Crowd-sourced audio shortcuts

• US 8,453,058 B1
• Filed: 02/20/2012
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Coccaro, Noah B., Chelba, Ciprian I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): LONG, ANDREA NATAE
• Application Number:
  US13/400,307
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• Field of Search: 715/727, 715/728, 715/744, 705/319
• US Class Current: 715/727
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command

Abstract

An audio shortcut may involve an audio command being used to represent a sequence of one or more inputs on a client device. When the client device receives the audio command, the client device may automatically perform the sequence of one or more inputs, as if this sequence were entered manually. If a threshold number of client devices share the same or a similar audio shortcut with a server device, the server device may make this audio shortcut available to additional client devices.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device and from a first user device, a representation of an association between an audio command and a user device function, wherein the user device function is represented as a sequence of one or more inputs on a user device user interface;

after receiving the representation of the association, determining, by the computing device, that the computing device has received a threshold number of representations of the association between the audio command and the user device function, each representation from a different respective user device; and

after determining that the computing device has received the threshold number of representations of the association between the audio command and the user device function, transmitting, by the computing device, a second representation of the association to a second user device, wherein the association causes the second user device to perform the user device function in response to the second user device receiving the audio command, wherein the second user device is different from the first user device and the second user device is not one of the respective user devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio command was associated with the user device function on a user interface of the first user device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user device is physically located in a given geographical region, wherein the second user device is physically located in the given geographical region, and wherein the computing device transmits the second representation of the association to the second user device based at least on the first user device and the second user device both being physically located in the given geographical region.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user device is physically located in a given geographical region, the method further comprising:

in response to the computing device determining that the computing device has received the threshold number of representations of the association between the audio command and the user device function, the computing device making the association a default setting of the respective user devices, wherein each respective user device is physically located in the given geographical region.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio command comprises a given command and a given parameter, wherein the user device function is parameterized, and wherein the association causes the second user device to perform the user device function with the given parameter after the second user device receives the given command with the given parameter.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user device function comprises a telephony function.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user device function comprises controlling media playout on the second user device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user device function comprises controlling an application operating on the second user device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the user device function on the second user device typically comprises manual entry of one or more inputs via a user interface of the second user device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second user device comprises a keypad, and wherein the one or more inputs comprise one or more inputs from the keypad.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the second user device comprises a presence-sensitive input component, and wherein the one or more inputs comprise one or more inputs from the presence-sensitive input component.

12. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory computer-readable medium, having stored thereon program instructions that, if executed by a server device, cause the server device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a representation of an association between an audio command and a client device function, wherein the client device function is represented as a sequence of one or more inputs on a client device user interface;

after receiving the representation of the association, determining that the server device has received a threshold number of representations of the association between the audio command and the client device function; and

after determining that the server device has received the threshold number of representations of the association between the audio command and the client device function, transmitting a second representation of the association to a destination client device, wherein the association causes the destination client device to perform the client device function in response to the destination client device receiving the audio command.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the server device receives the representation of the association from an originating client device.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 13, wherein the audio command was associated with the client device function on a user interface of the originating client device.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 13, wherein the originating client device is physically located in a given geographical region, wherein the destination client device is physically located in the given geographical region, and wherein the server device transmits the second representation of the association to the destination client device based at least on the originating client device and the destination client device both being physically located in the given geographical region.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 13, wherein the originating client device is physically located in a given geographical region, wherein the program instructions, if executed by the server device, cause the server device to perform operations further comprising:

in response to the server device determining that the server device has received the threshold number of representations of the association between the audio command and the client device function, making the association a default setting of a plurality of client devices, wherein each client device in the plurality of client devices is physically located in the given geographical region, and wherein the destination client device is in the plurality of client devices.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the audio command comprises a given command and a given parameter, wherein the client device function is parameterized, and wherein the association causes the destination client device to perform the client device function with the given parameter after the destination client device receives the given command with the given parameter.

18. A server device comprising:

a processor;

data storage containing at least part of an association database, wherein the association database contains representations of associations between audio commands and client device functions; and

a communication interface capable of communicating with a plurality of client devices, wherein (i) the server device receives, from a first client device in the plurality, a first representation of an association between a given audio command and a given client device function, wherein the given client device function is represented as a sequence of one or more inputs on a client device user interface, (ii) in response to receiving the first representation of the association, the server device updates the association database to incorporate the first representation of the association, (iii) the server device receives, from a second client device in the plurality, a second representation of the association between the given audio command and the given client device function, (iv) in response to receiving the second representation of the association, the server device updates the association database to incorporate the second representation of the association, (v) based on content of the association database, server device determines that the server device has received a threshold number of representations of the association between the given audio command and the given client device function, and (vi) the server device transmits, to one or more client devices in the plurality, a third representation of the association between the given audio command and the given client device function.

19. The server device of claim 18, wherein the first and second client devices are physically located in a given geographical region, wherein the one or more client devices in the plurality are physically located in the given geographical region, and wherein the server device transmits the third representation of the association to the one or more client devices in the plurality based at least on the first client device, the second client device, and the one or more client devices in the plurality all being physically located in the given geographical region.

20. The server device of claim 18, wherein the first and second client devices are physically located in a given geographical region, wherein, in response to the server device determining that the server device has received the threshold number of representations of the association between the given audio command and the given client device function, the server device makes the association a default setting of the one or more client devices in the plurality, and wherein each of the one or more client devices in the plurality is physically located in the given geographical region.