Voice-controlled audio communication system

• US 10,044,869 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2016
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Todasco, Michael C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bezuayehu, Solomon
• Application Number:
  US15/197,077
• Publication Number:
  US 20180007210A1
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 379 8801- 8819
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/45 related to voicemail messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6045 Identity confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/12 Language recognition, selection or translation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53366 Message disposing or creating aspects

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing an audio communication system include receiving from a first user, by a microphone of a first voice-controlled device of a plurality of voice-controlled devices in an audio communication system, a first audio message and an audio command to provide the audio message to a second user. An identity of the second user associated with a user profile based on the audio command is determined. The first audio message is provided to a second voice-controlled device of the plurality of voice-controlled devices to output the audio message at a speaker of the voice-controlled device to the second user that is proximity to the second voice-controlled device.

Claims

1. An audio communication system, comprising:

a first voice-controlled device comprising;

a microphone configured to capture audio from a surrounding location;

a speaker configured to output audio to the surrounding location;

a first communication interface configured to provide wireless communications with a user device;

a non-transitory memory; and

one or more hardware processors coupled to the non-transitory memory, the microphone, the first communication interface, and the speaker, wherein the one or more hardware processors are configured to execute instructions from the non-transitory memory to cause the system to perform operations comprising;

receiving, via the microphone from a first user, a first audio message and an audio command to provide the first audio message to a second user;

receiving, via the first communication interface, a user device identifier of the user device that is within a first predetermined range of the first voice-controlled device;

determining an identity of the first user based on the user device identifier;

determining an identity of the second user based on the audio command to provide the first audio message to the second user and the identity of the first user;

providing the first audio message to the second user; and

determining, using the identity of the first user that is based on the user device identifier received via the first communication interface, that a second audio message is stored in a database that is destined for the first user, and in response, providing, via the speaker, the second audio message while the user device is within a second predetermined range of the first voice-controlled device.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second communication interface configured to communicate with a network and that is coupled to the one or more hardware processors.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a third user is within a third predetermined range of the first voice-controlled device prior to providing the second audio message via the speaker and while the user device is within the second predetermined range, wherein the providing, via the speaker, the second audio message while the user device is within the second predetermined range of the first voice-controlled device is performed when the third user is no longer detected within the third predetermined range of the first voice-controlled device.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the first user is within the second predetermined range of the first voice-controlled device;

providing, via the network, a notification to a messaging service provider device that the first user is within the second predetermined range of the first voice-controlled device;

receiving a third audio message for the first user from the messaging service provider device in response to providing the notification; and

providing, via the speaker of the first voice-controlled device, the third audio message to the first user.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the providing the first audio message to the second user includes:

determining that the second user is within the second predetermined range of the first voice-controlled device; and

providing, via the speaker of the first voice-controlled device, the first audio message to the second user.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the providing the first audio message to the second user includes:

transmitting the first audio message and an identifier of the second user over the network to a second voice-controlled device, wherein the second voice-controlled device determines the second user is within a third predetermined range of the second voice-controlled device and, in response, provides the first audio message via a speaker of the second voice-controlled device to the second user.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the providing the first audio message to the second user includes:

providing, to a messaging service provider device via the network, the first audio message and the identity of the second user, wherein the messaging service provider device monitors a plurality of voice-controlled devices for an identifier associated with the second user that indicates the second user is within a third predetermined range of a voice-controlled device of the plurality of voice-controlled device, and in response to receiving the identifier of the second user from a voice-controlled device, providing the first audio message to the voice-controlled device where the second user is within the third predetermined range of the voice-controlled device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the audio command includes a condition to be satisfied before providing the first audio message to the second user, and wherein the operations further comprise:

determining the condition has been satisfied and, in response, providing the first audio message to the second user.

9. A method for providing audio messages, comprising:

receiving, from a first user by a microphone of a first voice-controlled device of a plurality of voice-controlled devices in an audio communication system, a first audio message and an audio command to provide the first audio message to a second user;

receiving, via a first communication interface included on the first voice-controlled device and configured to wirelessly communicate with a user device associated with the first user, a user device identifier of the user device that is within a first predetermined range of the first voice-controlled device;

determining an identity of the first user based on the user device identifier;

determining an identity of the second user based on the audio command to provide the first audio message to the second user and the identity of the first user;

providing, to a second voice-controlled device of the plurality of voice-controlled devices, the first audio message to output the first audio message at a speaker of the second voice-controlled device to the second user; and

