). The functions typically supported by a chat application in enabling human-to-human interactions are understood and thus, are not repeated herein. It will be appreciated that at least some such functions typically supported by a chat application in enabling human-to-human interactions may be used, or adapted for use, in supporting other communication interaction types discussed herein. 
     The chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  may be configured to provide one or more mechanisms via which human entity  110   1  may identify non-human entities  110  with which human entity  110   1  has associations and, thus, with which the chat application  112   1  has corresponding communication channels  140 , respectively. For example, the chat application  112   1  may be configured such that human entity  110   1  may identify associated non-human entities  110  via one or more menus or other controls available from chat application  112   1 . For example, the chat application  112   1  may be configured such that associated non-human entities  110  are represented within, and, thus, may be identified from, the contact list  113   1  of the chat application  112   1  (e.g., using an entity identifier of the non-human entity  110 , similar to the manner in which human contacts (or “buddies”) of human entity  110   1  might be represented within contact list  113 ). The contact list  113   1  may be a common contact list including both human entities  110  and non-human entities  110  with which human entity  110   1  is associated (e.g., arranged alphabetically or based on status irrespective of whether the contact is a human entity  110  or a non-human entity  110 , organized into subgroups based on the contacts being human entities  110  or non-human entities  110  and then arranged alphabetically or based on status, or the like), a separate contact list including only non-human entities  110  with which human entity  110   1  is associated (e.g., where human entities  110  with which human entity  110   1  is associated may be maintained in a separate contact list), or the like. In the case of dynamic addition or removal of non-human entities  110 , the contact list  113   1  may be automatically updated to display or not display non-human entities  110  as the non-human entities  110  are added or removed, respectively (in other words, non-human entities  110  may automatically appear on and disappear from contact list  113   1  as the non-human entities  110  are added or removed, respectively). The chat application  112   1  may be configured to provide other mechanisms via which human entity  110   1  may identify non-human entities  110  with which human entity  110   1  has associations. 
     The chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  may be configured to provide one or more chat-based communication interfaces via which human entity  110   1  may interact with non-human entities  110  with which human entity  110   1  has associations. The manner in which human entity  110   1  uses the a chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   1  to initiate communication with an associated non-human entity  110  may depend on the manner in which human entity  110   1  identifies the associated non-human entity  110  via chat application  112   1  (e.g., via one or more menu or other control selections, from displayed contact list  113 , or the like). For example, human entity  110   1  may select the associated non-human entity  110  from a drop-down menu, select the associated non-human entity  110  from contact list  113   1  where the associated non-human entity  110  is displayed in the contact list  113 , or the like. For example, selection of the associated non-human entity  110  may trigger opening of a window or dialog box via which the human entity  110  may initiate communications with the associated non-human entity  110  (e.g., typing text, attaching content or the like), may trigger opening of a menu via which the human entity  110  may initiate communications with the associated non-human entity  110 , or the like, as well as various combinations thereof. The manner in which human entity  110   1  is made aware of a communication from an associated non-human entity  110  via a chat-based communication interface of chat application  112   1  may depend on the configuration of the chat application  112   1 . For example, notification of receipt of the communication from the associated non-human entity  110  may be presented to the human entity  110   1  by the chat application  112   1  via one or more interfaces of chat application  112   1 , by triggering opening of one or more windows outside of the context of chat application  112   1 , via invocation of one or more programs on user device  111   1 , or the like, as well as various combinations thereof. For example, notification of receipt of the communication from the associated non-human entity  110  may be presented to the human entity  110   1  by the chat application  112   1  via a presentation interface of user device  111   1  (e.g., such that the human entity  110   1  may then access the communication), the communication from the associated non-human entity  110  to the human entity  110   1  may be presented to the human entity  110   1  by the chat application  112   1  (e.g., similar presentation of chat messages from human entities in typical chat applications), information provided from the associated non-human entity  110  to human entity  110   1  may be presented to the human entity  110   1  via invocation of one or more associated programs or applications on user device  111   1  (e.g., launching a word processing application for presentation of a text document provided in the communication from the associated non-human entity  110 , launching an audio player for playout of audio content provided in the communication from the associated non-human entity  110 , launching a video player for playout of video content provided in the communication from the associated non-human entity  110 , or the like), or the like, as well as various combinations thereof. 
