Generating an audio notification based on detection of a triggering event

• US 9,349,368 B1
• Filed: 08/05/2010
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Lebeau, Michael J., Jitkoff, John Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): ROBERTS, SHAUN A
• Application Number:
  US12/851,506
• Time in Patent Office: 2,119 Days
• Field of Search: 704/203, 704/270, 704/275, 704/271, 704/272, 704/273, 704/274, 455/412.2, 455/414.4, 381/56, 381/58, 340500-505, 340/517, 340/539.12, 340/539.22
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/08 Text analysis or generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text, e.g. grapheme to phoneme translation, prosody generation or stress or intonation determination
• 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 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6058 involving the use of a headset accessory device connected to the portable telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/005 Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of determining when an audio notification should be generated includes detecting receipt of a triggering event that occurs on a user device; generating, based on detecting, the audio notification for the triggering event; receiving, from the user device, a user voice command responding to the audio notification; and generating a response to the user voice command based on one or more of (i) information associated with the audio notification, and (ii) information associated with the user voice command.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

determining, by one or more computer processors, that a particular computing device received a message that was transmitted to the particular computing device over a network;

providing, by the one or more computer processors, the message to a first application program that is associated with the message;

determining, by the one or more computer processors and based on a determination of whether a context of the particular computing device satisfies a particular criterion, whether to cause the particular computing device to present an audible notification that the particular computing device received the message;

causing, by the one or more computer processors and responsive to determining that the context of the particular computing device satisfies the particular criterion, the particular computing device to present the audible notification that the particular computing device received the message;

identifying, by the one or more computer processors, that the particular computing device is to wait, after the particular computing device has presented the audible notification, for an audible user response to the presentation of the audible notification;

starting, by the one or more computer processors and responsive to the presentation of the audible notification and having identified that the particular computer device is to wait for the audible user response to the presentation of the audible notification, a first pre-defined time period during which the particular computing device is to listen for the audible user response to the presentation of the audible notification;

recording, during the first pre-defined time period, a first audible user response to the presentation of the audible notification;

determining, by the one or more processors, that the first audible user response includes one or more words that identify a command for the first application program to perform in response to the presentation of the audible notification;

causing, by the one or more processors, the first application program to perform the command responsive to determining that the first audible user response includes the one or more words that identify the command for the first application program to perform;

determining, by the one or more computer processors, that the particular computing device received a second message that was transmitted to the particular computing device over a network;

providing, by the one or more computer processors, the second message to a second application program that is associated with the second message;

causing, by the one or more computer processors, the particular computing device to present a second audible notification that the particular computing device received the second message; and

starting, by the one or more computer processors and responsive to the presentation of the second audible notification, a second pre-defined time period during which the particular computing device is to listen for a second audible user response to the presentation of the second audible notification,

wherein attributes of the particular computing device specify that the first application program is assigned the first pre-defined time period and that the second application program is assigned the second pre-defined time period,

wherein the first pre-defined time period has a different length than a length of the second pre-defined time period.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

determining that the particular computing device received the message includes determining that the particular computing device received an email message or a simple message service (SMS) message,

the first audible user response requests that a reply to the email message or the SMS message be sent to a particular recipient, and

causing, the first application program to perform the command includes causing the first application program to generate the reply to the email message or the SMS message, the reply being addressed to the particular recipient.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the particular computing device is a cellular telephone that is adapted to receive telephone calls, and

determining that the particular computing device received the message includes determining that the particular computing device received a voicemail message.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein causing the particular computing device to present the audible notification includes causing the particular computing device to play an audible sound that indicates that the particular computing device received the message.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the audible notification includes an audible message that was generated by a text-to-speech converter that converted textual information in the message to the audible message, and

causing the particular computing device to present the audible notification includes causing the particular computing device to play the audible message.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

determining whether to cause the particular computing device to present the audible notification that the particular computing device received the message includes determining whether a proximity sensor included in the particular computing device detected an object within a pre-defined distance of the proximity sensor; and

causing the particular computing device to present the audible notification that the particular computing device received the message is responsive to having determined that the proximity sensor detected the object within the pre-defined distance of the proximity sensor.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the particular criterion includes the particular computing device being connected to a user earpiece;

determining whether to cause the particular computing device to present the audible notification that the particular computing device received the message includes determining that the context of the particular computing device satisfies the particular criterion due to the particular computing device being connected to the user earpiece;

causing the particular computing device to present the audible notification that the particular computing device received the message is responsive to having determined that the context of the particular computing device satisfies the particular criterion due to the particular computing device being connected to the user earpiece; and

the one or more computer processors is configured to prevent the particular computing device from presenting the audible notification that the particular computing device received the message, responsive to determining that the context of the particular computing device does not satisfy the particular criterion due to the particular computing device not being connected to the user earpiece.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the particular criterion includes the particular computing device being electrically connected to a docking station;

determining whether to cause the particular computing device to present the audible notification that the particular computing device received the message includes determining that the context of the particular computing device satisfies the particular criterion due to the particular computing device being electrically connected to the docking station;

causing the particular computing device to present the audible notification that the particular computing device received the message is responsive to having determined that the context of the particular computing device satisfies the particular criterion due to the particular computing device being electrically connected to the docking station; and

the one or more computer processors is configured to prevent the particular computing device from presenting the audible notification that the particular computing device received the message, responsive to determining that the context of the particular computing device does not satisfy the particular criterion due to the particular computing device not being electrically connected to the docking station.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer processors is configured to prevent the particular computing device from presenting the audible notification that the particular computing device received the message, responsive to determining that the context of the particular computing device does not satisfy the particular criterion.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the first application program is associated with an attribute that specifies that the particular computer device is to wait, after the particular computing device has presented the audible notification, for the audible user response to the presentation of the audible notification,

a third application program is associated with an attribute that specifies that the particular computer device is to not wait, after the particular computing device has presented a third audible notification to receipt of a third message, for an audible response to the presentation of the third audible notification, and

the method further comprises;

determining, by the one or more computer processors, that the particular computing device received the third message;

providing, by the one or more computer processors, the third message to a third application program that is associated with the third message;

causing, by the one or more computer processors, the particular computing device to present the third audible notification that the particular computing device received the third message; and

identifying, by the one or more computer processors, that the particular computing device is to not wait for the audible user response to the presentation of the third audible notification.

