Dynamically adapting provision of notification output to reduce user distraction and/or mitigate usage of computational resources

• US 10,624,060 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2019
• Issued: 04/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Aggarwal, Vikram, Gali, Moises Morgenstern
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Congvan
• Application Number:
  US16/451,447
• Publication Number:
  US 20190313368A1
• Time in Patent Office: 294 Days
• Field of Search: 4554041, 4554042, 4554561
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel

Abstract

Dynamically adapting provision of notification output to reduce distractions and/or to mitigate usage of computational resources. In some implementations, an automated assistant application predicts a level of engagement for a user and determines, based on the predicted level of engagement (and optionally future predicted level(s) of engagement), provisioning (e.g., whether, when, and/or how) of output that is based on a received notification. For example, the automated assistant application can, based on predicted level(s) of engagement, determine whether to provide any output based on a received notification, determine whether to suppress provision of output that is based on the received notification (e.g., until a later time with a decreased predicted level of engagement), determine whether to provide output that is a condensed version of the received notification, determine whether to automatically respond to the notification, and/or select an output modality for providing output that is based on the received notification.

Claims

1. A method implemented by one or more processors, the method comprising:

receiving, at computing device that provides access to an automated assistant application, a message when a user is participating in an activity,

wherein the message is directed to the user of the computing device from a separate computing device that is operated by a separate user, and

wherein the computing device includes activity data that characterizes the activity that the user is participating in and a level of engagement exhibited by the user when the user is participating in the activity;

determining, based on the activity data and receiving the message, that a query included in the received message is associated with the activity;

determining, based on determining that the query is associated with the activity, that the activity data identifies information that satisfies a criteria for answering the query without explicit user interface input provided by the user in furtherance of responding to the message;

generating, based on determining that the activity data identifies information that satisfies the criteria, a responsive message that is based on the information identified by the activity data;

causing, based on generating the responsive message, the responsive message to be transmitted to the separate computing device;

determining that the level of engagement satisfies one or more threshold levels of engagement for causing the automated assistant application to limit, while the user is participating in the activity, provisioning of a notification regarding the message; and

causing, based on the level of engagement satisfying the one or more threshold levels of engagement, the computing device to limit rendering of the notification until the user is no longer participating in the activity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information satisfies the criteria for answering the query when the automated assistant application determines that the information can be used to generate one or more responses to the query associated with the activity.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing, based on the level of engagement satisfying the one or more threshold levels of engagement, the computing device to select a modality for rendering a different version of the notification while the user is participating in the activity.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the notification is rendered by the computing device via a different modality subsequent to the user ceasing participation in the activity.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information characterizes an intent of the user to perform the activity at a particular time, and the query elicits the user to provide the particular time for the activity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the query is associated with activity includes:

identifying a category corresponding to the query included in the received message, and

determining, based on identifying the category, that the category corresponds to the activity data that characterizes the activity.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the computing device to provide an inquiry to the user, wherein the inquiry requests permission, from the user, regarding whether the automated assistant application is permitted to respond with the responsive message without the user explicitly reciting content to be included in the responsive message.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium configured to store instructions that, when executed by one or more processors included in a computing device, cause the one or more processors to perform operations that include:

receiving, at computing device that provides access to an automated assistant application, a message when a user is participating in an activity,

wherein the message is directed to the user of the computing device from a separate computing device that is operated by a separate user, and

wherein activity data is accessible via the computing device and the activity data characterizes the activity that the user is participating in and a level of engagement exhibited by the user when the user is participating in the activity;

determining, based on the activity data and receiving the message, that a query included in the received message is associated with the activity;

determining, based on determining that the query is associated with the activity, that the activity data identifies information that satisfies a criteria for answering the query without explicit user interface input provided by the user in furtherance of responding to the message;

generating, based on determining that the activity data identifies information that satisfies the criteria, a responsive message that is based on the information identified by the activity data;

causing, based on generating the responsive message, the responsive message to be transmitted to the separate computing device;

determining that the level of engagement satisfies one or more threshold levels of engagement for causing the automated assistant application to limit, while the user is participating in the activity, provisioning of a notification regarding the message; and

causing, based on the level of engagement satisfying the one or more threshold levels of engagement, the computing device to limit rendering of the notification until the user is no longer participating in the activity.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the information satisfies the criteria for answering the query when the automated assistant application determines that the information can be used to generate one or more responses to the query associated with the activity.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the activity data is generated based on an input from the user to the automated assistant application indicating that the user has begun the activity.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the information characterizes a location for the activity, and the query elicits the user to provide the location for the activity.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the information characterizes an intent of the user to perform the activity at a particular time, and the query elicits the user to provide the particular time for the activity.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein determining that the query is associated with activity includes:

identifying a category corresponding to the query included in the received message, and

determining, based on identifying the category, that the category corresponds to the activity data that characterizes the activity.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further include:

causing the computing device to provide an inquiry to the user, wherein the inquiry requests permission, from the user, regarding whether the automated assistant application is permitted to respond with the responsive message without the user explicitly reciting content to be included in the responsive message.

15. A computing device, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory configured to store instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations that include;

receiving, at computing device that provides access to an automated assistant application, a message when a user is participating in an activity,

wherein the message is directed to the user of the computing device from a separate computing device that is operated by a separate user, and

wherein the computing device includes activity data that characterizes the activity that the user is participating in and a level of engagement exhibited by the user when the user is participating in the activity;

determining, based on the activity data and receiving the message, that a query included in the received message is associated with the activity;

determining, based on determining that the query is associated with the activity, that the activity data identifies information that satisfies a criteria for answering the query without explicit user interface input provided by the user in furtherance of responding to the message;

generating, based on determining that the activity data identifies information that satisfies the criteria, a responsive message that is based on the information identified by the activity data;

causing, based on generating the responsive message, the responsive message to be transmitted to the separate computing device;

determining that the level of engagement satisfies one or more threshold levels of engagement for causing the automated assistant application to limit, while the user is participating in the activity, provisioning of a notification regarding the message; and

causing, based on the level of engagement satisfying the one or more threshold levels of engagement, the computing device to limit rendering of the notification until the user is no longer participating in the activity.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the information satisfies the criteria for answering the query when the automated assistant application determines that the information can be used to generate one or more responses to the query associated with the activity.

17. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the activity data is generated based on an input from the user to the automated assistant application indicating that the user has begun the activity.

18. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the information characterizes a location for the activity, and the query elicits the user to provide the location for the activity.

19. The computing device of claim 15, wherein determining that the query is associated with activity includes:

identifying a category corresponding to the query included in the received message, and

determining, based on identifying the category, that the category corresponds to the activity data that characterizes the activity.

20. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the operations further include:

causing the computing device to provide an inquiry to the user, wherein the inquiry requests permission, from the user, regarding whether the automated assistant application is permitted to respond with the responsive message without the user explicitly reciting content to be included in the responsive message.