determining, using the identity of the first user that is based on the user device identifier received via the first communication interface, that a second audio message is stored in a database that is destined for the first user, and in response, providing, via a speaker included on the first voice-controlled device, the second audio message while the user device is within a second predetermined range of the first voice-controlled device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the providing, to the second voice-controlled device of the plurality of voice-controlled devices, the first audio message to output the first audio message at the speaker of the second voice-controlled device to the second user includes providing the first audio message over a network via a second communication interface included on the first voice-controlled device and coupled to the network, wherein the network is coupled to the second voice-controlled device.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining a third user is within a third predetermined range of the first voice-controlled device prior to providing the second audio message via the speaker of the first voice-controlled device and while the user device is within the second predetermined range, wherein the providing, via the speaker the second audio message while the user device is within a second predetermined range of the first voice-controlled device is performed when the third user is no longer detected within the third predetermined range of the first voice-controlled device.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining that the first user is within the second predetermined range of the first voice-controlled device;

providing a notification to a messaging service provider device that the first user is in the second predetermined range of the first voice-controlled device;

receiving a third audio message for the first user from the messaging service provider device in response to providing the notification; and

providing, via the speaker of the first voice-controlled device, the third audio message to the first user.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the providing the first audio message to the second voice-controlled device to output the first audio message at the speaker of the second voice-controlled device to the second user includes:

determining that the second user is within a third predetermined range of the second voice-controlled device; and

providing, via the speaker of the second voice-controlled device, the first audio message to the second user.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the providing the first audio message to the second voice-controlled device to output the first audio message at the speaker of the second voice-controlled device to the second user includes:

providing, to a messaging service provider device over a network via a second communication interface included on the first voice-controlled device, the first audio message and the audio command, wherein the messaging service provider device determines the identity of the second user and monitors a plurality of voice-controlled devices for an identifier associated with the second user that indicates the second user is within a third predetermined range of the second voice-controlled device, and in response to receiving the identifier of the second user from the second voice-controlled device, providing the first audio message to the second voice-controlled device that the second user is within the third predetermined range of the second voice-controlled device.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon machine-readable instructions executable to cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a first user by a microphone of a first voice-controlled device of a plurality of voice-controlled devices in an audio communication system, a first audio message and an audio command to provide the first audio message to a second user;

receiving, via a first communication interface included on the first voice-controlled device, a user device identifier of a user device that is within a predetermined range of the first voice-controlled device;

determining an identity of the first user based on the user device identifier;

determining an identity of the second user based on the audio command to provide the first audio message to a second user and the identity of the first user; and

providing, to a second voice-controlled device of the plurality of voice-controlled devices, the first audio message to output the first audio message at a speaker of the second voice-controlled device to the second user; and

determining, using the identity of the first user that is based on the user device identifier received via the first communication interface, that a second audio message is stored in a database that is destined for the first user, and in response, providing, via a speaker included on the first voice-controlled device, the second audio message while the user device is within a second predetermined range of the first voice-controlled device.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the providing, to the second voice-controlled device of the plurality of voice-controlled devices, the first audio message to output the first audio message at the speaker of the second voice-controlled device to the second user includes providing the first audio message over a network via a second communication interface included on the first voice-controlled device and coupled to the network, wherein the network is coupled to the second voice-controlled device.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a third user is within a third predetermined range of the first voice-controlled device prior to providing the second audio message via the speaker included on the first voice-controlled device and while the user device is within the second predetermined range, wherein the providing, via the speaker included on the first voice-controlled device the second audio message while the user device is within a second predetermined range of the first voice-controlled device is performed when the third user is no longer detected within the third predetermined range of the first voice-controlled device.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the first user is within the second predetermined range of the first voice-controlled device;

providing a notification to a messaging service provider device that the first user is within the second predetermined range of the first voice-controlled device;

receiving a third audio message for the first user from the messaging service provider device in response to providing the notification; and

providing, via the speaker of the first voice-controlled device, the third audio message to the first user.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the providing the first audio message to the second voice-controlled device to output the first audio message at the speaker of the second voice-controlled device to the second user includes:

determining that the second user is within a third predetermined range of the second voice-controlled device; and

providing, via the speaker of the second voice-controlled device, the first audio message to the second user.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the providing the first audio message to the second voice-controlled device to output the first audio message at the speaker of the second voice-controlled device to the second user includes:

providing, to a messaging service provider device over a network, the first audio message and the audio command, wherein the messaging service provider device determines the identity of the second user and monitors the plurality of voice-controlled devices for an identifier associated with the second user that indicates the second user is within a third predetermined range of the second voice-controlled device of the plurality of voice-controlled devices, and in response to receiving the identifier of the second user from the second voice-controlled device, providing the first audio message to the second voice-controlled device that the second user is within the third predetermined range of the second voice-controlled device.