SIMPLE AFFIRMATIVE RESPONSE OPERATING SYSTEM

• US 20180012595A1
• Filed: 04/05/2017
• Published: 01/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intelligently Interactive, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intelligently Interactive, Inc.
• Inventors: Weingartner, Eric H.
• Application Number:
  US15/480,271
• Publication Number:
  US 20180012595A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• 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 15/1815 Semantic context, e.g. disambiguation of the recognition hypotheses based on word meaning
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A simple affirmative response operating system for selecting a data item from a list of options using a unique affirmative action. Text-based labels in a listing of content are converted to speech using an embedded text-to-speech engine and an audio output of a first converted label is provided. A listening state is entered into for a predefined pause time to await receipt of the simple affirmative action. If the simple affirmative action is performed during the predefined pause time, an associated content item is selected for output. If the simple affirmative action is not performed during the predefined pause time, an audio output of a next converted label in the list is provided. This protocol may be used to control a variety of computing devices safely and efficiently while a user is distracted or disabled from using traditional input methods.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor,

a sensor coupled to the processor,

an electronic sensory presentation device, and

non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

store an identification of a unique, system-wide, and context-independent affirmative action;

divide a content input to generate a sequence of contents and a sequence of identifiers, wherein each identifier of the sequence of identifiers is associated with a content from the sequence of contents;

enter a list-pause cycle comprising;

outputting, via the sensory presentation device, an identifier from the sequence of identifiers; and

pausing a predetermined length of time;

repeat list-pause cycles until determining, via input from the sensor, that the affirmative action has been performed during the pause of a list-pause cycle; and

responsive to determining that the affirmative action has been performed during the pause of the list-pause cycle, output, via the sensory presentation device, the content from the sequence of contents associated with the identifier output during that list-pause cycle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory memory stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:

store an identification of a unique, system-wide, and context-independent pause-initiation action; and

responsive to determining that the pause-initiation action has been performed during the pause of a list-pause cycle, terminate the repetition of list-pause cycles and entering a wait-pause mode.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the non-transitory memory stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:

store an identification of a unique, system-wide, and context-independent options-initiation action;

responsive to determining that the options-initiation action has been performed during either a list-pause cycle or the wait-pause mode;

generate a new sequence of identifiers, each of which represents an option for controlling the computing device;

enter a list-pause cycle comprising;

outputting, in an audio form and via the speaker, an identifier of the new sequence of identifiers; and

pausing a predetermined length of time;

repeating list-pause cycles until the affirmative action or pause-initiation action is performed by the user during the pause of a list-pause cycle; and

responsive to the user performing the affirmative action or pause-initiation action, perform an action associated with the option for controlling the computing device or terminating the list-pause cycle and entering a wait-pause mode, respectively.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the list-pause cycle further comprises, after outputting the identifier and before pausing the predetermined length of time, outputting, via the speaker, an audio signifier that the pause is beginning.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the list-pause cycle further comprises, after pausing the predetermined length of time, outputting, via the speaker, an audio signifier that the predetermined length of time has elapsed and a new list-pause cycle will begin.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the content input comprises textual data, and wherein outputting, in an audio form, the content comprises converting the content with a text-to-speech engine and playing the converted content.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the textual data is received from a search engine, the sequence of identifiers is a sequence of webpage titles, and the sequence of contents is a sequence of webpage contents.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the textual data is received from an email server, the sequence of identifiers is a sequence of email header values, and the sequence of contents is a sequence of email contents or attachments.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the textual data is received from a mapping service, the sequence of identifiers is a sequence of location identifiers, and the sequence of contents is a sequence of informative texts about locations associated with the location identifiers.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the content input is received from a video streaming service, the sequence of identifiers is a sequence of video identifiers or portions of video content, and the sequence of contents comprises at least a portion of an audio track or video track from each video of a sequence of videos.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the content input is received from an application programming interface (API) of a second computing device, the sequence of identifiers is a sequence of commands of the API, and the sequence of contents comprises at least a confirmation of an action taken by the second computing device.

