System and method for mapping environment and locating objects

Abstract

Systems and processes for localizing objects and mapping an environment are provided herein. For example, a device may receive an input including a reference to a first object, where the input includes a request for a location of the first object, and the first object is located in a physical environment. The device may determine a location of the first object and, in response to receiving the input, provide a description of the location if first criteria are met, where a criterion of one or more first criteria is met when the location is available, and the description includes a relationship between the first object and a reference within the physical environment. If the second criteria are met, the device may retail to provide the description of the location, where the criteria of the one or more second criteria are met when the location is not available.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 353,514, filed on June 17, 2022, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MAPPING AN ENVIRONMENT AND LOCATING OBJECTS,” and U.S. Application No. 17 / 951,826, filed on September 23, 2022, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MAPPING AN ENVIRONMENT AND LOCATING OBJECTS.” The contents of each of these patent applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates generally to object localization, and in particular, to localizing objects and mapping environments. Background Art

[0004] Generally speaking, a user may have various devices in an environment such as a home or office. Some devices may be relatively fixed, such as a smart TV, a home speaker, smart appliances, etc. A user may have multiple fixed devices in an environment, and even multiple fixed devices in a single room. However, existing systems generally do not provide a user-friendly experience in mapping the layout of a specific environment and providing name suggestions for various devices within the environment. Therefore, an improved system for environment mapping is desired.

[0005] In addition, other devices may be mobile in nature, such as smartphones, tablet computers, laptop computers, smart watches, etc. Periodically, a user may not know the specific location of a personal device. In this case, the user can issue a request to display the specific location of the device. However, conventional systems are generally not equipped to handle such requests. In the best case, the user can call the device using a predefined voice trigger, and the device will respond with a general confirmation. However, these systems do not provide a detailed description of the device when the device is out of the audible range of the user's voice, or the device cannot recognize the user's request. Therefore, an improved system for locating objects is also desired. Summary of the invention

[0006] Systems and processes for locating objects and mapping an environment are provided. For example, a device may receive an input including a reference to a first object, wherein the input includes a request for a location of the first object, and the first object is located in a physical environment. The device may determine the location of the first object, and in response to receiving the input, provide a description of the location if a first criterion is met. When the location is available, a criterion in one or more first criteria is met, and the description may include a relationship between the first object and the reference within the physical environment. If a second criterion is met, the device may forgo providing a description of the location, wherein when the location is not available, a criterion in one or more second criteria is met. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 A block diagram is shown of a system and environment for implementing a digital assistant according to various examples.

[0008] Figure 2A A block diagram of a portable multifunction device that implements the client-side portion of a digital assistant according to various examples is shown.

[0009] Figure 2B is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components for event processing according to various examples.

[0010] Figure 3 A portable multifunction device implementing the client-side portion of a digital assistant according to various examples is shown.

[0011] Figure 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary multifunction device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface according to various examples.

[0012] Figure 5A An exemplary user interface of a menu of applications on a portable multifunction device is shown according to various examples.

[0013] Figure 5B An exemplary user interface for a multifunction device having a touch-sensitive surface separate from the display is shown according to various examples.

[0014] Fig. 6A A personal electronic device according to various examples is shown.

[0015] Figure 6B A block diagram illustrating a personal electronic device according to various examples is shown.

[0016] Fig. 7A A block diagram of a digital assistant system or a server portion thereof according to various examples is shown.

[0017] Figure 7B According to various examples, Fig. 7AThe capabilities of the digital assistant shown in .

[0018] Figure 7C A portion of an ontology according to various examples is shown.

[0019] FIG. 8A to FIG. 8C Systems and processes for environment mapping according to various examples are shown.

[0020] Fig. 9 Systems and processes for locating objects according to various examples are shown.

[0021] Fig.10 Systems and processes for locating objects according to various examples are shown.

[0022] Fig.11 Systems and processes for locating objects according to various examples are shown.

[0023] Fig.12 Systems and processes for environment mapping according to various examples are shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] In the following description of the examples, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, in which specific examples that may be implemented are shown by way of illustration. It should be understood that other examples may be used and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the various examples.

[0025] Conventional techniques associated with locating objects and mapping environments are generally ineffective and in need of improvement. Specifically, such systems do not provide techniques for responding to user requests with a specific description corresponding to the requested object location, such as references or relationships to different object and area types. Conventional systems are also not optimized to collect information corresponding to the environment surrounding the device for automatic naming of the device within the environment. Therefore, an improved system for locating objects and mapping environments is desired.

[0026] Although the following description uses the terms "first," "second," etc. to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by the terms. These terms are simply used to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the various described examples, a first input may be referred to as a second input, and similarly, a second input may be referred to as a first input. Both the first input and the second input are inputs, and in some cases are independent and different inputs.

[0027] The terms used in the description of various examples described herein are only for the purpose of describing specific examples, and are not intended to be limiting. As used in the description of various examples described and in the appended claims, the singular forms "one", "a kind of" and "the" are intended to also include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the term "and / or" used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more items in the associated listed items. It will also be understood that the terms "include" and / or "comprising" when used in this specification specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, parts and / or their grouping.

[0028] Depending on the context, the term "if" may be interpreted to mean "when" or "upon" or "in response to determining" or "in response to detecting." Similarly, the phrases "if it is determined that" or "if [a stated condition or event] is detected" may be interpreted to mean "upon determining that" or "in response to determining that" or "upon detecting [a stated condition or event]" or "in response to detecting [a stated condition or event]," depending on the context.

[0029] 1. System and Environment

[0030] Figure 1 A block diagram of a system 100 according to various examples is shown. In some examples, the system 100 implements a digital assistant. The terms "digital assistant," "virtual assistant," "intelligent automated assistant," or "automatic digital assistant" refer to any information processing system that interprets natural language input in spoken and / or textual form to infer user intent and performs actions based on the inferred user intent. For example, to act on an inferred user intent, the system performs one or more of the following steps: identifying a task flow with steps and parameters designed to implement the inferred user intent, inputting specific requirements into the task flow according to the inferred user intent; executing the task flow by calling a program, method, service, API, etc.; and generating an output response to the user in an audible (e.g., verbal) and / or visual form.

[0031] Specifically, the digital assistant is capable of accepting user requests in the form of at least partially natural language commands, requests, statements, narrations and / or inquiries. Typically, the user requests to seek an informative answer or perform a task from the digital assistant. A satisfactory response to the user's request includes providing the requested informative answer, performing the requested task, or a combination of the two. For example, the user asks the digital assistant a question, such as "Where am I now?" Based on the user's current location, the digital assistant answers "You are near the West Gate of Central Park." The user also requests to perform a task, such as "Please invite my friends to my girlfriend's birthday party next week." In response, the digital assistant can confirm the request by saying "OK, right away", and then send a suitable calendar invitation to each of the user's friends listed in the user's electronic address book on behalf of the user. During the execution of the requested task, the digital assistant sometimes interacts with the user in a continuous dialogue involving multiple information exchanges over a long period of time. There are many other methods of interacting with the digital assistant to request information or perform various tasks. In addition to providing verbal responses and taking programmed actions, the digital assistant also provides responses in other video or audio forms, such as text, reminders, music, videos, animations, etc.

[0032] like Figure 1 As shown, in some examples, the digital assistant is implemented according to a client-server model. The digital assistant includes a client-side portion 102 (hereinafter referred to as "DA client 102") executed on a user device 104 and a server-side portion 106 (hereinafter referred to as "DA server 106") executed on a server system 108. The DA client 102 communicates with the DA server 106 via one or more networks 110. The DA client 102 provides client-side functionality, such as user-oriented input and output processing, and communication with the DA server 106. The DA server 106 provides server-side functionality for any number of DA clients 102, each located on a corresponding user device 104.

[0033] In some examples, the DA server 106 includes a client-facing I / O interface 112, one or more processing modules 114, data and models 116, and an I / O interface 118 to external services. The client-facing I / O interface 112 facilitates client-facing input and output processing of the DA server 106. One or more processing modules 114 utilize the data and models 116 to process verbal input and determine user intent based on natural language input. In addition, one or more processing modules 114 perform task execution based on inferred user intent. In some examples, the DA server 106 communicates with external services 120 via one or more networks 110 to complete tasks or collect information. The I / O interface 118 to external services facilitates such communications.

[0034] User device 104 can be any suitable electronic device. In some examples, user device 104 is a portable multi-function device (e.g., Figure 2A The device 200 described above), a multifunctional device (eg, as described below with reference to Figure 4 The device 400) or a personal electronic device (eg, as described below) FIG. 6A to FIG. 6B The portable multifunction device is, for example, a mobile phone that also includes other functions such as a PDA and / or a music player. Specific examples of portable multifunction devices include the Apple iPod and Device. Other examples of portable multifunction devices include, but are not limited to, earbuds / headphones, speakers, and laptop computers or tablet computers. In addition, in some examples, user device 104 is a non-portable multifunction device. Specifically, user device 104 is a desktop computer, a game console, a speaker, a television, or a television set-top box. In some examples, user device 104 includes a touch-sensitive surface (e.g., a touch screen display and / or a touchpad). In addition, user device 104 optionally includes one or more other physical user interface devices, such as a physical keyboard, a mouse, and / or a joystick. Various examples of electronic devices such as multifunction devices are described in more detail below.

[0035] Examples of communication network 110 include local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs), such as the Internet. Communication network 110 is implemented using any known network protocol, including various wired or wireless protocols, such as Ethernet, Universal Serial Bus (USB), FIREWIRE, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Wi-MAX, or any other suitable communication protocol.

[0036] The server system 108 is implemented on one or more stand-alone data processing devices or distributed computer networks. In some examples, the server system 108 also uses various virtual devices and / or services of third-party service providers (e.g., third-party cloud service providers) to provide the potential computing resources and / or infrastructure resources of the server system 108.

[0037] In some examples, the user device 104 communicates with the DA server 106 via a second user device 122. The second user device 122 is similar or identical to the user device 104. For example, the second user device 122 is similar to the user device 104 described below with reference to Figure 2A, Figure 4 and FIG. 6A to FIG. 6B The device 200, 400 or 600 described. The user device 104 is configured to be communicatively coupled to the second user device 122 via a direct communication connection (such as Bluetooth, NFC, BTLE, etc.) or via a wired or wireless network (such as a local Wi-Fi network). In some examples, the second user device 122 is configured to act as a proxy between the user device 104 and the DA server 106. For example, the DA client 102 of the user device 104 is configured to send information (e.g., a user request received at the user device 104) to the DA server 106 via the second user device 122. The DA server 106 processes the information and returns relevant data (e.g., data content in response to the user request) to the user device 104 via the second user device 122.

[0038] In some examples, the user device 104 is configured to send an abbreviated request for data to a second user device 122 to reduce the amount of information sent from the user device 104. The second user device 122 is configured to determine supplemental information to add to the abbreviated request to generate a complete request to send to the DA server 106. The system architecture can advantageously allow user devices 104 with limited communication capabilities and / or limited battery power (e.g., a watch or similar compact electronic device) to access services provided by the DA server 106 by using a second user device 122 (e.g., a mobile phone, laptop computer, tablet computer, etc.) with greater communication capabilities and / or battery power as a proxy to the DA server 106. Although Figure 1 Only two user devices 104 and 122 are shown, but it should be understood that in some examples, the system 100 may include any number and type of user devices configured to communicate with the DA server system 106 in this proxy configuration.

[0039] Although Figure 1 The digital assistant shown in includes both a client-side portion (e.g., DA client 102) and a server-side portion (e.g., DA server 106), but in some examples, the functionality of the digital assistant is implemented as a stand-alone application installed on a user device. In addition, the functional division between the client portion and the server portion of the digital assistant may vary in different specific implementations. For example, in some examples, the DA client is a thin client that only provides user-oriented input and output processing functions and delegates all other functions of the digital assistant to the back-end server.

[0040] 2. Electronic devices

[0041] Attention now turns to embodiments of electronic devices for implementing the client-side portion of a digital assistant. Figure 2A2 is a block diagram showing a portable multifunction device 200 with a touch-sensitive display system 212 according to some embodiments. The touch-sensitive display 212 is sometimes referred to as a "touch screen" for convenience, and is sometimes referred to as or referred to as a "touch-sensitive display system". The device 200 includes a memory 202 (which optionally includes one or more computer-readable storage media), a memory controller 222, one or more processing units (CPUs) 220, a peripheral device interface 218, an RF circuit 208, an audio circuit 210, a speaker 211, a microphone 213, an input / output (I / O) subsystem 206, other input control devices 216, and an external port 224. The device 200 optionally includes one or more optical sensors 264. The device 200 optionally includes one or more contact force sensors 265 for detecting the intensity of contact on the device 200 (e.g., a touch-sensitive surface of the device 200 such as the touch-sensitive display system 212). Device 200 optionally includes one or more tactile output generators 267 for generating tactile output on device 200 (e.g., generating tactile output on a touch-sensitive surface such as touch-sensitive display system 212 of device 200 or touch pad 455 of device 400). These components optionally communicate via one or more communication buses or signal lines 203.

[0042] As used in this specification and claims, the term "intensity" of a contact on a touch-sensitive surface refers to the force or pressure (force per unit area) of a contact (e.g., a finger contact) on the touch-sensitive surface, or to a surrogate (surrogate) of the force or pressure of a contact on the touch-sensitive surface. The intensity of a contact has a range of values ​​that includes at least four different values ​​and more typically includes hundreds of different values ​​(e.g., at least 256). The intensity of a contact is optionally determined (or measured) using various methods and various sensors or combinations of sensors. For example, one or more force sensors below or adjacent to the touch-sensitive surface are optionally used to measure the force at different points on the touch-sensitive surface. In some implementations, force measurements from multiple force sensors are combined (e.g., weighted average) to determine an estimated contact force. Similarly, the pressure-sensitive tip of a stylus is optionally used to determine the pressure of the stylus on the touch-sensitive surface. Alternatively, the size of the contact area detected on the touch-sensitive surface and / or its change, the capacitance of the touch-sensitive surface near the contact and / or its change, and / or the resistance of the touch-sensitive surface near the contact and / or its change are optionally used as a substitute for the force or pressure of the contact on the touch-sensitive surface. In some embodiments, the substitute measurement of the contact force or pressure is used directly to determine whether the intensity threshold has been exceeded (e.g., the intensity threshold is described in units corresponding to the substitute measurement). In some embodiments, the substitute measurement of the contact force or pressure is converted into an estimated force or pressure, and the estimated force or pressure is used to determine whether the intensity threshold has been exceeded (e.g., the intensity threshold is a pressure threshold measured in units of pressure). Using the intensity of the contact as an attribute of the user input allows the user to access additional device functions that would otherwise be inaccessible to the user on a smaller device with limited real estate, which is used to display an enable indication (e.g., on a touch-sensitive display) and / or receive user input (e.g., via a touch-sensitive display, touch-sensitive surface, or physical / mechanical controls, such as knobs or buttons).

