Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, for defining and monitoring an event for a physical entity and the performance of an action in response to the occurrence of the event. A method includes receiving data indicating an event for a physical entity, the event specified in part by a physical environment feature for which the occurrence of the event is to be monitored by the data processing apparatus; receiving data indicating an action associated with the event and to be taken in response to the occurrence of the event; monitoring for the occurrence of the event for the physical entity; and in response to the occurrence of the event, causing the action associated with the event to be performed.

Abstract: Systems, methods and apparatus for invoking actions at a second user device from a first user device. A method includes determining that a first user device has an associated second user device; accessing specification data that specifies a set of user device actions that the second user device is configured to perform; receiving command inputs for the first user device; for each command input, determining whether the command input resolves to one of the user device actions; for each command input not determined to resolve any of the user device actions, causing the command input to be processed at the first user device; and for each command input determined to resolve one of the user device actions causing the first user device to display in a user interface a dialog by which a user may either accept or deny invoking the user device action at the second user device.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus for receiving data identifying an application and a voice command trigger term, validating the received data, inducting the received data to generate an intent that specifies the application, the voice command trigger term, and one or more other voice command trigger terms that are determined based at least on the voice command trigger term, and storing the intent at a contextual intent database, wherein the contextual intent database comprises one or more other intents.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus for receiving, by a voice action system, data specifying trigger terms that trigger an application to perform a voice action and a context that specifies a status of the application when the voice action can be triggered. The voice action system receives data defining a discoverability example for the voice action that comprises one or more of the trigger terms that trigger the application to perform the voice action when a status of the application satisfies the specified context. The voice action system receives a request for discoverability examples for the application from a user device having the application installed, and provides the data defining the discoverability examples to the user device in response to the request. The user device is configured to provide a notification of the one or more of the trigger terms when a status of the application satisfies the specified context.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus for receiving, by a voice action system, data specifying trigger terms that trigger an application to perform a voice action and a context that specifies a status of the application when the voice action can be triggered. The voice action system receives data defining a discoverability example for the voice action that comprises one or more of the trigger terms that trigger the application to perform the voice action when a status of the application satisfies the specified context. The voice action system receives a request for discoverability examples for the application from a user device having the application installed, and provides the data defining the discoverability examples to the user device in response to the request. The user device is configured to provide a notification of the one or more of the trigger terms when a status of the application satisfies the specified context.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for speech endpointing based on word comparisons are described. In one aspect, a method includes the actions of obtaining a transcription of an utterance. The actions further include determining, as a first value, a quantity of text samples in a collection of text samples that (i) include terms that match the transcription, and (ii) do not include any additional terms. The actions further include determining, as a second value, a quantity of text samples in the collection of text samples that (i) include terms that match the transcription, and (ii) include one or more additional terms. The actions further include classifying the utterance as a likely incomplete utterance or not a likely incomplete utterance based at least on comparing the first value and the second value.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for speech endpointing based on word comparisons are described. In one aspect, a method includes the actions of obtaining a transcription of an utterance. The actions further include determining, as a first value, a quantity of text samples in a collection of text samples that (i) include terms that match the transcription, and (ii) do not include any additional terms. The actions further include determining, as a second value, a quantity of text samples in the collection of text samples that (i) include terms that match the transcription, and (ii) include one or more additional terms. The actions further include classifying the utterance as a likely incomplete utterance or not a likely incomplete utterance based at least on comparing the first value and the second value.

Abstract: Technology of the disclosure may facilitate user discovery of various voice-based action queries that can be spoken to initiate computer-based actions, such as voice-based action queries that can be provided as spoken input to a computing device to initiate computer-based actions that are particularized to content being viewed or otherwise consumed by the user on the computing device. Some implementations are generally directed to determining, in view of content recently viewed by a user on a computing device, at least one suggested voice-based action query for presentation via the computing device. Some implementations are additionally or alternatively generally directed to receiving at least one suggested voice-based action query at a computing device and providing the suggested voice-based action query as a suggestion in response to input to initiate providing of a voice-based query via the computing device.

