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-11048473-B2
Application number	US-201816204178-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2018
Priority date	Jun 9, 2013
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

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 one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors, the method comprising:
while displaying a first user interface other than a 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, initiating a current interactive session with the digital assistant, including:
displaying the digital assistant user interface; and
obtaining audio data containing a spoken query;

determining whether the user request to invoke the digital assistant satisfies a first predetermined condition, wherein the user request to invoke the digital assistant does not satisfy the first predetermined condition if the electronic device is in a locked state while receiving the user request to invoke the digital assistant; and
in accordance with a determination that the user request to invoke the digital assistant satisfies the first predetermined condition:
using context data from a previous interactive session with the digital assistant to determine a response to the spoken query, wherein the previous interactive session was initiated on the electronic device prior to displaying the first user interface; and
displaying dialogue in the displayed digital assistant user interface, wherein the displayed dialogue includes first text corresponding to the spoken query and second text corresponding to the response to the spoken query.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein satisfying the first predetermined condition requires that the user request to invoke the digital assistant is received within a predetermined time period after the previous interactive session with the digital assistant ends.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the previous interactive session with the digital assistant ends upon detecting, prior to displaying the first user interface, a user request to end the previous interactive session with the digital assistant.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein initiating the previous interactive session includes displaying the digital assistant user interface, and wherein detecting the user request to end the previous interactive session with the digital assistant causes the electronic device to:
cease display of the digital assistant user interface; and
display the first user interface.

5. 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 first predetermined condition:
determining a second response to the spoken query without using the context data; and
displaying a second dialogue in the displayed digital assistant user interface, wherein the second dialogue includes first text corresponding to the spoken query and second text corresponding to the second response to the spoken query.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein prior to displaying the first user interface, the electronic device causes the context data to be stored in a context history of the digital assistant, and wherein the method further comprises:
in accordance with a determination that the user request to invoke the digital assistant does not satisfy the first predetermined condition, causing the stored context data to be removed from the context history.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining whether the user request to invoke the digital assistant satisfies a second predetermined condition;
in accordance with a determination that the user request to invoke the digital assistant satisfies the second predetermined condition and does not satisfy the first predetermined condition:
enabling the displayed digital assistant user interface to display previous dialogue from the previous interactive session; and
displaying a second dialogue in the displayed digital assistant user interface without displaying the previous dialogue, wherein the second dialogue includes first text corresponding to the spoken query and second text corresponding to a second response to the spoken query, and wherein the second response to the spoken query is determined without using the context data.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
detecting user input via the displayed digital assistant user interface;
in accordance with detecting the user input and in accordance with the determination that the user request to invoke the digital assistant satisfies the second predetermined condition, displaying the previous dialogue in the displayed digital assistant user interface;
while displaying the previous dialogue, receiving a user request to activate a microphone of the electronic device;
in accordance with receiving the user request to activate the microphone, obtaining second audio data containing a second spoken query;
in accordance with detecting the user input and in accordance with the determination that the user request to invoke the digital assistant does not satisfy the first predetermined condition:
using the context data from the previous interactive session to determine a response to the second spoken query; and
displaying a third dialogue in the displayed digital assistant user interface, wherein the third dialogue includes first text corresponding to the second spoken query and second text corresponding to the response to the second spoken query.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for operating a digital assistant, the instructions, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the device to perform operations comprising:
while displaying a first user interface other than a 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, initiating a current interactive session with the digital assistant, including:
displaying the digital assistant user interface; and
obtaining audio data containing a spoken query;

determining whether the user request to invoke the digital assistant satisfies a first predetermined condition, wherein the user request to invoke the digital assistant does not satisfy the first predetermined condition if the device is in a locked state while receiving the user request to invoke the digital assistant; and
in accordance with a determination that the user request to invoke the digital assistant satisfies the first predetermined condition:
using context data from a previous interactive session with the digital assistant to determine a response to the spoken query, wherein the previous interactive session was initiated on the electronic device prior to displaying the first user interface; and
displaying dialogue in the displayed digital assistant user interface, wherein the displayed dialogue includes first text corresponding to the spoken query and second text corresponding to the response to the spoken query.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein satisfying the first predetermined condition requires that the user request to invoke the digital assistant is received within a predetermined time period after the previous interactive session with the digital assistant ends.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the previous interactive session with the digital assistant ends upon detecting, prior to displaying the first user interface, a user request to end the previous interactive session with the digital assistant.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein initiating

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

• G06F3/167 Primary

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

• 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