     The chat applications  112   3  and  112   4  may be configured to operate in a manner similar to chat application  112   1 , although, as discussed above, it is expected that, rather than being displayed (such as chat applications  112   1  and  112   2 ), chat applications  112   3  and  112   4  may run on device entity  110   3  and device  111   4 , respectively. The chat-based communication interfaces of chat applications  112   3  and  112   4  may include any suitable software and/or hardware based interfaces which enable interaction between the chat applications  112   3  and  112   4  and software and/or hardware components or elements of the device entity  110   3  and the device  111   4  on which chat applications  112   3  and  112   4  are executing, respectively, as discussed above. 
     The entity representatives  120  associated with entities  110  are configured to provide various functions, at least some of which have been discussed above. For example, an entity representative  120  associated with a non-human entity  110  may provide or support one or more of registration functions for enabling the non-human entity  110  to register with chat-based core  130  (and, thus, to be identified by and associated with human entity  110   1 ), communication channel control functions for establishing and maintaining one or more communication channels  140  for chat-based communication between the non-human entity  110  and one or more other entities  110  (illustratively, communication channel  140   2  for chat-based communication with human entity  110   1 , as well as any other suitable communication channels  140 ), communication control functions for controlling communication between the non-human entity  110  and one or more other entities  110  via one or more communication channels  140 , translation functions for translating messages and information between the format(s) supported by the non-human entity  110  and the format(s) supported by one or more other entities  110  with which non-human entity  110  may communicate via one or more communication channels  140 , enhanced processing functions for supporting enhanced processing which may be provided by the non-human entity  110  based on communication between the non-human entity  110  and one or more other entities  110  via one or more communication channels  140 , or the like, as well as various combinations thereof. The translation functions may include natural language recognition capabilities for allowing chat-based communications to be translated between human-understandable text and formats supported by non-human entities  110 . Similarly, for example, an entity representative  120  associated with a human entity  110  (illustratively, entity representative  120   1  associated with human entity  110   1 ) may be configured to provide similar functions for supporting communications between the human entity  110  and one or more non-human entities  110 . The entity representatives  120  may be configured to support various types of activities and services which may be provided based on communication between entities  110  via communication channels  140 . The entity representatives  120  also may be configured to include various modules or provide various functions primarily depicted and described herein as being performed by chat applications  112  operating on endpoint devices (e.g., providing a differently or more distributed deployment of chat applications  112 ). 
     The chat-based core  130  is configured to provide various functions, at least some of which have been discussed above. For example, chat-based core  130  may provide or support one or more of registration functions for enabling the entities  110  to register with chat-based core  130  (and, thus, to be identified by and associated with other entities  110 ), communication channel control functions for establishing and maintaining communication channels  140  between chat applications  112  of entities  110 , communication control functions for controlling communication between entities  110  via associated communication channels  140 , translation functions for translating messages and information between different formats supported by different entities  110 , enhanced processing functions for supporting enhanced processing which may be provided based on communication between entities  110  via communication channels  140 , or the like, as well as various combinations thereof. The translation functions may include natural language recognition capabilities for allowing chat communications to be translated between human-understandable text and formats supported by non-human entities  110 . The chat-based core  130  may be configured to support various types of activities and services which may be provided based on communication between entities  110  via communication channels  140 . The chat-based core  130  also may be configured to include various modules or provide various functions primarily depicted and described herein as being performed by chat applications  112  operating on endpoint devices (e.g., providing a differently or more distributed deployment of chat applications  112 ). 
     The communication channels  140  established between chat application  112   1  of human entity  110   1  and chat applications  112  of other entities  110  support chat-based communications between human entity  110   1  and the other entities  110 , respectively. The communication channels  140  may be established and maintained using chat-based functions. The communication channels  140  may be accessed via chat-based communication interfaces supported by the chat applications  112  between which the communication channels  140  are established. The communication channels  140  support various communication interaction types as discussed above. The communication channels  140  support chat-based or chat-like communication between human entity  110   1  and other entities  110 . The communication channels  140  provide communication paths for various types of messages and information which may be exchanged between entities  110  (e.g., requests and responses, commands and responses, event notifications, content delivery, or the like, as well as any other types of messages or information which may be propagated via the communication channels  140 ). The communication channels  140  may support various types of activities and services which may be provided based on communication between human entity  110   1  and other entities  110  via communication channels  140 . The communication channels  140  may be supported using any suitable underlying communication networks (e.g., wireline networks, wireless networks, or the like) which, it will be appreciated, may depend on the context within which the communication channels  140  are established. As indicated above, although the communication channels  140  are primarily depicted and described as being established between the chat application  112   1  of user device  111   1  of human entity  110   1  and the chat applications  112  of other entities  110 , the communication channels  140  also may be considered to be established between the user device  111   1  of human entity  110   1  and devices hosting the chat applications  112  of the other entities  110 , between the user device  111   1  of human entity  110   1  and programs associated with the chat applications  112  of the other entities  110 , or the like. 
