COMPETING DEVICES RESPONDING TO VOICE TRIGGERS

• US 20160260431A1
• Filed: 08/31/2015
• Published: 09/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: NEWENDORP, Brandon J., DIBIASE, Evan S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,721,566 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/32 Multiple recognisers used in sequence or in parallel; Score combination systems therefor, e.g. voting systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/088 Word spotting

Abstract

At a first electronic device with a display and a microphone: sampling audio input using the first microphone; in accordance with the sampling of audio input using the first microphone, sending stop instructions to a second electronic device with a second microphone, the second electronic device external to the first electronic device, wherein the second electronic device is configured to respond to audio input received using the second microphone, and wherein the stop instructions instruct the second electronic device to forgo responding to audio input received using the second microphone, wherein responding to audio input received using the second microphone comprises providing perceptible output.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by a first electronic device with a display, a first microphone, cause the first electronic device to:

sample audio input using the first microphone;

in accordance with the sampling of audio input using the first microphone, send stop instructions to a second electronic device with a second microphone, the second electronic device external to the first electronic device,

wherein the second electronic device is configured to respond to audio input received using the second microphone, and

wherein the stop instructions instruct the second electronic device to forgo responding to audio input received using the second microphone, wherein responding to audio input received using the second microphone comprises providing perceptible output.

2. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the first electronic device, cause the first electronic device to:

cease the sampling of audio input;

in accordance with the ceasing of the sampling of audio input, send resume instructions to the second electronic device, wherein the resume instructions instruct the second electronic device to resume responding to audio input received using the second microphone.

3. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1,

wherein the second electronic device is configured to respond to audio input received using the second microphone by:

sampling audio input using the second microphone, and

initiating a virtual assistant session in accordance with a determination that the sampled audio input using the second microphone comprises a spoken trigger; and

wherein the stop instructions cause the second electronic device to forgo responding to audio input received using the second microphone by forgoing the sampling of audio input using the second microphone.

4. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1,

wherein the second electronic device is configured to respond to audio input received using the second microphone by:

sampling audio input using the second microphone, and

initiating a virtual assistant session in accordance with a determination that the sampled audio input using the second microphone comprises a spoken trigger; and

wherein the stop instructions instruct the second electronic device to forgo responding to audio input received using the second microphone by forgoing the initiating of the virtual assistant session even if the sampled audio input using the second microphone comprises a spoken trigger.

5. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the stop instructions comprise an indication of the time duration for which the second electronic device is to forgo responding to audio input received using the second microphone.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the second electronic device is configured to:

after forgoing responding to audio input received using the second microphone in accordance with receiving the stop instructions from the first electronic device;

resume responding to audio input received using the second microphone.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, wherein the second electronic device is further configured to:

in accordance with receiving the stop instructions while the second electronic device is responding to audio input from the second microphone, cease responding to the audio input from the second microphone.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the second electronic device is further configured to:

in accordance with receiving the stop instructions while the second electronic device is responding to audio input received using the second microphone, provide an output indicating that the second electronic device is ceasing its response to the audio input from the second microphone.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the first electronic device, cause the first electronic device to:

in accordance with the sampling of the audio input using the first microphone at the first electronic device;

determine whether the display of the first electronic device is on;

in accordance with a determination that the screen is on, sample audio input using the first microphone; and

in accordance with a determination that the screen is not on, forgo sampling of audio input using the first microphone.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the first electronic device, cause the first electronic device to:

in accordance with the sampling of the audio input using the first microphone at the first electronic device;

determine whether a predetermined service is executing in the foreground of the first electronic device;

in accordance with a determination that the service is executing in the foreground, sample audio input using the first microphone; and

in accordance with a determination that the screen is not is executing in the foreground, forgo sampling of audio input using the first microphone.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the first electronic device, cause the first electronic device to:

in accordance with the sampling of the audio input using the first microphone at the first electronic device;

determine whether a predetermined service has been dismissed for longer than a predetermined duration of time;

in accordance with a determination that the predetermined service has been dismissed for no longer than the predetermined duration of time, sample audio input using the first microphone; and

in accordance with a determination that predetermined service has been dismissed for longer than the predetermined duration of time, forgo sampling of audio input using the first microphone.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the first electronic device, cause the first electronic device to:

in accordance with the sampling of the audio input using the second microphone at the second electronic device;

sample audio input using the second microphone when a predetermined at least one processor of the second electronic device is on.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the first electronic device, cause the first electronic device to:

in accordance with the sampling of the audio input using the second microphone at the second electronic device;

determine whether the second electronic device is charging;

in accordance with a determination that the second electronic device is charging, sample audio input using the first microphone; and

in accordance with a determination that second electronic device is not charging, forgo sampling of audio input using the first microphone.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the first electronic device, cause the first electronic device to:

determine whether the sampled audio input comprises a spoken trigger;

in accordance with a determination that the sampled audio input comprises the spoken trigger, trigger a predetermined service; and

in accordance with a determination that the sampled audio input does not comprise the spoken trigger, forgo triggering of the predetermined service.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the first electronic device, cause the first electronic device to:

at the first electronic device, send the stop instructions or the resume instructions to the second electronic device using a stateless transmission mechanism.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the first electronic device, cause the first electronic device to:

in accordance with sending the stop instructions to the second electronic device, send the stop instructions as part of a transmission addressed to the second electronic device on an electronic communication channel.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the first electronic device, cause the first electronic device to:

in accordance with sending the stop instructions to a second electronic device, broadcast the stop instructions on an electronic communication channel.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the spoken trigger comprises a predetermined phrase.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the first electronic device, cause the first electronic device to:

maintain a counter based on device usage conditions,

wherein the sending of the stop instructions to the second electronic device comprises;

in accordance with a determination that the counter exceeds a threshold value, send the stop instructions, and

in accordance with a determination that the counter does not exceed the threshold value, forgo the sending of the stop instructions.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 19, wherein the sending of the resume instructions to the second electronic device comprises:

in accordance with a determination that the counter does not exceed a threshold value, sending the resume instructions, and

in accordance with a determination that the counter exceeds the threshold value, forgoing the sending of the resume instructions.

21. A method, comprising:

at a first electronic device with a display and a first microphone;

sampling audio input using the first microphone;

in accordance with the sampling of audio input using the first microphone, sending stop instructions to a second electronic device with a second microphone, the second electronic device external to the first electronic device,

wherein the second electronic device is configured to respond to audio input received using the second microphone, and

wherein the stop instructions instruct the second electronic device to forgo responding to audio input received using the second microphone, wherein responding to audio input received using the second microphone comprises providing perceptible output.

22. An electronic device comprising:

a display;

one or more processors;

a memory;

a first microphone; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

sampling audio input using the first microphone;

in accordance with the sampling of audio input using the first microphone, sending stop instructions to a second electronic device with a second microphone, the second electronic device external to the first electronic device,

wherein the second electronic device is configured to respond to audio input received using the second microphone, and

wherein the stop instructions instruct the second electronic device to forgo responding to audio input received using the second microphone, wherein responding to audio input received using the second microphone comprises providing perceptible output.