Granted Patent B2

US 11,658,906 · App. 17/464,608 · Granted May 23, 2023

Inventors: Guy R. VanBuskirk (Grapevine, TX); Steven Paul Russell (Menlo Park, CA)

Assignee: Theatro Labs, Inc.

H04L45/44G06Q30/02H04L67/561H04W4/02H04W4/025H04M2203/2038

Abstract

Claims (78)

1. An observation platform comprising:

a computer system associated with an organization;

a first communication device associated with a first user;

a second communication device associated with and communicatively coupled with the computer system; and

a plurality of additional communication devices, where each of the plurality of additional communication devices is associated with a different user of a plurality of additional users; and

wherein the computer system is configured to communicate with the first communication device and the plurality of additional communication devices via the second communication device and is further configured to:

receive, via the second communication device, a signal from the first communication device, wherein a characteristic of the signal corresponds to an audible source, the audible source being a voice of the first user;

derive context information at least in part from a speech to text analysis of the characteristic that corresponds to the audible source, wherein the context information comprises a query about the organization made by the first user;

compile, by the computer system, a response to the query; and

respond, by the computer system via the second communication device, to the first communication device about the query based on the compiled response.

2. The observation platform of claim 1 , wherein the compiled response comprises a result of a keyword search of a database; and

wherein the computer system being configured to respond, by the computer system via the second communication device, to the first communication device about the query based on the compiled response comprises the computer system being configured to:

send, by the computer system via the second communication device, the result of the keyword search to the first communication device.

3. The observation platform of claim 1 , wherein the compiled response comprises delivery of the query to an additional communication device associated with a specific user of the plurality of additional users; and

wherein the computer system being configured to respond, by the computer system via the second communication device, to the first communication device about the query based on the compiled response comprises the computer system being configured to:

create a virtual one-to-one channel for communications between the first communication device and the additional communication device.

4. The observation platform of claim 1 , wherein the compiled response comprises delivery of the query to a selected plurality of the additional communication devices associated with selected specific users of the plurality of additional users; and

wherein the computer system being configured to respond, by the computer system via the second communication device, to the first communication device about the query based on the compiled response comprises the computer system being configured to:

create a virtual one-to-one channel for communications between the first communication device and an additional communication device of an initial user of the selected specific users to respond to the query.

5. The observation platform of claim 1 , wherein the compiled response comprises delivery of the query to a selected plurality of the additional communication devices associated with selected specific users of the plurality of additional users; and

wherein the computer system being configured to respond, by the computer system via the second communication device, to the first communication device about the query based on the compiled response comprises the computer system being configured to:

create a virtual one-to-many channel for communications between the first communication device and the selected plurality of the additional communication devices.

6. The observation platform of claim 5 , wherein the computer system is further configured to:

cause one of the selected plurality of the additional communication devices to depart the virtual one-to-many channel based upon a user of the one of the selected plurality of the additional communication devices activating an inhibitor on the one of the selected plurality of the additional communication devices.

7. The observation platform of claim 1 , wherein the computer system is further configured to:

record the compiled response.

8. The observation platform of claim 1 , wherein the computer system is further configured to:

forward the compiled response to a person associated with the organization for awareness of one of needs and requirements of the first user.

9. The observation platform of claim 1 , wherein the computer system is further configured to:

determine performance metrics regarding responding to the query of the first user.

10. A method of query response in an observation platform, the observation platform comprising a computer system associated with an organization, a first communication device associated with a first user, a second communication device associated with and communicatively coupled with the computer system, and a plurality of additional communication devices each associated with a different user of a plurality of additional users, the method comprising:

receiving, by the computer system via the second communication device, a signal from the first communication device, wherein a characteristic of the signal corresponds to an audible source, the audible source being a voice of the first user;

deriving, by the computer system, context information at least in part from a speech to text analysis of the characteristic that corresponds to the audible source, wherein the context information comprises a query about the organization made by the first user;

compiling, by the computer system, a response to the query; and

responding, by the computer system via the second communication device, to the first communication device about the query based on the compiled response.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 , further comprising:

recording, by the computer system, the compiled response.

12. The method as recited in claim 10 , further comprising:

forwarding, by the computer system, the compiled response to a person associated with the organization for awareness of one of needs and requirements of the first user.

13. The method as recited in claim 10 , further comprising:

determining, by the computer system, performance metrics regarding the responding to the first communication device about the query.

14. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the compiled response comprises a result of a keyword search of a database; and

wherein the responding by the computer system via the second communication device, to the first communication device about the query based on the compiled response comprises:

sending, by the computer system via the second communication device, the result of the keyword search to the first communication device.

15. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the compiled response comprises delivery of the query to an additional communication device associated with a specific user of the plurality of additional users; and

wherein the responding, by the computer system via the second communication device, to the first communication device about the query based on the compiled response comprises:

creating, by the computer system, a virtual one-to-one channel for communications between the first communication device and the additional communication device.

16. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the compiled response comprises delivery of the query to a selected plurality of the additional communication devices associated with selected specific users of the plurality of additional users; and

wherein the responding, by the computer system via the second communication device, to the first communication device about the query based on the compiled response comprises:

creating, by the computer system, a virtual one-to-one channel for communications between the first communication device and an additional communication device of an initial user of the selected specific users to respond to the query.

17. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the compiled response comprises delivery of the query to a selected plurality of the additional communication devices associated with selected specific users of the plurality of additional users; and

wherein the responding, by the computer system via the second communication device, to the first communication device about the query based on the compiled response comprises:

creating, by the computer system, a virtual one-to-many channel for communications between the first communication device and the selected plurality of the additional communication devices.

18. The method as recited in claim 17 , further comprising:

causing, by the computer system, one of the selected plurality of the additional communication devices to depart the virtual one-to-many channel based upon a user of the one of the selected plurality of the additional communication devices activating an inhibitor on the one of the selected plurality of the additional communication devices.

19. A non-transitory computer-usable storage medium having instructions embodied therein that when executed cause a computer system of an observation platform to perform a method of query response, the observation platform comprising the computer system which is associated with an organization, a first communication device associated with a first user, a second communication device associated with and communicatively coupled with the computer system, and a plurality of additional communication devices each associated with a different user of a plurality of additional users, and the method comprising:

receiving, by the computer system via the second communication device, a signal from the first communication device, wherein a characteristic of the signal corresponds to an audible source, the audible source being a voice of the first user;

deriving, by the computer system, context information at least in part from a speech to text analysis of the characteristic that corresponds to the audible source, wherein the context information comprises a query about the organization made by the first user;

compiling, by the computer system, a response to the query; and

responding, by the computer system via the second communication device, to the first communication device about the query based on the compiled response.

20. The non-transitory computer-usable storage medium as recited in claim 19 , wherein, further comprising:

recording, by the computer system, the compiled response.

21. The non-transitory computer-usable storage medium as recited in claim 19 , wherein, further comprising:

forwarding, by the computer system, the compiled response to a person associated with the organization for awareness of one of needs and requirements of the first user.

22. The non-transitory computer-usable storage medium as recited in claim 19 , wherein, further comprising:

determining, by the computer system, performance metrics regarding the responding to the first communication device about the query.

23. The non-transitory computer-usable storage medium as recited in claim 19 , wherein the compiled response comprises a result of a keyword search of a database; and

wherein the responding by the computer system via the second communication device, to the first communication device about the query based on the compiled response comprises:

sending, by the computer system via the second communication device, the result of the keyword search to the first communication device.

24. The non-transitory computer-usable storage medium as recited in claim 19 , wherein, wherein the compiled response comprises delivery of the query to an additional communication device associated with a specific user of the plurality of additional users; and

wherein the responding, by the computer system via the second communication device, to the first communication device about the query based on the compiled response comprises:

creating, by the computer system, a virtual one-to-one channel for communications between the first communication device and the additional communication device.

25. The non-transitory computer-usable storage medium as recited in claim 19 , wherein, wherein the compiled response comprises delivery of the query to a selected plurality of the additional communication devices associated with selected specific users of the plurality of additional users; and

wherein the responding, by the computer system via the second communication device, to the first communication device about the query based on the compiled response comprises:

creating, by the computer system, a virtual one-to-one channel for communications between the first communication device and an additional communication device of an initial user of the selected specific users to respond to the query.

26. The non-transitory computer-usable storage medium as recited in claim 19 , wherein, wherein the compiled response comprises delivery of the query to a selected plurality of the additional communication devices associated with selected specific users of the plurality of additional users; and

wherein the responding, by the computer system via the second communication device, to the first communication device about the query based on the compiled response comprises:

creating, by the computer system, a virtual one-to-many channel for communications between the first communication device and the selected plurality of the additional communication devices.

Assignments (6)

Continuity (10)