Speech Controlled System Patents (Class 704/275)
  • Patent number: 11238857
    Abstract: Implementations described herein relate to providing suggestions, via a display modality, for completing a spoken utterance for an automated assistant, in order to reduce a frequency and/or a length of time that the user will participate in a current and/or subsequent dialog session with the automated assistant. A user request can be compiled from content of an ongoing spoken utterance and content of any selected suggestion elements. When a currently compiled portion of the user request (from content of a selected suggestion(s) and an incomplete spoken utterance) is capable of being performed via the automated assistant, any actions corresponding to the currently compiled portion of the user request can be performed via the automated assistant. Furthermore, any further content resulting from performance of the actions, along with any discernible context, can be used for providing further suggestions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Gleb Skobeltsyn, Olga Kapralova, Konstantin Shagin, Vladimir Vuskovic, Yufei Zhao, Bradley Nelson, Alessio Macrí, Abraham Lee
  • Patent number: 11238858
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a speech interactive method and device. The method includes: during a process of displaying an interface of an application, detecting a first user operation; in response to the first user operation, querying a speech instruction associated with the application based on the application containing the interface and querying a system general speech instruction; setting the speech instruction and the system general speech instruction as applicable speech instructions for the application; and providing a prompt based on the applicable speech instructions to perform a speech interaction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: BAIDU ONLINE NETWORK TECHNOLOGY (BEIJING) CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kerning Qian, Qiusheng Xie, Yiwen Deng, Zhirong Xue, Dongdong Lei, Jinhui Wang
  • Patent number: 11237795
    Abstract: In response to a user interacting with a tangible peripheral assistant control device (e.g., depressing a button of the device), causing an automated assistant to perform one or more actions. The action(s) performed can be based on input previously provided by the user in configuring the peripheral assistant control device. The action(s) performed in response to interaction with the peripheral assistant control device can vary based on one or more conditions, such as which user is currently active, where the peripheral assistant control device is currently located (which can optionally be inferred based on which of multiple assistant computing devices the button is paired with), and/or the current state of one or more smart devices and/or other devices (e.g., as determined based on a device topology). A utility of the peripheral assistant control device can be automatically extended beyond what was specifically requested by a user during configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Tomer Amarilio, Yuzhao Ni, Bryan Allen, Norbert Tydingco, Will Donnelly, Feng Yuan, Nathaniel Nesiba, Anurag Jain, Jacky Cheung, Ronghui Zhu, Chunya Hua, Gregory Kielian
  • Patent number: 11238871
    Abstract: An electronic apparatus and a control method are provided, including an input interface, a communication interface, a memory including at least one command, and at least one processor configured to control the electronic device and execute the at least one command to receive a user speech through the input interface, determine whether or not the user speech is a speech related to a task requiring user confirmation by analyzing the user speech, generate a question for the user confirmation when it is determined that the user speech is the speech related to the task requiring the user confirmation, and perform a task corresponding to the user speech when a user response corresponding to the question is input through the input interface. Embodiments may use an artificial intelligence model learned according to at least one of machine learning, a neural network, and a deep learning algorithm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chanwoo Kim, Kyungmin Lee, Jaeyoung Roh, Donghan Jang, Keunseok Cho, Jiwon Hyung
  • Patent number: 11238860
    Abstract: A terminal for implementing speech control records a correspondence between a first keyword text and a second keyword text. When a user inputs a speech, the terminal sends, to a first server for semantic parsing and logical parsing, the speech input by the user. Then, when the first server returns a parsing failure, the terminal obtains a parsed text returned by the first server, replaces the second keyword in the parsed text with the first keyword based on the correspondence, and then sends, to the first server, the text obtained after the replacement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Nian Li
  • Patent number: 11240602