     The chat-based system  100  may be configured to support enhanced processing for communications exchanged via communication channels  140 . As noted above, enhanced processing for communications exchanged via communication channel  140  may be provided by one or more of the entities  110  participating in the communication, one or more entity representatives  120  of the one or more of the entities  110  participating in the communication, chat-based core  130 , or a combination thereof. For example, enhanced processing for communications exchanged via a given communication channel  140  may include time-based acceleration or deceleration of actions based on context (e.g., delaying printing of a document by a printer until the person is detected as being at or near the location of the printer, accelerating processing of a food order at a restaurant based on a determination that the person has arrived at the restaurant ahead of schedule, or the like), initiating or terminating one or more entity associations (e.g., adding a new entity to a contact list or removing an entity from a contact list) based on information exchanged via the given communication channel  140  (e.g., automatically initiating addition of a home security control entity for securing a home of a user based on a chat message indicative that the user is away from home, automatically initiating removal of a printer entity for a work printer of a user based on a chat message indicative that the user is working from home, or the like), initiating one or more messages to one or more existing or new entities via one or more existing or new communication channels based on information exchanged via the given communication channel  140  (e.g., automatically initiating a message to a taxi scheduling entity for scheduling a taxi based on detection that a concierge entity has made a reservation with a restaurant entity, automatically initiating a message to a credit score entity based on detection that a banking entity requires credit scope information, or the like), automatically performing one or more actions outside of the context of the chat application based on context information determined from communications exchanged via the given communication channel  140  (e.g., initiating or terminating a phone call, launching or terminating a program, or the like), or the like, as well as various combinations thereof. 
     The chat-based system  100  may be configured to support higher level system enhancements for chat-based system  100 . For example, chat-based system  100  may be configured to generate various contexts for various chat sessions and to use the context information to control execution of chat-based system  100  (e.g., context information about past interactions among chat participants via chat-based system  100  can be used by chat-based system  100  to fine-tune various aspects of chat-based system  100 , such as the form of interaction between chat participants, presentation of data to chat participants, or the like, as well as various combinations thereof). 
     The chat-based system  100  may be configured to support data analytics functions. In at least some embodiments, data from one or more entities  110  may be analyzed to develop a model or representation of the context in which a chat(s) occurs. The data may include chat messages, data other than chat-based data, or a combination thereof. The data analytics may be performed locally (e.g., using one or more local modules), remotely (e.g., using one or more remote modules), or a combination thereof. The context may then be utilized locally (e.g., by one or more local modules), remotely (e.g., by one or more remote modules), or a combination thereof. The context may be used for various purposes (e.g., to handle chat messages, to act in response to chat messages, or the like, as well as various combinations thereof). The data analytics functions may be provided by chat-based core  130 , entity representatives  120 , entities  110 , or the like, as well as various combinations thereof. The use of context in this manner permits integration of data analytics into a wide range of communication functions and behaviors. 
     As discussed above, while chat-based system  100  is primarily depicted and described with respect to supporting multiple communication interaction types for a human entity, chat-based system  100  may be configured to support communication between non-human entities, where the non-human entities may include devices, programs, processes, organizations, or the like. An example is depicted in  FIG. 1 , where a communication channel  141  is established between chat application  112   3  of device entity  110   3  and chat application  112   4  of program entity  110   4 . The establishment and use of communication channel  141  may be similar to establishment and use of communication channels  140 . For example, where device entity  110   3  is a printer located in an office of an employee of a company and program entity  110   4  is a human resources program of the company, the human resources program may propagate a benefits agreement that needs to be signed by the employee to the printer, via the communication channel  141 , such that the benefits agreement is automatically printed and readily available for signature by the employee. For example, where device entity  110   3  is a security camera and program entity  110   4  is a security monitoring program, the security monitoring program may propagate a reconfiguration message to the security camera, via the communication channel  141 , such that the security camera is automatically reconfigured based on the needs of the security program. For example, where device entity  110   3  is a content server and program entity  110   4  is a personal content scheduling program of a user that is running on a device (e.g., computer, digital video recorder, or the like), the personal content scheduling program may propagate a content request message to the content server via the communication channel  141  in order to request retrieval of a content item predicted by the personal content scheduling program to be of interest to the user, and the content server may provide the requested content item to the personal content scheduling program for storage on the device on which the personal content scheduling program is running. It will be appreciated that, although primarily depicted and described with respect to a specific communication interaction type between specific types of non-human entities (namely, device-program communications), chat-based system  100  may be configured to support various other communication interaction types between various other combinations of non-human entities (e.g., device-device communications between devices, program-program communications between programs, device-process communications between a device and a process, program-process communications between a program and a process, process-process communications, and so forth). For example, a power monitoring entity could use a chat-based communication channel to ask a power meter for a current reading. For example, a concierge entity could use a chat-based communication channel to ask a restaurant entity for a reservation. It will be appreciated that the foregoing examples are merely a few of the ways in which chat-based communication between multiple non-human entities may be used. 
