Cross-device task execution

• US 10,261,830 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2016
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Gupta, Rahul, Rao, Abhijit, Srinivasan, Sundar, Kumar, Nishchay, George, Justin
• Primary Examiner(s): Wai, Eric C
• Application Number:
  US15/182,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20170357534A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,036 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4881 Scheduling strategies for dispatcher, e.g. round robin, multi-level priority queues
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing

Abstract

Techniques and technologies for cross-device task execution are described. In at least some embodiments, a system includes a processing component configured to: receive device information associated with a networked group of devices; receive user preference information indicating one or more user preferences for performing one or more tasks; receive an indication of a task to be performed; select a designated device of the networked group of devices associated with the user to perform the task based at least partially on the user preference information; and transmit the task to be performed to the designated device.

Claims

1. A managing system for cross-device task execution, comprising:

a memory; and

a processing component operatively coupled to the memory, the processing component configured to execute one or more instructions stored on the memory to perform operations including;

receive device information at the managing system, the device information being associated with a networked group of devices associated with a user, the networked group of devices including a first user device and a second user device communicatively coupled with the managing system, the device information indicating (1) that the first user device is configured to perform a first task that the second user device is not configured to perform, (2) that the second user device is configured to perform a second task that the first user device is not configured to perform, (3) that a first personal assistant application is operable on the first user device, and (4) that a second personal assistant application is operable on the second user device;

access user preference information indicating one or more user preferences for performing one or more tasks on one or more of the networked group of devices, the one or more user preferences including at least a user preference for performing the second task on the second user device;

receive an indication at the managing system from the first personal assistant application operable on the first user device of a new task to be performed;

select a designated device to perform the new task based at least partially on the user preference information, including determine whether the new task involves the first task or the second task, and;

(1) if the new task involves the first task, select the first user device as the designated device;

or

(2) if the new task involves the second task, map the new task to be performed into a form suitable to be received by the second personal assistant application operable on the second device, and select the second user device as the designated device; and

transmit the new task to be performed to the designated device.

2. The managing system of claim 1, wherein the processing component configured to receive an indication at the managing system from the first personal assistant application operable on the first user device of a new task to be performed comprises:

a processing component configured to receive an indication at the managing system from the first personal assistant application operable on the first user device of a new task to be performed via at least one of a voice input, a typed input, or a selection from a menu of possible task options.

3. The managing system of claim 1, wherein the processing component configured to receive an indication at the managing system from the first personal assistant application operable on the first user device of a new task to be performed comprises:

a processing component configured to receive an indication from the first personal assistant application operable on the first user device of a new task to be performed, the new task being determined from a spoken input using a voice recognition component of the first personal assistant application.

4. The managing system of claim 1, wherein the processing component configured to receive an indication at the managing system from the first personal assistant application operable on the first user device of a new task to be performed comprises:

a processing component configured to receive an indication at the managing system from the first personal assistant application operable on the first user device of a new task to be performed, the first personal assistant being configured to perform a voice-to-text conversion, and to interpret the text to determine the new task to be performed.

5. The managing system of claim 4, wherein the processing component configured to receive device information, the device information being associated with a networked group of devices associated with a user, the networked group of devices including a first user device and one or more second user devices communicatively coupled with the system, comprises:

a processing component configured to receive device information at the managing system, the device information being associated with a networked group of devices associated with a user, the device information including personal assistant instance information associated with the first user device and the second user device, the personal assistant instance information indicating a first version of the first personal assistant application operable on the first user device, and indicating a second version of the second personal assistant application operable on the second user device.

6. The managing system of claim 5, wherein the processing component configured to transmit the new task to be performed to the designated device comprises:

a processing component configured to transmit a form of the new task suitable to be received by the second version of the second personal assistant application operable on the second user device when the second user device is the designated device.

7. The managing system of claim 1, wherein the processing component configured to transmit the new task to be performed to the designated device further comprises:

a processing component configured to transmit to the designated device;

a task identifier associated with the new task; and

a device identifier associated with the first user device from which the indication of the new task to be performed was received.

8. The managing system of claim 7, wherein the processing component is further configured to receive status information associated with a status of the new task to be performed from the designated device, the status information including the task identifier associated with the new task and the device identifier associated with the first user device.

9. The managing system of claim 7, wherein the processing component is further configured to receive one or more results of performance of the new task, the one or more results of performance including the task identifier associated with the new task and the device identifier associated with the first user device.

10. The managing system of claim 9, wherein the processing component configured to transmit at least one of status information associated with performance of the new task or results of performance of the new task to the first user device from which the indication of the new task to be performed was received comprises:

a processing component configured to map the at least one of status information associated with performance of the new task or results of performance of the new task from a form suitable for an instance of the second personal assistant application operable on the designated device to a form suitable for an instance of the first personal assistant application operable on the first user device, the first personal assistant application being different from the second personal assistant application.

