VIRTUAL ASSISTANT ACTIVATION

• US 20160260436A1
• Filed: 08/31/2015
• Published: 09/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: LEMAY, Stephen O., NEWENDORP, Brandon J., DASCOLA, Jonathan R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,886,953 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/28 Constructional details of speech recognition systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/088 Word spotting
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/78 Detection of presence or absence of voice signals switching of direction of transmission by voice frequency in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information

Abstract

At an electronic device with a display, a microphone, and an input device: while the display is on, receiving user input via the input device, the user input meeting a predetermined condition; in accordance with receiving the user input meeting the predetermined condition, sampling audio input received via the microphone; determining whether the audio input comprises a spoken trigger; and in accordance with a determination that audio input comprises the spoken trigger, triggering a virtual assistant session.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by an electronic device with a display, a microphone, and an input device, cause the electronic device to:

while the display is on, receive user input via the input device, the user input meeting a predetermined condition;

in accordance with receiving the user input meeting the predetermined condition, sample audio input received via the microphone;

determine whether the audio input comprises a spoken trigger; and

in accordance with a determination that audio input comprises the spoken trigger, trigger a virtual assistant session.

2. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is based on an amount of lifting of the electronic device during a time interval, the amount of lifting determined from an accelerometer of the electronic device.

3. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is based on smoothness of a lifting of the electronic device during a time interval, the smoothness of the lifting determined from an accelerometer of the electronic device.

4. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the predetermined condition comprises a minimum period of dwell time in a position in accordance with the lifting of the electronic device.

5. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition comprises detecting activation of a button of the electronic device.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition comprises detecting touch input on a touch-sensitive surface of the electronic device.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the electronic device, cause the electronic device to:

determine whether the display is on; and

wherein the sampling of audio input occurs in accordance with a determination that the display is on.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the electronic device, cause the electronic device to:

in accordance with determining whether the display is on, determine whether the backlight of the display is on.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the electronic device, cause the electronic device to:

cease the sampling of audio input after the sampling of audio input has occurred for a predetermined duration of time.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the electronic device, cause the electronic device to:

in accordance with ceasing to sample audio input, provide a haptic output.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the user input meeting a predetermined condition is a first user input meeting a first predetermined condition, and wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the electronic device, cause the electronic device to:

while sampling audio input in accordance with receiving the first user input, receive a second user input meeting a second predetermined condition; and

in accordance with receiving the second user input meeting the second predetermined condition, cease the sampling of audio input.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the second predetermined condition is based on an amount of lowering of the electronic device during a time interval, the amount of lowering determined from an accelerometer of the electronic device.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the first predetermined condition is based on smoothness of a lowering of the electronic device during a time interval, the smoothness of the lowering determined from an accelerometer of the electronic device.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the second predetermined condition comprises detecting activation of a button of the electronic device.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the second predetermined condition comprises detecting touch input on a touch-sensitive surface of the electronic device.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the electronic device, cause the electronic device to:

while sampling audio input in accordance with receiving the user input meeting the predetermined condition, determine whether the display is off; and

in accordance with a determination that the display is off, cease the sampling of audio input.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the electronic device, cause the electronic device to:

while sampling audio input in accordance with receiving the user input meeting the predetermined condition, identify an audio endpoint in the audio input; and

in response to identifying the audio endpoint, cease the sampling of audio input.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the electronic device, cause the electronic device to:

in accordance with triggering the virtual assistant session, prompt a user for spoken input.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the audio input comprises the spoken trigger and additional input, and wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the electronic device, cause the electronic device to:

in accordance with triggering the virtual assistant session;

determine a user intent based on at least the additional input in the audio input, and

execute a task associated with the user intent.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the electronic device, cause the electronic device to:

in accordance with a determination that the electronic device is operating in a predetermined mode, forgo sampling of audio input, even after receiving the user input meeting the predetermined condition while the display is on,

wherein operation in the predetermined mode comprises muting audio output of the electronic device.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the spoken trigger comprises comprise a predetermined phrase.

22. A method, comprising:

at an electronic device with a display, a microphone, and an input device;

while the display is on, receiving user input via the input device, the user input meeting a predetermined condition;

in accordance with receiving the user input meeting the predetermined condition, sampling audio input received via the microphone;

determining whether the audio input comprises a spoken trigger; and

in accordance with a determination that audio input comprises the spoken trigger, triggering a virtual assistant session.

23. An electronic device comprising:

a display;

one or more processors;

a memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

while the display is on, receiving user input via an input device, the user input meeting a predetermined condition;

in accordance with receiving the user input meeting the predetermined condition, sampling audio input received via a microphone;

determining whether the audio input comprises a spoken trigger; and

in accordance with a determination that audio input comprises the spoken trigger, triggering a virtual assistant session.