     It will be appreciated that, although omitted from  FIG. 1  for purposes of clarity, each chat application  112  may be implemented using any suitable concentration or distribution of functions. For example, chat applications  112  depicted in  FIG. 1  may simply be chat application clients and other modules or functions of the associated chat application may be implemented in other locations (e.g., on entity representatives  120 , on chat-based core  130 ). Various other arrangements of the functions of chat applications  112  within chat-based system  100  are contemplated. 
     It will be appreciated that, although omitted from  FIG. 1  for purposes of clarity, each entity representative  120  may be implemented using any suitable concentration or distribution of functions (e.g., providing the functions of an entity representative  120  on one or more devices associated with the entity representative  120 , providing the functions of an entity representative  120  on one or more network devices, distributing the functions of an entity representative  120  across one or more devices associated with the entity representative  120  and one or more network devices, or the like, as well as various combinations thereof). 
     It will be appreciated that, although omitted from  FIG. 1  for purposes of clarity, chat-based core  130  may be implemented in any suitable manner (e.g., on one or more dedicated servers, using one or more sets of virtual resources hosted within one or more networks or datacenters, or the like, as well as various combinations thereof). 
     It will be appreciated that, although primarily depicted and described with respect to embodiments in which chat application  112   1  is configured to support human-to-human communication as well as other communication interaction types, in at least some embodiments the chat application  112   1  may be configured only for interaction between human entity  110   1  and non-human entities  110 . In other words, the chat application  112   1  may be dedicated for supporting various communication interaction types involving communication between human entity  110   1  and non-human entities  110 , thereby providing one or more of a device access and use capability, a program access and use capability, or the like, as well as various combinations thereof. 
       FIG. 2  depicts an exemplary embodiment of a method for supporting chat-based communications for multiple communication interaction types. It will be appreciated that, although primarily depicted and described from the perspective of an entity (or a device supporting communications by the entity), the execution of at least a portion of the steps of method  200  also may include various actions which may be performed by other elements (e.g., other entities, entity representatives of the entities, a chat-based core, or the like, as well as various combinations thereof). It will be appreciated that, although primarily depicted and described as being performed serially, at least a portion of the steps of method  200  may be performed contemporaneously or in a different order than as presented in  FIG. 2 . At step  201 , method  200  begins. At step  210 , the launch of a chat application for an entity is detected. The entity may be a human entity or a non-human entity. At step  220 , a contact list, identifying entities associated with the entity, is obtained. The entities may include one or more human entities, one or more non-human entities, or combinations thereof. At step  230 , communication channels are established between the chat application of the entity and chat applications of the entities identified in the contact list. At step  240 , the entity participates in chat-based communications with entities identified in the contact list via the communication channels established between the chat application of the entity and the chat applications of the entities identified in the contact list. At step  299 , method  200  ends. It will be appreciated that various functions depicted and described within the context of  FIG. 1  may be provided within the context of method  200  of  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 3  depicts an exemplary embodiment of a method for supporting chat-based communications. It will be appreciated that, although primarily depicted and described from the perspective of an entity (or a device supporting communications by the entity), the execution of at least a portion of the steps of method  300  also may include various actions which may be performed by other elements (e.g., other entities, entity representatives of the entities, a chat-based core, or the like, as well as various combinations thereof). It will be appreciated that, although primarily depicted and described as being performed serially, at least a portion of the steps of method  300  may be performed contemporaneously or in a different order than as presented in  FIG. 3 . At step  301 , method  300  begins. At step  310 , a first chat application configured to provide a chat-based communication interface for a first entity is executed. The first chat application configured to provide the chat-based communication interface for the first entity also may be said to be invoked, or may be said to running or active. At step  320 , a communication channel is established between the first chat application and a second chat application of a second entity. The second entity is a non-human entity. At step  330 , chat-based communication between the first entity and the second entity is supported via the communication channel. At step  399 , method  300  ends. The communication channel may be established based on a determination that the second entity is associated with the first chat application. The determination that the second entity is associated with the first chat application may be based on a determination that the second entity is included within a contact list of the first chat application. The determination that the second entity is associated with the first chat application may be performed responsive to invocation of the first chat application. The determination that the second entity is associated with the first chat application may be a dynamic detection of association of the second entity with the first chat application while the first chat application is running. The dynamic association of the second entity with the first chat application while the first chat application is running may be performed based on at least one of context information associated with the first entity or context information associated with the second entity. The context information associated with the