Patent ID: 6990670

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for use in deriving user intent from a subject message, for use further with a network of agents each having a view of its own natural language interpretation domain, the network including a first agent, an upchain agent udchain of said first agent, and a plurality of immediately downchain agents each immediately downchain of said first agent, comprising the steps of: said first agent receiving from said upchain agent a first query inquiring whether at least part of said subject message is within the natural language interpretation domain of said first agent; said first agent querying each of said plurality of immediately downchain agents whether the queried agent considers at least part of said subject message to be in the queried agent's natural language interpretation domain; and said first agent responding to said upchain agent tentatively whether at least part of said subject message is within the natural language interpretation domain of said first agent, after said first agent receives at least one response from said immediately downchain agents, but before said first agent receives all responses from said immediately downchain agents.