Electronic device, server and recording medium supporting task execution using external device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11032374-B2
Application number	US-201816121024-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2018
Priority date	Sep 7, 2017
Publication date	Jun 8, 2021
Grant date	Jun 8, 2021

Abstract

An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes housing, a touch screen display, a microphone, a wireless communication circuit, a processor, and a memory. The memory stores a software program including a user interface supporting the control of at least one external device based on a user account, and the memory stores at least one instruction that, when executed, causes the processor to receive a first user input for connecting the electronic device to a first external device, to receive a second user input corresponding to a request for performing at least part of a task by using the first external device, to receive a first response including a sequence of states from the second external device to perform, by the first external device, the at least part of the task depending on the sequence.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a housing;
a touch screen display, which is accommodated in the housing and at least part of which is exposed visually;
a microphone accommodated in the housing;
a wireless communication circuit;
a processor operatively connected to the touch screen display, the microphone, and the wireless communication circuit; and
a memory operatively connected to the processor,
wherein the memory is configured to store a software program including a user interface supporting control of at least one external device based on a user account, and store at least one instruction that, when executed, causes the processor to:
control the wireless communication circuit to receive a first user input for connecting the electronic device to a first external device, via the user interface,
control the wireless communication circuit to transmit first information corresponding to the user account and second information corresponding to the first external device, to a second external device,
control the wireless communication circuit to receive a second user input corresponding to a request for performing at least part of a task by using the first external device, via the touch screen display or the microphone,
control the wireless communication circuit to transmit data corresponding to the second user input to the second external device,
control the wireless communication circuit to receive, from the second external device, a first response including a path rule determined by the second external device among a plurality of updated path rules based on a determined user intent of the second user input and a parameter of the second user input, wherein the plurality of updated path rules are updated, by the second external device, by masking or flagging path rules operable by the electronic device, among path rules stored in the second external device and associated with a plurality of external devices, wherein the determined path rule comprises a sequence of states in which at least one of the electronic device and the first external device is to perform the requested task, and
after receiving the first response, control the first external device to perform, the at least part of the task depending on the determined path rule.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one instruction further causes the processor to as at least part of the performing, control the wireless communication circuit to transmit at least one command to be used such that the at least part of the task is performed by the first external device depending on the determined path rule, to the first external device.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one instruction further causes the processor to:
with regard to the execution of the at least part of the task of the first external device, control the wireless communication circuit to receive context information corresponding to the first external device from the first external device; and
control the wireless communication circuit to transmit at least part of the context information to the second external device.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the at least one instruction further causes the processor to: control the wireless communication circuit to receive a second response including the path rule based on the at least part of the context information, from the second external device.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a physical button exposed to one area of the housing,
wherein the at least one instruction further causes the processor to be in a state of receiving the second user input, after receiving a third user input through the physical button.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one instruction further causes the processor to:
control the wireless communication circuit to receive an issued token from a third external device associated with the software program based at least partly on the user account; and
control the wireless communication circuit to transmit the token to the first external device so as to be used for the connection between the electronic device and the first external device.

7. A server comprising:
a wireless communication circuit;
a memory configured to store states of a task; and
a processor,
wherein the processor is configured to:
control the wireless communication circuit to receive first data including first information corresponding to a first user account and second information corresponding to a first external device associated with the first user account, from a second external device,
control the wireless communication circuit to receive second data corresponding to a request that allows the first external device to perform at least part of the task, from the second external device,
in response to receiving the second data, determine a path rule among a plurality of updated path rules based on a determined user intent and a parameter of the first data, wherein the plurality of updated path rules are updated by masking or flagging path rules operable by a user terminal, among path rules stored in the memory and associated with a plurality of external devices, wherein the determined path rule comprises a sequence of states in which at least one of the user terminal and the first external device is to perform the requested task, and

control the wireless communication circuit to transmit a first response including the determined path rule to the second external device.

8. The server of claim 7 ,
wherein the memory is further configured to store a plurality of path rules, and
wherein the processor is further configured to identify the path rule among the stored plurality of path rules.

9. The server of claim 8 , wherein the processor is further configured to assign a specified flag to the path rule, the specified flag indicating that the path rule is associated with the first user account.

10. The server of claim 8 , wherein the processor is further configured to combine a first path rule with a second path rule among the stored plurality of path rules to generate the path rule.

11. The server of claim 10 , wherein the processor is further configured to when a type of the first path rule corresponds to a type of the second path rule, perform the combining of the first and second path rules.

12. The server of claim 7 , wherein the processor is further configured to control the wireless communication circuit to receive context information corresponding to the first external device from the second external device.

13. The server of claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
change at least part of the path rule based on at least part of the context information; and
control the wireless communication circuit to transmit a second response including the changed path rule to the second external device.

14. A computer-readable storage medium storing at least one instruction which, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to:
control to receive first data including first information corresponding to a first user account and second information corresponding to a first external device associated with the first user account, from a second external device;
control to receive second data corresponding to a request that allows the first external device to perform at least part of a task, from the second external device;
in response to receiving the second data, determine a path rule associated with at least part of the path rule of a previously stored task among a plurality of updated pa

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Je Seong Min
• Lee Sun Key
• Kim Kyung Tae
• Kim Joo Hwan
• Yeo Jae Yung
• Woo Kyoung Gu
• Yun Jeong Hyeon
• Lim Dong Sun

Classifications

• H04L67/63 Primary

  Routing a service request depending on the request content or context · CPC title

• H04L67/56

  Provisioning of proxy services (store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54) · CPC title

• H04L67/306

  User profiles · CPC title

• H04L67/125 Primary

  involving control of end-device applications over a network · CPC title

• G06F3/167 Primary

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