Patents by Inventor Paul S. McCarthy

Paul S. McCarthy has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20230335132
    Abstract: Systems and processes for operating a virtual assistant to provide natural assistant interaction are provided. In accordance with one or more examples, a method includes, at an electronic device with one or more processors and memory: receiving a first audio stream including one or more utterances; determining whether the first audio stream includes a lexical trigger; generating one or more candidate text representations of the one or more utterances; determining whether at least one candidate text representation of the one or more candidate text representations is to be disregarded by the virtual assistant. If at least one candidate text representation is to be disregarded, one or more candidate intents are generated based on candidate text representations of the one or more candidate text representations other than the to be disregarded at least one candidate text representation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2023
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Inventors: Juan Carlos GARCIA, Paul S. MCCARTHY, Kurt PIERSOL
  • Patent number: 11710482
    Abstract: Systems and processes for operating a virtual assistant to provide natural assistant interaction are provided. In accordance with one or more examples, a method includes, at an electronic device with one or more processors and memory: receiving a first audio stream including one or more utterances; determining whether the first audio stream includes a lexical trigger; generating one or more candidate text representations of the one or more utterances; determining whether at least one candidate text representation of the one or more candidate text representations is to be disregarded by the virtual assistant. If at least one candidate text representation is to be disregarded, one or more candidate intents are generated based on candidate text representations of the one or more candidate text representations other than the to be disregarded at least one candidate text representation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Juan Carlos Garcia, Paul S. McCarthy, Kurt Piersol
  • Patent number: 11680819
    Abstract: In some implementations, a computing device can manage conflicts using conflict islands. For example, when a computing device receives bulk map data updates, the computing device can determine conflicts between point updates (e.g., small, ad hoc feature edits) in the current map data and the bulk map data updates. When the bulk map data updates are merged with the current map data, a point update for a map feature may conflict with the bulk update for the feature. The computing device can determine a perimeter of stable map features around the conflicted feature. The map features within the perimeter can correspond to a conflict island. The bulk updates for features within a conflict island (e.g., within the perimeter) can be deferred until resolved while bulk updates for features outside of a conflict island can be applied to the current map data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew T. Belk, Ralph E. Lemke, April C. Cutter, Paul S. McCarthy, Gunjan Gupta
  • Publication number: 20210063170
    Abstract: In some implementations, a computing device can manage conflicts using conflict islands. For example, when a computing device receives bulk map data updates, the computing device can determine conflicts between point updates (e.g., small, ad hoc feature edits) in the current map data and the bulk map data updates. When the bulk map data updates are merged with the current map data, a point update for a map feature may conflict with the bulk update for the feature. The computing device can determine a perimeter of stable map features around the conflicted feature. The map features within the perimeter can correspond to a conflict island. The bulk updates for features within a conflict island (e.g., within the perimeter) can be deferred until resolved while bulk updates for features outside of a conflict island can be applied to the current map data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2020
    Publication date: March 4, 2021
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew T. Belk, Ralph E. Lemke, April C. Cutter, Paul S. McCarthy, Gunjan Gupta
  • Publication number: 20210027780
    Abstract: Systems and processes for operating a virtual assistant to provide natural assistant interaction are provided. In accordance with one or more examples, a method includes, at an electronic device with one or more processors and memory: receiving a first audio stream including one or more utterances; determining whether the first audio stream includes a lexical trigger; generating one or more candidate text representations of the one or more utterances; determining whether at least one candidate text representation of the one or more candidate text representations is to be disregarded by the virtual assistant. If at least one candidate text representation is to be disregarded, one or more candidate intents are generated based on candidate text representations of the one or more candidate text representations other than the to be disregarded at least one candidate text representation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2020
    Publication date: January 28, 2021
    Inventors: Juan Carlos GARCIA, Paul S. MCCARTHY, Kurt PIERSOL
  • Patent number: 10871376
    Abstract: In some implementations, a computing device can manage conflicts using conflict islands. For example, when a computing device receives bulk map data updates, the computing device can determine conflicts between point updates (e.g., small, ad hoc feature edits) in the current map data and the bulk map data updates. When the bulk map data updates are merged with the current map data, a point update for a map feature may conflict with the bulk update for the feature. The computing device can determine a perimeter of stable map features around the conflicted feature. The map features within the perimeter can correspond to a conflict island. The bulk updates for features within a conflict island (e.g., within the perimeter) can be deferred until resolved while bulk updates for features outside of a conflict island can be applied to the current map data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew T. Belk, Ralph E. Lemke, April C. Cutter, Paul S. McCarthy, Gunjan Gupta
  • Patent number: 10818288
    Abstract: Systems and processes for operating a virtual assistant to provide natural assistant interaction are provided. In accordance with one or more examples, a method includes, at an electronic device with one or more processors and memory: receiving a first audio stream including one or more utterances; determining whether the first audio stream includes a lexical trigger; generating one or more candidate text representations of the one or more utterances; determining whether at least one candidate text representation of the one or more candidate text representations is to be disregarded by the virtual assistant. If at least one candidate text representation is to be disregarded, one or more candidate intents are generated based on candidate text representations of the one or more candidate text representations other than the to be disregarded at least one candidate text representation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Juan Carlos Garcia, Paul S. McCarthy, Kurt Piersol
