Bot group messaging method

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a group messaging service configured to manage communications of a plurality of groups of user nodes via the internet, a message from a user node of a group, the message comprising:

a bot identifier, bots comprising software applications for performing one or more tasks over the internet,

a group identifier to identify the group having a specific plurality of user nodes, and

a node identifier for the user node;

determining, at the group messaging service, whether the group includes a bot corresponding to the bot identifier by searching a data structure of the group based on the group identifier and the bot identifier;

based on the determination,

when the group does not include the bot, sending, by the group messaging service, a notification to the user node that the bot is not assigned to the group; and

when the group does include the bot, sending, by the group messaging service, the message to the bot.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein prior to receiving the message, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the group messaging service, a request to add the bot to the group;

verifying the bot is available over the internet;

configuring the bot into the group; and

providing a notification that the bot is configured into the group.

3. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising:

sending the message to other user nodes of the group, the group comprising the other user nodes, in response to one of:

determining the group comprises no bots; and

determining the group comprises one or more bots and the message address does not correspond to the one or more bots.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the message comprises recorded audio, a first group identifier, and an identifier of the user node.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the group messaging service comprises a plurality of data structures for a plurality of groups, the plurality of data structures each comprising the user node identifier and a unique second group identifier.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein determining that the group comprises a bot comprising:

selecting a data structure of the plurality of data structures, the selected data structure comprising a second group identifier matching the first group identifier;

reviewing the data structure for bot entries, each comprising a bot identifier and a bot address; and

determining the data structure comprises at least one bot entry.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:

identifying that the message address corresponds to the bot, including identifying a bot entry in the data structure comprising a bot address corresponding to the message address.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein at least one other data structure of the plurality of data structures does not include the bot entry.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein after sending the message to the bot, the bot is configured to perform the one or more tasks identified in the message;

responsively provide a notification associated with the user node to the group messaging service; and

wherein the group messaging service provides a notification related to the one or more tasks to the user node.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining, via the group messaging service, whether the bot identifier corresponds to a shared bot, accessible to all members of the group, or to a per-user bot assigned to a particular user node from the group;

when the bot identifier corresponds to a per-user bot, determining whether the user node is the particular user node; and

sending the message to the bot when the user node is the particular user node.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium configured to store computer instructions that when executed cause a processor to perform:

receiving, by a group messaging service configured to manage communications of a plurality of groups of user nodes via the internet, a message from a user node of a group, the message comprising:

a bot identifier, bots comprising software applications for performing one or more tasks over the internet,

a group identifier to identify the group having a specific plurality of user nodes, and

a node identifier for the user node;

determining whether the group includes a bot corresponding to the bot identifier by searching a data structure of the group based on the group identifier and the bot identifier;

based on the determination,

when the group does not include the bot, sending, by the group messaging service, a notification to the user node that the bot is not assigned to the group; and

when the group does include the bot, sending, by the group messaging service, the message to the bot.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the message comprises recorded audio, a first group identifier, and an identifier of the user node.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12 , further configured to store a plurality of data structures for a plurality of groups, the plurality of data structures each comprising the user node identifier and a unique second group identifier.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein determining that the group comprises a bot comprising:

selecting a data structure of the plurality of data structures, the selected data structure comprising a second group identifier matching the first group identifier;

reviewing the data structure for bot entries each comprising a bot identifier and a bot address; and

determining the data structure comprises at least one bot entry.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14 configured to store computer instructions that when executed cause the processor to further perform:

identifying that the message address corresponds to the bot, including identifying a bot entry in the data structure comprising a bot address corresponding to the message address.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein at least one other data structure of the plurality of data structures does not include the bot entry.

17. A computing system, comprising:

a storage system having program instructions stored therein; and

a processing system, operably coupled to the storage system, configured to execute the program instructions to:

receive, by a group messaging service configured to manage communications of a plurality of groups of user nodes via the internet, a message from a user node of a group, the message comprising:

a bot identifier, bots comprising software applications for performing one or more tasks over the internet,

a group identifier to identify the group having a specific plurality of user nodes, and

a node identifier for the user node;

determine whether the group includes a bot corresponding to the bot identifier by searching a data structure of the group based on the group identifier and the bot identifier;

based on the determination,

when the group does not include the bot, sending, by the group messaging service, a notification to the user node that the bot is not assigned to the group; and

when the group does include the bot, send the message to the bot.

18. The computing system of claim 17 , wherein prior to receiving the message, the processing system configured to:

receive, by the group messaging service, a request to add the bot to the group;

verify the bot is available over the internet;

configure the bot into the group; and

provide a notification that the bot is configured into the group.

19. The computing system of claim 17 , wherein the message comprises recorded audio, a first group identifier, and an identifier of the user node, wherein the storage system has stored thereto a plurality of data structures for a plurality of groups, the plurality of data structures each comprising the user node identifier and a unique second group identifier.

20. The computing system of claim 19 , wherein a data structure of the plurality of data structures comprises a second group identifier matching the first group identifier and a bot entry comprising a bot address corresponding to the message address, wherein at least one other data structure of the plurality of data structures does not include the bot entry.