# US 10,313,403 B2 · Systems and methods for virtual interaction

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- Number: US 10,313,403 B2
- Document ID: US10313403B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/070,207
- Filed: 2016-03-15
- Published: 2017-09-21
- Granted: 2019-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2016-03-15
- Assignees: dopplet, Inc.
- Applicants: dopplet, Inc.
- Inventors: Marco Ciofalo; Fabio Viviani
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10313403B2

## CPC

- H04L 65/403: Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences (data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15)
- G06F 3/011: {Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality (blind teaching G09B21/00)}
- G06F 3/04842: Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence)
- G06F 9/44: Arrangements for executing specific programs
- G06F 16/183: {Provision of network file services by network file servers, e.g. by using NFS, CIFS (network file access protocols H04L67/1097)}
- G06F 16/3329: Natural language query formulation
- G06F 40/30: Semantic analysis
- G11B 27/102: {Programmed access in sequence to addressed parts of tracks of operating record carriers (access by moving the head G11B3/08, G11B5/54, G11B7/085, G11B21/022; by moving the record carrier G11B15/005, G11B17/005, by driving of both record carrier and head G11B15/1816)}
- H04L 67/06: specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
- H04L 67/131: Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
- G06F 9/453: {Help systems}
- G06N 3/006: based on simulated virtual individual or collective life forms, e.g. social simulations or particle swarm optimisation [PSO]
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G11B: INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER (recording measured values in a way that does not require playback through a transducer G01D9/00; recording or playback apparatus using mechanically marked tape, e.g. punched paper tape, or using unit records, e.g. punched or magnetically marked cards G06K; transferring data from one type of record carrier to another G06K1/18; circuits for coupling output of reproducer to radio receiver H04B1/20; gramophone pick-ups or like acoustic electromechanical transducers or circuits therefor H04R)
- G06N: COMPUTING ARRANGEMENTS BASED ON SPECIFIC COMPUTATIONAL MODELS

## Abstract

A virtual interaction system for conducting a virtual interaction session between an end-user and a person of interest. The system may include a memory for storing data identifying a plurality of conversational interactions with the person of interest, user interface for receiving one or more inputs from the end-user, and processor coupled to the memory. The processor may be operable to receive an input including a text string representing one or more questions or statements directed to the person of interest; identify at least one stored conversational interaction including a question or statement associated with at least one question or statement of the input; using a link corresponding with the stored conversational interaction, access at least a portion of a file associated with the link from a remote data store; and cause the accessed file portion to be displayed on a device of the end-user.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A virtual interaction system for conducting a virtual interaction session between an end-user and a person of interest, the system comprising:
a memory for storing a directory including a plurality of conversational interactions with the person of interest, each stored conversational interaction including a text string indicating a question or statement directed to the person of interest, a plurality of tags associated with the text string, and a corresponding link identifying an online content file stored at a remote data store and including content featuring the person of interest and responsive to the question or statement;
a network interface for communication over a communications network between (i) the virtual interaction system and a device of the end-user, between (ii) the virtual interaction system and a device of the person of interest, and between (iii) the virtual interaction system and the remote data store; and
a processor coupled to the memory and operable to:
receive an input from the device of the end-user over the network interface, the received input including a text string representing one or more questions or statements directed to the person of interest;
identify at least one stored conversational interaction in the directory including a question or statement associated with at least one question or statement of the input;
using the link of the identified stored conversational interaction, accessing at least a portion of the online content file identified by the link from the remote data store;
causing the accessed portion of the online content file to be displayed on a device of the end-user;
in response to the received input, generating a new conversational interaction, the new conversational interaction including at least one question or statement of the input, the new conversational interaction being stored in the memory;
receiving a second input from the device of the person of interest over the network interface, the second input providing a new link for the new conversational interaction, the new link identifying an online content file stored at a remote data store and including content featuring the person of interest and responsive to the question or statement in the new conversational interaction; and
upon receipt second input from the device of the person of interest over the network interface, adding the new conversational interaction to the directory of conversational interactions.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the processor is operable to identify one or more stored conversational interactions associated with the input based on a semantic analysis of the input.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the processor is operable to:
determine how many questions or statements are associated with the input based on punctuation of the input; and
for each identified question or statement of the input, identify a stored conversational interaction including a question or statement associated therewith.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the memory further stores a directory of synonyms and/or verb conjugations, and wherein the processor is operable to identify one or more stored conversational interactions associated with the input based on the directory.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

A system as recited in claim 1, wherein, for a given input associated with at least a first and second conversational interaction, the processor is operable to:
determine an order of the first and second conversational interactions based on the user input;
access from the remote data store at least a portion of a first online content file associated with the first conversational interaction, and at least a portion of a second online content file associated with the second conversational interaction; and
cause the accessed portions of the first and second online content files to be displayed on the device of the end-user in the determined order.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the processor is operable to output a request for the identified portion of the online content file from the network interface to the remote data store over the communications network.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