    Abstract: A sound quality improvement based on artificial intelligence is disclosed. A sound control method based on artificial intelligence according to an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a different call sound quality for each person based on a plurality of person information stored in an address book of a mobile terminal. The mobile terminal and 5G network of the present disclosure may be associated with an artificial intelligence module, a drone ((Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, UAV), a robot, an AR (Augmented Reality) device, a VR (Virtual Reality) device, a device associated with 5G services, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Sangjun Oh, Senghyun Huang, Youngman Kim, Kyuho Lee, Jaewoong Jeong
  • Patent number: 11238226
    Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computer system for identifying, by a computing device, a model for predicting conversational phrases for a communication between at least a first user and a second user. The model may be trained based upon, at least in part, an attribute associated with the second user. At least one conversational phrase may be predicted for the communication between the first user and the second user. The at least one conversational phrase may be provided to the second user as an optional phrase to be sent to the first user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Paul Joseph Vozila, Peter Stubley, Jean-Francois Beaumont, Ding Liu, William F. Ganong, III
  • Patent number: 11232265
    Abstract: A method for context-based natural language processing is disclosed herein. The method comprises maintaining a plurality of dialog system rules, receiving a user request from a Dialog System Interface, receiving one or more attributes associated with the user request from the Dialog System Interface or a user device, and identifying a type of context associated with the user request based on the user request and the one or more attributes. A context label is assigned to the user request associated with the type of context. Based on the context label and the user request, a particular dialog system rule is selected from the plurality of dialog system rules. A response to the user request is generated by applying the dialog system rule to at least a part of the user request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Ilya Gennadyevich Gelfenbeyn, Artem Goncharuk, Pavel Aleksandrovich Sirotin
  • Patent number: 11234039
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method includes receiving, at a microphone of a voice-controlled device, a speech input from a user and determining, by the voice-controlled device, that a power state of an AV display device that is coupled to the voice-controlled device is an ON or OFF state. Based on the user intent determined from the speech input and the power state of the AV display, the voice-controlled device sends data to the AV display device to switch the AV display device ON or OFF. The method can further include receiving, by the voice-controlled device, content from a content source location and sending the content to the AV display device via an AV port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Lawrence, Balsa Laban, Anna Chen Santos, Joseph Pedro Tavares, Miroslav Ristic, Valere Joseph Vanderschaegen, Trausti Thor Kristjansson, Srivatsan Kandadai, Donald L. Cantrell, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11227610
    Abstract: This disclosure describes computer-based techniques for administering a spoken patterned passphrase. A passphrase processing unit running on an administrator computer generates passphrase data for a secure system using acoustic data and video data representing a spoken phrase by a speaker. This passphrase includes a pattern of words or speech segments that are audible and words or speech segments that are inaudible. During authentication, a passphrase administration unit on the administrator computer receives acoustic and visual data of a spoken phrase by a person attempting to access the secure system and evaluates whether the spoken phrase includes the pattern of audible and inaudible words or speech segments associated with the account. In this way, the techniques discussed herein may enable the administrator computer to administer spoken passphrases with an additional degree of protection than a system that is limited to using linguistic or biometric content in passwords or passphrases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: Wells Fargo Bank, P.A.
    Inventors: Kristine Ing Kushner, John T. Wright
  • Patent number: 11227590
    Abstract: The systems and methods of seamlessly connecting an internet of things (“IoT”) device to one or more intelligent voice assistants, comprising: configuring a manager module to manage an IoT device connected to a network; receiving a speech command for the IoT device at the manager module through a mobile application, a smart speaker, a web interface or any other user interface; connecting to a central Speak-to-IoT cloud service; receiving a map to connect to a customer specific Speak-to-IoT cloud service based on the customer, IoT device type and manager module; authenticating with the customer specific Speak-to-IoT cloud service; communicating and executing the speech command on the IoT device. The systems and methods further comprising adding or replacing one or more IoT device with another device type or manager module of another type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: Voice of Things, Inc.