[0043] As used in this specification and claims, the term "tactile output" refers to a physical displacement of a device relative to a previous position of the device, a physical displacement of a component of the device (e.g., a touch-sensitive surface) relative to another component of the device (e.g., a housing), or a displacement of a component relative to the center of mass of the device, which will be detected by a user using the user's sense of touch. For example, in the case where a device or a component of the device is in contact with a user's touch-sensitive surface (e.g., a finger, palm, or other part of the user's hand), the tactile output generated by the physical displacement will be interpreted by the user as a tactile sensation corresponding to a perceived change in a physical property of the device or a component of the device. For example, movement of a touch-sensitive surface (e.g., a touch-sensitive display or a touchpad) is optionally interpreted by the user as a "press click" or "release click" to a physical actuation button. In some cases, the user will feel a tactile sensation, such as a "press click" or "release click", even when the physical actuation button associated with the touch-sensitive surface that is physically pressed (e.g., displaced) by the user's movement does not move. As another example, even when there is no change in the smoothness of the touch-sensitive surface, movement of the touch-sensitive surface may optionally be interpreted or sensed by the user as "roughness" of the touch-sensitive surface. Although such a user's interpretation of touch will be limited by the user's individualized sensory perceptions, many sensory perceptions of touch are common to most users. Thus, when a tactile output is described as corresponding to a particular sensory perception of a user (e.g., "press click," "release click," "roughness"), unless otherwise stated, the generated tactile output corresponds to a physical displacement of the device or a component thereof that would generate that sensory perception for a typical (or average) user.

[0044] It should be understood that device 200 is only one example of a portable multifunction device, and that device 200 optionally has more or fewer components than shown, optionally combines two or more components, or optionally has a different configuration or arrangement of the components. Figure 2A The various components shown are implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both hardware and software, including one or more signal processing and / or application specific integrated circuits.

[0045] The memory 202 includes one or more computer-readable storage media. These computer-readable storage media are, for example, tangible and non-transitory. The memory 202 includes a high-speed random access memory and also includes a non-volatile memory, such as one or more disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state memory devices. The memory controller 222 controls other components of the device 200 to access the memory 202.

[0046] In some examples, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of memory 202 is used to store instructions (e.g., for performing various aspects of the processes described below) for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, device, or apparatus, such as a computer-based system, a system containing a processor, or other system that can fetch instructions from an instruction execution system, device, or apparatus and execute the instructions. In other examples, the instructions (e.g., for performing various aspects of the processes described below) are stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (not shown) of server system 108, or are divided between the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of memory 202 and the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of server system 108.

[0047] The peripheral device interface 218 is used to couple the input and output peripheral devices of the device to the CPU 220 and the memory 202. The one or more processors 220 run or execute various software programs and / or instruction sets stored in the memory 202 to perform various functions of the device 200 and process data. In some embodiments, the peripheral device interface 218, the CPU 220, and the memory controller 222 are implemented on a single chip such as the chip 204. In some other embodiments, they are implemented on separate chips.

[0048] RF (radio frequency) circuit 208 receives and sends RF signals, also known as electromagnetic signals. RF circuit 208 converts electrical signals into / converts electromagnetic signals into electrical signals, and communicates with communication networks and other communication devices via electromagnetic signals. RF circuit 208 optionally includes well-known circuits for performing these functions, including but not limited to antenna systems, RF transceivers, one or more amplifiers, tuners, one or more oscillators, digital signal processors, codec chipsets, user identity modules (SIM) cards, memory, etc. RF circuit 208 optionally communicates with networks and other devices through wireless communications, such as the Internet (also known as the World Wide Web (WWW)), intranets, and / or wireless networks (such as cellular telephone networks, wireless local area networks (LANs), and / or metropolitan area networks (MANs)). RF circuit 208 optionally includes well-known circuits for detecting near field communication (NFC) fields, such as through short-range communication radio components. Wireless communication optionally uses any of a variety of communication standards, protocols, and technologies, including, but not limited to, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), High Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Evolution, Data-Only (EV-DO), HSPA, HSPA+, Dual Cell HSPA (DC-HSPDA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Near Field Communication (NFC), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) (e.g., IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE802.11g, IEEE 802.11n and / or IEEE 802.11ac), Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Wi-MAX, email protocols (e.g., Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) and / or Post Office Protocol (POP)), instant messaging (e.g., Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP), Session Initiation Protocol for Instant Messaging and Presence Utilizing Extensions (SIMPLE), Instant Messaging and Presence Service (IMPS)) and / or Short Message Service (SMS), or any other suitable communication protocol, including communication protocols that have not yet been developed as of the filing date of this document.

[0049] The audio circuit 210, speaker 211, and microphone 213 provide an audio interface between a user and the device 200. The audio circuit 210 receives audio data from the peripheral device interface 218, converts the audio data into electrical signals, and sends the electrical signals to the speaker 211. The speaker 211 converts the electrical signals into sound waves audible to humans. The audio circuit 210 also receives electrical signals converted from sound waves by the microphone 213. The audio circuit 210 converts the electrical signals into audio data and sends the audio data to the peripheral device interface 218 for processing. The audio data is retrieved from and / or sent to the memory 202 and / or the RF circuit 208 via the peripheral device interface 218. In some embodiments, the audio circuit 210 also includes a headset jack (e.g., Figure 3 The headset jack provides an interface between the audio circuit 210 and a removable audio input / output peripheral device, such as an output-only headset or a headset with both output (e.g., a single-ear headset or a dual-ear headset) and input (e.g., a microphone).

[0050] The I / O subsystem 206 couples input / output peripherals on the device 200, such as a touch screen 212 and other input control devices 216, to a peripheral device interface 218. The I / O subsystem 206 optionally includes a display controller 256, an optical sensor controller 258, an intensity sensor controller 259, a tactile feedback controller 261, and one or more input controllers 260 for other input or control devices. One or more input controllers 260 receive / send electrical signals from other input control devices 216. Other input control devices 216 optionally include physical buttons (e.g., push buttons, rocker buttons, etc.), dials, slide switches, joysticks, click wheels, etc. In some alternative embodiments, the input controller 260 is optionally coupled to any of the following (or none of the following): a keyboard, an infrared port, a USB port, and a pointing device such as a mouse. One or more buttons (e.g., Figure 3 308 in ) optionally includes an up / down button for volume control of the speaker 211 and / or the microphone 213. The one or more buttons optionally include a push button (e.g., Figure 3 306 in ).

[0051] A quick press of the push button disengages the lock of the touch screen 212 or begins the process of unlocking the device using gestures on the touch screen, as described in U.S. Patent Application 11 / 322,549, filed December 23, 2005, entitled "Unlocking a Device by Performing Gestures on an Unlock Image"; U.S. Patent No. 7,657,849, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. A longer press of the push button (e.g., 306) powers the device 200 on or off. The user can customize the function of one or more buttons. The touch screen 212 is used to implement virtual buttons or soft buttons and one or more soft keyboards.

[0052] The touch-sensitive display 212 provides an input interface and an output interface between the device and the user. The display controller 256 receives electrical signals from the touch screen 212 and / or sends electrical signals to the touch screen 212. The touch screen 212 displays visual output to the user. The visual output includes graphics, text, icons, videos, and any combination thereof (collectively referred to as "graphics"). In some embodiments, some or all of the visual output corresponds to user interface objects.

[0053] The touch screen 212 has a touch-sensitive surface, sensor, or sensor group that accepts input from a user based on tactile and / or haptic contact. The touch screen 212 and display controller 256 (together with any associated modules and / or instruction sets in memory 202) detect contact (and any movement or interruption of the contact) on the touch screen 212 and convert the detected contact into interaction with a user interface object (e.g., one or more soft keys, icons, web pages, or images) displayed on the touch screen 212. In an exemplary embodiment, the point of contact between the touch screen 212 and the user corresponds to the user's finger.

[0054] The touch screen 212 uses LCD (liquid crystal display) technology, LPD (light emitting polymer display) technology, or LED (light emitting diode) technology, although other display technologies may be used in other embodiments. The touch screen 212 and display controller 256 use any of a variety of touch sensing technologies now known or later developed, as well as other proximity sensor arrays or other elements for determining one or more points of contact with the touch screen 212 to detect contact and any movement or interruption thereof, including but not limited to capacitive, resistive, infrared, and surface acoustic wave technologies. In an exemplary embodiment, projected mutual capacitance sensing technology is used, such as in the Apple ® from Apple Inc. (Cupertino, California). and iPod The technology used in.

[0055] In some embodiments, the touch-sensitive display of the touch screen 212 is similar to the multi-touch-sensitive touch pads described in U.S. Patents 6,323,846 (Westerman et al.), 6,570,557 (Westerman et al.), and / or 6,677,932 (Westerman), and / or U.S. Patent Publication 2002 / 0015024A1, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. However, the touch screen 212 displays visual output from the device 200, whereas the touch-sensitive touch pad does not provide visual output.

[0056] The touch-sensitive display in some embodiments of the touch screen 212 is described in the following applications: (1) U.S. patent application No. 11 / 381,313, filed on May 2, 2006, "Multipoint Touch Surface Controller"; (2) U.S. patent application No. 10 / 840,862, filed on May 6, 2004, "Multipoint Touchscreen"; (3) U.S. patent application No. 10 / 903,964, filed on July 30, 2004, "Gestures For Touch Sensitive Input Devices"; (4) U.S. patent application No. 11 / 048,264, filed on January 31, 2005, "Gestures For Touch Sensitive Input Devices"; (5) U.S. patent application No. 11 / 038,590, filed on January 18, 2005, "Mode-Based Graphical User Interfaces For Touch Sensitive Input Devices”; (6) U.S. patent application No. 11 / 228,758, filed on September 16, 2005, “Virtual Input Device Placement On A Touch Screen User Interface”; (7) U.S. patent application No. 11 / 228,700, filed on September 16, 2005, “Operation Of A Computer With A Touch Screen Interface”; (8) U.S. patent application No. 11 / 228,737, filed on September 16, 2005, “Activating Virtual Keys Of A Touch-Screen Virtual Keyboard”; and (9) U.S. patent application No. 11 / 367,749, filed on March 3, 2006, “Multi-Functional Hand-Held Device”. All of these applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0057] The touch screen 212 has, for example, a video resolution of more than 100 dpi. In some embodiments, the touch screen has a video resolution of about 160 dpi. The user contacts the touch screen 212 using any suitable object or appendage, such as a stylus, a finger, etc. In some embodiments, the user interface is designed to work primarily through finger-based contacts and gestures, which may not be as precise as stylus-based input due to the larger contact area of ​​the finger on the touch screen. In some embodiments, the device converts rough finger-based input into precise pointer / cursor positioning or commands for performing the actions desired by the user.

[0058] In some embodiments, in addition to the touch screen, the device 200 also includes a touchpad (not shown) for activating or deactivating specific functions. In some embodiments, the touchpad is a touch-sensitive area of ​​the device that, unlike the touch screen, does not display visual output. The touchpad is a touch-sensitive surface that is separate from the touch screen 212 or an extension of the touch-sensitive surface formed by the touch screen.

[0059] Device 200 also includes a power system 262 for powering the various components. Power system 262 includes a power management system, one or more power sources (e.g., batteries, alternating current (AC)), a recharging system, power fault detection circuits, power converters or inverters, power status indicators (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs)), and any other components associated with the generation, management, and distribution of power in a portable device.

[0060] The device 200 also includes one or more optical sensors 264 . Figure 2A An optical sensor coupled to an optical sensor controller 258 in the I / O subsystem 206 is shown. The optical sensor 264 includes a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) phototransistor. The optical sensor 264 receives light projected through one or more lenses from the environment and converts the light into data representing an image. In conjunction with the imaging module 243 (also called a camera module), the optical sensor 264 captures a static image or video. In some embodiments, the optical sensor is located at the rear of the device 200, opposite to the touch screen display 212 at the front of the device, so that the touch screen display is used as a viewfinder for static images and / or video image acquisition. In some embodiments, the optical sensor is located at the front of the device so that the user's image is obtained for video conferencing while the user views other video conference participants on the touch screen display. In some embodiments, the positioning of the optical sensor 264 can be changed by the user (e.g., by rotating the lens and sensor in the device housing) so that a single optical sensor 264 is used with the touch screen display for both video conferencing and static image and / or video image acquisition.

[0061] Device 200 optionally also includes one or more contact intensity sensors 265 . Figure 2A A contact force sensor is shown coupled to a force sensor controller 259 in the I / O subsystem 206. The contact force sensor 265 optionally includes one or more piezoresistive strain gauges, capacitive force sensors, electrical force sensors, piezoelectric force sensors, optical force sensors, capacitive touch-sensitive surfaces, or other force sensors (e.g., sensors for measuring the force (or pressure) of contact on a touch-sensitive surface). The contact force sensor 265 receives contact force information (e.g., pressure information or a surrogate for pressure information) from the environment. In some embodiments, at least one contact force sensor is juxtaposed or adjacent to a touch-sensitive surface (e.g., touch-sensitive display system 212). In some embodiments, at least one contact force sensor is located on the rear of the device 200, opposite the touch screen display 212 located on the front of the device 200.

[0062] Device 200 also includes one or more proximity sensors 266 . Figure 2A A proximity sensor 266 is shown coupled to the peripherals interface 218. Alternatively, the proximity sensor 266 is coupled to the input controller 260 in the I / O subsystem 206. The proximity sensor 266 is implemented as described in the following U.S. patent applications: Nos. 11 / 241,839, entitled "Proximity Detector In Handheld Device"; 11 / 240,788, entitled "Proximity Detector In Handheld Device"; 11 / 620,702, entitled "Using Ambient Light Sensor To Augment Proximity Sensor Output"; 11 / 586,862, entitled "Automated Response To And Sensing Of User Activity In Portable Devices"; and 11 / 638,251, entitled "Methods And Systems For Automatic Configuration Of Peripherals", which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. In some embodiments, when the multifunction device is placed near the user's ear (e.g., when the user is making a phone call), the proximity sensor turns off and the touch screen 212 is disabled.

[0063] Device 200 optionally also includes one or more tactile output generators 267. Figure 2AA tactile output generator coupled to a tactile feedback controller 261 in the I / O subsystem 206 is shown. The tactile output generator 267 optionally includes one or more electroacoustic devices such as a speaker or other audio component; and / or an electromechanical device for converting energy into linear motion such as a motor, solenoid, electroactive polymer, piezoelectric actuator, electrostatic actuator, or other tactile output generating component (e.g., a component for converting an electrical signal into a tactile output on the device). The contact force sensor 265 receives tactile feedback generation instructions from the tactile feedback module 233 and generates a tactile output on the device 200 that can be felt by a user of the device 200. In some embodiments, at least one tactile output generator is arranged in juxtaposition or proximity to a touch-sensitive surface (e.g., a touch-sensitive display system 212) and optionally generates a tactile output by moving the touch-sensitive surface vertically (e.g., inward / outward of the surface of the device 200) or laterally (e.g., backward and forward in the same plane as the surface of the device 200). In some embodiments, at least one tactile output generator sensor is located on the back of the device 200, opposite the touch screen display 212 located on the front of the device 200.

[0064] Device 200 also includes one or more accelerometers 268 . Figure 2A An accelerometer 268 coupled to the peripheral device interface 218 is shown. Alternatively, the accelerometer 268 is coupled to the input controller 260 in the I / O subsystem 206. The accelerometer 268 performs as described in the following U.S. patent publications: U.S. Patent Publication No. 20050190059, "Acceleration-based Theft Detection System for Portable Electronic Devices" and U.S. Patent Publication No. 20060017692, "Methods And Apparatuses For Operating A Portable Device Based OnAn Accelerometer", both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. In some embodiments, information is displayed in a portrait view or a landscape view on the touch screen display based on analysis of data received from one or more accelerometers. The device 200 optionally includes a magnetometer (not shown) and a GPS (or GLONASS or other global navigation system) receiver (not shown) in addition to one or more accelerometers 268 for obtaining information about the position and orientation (e.g., portrait or landscape) of the device 200.