first entity may include at least one of a location of the first entity, information from a chat-based communication of the first entity, a detected need of the first entity, or the like. The context information associated with the second entity may include at least one of a location of the second entity, a capability of the second entity, or the like. The support of chat-based communication between the first entity and the second entity via the communication channel may include propagating, toward the second chat application of the second entity via the communication channel, information entered by the first entity via the chat-based communication interface of the first chat application. The support of chat-based communication between the first entity and the second entity via the communication channel may include receiving information entered by the first entity via the chat-based communication interface of the first chat application, processing the information to convert the information into modified information (e.g., translating the information from one format to another, supplementing the information with additional information, or the like, as well as various combinations thereof), and propagating the modified information toward the second entity via the communication channel. The support of chat-based communication between the first entity and the second entity via the communication channel may include receiving information from the second entity via the communication channel and initiating propagation or presentation of the information to the first entity. The initiation of presentation of the information to the first entity may include at least one of initiating presentation of at least a portion of the information via the chat-based communication interface of the first chat application, initiating presentation of at least a portion of the information via an interface other than the chat-based communication interface of the first chat application, or the like. The support of chat-based communication between the first entity and the second entity via the communication channel may include receiving information from the second entity via the communication channel, processing the information to convert the information into modified information (e.g., translating the information from one format to another, supplementing the information with additional information, or the like, as well as various combinations thereof), and propagating the modified information toward the first entity. The communication channel may be terminated based on a determination that the second entity is no longer associated with the first chat application. The first entity may be a human entity or a non-human entity. The non-human entity may be a device, a program, or another non-human entity. The non-human entity may include a process or an organization, where the communication channel is established with a device or program associated with the process or the organization. It will be appreciated that various functions depicted and described within the context of  FIG. 1  may be provided within the context of method  300  of  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 4  depicts a high-level block diagram of a computer suitable for use in performing functions described herein. 
     The computer  400  includes a processor  402  (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU) and/or other suitable processor(s)) and a memory  404  (e.g., random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), and the like). 
     The computer  400  also may include a cooperating module/process  405 . The cooperating process  405  can be loaded into memory  404  and executed by the processor  402  to implement functions as discussed herein and, thus, cooperating process  405  (including associated data structures) can be stored on a computer readable storage medium, e.g., RAM memory, magnetic or optical drive or diskette, and the like. 
     The computer  400  also may include one or more input/output devices  406  (e.g., a user input device (such as a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, and the like), a user output device (such as a display, a speaker, and the like), an input port, an output port, a receiver, a transmitter, one or more storage devices (e.g., a tape drive, a floppy drive, a hard disk drive, a compact disk drive, and the like), or the like, as well as various combinations thereof). 
     It will be appreciated that computer  400  depicted in  FIG. 4  provides a general architecture and functionality suitable for implementing functional elements described herein and/or portions of functional elements described herein. For example, computer  400  provides a general architecture and functionality suitable for implementing one or more of user device  111   1 , user device  111   2 , one or more entity representatives  120 , chat-based core  130 , one or more elements of chat-based core  130 , or the like. 
     It will be appreciated that the functions depicted and described herein may be implemented in software (e.g., via implementation of software on one or more processors, for executing on a general purpose computer (e.g., via execution by one or more processors) so as to implement a special purpose computer, and the like) and/or may be implemented in hardware (e.g., using a general purpose computer, one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), and/or any other hardware equivalents). 
     It will be appreciated that some of the steps discussed herein as software methods may be implemented within hardware, for example, as circuitry that cooperates with the processor to perform various method steps. Portions of the functions/elements described herein may be implemented as a computer program product wherein computer instructions, when processed by a computer, adapt the operation of the computer such that the methods and/or techniques described herein are invoked or otherwise provided. Instructions for invoking the inventive methods may be stored in fixed or removable media, transmitted via a data stream in a broadcast or other signal bearing medium, and/or stored within a memory within a computing device operating according to the instructions. 
     It will be appreciated that the term “or” as used herein refers to a non-exclusive “or,” unless otherwise indicated (e.g., use of “or else” or “or in the alternative”). 
     It will be appreciated that, although various embodiments which incorporate the teachings presented herein have been shown and described in detail herein, those skilled in the art can readily devise many other varied embodiments that still incorporate these teachings.