11. The computer-implemented method claim 1, wherein the starting of the first pre-defined time period during which the particular computing device is to listen for the audible user response occurs automatically after the particular computing device presents the audible notification that the particular computing device received the message.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the command is a command to send a reply to the message.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations that include:

determining, by one or more computer processors, that a particular computing device received a message that was transmitted to the particular computing device over a network;

providing, by the one or more computer processors, the message to a first application program that is associated with the message;

determining, by the one or more computer processors and based on a determination of whether a context of the particular computing device satisfies a particular criterion, whether to cause the particular computing device to present an audible notification that the particular computing device received the message;

causing, by the one or more computer processors and responsive to determining that the context of the particular computing device satisfies the particular criterion, the particular computing device to present the audible notification that the particular computing device received the message;

identifying, by the one or more computer processors, that the particular computing device is to wait for an audible user response to the presentation of the audible notification after the particular computing device has presented the audible notification;

starting, by the one or more computer processors and responsive to the presentation of the audible notification and having identified that the particular computer device is to wait for the audible user response to the presentation of the audible notification, a first pre-defined time period during which the particular computing device is to listen for the audible user response to the presentation of the audible notification;

recording, during the first pre-defined time period, a first audible user response to the presentation of the audible notification;

determining, by the one or more processors, that the first audible user response includes one or more words that identify a command for the first application program to perform in response to the presentation of the audible notification;

causing, by the one or more processors, the first application program to perform the command responsive to determining that the first audible user response includes the one or more words that identify the command for the first application program to perform;

determining, by the one or more computer processors, that the particular computing device received a second message that was transmitted to the particular computing device over a network;

providing, by the one or more computer processors, the second message to a second application program that is associated with the second message;

causing, by the one or more computer processors, the particular computing device to present a second audible notification that the particular computing device received the second message; and

starting, by the one or more computer processors and responsive to the presentation of the second audible notification, a second pre-defined time period during which the particular computing device is to listen for a second audible user response to the presentation of the second audible notification,

wherein attributes of the particular computing device specify that the first application program is assigned the first pre-defined time period and that the second application program is assigned the second pre-defined time period,

wherein the first pre-defined time period has a different length than a length of the second pre-defined time period.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein:

determining that the particular computing device received the message includes determining that the particular computing device received an email message or a simple message service (SMS) message,

the first audible user response requests that a reply to the email message or the SMS message be sent to a particular recipient, and

causing, the first application program to perform the command includes causing the first application program to generate the reply to the email message or the SMS message, the reply being addressed to the particular recipient.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein:

the particular computing device is a cellular telephone that is adapted to receive telephone calls, and

determining that the particular computing device received the message includes determining that the particular computing device received a voicemail message.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein causing the particular computing device to present the audible notification includes causing the particular computing device to play an audible sound that indicates that the particular computing device received the message.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein:

the audible notification includes an audible message that was generated by a text-to-speech converter that converted textual information in the message to the audible message, and

causing the particular computing device to present the audible notification includes causing the particular computing device to play the audible message.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein:

determining whether to cause the particular computing device to present the audible notification that the particular computing device received the message includes determining whether a proximity sensor included in the particular computing device detected an object within a pre-defined distance of the proximity sensor; and

causing the particular computing device to present the audible notification that the particular computing device received the message is responsive to having determined that the proximity sensor detected the object within the pre-defined distance of the proximity sensor.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein:

the particular criterion includes the particular computing device being connected to a user earpiece;

determining whether to cause the particular computing device to present the audible notification that the particular computing device received the message includes determining that the context of the particular computing device satisfies the particular criterion due to the particular computing device being connected to the user earpiece;

causing the particular computing device to present the audible notification that the particular computing device received the message is responsive to having determined that the context of the particular computing device satisfies the particular criterion due to the particular computing device being connected to the user earpiece; and

the one or more computer processors is configured to prevent the particular computing device from presenting the audible notification that the particular computing device received the message, responsive to determining that the context of the particular computing device does not satisfy the particular criterion due to the particular computing device not being connected to the user earpiece.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein:

the particular criterion includes the particular computing device being electrically connected to a docking station;

determining whether to cause the particular computing device to present the audible notification that the particular computing device received the message includes determining that the context of the particular computing device satisfies the particular criterion due to the particular computing device being electrically connected to the docking station;

causing the particular computing device to present the audible notification that the particular computing device received the message is responsive to having determined that the context of the particular computing device satisfies the particular criterion due to the particular computing device being electrically connected to the docking station; and

the one or more computer processors is configured to prevent the particular computing device from presenting the audible notification that the particular computing device received the message, responsive to determining that the context of the particular computing device does not satisfy the particular criterion due to the particular computing device not being electrically connected to the docking station.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the one or more computer processors is configured to prevent the particular computing device from presenting the audible notification that the particular computing device received the message, responsive to determining that the context of the particular computing device does not satisfy the particular criterion.