[0065] In some embodiments, the software components stored in memory 202 include an operating system 226, a communication module (or instruction set) 228, a contact / motion module (or instruction set) 230, a graphics module (or instruction set) 232, a text input module (or instruction set) 234, a global positioning system (GPS) module (or instruction set) 235, a digital assistant client module 229, and an application (or instruction set) 236. In addition, memory 202 stores data and models, such as user data and models 231. In addition, in some embodiments, memory 202 ( Figure 2A ) or 470( Figure 4 ) storage device / global internal state 257, such as Figure 2A and Figure 4 . The device / global internal state 257 includes one or more of the following: active application state, which indicates which application (if any) is currently active; display state, which indicates what application, view or other information occupies various areas of the touch screen display 212; sensor state, including information obtained from the device's various sensors and input control devices 216; and position information related to the device's position and / or posture.

[0066] The operating system 226 (e.g., Darwin, RTXC, LINUX, UNIX, OS X, iOS, WINDOWS, or an embedded operating system such as VxWorks) includes various software components and / or drivers for controlling and managing general system tasks (e.g., memory management, storage device control, power management, etc.), and facilitating communication between various hardware components and software components.

[0067] The communication module 228 facilitates communication with other devices through one or more external ports 224, and also includes various software components for processing data received by the RF circuit 208 and / or the external port 224. The external port 224 (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB), FireWire, etc.) is suitable for coupling directly to other devices, or indirectly through a network (e.g., the Internet, wireless LAN, etc.). In some embodiments, the external port is connected to (trademark of Apple Inc.) devices.

[0068] The contact / motion module 230 optionally detects contact with the touch screen 212 (in conjunction with the display controller 256) and other touch-sensitive devices (e.g., a touchpad or physical click wheel). The contact / motion module 230 includes various software components for performing various operations related to contact detection, such as determining whether contact has occurred (e.g., detecting a finger press event), determining the contact strength (e.g., the force or pressure of the contact, or a substitute for the force or pressure of the contact), determining whether there is movement of the contact and tracking the movement on the touch-sensitive surface (e.g., detecting one or more finger drag events), and determining whether the contact has stopped (e.g., detecting a finger lift event or contact disconnection). The contact / motion module 230 receives contact data from the touch-sensitive surface. Determining the movement of the contact point optionally includes determining the rate (magnitude), velocity (magnitude and direction) and / or acceleration (change in magnitude and / or direction) of the contact point, the movement of the contact point being represented by a series of contact data. These operations are optionally applied to a single point of contact (e.g., a single finger contact) or multiple points of simultaneous contact (e.g., "multi-touch" / multiple finger contacts). In some embodiments, the contact / motion module 230 and display controller 256 detect contact on the touch pad.

[0069] In some embodiments, the contact / motion module 230 uses a set of one or more intensity thresholds to determine whether an operation has been performed by a user (e.g., to determine whether a user has "clicked" an icon). In some embodiments, at least a subset of the intensity thresholds are determined based on software parameters (e.g., the intensity thresholds are not determined by the activation thresholds of specific physical actuators and can be adjusted without changing the physical hardware of the device 200). For example, without changing the touchpad or touchscreen display hardware, the mouse "click" threshold of a touchpad or touchscreen can be set to any one of a large range of predefined thresholds. Additionally, in some specific implementations, a software setting is provided to the user of the device for adjusting one or more intensity thresholds in a set of intensity thresholds (e.g., by adjusting individual intensity thresholds and / or by utilizing a system-level click on an "intensity" parameter to adjust multiple intensity thresholds at once).

[0070] The contact / motion module 230 optionally detects gesture input from a user. Different gestures on a touch-sensitive surface have different contact patterns (e.g., different motions, timings, and / or intensities of the detected contacts). Thus, gestures are optionally detected by detecting specific contact patterns. For example, detecting a finger tap gesture includes detecting a finger press event, and then detecting a finger lift (lift-off) event at the same location (or substantially the same location) as the finger press event (e.g., at the location of an icon). As another example, detecting a finger swipe gesture on a touch-sensitive surface includes detecting a finger press event, then detecting one or more finger drag events, and then detecting a finger lift (lift-off) event.

[0071] The graphics module 232 includes various known software components for rendering and displaying graphics on the touch screen 212 or other display, including components for changing the visual impact (e.g., brightness, transparency, saturation, contrast, or other visual characteristics) of the displayed graphics. As used herein, the term "graphics" includes any object that can be displayed to a user, including, without limitation, text, web pages, icons (such as user interface objects including soft keys), digital images, videos, animations, etc.

[0072] In some embodiments, the graphics module 232 stores data representing graphics to be used. Each graphic is optionally assigned a corresponding code. The graphics module 232 receives one or more codes specifying the graphics to be displayed from an application or the like, along with coordinate data and other graphic attribute data if necessary, and then generates screen image data to be output to the display controller 256.

[0073] The tactile feedback module 233 includes various software components for generating instructions used by the one or more tactile output generators 267 to produce tactile outputs at one or more locations on the device 200 in response to user interaction with the device 200 .

[0074] Text input module 234, which in some examples is a component of graphics module 232, provides a soft keyboard for entering text in various applications (e.g., contacts 237, email 240, IM 241, browser 247, and any other application requiring text input).

[0075] The GPS module 235 determines the location of the device and provides this information for use in various applications (e.g., to the phone 238 for use in location-based dialing; to the camera 243 as picture / video metadata; and to applications that provide location-based services, such as weather widgets, local yellow pages widgets, and map / navigation widgets).

[0076] The digital assistant client module 229 includes various client-side digital assistant instructions to provide the client-side functions of the digital assistant. For example, the digital assistant client module 229 can accept voice input (e.g., speech input), text input, touch input and / or gesture input through various user interfaces of the portable multifunction device 200 (e.g., microphone 213, one or more accelerometers 268, touch-sensitive display system 212, one or more optical sensors 264, other input control devices 216, etc.). The digital assistant client module 229 can also provide output in the form of audio (e.g., speech output), output in the form of visual output and / or output in the form of tactile output through various output interfaces of the portable multifunction device 200 (e.g., speaker 211, touch-sensitive display system 212, one or more tactile output generators 267, etc.). For example, the output is provided as voice, sound, reminder, text message, menu, graphic, video, animation, vibration and / or a combination of two or more of the above. During operation, the digital assistant client module 229 communicates with the DA server 106 using the RF circuit 208.

[0077] User data and models 231 include various data associated with the user (e.g., user-specific vocabulary data, user preference data, user-specified name pronunciations, data from the user's electronic address book, to-do items, shopping lists, etc.) to provide the client-side functionality of the digital assistant. In addition, user data and models 231 include various models for processing user input and determining user intent (e.g., speech recognition models, statistical language models, natural language processing models, knowledge ontologies, task flow models, service models, etc.).

[0078] In some examples, the digital assistant client module 229 utilizes the various sensors, subsystems, and peripherals of the portable multifunction device 200 to collect additional information from the surrounding environment of the portable multifunction device 200 to establish a context associated with the user, the current user interaction, and / or the current user input. In some examples, the digital assistant client module 229 provides the context information, or a subset thereof, to the DA server 106 along with the user input to help infer the user's intent. In some examples, the digital assistant also uses the context information to determine how to prepare and transmit output to the user. The context information is referred to as context data.

[0079] In some examples, contextual information accompanying the user input includes sensor information, such as lighting, ambient noise, ambient temperature, images or videos of the surrounding environment, etc. In some examples, the contextual information may also include the physical state of the device, such as device orientation, device location, device temperature, power level, speed, acceleration, motion pattern, cellular signal strength, etc. In some examples, information related to the software state of the DA server 106, such as the running process of the portable multifunction device 200, installed programs, past and current network activities, background services, error logs, resource usage, etc., is provided to the DA server 106 as contextual information associated with the user input.

[0080] In some examples, the digital assistant client module 229 selectively provides information stored on the portable multifunction device 200 (e.g., user data 231) in response to a request from the DA server 106. In some examples, the digital assistant client module 229 also elicits additional input from the user via a natural language dialog or other user interface upon request by the DA server 106. The digital assistant client module 229 transmits the additional input to the DA server 106 to assist the DA server 106 in inferring intent and / or implementing the user intent expressed in the user request.

[0081] Reference below 7A to 7C A more detailed description of the digital assistant is provided. It should be appreciated that the digital assistant client module 229 may include any number of sub-modules of the digital assistant module 726 described below.

[0082] Application 236 includes the following modules (or instruction sets) or a subset or superset thereof:

[0083] ● Contacts module 237 (sometimes referred to as address book or contact list);

[0084] ● Telephone module 238;

[0085] ● Video conferencing module 239;

[0086] ● Email client module 240;

[0087] ●Instant messaging (IM) module 241;

[0088] ●Fitness support module 242;

[0089] ● Camera module 243 for still images and / or video images;

[0090] ● Image management module 244;

[0091] ●Video player module;

[0092] ●Music player module;

[0093] ●Browser module 247;

[0094] ● Calendar module 248;

[0095] Widget module 249, which in some examples includes one or more of the following:

[0096] Weather widget 249 - 1 , stock widget 249 - 2 , calculator widget 249 - 3 , alarm widget 249 - 4 , dictionary widget 249 - 5 , and other widgets obtained by the user and widget 249 - 6 created by the user;

[0097] A widget creator module 250 for forming a user-created widget 249-6;

[0098] ●Search module 251;

[0099] ● Video and music player module 252, which merges the video player module and the music player module;

[0100] ● Note module 253;

[0101] ● Map module 254; and / or

[0102] ●Online video module 255.

[0103] Examples of other applications 236 stored in memory 202 include other word processing applications, other image editing applications, drawing applications, rendering applications, JAVA-enabled applications, encryption, digital rights management, voice recognition, and voice replication.

[0104] In combination with the touch screen 212, display controller 256, touch / motion module 230, graphics module 232, and text input module 234, the contact module 237 is used to manage an address book or contact list (for example, stored in the application internal state 292 of the contact module 237 in memory 202 or memory 470), including: adding a name to the address book; deleting a name from the address book; associating a phone number, email address, physical address or other information with a name; associating an image with a name; categorizing and classifying names; providing a phone number or email address to initiate and / or facilitate communications via telephone 238, video conferencing module 239, email 240 or IM 241; and the like.

[0105] In conjunction with RF circuit 208, audio circuit 210, speaker 211, microphone 213, touch screen 212, display controller 256, contact / motion module 230, graphics module 232, and text input module 234, phone module 238 is used to enter a character sequence corresponding to a phone number, access one or more phone numbers in contact module 237, modify an already entered phone number, dial a corresponding phone number, conduct a conversation, and disconnect or hang up when the conversation is completed. As described above, wireless communications use any of a variety of communication standards, protocols, and technologies.

[0106] In combination with the RF circuit 208, the audio circuit 210, the speaker 211, the microphone 213, the touch screen 212, the display controller 256, the optical sensor 264, the optical sensor controller 258, the contact / motion module 230, the graphics module 232, the text input module 234, the contact module 237 and the telephone module 238, the video conferencing module 239 includes executable instructions for initiating, conducting and terminating a video conference between a user and one or more other participants in accordance with user instructions.

[0107] In conjunction with RF circuit 208, touch screen 212, display controller 256, contact / motion module 230, graphics module 232, and text input module 234, email client module 240 includes executable instructions for creating, sending, receiving, and managing emails in response to user instructions. In conjunction with image management module 244, email client module 240 makes it very easy to create and send emails with still images or video images captured by camera module 243.

[0108] In conjunction with the RF circuit 208, the touch screen 212, the display controller 256, the contact / motion module 230, the graphics module 232, and the text input module 234, the instant messaging module 241 includes executable instructions for the following operations: inputting a character sequence corresponding to an instant message, modifying previously input characters, sending a corresponding instant message (e.g., using a short message service (SMS) or multimedia message service (MMS) protocol for telephone-based instant messaging or using XMPP, SIMPLE, or IMPS for Internet-based instant messaging), receiving instant messages, and viewing received instant messages. In some embodiments, the instant messages sent and / or received include graphics, photos, audio files, video files, and / or other attachments such as those supported in MMS and / or enhanced messaging services (EMS). As used herein, "instant messaging" refers to both telephone-based messages (e.g., messages sent using SMS or MMS) and Internet-based messages (e.g., messages sent using XMPP, SIMPLE, or IMPS).

[0109] In combination with the RF circuit 208, the touch screen 212, the display controller 256, the contact / motion module 230, the graphics module 232, the text input module 234, the GPS module 235, the map module 254, and the music player module, the fitness support module 242 includes executable instructions for: creating a workout (e.g., with time, distance, and / or calorie burn goals); communicating with fitness sensors (sports equipment); receiving fitness sensor data; calibrating sensors for monitoring fitness; selecting and playing music for fitness; and displaying, storing, and sending fitness data.

[0110] In combination with the touch screen 212, the display controller 256, one or more optical sensors 264, the optical sensor controller 258, the touch / motion module 230, the graphics module 232, and the image management module 244, the camera module 243 includes executable instructions for the following operations: capturing still images or videos (including video streams) and storing them in the memory 202, modifying the characteristics of the still images or videos, or deleting the still images or videos from the memory 202.

[0111] In conjunction with the touch screen 212, display controller 256, touch / motion module 230, graphics module 232, text input module 234, and camera module 243, the image management module 244 includes executable instructions for arranging, modifying (e.g., editing), or otherwise manipulating, labeling, deleting, presenting (e.g., in a digital slide show or album), and storing still images and / or video images.

[0112] In combination with the RF circuit 208, the touch screen 212, the display controller 256, the touch / motion module 230, the graphics module 232 and the text input module 234, the browser module 247 includes executable instructions for browsing the Internet in accordance with user instructions, including searching, linking to, receiving and displaying web pages or portions thereof, as well as attachments and other files linked to web pages.

[0113] In combination with the RF circuit 208, the touch screen 212, the display controller 256, the touch / motion module 230, the graphics module 232, the text input module 234, the email client module 240 and the browser module 247, the calendar module 248 includes executable instructions for creating, displaying, modifying and storing calendars and data associated with the calendar (e.g., calendar entries, to-do items, etc.) in accordance with user instructions.

[0114] In conjunction with RF circuit 208, touch screen 212, display controller 256, contact / motion module 230, graphics module 232, text input module 234, and browser module 247, widget module 249 is a mini-application that can be downloaded and used by a user (e.g., weather widget 249-1, stock market widget 249-2, calculator widget 249-3, alarm widget 249-4, and dictionary widget 249-5) or a mini-application created by a user (e.g., user-created widget 249-6). In some embodiments, the widget includes an HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) file, a CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) file, and a JavaScript file. In some embodiments, the widget includes an XML (Extensible Markup Language) file and a JavaScript file (e.g., Yahoo! widget).

[0115] In combination with the RF circuit 208, the touch screen 212, the display controller 256, the touch / motion module 230, the graphics module 232, the text input module 234 and the browser module 247, the widget creator module 250 is used by users to create widgets (e.g., to turn a user-specified portion of a web page into a widget).

[0116] In combination with the touch screen 212, display controller 256, contact / motion module 230, graphics module 232 and text input module 234, the search module 251 includes executable instructions for searching the memory 202 for text, music, sound, images, videos and / or other files that match one or more search criteria (e.g., one or more user-specified search terms) in accordance with user instructions.

[0117] In conjunction with touch screen 212, display controller 256, contact / motion module 230, graphics module 232, audio circuitry 210, speaker 211, RF circuitry 208, and browser module 247, video and music player module 252 includes executable instructions that allow a user to download and play back recorded music and other sound files stored in one or more file formats (such as MP3 or AAC files), as well as executable instructions for displaying, presenting, or otherwise playing back video (e.g., on touch screen 212 or on an external display connected via external port 224). In some embodiments, device 200 optionally includes the functionality of an MP3 player such as an iPod (trademark of Apple Inc.).

