Outputting audio notifications based on determination of device presence in a vehicle

• US 10,237,386 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2017
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: LeBeau, Michael J., Jitkoff, John Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): Roberts, Shaun
• Application Number:
  US15/797,471
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 704260, 4555759, 455563, 455564, 4555692
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/08 Text analysis or generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text, e.g. grapheme to phoneme translation, prosody generation or stress or intonation determination
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6058 involving the use of a headset accessory device connected to the portable telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/005 Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of determining when an audio notification should be generated includes detecting receipt of a triggering event that occurs on a user device; generating, based on detecting, the audio notification for the triggering event; receiving, from the user device, a user voice command responding to the audio notification; and generating a response to the user voice command based on one or more of (i) information associated with the audio notification, and (ii) information associated with the user voice command.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

determining, by one or more computer processors, that a particular computing device received a text message;

determining, by the one or more computer processors, whether a user-modifiable attribute specifies that the particular computing device is to present audible notifications of text messages responsive to determining that the particular computing device is located in an automobile;

determining, by the one or more computer processors, whether the particular computing device is located in an automobile;

determining, by the one or more computer processors and based on both (a) the determination whether the user-modifiable attribute specifies that the particular computing device is to present audible notifications of text messages responsive to determining that the particular computing device is located in an automobile, and (b) the determination whether the particular computing device is located in an automobile, whether to cause the particular computing device to present an audible notification that the particular computing device received the text message; and

causing, by the one or more computer processors and responsive to both (a) determining that the user-modifiable attribute specifies that the particular computing device is to present audible notifications of text messages responsive to determining that the particular computing device is located in an automobile and (b) determining that the particular computing device is located in an automobile, the particular computing device to present the audible notification that the particular computing device received the text message,

wherein the one or more computer processors are configured to prevent the particular computing device from presenting the audible notification that the particular computing device received the text message, responsive to the one or more computer processors determining that the particular computing device is not located in an automobile.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein causing the particular computing device to present the audible notification includes causing the particular computing device to play an audible sound that indicates that the particular computing device received the text message.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the audible notification includes an audible message that was generated by a text-to-speech converter that converted textual information in the text message to the audible message;

causing the particular computing device to present the audible notification includes causing the particular computing device to play the audible message that includes generated speech; and

the one or more computer processors being configured to prevent the particular computing device from presenting the audible notification includes the one or more computer processors being configured to prevent the particular computing device from playing the audible message that includes generated speech.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the particular computing device is located in an automobile includes a sensor in the particular computing device detecting that the particular computing device is located in an automobile.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the particular computing device is located in an automobile includes the particular computing device determining whether it is electrically docked in an automobile.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the particular computing device is a cellular telephone that is adapted to receive telephone calls.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the particular computing device is a cellular telephone that is adapted to receive telephone calls, and

determining that the particular computing device received the text message includes determining that the particular computing device received an SMS message.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the text message was transmitted to the particular computing device over a network.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations that include:

determining, by one or more computer processors, that a particular computing device received a text message;

determining, by the one or more computer processors, whether a user-modifiable attribute specifies that the particular computing device is to present audible notifications of text messages responsive to determining that the particular computing device is located in an automobile;

determining, by the one or more computer processors, whether the particular computing device is located in an automobile;

determining, by the one or more computer processors and based on both (a) the determination whether the user-modifiable attribute specifies that the particular computing device is to present audible notifications of text messages responsive to determining that the particular computing device is located in an automobile, and (b) the determination whether the particular computing device is located in an automobile, whether to cause the particular computing device to present an audible notification that the particular computing device received the text message; and

causing, by the one or more computer processors and responsive to both (a) determining that the user-modifiable attribute specifies that the particular computing device is to present audible notifications of text messages responsive to determining that the particular computing device is located in an automobile and (b) determining that the particular computing device is located in an automobile, the particular computing device to present the audible notification that the particular computing device received the text message,

wherein the one or more computer processors are configured to prevent the particular computing device from presenting the audible notification that the particular computing device received the text message, responsive to the one or more computer processors determining that the particular computing device is not located in an automobile.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein causing the particular computing device to present the audible notification includes causing the particular computing device to play an audible sound that indicates that the particular computing device received the text message.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein:

the audible notification includes an audible message that was generated by a text-to-speech converter that converted textual information in the text message to the audible message;

causing the particular computing device to present the audible notification includes causing the particular computing device to play the audible message that includes generated speech; and

the one or more computer processors being configured to prevent the particular computing device from presenting the audible notification includes the one or more computer processors being configured to prevent the particular computing device from playing the audible message that includes generated speech.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein determining whether the particular computing device is located in an automobile includes a sensor in the particular computing device detecting that the particular computing device is located in an automobile.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein determining whether the particular computing device is located in an automobile includes the particular computing device determining that it is electrically docked in an automobile.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the particular computing device is a cellular telephone that is adapted to receive telephone calls.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein:

the particular computing device is a cellular telephone that is adapted to receive telephone calls, and

determining that the particular computing device received the text message includes determining that the particular computing device received an SMS message.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the text message was transmitted to the particular computing device over a network.