Edgar Kalns

Provided are systems, methods, such as computer-implemented methods, and
computer-program products for a virtual personal assistant with integrated object recognition
and facial expression recognition. A virtual personal assistant (VPA) is an electronic tool that
enables a person to interact with a computer-driven device using multi-modal inputs, such as
spoken, written, or typed natural language, verbal cues, emotional cues, and/or visual cues. A
virtual personal assistant is… Show more

Provided are systems, methods, such as computer-implemented methods, and
computer-program products for a virtual personal assistant with integrated object recognition
and facial expression recognition. A virtual personal assistant (VPA) is an electronic tool that
enables a person to interact with a computer-driven device using multi-modal inputs, such as
spoken, written, or typed natural language, verbal cues, emotional cues, and/or visual cues. A
virtual personal assistant is capable of determining a person's intent, as well as the person's
emotional, mental or cognitive state. Using this information, the virtual personal assistant is
able to engage the personal in an interactive dialog, which can be steered or directed by the
person. By interacting and reacting with the person, the virtual personal assistant can
accomplish a task for the person. Show less

A computing system is operable as virtual personal assistant (VPA) to understand relationships between different instances of natural language dialog expressed by different people in a multi-person conversational dialog session. The VPA can develop a common resource, a shared intent, which represents the VPA's semantic understanding of at least a portion of the multi-person dialog experience. The VPA can store and manipulate multiple shared intents, and can alternate between different shared… Show more

A computing system is operable as virtual personal assistant (VPA) to understand relationships between different instances of natural language dialog expressed by different people in a multi-person conversational dialog session. The VPA can develop a common resource, a shared intent, which represents the VPA's semantic understanding of at least a portion of the multi-person dialog experience. The VPA can store and manipulate multiple shared intents, and can alternate between different shared intents as the multi-person conversation unfolds. With the shared intents, the computing system can generate useful action items and present the action items to one or more of the participants in the dialog session. Show less

A virtual personal assistant (VPA) application analyzes intents to, among other things, enhance or personalize a user's dialog experience with the VPA application. A set of intents, or multiple sets of intents, are maintained over the course of one or more user-specific dialog sessions with the VPA. Inferences may be derived from the set or sets of intents and incorporated into a current or future dialog session between the VPA and a user of the VPA application. In some embodiments, the… Show more

A virtual personal assistant (VPA) application analyzes intents to, among other things, enhance or personalize a user's dialog experience with the VPA application. A set of intents, or multiple sets of intents, are maintained over the course of one or more user-specific dialog sessions with the VPA. Inferences may be derived from the set or sets of intents and incorporated into a current or future dialog session between the VPA and a user of the VPA application. In some embodiments, the inferences are only made available through the systemic understanding of natural language discourse by the VPA. Show less

Methods, computing devices, and computer-program products are provided for implementing a virtual personal assistant. In various implementations, a virtual personal assistant can be configured to receive sensory input, including at least two different types of information. The virtual personal assistant can further be configured to determine semantic information from the sensory input, and to identify a context-specific framework. The virtual personal assistant can further be configured to… Show more

Methods, computing devices, and computer-program products are provided for implementing a virtual personal assistant. In various implementations, a virtual personal assistant can be configured to receive sensory input, including at least two different types of information. The virtual personal assistant can further be configured to determine semantic information from the sensory input, and to identify a context-specific framework. The virtual personal assistant can further be configured to determine a current intent. Determining the current intent can include using the semantic information and the context-specific framework. The virtual personal assistant can further be configured to determine a current input state. Determining the current input state can include using the semantic information and one or more behavioral models. The behavioral models can include one or more interpretations of previously-provided semantic information. The virtual personal assistant can further be configured to determine an action using the current intent and the current input state. Show less

Provided is a method for automatic execution of actionable tasks, which facilitates the creation of a platform for one-point management of multiple activities and events by enabling automatic performance of various tasks associated with sending wishes and gifts, travel check-ins, travel planning, banking, dining out, making reservations, and other activities. The method may utilize data associated with events or activities from one or more input sources. The method may include identifying one… Show more

Provided is a method for automatic execution of actionable tasks, which facilitates the creation of a platform for one-point management of multiple activities and events by enabling automatic performance of various tasks associated with sending wishes and gifts, travel check-ins, travel planning, banking, dining out, making reservations, and other activities. The method may utilize data associated with events or activities from one or more input sources. The method may include identifying one or more actionable tasks, creating one or more automatically executable tasks based on the one or more actionable tasks, executing the created automatically executable actionable tasks, and presenting the results to the user Show less

Provided is a method for sending event-triggered messages and gifts to network users, the message being generated by a triggering event. In one embodiment, meaningful events that are associated with a social network connection of a user are used as the triggering events. The method may comprise monitoring one or more events associated with one or more user connections in one or more social networks, identifying the events, generating the one or more connection-related actionable items… Show more

Provided is a method for sending event-triggered messages and gifts to network users, the message being generated by a triggering event. In one embodiment, meaningful events that are associated with a social network connection of a user are used as the triggering events. The method may comprise monitoring one or more events associated with one or more user connections in one or more social networks, identifying the events, generating the one or more connection-related actionable items, presenting the one or more connection-related actionable items to the user, receiving a user request to execute the one or more connection related items, and executing the one or more connection-related actionable items. Additionally, the user may be able to purchase one or more gifts and attach the one or more gift cards to messages sent to the one or more connections. Show less

A platform for developing a virtual personal assistant (“VPA”) application includes an ontology that defines a computerized structure for representing knowledge relating to one or more domains. A domain may refer to a category of information and/or activities in relation to which the VPA application may engage in a conversational natural language dialog with a computing device user. Re-usable VPA components may be linked to or included in the ontology. An ontology populating agent may at least… Show more

A platform for developing a virtual personal assistant (“VPA”) application includes an ontology that defines a computerized structure for representing knowledge relating to one or more domains. A domain may refer to a category of information and/or activities in relation to which the VPA application may engage in a conversational natural language dialog with a computing device user. Re-usable VPA components may be linked to or included in the ontology. An ontology populating agent may at least partially automate the process of populating the ontology with domain-specific information. The re-usable VPA components may be linked with the domain-specific information through the ontology. A VPA application created with the platform may include domain-adapted re-usable VPA components that may be called upon by an executable VPA engine to determine a likely intended meaning of conversational natural language input of the user and/or initiate an appropriate system response to the input. Show less