[0118] In conjunction with the touch screen 212, display controller 256, contact / motion module 230, graphics module 232 and text input module 234, the note module 253 includes executable instructions for creating and managing notes, to-do lists, etc. according to user instructions.

[0119] In combination with the RF circuit 208, the touch screen 212, the display controller 256, the touch / motion module 230, the graphics module 232, the text input module 234, the GPS module 235 and the browser module 247, the map module 254 is used to receive, display, modify and store maps and data associated with the maps (e.g., driving directions, data related to stores and other points of interest at or near a particular location, and other location-based data) in accordance with user instructions.

[0120] In conjunction with the touch screen 212, display controller 256, contact / motion module 230, graphics module 232, audio circuit 210, speaker 211, RF circuit 208, text input module 234, email client module 240, and browser module 247, the online video module 255 includes instructions that allow a user to access, browse, receive (e.g., by streaming and / or downloading), play back (e.g., on the touch screen or on a connected external display via external port 224), send an email with a link to a specific online video, and otherwise manage online videos in one or more file formats (such as H.264). In some embodiments, the instant messaging module 241 is used instead of the email client module 240 to send a link to a specific online video. Further descriptions of online video applications can be found in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 936,562, filed on June 20, 2007, entitled “Portable Multifunction Device, Method, and Graphical User Interface for Playing Online Videos,” and U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 968,067, filed on December 31, 2007, entitled “Portable Multifunction Device, Method, and Graphical User Interface for Playing Online Videos,” the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0121] Each of the modules and applications described above corresponds to an executable instruction set for performing one or more of the functions described above and the methods described in this patent application (e.g., the computer-implemented methods and other information processing methods described herein). These modules (e.g., instruction sets) do not have to be implemented as independent software programs, processes, or modules, and therefore various subsets of these modules may be combined or otherwise rearranged in various embodiments. For example, a video player module may be combined with a music player module into a single module (e.g., Figure 2AIn some embodiments, the memory 202 stores a subset of the above modules and data structures. In addition, the memory 202 stores additional modules and data structures not described above.

[0122] In some embodiments, the device 200 is a device on which the operation of a predefined set of functions is performed exclusively through a touch screen and / or a touch pad. By using a touch screen and / or a touch pad as the primary input control device for the operation of the device 200, the number of physical input control devices (such as push buttons, dials, etc.) on the device 200 is reduced.

[0123] A predefined set of functions that are performed exclusively through a touch screen and / or a touch pad optionally includes navigation between user interfaces. In some embodiments, the touch pad, when touched by a user, navigates the device 200 to a main menu, a home menu, or a root menu from any user interface displayed on the device 200. In such embodiments, a touch pad is used to implement a "menu button." In some other embodiments, the menu button is a physical push button or other physical input control device, rather than a touch pad.

[0124] Figure 2B is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components for event processing according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, memory 202 ( Figure 2A ) or memory 470( Figure 4 ) includes an event classifier 270 (e.g., in the operating system 226) and a corresponding application 236-1 (e.g., any one of the aforementioned applications 237-251, 255, 480-490).

[0125] The event classifier 270 receives event information and determines the application 236-1 and the application view 291 of the application 236-1 to which the event information is to be delivered. The event classifier 270 includes an event monitor 271 and an event distributor module 274. In some embodiments, the application 236-1 includes an application internal state 292 that indicates the current application view displayed on the touch-sensitive display 212 when the application is active or executing. In some embodiments, the device / global internal state 257 is used by the event classifier 270 to determine which application(s) is currently active, and the application internal state 292 is used by the event classifier 270 to determine the application view 291 to which the event information is to be delivered.

[0126] In some embodiments, the application internal state 292 includes additional information, such as one or more of the following: resumption information to be used when application 236-1 resumes execution, user interface state information indicating that information is being displayed or is ready to be displayed by application 236-1, a state queue for enabling a user to return to a previous state or view of application 236-1, and a repeat / undo queue of previous actions taken by the user.

[0127] Event monitor 271 receives event information from peripherals interface 218. Event information includes information about sub-events (e.g., a user touch on touch-sensitive display 212 as part of a multi-touch gesture). Peripherals interface 218 sends information it receives from I / O subsystem 206 or sensors such as proximity sensor 266, one or more accelerometers 268, and / or microphone 213 (through audio circuit 210). The information that peripherals interface 218 receives from I / O subsystem 206 includes information from touch-sensitive display 212 or a touch-sensitive surface.

[0128] In some embodiments, event monitor 271 sends requests to peripheral device interface 218 at predetermined intervals. In response, peripheral device interface 218 sends event information. In other embodiments, peripheral device interface 218 sends event information only when there is a significant event (e.g., receiving an input above a predetermined noise threshold and / or receiving an input for more than a predetermined duration).

[0129] In some embodiments, the event classifier 270 also includes a hit view determination module 272 and / or an active event identifier determination module 273.

[0130] When the touch-sensitive display 212 displays more than one view, the hit view determination module 272 provides software procedures for determining where within one or more views a sub-event has occurred. A view consists of controls and other elements that a user can see on the display.

[0131] Another aspect of the user interface associated with an application is a set of views, sometimes also referred to herein as application views or user interface windows, in which information is displayed and touch-based gestures occur. The application views (of the respective application) in which a touch is detected correspond to a programmatic hierarchy of the application or a programmatic level within the view hierarchy. For example, the lowest level view in which a touch is detected is called a hit view, and the set of events that are considered to be correct input is determined at least in part based on the hit view of the initial touch that started the touch-based gesture.

[0132] The hit view determination module 272 receives information related to sub-events of touch-based gestures. When an application has multiple views organized in a hierarchy, the hit view determination module 272 identifies the hit view as the lowest view in the hierarchy that should handle the sub-events. In most cases, the hit view is the lowest level view in which the initiating sub-event (e.g., the first sub-event in a sequence of sub-events that form an event or potential event) occurs. Once a hit view is identified by the hit view determination module 272, the hit view typically receives all sub-events related to the same touch or input source for which it is identified as the hit view.

[0133] Active event recognizer determination module 273 determines which view or views within the view hierarchy should receive a particular sequence of sub-events. In some embodiments, active event recognizer determination module 273 determines that only the hit view should receive a particular sequence of sub-events. In other embodiments, active event recognizer determination module 273 determines that all views that include the physical location of the sub-event are actively participating views, and therefore determines that all actively participating views should receive a particular sequence of sub-events. In other embodiments, even if a touch sub-event is completely confined to an area associated with one particular view, higher views in the hierarchy will still remain as actively participating views.

[0134] Event distributor module 274 distributes event information to event identifiers (e.g., event identifier 280). In embodiments including active event identifier determination module 273, event distributor module 274 delivers the event information to the event identifier determined by active event identifier determination module 273. In some embodiments, event distributor module 274 stores the event information in an event queue, which is retrieved by corresponding event receiver 282.

[0135] In some embodiments, operating system 226 includes event classifier 270. Alternatively, application 236-1 includes event classifier 270. In yet another embodiment, event classifier 270 is a standalone module or is part of another module stored in memory 202, such as contact / motion module 230.

[0136] In some embodiments, application 236-1 includes multiple event handlers 290 and one or more application views 291, each of which includes instructions for handling touch events occurring in a corresponding view of the user interface of the application. Each application view 291 of application 236-1 includes one or more event identifiers 280. Typically, the corresponding application view 291 includes multiple event identifiers 280. In other embodiments, one or more event identifiers in event identifiers 280 are part of an independent module, which is a higher-level object such as a user interface toolkit (not shown) or application 236-1 from which methods and other properties are inherited. In some embodiments, the corresponding event handler 290 includes one or more of the following: data updater 276, object updater 277, GUI updater 278, and / or event data 279 received from event classifier 270. Event handler 290 utilizes or calls data updater 276, object updater 277 or GUI updater 278 to update application internal state 292. Alternatively, one or more of the application views 291 include one or more corresponding event handlers 290. In addition, in some embodiments, one or more of the data updater 276, the object updater 277, and the GUI updater 278 are included in the corresponding application view 291.

[0137] A corresponding event identifier 280 receives event information (e.g., event data 279) from event classifier 270 and identifies an event from the event information. Event identifier 280 includes an event receiver 282 and an event comparator 284. In some embodiments, event identifier 280 also includes metadata 283 and at least a subset of event delivery instructions 288 (which includes sub-event delivery instructions).

[0138] The event receiver 282 receives event information from the event classifier 270. The event information includes information about sub-events such as touches or touch movements. Depending on the sub-event, the event information also includes additional information, such as the location of the sub-event. When the sub-event involves the movement of a touch, the event information also includes the rate and direction of the sub-event. In some embodiments, the event includes the device rotating from one orientation to another orientation (e.g., from a longitudinal orientation to a transverse orientation, or vice versa), and the event information includes corresponding information about the current orientation of the device (also referred to as the device posture).

[0139] Event comparator 284 compares event information with predefined event or sub-event definitions, and based on the comparison, determines an event or sub-event, or determines or updates the state of an event or sub-event. In some embodiments, event comparator 284 includes event definition 286. Event definition 286 includes the definition of an event (e.g., a predefined sequence of sub-events), such as event 1 (287-1), event 2 (287-2), and other events. In some embodiments, sub-events in event (287) include, for example, touch start, touch end, touch move, touch cancel, and multi-touch. In one example, the definition of event 1 (287-1) is a double-click on a displayed object. For example, a double-click includes a first touch (touch start) of a predetermined duration on a displayed object, a first lift-off (touch end) of a predetermined duration, a second touch (touch start) of a predetermined duration on a displayed object, and a second lift-off (touch end) of a predetermined duration. In another example, the definition of event 2 (287-2) is a drag on a displayed object. For example, dragging includes a touch (or contact) of a predetermined duration on a displayed object, movement of the touch on the touch-sensitive display 212, and lifting of the touch (touch end). In some embodiments, the event also includes information for one or more associated event handlers 290.

[0140] In some embodiments, event definition 287 includes a definition of an event for a corresponding user interface object. In some embodiments, event comparator 284 performs a hit test to determine which user interface object is associated with a sub-event. For example, in an application view displaying three user interface objects on touch-sensitive display 212, when a touch is detected on touch-sensitive display 212, event comparator 284 performs a hit test to determine which of the three user interface objects is associated with the touch (sub-event). If each displayed object is associated with a corresponding event handler 290, the event comparator uses the result of the hit test to determine which event handler 290 should be activated. For example, event comparator 284 selects an event handler associated with a sub-event and the object that triggered the hit test.

[0141] In some embodiments, the definition of the corresponding event (287) also includes a delay action that delays the delivery of the event information until it has been determined that the sub-event sequence does or does not correspond to the event type of the event identifier.

[0142] When a corresponding event recognizer 280 determines that a sequence of sub-events does not match any event in event definition 286, the corresponding event recognizer 280 enters an event impossible, event failed, or event ended state, after which subsequent sub-events of the touch-based gesture are ignored. In this case, other event recognizers (if any) that remain active for the hit view continue to track and process sub-events of the ongoing touch-based gesture.

[0143] In some embodiments, the corresponding event identifier 280 includes metadata 283 with configurable properties, flags, and / or lists that indicate how the event delivery system should perform sub-event delivery to actively participating event identifiers. In some embodiments, metadata 283 includes configurable properties, flags, and / or lists that indicate how event identifiers interact or can interact with each other. In some embodiments, metadata 283 includes configurable properties, flags, and / or lists that indicate whether sub-events are delivered to different levels in a view or programmatic hierarchy.

[0144] In some embodiments, when one or more specific sub-events of an event are identified, the corresponding event identifier 280 activates the event handler 290 associated with the event. In some embodiments, the corresponding event identifier 280 delivers the event information associated with the event to the event handler 290. Activating the event handler 290 is different from sending (and deferred sending) the sub-events to the corresponding hit view. In some embodiments, the event identifier 280 throws a tag associated with the identified event, and the event handler 290 associated with the tag obtains the tag and performs a predefined process.

[0145] In some embodiments, the event delivery instructions 288 include a sub-event delivery instruction that delivers event information about a sub-event without activating an event handler. Instead, the sub-event delivery instruction delivers the event information to an event handler associated with a sub-event sequence or to an actively participating view. The event handler associated with the sub-event sequence or with an actively participating view receives the event information and executes a predetermined process.

[0146] In some embodiments, data updater 276 creates and updates data used in application 236-1. For example, data updater 276 updates phone numbers used in contact module 237 or stores video files used in video player module. In some embodiments, object updater 277 creates and updates objects used in application 236-1. For example, object updater 277 creates new user interface objects or updates the positioning of user interface objects. GUI updater 278 updates the GUI. For example, GUI updater 278 prepares display information and sends the display information to graphics module 232 for display on a touch-sensitive display.

[0147] In some embodiments, event handler 290 includes or has access to data updater 276, object updater 277, and GUI updater 278. In some embodiments, data updater 276, object updater 277, and GUI updater 278 are included in a single module of the corresponding application 236-1 or application view 291. In other embodiments, they are included in two or more software modules.

[0148] It should be understood that the above discussion of event processing for user touches on a touch-sensitive display also applies to other forms of user input that utilize input devices to operate the multifunction device 200, and not all user input is initiated on the touch screen. For example, mouse movement and mouse button presses, optionally in conjunction with single or multiple keyboard presses or holddowns; contact movement on a touch pad, such as tapping, dragging, scrolling, etc.; stylus input; movement of the device; verbal commands; detected eye movement; biometric input; and / or any combination thereof are optionally used as input corresponding to sub-events defining the event to be distinguished.

[0149] Figure 3A portable multifunction device 200 with a touch screen 212 according to some embodiments is shown. The touch screen optionally displays one or more graphics within a user interface (UI) 300. In this embodiment and other embodiments described below, a user can select one or more of these graphics by, for example, making gestures on the graphics using one or more fingers 302 (not drawn to scale in the figure) or one or more styluses 303 (not drawn to scale in the figure). In some embodiments, when the user interrupts contact with one or more graphics, selection of one or more graphics will occur. In some embodiments, gestures optionally include one or more taps, one or more swipes (from left to right, from right to left, up and / or down) and / or rolling of fingers that have been in contact with the device 200 (from right to left, from left to right, up and / or down). In some specific implementations or in some cases, inadvertent contact with a graphic will not select the graphic. For example, when the gesture corresponding to the selection is a tap, a swipe gesture that sweeps over an application icon optionally does not select the corresponding application.

[0150] The device 200 also includes one or more physical buttons, such as a "home" or menu button 304. As previously described, the menu button 304 is used to navigate to any application 236 in a set of applications executing on the device 200. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the menu button is implemented as a soft key in a GUI displayed on the touch screen 212.

[0151] In some embodiments, the device 200 includes a touch screen 212, a menu button 304, a push button 306 for powering the device on / off and for locking the device, one or more volume adjustment buttons 308, a user identity module (SIM) card slot 310, an earphone jack 312, and a docking / charging external port 224. The push button 306 is optionally used to turn the device on / off by pressing the button and keeping the button in a pressed state for a predefined time interval; lock the device by pressing the button and releasing the button before the predefined time interval passes; and / or unlock the device or initiate an unlocking process. In an alternative embodiment, the device 200 also accepts speech input for activating or deactivating certain functions through a microphone 213. The device 200 also optionally includes one or more contact strength sensors 265 for detecting the strength of contact on the touch screen 212, and / or one or more tactile output generators 267 for generating tactile output for a user of the device 200.