11. The managing system of claim 1, wherein the processing component is further configured to transmit at least one of status information associated with performance of the new task or results of performance of the new task to the first user device from which the indication of the new task to be performed was received.

12. The managing system of claim 1, wherein the processing component configured to select a designated device from among the one or more second user devices of the networked group of devices associated with the user to perform the new task based at least partially on the user preference information comprises:

a processing component configured to;

confirm that the designated device indicated by the user preference information is configured to perform the new task prior to transmission of the new task to the designated device.

13. The managing system of claim 1, wherein the processing component configured to select a designated device to perform the new task based at least partially on the user preference information, including determine whether the new task involves the first task or the second task, comprises:

a processing component configured to;

determine whether the designated device is capable of performing the new task; and

if the designated device is not capable of performing the new task, analyzing the device information associated with one or more other user devices to assess which is capable of performing the new task.

14. A method for cross-device task execution, comprising:

receiving device information at a managing device, the device information being associated with a networked group of devices associated with a user, the networked group of devices including a first user device and a second user device communicatively coupled with the managing device, the device information indicating (1) that the first user device is configured to perform a first task that the second user device is not configured to perform, (2) that the second user device is configured to perform a second task that the first user device is not configured to perform, (3) that a first personal assistant application is operable on the first user device, and (4) that a second personal assistant application is operable on the second user device;

accessing user preference information at the managing device indicating one or more user preferences for performing one or more tasks on one or more of the networked group of devices, the one or more user preferences including at least a user preference for performing the second task on the second user device;

receiving at the managing device an indication from the first personal assistant application operable on the first user device of a new task to be performed;

automatically selecting by the managing device a designated device to perform the new task based at least partially on the user preference information, including determining whether the new task involves the first task or the second task, and;

(1) if the new task involves the first task, selecting the first user device as the designated device;

or

(2) if the new task involves the second task, mapping the new task to be performed into a form suitable to be received by the second personal assistant application operable on the second device, and select the second user device as the designated device; and

transmitting the new task to be performed to the designated device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving at the managing device an indication from the first personal assistant application operable on the first user device of a new task to be performed comprises:

receiving at the managing device a spoken indication from the first user device of the new task;

performing a voice-to-text conversion of the spoken indication to a textual indication; and

analyzing the textual indication to determine the task to be performed.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving device information at a managing device, the device information being associated with a networked group of devices associated with a user comprises:

receiving information indicating that the first personal assistant application is different from the second personal assistant application.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein transmitting the new task to be performed to the designated device comprises:

mapping the new task to be performed to a form suitable for the second personal assistant application installed on the second user device when the second user device is the designated device; and

transmitting the form suitable for the second personal assistant application installed on the designated device.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein automatically selecting by the managing device a designated device to perform the new task based at least partially on the user preference information, including determining whether the new task involves the first task or the second task comprises:

if the new task involves the second task, confirming that the designated device indicated by the user preference information is configured to perform the new task.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein automatically selecting by the managing device a designated device to perform the new task based at least partially on the user preference information, including determining whether the new task involves the first task or the second task comprises:

determining whether the designated device is capable of performing the new task; and

if the designated device is not capable of performing the new task, analyzing the device information associated with one or more other user devices to assess which is capable of performing the new task.

20. A system for cross-device task execution managed by a managing device, comprising:

circuitry for receiving device information at the managing device, the device information being associated with a networked group of devices associated with a user, the networked group of devices including a first user device and a second user device communicatively coupled with the managing device, the device information indicating (1) that the first user device is configured to perform a first task that the second user device is not configured to perform, (2) that the second user device is configured to perform a second task that the first user device is not configured to perform, (3) that a first personal assistant application is operable on the first user device, and (4) that a second personal assistant application is operable on the second user device;

circuitry for accessing user preference information at the managing device indicating one or more user preferences for performing one or more tasks on one or more of the networked group of devices, the one or more user preferences including at least a user preference for performing the second task on the second user device;

circuitry for receiving at the managing device an indication from the first personal assistant application operable on the first user device of a new task to be performed;

circuitry for automatically selecting by the managing device a designated device to perform the new task based at least partially on the user preference information, including determining whether the new task involves the first task or the second task, and;

(1) if the new task involves the first task, selecting the first user device as the designated device;

or

(2) if the new task involves the second task, mapping the new task to be performed into a form suitable to be received by the second personal assistant application operable on the second device, and selecting the second user device as the designated device; and

circuitry for transmitting the new task to be performed to the designated device.