Device, method, and graphical user interface for enabling conversation persistence across two or more instances of a digital assistant

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10185542-B2
Application number	US-201414298714-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 6, 2014
Priority date	Jun 9, 2013
Publication date	Jan 22, 2019
Grant date	Jan 22, 2019

Abstract

An electronic device with one or more processors and memory includes a procedure for enabling conversation persistence across two or more instances of a digital assistant. In some embodiments, the device displays a first dialogue in a first instance of a digital assistant user interface. In response to a request to display a user interface different from the digital assistant user interface, the device displays the user interface different from the digital assistant user interface. In response to a request to invoke the digital assistant, the device displays a second instance of the digital assistant user interface, including displaying a second dialogue in the second instance of the digital assistant user interface, where the first dialogue remains available for display in the second instance of the digital assistant user interface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of operating a digital assistant, performed at an electronic device having a display, one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors, the method comprising:
displaying a first dialogue in a first instance of a digital assistant user interface without displaying a second dialogue in the first instance of the digital assistant user interface;
causing context data associated with the first dialogue to be stored in a context history associated with the digital assistant;
while displaying the first dialogue in the first instance of the digital assistant user interface, receiving a user request to display a user interface different from the digital assistant user interface;
in response to receiving the user request to display the user interface different from the digital assistant user interface, replacing display of the first instance of the digital assistant user interface with display of the user interface different from the digital assistant user interface;
while displaying the user interface different from the digital assistant user interface, receiving a user request to invoke the digital assistant;
in response to receiving the user request to invoke the digital assistant:
replacing display of the user interface different from the digital assistant user interface with display of a second instance of the digital assistant user interface; and
obtaining audio input containing a spoken query; and

in accordance with a determination that the user request to invoke the digital assistant satisfies a predetermined condition:
using the stored context data to determine a response to the spoken query; and
concurrently displaying the first dialogue and the second dialogue in the second instance of the digital assistant user interface, wherein the second dialogue includes first text corresponding to the spoken query and second text corresponding to the response.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, prior to displaying the first instance of the digital assistant user interface:
detecting a second user request to invoke the digital assistant;
detecting a speech input; and
providing a transcription of the speech input, wherein the first dialogue includes the transcription of the speech input.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, in response to receiving the user request to display the user interface different from the digital assistant user interface, ceasing to display the first instance of the digital assistant user interface.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
displaying a first affordance in the second instance of the digital assistant user interface;
detecting a user selection of the first affordance, wherein the user selection of the first affordance corresponds to the user request to invoke the digital assistant; and
in response to the user selection of the first affordance, displaying at least a portion of the first dialogue in the second instance of the digital assistant user interface.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
displaying a second affordance corresponding to a respective sub-portion of the first dialogue;
detecting a user selection of the second affordance; and
in response to the user selection of the second affordance, ceasing to display at least some of the respective sub-portion of the first dialogue.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
in response to the user selection of the second affordance, excluding at least a portion of the context data associated with the sub-portion of the first dialogue from the context history of the digital assistant.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user request to invoke the digital assistant satisfies the predetermined condition when the user request to invoke the digital assistant is received within a predetermined time period after the electronic device exits the first instance of the digital assistant user interface.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in accordance with a determination that the user request to invoke the digital assistant does not satisfy the predetermined condition, causing the stored context data associated with the first dialogue to be deleted from the context history.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user request to invoke the digital assistant does not satisfy the predetermined condition when the electronic device is in a locked state.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein using the stored context to determine the response to the spoken query and concurrently displaying the first and second dialogues in the second instance of the digital assistant user interface are performed further in accordance with detecting a user input on the displayed second instance of the digital assistant user interface, the user input causing at least a portion of the first dialogue to display in the second instance of the digital assistant user interface.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in accordance with a determination that the user request to invoke the digital assistant does not satisfy the predetermined condition:
determining a second response to the spoken query without using the stored context; and
displaying a third dialogue in the second instance of the digital assistant user interface without displaying the first dialogue concurrently with the third dialogue in the second instance of the digital assistant user interface, wherein the third dialogue includes first text corresponding to the spoken query and second text corresponding to the second response.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the user request to invoke the digital assistant does not satisfy the predetermined condition when the user request to invoke the digital assistant is not received within a predetermined time period after the electronic device exits the first instance of the digital assistant user interface.

13. A method of operating a digital assistant, performed at two or more electronic devices each having a display, one or more processors, and memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors, the method comprising:
at a first device, displaying a first dialogue in a first user interface of a digital assistant without displaying a second dialogue in the first user interface of the digital assistant;
causing context data associated with the first dialogue to be stored in a context history associated with the digital assistant;
subsequent to displaying the first dialogue in the first user interface of the digital assistant, at a second device different from the first device:
receiving a user request to invoke the digital assistant on the second device; and
in response to receiving the user request to invoke the digital assistant on the second device:
displaying a second user interface of the digital assistant; and
obtaining audio input containing a spoken query; and
in accordance with a determination that the user request to invoke the digital assistant on the second device satisfies a predetermined condition:
using the stored context data to determine a response to the spoken query; and
concurrently displaying the first dialogue and the second dialogue in the second user interface of the digital assistant, wherein the second dialogue includes first text corresponding to the spoken query and second text corresponding to the response.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the user request to invoke the digital assistant on the second device satisfies the predetermined condition when the user request to invoke the digital assistant is received at the second d

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Carson David A
• Keen Daniel
• Dibiase Evan
• Saddler Harry J
• Iacono Marco
• Lemay Stephen O
• Pitschel Donald W
• Gruber Thomas R

Classifications

• G06F3/04842

  Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F16/3344 Primary

  using natural language analysis · CPC title

• G06F3/167 Primary

  Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback · CPC title

• G06F17/30684

  Physics · mapped topic