    Inventors: Biren Gandhi, Karan Sheth
  • Patent number: 11228673
    Abstract: A system and method of adaptive interface switching in a mobile electronic communications device entails engaging in an audio interface task at the mobile electronic communications device. If during the audio interface task it is detected that at least one microphone or at least one speaker of the mobile electronic communications device is compromised, then the system activates a data link to a wearable communication device associated with a user of the mobile electronic communications device. At least one of a mic and speaker on the wearable communication device is then used to continue the audio interface task.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC
    Inventors: Rachid Alameh, John Gorsica, Zhengping Ji
  • Patent number: 11221822
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a method and apparatus for controlling a page. A specific embodiment of the method comprises: receiving voice information from a terminal and element information of at least one element in a displayed page; performing voice recognition on the voice information to acquire a voice recognition result, in response to determining the voice information being used for controlling the displayed page; matching the voice recognition result with the element content information of the at least one element; and generating page control information in response to determining successfully matching the voice recognition result with the element content information of the at least one element, and sending the page control information to the terminal to allow the terminal to control the displayed page based on the page control information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: BAIDU ONLINE NETWORK TECHNOLOGY (BEIJING) CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yan Zhang, Binyuan Du, Fei Wang, Jing Li, Gaofei Cheng
  • Patent number: 11221598
    Abstract: A method of controlling devices connected to a controller includes receiving, from a server, a service rule including a trigger condition and a device executing action which is an action to be performed by one of the devices according to whether the trigger condition is satisfied, selecting one of the devices connected to the controller based on the received service rule, modifying the received service rule to control the selected device, and controlling the selected device according to the modified service rule.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuzhi Xie, Feng Tang
  • Patent number: 11222634
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to induce a dialogue to a topic that a dialogue system tries to present. A dialogue system 100 presents a first utterance which is a certain utterance and a target utterance related to the first utterance to a user 101. A humanoid robot 50-1 presents the first utterance. A microphone 11-1 receives a user utterance of the user 101 after the first utterance. A humanoid robot 50-2 presents at least one topic-inducing utterance for inducing the topic to the target utterance based on a recognition result of the user utterance and an utterance sentence of the target utterance after the user utterance. The humanoid robot 50-1 presents the target utterance after the topic-inducing utterance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignees: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION, OSAKA UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Hiroaki Sugiyama, Hiromi Narimatsu, Yuichiro Yoshikawa, Takamasa Iio, Tsunehiro Arimoto, Hiroshi Ishiguro
  • Patent number: 11217256
    Abstract: A voice interaction method, device, and terminal. The method includes receiving a wake-up prompt, activating an interactive mode according to the wake-up prompt, displaying a dialog prompt identification in the interactive mode, obtaining a vocal request, wherein the vocal request is input in response to the dialog prompt identification, and displaying a requested content according to the vocal request. In a variety of interaction scenarios, such as in a scenario of interacting with a smart home appliance, a user can continuously provide vocal requests in an interactive mode, without waking up the interactive mode repeatedly, thereby improving user experience.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignees: BAIDU ONLINE NETWORK TECHNOLOGY (BEIJING) CO., LTD., SHANGHAI XIAODU TECHNOLOGY CO. LTD.