12. A computer-implemented method for interaction between a human and a computing device, comprising:

storing an identification of a unique, system-wide, and context-independent affirmative action;

dividing a content input to generate a sequence of contents and a sequence of identifiers, wherein each identifier of the sequence of identifiers is associated with a content from the sequence of contents;

entering a list-pause cycle comprising;

outputting, in an audio form, an identifier of the sequence of identifiers; and

pausing a predetermined length of time;

repeating list-pause cycles until determining the affirmative action has been performed during the pause of a list-pause cycle; and

responsive to determining the affirmative action has been performed during the pause of a list-pause cycle, outputting, in an audio form, the content from the sequence of contents associated with the identifier output during that list-pause cycle.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising:

storing an identification of a unique, system-wide, and context-independent pause-initiation action; and

responsive to determining that the pause-initiation action has been performed during the pause of a list-pause cycle, terminating the repetition of list-pause cycles and entering a wait-pause mode.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:

storing an identification of a unique, system-wide, and context-independent options-initiation action;

responsive to determining that the options-initiation action has been performed during either a list-pause cycle or the wait-pause mode;

generating a new sequence of identifiers, each of which represents an option for controlling the computing device;

entering a list-pause cycle comprising;

outputting, in an audio form, an identifier of the new sequence of identifiers; and

pausing a predetermined length of time;

repeating list-pause cycles until the affirmative action or pause-initiation action is performed by the user during the pause of a list-pause cycle; and

responsive to the user performing the affirmative action or pause-initiation action, performing an action associated with the option for controlling the computing device or terminating the list-pause cycle and entering a wait-pause mode, respectively.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the list-pause cycle further comprises, after outputting the identifier and before pausing the predetermined length of time, outputting an audio signifier that the pause is beginning.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the list-pause cycle further comprises, after pausing the predetermined length of time, outputting an audio signifier that the predetermined length of time has elapsed and a new list-pause cycle will begin.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the content input comprises textual data, and wherein outputting, in an audio form, the content comprises converting the content with a text-to-speech engine and playing the converted content.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the textual data is received from a search engine, the sequence of identifiers is a sequence of webpage titles, and the sequence of contents is a sequence of webpage contents.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the textual data is received from an email server, the sequence of identifiers is a sequence of email header values, and the sequence of contents is a sequence of email contents or attachments.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the textual data is received from a mapping service, the sequence of identifiers is a sequence of location identifiers, and the sequence of contents is a sequence of informative texts about locations associated with the location identifiers.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the content input is received from a video streaming service, the sequence of identifiers is a sequence of video identifiers or portions of video content, and the sequence of contents comprises at least a portion of an audio track or video track from each video of a sequence of videos.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the content input is received from an application programming interface (API) of a second computing device, the sequence of identifiers is a sequence of commands of the API, and the sequence of contents comprises at least a confirmation of an action taken by the physical device.

23. A computer-implemented method for interaction between a human and a computing device, comprising:

storing, by a first computing device, an identification of a unique, system-wide, and context-independent affirmative action;

storing, by the first computing device, a sequence of available commands for a second computing device and a sequence of identifiers, wherein each identifier of the sequence of identifiers is associated with a command from the sequence of available commands;

entering a list-pause cycle comprising;

outputting, in an audio form, an identifier of the sequence of identifiers; and

pausing a predetermined length of time;

repeating list-pause cycles until determining the affirmative action has been performed during the pause of a list-pause cycle; and

responsive to determining the affirmative action has been performed during the pause of a list-pause cycle, transmitting, to the second computing device, the command from the sequence of available commands associated with the identifier output during that list-pause cycle.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 23, further comprising:

receiving a confirmation from the second computing device that the command has been received; and

notifying a user that the command was received by the second computing device.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 23, wherein the second computing device is a smart home appliance.