[0152] Figure 44 is a block diagram of an exemplary multi-function device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface according to some embodiments. Device 400 does not have to be portable. In some embodiments, device 400 is a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a tablet computer, a multimedia player device, a navigation device, an educational device (such as a children's learning toy), a game system, or a control device (e.g., a home controller or an industrial controller). Device 400 typically includes one or more processing units (CPUs) 410, one or more network or other communication interfaces 460, a memory 470, and one or more communication buses 420 for interconnecting these components. Communication bus 420 optionally includes circuits (sometimes referred to as chipsets) that interconnect system components and control communications between system components. Device 400 includes an input / output (I / O) interface 430 with a display 440, which is typically a touch screen display. I / O interface 430 also optionally includes a keyboard and / or mouse (or other pointing device) 450 and a touchpad 455, a tactile output generator 457 for generating tactile output on device 400 (e.g., similar to the above reference Figure 2A The one or more tactile output generators 267 described above), sensors 459 (e.g., optical sensors, acceleration sensors, proximity sensors, touch sensors, and / or contact intensity sensors (similar to those described above with reference to Figure 2A The memory 470 may include one or more storage devices located away from the CPU 410. In some embodiments, the memory 470 stores information related to the portable multifunction device 200 ( Figure 2A ) or a subset thereof. In addition, memory 470 optionally stores additional programs, modules, and data structures not present in memory 202 of portable multifunction device 200. For example, memory 470 of device 400 optionally stores a drawing module 480, a rendering module 482, a word processing module 484, a website creation module 486, a disk editing module 488, and / or a spreadsheet module 490, while portable multifunction device 200( Figure 2A )'s memory 202 optionally does not store these modules.

[0153] Figure 4Each of the above-mentioned elements in some examples is stored in one or more previously mentioned memory devices. Each module in the above-mentioned modules corresponds to an instruction set for performing the functions described above. The above-mentioned modules or programs (e.g., instruction sets) do not have to be implemented as independent software programs, processes or modules, so the various subsets of these modules are combined or otherwise rearranged in various embodiments. In some embodiments, memory 470 stores a subset of the above-mentioned modules and data structures. In addition, memory 470 stores additional modules and data structures not described above.

[0154] Attention is now turned to embodiments of a user interface that may be implemented on, for example, portable multifunction device 200.

[0155] Figure 5A An exemplary user interface of an application menu on portable multifunction device 200 is shown according to some embodiments. A similar user interface is implemented on device 400. In some embodiments, user interface 500 includes the following elements, or a subset or superset thereof:

[0156] Signal strength indicators 502 for wireless communications such as cellular signals and Wi-Fi signals;

[0157] ●Time 504;

[0158] ●Bluetooth indicator 505;

[0159] ●Battery status indicator 506;

[0160] A tray 508 with icons for commonly used applications, such as:

[0161] o An icon 516 labeled "Phone" of the phone module 238, which optionally includes an indicator 514 of the number of missed calls or voice messages;

[0162] o an icon 518 labeled “Mail” of the email client module 240, which optionally includes an indicator 510 of the number of unread emails;

[0163] o An icon 520 labeled "Browser" for the browser module 247; and

[0164] o An icon 522 labeled “iPod” of the video and music player module 252 (also referred to as the iPod (trademark of Apple Inc.) module 252); and

[0165] ● Icons for other apps, such as:

[0166] ○ Icon 524 labeled "Message" of IM module 241;;

[0167] o Icon 526 labeled "Calendar" of calendar module 248;

[0168] o Icon 528 labeled "Photos" of the image management module 244;

[0169] ○ Icon 530 labeled “Camera” of camera module 243;

[0170] ○ Icon 532 labeled “Online Video” of the online video module 255;

[0171] ○ Icon 534 labeled “Stock Market” of the Stock Market Widget 249-2;

[0172] ○ Icon 536 labeled “Map” of the map module 254;

[0173] ○ Icon 538 labeled “Weather” of weather widget 249-1;

[0174] ○ Icon 540 labeled as “Clock” of the alarm clock widget 249-4;

[0175] o An icon 542 labeled “Fitness Support” of the fitness support module 242;

[0176] o An icon 544 labeled "Notes" of the notes module 253; and

[0177] ○ An icon 546 labeled “Settings” for a settings application or module that provides access to settings for the device 200 and its various applications 236 .

[0178] It should be noted that Figure 5A The illustrated icon labels are exemplary only. For example, the icon 522 of the video and music player module 252 is optionally labeled "Music" or "Music Player". Other labels are optionally used for various application icons. In some embodiments, the label of the corresponding application icon includes the name of the application corresponding to the corresponding application icon. In some embodiments, the label of a particular application icon is different from the name of the application corresponding to the particular application icon.

[0179] Figure 5B A touch-sensitive surface 551 (eg, touch screen display 212) is shown having a touch-sensitive surface 551 (eg, Figure 4 tablet or touch pad 455) of the device (e.g., Figure 4Device 400 also optionally includes one or more contact intensity sensors (e.g., one or more of sensors 459) for detecting intensity of contacts on touch-sensitive surface 551 and / or one or more tactile output generators 457 for generating tactile output for a user of device 400.

[0180] Although some of the examples that follow will be given with reference to input on a touch screen display 212 (where a touch-sensitive surface and a display are combined), in some embodiments, the device detects input on a touch-sensitive surface that is separate from the display, such as Figure 5B In some embodiments, the touch-sensitive surface (e.g., Figure 5B 551) has a main axis (e.g., Figure 5B 553) corresponding to the principal axis (for example, Figure 5B According to these embodiments, the device detects a position corresponding to a corresponding position on the display (e.g., Figure 5B , 560 corresponds to 568 and 562 corresponds to 570) at a contact with touch-sensitive surface 551 (eg, Figure 5B Thus, on a touch-sensitive surface (e.g., Figure 5B 551) and a display of a multi-function device (e.g., Figure 5B When the user input detected by the device on the touch-sensitive surface (e.g., contacts 560 and 562 and their movement) is separated, the device is used to manipulate the user interface on the display. It should be understood that similar methods are optionally used for other user interfaces described herein.

[0181] Additionally, although the following examples are primarily given with reference to finger inputs (e.g., finger contacts, single-finger tap gestures, finger swipe gestures), it should be understood that in some embodiments, one or more of these finger inputs are replaced by input from another input device (e.g., mouse-based input or stylus input). For example, a swipe gesture is optionally replaced by a mouse click (e.g., instead of contact), followed by movement of the cursor along the path of the swipe (e.g., instead of movement of the contact). As another example, a tap gesture is optionally replaced by a mouse click when the cursor is over the location of the tap gesture (e.g., instead of detecting contact, followed by ceasing to detect contact). Similarly, when multiple user inputs are detected simultaneously, it should be understood that multiple computer mice are optionally used simultaneously, or a mouse and finger contact are optionally used simultaneously.

[0182] Fig. 6AAn exemplary personal electronic device 600 is shown. Device 600 includes a body 602. In some embodiments, device 600 includes a body 602 relative to devices 200 and 400 (e.g., Figure 2A-Figure 4 ) or some or all of the features described in the foregoing. In some embodiments, device 600 has a touch-sensitive display screen 604, referred to hereinafter as touch screen 604. As an alternative or in addition to touch screen 604, device 600 has a display and a touch-sensitive surface. As with devices 200 and 400, in some embodiments, touch screen 604 (or touch-sensitive surface) has one or more intensity sensors for detecting the intensity of contact (e.g., touch) being applied. One or more intensity sensors of touch screen 604 (or touch-sensitive surface) provide output data representing the intensity of the touch. The user interface of device 600 responds to touch based on the intensity of the touch, which means that touches of different intensities can invoke different user interface operations on device 600.

[0183] Technology for detecting and processing touch intensity may be found, for example, in related applications: International patent application serial number PCT / US2013 / 040061, filed on May 8, 2013, entitled “Device, Method, and Graphical User Interface for Displaying UserInterface Objects Corresponding to an Application,” and International patent application serial number PCT / US2013 / 069483, filed on November 11, 2013, entitled “Device, Method, and Graphical UserInterface for Transitioning Between Touch Input to Display OutputRelationships,” each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0184] In some embodiments, the device 600 has one or more input mechanisms 606 and 608. The input mechanisms 606 and 608, if included, are physical. Examples of physical input mechanisms include push buttons and rotatable mechanisms. In some embodiments, the device 600 has one or more attachment mechanisms. Such attachment mechanisms, if included, may allow the device 600 to be attached to, for example, hats, glasses, earrings, necklaces, shirts, jackets, bracelets, watchbands, bracelets, pants, belts, shoes, wallets, backpacks, etc. These attachment mechanisms allow the user to wear the device 600.

[0185] Figure 6BAn exemplary personal electronic device 600 is shown. In some embodiments, the device 600 includes Figure 2A , Figure 2B and Figure 4 Some or all of the components described. Device 600 has a bus 612 that operatively couples an I / O portion 614 to one or more computer processors 616 and a memory 618. I / O portion 614 is connected to a display 604, which may have a touch-sensitive component 622 and, optionally, also a touch-intensity sensitive component 624. In addition, I / O portion 614 is connected to a communication unit 630 for receiving application and operating system data using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, near field communication (NFC), cellular, and / or other wireless communication technologies. Device 600 includes input mechanisms 606 and / or 608. For example, input mechanism 606 is a rotatable input device or a depressible input device and a rotatable input device. In some examples, input mechanism 608 is a button.

[0186] In some examples, input mechanism 608 is a microphone. Personal electronic device 600 includes, for example, various sensors such as GPS sensor 632, accelerometer 634, orientation sensor 640 (e.g., compass), gyroscope 636, motion sensor 638, and / or combinations thereof, all of which are operably connected to I / O portion 614.

[0187] The memory 618 of the personal electronic device 600 is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more computer processors 616, for example, cause the computer processors to perform the above-described techniques and processes. The computer-executable instructions are also stored and / or transmitted, for example, in any non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, device, or apparatus, such as a computer-based system, a system containing a processor, or other system that can obtain instructions from an instruction execution system, device, or apparatus and execute the instructions. The personal electronic device 600 is not limited to Figure 6B components and configurations, but may include other components or additional components in a variety of configurations.

[0188] As used herein, the term “indicative representation” refers to, for example, a display in device 200, 400, and / or 600 ( Figure 2A , Figure 4 and Figure 6A-6B ) is a user-interactive graphical user interface object displayed on a display screen of a computer. For example, an image (e.g., an icon), a button, and text (e.g., a hyperlink) each constitute an affordance.

[0189] As used herein, the term "focus selector" refers to an input element used to indicate the current portion of a user interface that a user is interacting with. In some implementations that include a cursor or other position marker, the cursor acts as a "focus selector" such that when the cursor is over a particular user interface element (e.g., a button, window, slider, or other user interface element), a focus selector is displayed on a touch-sensitive surface (e.g., Figure 4 Touchpad 455 or Figure 5B In the event that an input (e.g., a press input) is detected on the touch-sensitive surface 551 in FIG. 5 , the particular user interface element is adjusted according to the detected input. In the case that a touch screen display (e.g., Figure 2A A touch sensitive display system 212 or Figure 5A In some implementations of the touch screen 212 in FIG. 1 , a contact detected on the touch screen acts as a “focus selector” such that when an input (e.g., a press input by the contact) is detected at the location of a particular user interface element (e.g., a button, window, slider, or other user interface element) on the touch screen display, the particular user interface element is adjusted in accordance with the detected input. In some implementations, the focus moves from one area of ​​the user interface to another area of ​​the user interface without corresponding movement of a cursor or movement of a contact on the touch screen display (e.g., by using a tab key or arrow keys to move the focus from one button to another); in these implementations, the focus selector moves in accordance with the movement of the focus between different areas of the user interface. Regardless of the specific form the focus selector takes, the focus selector is typically a user interface element (or contact on the touch screen display) that is controlled by the user to deliver the user's intended interaction with the user interface (e.g., by indicating to the device the element of the user interface with which the user desires to interact). For example, when a press input is detected on a touch-sensitive surface (e.g., a touchpad or touchscreen), the position of a focus selector (e.g., a cursor, contact, or selection box) over a corresponding button will indicate that the user intends to activate the corresponding button (rather than other user interface elements shown on the device display).

[0190] As used in the specification and claims, the term "characteristic intensity" of a contact refers to a characteristic of a contact based on one or more intensities of the contact. In some embodiments, the characteristic intensity is based on multiple intensity samples. The characteristic intensity is optionally based on a predefined number of intensity samples or a set of intensity samples collected during a predetermined time period (e.g., 0.05 seconds, 0.1 seconds, 0.2 seconds, 0.5 seconds, 1 second, 2 seconds, 5 seconds, 10 seconds) relative to a predefined event (e.g., after contact is detected, before contact is detected to be lifted off, before or after contact starts to move, before contact ends, before or after contact intensity is detected to increase, and / or before or after contact intensity is detected to decrease). The characteristic intensity of a contact is optionally based on one or more of the following: the maximum value of the contact intensity, the mean value of the contact intensity, the average value of the contact intensity, the value at the top 10% of the contact intensity, the half-maximum value of the contact intensity, the 90% maximum value of the contact intensity, etc. In some embodiments, the duration of the contact is used when determining the characteristic intensity (e.g., when the characteristic intensity is the average value of the intensity of the contact over time). In some embodiments, the feature strength is compared to a set of one or more strength thresholds to determine whether the user has performed an operation. For example, the set of one or more strength thresholds includes a first strength threshold and a second strength threshold. In this example, a contact whose feature strength does not exceed the first threshold results in a first operation, a contact whose feature strength exceeds the first strength threshold but does not exceed the second strength threshold results in a second operation, and a contact whose feature strength exceeds the second threshold results in a third operation. In some embodiments, a comparison between the feature strength and one or more thresholds is used to determine whether to perform one or more operations (e.g., whether to perform the corresponding operation or give up performing the corresponding operation), rather than to determine whether to perform the first operation or the second operation.

[0191] In some embodiments, a portion of a gesture is identified for determining characteristic strength. For example, a touch-sensitive surface receives a continuous swipe contact that transitions from a starting position and reaches an end position, where the strength of the contact increases. In this example, the characteristic strength of the contact at the end position is based only on a portion of the continuous swipe contact, rather than the entire swipe contact (e.g., the swipe contact is only located at the portion at the end position). In some embodiments, a smoothing algorithm is applied to the strength of the swipe contact before determining the characteristic strength of the contact. For example, the smoothing algorithm optionally includes one or more of the following: an unweighted sliding average smoothing algorithm, a triangular smoothing algorithm, a median filter smoothing algorithm, and / or an exponential smoothing algorithm. In some cases, these smoothing algorithms eliminate narrow peaks or depressions in the strength of the swipe contact to achieve the purpose of determining the characteristic strength.

[0192] The intensity of a contact on a touch-sensitive surface is characterized relative to one or more intensity thresholds such as a contact detection intensity threshold, a light press intensity threshold, a deep press intensity threshold, and / or one or more other intensity thresholds. In some embodiments, the light press intensity threshold corresponds to an intensity at which the device will perform an operation typically associated with clicking a button of a physical mouse or trackpad. In some embodiments, the deep press intensity threshold corresponds to an intensity at which the device will perform an operation different from the operation typically associated with clicking a button of a physical mouse or trackpad. In some embodiments, when a contact having a characteristic intensity below the light press intensity threshold (e.g., and above a nominal contact detection intensity threshold, contacts lower than the nominal contact detection intensity threshold are no longer detected) is detected, the device will move the focus selector according to the movement of the contact on the touch-sensitive surface without performing an operation associated with the light press intensity threshold or the deep press intensity threshold. Generally speaking, unless otherwise stated, these intensity thresholds are consistent between different groups of user interface illustrations.

