SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

• US 20150169336A1
• Filed: 12/16/2013
• Published: 06/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Harper, Kenneth S., Quast, Holger, Radebaugh, Carey, Brown, Sean P., Jaradeh, Fares
• Granted Patent: US 10,534,623 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A method, performed by at least one computer, the method comprising using the at least one computer to perform acts of accessing information specifying at least one user-specified condition specified by a user and at least one corresponding user-specified action, the user-specified action to be performed when the user-specified condition is met; determining whether the at least one user-specified condition is met; and when it is determined that the at least one user-specified condition is met, causing a virtual assistant executing on a mobile device different from the at least one computer to perform the at least one user-specified action.

Claims

1. A method, performed by at least one computer, the method comprising:

using the at least one computer to perform acts of;

accessing information specifying at least one user-specified condition specified by a user and at least one corresponding user-specified action, the user-specified action to be performed when the user-specified condition is met;

determining whether the at least one user-specified condition is met; and

when it is determined that the at least one user-specified condition is met, causing a virtual assistant executing on a mobile device different from the at least one computer to perform the at least one user-specified action.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the at least one user-specified condition specifies a topic;

wherein determining that the at least one user-specified condition is met comprises determining whether at least some information related to the topic has been obtained; and

wherein causing the virtual assistant to perform the at least one user-specified action comprises causing the virtual assistant to present the at least some of the obtained information related to the topic to the user.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving from the user, in response to the virtual assistant presenting the at least some of the obtained information to the user, voice input related to the presented information; and

using automatic speech recognition techniques and/or natural language techniques to process the voice input.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein processing the voice input using automatic speech recognition techniques comprises:

recognizing the voice input at least in part by using a language model for the topic.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising monitoring and/or searching one or more sources of information to obtain the at least some information related to the topic.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual assistant is configured to perform the at least one action at least in part by using another application program configured to execute on the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving voice input from a user of the mobile device, the voice input specifying the at least one user-specified condition and the at least one corresponding user-specified action; and

identifying, at least in part by using automatic speech recognition, the at least one user-specified condition and the at least one corresponding user-specified action specified by the voice input.

8. A system comprising:

at least one computer configured to perform acts of;

accessing information specifying at least one user-specified condition specified by a user and at least one corresponding user-specified action, the user-specified action to be performed when the user-specified condition is met;

determining whether the at least one user-specified condition is met; and

when it is determined that the at least one user-specified condition is met, causing a virtual assistant executing on a mobile device different from the at least one computer to perform the at least one user-specified action.

9. The system of claim 8,

wherein the at least one user-specified condition specifies a topic;

wherein determining that the at least one user-specified condition is met comprises determining whether at least some information related to the topic has been obtained; and

wherein causing the virtual assistant to perform the at least one user-specified action comprises causing the virtual assistant to present the at least some of the obtained information related to the topic to the user.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one computer is further configured to perform acts of:

receiving from the user, in response to the virtual assistant presenting the at least some of the obtained information to the user, voice input related to the presented information; and

using automatic speech recognition techniques and/or natural language techniques to process the voice input.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein processing the voice input using automatic speech recognition techniques comprises:

recognizing the voice input at least in part by using a language model for the topic.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one computer is further configured to perform monitoring and/or searching of one or more sources of information to obtain the at least some information related to the topic.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the virtual assistant is configured to perform the at least one action at least in part by using another application program configured to execute on the mobile device.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one computer is further configured to perform acts of:

receiving voice input from a user of the mobile device, the voice input specifying the at least one user-specified condition and the at least one corresponding user-specified action; and

identifying, at least in part by using automatic speech recognition, the at least one user-specified condition and the at least one corresponding user-specified action specified by the voice input.

15. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one computer, cause the at least one computer to perform a method comprising acts of:

accessing information specifying at least one user-specified condition specified by a user

and at least one corresponding user-specified action, the user-specified action to be performed when the user-specified condition is met;

determining whether the at least one user-specified condition is met; and

when it is determined that the at least one user-specified condition is met, causing a virtual assistant executing on a mobile device different from the at least one computer to perform the at least one user-specified action.

16. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15,

wherein the at least one user-specified condition specifies a topic;

wherein determining that the at least one user-specified condition is met comprises determining whether at least some information related to the topic has been obtained; and

wherein causing the virtual assistant to perform the at least one user-specified action comprises causing the virtual assistant to present the at least some of the obtained information related to the topic to the user.

17. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, the method further comprising:

receiving from the user, in response to the virtual assistant presenting the at least some of the obtained information to the user, voice input related to the presented information; and

using automatic speech recognition techniques and/or natural language techniques to process the voice input.

18. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein processing the voice input using automatic speech recognition techniques comprises:

recognizing the voice input at least in part by using a language model for the topic.

19. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, the method further comprising monitoring and/or searching one or more sources of information to obtain the at least some information related to the topic.

20. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the virtual assistant is configured to perform the at least one action at least in part by using another application program configured to execute on the mobile device.