# US 2019/0378188 A1 · Instant messaging robot to provide product information > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0378188 A1 - Document ID: US20190378188A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/448,520 - Filed: 2019-06-21 - Published: 2019-12-12 - Earliest claimed: 2012-05-01 - Assignees: eBay Inc. - Applicants: eBay Inc. - Inventors: Xiaoming Zhang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190378188A1 ## CPC - G06Q 30/0613: {using intermediate agents} - G06F 16/258: {Data format conversion from or to a database} - G06Q 30/0269: {based on user profile or attribute} - G06Q 30/0611: {Request for offers or quotes} - G06Q 30/0625: {by formulating product or service queries, e.g. using keywords or predefined options} - H04L 51/02: using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages - H04L 51/04: Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM] - H04L 67/10: in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract Methods and systems to automatically respond to a request for product information are described. In one embodiment, a data collection module may collect product data over a network, identify that the product data is related to a particular product, and store the product data and an association between the product data and the particular product in a database. An instant messaging engine may receive a request for the product data after the product data is stored in the database and an interpreter module may identify, in response to the request, the request to correspond to the particular product and retrieve the product data based on the association between the particular product and the product data. The instant messaging engine may also transmit, using an instant messaging protocol, a response to the request, the response including the product data. ## Claims ### Claim 1 (canceled) ### Claim 2 A method comprising: receiving, at a computing server, a communication transmitted from a client device, the communication including natural language data that is in a human language, the natural language data representing a query regarding upcoming events; retrieving stored information describing a set of upcoming events; converting the stored information into a response to the communication, the response being in the human language and providing details of at least one upcoming event from the set of upcoming events; and transmitting the response to the client device, the client device presenting the response to the user. ### Claim 3 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising: causing the client device to prompt the user for additional search criteria related to the upcoming events, wherein retrieving the stored information is further based on the additional search criteria. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the additional search criteria is a geographic region. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the additional search criteria is an event category. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the response includes a link to purchase tickets to the at least one event. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising: receiving a subsequent communication from the client device, the subsequent communication including subsequent natural language data that is in the human language, the subsequent natural language data representing a follow-up query regarding the at least one upcoming event; retrieving, based on the follow-up query, additional stored information describing the at least one upcoming event; converting the additional stored information into a follow-up response to the subsequent communication, the follow-up response being in the human language and providing additional details of the at least one upcoming event; and transmitting the follow-up response to the client device, the client device presenting the follow-up response to the user. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the query is provided by the user to a bot application executing on the client device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the query is provided by the user using an instant messaging application executing on the client device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising: automatically converting, without user intervention, the natural language data into a request in a machine language that is understood by the computer server, the request being for the stored information describing the set of upcoming events, wherein the retrieving the stored information is based on at least the request in the machine language that is understood by the computing server. ### Claim 11 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the human language is English. ### Claim 12 A system comprising: one or more computer processors; and one or more computer-readable mediums storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the system to perform operations comprising: receiving a communication transmitted from a client device, the communication including natural language data that is in a human language, the natural language data representing a query regarding upcoming events; retrieving stored information describing a set of upcoming events; converting the stored information into a response to the communication, the response being in the human language and providing details of at least one upcoming event from the set of upcoming events; and transmitting the response to the client device, the client device presenting the response to the user. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, the operations further comprising: causing the client device to prompt the user for additional search criteria related to the upcoming events, wherein retrieving the stored information is further based on the additional search criteria. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the additional search criteria is a geographic region. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the additional search criteria is an event category. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the response includes a link to purchase tickets to the at least one event. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, the operations further comprising: receiving a subsequent communication from the client device, the subsequent communication including subsequent natural language data that is in the human language, the subsequent natural language data representing a follow-up query regarding the at least one upcoming event; retrieving, based on the follow-up query, additional stored information describing the at least one upcoming event; converting the additional stored information into a follow-up response to the subsequent communication, the follow-up response being in the human language and providing additional details of the at least one upcoming event; and transmitting the follow-up response to the client device, the client device presenting the follow-up response to the user. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the query is provided by the user to a bot application executing on the client device. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the query is provided by the user using an instant messaging application executing on the client device. ### Claim 20 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, the operations further comprising: automatically converting, without user intervention, the natural language data into a request in a machine language that is understood by the system, the request being for the stored information describing the set of upcoming events, wherein the retrieving the stored information is based on at least the request in the machine language that is understood by the system. ### Claim 21 A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more computer processors of one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform operations comprising: receiving a communication transmitted from a client device, the communication including natural language data that is in a human language, the natural language data representing a query regarding upcoming events; retrieving stored information describing a set of upcoming events; converting the stored information into a response to the communication, the response being in the human language and providing details of at least one upcoming event from the set of upcoming events; and transmitting the response to the client device, the client device presenting the response to the user.