<s>
Colloquis	B-Protocol
,	O
previously	O
known	O
as	O
ActiveBuddy	B-Protocol
and	O
Conversagent	O
,	O
was	O
a	O
company	O
that	O
created	O
conversation-based	O
interactive	O
agents	O
originally	O
distributed	O
via	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
idea	O
for	O
interactive	O
agents	O
(	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
Internet	B-Protocol
bots	I-Protocol
)	O
came	O
from	O
the	O
team	O
's	O
vision	O
to	O
add	O
functionality	O
to	O
increasingly	O
popular	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
various	O
applications	O
were	O
bundled	O
into	O
a	O
single	O
entity	O
and	O
launched	O
as	O
SmarterChild	B-Protocol
in	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SmarterChild	B-Protocol
acted	O
as	O
a	O
showcase	O
for	O
the	O
quick	O
data	O
access	O
and	O
possibilities	O
for	O
fun	O
conversation	O
that	O
the	O
company	O
planned	O
to	O
turn	O
into	O
customized	O
,	O
niche	O
specific	O
products	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
rapid	O
success	O
of	O
SmarterChild	B-Protocol
led	O
to	O
targeted	O
promotional	O
products	O
for	O
Radiohead	O
,	O
Austin	O
Powers	O
,	O
The	O
Sporting	O
News	O
,	O
and	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ActiveBuddy	B-Protocol
sought	O
to	O
strengthen	O
its	O
hold	O
on	O
the	O
interactive	O
agent	O
market	O
for	O
the	O
future	O
by	O
filing	O
for	O
,	O
and	O
receiving	O
,	O
a	O
controversial	O
patent	O
on	O
their	O
creation	O
in	O
2002	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
also	O
released	O
the	O
BuddyScript	O
SDK	O
,	O
a	O
free	O
developer	O
kit	O
that	O
allow	O
programmers	O
to	O
design	O
and	O
launch	O
their	O
own	O
interactive	O
agents	O
using	O
ActiveBuddy	B-Protocol
’s	O
proprietary	O
scripting	O
language	O
,	O
in	O
2002	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
subsequently	O
changed	O
its	O
name	O
from	O
ActiveBuddy	B-Protocol
to	O
Conversagent	O
in	O
2003	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
again	O
to	O
Colloquis	B-Protocol
in	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Colloquis	B-Protocol
was	O
later	O
purchased	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
in	O
October	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
of	O
the	O
ActiveBuddy	B-Protocol
,	O
Colloquis	B-Protocol
and	O
Microsoft	O
team	O
that	O
launched	O
and	O
nurtured	O
SmarterChild	B-Protocol
is	O
now	O
working	O
on	O
AB2	O
.	O
</s>