    Inventors: Bingbing Fan, Hao Liang
  • Patent number: 11216499
    Abstract: An information retrieval apparatus includes a retrieval phrase acquisition device and a controller. The retrieval phrase acquisition device acquires a retrieval phrase from outside. The controller is configured to generate a feature word from the retrieval phrase. The feature word is related to a word representing a retrieval target. The controller is configured to retrieve the retrieval target corresponding to the feature word based on the feature word from an accumulation database that accumulates the feature word and the retrieval target corresponding to the feature word.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: MICWARE CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Sumito Yoshikawa
  • Patent number: 11210607
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are described for automated predictive analysis of user interactions to determine a modification based upon competing classification models. A server computing device receives first encoded text for prior user interactions and trains a plurality of classification models using the first text. The server determines a prediction cost for each of the models based upon the training. The server receives second encoded text for a current user interaction and executes the trained models using the second text to generate a prediction vector for each model that maximizes user engagement. The server selects one of the models based upon the prediction vectors, identifies a communication feature of the model, generates a user interaction modification, and transmits the user interaction modification to a client computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: FMR LLC
    Inventors: Aidan Kenny, Adrian Ronayne
  • Patent number: 11210036
    Abstract: An audio control device receives a print instruction by audio and causes a print apparatus connected to an external access point to execute a print process in accordance with the print instruction received by audio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Taketomo Naruse, Ryohei Saito
  • Patent number: 11205433
    Abstract: A device to process an audio signal representing input sound includes a user voice verifier configured to generate a first indication based on whether the audio signal represents a user's voice. The device includes a speaking target detector configured to generate a second indication based on whether the audio signal represents at least one of a command or a question. The device includes an activation signal unit configured to selectively generate an activation signal based on the first indication and the second indication. The device also includes an automatic speech recognition engine configured to be activated, responsive to the activation signal, to process the audio signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Byeonggeun Kim, Young Mo Kang, Sungrack Yun, Kyu Woong Hwang, Hye Jin Jang
  • Patent number: 11205425
    Abstract: Methods, apparatuses, and computing systems are provided for integrating logic services with a group communication service. In an implementation, a method may include receiving a spoken message from a communication node in a communication group and determining that the spoken message relates to a logic service and transferring the spoken message to a voice assistant service with an indication that the spoken message relates to the logic service. The method also includes receiving status information from the logic service indicative of a status of a networked device associated with the logic service. The further method includes sending an audible announcement to the communication nodes in the commutation group expressive of the status of the networked device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: Orion Labs, Inc.
    Inventors: Greg Albrecht, Ellen Juhlin, Jesse Robbins, Justin Black
  • Patent number: 11199834
    Abstract: A human interface technique is disclosed for industrial automation systems. The technique allows for visualizations to be distributed to interfaces, such as thin client interfaces, from automation components. For access to the content, a user may be initially authenticated in a first manner, such as by multi-factor authentication. Thereafter, or for a certain time or location, the user may be authenticated by a reduced number of factors, such as single-factor authentication. The authentication may be used to deliver the visualizations based on policies of a visualization manager, such as the user identification, the user role, the user location, and so forth. The reduced factor authentication allow for users to freely move and view visualizations on any available device, or at different locations, and so forth, but still based on the policies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott A. Miller, Jerome R. Anderson, Randy A. Cannady, Timothy A. Caine, Michael J. Anthony, Douglas A. Coulter
  • Patent number: 11200901
    Abstract: A method for responding to a voice activated request includes receiving a speech input request from a smart speaker requesting energy management data associated with energy consumption at a premises of the smart speaker. The method also includes generating a voice service request including a first query for a first data source. The first query includes a request for the energy management data. Additionally, the method includes communicating the first query to the first data source and receiving a first response to the first query from the first data source. Further, the method includes generating an audible speech output in response to the speech input request based on the first response to the first query and transmitting the audible speech output to the smart speaker. The smart speaker audibly transmits the audible speech output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: LANDIS+GYR INNOVATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Keith Mario Torpy, James Randall Turner, David Decker, Ruben E. Salazar Cardozo
  • Patent number: 11200897
