Virtual assistant activation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9886953-B2
Application number	US-201514841449-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2015
Priority date	Mar 8, 2015
Publication date	Feb 6, 2018
Grant date	Feb 6, 2018

Abstract

At an electronic device with a display, a microphone, and an input device: while the display is on, receiving user input via the input device, the user input meeting a predetermined condition; in accordance with receiving the user input meeting the predetermined condition, sampling audio input received via the microphone; determining whether the audio input comprises a spoken trigger; and in accordance with a determination that audio input comprises the spoken trigger, triggering a virtual assistant session.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by an electronic device with a display, a microphone, and an input device, cause the electronic device to:
while the display is off, receive user input via the input device;
determine if the user input meets a predetermined condition;
determine if the display is enabled as a result of the user input meeting the predetermined condition;
in accordance with a determination that the display is enabled, sample audio input received via the microphone;
determine whether the audio input comprises a spoken trigger; and
in accordance with a determination that audio input comprises the spoken trigger, trigger a virtual assistant session.

2. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined condition is based on an amount of lifting of the electronic device during a time interval, the amount of lifting determined from an accelerometer of the electronic device.

3. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined condition is based on smoothness of a lifting of the electronic device during a time interval, the smoothness of the lifting determined from an accelerometer of the electronic device.

4. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 2 , wherein the predetermined condition comprises a minimum period of dwell time in a position in accordance with the lifting of the electronic device.

5. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined condition comprises detecting activation of a button of the electronic device.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined condition comprises detecting touch input on a touch-sensitive surface of the electronic device.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the electronic device, cause the electronic device to:
in accordance with determining whether the display is on, determine whether the backlight of the display is on.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the electronic device, cause the electronic device to:
cease the sampling of audio input after the sampling of audio input has occurred for a predetermined duration of time.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the electronic device, cause the electronic device to:
in accordance with ceasing to sample audio input, provide a haptic output.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the user input meeting a predetermined condition is a first user input meeting a first predetermined condition, and wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the electronic device, cause the electronic device to:
while sampling audio input in accordance with receiving the first user input, receive a second user input meeting a second predetermined condition; and
in accordance with receiving the second user input meeting the second predetermined condition, cease the sampling of audio input.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the second predetermined condition is based on an amount of lowering of the electronic device during a time interval, the amount of lowering determined from an accelerometer of the electronic device.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the first predetermined condition is based on smoothness of a lowering of the electronic device during a time interval, the smoothness of the lowering determined from an accelerometer of the electronic device.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the second predetermined condition comprises detecting activation of a button of the electronic device.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the second predetermined condition comprises detecting touch input on a touch-sensitive surface of the electronic device.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the electronic device, cause the electronic device to:
while sampling audio input in accordance with receiving the user input meeting the predetermined condition, determine whether the display is off; and
in accordance with a determination that the display is off, cease the sampling of audio input.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the electronic device, cause the electronic device to:
while sampling audio input in accordance with receiving the user input meeting the predetermined condition, identify an audio endpoint in the audio input; and
in response to identifying the audio endpoint, cease the sampling of audio input.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the electronic device, cause the electronic device to:
in accordance with triggering the virtual assistant session, prompt a user for spoken input.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the audio input comprises the spoken trigger and additional input, and wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the electronic device, cause the electronic device to:
in accordance with triggering the virtual assistant session:
determine a user intent based on at least the additional input in the audio input, and
execute a task associated with the user intent.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the electronic device, cause the electronic device to:
in accordance with a determination that the electronic device is operating in a predetermined mode, forgo sampling of audio input, even after receiving the user input meeting the predetermined condition while the display is on,
wherein operation in the predetermined mode comprises muting audio output of the electronic device.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the spoken trigger comprises comprise a predetermined phrase.

21. A method, comprising:
at an electronic device with a display, a microphone, and an input device:
while the display is off, receiving user input via the input device;
determining if the user input meets a predetermined condition;
determining if the display is enabled as a result of the user input meeting the predetermined condition;
in accordance with a determination that the display is enabled, sampling audio input received via a microp

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Lemay Stephen O
• Newendorp Brandon J
• Dascola Jonathan R

Classifications

• G10L2015/228

  of application context · CPC title

• G10L2015/223

  Execution procedure of a spoken command · CPC title

• G10L2015/088

  Word spotting · CPC title

• G10L25/78

  Detection of presence or absence of voice signals (switching of direction of transmission by voice frequency in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/10) · CPC title

• G10L15/28

  Constructional details of speech recognition systems · CPC title