Abstract: Technology of the disclosure may facilitate user discovery of various voice-based action queries that can be spoken to initiate computer-based actions, such as voice-based action queries that can be provided as spoken input to a computing device to initiate computer-based actions that are particularized to content being viewed or otherwise consumed by the user on the computing device. Some implementations are generally directed to determining, in view of content recently viewed by a user on a computing device, at least one suggested voice-based action query for presentation via the computing device. Some implementations are additionally or alternatively generally directed to receiving at least one suggested voice-based action query at a computing device and providing the suggested voice-based action query as a suggestion in response to input to initiate providing of a voice-based query via the computing device.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for speech endpointing are described. In one aspect, a method includes the action of accessing voice query log data that includes voice queries spoken by a particular user. The actions further include based on the voice query log data that includes voice queries spoken by a particular user, determining a pause threshold from the voice query log data that includes voice queries spoken by the particular user. The actions further include receiving, from the particular user, an utterance. The actions further include determining that the particular user has stopped speaking for at least a period of time equal to the pause threshold. The actions further include based on determining that the particular user has stopped speaking for at least a period of time equal to the pause threshold, processing the utterance as a voice query.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for speech endpointing are described. In one aspect, a method includes the action of accessing voice query log data that includes voice queries spoken by a particular user. The actions further include based on the voice query log data that includes voice queries spoken by a particular user, determining a pause threshold from the voice query log data that includes voice queries spoken by the particular user. The actions further include receiving, from the particular user, an utterance. The actions further include determining that the particular user has stopped speaking for at least a period of time equal to the pause threshold. The actions further include based on determining that the particular user has stopped speaking for at least a period of time equal to the pause threshold, processing the utterance as a voice query.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus for receiving, by a voice action system, data specifying trigger terms that trigger an application to perform a voice action and a context that specifies a status of the application when the voice action can be triggered. The voice action system receives data defining a discoverability example for the voice action that comprises one or more of the trigger terms that trigger the application to perform the voice action when a status of the application satisfies the specified context. The voice action system receives a request for discoverability examples for the application from a user device having the application installed, and provides the data defining the discoverability examples to the user device in response to the request. The user device is configured to provide a notification of the one or more of the trigger terms when a status of the application satisfies the specified context.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for speech endpointing based on word comparisons are described. In one aspect, a method includes the actions of obtaining a transcription of an utterance. The actions further include determining, as a first value, a quantity of text samples in a collection of text samples that (i) include terms that match the transcription, and (ii) do not include any additional terms. The actions further include determining, as a second value, a quantity of text samples in the collection of text samples that (i) include terms that match the transcription, and (ii) include one or more additional terms. The actions further include classifying the utterance as a likely incomplete utterance or not a likely incomplete utterance based at least on comparing the first value and the second value.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus for receiving data identifying an application and a voice command trigger term, validating the received data, inducting the received data to generate an intent that specifies the application, the voice command trigger term, and one or more other voice command trigger terms that are determined based at least on the voice command trigger term, and storing the intent at a contextual intent database, wherein the contextual intent database comprises one or more other intents.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for enhancing search results. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a query. A plurality of search results responsive to the query are identified. The search results are analyzed to determine that at least a first search result is associated with a first answer box topic. The search results are provided along with an answer box precursor for the first answer box topic.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for speech endpointing based on word comparisons are described. In one aspect, a method includes the actions of obtaining a transcription of an utterance. The actions further include determining, as a first value, a quantity of text samples in a collection of text samples that (i) include terms that match the transcription, and (ii) do not include any additional terms. The actions further include determining, as a second value, a quantity of text samples in the collection of text samples that (i) include terms that match the transcription, and (ii) include one or more additional terms. The actions further include classifying the utterance as a likely incomplete utterance or not a likely incomplete utterance based at least on comparing the first value and the second value.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus for determining that a software application installed on a user device is compatible with a new voice action, wherein the new voice action is specified by an application developer of the software application. One or more trigger terms for triggering the software application to perform the new voice action are identified. An automatic speech recognizer is biased to prefer the identified trigger terms of the new voice action over trigger terms of other voice actions. A transcription of an utterance generated by the biased automatic speech recognizer is obtained. The transcription of the utterance generated by the biased automatic speech recognizer is determined to include a particular trigger term included in the identified trigger terms. Based at least on determining that the transcription of the utterance generated by the biased automatic speech recognizer includes the particular trigger term, execution of the new voice action is triggered.

Abstract: The specification relates to a method of receiving a first query and a second query. The method analyzes the second query for a presence of anaphora. If anaphora is present, the method analyzes the first query for a presence of an entity that can be associated with the anaphora. If the analysis analyzing the first query returns two or more associated entities, the method forms a third query wherein the anaphora of the second query is replaced with one of the associated entities and forms a fourth query wherein the anaphora is replaced with the other of the associated entities. The third query and the fourth query are sent to a query-ranking engine. The third query and the fourth query receive a ranking and the higher-ranked query is sent to a search engine.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus for receiving, by a voice action system, data specifying trigger terms that trigger an application to perform a voice action and a context that specifies a status of the application when the voice action can be triggered. The voice action system receives data defining a discoverability example for the voice action that comprises one or more of the trigger terms that trigger the application to perform the voice action when a status of the application satisfies the specified context. The voice action system receives a request for discoverability examples for the application from a user device having the application installed, and provides the data defining the discoverability examples to the user device in response to the request. The user device is configured to provide a notification of the one or more of the trigger terms when a status of the application satisfies the specified context.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus for receiving data identifying an application and a voice command trigger term, validating the received data, inducting the received data to generate an intent that specifies the application, the voice command trigger term, and one or more other voice command trigger terms that are determined based at least on the voice command trigger term, and storing the intent at a contextual intent database, wherein the contextual intent database comprises one or more other intents.