Patents by Inventor Yuzhao Ni

Yuzhao Ni 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).

  • 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: 11232155
    Abstract: Generating and/or recommending command bundles for a user of an automated assistant. A command bundle comprises a plurality of discrete actions that can be performed by an automated assistant. One or more of the actions of a command bundle can cause transmission of a corresponding command and/or other data to one or more devices and/or agents that are distinct from devices and/or agents to which data is transmitted based on other action(s) of the bundle. Implementations determine command bundles that are likely relevant to a user, and present those command bundles as suggestions to the user. In some of those implementations, a machine learning model is utilized to generate a user action embedding for the user, and a command bundle embedding for each of a plurality of command bundles. Command bundle(s) can be selected for suggestion based on comparison of the user action embedding and the command bundle embeddings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventor: Yuzhao Ni
  • Publication number: 20220014413
    Abstract: Implementing methods to provide a shortened textual summary that includes status information that is most pertinent to the user for a plurality of connected smart devices. The method includes determining a list of current statuses for a plurality of enabled smart devices and filtering the list to remove statuses that may not be of interest to the user. The filtering of the list is based on a current context of the requesting user and one or more previous contexts of the user. The resulting filtered statuses are then converted to textual snippets, summarized, and provided to the user via one or more output devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2021
    Publication date: January 13, 2022
    Inventors: Yuzhao Ni, Ashwin Limaye, Cindy Tran, Thomas Clifton, David Roy Schairer
  • Publication number: 20220013121
    Abstract: Transferring (e.g., automatically) an automated assistant routine between client devices during execution of the automated assistant routine. The automated assistant routine can correspond to a set of actions to be performed by one or more agents and/or one or more devices. While content, corresponding to an action of the routine, is being rendered at a particular device, the user may walk away from the particular device and toward a separate device. The automated assistant routine can be automatically transferred in response, and the separate device can continue to rendering the content for the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2021
    Publication date: January 13, 2022
    Inventor: Yuzhao Ni
  • Publication number: 20210398536
    Abstract: Implementations relate to mitigating client device latency in rendering of remotely generated automated assistant content. Some of those implementations mitigate client device latency between rendering of multiple instances of output that are each based on content that is responsive to a corresponding automated assistant action of a multiple action request. For example, those implementations can reduce latency between rendering of first output that is based on first content responsive to a first automated assistant action of a multiple action request, and second output that is based on second content responsive to a second automated assistant action of the multiple action request.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2021
    Publication date: December 23, 2021
    Inventor: Yuzhao Ni
  • Patent number: 11196582
    Abstract: Implementations herein relate to information describing one or more internal states of a technical system. Implementations herein are provided for characterizing reliability of various different third party servers, at least when reporting third party device statuses, as well as adapting protocols for device ecosystems affected by such reliability. Latency can affect accuracy of device states represented by assistant devices. Certain servers can be characterized as especially delayed when reporting an updated device state in response to a user request, and, as a result, the third party server can be correlated to a metric that characterizes the relative latency of the third party server. When the metric fails to satisfy a particular threshold, a server and/or client associated with the “ecosystem” of third party devices can affirmatively operate to retrieve device state updates, rather than passively await updates from a corresponding third party server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventor: Yuzhao Ni
  • Patent number: 11177044
    Abstract: Implementing methods to provide a shortened textual summary that includes status information that is most pertinent to the user for a plurality of connected smart appliances. The method includes determining a list of current statuses for a plurality of enabled smart appliances and filtering the list to remove statuses that may not be of interest to the user. The filtering of the list is based on a current context of the requesting user and one or more previous contexts of the user. The resulting filtered statuses are then converted to textual snippets, summarized, and provided to the user via one or more output devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventors: Yuzhao Ni, Ashwin Limaye, Cindy Tran, Thomas Clifton, David Roy Schairer
  • Patent number: 11133003
    Abstract: Transferring (e.g., automatically) an automated assistant routine between client devices during execution of the automated assistant routine. The automated assistant routine can correspond to a set of actions to be performed by one or more agents and/or one or more devices. While content, corresponding to an action of the routine, is being rendered at a particular device, the user may walk away from the particular device and toward a separate device. The automated assistant routine can be automatically transferred in response, and the separate device can continue to rendering the content for the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventor: Yuzhao Ni
  • Publication number: 20210281437
    Abstract: Implementations herein relate to information describing one or more internal states of a technical system. Implementations herein are provided for characterizing reliability of various different third party servers, at least when reporting third party device statuses, as well as adapting protocols for device ecosystems affected by such reliability. Latency can affect accuracy of device states represented by assistant devices. Certain servers can be characterized as especially delayed when reporting an updated device state in response to a user request, and, as a result, the third party server can be correlated to a metric that characterizes the relative latency of the third party server. When the metric fails to satisfy a particular threshold, a server and/or client associated with the “ecosystem” of third party devices can affirmatively operate to retrieve device state updates, rather than passively await updates from a corresponding third party server.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2019
    Publication date: September 9, 2021
    Inventor: Yuzhao Ni
  • Patent number: 11114096
    Abstract: Implementations relate to mitigating client device latency in rendering of remotely generated automated assistant content. Some of those implementations mitigate client device latency between rendering of multiple instances of output that are each based on content that is responsive to a corresponding automated assistant action of a multiple action request. For example, those implementations can reduce latency between rendering of first output that is based on first content responsive to a first automated assistant action of a multiple action request, and second output that is based on second content responsive to a second automated assistant action of the multiple action request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventor: Yuzhao Ni
  • Publication number: 20210132559
