Electronic device generating notification based on context data in response to speech phrase from user

• US 9,946,862 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2015
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Yun, Sungrack, Kim, Taesu, Kim, Sungwoong, Kim, Heeman
• Primary Examiner(s): SINGH, SATWANT K
• Application Number:
  US14/956,180
• Publication Number:
  US 20170154176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions

Abstract

A method for generating a notification by an electronic device to alert a user of the electronic device is disclosed. In this method, a speech phrase may be received. Then, the received speech phrase may be recognized, by a processor, as a command to generate the notification. In addition, one or more context data of the electronic device may be detected by at least one sensor. It may be determined whether the notification is to be generated at least based on the context data. The notification may be generated, by the processor, based on the context data and the command to generate the notification.

Claims

1. A method for generating a notification by an electronic device, comprising:

receiving a speech phrase;

recognizing, by a processor, the speech phrase as a command to generate the notification;

detecting, by at least one sensor, context data of the electronic device;

determining a context score associated with the context data;

determining, by the processor, whether to generate the notification at least based on a comparison of the context score to a threshold value; and

generating the notification based on the comparison.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the context data is at least based on one among a user input, movement of the electronic device, timing information, location information of the electronic device, an ambient light value, and an input sound.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining whether to generate the notification comprises determining whether the location information of the electronic device corresponds to a location where the notification is not to be generated.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to generate the notification comprises deactivating a silent mode of the electronic device upon determining that the notification is to be generated.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to generate the notification comprises determining whether the context data includes a user input.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein determining whether to generate the notification comprises determining whether the timing information is outside of a particular time period.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a speech phrase comprises receiving, by a sound sensor, a first speech phrase and a second speech phrase, and

wherein the speech phrase is recognized as a command to generate the notification in response to determining that the first speech phrase and the second speech phrase are received within a predetermined time period.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein recognizing the speech phrase as a command to generate the notification comprises recognizing the first speech phrase as a command to activate a voice assistant unit in the electronic device and the second speech phrase as the command to generate the notification.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a speech phrase comprises receiving, by a communication unit, the speech phrase from an external device, and

wherein generating the notification comprises transmitting, by the communication unit, location information of the electronic device to the external device.

10. The method of claim 4, further comprising locking the electronic device in response to determining that the notification is to be generated or unlocking the electronic device in response to receiving a user input.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining a context value for the context data; and

calculating the context score by multiplying the context value by a weight value.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the notification comprises generating, by an output unit, at least one of audible sound, vibration, or visible light indicative of the notification.

13. An electronic device for generating a notification, comprising:

a sound sensor configured to receive a speech phrase;

a speech recognition unit configured to recognize the speech phrase as a command to generate the notification;

a sensor unit configured to detect context data of the electronic device;

a processor configured to determine a context score associated with the context data and to determine whether to generate the notification at least based on a comparison of the context score to a threshold value; and

an output unit configured to generate the notification based on the comparison.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the output unit is configured to generate at least one of audible sound, vibration, or visible light.

15. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the sensor unit is further configured to detect the context data at least based on one among a user input, movement of the electronic device, timing information, location information of the electronic device, an ambient light value, and an input sound.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a context value for the context data; and

calculate the context score by multiplying the context value by a weight value.

17. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether to generate the notification based on at least one of:

determining that the notification is not to be generated upon detecting that the context data includes the user input;

determining whether the timing information is outside of a particular time period;

or

determining whether the location information of the electronic device corresponds to a location where the notification is not to be generated.

18. The electronic device of claim 13,

wherein the sound sensor is further configured to receive a first speech phrase and a second speech phrase as the speech phrase, and

wherein the speech recognition unit is further configured to recognize the speech phrase as a command to generate the notification in response to determining that the first speech phrase and the second speech phrase are received within a predetermined time period.

19. The electronic device of claim 18, further comprising a voice assistant unit,

wherein the speech recognition unit is further configured to recognize the first speech phrase as a command to activate the voice assistant unit, and

wherein the voice assistant unit is configured to recognize the second speech phrase as the command to generate the notification.

20. The electronic device of claim 13, further comprising:

a communication unit configured to transmit location information of the electronic device to an external device.

21. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the electronic device is further configured to perform at least one of:

locking the electronic device in response to determining that the notification is to be generated;

or

unlocking the electronic device in response to receiving a user input.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions executable to cause at least one processor of an electronic device to perform operations of:

receiving a speech phrase;

recognizing the speech phrase as a command to generate a notification;

detecting, via at least one sensor, context data of the electronic device;

determining a context score associated with the context data;

determining whether to generate the notification at least based on a comparison of the context score to a threshold value; and

generating the notification based on the comparison.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein detecting the context data is at least based on one among a user input, movement of the electronic device, timing information, location information of the electronic device, an ambient light value and an input sound.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, further comprising:

determining a context value for the context data; and

calculating the context score by multiplying the context value by a weight value.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein determining whether to generate the notification comprises at least one of:

determining that the notification is not to be generated upon detecting that the context data includes the user input;

determining whether the timing information is outside of a particular time period;

or

determining whether the location information of the electronic device corresponds to a location where the notification is not to be generated.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein receiving, via a sound sensor, a speech phrase comprises receiving a first speech phrase and a second speech phrase, and

wherein the speech phrase is recognized as the command to generate the notification in response to determining that the first speech phrase and the second speech phrase are received within a predetermined time period.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the first speech phrase comprises a command to activate a voice assistant unit in the electronic device and the second speech phrase comprises the command to generate the notification.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein generating the notification comprises transmitting, via a communication unit, location information of the electronic device to an external device.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, further comprising instructions executable to cause the at least one processor of the electronic device to perform at least one operation of:

locking the electronic device in response to determining that the notification is to be generated;

or

unlocking the electronic device in response to receiving a user input.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein generating the notification comprises generating, via an output unit, at least one of audible sound, vibration, or visible light indicative of the notification.