[0193] An increase in contact feature intensity from an intensity below a light press intensity threshold to an intensity between the light press intensity threshold and the deep press intensity threshold is sometimes referred to as a "light press" input. An increase in contact feature intensity from an intensity below a deep press intensity threshold to an intensity above the deep press intensity threshold is sometimes referred to as a "deep press" input. An increase in contact feature intensity from an intensity below a contact detection intensity threshold to an intensity between the contact detection intensity threshold and the light press intensity threshold is sometimes referred to as detecting contact on the touch surface. A decrease in contact feature intensity from an intensity above the contact detection intensity threshold to an intensity below the contact detection intensity threshold is sometimes referred to as detecting contact lifted from the touch surface. In some embodiments, the contact detection intensity threshold is zero. In some embodiments, the contact detection intensity threshold is greater than zero.

[0194] In some embodiments described herein, one or more operations are performed in response to detecting a gesture that includes a corresponding press input or in response to detecting a corresponding press input performed using a corresponding contact (or multiple contacts), wherein the corresponding press input is detected at least in part based on detecting that the strength of the contact (or multiple contacts) increases to above a press input strength threshold. In some embodiments, the corresponding operation is performed in response to detecting that the strength of the corresponding contact increases to above the press input strength threshold (e.g., a "down stroke" of the corresponding press input). In some embodiments, the press input includes an increase in the strength of the corresponding contact to above the press input strength threshold and the strength of the contact subsequently decreases to below the press input strength threshold, and the corresponding operation is performed in response to detecting that the strength of the corresponding contact subsequently decreases to below the press input threshold (e.g., an "up stroke" of the corresponding press input).

[0195] In some embodiments, the device employs intensity hysteresis to avoid unexpected inputs sometimes referred to as "jitter," where the device defines or selects a hysteresis intensity threshold that has a predefined relationship to a press input intensity threshold (e.g., the hysteresis intensity threshold is X intensity units lower than the press input intensity threshold, or the hysteresis intensity threshold is 75%, 90%, or some reasonable proportion of the press input intensity threshold). Thus, in some embodiments, a press input includes an increase in the intensity of the corresponding contact to above the press input intensity threshold and a subsequent decrease in the intensity of the contact to below the hysteresis intensity threshold corresponding to the press input intensity threshold, and a corresponding operation is performed in response to detecting that the intensity of the corresponding contact subsequently decreases to below the hysteresis intensity threshold (e.g., an "upward stroke" of the corresponding press input). Similarly, in some embodiments, a press input is detected only when the device detects that the contact intensity increases from an intensity equal to or below the hysteresis intensity threshold to an intensity equal to or above the press input intensity threshold and, optionally, that the contact intensity subsequently decreases to an intensity equal to or below the hysteresis intensity, and a corresponding operation is performed in response to detecting the press input (e.g., an increase in contact intensity or a decrease in contact intensity, depending on the circumstances).

[0196] For ease of explanation, optionally, a description of an operation performed in response to a press input associated with a press input intensity threshold or in response to a gesture including a press input is triggered in response to detecting any of the following: contact intensity increasing to above the press input intensity threshold, contact intensity increasing from an intensity below a hysteresis intensity threshold to an intensity above the press input intensity threshold, contact intensity decreasing to below the press input intensity threshold, and / or contact intensity decreasing to below a hysteresis intensity threshold corresponding to the press input intensity threshold. Additionally, in examples where an operation is described as being performed in response to detecting that the intensity of the contact decreases below the press input intensity threshold, the operation is optionally performed in response to detecting that the intensity of the contact decreases below a hysteresis intensity threshold that corresponds to and is less than the press input intensity threshold.

[0197] 3. Digital Assistant System

[0198] Fig. 7A A block diagram of a digital assistant system 700 according to various examples is shown. In some examples, the digital assistant system 700 is implemented on a stand-alone computer system. In some examples, the digital assistant system 700 is distributed across multiple computers. In some examples, some of the modules and functions of the digital assistant are divided into a server portion and a client portion, where the client portion is located on one or more user devices (e.g., device 104, device 122, device 200, device 400, or device 600) and communicates with the server portion (e.g., server system 108) via one or more networks, such as Figure 1 In some examples, the digital assistant system 700 is Figure 1 Specific implementation of the server system 108 (and / or DA server 106) shown in . It should be noted that the digital assistant system 700 is only one example of a digital assistant system, and the digital assistant system 700 has more or fewer components than shown, combines two or more components, or may have a different configuration or layout of components. Fig. 7A The various components shown in the drawings are implemented in hardware, software instructions for execution by one or more processors, firmware (including one or more signal processing integrated circuits and / or application specific integrated circuits), or a combination thereof.

[0199] The digital assistant system 700 includes a memory 702, an input / output (I / O) interface 706, a network communication interface 708, and one or more processors 704. These components can communicate with each other via one or more communication buses or signal lines 710.

[0200] In some examples, memory 702 includes non-transitory computer-readable media, such as high-speed random access memory and / or non-volatile computer-readable storage media (e.g., one or more disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state memory devices).

[0201] In some examples, the I / O interface 706 couples the input / output devices 716 of the digital assistant system 700, such as a display, keyboard, touch screen, and microphone, to the user interface module 722. The I / O interface 706 and the user interface module 722 receive user input (e.g., voice input, keyboard input, touch input, etc.) and process the input accordingly. In some examples, for example, when the digital assistant is implemented on a stand-alone user device, the digital assistant system 700 includes components respectively corresponding to Figure 2A , Figure 4 , FIG. 6A to FIG. 6B Any of the components and I / O communication interfaces described for device 200, device 400, or device 600 in the digital assistant system 700. In some examples, the digital assistant system 700 represents a server portion of a specific implementation of a digital assistant and can interact with a user through a client-side portion located on a user device (e.g., device 104, device 200, device 400, or device 600).

[0202] In some examples, the network communication interface 708 includes one or more wired communication ports 712 and / or wireless transmission and reception circuits 714. One or more wired communication ports receive and send communication signals via one or more wired interfaces such as Ethernet, Universal Serial Bus (USB), FIREWIRE, etc. The wireless circuit 714 receives RF signals and / or optical signals from a communication network and other communication devices and sends RF signals and / or optical signals to a communication network and other communication devices. Wireless communication uses any of a variety of communication standards, protocols and technologies, such as GSM, EDGE, CDMA, TDMA, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, VoIP, Wi-MAX, or any other suitable communication protocol. The network communication interface 708 enables the digital assistant system 700 to communicate with other devices through a network, such as the Internet, an intranet and / or a wireless network such as a cellular telephone network, a wireless local area network (LAN) and / or a metropolitan area network (MAN).

[0203] In some examples, the memory 702 or the computer-readable storage medium of the memory 702 stores programs, modules, instructions, and data structures, including all or a subset of the following: operating system 718, communication module 720, user interface module 722, one or more applications 724, and digital assistant module 726. Specifically, the memory 702 or the computer-readable storage medium of the memory 702 stores instructions for performing the above processes. One or more processors 704 execute these programs, modules, and instructions, and read data from or write data to data structures.

[0204] The operating system 718 (e.g., Darwin, RTXC, LINUX, UNIX, iOS, OS X, WINDOWS, or an embedded operating system such as VxWorks) includes various software components and / or drivers for controlling and managing general system tasks (e.g., memory management, storage device control, power management, etc.), and facilitates communication between various hardware, firmware, and software components.

[0205] The communication module 720 facilitates communication between the digital assistant system 700 and other devices through the network communication interface 708. For example, the communication module 720 and the electronic devices (such as Figure 2A , Figure 4 , FIG. 6A to FIG. 6B The communication module 720 also includes various components for processing data received by the wireless circuit 714 and / or the wired communication port 712.

[0206] The user interface module 722 receives commands and / or input from the user (e.g., from a keyboard, touch screen, pointing device, controller, and / or microphone) via the I / O interface 706 and generates user interface objects on the display. The user interface module 722 also prepares output (e.g., speech, sound, animation, text, icon, vibration, tactile feedback, lighting, etc.) and transmits it to the user via the I / O interface 706 (e.g., through a display, audio channel, speaker, touchpad, etc.).

[0207] Applications 724 include programs and / or modules configured to be executed by the one or more processors 704. For example, if the digital assistant system is implemented on a stand-alone user device, applications 724 include user applications such as games, calendar applications, navigation applications, or email applications. If the digital assistant system 700 is implemented on a server, applications 724 include, for example, resource management applications, diagnostic applications, or scheduling applications.

[0208] The memory 702 also stores a digital assistant module 726 (or the server portion of the digital assistant). In some examples, the digital assistant module 726 includes the following submodules or subsets or supersets thereof: an input / output processing module 728, a speech-to-text (STT) processing module 730, a natural language processing module 732, a dialog flow processing module 734, a task flow processing module 736, a service processing module 738, and a speech synthesis processing module 740. Each of these modules has access to one or more of the following systems or data and models of the digital assistant module 726 or a subset or superset thereof: a knowledge ontology 760, a vocabulary index 744, user data 748, a task flow model 754, a service model 756, and an ASR system 758.

[0209] In some examples, using the processing modules, data, and models implemented in the digital assistant module 726, the digital assistant may perform at least some of the following: converting speech input into text; identifying user intent expressed in natural language input received from a user; proactively eliciting and obtaining information needed to fully infer user intent (e.g., by disambiguating words, games, intents, etc.); determining a task flow for satisfying the inferred intent; and executing the task flow to satisfy the inferred intent.

[0210] In some examples, such as Figure 7B As shown in FIG. , the I / O processing module 728 can be Fig. 7A The I / O device 716 interacts with the user or through Fig. 7AThe network communication interface 708 in interacts with a user device (e.g., device 104, device 200, device 400, or device 600) to obtain user input (e.g., speech input) and provide a response to the user input (e.g., as speech output). The I / O processing module 728 optionally obtains context information associated with the user input from the user device along with or shortly after receiving the user input. The context information includes user-specific data, vocabulary, and / or preferences related to the user input. In some examples, the context information also includes the software state and hardware state of the user device when the user request is received, and / or information related to the user's surrounding environment when the user request is received. In some examples, the I / O processing module 728 also sends follow-up questions related to the user request to the user and receives answers from the user. When the user request is received by the I / O processing module 728 and the user request includes speech input, the I / O processing module 728 forwards the speech input to the STT processing module 730 (or speech recognizer) for speech-to-text conversion.

[0211] The STT processing module 730 includes one or more ASR systems 758. The one or more ASR systems 758 can process the speech input received by the I / O processing module 728 to produce a recognition result. Each ASR system 758 includes a front-end speech preprocessor. The front-end speech preprocessor extracts representative features from the speech input. For example, the front-end speech preprocessor performs a Fourier transform on the speech input to extract the spectral features that characterize the speech input as a sequence of representative multidimensional vectors. In addition, each ASR system 758 includes one or more speech recognition models (e.g., acoustic models and / or language models) and implements one or more speech recognition engines. Examples of speech recognition models include hidden Markov models, Gaussian mixture models, deep neural network models, n-gram language models, and other statistical models. Examples of speech recognition engines include engines based on dynamic time warping and engines based on weighted finite state transformers (WFST). One or more speech recognition models and one or more speech recognition engines are used to process the extracted representative features of the front-end speech preprocessor to produce intermediate recognition results (e.g., phonemes, phoneme strings, and sub-words), and finally produce text recognition results (e.g., words, word strings, or symbol sequences). In some examples, the speech input is at least partially processed by a third-party service or processed on the user's device (e.g., device 104, device 200, device 400, or device 600) to produce recognition results. Once the STT processing module 730 generates a recognition result containing a text string (e.g., a word, or a sequence of words, or a sequence of symbols), the recognition result is transmitted to the natural language processing module 732 for intention inference. In some examples, the STT processing module 730 generates multiple candidate text representations of the speech input. Each candidate text representation is a sequence of words or symbols corresponding to the speech input. In some examples, each candidate text representation is associated with a speech recognition confidence score. Based on the speech recognition confidence score, the STT processing module 730 ranks the candidate text representations and provides the n best (e.g., n highest ranked) candidate text representations to the natural language processing module 732 for intent inference, where n is a predetermined integer greater than zero. For example, in one example, only the highest ranked (n=1) candidate text representation is delivered to the natural language processing module 732 for intent inference. For another example, the 5 highest ranked (n=5) candidate text representations are delivered to the natural language processing module 732 for intent inference.

[0212] Further details regarding speech-to-text processing are described in U.S. Utility Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 236,942, filed on September 20, 2011, entitled “Consolidating Speech Recognition Results,” the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0213] In some examples, the STT processing module 730 includes a vocabulary of recognizable words and / or accesses the vocabulary via the phonetic alphabet conversion module 731. Each vocabulary word is associated with one or more candidate pronunciations of the word represented in the speech recognition phonetic alphabet. Specifically, the vocabulary of recognizable words includes words associated with multiple candidate pronunciations. For example, the vocabulary includes words associated with and In some examples, the candidate pronunciations for the words are determined based on the spelling of the words and one or more linguistic and / or phonetic rules. In some examples, the candidate pronunciations are manually generated, for example, based on a known standard pronunciation.

[0214] In some examples, candidate pronunciations are ranked based on their prevalence. Ranked higher than Because the former is a more common pronunciation (e.g., among all users, for users in a particular geographic region, or for any other suitable subset of users). In some examples, the candidate pronunciations are ranked based on whether the candidate pronunciation is a custom candidate pronunciation associated with the user. For example, a custom candidate pronunciation is ranked higher than a standard candidate pronunciation. This can be used to identify proper nouns with unique pronunciations that deviate from the standard pronunciation. In some examples, the candidate pronunciation is associated with one or more speech features such as geographic origin, country, or ethnicity. For example, the candidate pronunciation associated with the United States, while the candidate pronunciation associated with the United Kingdom. In addition, the ranking of the candidate pronunciations is based on one or more characteristics of the user (e.g., geographic origin, country, ethnicity, etc.) in a user profile stored on the device. For example, it may be determined from the user profile that the user is associated with the United States. Based on the user being associated with the United States, the candidate pronunciations are ranked (associated with the United States) Comparable candidate pronunciations (associated with the United Kingdom) is ranked higher. In some examples, one of the ranked candidate pronunciations may be selected as the predicted pronunciation (eg, the most likely pronunciation).

[0215] When speech input is received, the STT processing module 730 is used to determine (e.g., using an acoustic model) a phoneme corresponding to the speech input and then attempts to determine (e.g., using a language model) a word that matches the phoneme. For example, if the STT processing module 730 first identifies a phoneme sequence corresponding to a portion of the speech input It can then determine based on the lexical index 744 that the sequence corresponds to the word "tomato".

[0216] In some examples, the STT processing module 730 uses fuzzy matching techniques to determine words in an utterance. Thus, for example, the STT processing module 730 determines the phoneme sequence corresponds to the word "tomato", even though this particular phoneme sequence is not a candidate phoneme sequence for that word.

[0217] The natural language processing module 732 ("natural language processor") of the digital assistant obtains the n best candidate text representations ("word sequences" or "symbol sequences") generated by the STT processing module 730, and attempts to associate each candidate text representation with one or more "executable intents" recognized by the digital assistant. An "executable intent" (or "user intent") represents a task that can be executed by the digital assistant and can have an associated task flow implemented in the task flow model 754. The associated task flow is a series of programmed actions and steps taken by the digital assistant to perform the task. The scope of the digital assistant's capabilities depends on the number and variety of task flows that have been implemented and stored in the task flow model 754, or in other words, on the number and variety of "executable intents" recognized by the digital assistant. However, the effectiveness of the digital assistant also depends on the assistant's ability to infer the correct "one or more executable intents" from user requests expressed in natural language.

