Agent-Side Chatbot Simulator with Throttling
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Solution Overview
Problem
It is challenging to test the performance of communication and computer systems that facilitate user-agent conversations due to the inconsistent behaviors of human agents and varying user expectations, making it difficult to ensure adequate computing resources are allocated and to avoid unnecessary resource allocation.
Innovation Solution
An agent-side chatbot simulator with throttling capabilities is developed, utilizing an AI engine that generates simulated user-agent interactions, including response configurations and control commands to mimic real-world interactions, allowing for automated testing of chatbot systems without the need for session handling, thereby reducing computational resources and enabling the simulation of high volumes of conversations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If human agents are used for testing user-agent conversations, then realistic interaction scenarios can be tested, but inconsistent agent behaviors and varying user expectations make performance testing difficult and unreliable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a simulated agent that copies and mimics the behavior patterns of real human agents through machine learning. The simulated agent reproduces characteristic response times, communication styles, and interaction patterns without the variability and inconsistency of human agents, enabling reliable and repeatable performance testing while maintaining realistic interaction scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the testing approach by changing the fundamental parameter of agent type from human to simulated. This parameter change eliminates the inherent variability of human behaviors while allowing controlled adjustment of interaction parameters such as response time, conversation complexity, and scenario types, thereby achieving both reliability and adaptability in testing.
2Reliability
If adequate computing resources are allocated to handle all possible user-agent interactions, then system performance can be maintained, but surplus resources are unnecessarily consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by implementing throttling mechanisms that control the rate and volume of simulated interactions based on system capacity. Rather than allocating resources for all possible interactions, the system dynamically adjusts the testing load to match available resources, eliminating surplus resource consumption while maintaining reliable performance testing through controlled, partial utilization of computing capacity.
3Productivity
If automated testing tools are used to test chatbot interactions, then testing efficiency can be improved, but it remains difficult to test the performance of communication systems that link users to human agents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a simulated agent as an intermediary between automated testing tools and human agent interaction scenarios. This intermediary enables automated testing to effectively evaluate communication systems that link users to human agents by translating automated test commands into realistic agent-like responses, thereby maintaining both testing efficiency and the ability to assess human agent interaction performance.
4Quantity of substance
If the chatbot system processes high volumes of concurrent conversations, then service coverage can be improved, but the system may crash or provide irrelevant responses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by conducting performance testing and threshold determination before deploying the chatbot system to handle high volumes of concurrent conversations. Through simulated agent interactions, the system identifies performance thresholds and optimal resource allocation parameters in advance, enabling the chatbot to maintain reliability when processing high conversation volumes by pre-configuring throttling parameters based on predicted load conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
This application describes apparatus and methods for an agent-side simulator for testing chatbot systems. The agent-side simulator may be configured to mimic behavior of a human agent in a chatbot testing environment. The agent-side simulator may throttle the amount of data and the frequency of speed at which the data is processed by components of the chatbot system. The agent-side simulator may test how much data that can be processed by a chatbot system and the speed which a target volume of data can be processed by the chatbot system. The agent-side simulator may build an agent profiles for different chat conversations. A first agent profile may be used to simulate conversations that require slower response times. A second agent profile may be used to simulate conversations that require faster response times. The agent-side simulator may not perform chat session handling to minimize computing resources consumed by the agent-side simulator.