  • Publication number: 20190295544
    Abstract: Systems and processes for operating a virtual assistant to provide natural assistant interaction are provided. In accordance with one or more examples, a method includes, at an electronic device with one or more processors and memory: receiving a first audio stream including one or more utterances; determining whether the first audio stream includes a lexical trigger; generating one or more candidate text representations of the one or more utterances; determining whether at least one candidate text representation of the one or more candidate text representations is to be disregarded by the virtual assistant. If at least one candidate text representation is to be disregarded, one or more candidate intents are generated based on candidate text representations of the one or more candidate text representations other than the to be disregarded at least one candidate text representation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2018
    Publication date: September 26, 2019
    Inventors: Juan Carlos Garcia, Paul S. McCarthy, Kurt Piersol
  • Publication number: 20190101397
    Abstract: In some implementations, a computing device can manage conflicts using conflict islands. For example, when a computing device receives bulk map data updates, the computing device can determine conflicts between point updates (e.g., small, ad hoc feature edits) in the current map data and the bulk map data updates. When the bulk map data updates are merged with the current map data, a point update for a map feature may conflict with the bulk update for the feature. The computing device can determine a perimeter of stable map features around the conflicted feature. The map features within the perimeter can correspond to a conflict island. The bulk updates for features within a conflict island (e.g., within the perimeter) can be deferred until resolved while bulk updates for features outside of a conflict island can be applied to the current map data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2018
    Publication date: April 4, 2019
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew T. Belk, Ralph E. Lemke, April C. Cutter, Paul S. McCarthy, Gunjan Gupta
  • Patent number: 9880019
    Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method for generating intersection data for paths in a map region. The method receives a set of junctions at which paths intersect in the map region. For a particular junction of at least two paths, the method automatically determines whether any of the other junctions in the map region satisfy criteria to be part of a single intersection with the particular junction. When at least one of the other junctions satisfies the criteria, the method automatically combines the other junctions that satisfy the criteria with the particular junction into a single intersection for use in performing mapping operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventor: Paul S. McCarthy
  • Patent number: 9207094
    Abstract: Road height values for a road network area are generated based on locations of junctions and stacking orders of roads in junctions in which at least one road passes over another road. A cost function can be optimized to obtain height values for each road of each junction. The cost function can be constrained such that roads of the grade separated crossings satisfy the stacking order designated for the roads and to have a minimum distance between roads having consecutive stacking order values. The obtained height values can be used for rendering a three-dimensional map of a part of the road network area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Imran A. Pirwani, Paul S. McCarthy
  • Publication number: 20150149080
    Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method for generating intersection data for paths in a map region. The method receives a set of junctions at which paths intersect in the map region. For a particular junction of at least two paths, the method automatically determines whether any of the other junctions in the map region satisfy criteria to be part of a single intersection with the particular junction. When at least one of the other junctions satisfies the criteria, the method automatically combines the other junctions that satisfy the criteria with the particular junction into a single intersection for use in performing mapping operations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2015
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Inventor: Paul S. McCarthy
  • Patent number: 8983778
    Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method for generating intersection data for paths in a map region. The method receives a set of junctions at which paths intersect in the map region. For a particular junction of at least two paths, the method automatically determines whether any of the other junctions in the map region satisfy criteria to be part of a single intersection with the particular junction. When at least one of the other junctions satisfies the criteria, the method automatically combines the other junctions that satisfy the criteria with the particular junction into a single intersection for use in performing mapping operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Paul S. McCarthy
  • Publication number: 20130332063
    Abstract: Road height values for a road network area are generated based on locations of junctions and stacking orders of roads in junctions in which at least one road passes over another road. A cost function can be optimized to obtain height values for each road of each junction. The cost function can be constrained such that roads of the grade separated crossings satisfy the stacking order designated for the roads and to have a minimum distance between roads having consecutive stacking order values. The obtained height values can be used for rendering a three-dimensional map of a part of the road network area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Publication date: December 12, 2013
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Imran A. Pirwani, Paul S. McCarthy
  • Publication number: 20130325339
    Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method for generating intersection data for paths in a map region. The method receives a set of junctions at which paths intersect in the map region. For a particular junction of at least two paths, the method automatically determines whether any of the other junctions in the map region satisfy criteria to be part of a single intersection with the particular junction. When at least one of the other junctions satisfies the criteria, the method automatically combines the other junctions that satisfy the criteria with the particular junction into a single intersection for use in performing mapping operations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2012
    Publication date: December 5, 2013
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventor: Paul S. McCarthy