DEVICE DESIGNATION FOR AUDIO INPUT MONITORING

• US 20150370531A1
• Filed: 07/29/2014
• Published: 12/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Faaborg, Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 9,632,748 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/08 Speech classification or search
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/28 Constructional details of speech recognition systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/088 Word spotting
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• 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

Abstract

A computing device comprises at least one processor, and at least one module operable by the at least one processor to designate a particular computing device from a plurality of computing devices to process audio input, wherein the computing device comprises a first computing device from the plurality of computing devices. The at least one module may be further operable by the at least one processor to, if the particular computing device is not the first computing device, cease processing of audio input, and if the particular computing device is the first computing device, receive first audio input and process the first audio input to determine whether the first audio input includes a predetermined audio command.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

designating, by a first computing device from a plurality of computing devices, a particular computing device from the plurality of computing devices to process audio input;

if the particular computing device is not the first computing device, ceasing, by the first computing device, processing of audio input; and

if the particular computing device is the first computing device;

receiving, by the first computing device, first audio input; and

processing, by the first computing device, the first audio input to determine whether the first audio input includes a predetermined audio command.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the particular computing device is the first computing device, sending, by the first computing device and to a second computing device from the plurality of computing devices, an instruction to cause the second computing device to temporarily cease processing of audio input.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the first computing device, a current context of a second computing device from the plurality of computing devices,

wherein designating the particular computing device to process audio input is based at least in part on the current context of the second computing device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the current context of the second computing device comprises determining one or more of:

a location of the second computing device, a current time as defined by the second computing device, one or more applications installed at the second computing device, one or more applications currently executing at the second computing device, one or more networks available to the second computing device, one or more other computing devices in proximity to the second computing device, an operating mode of the second computing device an ambient temperature of the location of the second computing device, an ambient noise level of the location of the second computing device, an ambient light level of the location of the second computing device, a movement of the second computing device, a name of a user of the second computing device, a user identification (UID) of the user, a social media network service account associated with the user, one or more calendars associated with the user, or one or more social relationships of the user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to determining that the first audio input includes the predetermined audio command, determining, by the first computing device, an action associated with the predetermined audio command; and

determining, by the first computing device and based at least in part on the action associated with the predetermined audio command, a second computing device to perform the action.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first computing device is different from the second computing device, the method further comprising:

sending, by the first computing device and to the second computing device, an indication of the action.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the first computing device, an audio input quality associated with a second computing device from the plurality of computing devices,

wherein designating the particular computing device to process audio input is based at least in part on the audio input quality associated with the second computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein designating the particular computing device to process audio input comprises designating the particular computing device to process audio input based at least in part on a configured hierarchy of two or more device types.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the configured hierarchy of two or more device types is configured based at least in part on user input.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein designating the particular computing device to process audio input comprises:

receiving, by the first computing device and from a second computing device, an indication of a device type associated with the second computing device.

11. A computing device comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one module operable by the at least one processor to;

designate a particular computing device from a plurality of computing devices to process audio input, wherein the computing device comprises a first computing device from the plurality of computing devices,

if the particular computing device is not the first computing device, cease processing of audio input, and

if the particular computing device is the first computing device;

receive first audio input; and

process the first audio input to determine whether the first audio input includes a predetermined audio command.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the at least one module operable to designate the particular computing device to process audio input is operable by the at least one processor to:

receive, from a second computing device from the plurality of computing devices, an indication of a device type associated with the second computing device, and

designate the particular computing device to process audio input based at least in part on the device type associated with the second computing device.

13. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the at least one module is further operable by the at least one processor to determine a current context of a second computing device from the plurality of computing devices,

wherein the at least one module operable to designate the particular computing device to process audio input is operable by the at least one processor to designate the particular computing device based at least in part on the current context of the second computing device.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the at least one module operable to determine the current context of the second computing device is operable by the at least one processor to determine one or more of:

a location of the second computing device, a current time as defined by the second computing device, one or more applications installed at the second computing device, one or more applications currently executing at the second computing device, one or more networks available to the second computing device, one or more other computing devices in proximity to the second computing device, an operating mode of the second computing device, an ambient temperature of the location of the second computing device, an ambient noise level of the location of the second computing device, an ambient light level of the location of the second computing device, a movement of the second computing device, a name of a user of the second computing device, a user identification (UID) of the user, a social media network service account associated with the user, one or more calendars associated with the user, or one or more social relationships of the user.

15. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the at least one module is further operable by the at least one processor to:

responsive to determining that the first audio input includes the predetermined audio command, determine an action associated with the predetermined audio input; and

determine, based at least in part on the action associated with the predetermined audio command, a second computing device to perform the action.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the first computing device is different from the second computing device, and wherein the at least one module is further operable by the at least one processor to:

send, to the second computing device, an indication of the action.

17. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the at least one module operable to designate the particular computing device to process audio input is operable by the at least one processor to designate the particular computing device to process audio input based at least in part on a configured hierarchy of two or more device types.

18. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor of a first computing device to:

receive, from a second computing device, a designation of a particular computing device from a plurality of computing devices to process audio input;

if the particular computing device is not the first computing device, cease processing of audio input; and

if the particular computing device is the first computing device;

receive first audio input, and

process the first audio input to determine whether the first audio input includes the predetermined audio command.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, further encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to:

determine a current context of the first computing device, and

send, to the second computing device, an indication of the current context of the first computing device,

wherein receiving the designation of the particular computing device comprises receiving the designation responsive to sending the indication of the current context.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, further encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to:

receive, from a third computing device from the plurality of computing devices, an indication of a device type associated with the third computing device, and

send, to the second computing device, the indication of the device type associated with the third computing device,

wherein receiving the designation of the particular computing device comprises receiving the designation responsive to sending the indication of the device type associated with the third computing device.