[0218] In some examples, in addition to the sequence of words or symbols obtained from the STT processing module 730, the natural language processing module 732 also receives context information associated with the user request, for example, from the I / O processing module 728. The natural language processing module 732 optionally uses the context information to clarify, supplement, and / or further qualify the information contained in the candidate text representation received from the STT processing module 730. The context information includes, for example, user preferences, hardware and / or software state of the user's device, sensor information collected before, during, or shortly after the user's request, previous interactions (e.g., conversations) between the digital assistant and the user, and the like. As described herein, in some examples, the context information is dynamic and changes with the time, location, content, and other factors of the conversation.

[0219] In some examples, natural language processing is based on, for example, knowledge ontology 760. Knowledge ontology 760 is a hierarchical structure containing many nodes, each node representing an "executable intent" or an "attribute" related to one or more of the "executable intent" or other "attributes". As described above, an "executable intent" represents a task that the digital assistant can perform, that is, the task is "executable" or can be performed. "Attributes" represent parameters associated with sub-aspects of an executable intent or another attribute. The connection between executable intent nodes and attribute nodes in knowledge ontology 760 defines how the parameters represented by the attribute nodes are subordinate to the tasks represented by the executable intent nodes.

[0220] In some examples, the knowledge ontology 760 is composed of executable intent nodes and attribute nodes. In the knowledge ontology 760, each executable intent node is directly connected to or connected to one or more attribute nodes through one or more intermediate attribute nodes. Similarly, each attribute node is directly connected to or connected to one or more executable intent nodes through one or more intermediate attribute nodes. For example, Figure 7C As shown, ontology 760 includes a "restaurant reservation" node (i.e., an executable intent node). The attribute nodes "restaurant", "date / time" (for reservations), and "party size" are all directly connected to the executable intent node (i.e., the "restaurant reservation" node).

[0221] In addition, the attribute nodes "cuisine", "price range", "telephone number", and "location" are child nodes of the attribute node "restaurant", and are all linked to the "restaurant reservation" node (i.e., executable intent node) through the intermediate attribute node "restaurant". Figure 7C As shown, ontology 760 also includes a "set reminder" node (i.e., another executable intent node). The attribute nodes "date / time" (for setting reminders) and "subject" (for reminders) are both connected to the "set reminder" node. Since the attribute "date / time" is related to both the task of making a restaurant reservation and the task of setting a reminder, the attribute node "date / time" is connected to both the "restaurant reservation" node and the "set reminder" node in ontology 760.

[0222] Executable intent nodes, together with their linked attribute nodes, are described as "domains". In this discussion, each domain is associated with a corresponding executable intent and refers to a set of nodes (and the relationships between these nodes) associated with a particular executable intent. For example, Figure 7CThe ontology 760 shown in includes an example of a restaurant reservation domain 762 and an example of a reminder domain 764 within the ontology 760. The restaurant reservation domain includes an executable intent node "restaurant reservation", attribute nodes "restaurant", "date / time" and "party size", and sub-attribute nodes "cuisine", "price range", "phone number" and "location". The reminder domain 764 includes an executable intent node "set reminder" and attribute nodes "subject" and "date / time". In some examples, the ontology 760 consists of multiple domains. Each domain shares one or more attribute nodes with one or more other domains. For example, in addition to the restaurant reservation domain 762 and the reminder domain 764, the "date / time" attribute node is also associated with many different domains (e.g., itinerary scheduling domain, travel booking domain, movie ticket domain, etc.).

[0223] although Figure 7C Two example domains within ontology 760 are shown, but other domains include, for example, "find a movie," "make a phone call," "find directions," "schedule a meeting," "send a message," and "provide answers to questions," "read a list," "provide navigation instructions," "provide instructions for a task," etc. The "send message" domain is associated with the "send message" executable intent node, and further includes attribute nodes such as "one or more recipients," "message type," and "message body." The attribute node "recipients" is further defined, for example, by child attribute nodes such as "recipient name" and "message address."

[0224] In some examples, ontology 760 includes all domains (and thus executable intents) that a digital assistant can understand and act upon. In some examples, ontology 760 is modified, such as by adding or removing entire domains or nodes, or by modifying the relationships between nodes within ontology 760.

[0225] In some examples, nodes associated with multiple related executable intents are clustered under a "superdomain" in the knowledge ontology 760. For example, the "travel" superdomain includes a cluster of attribute nodes and executable intent nodes related to travel. Executable intent nodes related to travel include "ticket booking", "hotel booking", "car rental", "route planning", "find points of interest", etc. Executable intent nodes under the same superdomain (e.g., the "travel" superdomain) have multiple shared attribute nodes. For example, the executable intent nodes for "ticket booking", "hotel booking", "car rental", "get directions", and "find points of interest" share one or more of the attribute nodes "starting location", "destination", "departure date / time", "arrival date / time", and "party size".

[0226] In some examples, each node in the knowledge ontology 760 is associated with a set of words and / or phrases related to the attribute or executable intent represented by the node. The corresponding set of words and / or phrases associated with each node is a so-called "vocabulary" associated with the node. The corresponding set of words and / or phrases associated with each node is stored in the vocabulary index 744 associated with the attribute or executable intent represented by the node. For example, return Figure 7B , the vocabulary associated with the node of the "restaurant" attribute includes words such as "food", "drinks", "cuisine", "hunger", "eat", "pizza", "fast food", "meals", etc. For another example, the vocabulary associated with the node of the "make phone call" executable intent includes words and phrases such as "call", "make a phone call", "dial", "talk to...", "call the number", "call", etc. The vocabulary index 744 optionally includes words and phrases in different languages.

[0227] The natural language processing module 732 receives candidate text representations (e.g., one or more text strings or one or more symbol sequences) from the STT processing module 730, and for each candidate representation, determines which nodes the words in the candidate text representation involve. In some examples, if a word or phrase in the candidate text representation is found to be associated with one or more nodes in the knowledge ontology 760 (via the vocabulary index 744), the word or phrase "triggers" or "activates" those nodes. Based on the number and / or relative importance of the activated nodes, the natural language processing module 732 selects one of the executable intents as the task that the user intends the digital assistant to perform. In some examples, the domain with the most "triggered" nodes is selected. In some examples, the domain with the highest confidence (e.g., based on the relative importance of its various triggered nodes) is selected. In some examples, the domain is selected based on a combination of the number and importance of the triggered nodes. In some examples, additional factors are also considered in the process of selecting nodes, such as whether the digital assistant has previously correctly interpreted similar requests from the user.

[0228] User data 748 includes user-specific information, such as user-specific vocabulary, user preferences, user address, user's default second language, user's contact list, and other short-term or long-term information for each user. In some examples, natural language processing module 732 uses user-specific information to supplement the information contained in the user input to further qualify the user's intent. For example, for a user request to "invite my friends to my birthday party," natural language processing module 732 can access user data 748 to determine who "friends" are and when and where the "birthday party" will be held, without requiring the user to explicitly provide such information in their request.

[0229] It should be recognized that in some examples, the natural language processing module 732 is implemented using one or more machine learning mechanisms (e.g., neural networks). Specifically, the one or more machine learning mechanisms are configured to receive candidate text representations and context information associated with the candidate text representations. Based on the candidate text representations and the associated context information, the one or more machine learning mechanisms are configured to determine an intent confidence score based on a set of candidate executable intents. The natural language processing module 732 may select one or more candidate executable intents from a set of candidate executable intents based on the determined intent confidence scores. In some examples, a knowledge ontology (e.g., knowledge ontology 760) is also utilized to select one or more candidate executable intents from a set of candidate executable intents.

[0230] Additional details of searching knowledge ontologies based on symbolic strings are described in U.S. Utility Patent Application Serial No. 12 / 341,743, filed on December 22, 2008, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Searching Using An Active Ontology,” the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0231] In some examples, once the natural language processing module 732 identifies an executable intent (or domain) based on the user request, the natural language processing module 732 generates a structured query to represent the identified executable intent. In some examples, the structured query includes parameters for one or more nodes within the domain of the executable intent, and at least some of the parameters are filled with specific information and requirements specified in the user request. For example, the user says "help me reserve a seat at 7pm at the sushi restaurant." In this case, the natural language processing module 732 is able to correctly identify the executable intent as "restaurant reservation" based on the user input. According to the knowledge ontology, the structured query of the "restaurant reservation" domain includes parameters such as {cuisine}, {time}, {date}, {party number}, etc. In some examples, based on the speech input and the text derived from the speech input using the STT processing module 730, the natural language processing module 732 generates a partial structured query for the restaurant reservation domain, wherein the partial structured query includes parameters {cuisine = "sushi class"} and {time = "7pm"}. However, in this example, the user utterance contains insufficient information to complete the structured query associated with the domain. Therefore, based on the currently available information, other necessary parameters such as {number of party members} and {date} are not specified in the structured query. In some examples, the natural language processing module 732 populates some parameters of the structured query with the received contextual information. For example, in some examples, if the user requests a sushi restaurant "nearby", the natural language processing module 732 populates the {location} parameter in the structured query with the GPS coordinates from the user's device.

[0232] In some examples, the natural language processing module 732 identifies multiple candidate executable intentions for each candidate text representation received from the STT processing module 730. In addition, in some examples, a corresponding structured query is generated (partially or entirely) for each identified candidate executable intention. The natural language processing module 732 determines the intent confidence score for each candidate executable intention and ranks the candidate executable intention based on the intent confidence score. In some examples, the natural language processing module 732 transmits the generated one or more structured queries (including any completed parameters) to the task flow processing module 736 ("task flow processor"). In some examples, one or more structured queries for the m best (e.g., the m highest ranked) candidate executable intentions are provided to the task flow processing module 736, where m is a predetermined integer greater than zero. In some examples, one or more structured queries for the m best candidate executable intentions are provided to the task flow processing module 736 together with the corresponding one or more candidate text representations.

[0233] Additional details for inferring user intent based on multiple candidate executable intents determined based on multiple candidate textual representations of speech input are described in U.S. utility model patent application serial number 14 / 298,725, entitled “System and Method for Inferring User Intent From Speech Inputs,” filed on June 6, 2014, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0234] The task flow processing module 736 is configured to receive one or more structured queries from the natural language processing module 732, complete the structured queries (if necessary), and perform the actions required to "complete" the user's final request. In some examples, the various processes necessary to complete these tasks are provided in the task flow model 754. In some examples, the task flow model 754 includes a process for obtaining additional information from the user, and a task flow for performing actions associated with an executable intent.

[0235] As described above, in order to complete the structured query, the task flow processing module 736 needs to initiate an additional dialogue with the user in order to obtain additional information and / or clarify the utterances that may be ambiguous. When it is necessary to conduct such an interaction, the task flow processing module 736 calls the dialogue flow processing module 734 to participate in the dialogue with the user. In some examples, the dialogue flow processing module 734 determines how (and / or when) to request additional information from the user, and receives and processes the user response. The question is provided to the user and the answer is received from the user through the I / O processing module 728. In some examples, the dialogue flow processing module 734 presents the dialogue output to the user via an audible output and / or a visual output, and receives input from the user via a verbal or physical (e.g., click) response. Continuing the above example, when the task flow processing module 736 calls the dialogue flow processing module 734 to determine the "party number" and "date" information for the structured query associated with the domain "restaurant reservation", the dialogue flow processing module 734 generates questions such as "how many people in a row?" and "which day to book?" and passes them to the user. Once the answer is received from the user, the dialog flow processing module 734 fills in the structured query with the missing information, or passes the information to the task flow processing module 736 to complete the missing information based on the structured query.

[0236] Once the task flow processing module 736 has completed the structured query for the executable intent, the task flow processing module 736 begins to execute the final task associated with the executable intent. Therefore, the task flow processing module 736 executes the steps and instructions in the task flow model according to the specific parameters contained in the structured query. For example, the task flow model for the executable intent "restaurant reservation" includes steps and instructions for contacting a restaurant and actually requesting a reservation for a specific party size at a specific time. For example, using a structured query such as: {restaurant reservation, restaurant = ABC Cafe, date = 3 / 12 / 2012, time = 7pm, party size = 5}, the task flow processing module 736 can perform the following steps: (1) Log in to the server of ABC Cafe or such A restaurant reservation system that (2) enters date, time, and party size information into a form on the website, (3) submits the form, and (4) creates a calendar entry for the reservation in the user's calendar.

[0237] In some examples, the task flow processing module 736 completes the task requested in the user input or provides the informational answer requested in the user input with the assistance of the service processing module 738 ("service processing module"). For example, the service processing module 738 initiates a phone call, sets a calendar entry, invokes a map search, invokes or interacts with other user applications installed on the user device, and invokes or interacts with third-party services (e.g., restaurant reservation portals, social networking sites, bank portals, etc.) on behalf of the task flow processing module 736. In some examples, the protocols and application programming interfaces (APIs) required for each service are specified by the corresponding service models in the service model 756. The service processing module 738 accesses the appropriate service model for the service and generates a request for the service according to the protocol and API required by the service based on the service model.

[0238] For example, if the restaurant has enabled an online reservation service, the restaurant submits a service model that specifies the necessary parameters for making a reservation and transmits the values ​​of the necessary parameters to the API of the online reservation service. When requested by the task flow processing module 736, the service processing module 738 can use the web address stored in the service model to establish a network connection with the online reservation service and send the necessary parameters for the reservation (e.g., time, date, party size) to the online reservation interface in a format according to the API of the online reservation service.

[0239] In some examples, the natural language processing module 732, the dialog flow processing module 734, and the task flow processing module 736 are used together and repeatedly to infer and define the user's intention, obtain information to further clarify and refine the user's intention, and ultimately generate a response (i.e., output to the user, or complete the task) to meet the user's intention. The generated response is a dialogue response to the speech input that at least partially meets the user's intention. In addition, in some examples, the generated response is output as a speech output. In these examples, the generated response is sent to a speech synthesis processing module 740 (e.g., a speech synthesizer), where the generated response can be processed to synthesize the dialogue response in speech form. In other examples, the generated response is data content related to satisfying the user request in the speech input.

[0240] In an example where the task flow processing module 736 receives multiple structured queries from the natural language processing module 732, the task flow processing module 736 first processes the first structured query of the received structured query in an attempt to complete the first structured query and / or perform one or more tasks or actions represented by the first structured query. In some examples, the first structured query corresponds to the highest-ranked executable intent. In other examples, the first structured query is selected from the structured query received based on the combination of the corresponding speech recognition confidence score and the corresponding intent confidence score. In some examples, if the task flow processing module 736 encounters an error during the processing of the first structured query (e.g., due to the inability to determine the necessary parameters), the task flow processing module 736 may continue to select and process the second structured query corresponding to the executable intent with a lower ranking in the received structured query. For example, the second structured query is selected based on the speech recognition confidence score of the corresponding candidate text representation, the intent confidence score of the corresponding candidate executable intent, the missing necessary parameters in the first structured query, or any combination thereof.

[0241] The speech synthesis processing module 740 is configured to synthesize speech output for presentation to the user. The speech synthesis processing module 740 synthesizes speech output based on the text provided by the digital assistant. For example, the generated dialogue response is in the form of a text string. The speech synthesis processing module 740 converts the text string into an audible speech output. The speech synthesis processing module 740 uses any appropriate speech synthesis technology to generate speech output from the text, including but not limited to: concatenation synthesis, unit selection synthesis, diphone synthesis, domain-specific synthesis, formant synthesis, pronunciation synthesis, synthesis based on hidden Markov model (HMM) and sine wave synthesis. In some examples, the speech synthesis processing module 740 is configured to synthesize individual words based on phoneme strings corresponding to these words. For example, the phoneme string is associated with the words in the generated dialogue response. The phoneme string is stored in the metadata associated with the word. The speech synthesis processing module 740 is configured to directly process the phoneme string in the metadata to synthesize the words in speech form.