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for selecting a voice-enabled device are disclosed. The voice-enabled device selecting apparatus may reduce the amount of communication load between a home IoT server and home IoT devices and minimize the amount of computation of the home IoT server by obtaining information related to the direction from which each voice recognition device receives a wakeup word from a plurality of voice recognition devices, determining the position where the wakeup word is spoken by using the information related to the direction from which the wakeup word is received, and selecting the voice recognition device closest to the speech position as a voice-enabled device. At least one of the voice enable device selecting apparatus, IoT device, and a server may be associated with an artificial intelligence (AI) module, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) (or drone), a robot, an augmented reality (AR) device, a virtual reality (VR) device, and a device related to a 5G service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Donghoon Yi, Heewan Park, Byounggi Lee, Yuyong Jeon
  • Patent number: 11195528
    Abstract: An artificial intelligence device for performing speech recognition includes a database configured to store correction data replacing a predetermined speech command, a microphone configured to receive a first speech command from a first user, and a processor configured to store the first speech command in the database when operation to be performed with respect to the first speech command is not determined, acquire correction data replacing the first speech command from a second user, and map and store the first speech command and the correction data in the database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventor: Jongpil Won
  • Patent number: 11195518
    Abstract: The disclosed technology relates to conversation between a wireless communication device with a hearing device user. Based on the context of an initiated conversation, an initiating module within the hearing device can send a listening initiator to a speech recognition module within the hearing device, which can use the listening initiator to determine keywords that are potentially applicable in that a context. The speech recognition module within the hearing device can determine whether keywords associated with the context of a conversation are spoken by the user. Accordingly, the hearing device does not need a large vocabulary speech recognition module or computation resources equivalent to a laptop or desktop, which saves power and resources and makes a hearing device integrated keyword detection useful for different contexts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Sonova AG
    Inventor: Hans-Ueli Roeck
  • Patent number: 11194378
    Abstract: An information processing method and an electronic device are provided. The method is applied to an electronic device and comprises collecting audio information received by the electronic device before waking up the electronic device; storing the audio information; and based on the stored audio information, generating alternative wake words. The wake words facilitate the electronic device to switch from a sleep mode to a wake mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: LENOVO (BEIJING) CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Xuyang Wang
  • Patent number: 11194796
    Abstract: Technologies described herein improve voice-based interaction technology and provide improved user experiences for computer-performed searching within voice-based applications. After receiving a voice command that involves performing a search operation in order to respond to the command, a more intuitive response may be generated and presented to the user. In particular, certain features or properties related to the search results are determined and utilized as discriminators. A discriminator may be provided in the response to the user to enable the user to distinguish between multiple search results, or to more readily confirm a particular result, provided by the computing system. In some instances, certain details of the search results may be omitted when generating the response. In this way, the computing system may present the user with a limited but more focused set of information that is more useful for making a decision and/or continuing the interaction with the computing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Dikla Dotan-Cohen, Ido Priness, Haim Somech
  • Patent number: 11195534
    Abstract: Techniques for improving privacy protection by requesting consent to review and analyze a natural language interaction. A natural language processing (NLP) system may process a user query, provide a system response, and then request feedback indicating whether the system response was responsive to the user query. To improve an accuracy of the NLP system, the NLP system may request consent to review interaction data and generate training data in order to train a model. If consent is granted, the NLP system may store confirmation of the consent and share the interaction data for training. The NLP system may process the user query using a first skill but request the feedback using a separate feedback skill. Based on the feedback, the feedback skill may pass the interaction back to the first skill differently and/or cause the first skill to perform one or more different actions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Zhengyan Shen, Saicharan Shriram Mujumdar, Umesh Halappa
  • Patent number: 11189284
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an apparatus which communicates with a voice recognition device, and a method for controlling an apparatus with a voice recognition capability which operates in the Internet of Things environment configured by a 5G communication network. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, an apparatus with a voice recognition capability includes a container which has one open surface and accommodates objects therein, a door which opens/closes the container, a sensor which senses an open/closed state of the door, a microphone which receives an external voice, a voice recognizer which recognizes a voice command received from the microphone, and a controller which controls an active state and an inactive state of the voice recognizer, in which the controller may predict whether the voice recognizer needs to be activated using a deep neural network model learned through the machine learning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventor: Ji Chan Maeng
