Storing state information from network-based user devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9293138-B2
Application number	US-201313894256-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 14, 2013
Priority date	May 14, 2013
Publication date	Mar 22, 2016
Grant date	Mar 22, 2016

Abstract

Network-based services may be provided to a user through the user of a speech-based user device located within a user environment. The speech-based user device may accept speech commands from a user and may also interact with the user by means of generated speech. Operating state of the speech-based user device may be provided to the network-based service and stored by the service. Applications that provide services through the speech-based interface may request and obtain the stored state information.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a user device configured to:
generate an audio signal from an utterance received from a user;
generate state information in response to a change of state on the user device, the state information indicating a device state of one or more user devices;
transmit the audio signal, the state information, and an identifier of the user device to one or more server computers;
receive a response from the one or more server computers; and
present the response to the user;

the one or more server computers configured to:
receive the audio signal from the user device;
generate the response by performing speech processing on the audio signal;
transmit the response to the user device;
receive the state information and the identifier of the user device from the user device;
store the state information in association with the identifier of the user device;
receive a request from an application for the state information; and
transmit the state information to the application.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user device is further configured to transmit the state information in response to the change of state on the user device.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user device is further configured to transmit the state information upon initialization of the user device.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the state information includes one or more of the following:
state of a visual indicator of the user device; or
state of a physical control of the user device.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the state information indicates state of one or more of the following:
media playback;
scheduled actions;
speech generation;
settings;
configuration;
diagnostics; or
an application running on the user device.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the audio signal, the state information, and the identifier of the user device are transmitted in a single transmission.

7. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:
receiving information at a server device from a user device that is located remotely from the server device, the received information including state information indicating a plurality of device states of the user device;
storing the state information of the user device in association with an identifier of the user device; and
providing at least a portion of the state information of the user device to an application.

8. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7 , wherein the received information includes the identifier of the user device.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7 , the acts further comprising receiving the identifier of the user device in conjunction with establishing communications with the user device.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7 , wherein the application provides services for the user in conjunction with the user device.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7 , wherein providing the state information of the user device to an application comprises providing the state information to the application in response to a request from the application.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7 , wherein providing the state information of the user device to an application comprises processing a callback request in response to receiving the information.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7 , the acts further comprising providing the state information to the application in response to a change in the state information.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7 , the acts further comprising:
receiving an audio signal from the user device;
generating a response by performing speech processing on the audio signal; and
transmitting the response to the user device.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7 , wherein the state information includes one or more of the following:
state of a visual indicator of the user device; or
state of a physical control of the user device.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7 , wherein the state information indicates state of one or more of the following:
media playback;
scheduled actions;
speech generation;
settings;
configuration; or
diagnostics.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7 , wherein the state information includes environmental information collected from one or more sensors of the user device.

18. A method comprising:
receiving information at a server device from a user device that is located remotely from the server device, the received information including state information indicating a plurality of device states of the user device;
storing the state information of the user device in association with an identifier of the user device; and
providing at least a portion of the state information of the user device to an application.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising
receiving an audio signal from the user device;
generating a response by performing speech processing on the audio signal; and
transmitting the response to the user device.

20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising providing the state information to the application in response to a request from the application.

21. The method of claim 18 , further comprising providing the state information to the applications in response to a change in the state information.

22. The method of claim 18 , wherein the application provides services for the user in conjunction with the user device.

23. The method of claim 18 , wherein providing the state information of the user device to an application comprises processing a callback request in response to receiving the information.

24. The method of claim 18 , wherein the state information includes one or more of the following:
connection state of the user device;
direction from which the user device is receiving audio;
settings, configuration, or diagnostic information regarding the user device; or
scheduled actions to be performed by the user device.

25. The method of claim 18 , wherein the state information includes environmental information based at least in part on optical imaging sensors of the user device.

Assignees

• Rawles Llc
• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Torok Fred
• Whiteley Michael Dale
• Gundeti Vikram Kumar
• Jain Vikas

Classifications

• G10L15/30 Primary

  Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications · CPC title