Abstract: A method for deliver relevant responses to ambiguous queries includes receiving, from a user device associated with a user, a query requesting either information from a digital assistant service or performance of an action by the digital assistant service. When a user intent of the query is unresolved, the method also includes retrieving, from a search engine, currently trending search results for the query and resolving the user intent of the query based on the search results. The method also includes generating a response to the query based the resolved user intent. The response includes information obtained from a particular intent vertical associated with the resolved user intent or fulfillment of the action by the digital assistant service.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for providing virtual artifacts using mobile devices. In one aspect, methods include receiving a signal indicating user input to a touchscreen display of a mobile computing device, detecting motion of the mobile computing device, the motion mimicking motion associated with a physical artifact, identifying a function based on the user input and the motion, the function corresponding to a function that can be physically performed using the physical artifact, executing the function on the mobile device, and generating feedback to a user of the mobile device, the feedback indicating execution of the function.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for providing virtual artifacts using mobile devices. In one aspect, methods include receiving a signal indicating user input to a touchscreen display of a mobile computing device, detecting motion of the mobile computing device, the motion mimicking motion associated with a physical artifact, identifying a function based on the user input and the motion, the function corresponding to a function that can be physically performed using the physical artifact, executing the function on the mobile device, and generating feedback to a user of the mobile device, the feedback indicating execution of the function.

Abstract: An NFC reader in a communication device reads a first NFC tag on a first conference device when the communication device is brought within proximity of the first NFC tag. The communication device communicates information read from the first NFC tag and information acquired by the communication device to a conference server. The conference server utilizes the communicated information read from the first NFC tag and the communicated information acquired by the communication device to configure a conference call between the first conference device and the second conference device. The communication device, the first conference device and the second conference device are separate and distinct. The communication device executes a module that handles the communication of the information read from the first NFC tag and the information acquired by the communication device. The module is executed when the communication device is brought within the proximity of the first NFC tag.

Abstract: Methods and systems for personalizing access to client devices using near field communication is disclosed. In a transaction between a client and a server, the client may detect the presence of a computing device using near field communication, and the device may be identified as an assistive computing device. Based on this information, the client may send the assistive computing device user interface data such that the transaction can be completed on the assistive computing device instead of the client.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method and system for realizing an interactive, virtual bookshelf representing physical books and digitally stored books of the user. Using a search query, the Web is searched using search metadata to identify a desired book. Library metadata corresponding to the physical books and digitally stored books of the user is then searched using the search metadata to determine whether the desired book is present in the virtual on-line bookshelf. Results indicative of whether the desired book is present on the virtual on-line bookshelf can be displayed.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods of revealing the hierarchical structure of a document having content of a characteristic type of content are described (100). The hierarchical structure may be expressed, independently of document content type, as a tree structure of one or more nodes (126) A semantic representation for interpreting the tree structure may also be provided, document description files are used to encapsulate structural and meta information associated with a document stored on a computer-readable medium (156). Document description files are external to native application files and have a set of required fields. Document description files point to the referenced document data using uniform resource locators (URLS) and serve as virtual documents. In addition to the required fields, applications can choose to encode additional structural information in the document description files.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods of revealing the hierarchical structure of a document having content of a characteristic type of content are described. The hierarchical structure may be expressed, independently of document content type, as a tree structure of one or more nodes. A semantic representation for interpreting the tree structure may also be provided. Document description files are used to encapsulate structural and meta information associated with a document stored on a computer-readable medium. Document description files are external to native application files and have a set of required fields. Document description files point to the referenced document data using Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) and serve as virtual documents. In addition to the required fields, applications can choose to encode additional structural information in the document description files.

Abstract: In a computer system, a method enables an application program to interact aurally with a user. The application program including calls to perform input and output. The calls include parameters. The method identifies functions of an input/output driver. The functions are called by the calls of the application program. The functions are augmented to process the parameters according to an execution context of the application program. The augmented functions are linked to speech processing modules. The speech processing modules generating aural output dependent on the parameters of the calls and the execution context of the application program. The speech processing modules include speak line, speak word, speak letter, speak icon modules for generating the aural output as spoken lines, words, and letters. In addition, the aural output can be modified by voice, personality, and background modules. Graphic icons can be rendered as distinctive sounds.

Abstract: Document description files are used to encapsulate structural and meta information associated with a document stored on a computer-readable medium. Document description files are external to native application files and have a set of required fields. Document description files point to the referenced document data using Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) and serve as virtual documents. In addition to the required fields, applications can choose to encode additional structural information in the document description files.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus of processing, storing and transmitting an original data stream of digitized speech samples. The method converts a stream of digitized speech samples to a stream of text and associated reliability measures. A mixed-media data stream is created with the stream of text as a text component and selected portions of the digitized stream of speech as a speech component. The selected portions are those whose corresponding reliability measures fall below a threshold. The threshold can be changed to change the amount of storage or bandwidth used by the mixed-media data stream. The mixed-media data stream can be searched and the results can be spoken as synthetic speech derived form the text component or as speech samples taken from the digitized speech component.

Abstract: A telephone access system which provides remote access and communication with a computer through a telephone handset. The system provides audio instructions to the user to select between a plurality of audio dialogs. The audio dialogs may provide access to voice mail, electronic mail, a file manager (documents, databases, etc.) and facsimiles all stored within the computer. Once within an audio dialog, the system provides a series of instructions which allows the user to manipulate the information stored within the computer. For example, the system may allow the user to listen to a message received through electronic mail and then reply to the message. The system may also allow the user to remotely listen to the text of a document and FAX the document to a location remote from the computer.

Abstract: In a computer system, a method is implemented for interactively presenting electronically encoded multi-media information. The information including marks to indicate a structure of the information. The method includes the steps of receiving the information, and converting the information to a common intermediate representation stored in a memory of a computer system in the form of a hierarchical attribute tree. The tree has a plurality of document objects, the document objects represent the information, the structure of the information, and procedures which can operate on the information. The common intermediate representation is presented using a plurality of user communication modalities according to the hierarchical attribute tree.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing auditory renderings of digitized works and, in particular, digitized documents containing complex mathematical expressions. Documents are first entered into a computer system and formatted with a markup language, such as one of the TeX.RTM. or LaTeX.RTM. family of languages. The formatted documents are parsed to provide a tree-structured, high-level representation. Mathematical expressions are in quasi-prefix form. Lexical analysis and recognition processes are then undertaken. The resulting analyzed documents are provided to an audio output device (such as a voice synthesizer) operating under control of a set of predetermined rendering rules. The resultant audio signal contains not only textual content but also the analogical markings produced by the reading rules. Multichannel audio outputs may be used to allow for spatial placement capability, in addition to the other analogical markings.