Providing a communications channel between instances of automated assistants

• US 10,198,877 B1
• Filed: 06/14/2018
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Maltsev, Alexandr, Aggarwal, Vikram, Gali, Moises Morgenstern, Pirozzo, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Mirza, Adnan M
• Application Number:
  US16/009,116
• Time in Patent Office: 236 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/182 Distributing information between displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/563 Vehicle displaying mobile device information
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/566 Mobile devices displaying vehicle information
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/569 Vehicle controlling mobile device functions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/573 Mobile devices controlling vehicle functions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/589 Wireless data transfers
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/80 Arrangements for controlling instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/85 Arrangements for transferring vehicle- or driver-related data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/00 Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/006 Indicating maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0825 using optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 : Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 : specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 : for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]

Abstract

Implementations relate to interactions, over a wireless communication modality, between an automated assistant of an automobile computer system, and separate client device(s). In some of those implementations, the client device(s) can be paired with the automobile computer system, and the client device(s) and the automobile computer system can include separate instances of an automated assistant, which can be associated with different user accounts. In some additional or alternative implementations, particular actions to be performed by a local application of a client device can be advanced via user interaction with the automobile automated assistant, despite a counterpart to the local application not being installed directly on automobile computer system. For example, despite an automobile computer system not having a third-party messaging application installed, the automobile automated assistant can access requested actions to be performed by the third-party messaging application in order to further a requested action. The automobile computer system can transmit, via the wireless communication modality, content to cause the third-party application to further the requested action.

Claims

1. A method implemented by one or more processors, the method comprising:

identifying, by an automobile automated assistant, a first action intent request that is generated at a client device, the client device and a separate client device being paired with an automobile computer system via a wireless communication channel, wherein the automobile computer system includes the automobile automated assistant;

determining, in response to identifying the first action intent request, that the first action intent request identifies;

a first requested action to be performed, content data to be accessed for performing the first requested action, and an identifier that is associated with an application at the client device that at least partially caused the first action intent request to be available to the automobile computer system,

wherein the separate client device includes another application that was provided by a different third party relative to a third party that provided the application at the client device, and

wherein the automobile computer system is void of an installed application provided by the third party;

identifying, by the automobile automated assistant, a separate action intent request that was generated at the separate client device;

causing, in furtherance of the first requested action to be performed, an automated assistant interface accessible to the automobile computer system to provide an output to a user of the automobile computer system, wherein the output is based on the content data of the first action intent request;

determining, by the automobile automated assistant, that the user provided an input in response to the output provided at the automated assistant interface;

providing, in response to determining that the user provided the input, a second action intent request to the client device, wherein the second action intent request identifies;

a second requested action to be performed at the client device, other content data that is based on the input provided by the user, and the identifier; and

causing the second requested action to be performed at the client device according to the second action intent request, wherein the second requested action is performed by the application using the other content data, and the application is identified by the client device using the identifier provided in the second action intent request.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, in response to determining that the user provided the input, a third action intent request to the client device, the third action intent request identifying the identifier and a third requested action, wherein, in response to the client device receiving the third action intent request, the third action intent request causes a pendency of the second action intent request at the client device to be dismissed.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

causing, in response to determining that the user provided the input, a dismissal of a separate pendency of a corresponding instance of the second action intent request, wherein the corresponding instance of the second action intent request is provided at the automobile computer system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the pendency of the second action intent request is indicated by a first automated assistant event handler accessible via the client device, and the separate pendency of the corresponding instance of the second action intent request is indicated by a second automated assistant event handler accessible via the automobile computer system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the separate action intent request includes another identifier generated by the separate client device, and the method further comprises:

designating, based on a difference between the identifier and the other identifier, the first action intent request as a priority over the separate action intent request.

6. A method implemented by one or more processors, the method comprising:

connecting, using an automobile computer system, with a first client device via a wireless communication modality, the first client device comprising a client automated assistant, and the automobile computer system comprising an automobile automated assistant and an automobile sensor application, the automobile sensor application configured to monitor at least one sensor of the automobile computer system;

connecting, using the automobile computer system, with a second client device via the wireless communication modality, wherein the second client device is separate from the first client device and includes another client automated assistant;

determining, by the automobile computer system, that a first action intent request was generated at the first client device by an application, wherein the application corresponds to a particular category of service and is provided by a first service provider;

determining, by the automobile computer system, that a second action intent request was generated at the second client device by another application, wherein the other application corresponds to the particular category of service and is provided by a second service provider that is different from the first service provider, and the second action intent request is separate from the first action intent request;

determining, using the automobile computer system, that a third action intent request was generated at the automobile sensor application, wherein the third action intent request is generated based on sensor data from the at least one sensor of the automobile computer system;

generating, by the automobile automated assistant, data indicating a pendency of each action intent request of the first action intent request, the second action intent request, and the third action intent request, wherein the data is stored at the automobile computer system; and

causing, according to the data, one or more interfaces connected to the automobile computer system to provide a notification for each action intent request of the first action intent request, the second action intent request, and the third action intent request.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

processing, for each action intent request of the first action intent request and the second action intent request, content of each message embodied by each action intent request, wherein the processing of the content of each message is performed inattentive of whether each message was provided by a service provider of the first service provider and the second service provider.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein generating the data indicating the pendency of each action intent request includes:

generating, by the automobile automated assistant, a corresponding instance of each action intent request of the first action intent request, the second action intent request, and the third action intent request.

9. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory configured to store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations that include;

identifying, by an automobile automated assistant, a first action intent request that is generated at a client device, the client device and a separate client device being paired with an automobile computer system via a wireless communication channel, wherein the automobile computer system includes the automobile automated assistant;

determining, in response to identifying the first action intent request, that the first action intent request identifies;

a first requested action to be performed, content data to be accessed for performing the first requested action, and an identifier that is associated with an application at the client device that at least partially caused the first action intent request to be available to the automobile computer system,

wherein the separate client device includes another application that was provided by a different third party relative to a third party that provided the application at the client device, and

wherein the automobile computer system is void of an installed application provided by the third party;

identifying, by the automobile automated assistant, a separate action intent request that was generated at the separate client device;

causing, in furtherance of the first requested action to be performed, an automated assistant interface accessible to the automobile computer system to provide an output to a user of the automobile computer system, wherein the output is based on the content data of the first action intent request;

determining, by the automobile automated assistant, that the user provided an input in response to the output provided at the automated assistant interface;

providing, in response to determining that the user provided the input, a second action intent request to the client device, wherein the second action intent request identifies;

a second requested action to be performed at the client device, other content data that is based on the input provided by the user, and the identifier; and

causing the second requested action to be performed at the client device according to the second action intent request, wherein the second requested action is performed by the application using the other content data, and the application is identified by the client device using the identifier provided in the second action intent request.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further include:

providing, in response to determining that the user provided the input, a third action intent request to the client device, the third action intent request identifying the identifier and a third requested action, wherein, in response to the client device receiving the third action intent request, the third action intent request causes a pendency of the second action intent request at the client device to be dismissed.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further include:

causing, in response to determining that the user provided the input, a dismissal of a separate pendency of a corresponding instance of the second action intent request, wherein the corresponding instance of the second action intent request is provided at the automobile computer system.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the pendency of the second action intent request is indicated by a first automated assistant event handler accessible via the client device, and the separate pendency of the corresponding instance of the second action intent request is indicated by a second automated assistant event handler accessible via the automobile computer system.