A system as recited in claim 6, wherein the memory, processor and network interface are remote from the device of the end-user, and wherein the request comprises an identification of the device of the end-user and an instruction to provide the accessed portion of the online content file directly from the remote data store to the device.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

A system as recited in claim 6, wherein the memory, processor and network interface are integrated in the device of the end-user, and wherein the accessed portion of the online content file is caused to be provided to the device from the remote data store via the network interface, and wherein the processor is operable to display the access portion of the online content file on the device.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the link indicates a start time mark and a finish time mark of the online content file, wherein the portion of the online content file beginning at the start time mark and ending at the finish time mark is accessed.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said online content file is one of a video file, an audio file, and a text file.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the processor is operable to:
receive an update comprising at least one of a new conversational interaction and a new link; and
store the update in the memory, whereby the processor is subsequently capable of identifying the update as associated with an input.

### Claim 12

A method for conducting a virtual interaction session between an end-user and a person of interest, the method being performed by a virtual interaction system having a network interface for communication over a communications network between (i) the virtual interaction system and a device of the end-user, between (ii) the virtual interaction system and a device of the person of interest, and between (iii) the virtual interaction system and a remote data store, the method comprising:
the virtual interaction system receiving an input from the device of the end-user over the communications network, the input including a text string representing one or more questions or statements directed to the person of interest;
the virtual interaction system accessing an electronic directory storing one or more conversational interactions, each stored conversational interaction including a question or statement directed to the person of interest, and a corresponding link identifying an online content file stored at the remote data store and including content that features the person of interest and is responsive to the question or statement of the stored conversational interaction;
a processor of the virtual interaction system automatically identifying at least one stored conversational interaction in the directory including a question or statement associated with at least one question or statement of the input;
the processor accessing, from the remote data store, at least a portion of the online content file identified by the link of the identified stored conversational interaction; and
the processor causing the accessed portion of the online content file to be displayed on a device of the end-user;
in response to the received input, the processor generating a new conversational interaction, the new conversational interaction including at least one question or statement of the input, the new conversational interaction being stored in the memory;
the processor receiving a second input from the device of the person of interest over the network interface, the second input providing a new link for the new conversational interaction, the new link identifying an online content file stored at a remote data store and including content featuring the person of interest and responsive to the question or statement in the new conversational interaction; and
upon receipt second input from the device of the person of interest over the network interface, the processor adding the new conversational interaction to the directory of conversational interactions.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the questions or statements of the input and stored conversational interaction are determined to be associated with one another based on one or more regular expressions.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the input comprises a plurality of questions or statements, the method further comprising:
parsing the input into said plurality of questions or statements; and
identifying an order of the plurality of questions or statements in the input,
wherein the accessing and causing steps are performed for each question or statement, and wherein the accessed portions of video files are caused to be displayed on the device of the end-user based on the identified order.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

A method as recited in claim 14, wherein parsing the input into said plurality of questions or statements is based on punctuation of the input.

### Claim 16 (depends on 12)

A method as recited in claim 12, wherein at least one link stored in the electronic directory indicates a starting point and an ending point of the online content file identified by the link, wherein accessing at least a portion of the online content file identified by the link involves accessing the portion of the online content file between the starting point and the ending point.

### Claim 17 (depends on 12)

A method as recited in claim 12, wherein accessing at least a portion of the online content file involves accessing at least a portion of one of a video file, an audio file, and a text file.

### Claim 18 (depends on 12)

A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:
receiving, at the processor, an update request to store a new conversational interaction or a new link in the electronic directory; and
the processor updating the electronic directory in accordance with the update request, whereby the processor is subsequently capable of identifying the new conversational interaction or new link as being associated with a question or statement of an input.

### Claim 19

A method for building a virtual interaction database for conducting a virtual interaction session between an end-user of the system and a person of interest, the method comprising:
receiving a text string from a device of the end-user to the virtual interaction database over a communications network, wherein the text string comprises one or more questions or statements directed from the end-user to the person of interest;
storing the received text string in memory;
transmitting a notification to a device of the person of interest indicating receipt of the text string from the device of the end-user;
receiving a link from the device of the person of interest to the virtual interaction database over the communications network, the link corresponding to an online content file stored remotely from each of the device of the end-user, the device of the person of interest, and the virtual interaction database, the file containing content featuring the person of interest responding to a question or statement of the received text string;
receiving from the device of the person of interest an indication of first and second time marks of the linked file, the first and second time marks indicating the beginning and subsequent ending of the conversational interaction featured in the content of the file; and
storing the link and time marks in the memory, wherein the text string, link and time marks are stored in association with one another such that receiving an input from a second end-user associated with the text string results in playback of the linked file to the second end-user.