Systems and methods to determine response cue for digital assistant based on context

• US 10,664,533 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2017
• Issued: 05/26/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: VanBlon, Russell Speight, Weksler, Arnold S., Mese, John Carl, Peterson, Nathan J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Bharatkumar S
• Application Number:
  US15/603,892
• Publication Number:
  US 20180342243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 704251
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/243 Natural language query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• 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 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

In one aspect, a device includes at least one processor and storage accessible to the at least one processor. The storage bears instructions executable by the at least one processor to identify at least one context and, based on the at least one context, dynamically determine a response cue for a digital assistant. The instructions are also executable by the at least one processor to, responsive to receipt of the response cue, operate the digital assistant to perform a task according to the response cue.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

storage accessible to the at least one processor and bearing instructions executable by the at least one processor to;

identify at least one context;

receive, at least a threshold number of times during occurrence of the context, a static first wake up phrase along with a command;

present a graphical user interface (GUI) on a display based on receipt of the static first wake up phrase along with the command the threshold number of times during occurrence of the context, the GUI comprising a prompt asking whether the device should take action in the future based on the command being received in the future during one or more future occurrences of the context without also receiving the static first wake up phrase in the future, the GUI comprising a selector at which user input is receivable to set the device to take action based on the command being received in the future during the one or more future occurrences of the context without also receiving the static first wake up phrase during the one or more future occurrences;

based on selection of the selector, and based on the at least one context occurring in the future and the command being received while the context occurs in the future, use the command as a second wake up phrase and operate, without receiving the static first wake up phrase, a digital assistant to perform a task according to the second wake up phrase.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the task is to provide a response to a query indicated with the second wake up phrase.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one context comprises a current location of the first device.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one context comprises a current time of day.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one context is associated with an activity identified as currently engaged in by the user, and wherein the second wake up phrase is associated with something other than the activity identified as currently engaged in by the user.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one context is associated with an event indicated in an electronic calendar, and wherein the second wake up phrase is associated with the event in the electronic calendar.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one context is identified based on communication of the first device with a home appliance, and wherein the second wake up phrase is associated with a function of the home appliance.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions are executable by the at least one processor to:

identify the presence of the first user;

identify at least one context associated with the first user;

based on the at least one context associated with the first user, dynamically determine the second wake up phrase to invoke the digital assistant;

responsive to receipt of the second wake up phrase, operate the digital assistant to perform a task according to the second wake up phrase;

subsequent to performance of the task according to the second wake up phrase, identify the presence of a second user different from the first user;

identify at least one context associated with the second user;

based on the at least one context associated with the second user, dynamically determine a third wake up phrase to invoke the digital assistant, the third wake up phrase comprising different words from the first and second wake up phrases; and

responsive to receipt of the third wake up phrase, operate the digital assistant to perform a task according to the third wake up phrase.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the GUI is presented responsive to conclusion of an occurrence of the at least one context during which the static first wake up phrase was received along with the command.

16. The device of claim 5, wherein the at least one context comprises the user driving a vehicle, and wherein the second wake up phrase is associated with making a telephone call or sending a text message.

9. A method, comprising:

identifying, using a device, at least one context;

receiving, at the device at least a threshold number of times during occurrence of the context, a static first wake up phrase along with a command;

presenting a graphical user interface (GUI) on a display based on receipt of the static first wake up phrase along with the command the threshold number of times during occurrence of the context, the GUI comprising a prompt asking whether the device should take action in the future based on the command being received in the future during one or more future occurrences of the context without also receiving the static first wake up phrase in the future;

based on a user response to the prompt, and based on the at least one context occurring in the future and the command being received while the context occurs in the future, using the command as a second wake up phrase and operating, without receiving the static first wake up phrase, a digital assistant to perform a task according to the second wake up phrase.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein identifying the at least one context comprises identifying one or more of:

a location of the device, a time of day.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one context is associated with an activity identified as currently engaged in by a person, and wherein the second wake up phrase is associated with the activity identified as currently engaged in by the person.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one context is associated with travel to a destination, and wherein the second wake up phrase is associated with a remaining distance to the destination.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the GUI comprises a selector at which the user response is receivable based on selection of the selector, the user response being used to set the device to take action based on the command being received in the future during the one or more future occurrences of the context without also receiving the static first wake up phrase during the one or more future occurrences.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein the GUI is presented responsive to conclusion of an occurrence of the at least one context during which the static first wake up phrase was received along with the command.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

a first processor;

a network adapter; and

storage bearing instructions executable by a second processor of a device for;

identifying at least one context;

receiving, at least a threshold number of times during occurrence of the context, a static first wake up phrase along with a command;

presenting a graphical user interface (GUI) on a display based on receipt of the static first wake up phrase along with the command the threshold number of times during occurrence of the context, the GUI comprising a prompt asking whether the device should take action in the future based on the command being received in the future during one or more future occurrences of the context without also receiving the static first wake up phrase in the future;

based on a user response to the prompt, and based on the at least one context occurring in the future and the command being received while the context occurs in the future, using the command as a second wake up phrase and operating, without receiving the static first wake up phrase, a digital assistant to perform a task according to the second wake up phrase;

wherein the first processor transfers the instructions to the device over a network via the network adapter.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the digital assistant is also concurrently able to be activated based on receipt of the static first wake up phrase, the static first wake up phrase not being dynamically determined based on context.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the GUI comprises a selector at which the user response is receivable based on selection of the selector, the user response being used to set the device to take action based on the command being received in the future during the one or more future occurrences of the context without also receiving the static first wake up phrase during the one or more future occurrences.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the GUI is presented responsive to conclusion of an occurrence of the at least one context during which the static first wake up phrase was received along with the command.