    Abstract: Efficient control and/or linking of smart network connected devices. Some implementations are directed to rendering, within an active application that enables control of multiple smart devices from multiple parties, both: (1) an interactive graphical interface element that, when interacted with, causes corresponding control of smart device(s) of a third-party (3P); and (2) a selectable element that, when selected, causes execution of a deeplink to cause a 3P application to open in a state that presents additional information for the smart device(s). Some implementations are additionally or alternatively directed to, in response to determining that a application is installed at a client device, but a smart device topology lacks any entries for 3P smart devices of the 3P, efficiently adding one or more particular smart devices of the 3P to the smart device topology.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2019
    Publication date: May 6, 2021
    Inventors: Yuzhao Ni, David Roy Schairer
  • Patent number: 10985936
    Abstract: Various arrangements for using captured voice to generate a custom interface controller are presented. A vocal recording from a user may be captured in which a spoken command and multiple smart-home devices are indicated. One or more common functions that map to the multiple smart-home devices may be determined. A custom interface controller may be generated that controls the one or more common functions of each smart-home device of the multiple smart-home devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Benjamin Brown, Christopher Conover, Lishan Zhang, Alexander Crettenand, Lantian Zheng, Mafang Yao, Minoo Erfani Joorabchi, Francisco Pedro Lopes Pimenta, Rui Zhao, Yuzhao Ni
  • Publication number: 20210082436
    Abstract: In one example, a method includes receiving audio data generated by one or more microphones of a computing device, the audio data representing a spoken utterance; identifying, based on the audio data, a user that provided the spoken utterance; identifying, based on the audio data, an automation action associated with one or more automation devices, the automation action corresponding to the spoken utterance; determining whether the identified user is authorized to cause performance of the identified automation action; and responsive to determining that the identified user is authorized to cause performance of the identified automation action, causing the one or more automation devices to perform the identified automation action.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2020
    Publication date: March 18, 2021
    Inventors: Yuzhao Ni, David Roy Schairer
  • Publication number: 20210072953
    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: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2019
    Publication date: March 11, 2021
    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
  • Publication number: 20210057113
    Abstract: Implementing methods to provide a shortened textual summary that includes status information that is most pertinent to the user for a plurality of connected smart appliances. The method includes determining a list of current statuses for a plurality of enabled smart appliances and filtering the list to remove statuses that may not be of interest to the user. The filtering of the list is based on a current context of the requesting user and one or more previous contexts of the user. The resulting filtered statuses are then converted to textual snippets, summarized, and provided to the user via one or more output devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2019
    Publication date: February 25, 2021
    Inventors: Yuzhao Ni, Ashwin Limaye, Cindy Tran, Thomas Clifton, David Roy Schairer
  • Patent number: 10891957
    Abstract: In one example, a method includes receiving audio data generated by one or more microphones of a computing device, the audio data representing a spoken utterance; identifying, based on the audio data, a user that provided the spoken utterance; identifying, based on the audio data, an automation action associated with one or more automation devices, the automation action corresponding to the spoken utterance; determining whether the identified user is authorized to cause performance of the identified automation action; and responsive to determining that the identified user is authorized to cause performance of the identified automation action, causing the one or more automation devices to perform the identified automation action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventors: Yuzhao Ni, David Roy Schairer
  • Publication number: 20200342861
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems, and computer-readable media are provided for tailoring composite graphical assistant interfaces for interacting with multiple different connected devices. The composite graphical assistant interfaces can be generated in response to a user providing a request for an automated assistant to cause a connected device to perform a particular function. In response to the automated assistant receiving the request, the automated assistant can identify other connected devices, and other functions capable of being performed by the other connected devices. The other functions can then be mapped to various graphical control elements in order to provide a composite graphical assistant interface from which the user can interact with different connected devices. Each graphical control element can be arranged to reflect how each connected device is operating simultaneous to the presentation of the composite graphical assistant interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2019
    Publication date: October 29, 2020
    Inventors: Yuzhao Ni, David Roy Schairer
  • Publication number: 20200326837
    Abstract: Implementations discussed herein relate to systems, methods, and apparatuses for controlling one or more internet of things (IoT) devices via a graphical camera interface of a portable electronic device. The graphical camera interface can be presented at the portable electronic device in response to the user accessing a camera application via the portable electronic device and directing a camera of the portable electronic device at the IoT device. One or more images generated from an output of the camera can be processed to identify the IoT device that the user is intending to control. Information related to a context in which the user aimed their camera at the IoT device can be used to assist in narrowing down a selection of the IoT device from multiple different IoT devices that may be associated with the user and/or an image captured by the camera.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2018
    Publication date: October 15, 2020
    Inventor: Yuzhao Ni
  • Publication number: 20200319917
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems, and computer-readable media are provided for allowing an automated assistant routine to be interrupted during performance of the routine. A routine can correspond to a set of actions to be performed at the direction of the automated assistant. When the routine is initialized and a user subsequently issues a command to interrupt the routine, the automated assistant can modify a status identifier for the routine. That status identifier can be stored at a database and allow other applications and/or devices that are operating to complete the routine to be put on notice that the user has requested the routine be interrupted. The database can be accessible to one or more devices and/or applications, such as third party applications, in order to provide a medium through which the devices and/or applications can check the statuses of various automated assistant routines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2018
    Publication date: October 8, 2020
    Inventor: Yuzhao Ni
  • Publication number: 20200302923
    Abstract: Implementations relate to mitigating client device latency in rendering of remotely generated automated assistant content. Some of those implementations mitigate client device latency between rendering of multiple instances of out-put that are each based on content that is responsive to a corresponding automated assistant action of a multiple action request. For example, those implementations can reduce latency between rendering of first output that is based on first content responsive to a first automated assistant action of a multiple action request, and second output that is based on second content responsive to a second automated assistant action of the multiple action request.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Inventor: Yuzhao Ni