Storing state information from network-based user devices

• US 9,293,138 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2013
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Torok, Fred, Whiteley, Michael Dale, Gundeti, Vikram Kumar, Jain, Vikas
• Primary Examiner(s): SINGH, SATWANT K
• Application Number:
  US13/894,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20140343946A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications

Abstract

Network-based services may be provided to a user through the user of a speech-based user device located within a user environment. The speech-based user device may accept speech commands from a user and may also interact with the user by means of generated speech. Operating state of the speech-based user device may be provided to the network-based service and stored by the service. Applications that provide services through the speech-based interface may request and obtain the stored state information.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a user device configured to;

generate an audio signal from an utterance received from a user;

generate state information in response to a change of state on the user device, the state information indicating a device state of one or more user devices;

transmit the audio signal, the state information, and an identifier of the user device to one or more server computers;

receive a response from the one or more server computers; and

present the response to the user;

the one or more server computers configured to;

receive the audio signal from the user device;

generate the response by performing speech processing on the audio signal;

transmit the response to the user device;

receive the state information and the identifier of the user device from the user device;

store the state information in association with the identifier of the user device;

receive a request from an application for the state information; and

transmit the state information to the application.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the user device is further configured to transmit the state information in response to the change of state on the user device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the user device is further configured to transmit the state information upon initialization of the user device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the state information includes one or more of the following:

state of a visual indicator of the user device;

or

state of a physical control of the user device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the state information indicates state of one or more of the following:

media playback;

scheduled actions;

speech generation;

settings;

configuration;

diagnostics;

or

an application running on the user device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the audio signal, the state information, and the identifier of the user device are transmitted in a single transmission.

7. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

receiving information at a server device from a user device that is located remotely from the server device, the received information including state information indicating a plurality of device states of the user device;

storing the state information of the user device in association with an identifier of the user device; and

providing at least a portion of the state information of the user device to an application.

8. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7, wherein the received information includes the identifier of the user device.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7, the acts further comprising receiving the identifier of the user device in conjunction with establishing communications with the user device.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7, wherein the application provides services for the user in conjunction with the user device.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7, wherein providing the state information of the user device to an application comprises providing the state information to the application in response to a request from the application.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7, wherein providing the state information of the user device to an application comprises processing a callback request in response to receiving the information.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7, the acts further comprising providing the state information to the application in response to a change in the state information.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7, the acts further comprising:

receiving an audio signal from the user device;

generating a response by performing speech processing on the audio signal; and

transmitting the response to the user device.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7, wherein the state information includes one or more of the following:

state of a visual indicator of the user device;

or

state of a physical control of the user device.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7, wherein the state information indicates state of one or more of the following:

media playback;

scheduled actions;

speech generation;

settings;

configuration;

or

diagnostics.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7, wherein the state information includes environmental information collected from one or more sensors of the user device.

18. A method comprising:

receiving information at a server device from a user device that is located remotely from the server device, the received information including state information indicating a plurality of device states of the user device;

storing the state information of the user device in association with an identifier of the user device; and

providing at least a portion of the state information of the user device to an application.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising

receiving an audio signal from the user device;

generating a response by performing speech processing on the audio signal; and

transmitting the response to the user device.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising providing the state information to the application in response to a request from the application.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising providing the state information to the applications in response to a change in the state information.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the application provides services for the user in conjunction with the user device.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein providing the state information of the user device to an application comprises processing a callback request in response to receiving the information.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the state information includes one or more of the following:

connection state of the user device;

direction from which the user device is receiving audio;

settings, configuration, or diagnostic information regarding the user device;

or

scheduled actions to be performed by the user device.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein the state information includes environmental information based at least in part on optical imaging sensors of the user device.