  • Patent number: 11184704
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for identifying a music service based on a user command. A content type is identified from a received user command and a music service is selected that supports the content type. A selected music service can then transmit audio content associated with the content type for playback.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
    Inventors: Simon Jarvis, Mark Plagge, Christopher Butts
  • Patent number: 11183190
    Abstract: Disclosed are a speech recognition method and a speech recognition device, in which speech recognition is performed by executing an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm and/or a machine learning algorithm provided therein. According to one embodiment, the speech recognition method includes buffering a spoken utterance, extracting a standby wake-up word corresponding to a preset wake-up word from the spoken utterance by comparing the buffered spoken utterance to the preset wake-up word, analyzing the role of the standby wake-up word in the spoken utterance, determining the speech intent in uttering the standby wake-up word by using results of analyzing the role of the standby wake-up word, and determining whether to execute a spoken sentence as a voice command in the spoken utterance and processing the spoken sentence accordingly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventor: Jong Hoon Chae
  • Patent number: 11183188
    Abstract: Various embodiments discussed herein enable applications to seamlessly contribute to executing voice commands of users via voice assistant functionality. In response to receiving a user request to open an application or web page, the application can request and responsively receive a voice assistant runtime component along with the application or web page. The application, using a particular universal application interface component can compile or interpret the voice assistant runtime component from a source code format to an intermediate code format. In response to the application or web page being rendered and the detection of a key word or phrase, the application can activate voice assistant command execution functionality. The user can issue a voice command after which the application along with specific services can help execute the voice command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Rene Huangtian Brandel, Jason Eric Voldseth, Biao Kuang
  • Patent number: 11182121
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for navigating an information hierarchy using a mobile communication device. The method comprises causing a plurality of selectable items to be presented on a display associated with the mobile communication device, in response to receiving, via an audio input device associated with the mobile communication device, a first voice command indicating that one of the plurality of selectable items is to be selected, causing one of the selectable items in the plurality of selectable items to be displayed differently from the other selectable items to thereby form an accentuated selectable item, and, in response to receiving, via the audio input device, a second voice command indicating that the accentuated selectable item is to be selected, causing information associated with the accentuated selectable item to be presented on the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: Gula Consulting Limited Liability Company
    Inventor: Melvin L. Barnes, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11176938
    Abstract: Embodiments provide a voice interaction method, a device, and a storage medium. The method includes: transmitting obtained audio data of a user to a server for semantic understanding, to obtain structured data; receiving the structured data returned by the server; and controlling, according to a running game and the structured data, the game to perform a corresponding operation. In the embodiments, voice recognition and semantic understanding technologies are used to enable a user to complete an operation of a game under a dialogue interaction through a communication between a terminal device and a server, thus enhancing game experience of the user and improving entertainment and convenience.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: Baidu Online Network Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Binyuan Du, Yan Zhang, Peng Yuan, Longlong Tian, Liangyu Chang
  • Patent number: 11176942
    Abstract: A method includes receiving data characterizing an utterance of a query associated with a tenant; providing, to an automated speech recognition engine, the received data and a profile selected from a plurality of profiles based on the tenant, the profile configuring the automated speech recognition engine to process the received data; receiving, from the automated speech recognition engine, a text string characterizing the query; and processing, via an ensemble of natural language agents configured based on the tenant, the text string characterizing the query to determine a textual response to the query, the textual response including at least one word from a first lexicon associated with the tenant. Related systems, methods, apparatus, and computer readable mediums are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: VUI, INC.
    Inventors: Giuseppe Di Fabbrizio, Evgeny Stepanov, Giuliano Tortoreto, Mehool Patel, Phil C. Frank
  • Patent number: 11176437
    Abstract: Interaction between a user and a conversational digital assistant executing on a computing device is controlled. Multiple interaction pairs are stored in one or more datastores accessible by the conversational digital assistant. Each interaction pair includes an interaction query and an associated assistance operation. An interactive engagement event is detected between the user and the conversational digital assistant, responsive to the storing operation. An interaction pair is selected from the one or more datastores, responsive to the operation of detecting an interactive engagement event. The interaction query of the selected interaction pair is communicated to the user. The assistance operation associated with the communicated interaction query is executed, responsive to receipt of a response from the user to the interaction query.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Sapna Daryanomal Jeswani, Ajoy Nandi
