Data processing: artificial intelligence – Knowledge processing system
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-14
2001-05-29
Davis, George B. (Department: 2122)
Data processing: artificial intelligence
Knowledge processing system
C704S246000, C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06240405
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an information processor which has a secretary agent function of identifying an accesser to the processor and performs a process on behalf of the accesser.
2. Related Art
Recently, as businesses have become more information oriented, personal computers have become vital tools. It is commonplace to see one computer per employee. Also, within a company, the various information obtained by dispersed work using each individual's personal computer is compiled and then used jointly. Thus, the use of a LAN (Local Area Network) as the computer network is also becoming rapidly more and more widespread as a means to improve work efficiency.
Furthermore, along with the spread of computer networks, communication between employees via E-mail has greatly increased because of the LAN. In comparison to the company's LAN, in-home personal computers equipped with a communication function or portable information terminals (hereinafter referred to as PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) carried by the owners are usable to access the company's LAN through the public circuit network enabling them to send and receive E-mails.
In addition, information service networks are also rapidly gaining popularity in which one can use a computer's communication network such as an Internet to access an information service center via a personal computer and a PDA to obtain desired information or reserve tickets, etc.
As the structure of computer communication networks or information service networks composed of a LAN become diversified and increasingly hierarchical, the steps which the user (or owner) must take to access the desired information tend to become increasingly complex. This, however, has become an obstacle to the novice user at computer operation, as opposed to the seasoned user when the novice user uses the network.
Therefore, as it is the novice users who possess or use much of the computers and PDAs, development of access software to allow them to access desired information easily via the network has increased. In order to further upgrade this access software, access software with an agent function have recently been developed and put to the practice.
When this agent function equipped software is introduced into the personal computer and PDA to access the network, it will also be introduced into the server's side of the network which provides the needed information. In response to a simple request by the user, the terminal agent automatically accesses the server within the computer network to cooperate with the server's agent to execute transaction, for example, automatically select necessary information depending on the accessing user, to display the owner's personal schedule if the accessing user is the owner of the terminal, to appropriately deal, in behalf of the owner of the terminal, with the accessing user if the same user is not the owner of the terminal, and to maintain the owner's private information. That is, the software is intended to reduce the user's burden on the access to the network and execute the user's private secretary's transactions in behalf of the user.
Such conventional accessing software having an agent function is intended to cause the agent to execute a personal secretary business which includes reducing the user's operative load for accessing the network while dealing appropriately with a user, other the owner, who has accessed to the terminal. However, in order to realize the proxy business, the following is insufficient.
In the private secretary's proxy business, the agent has accumulated information on a flow of user's business/individual's preference to reduce a load on the user's operation. When a single agent is used by a plurality of users, basic matters of the agent cannot be set in environments which are easy for the individual users to use, and hence the utility of the agent's functions is reduced due to a decrease in user friendliness.
In the conventional accessing software having the agent function, there is basically only one agent for a single user. The proxy business which that agent takes a charge of may cover many various transactions which contain secretary transactions on businesses such as processing of various information items, and business schedule and customer address management, and personal secretary business such as non-business individual schedule management. Thus, the number of the user's instructions or requests increases which is necessary for the user to give by the time when the agent executes a proxy business in behalf of the user. The load on the agent increases. Simultaneously, the load increases which the user processes by the time when the agent executes the proxy business in behalf of the user. Thus, the agent's function cannot rapidly deal with the user's request or instruction as the case may be.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a plurality agents which are each used by a corresponding accessing user and which each identify an accessing user, perform a user's proxy business, and handles even user's special preference to smooth the agent's response to the user's request to thereby utilize the agent function of the accessing software effectively.
Another object of the present invention is to selectively use a plurality of speciality- and time-divided agents to reduce a load processed by a respective one of the agents by the time when a proxy business which the user desires is performed, to cause the respective agent to rapidly deal with the corresponding user's request, rapidly report required information and rapidly perform a process meeting the request.
In order to achieve the above objects, according to the present invention, there is provided an information processor which includes a plurality of agents each for performing in behalf of a user a process which meets a respective one of the user's various requests in accordance with that request, comprising:
information storing means which contains user information in which a plurality of users is placed in corresponding relationship to a plurality of agents, and a plurality of expression information items each peculiar to a respective one of the plurality of agents;
input means operated by a user for providing a respective one of the user's various processing requests;
identifying means for identifying the user based on the content of that request provided by the input means and the user information; and
responding means for selecting an agent corresponding to the identified user from the user information stored in the information storing means, and for responding to the processing request provided by the input means on the basis of expression information peculiar to the agent contained in the information storing means.
According to this information processor, a proxy business pertinent to the user is executed in behalf of the user by the business proxy function provided for the user. Thus, the user is able to execute the required processing smoothly without feeling complication due to the problem with setting of the proxy processing function and a feeling of wrongness with the sense of sight and auditory sense.
In order to achieve the above objects, according to the present invention, there is also provided an information processor which includes a plurality of agents each for performing in behalf of a user a process depending on the content of a respective one of the user's various requests in accordance with that request, comprising:
information storing means which contains a plurality of expression information items each peculiar to a respective one of the plurality of agents, and a plurality of user information items each on a user which monopolizes a respective one of the plurality of agents;
input means operated by the user for providing a respective one of the user's various processing requests;
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Casio Computer Co. Ltd.
Davis George B.
Frishauf, Holtz Goodman, Langer & Chick, P.C.
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