  • Patent number: 11175880
    Abstract: Systems and methods for media playback via a media playback system include (i) capturing a voice input comprising a request for media content, (ii) receiving information derived at least from the request for media content, (iii) requesting and receiving information from at least one remote computing device associated with a first media content service and at least one remote computing device associated with a second media content service, wherein (a) the information identifies first media content available via the first media content service for playback and identifies second media content available via the second media content service for playback, and (b) the first and second media content are related to the requested media content, and (iv) after receiving at least one of the first information and the second information, (a) selecting the first media content instead of the second media content, and (b) playing back the first media content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
    Inventors: Sherwin Liu, Paul Bates
  • Patent number: 11176937
    Abstract: An electronic apparatus may include a microphone; a communication circuitry; a memory; and a processor configured to: identify whether information of an external apparatus that previously connected through the communication circuitry is stored in the memory based on a preset event of the electronic apparatus; based on identifying that the information of the external apparatus that previously connected through the communication circuitry is stored in the memory, perform connection with the external apparatus through the communication circuitry based on the information of the external apparatus; and based on identifying that the information of the external apparatus that previously connected through the communication circuitry is not stored in the memory, perform connection with the external apparatus by performing a search through the communication circuitry, based on a first voice command obtained through the microphone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shina Kim, Jongjin Park, Wonjae Lee, Minsup Kim
  • Patent number: 11172257
    Abstract: Implementations generally relate to managing audio and video content blocking. In some implementations, a method includes receiving a media item at a media device. The method further includes accessing content information associated with the media item. The method further includes determining a plurality of content categories based on the content information. The method further includes analyzing the content information based on the plurality of content categories. The method further includes comparing analysis results from the analyzing of the content information to a plurality of objectionability thresholds. The method further includes blocking the media item from being played on the media device if the analysis results exceed one or more objectionability thresholds of the plurality of objectionability thresholds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Blanchard, Adam Goldberg
  • Patent number: 11170778
    Abstract: Provided are a conversational control system and method for registering an external device. The method performed by the conversational robot device, includes: receiving profile information from a plurality of external devices; selecting a service category of a service provided by the conversational robot device; selecting at least one external device related to the selected service category from among the plurality of external devices; generating a function tree including at least some functions of the selected at least one external device; and registering the function tree and the service category with a server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Haesik Jun
  • Patent number: 11170167
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for automatically predicting lexical sememes using a lexical dictionary, comprising inputting a word, retrieving the word's semantic definition and sememes corresponding to the word from an online dictionary, setting each of the retrieved sememes as a candidate sememe, inputting the word's semantic definition and candidate sememe, and estimating the probability that the candidate sememe can be inferred from the word's semantic definition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: TENCENT AMERICA LLC
    Inventors: Kun Xu, Chao Weng, Chengzhu Yu, Dong Yu
  • Patent number: 11170784
    Abstract: Example embodiments of systems and methods for providing a video call between a first party and a second party. The method includes detecting an attempt to establish the video call by monitoring a voice call between the first party and the second party; authenticating the first and second parties; receiving from the first and second parties respective voice acceptances to invitations to establish the video call; retrieving video call identifications of the first and second parties; and establishing the video call without revealing the video call identification of the first party to the second party and the video call identification of the second party to the first party. A server uses credentials of a first party to request if that party would allow access of his identifying information to a second party and use that credential to further authenticate the first party.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: CAPITAL ONE SERVICES, LLC
    Inventors: Anh Truong, Reza Farivar, Vincent Pham
  • Patent number: 11169668
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus for selecting an input mode are described. In one aspect, a method includes receiving request data specifying a request to launch a virtual assistant application from a lock screen of a mobile device. In response to receiving the request data, input signals are obtained. A selection of an input mode for the virtual assistant application is made, from candidate input modes, based on the input signals. Each candidate input mode is of an input type different from each other input type of each other candidate input mode. The input types include an image type and an audio type. The input mode of the image type receives pixel data for input to the virtual assistant application. The input mode of the audio type receives audio input for the virtual assistant application. The virtual assistant application presents content selected based on input signals received using the selected input mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventor: Ibrahim Badr
  • Patent number: 11164586
    Abstract: Embodiments provide an artificial intelligence apparatus for recognizing an utterance voice of a user. The artificial intelligence apparatus includes: a communication unit configured to communicate with at least one external artificial intelligence apparatus which obtains first sound data including the utterance voice of the user to generate a first speech recognition result from the first sound data; a microphone configured to obtain second sound data including the utterance voice; and a processor configured to receive first speech recognition results from each of the at least one external artificial intelligence apparatus, generate a second speech recognition result from the second sound data, generate a final speech recognition result for the utterance voice by using the first speech recognition results and the second speech recognition result, and perform a control corresponding to the final speech recognition result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Jaehong Kim, Hyoeun Kim, Hangil Jeong
  • Patent number: 11164671
    Abstract: A mechanism is provided in a data processing system comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory comprising instructions which are executed by the at least one processor and configure the processor to implement a healthcare blockchain framework for continuous compliance auditing readiness and attestation in healthcare cloud solutions. The mechanisms provides a healthcare blockchain framework to create, read, update, and delete elements of a healthcare compliance model supporting a dynamic allocation of cloud resources to a healthcare business network. Compliance with one or more healthcare regulations is built into the blockchain framework. Responsive to an attestation event, a compliance attestation component within the healthcare blockchain framework reviews asset contents, state, and properties of an asset in a compliance repository.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Mario E. De Armas
  • Patent number: 11161466
    Abstract: Techniques are described for component design based on sensor data. Sensor data is collected by sensors in, or proximal to, a system under diagnosis (e.g., a vehicle), the sensor data describing use of one or more components of the system by one or more individuals. The sensor data from various instances of the component may be aggregated and analyzed to determine update(s) to the design of the component. For example, the aggregate sensor data may be analyzed to identify portions of the component frequently associated with movements by users (e.g., fidgeting, adjustments). The identified portion(s) can be presented graphically in a design view used to specify design modification(s) for the component. In some implementations, the aggregate sensor data is provided as input to a model that is trained, using machine learning, to output design modification(s) for the component based on the input aggregate sensor data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Accenture Global Solutions Limited
    Inventors: Edy S. Liongosari, Alex M. Kass, Niclas Almquist
  • Patent number: 11158317
    Abstract: A method of using speech recognition to control a utility, comprising: receiving a speech command spoken by a user and captured by at least one microphone; processing the speech command in order to automatically recognize and enact an intention of the user in each of a sequence of spoken elements in the command, the elements having an order from first to last in time, with at least one of the elements indicating an intention of the user to control the utility and a further one or more of the elements each specifying a respective parameter of the control intended by the user; and after the speaking of the first element in the voice command but prior to enacting the last element of the command, controlling illumination emitted by one or more luminaires of a lighting system to provide feedback to the user regarding the processing of the speech command, wherein the utility comprises one of: heating, air conditioning, ventilation, a window treatment, or play-out of media from an entertainment system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: SIGNIFY HOLDING B.V.
    Inventors: Remco Magielse, George Frederic Yianni
  • Patent number: 11158310
    Abstract: Systems and methods for providing intelligent assistance for handling usage modes. In some embodiments, an Information Handling System (IHS) may include: a processor and a memory having program instructions stored thereon that, upon execution, cause the IHS to: detect a headphone state of a user; in response to the detection, capture audio; and in response to the capture, execute a command, at least in part, based upon the headphone state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: Dell Products, L.P.
    Inventors: Marc Randall Hammons, Todd Erick Swierk, Tyler Ryan Cox
  • Patent number: 11158316
    Abstract: An in-vehicle device includes: a first speech recognition unit configured to recognize a word indicating the in-vehicle device and a word indicating a first instruction type by speech recognition, from first voice data input to the in-vehicle device, the first instruction type being one of instruction types for operating the in-vehicle device; and a second speech recognition unit configured, in response to the word indicating the in-vehicle device being recognized from the first voice data by the first speech recognition unit, to recognize a word indicating a second instruction type by speech recognition, from second voice data input to the in-vehicle device, the second voice data being input after the first voice data, and the second instruction type being one of the instruction types for operating the in-vehicle device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: ALPINE ELECTRONICS, INC.
    Inventors: Tomohiro Arikita, Masaaki Ohira