[0242] In some examples, instead of (or in addition to) using the speech synthesis processing module 740, speech synthesis is performed on a remote device (e.g., server system 108), and the synthesized speech is sent to the user device for output to the user. For example, this may occur in some implementations where the output of the digital assistant is generated at the server system. And because the server system typically has more processing power or more resources than the user device, it is possible to obtain higher quality speech output than client-side synthesis would achieve.

[0243] Additional details about the digital assistant can be found in U.S. utility patent application No. 12 / 987,982, filed on January 10, 2011, and entitled “Intelligent Automated Assistant,” and U.S. utility patent application No. 13 / 251,088, filed on September 30, 2011, and entitled “Generating and Processing Task Items That Represent Tasks to Perform,” the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0244] 4. Systems and processes for locating objects and mapping environments

[0245] FIG. 8A to FIG. 8C A system for obtaining a representation of an environment and assigning device tags within the environment is illustrated. For example, electronic device 800 may include any device described herein, including but not limited to device 104, device 200, device 400, and device 600 ( Figure 1 , Figure 2A , Figure 4 and FIG. 6A to FIG. 6B ). Therefore, it should be understood that FIG. 8A to FIG. 8C The associated electronic device may correspond to any type of user device, such as a smartphone, tablet, laptop, wearable device (e.g., smart watch or head mounted display), etc. In addition, the processes described herein may be performed by a server having information delivered to and from the device, executed on the device, or a combination thereof.

[0246] refer to Fig. 8A , depicting a system for performing environmental mapping. Typically, a user may operate device 800 so as to capture image data corresponding to an environment of device 800 using one or more image sensors on device 800. The captured image data may then be used to obtain a representation of the environment, such as a multi-dimensional representation (e.g., a two-dimensional representation or a three-dimensional representation). For example, image data 802 may be captured using one or more image sensors (not depicted) attached to the rear of device 800 so that image data 802 is displayed to the user. Image data 802 may include representations of various objects contained within the environment of device 800, such as a representation of sofa 804 and a representation of table 806. An interface 808 is also displayed on device 800, which includes detailed information about the state of the environmental representation obtained based on the captured and analyzed image data 802.

[0247] Typically, a user may first activate the process of capturing image data 802, such as by activating an application on device 800. Once activated, Fig. 8AAs shown, the application can provide a visual indication corresponding to the environment map drawing, and / or can generally guide or otherwise guide the user's movement to capture the corresponding area of ​​the device environment. For example, when receiving image data 802, the device 800 can display an indication, such as indication 810. Indication 810 can correspond to a multidimensional object superimposed on the identified object in the image data 802 to indicate various object representations (e.g., furniture), boundary representations (e.g., walls) or other elements of the environment that have been identified (or being identified) in the image data 802. For example, indication 810 can correspond to a portion of the sofa object 804 identified in the environment of the device 800, which is also reflected as object 812 in the interface 808. In addition, the device 800 can display instructions (not depicted) to rotate and / or move the device 800 in a specific direction, so as to capture the environment area that has not yet been analyzed. In some embodiments, the visual indication can be displayed as superimposed on the image data to notify the user which areas of the environment have been mapped. In particular, the visual indication may generally correspond to a circle or sphere indicating that a current portion of image data 802 (eg, within the circle / sphere) has been captured (or is being captured) by device 800 to obtain a representation of the environment.

[0248] refer to Figure 8B, depicting additional views of the captured image data 802. The additional views may correspond to views of the image data 802 after the user rotates or otherwise moves the device 800 to capture the additional image data. For example, when the user moves the device around the environment to capture the additional image data 802, a visual indication (not depicted) is typically displayed as a corresponding object attached to the environment to indicate the portion of the environment that has been captured. As shown via interface 808, additional content for obtaining a representation of the environment has been identified based on the image data 802. Specifically, a first object representation 814 corresponding to the sofa 804 has been identified, a second object representation 816 corresponding to the table 806 has been identified, and several third object representations 818 corresponding to the wall boundaries of the device environment have been identified. Object representations can generally be identified using spatial information obtained in conjunction with the captured image data. For example, one or more sensors on the device (e.g., an infrared camera, a dot projector, etc.) can obtain spatial information, which includes size and position information of corresponding objects in the environment. The device 800 can combine the spatial information with image information obtained from one or more device cameras. Using predetermined object information (e.g., known sizes and appearances of various furniture), various objects can be classified accordingly. For example, based on predetermined object information corresponding to a sofa (e.g., average sofa size, sofa material appearance, etc.), the first object representation 814 can be labeled as a sofa object within the environment representation. Similarly, based on predetermined object information corresponding to a table (e.g., average table size, table material appearance, etc.), the second object representation 816 can be labeled as a table object within the environment representation.

[0249] refer to Figure 8C , a representation 820 of the obtained environment is displayed on device 800. Representation 820 can be displayed in response to various conditions being met. For example, a user can activate an affordance or otherwise provide input indicating that image data 802 corresponding to the device environment has been captured or sufficiently captured to the user's liking. In some embodiments, device 800 can determine that a threshold amount of area of ​​the environment has been captured (e.g., 90%, 95%, 98%, etc.). Therefore, in response to the condition being met, representation 820 can be displayed. Representation 820 can be similar to FIG. 8A to FIG. 8B, so that the representation includes various object representations and boundary representations, such as a sofa object representation 814 and a table object representation 816. The representation may also include additional object representations, such as a shelf representation 822. Each object representation may also be classified by object type. For example, each of object representations 814, 816, and 822 may generally correspond to a "furniture" and / or "living room" object type. Object classification may be based on known features of the object. For example, based on detection of surfaces above multiple vertical objects, the device may determine with sufficient confidence that an object may be classified as a "table" object having a "furniture" object type.

[0250] The device 800 can also classify the corresponding areas within the representation with the corresponding area types. In the representation 820, the device 800 can identify a single room framed by various boundaries (e.g., wall representations). According to the object type associated with the object in the identified room, specifically, the sofa, table, and shelf objects each have the "furniture" type, and the device 800 can classify the room as a "living room" type. Specifically, generally, an identified room with multiple "furniture" type objects can be classified as a "living room" area type. As another example, the device 800 can identify objects in the second room, such as a shower object, a sink object, and a toilet object, each of which is associated with a "bathroom" type. Therefore, the second room can be classified as a region type corresponding to a "bathroom" based on the identified object types in the second room (each object type each has a "bathroom" type).

[0251] Additional objects can be identified within the environment, and corresponding references can be included in the representation of the environment. Such objects can be identified based on the image capture and object recognition process as described above, or can be identified by alternative means. Specifically, the second electronic device within the environment of the device 800 can be manually identified by the user. Once the representation 820 is displayed on the device 800, the user can select a specific area on the device, such as an area on the representation of the shelf 822. For example, the user can provide a touch input on the representation of the shelf 822 to generate an object 824 within the representation 820. Specifically, in the corresponding environment of the representation 820, the second device (e.g., a home speaker) can be located at the position of the object 824 generated by the user of the device 800. Therefore, the user selection can assist the device 800 in locating and placing the representation 824 corresponding to the second electronic device within the representation 820. In some embodiments, the device 800 can locate and identify electronic devices in the environment without user input, such as a home speaker associated with the object 824. For example, one or more wireless protocols can be used to send signals to and from the corresponding device to assist in device positioning. For example, a device within the environment (e.g., a home speaker, a smart TV, a home appliance, etc.) can send one or more signals, such as signals using a Bluetooth protocol. Based on the strength and general direction of the signal received from the corresponding device, the device 800 can locate the device and place a corresponding object representation (e.g., object representation 824) within the representation 820. Similarly, the devices in the environment can communicate with a WiFi router so that the transmission strength and general direction with the corresponding device facilitate object location and identification. Various devices can also use other wireless transmissions, such as ultra-wideband (UWB) communications, so that time-of-flight measurements can be used to locate the device.

[0252] Once a corresponding object, such as a home speaker associated with object 824, is located, a description of the device is provided. In particular, a description can be assigned to the device, or the description can be provided to the user as a suggestion for naming the device, based on other identified objects within the environment and / or the area type associated with the environment. For example, object representation 824 can correspond to an identified device, such as a home speaker. The area type associated with the room depicted within representation 820 can correspond to a "living room." Additionally, object representation 824 corresponding to the home speaker can be identified as a location within or near another object representation 822 corresponding to a shelf. Thus, based on the relevant descriptions within the environment, one or more descriptions of the location of object representation 824 are provided to the user as name suggestions, such as "living room speaker," "speaker on the shelf," "living room speaker next to the shelf," and the like.

[0253] The description can be provided in one of several ways, for example, as a displayed text representation, so that the user can provide a touch input to select the description. In some embodiments, the description can be provided as an audible prompt, so that the user can respond with a voice input to confirm or reject the provided description. The description can also be provided using both the displayed prompt and the audible prompt, so that the user can select the description of the corresponding device by touch input or voice input. The user can also reject the provided description and provide a custom description for the object using touch or voice input (e.g., "John's speaker"). In response to receiving a user selection of the provided description for the object representation 824, or receiving a custom description for the object representation 824 from the user, the representation of the corresponding object is added to the representation 820. Then, the object representation 824 can be assigned the selected (or custom) description.

[0254] refer to Fig. 9 ,based on FIG. 8A to FIG. 8C , an environment representation 900 of the environment is obtained. Specifically, a user can capture image data of a device environment to obtain a corresponding environment representation 900 including an object representation and a boundary representation. Object representation 902 can correspond to a device named "Work Tablet Computer". Then, based on the received coordinates, the location information received from the device corresponding to object representation 902 is determined. Specifically, the coordinates can be compared with the coordinate information corresponding to representation 900. For example, the coordinates corresponding to the device named "Work Tablet Computer" may include values ​​such as (5, 15, 5), which generally correspond to unit measurements within representation 900 (e.g., feet or meters). Area 906 can generally correspond to a "living room" area type (e.g., a room) within representation 900. The "living room" area can include any location with spatial information (e.g., coordinates), including an "x" value of 0 to 15, a "y" value of 0 to 20, and a "z" value of 0 to 10. In addition, the coordinates (5, 15, 5) can also correspond to a location adjacent to a television represented by object representation 904 within representation 900.

[0255] Reference now Fig.10 , depicting a framework 1000 for object location and identification. Typically, in response to a request for an object location, or for purposes such as FIG. 8A to FIG. 8CThe automatic naming of objects may use the framework 1000 to provide a location description for objects within an environment, such as an environment corresponding to an environment. Initially, a set of inputs 1002 are provided to the framework 1000, which include one or more room types and map information associated with the environment. Generally, a room type may refer to a definition of the typical contents of a corresponding room (e.g., a "bedroom" area type includes objects such as "beds", "dressing tables", "nightstands", etc.). The map information may include a multi-dimensional (e.g., two-dimensional and / or three-dimensional) representation of a given environment, such as using a reference FIG. 8A to FIG. 8C Next, a set of objects 1004 is obtained from the set of inputs 1002. Object relationships 1004 may generally include object-to-room relationships and / or object-to-object relationships. Object-to-room relationships include, for example, object descriptions regarding areas within the environment that contain the corresponding object or areas near which the object is located. For example, object-to-room relationships may include "a television in the bedroom," "a sink in the bathroom," or "a picture on the stairs." Similarly, object-to-object relationships may include descriptions of the location or other relationships of secondary objects with respect to primary objects. For example, object-to-object relationships may include "speakers on a shelf," "a tablet on the sofa," or "a cup on the table." In addition, object relationships 1004 may be used to suggest device names ("automatic naming"), such as regarding FIG. 8A to FIG. 8C discussed.

[0256] Framework 1000 can be used to respond to requests for the location of an object, such as internal requests from an API or other devices. For example, an application can include a configuration for notifying a user when a device leaves a particular area or when a device is no longer detected near the user (e.g., a mobile phone or tablet is no longer detected near a smartwatch currently worn by the user). Thus, if the user leaves a room (or the entire environment), the API can request the location of a corresponding object, such as the user's smartphone. If the user wears a smartwatch and the smartphone is not within a predetermined range (e.g., 20 feet) of the user's smartwatch, a notification such as "You left your phone on the couch in the living room" can be provided to the user. In addition, a request for the location of an object can also be initiated by the user. For example, a user can interact with an application on a device that is used to locate one or more of the user's devices. The application can provide one or more affordances for requesting a location description of a device, such as "Find my work tablet," "Find my phone," "Find my watch," and the like. Similarly, a user can provide a voice request to a primary device such as a smartphone. The request may include a voice such as "Where is my work tablet?" and the like. A reference to "work tablet" can correspond to the name of a user device registered in association with the user's profile. In addition, the user device can generally be located within the physical environment of the primary device. In some embodiments, the user device can be located in an environment different from the primary device. Alternatively, the user device can correspond to the primary device so that the device from which the user requests the location is also the device that receives the voice input (e.g., the user says "Where is my phone?").

[0257] In response to a request for the location of an object, a corresponding location 1006 of the object is determined. The location information 1006 of the object may generally correspond to coordinates of the device, such as two-dimensional or three-dimensional coordinates within a corresponding environment. For example, in the case where the object corresponds to an electronic device, in response to receiving an input including a reference to an object named "Work Tablet Computer", a location request is sent to the target device. Then, the location information 1006 is received from the target device. Alternatively, the location information may be received from one or more secondary devices that communicate with the target device, or the secondary device may generally be used to assist in determining the location of the device. The secondary device may communicate with the target device using a Bluetooth or WiFi protocol and further locate the device using signal strength analysis. The secondary device may also communicate using UWB so that the target device may be located using signal timing measurements. The received location information 1006 may be in the form of coordinates, such as (x, y, z), where each variable corresponds to a specific unit (e.g., centimeters, meters, inches, feet, or other uniform units). The received location information may also include relative location information, such as an indication of a general or specific distance range between the device and another device or object (e.g., "the phone is between the speaker and the table," "the tablet is across from the TV," "the watch is about two feet away from the stairs," etc.). Fig.10 As discussed, received position information 906 may be compared to position information of a representation of an environment (eg, a previously mapped environment).

[0258] Return to reference Fig.10Once the object location is determined, the object relationship 1004 including the object-to-room relationship and the object-to-object relationship can be used to determine the query object relationship 1008. Generally, before providing a response to the user's location request, it is determined whether one or more first criteria are met. Specifically, the first criterion can be met when the location of the requested object is available. For example, if the location coordinates or other location information are returned and the location coordinates are within the obtained environment representation (such as representation 900), the location of the requested object is considered available. Similarly, the first criterion can be met based on the confidence that the object is at the determined location. For example, the location may have been determined five minutes ago, but is no longer available. Therefore, the device can determine that the device is still in the same location with a confidence that exceeds a threshold confidence (e.g., higher than 90%). Alternatively, if the location coordinates or other location information are not returned (e.g., a message indicating that the location is not available is returned), or the returned coordinates are not within a specific environment representation, it can be determined that the first criterion is not met. If it is determined that one or more first criteria are met, the query object relationship 1008 is determined, and the corresponding query location description 1010 is obtained and provided to the user. Alternatively, if it is determined that one or more first criteria are not satisfied (or alternatively, one or more second criteria are satisfied), the query object relationship 1008 is not determined, and therefore, the user is not provided with the corresponding query location description 1010. Specifically, when the location of the first object is not available, the second criterion may be satisfied.

[0259] The query object relationship 1008 may include a reference to one or more additional objects of the corresponding environment (i.e., an object different from the object referenced by the user). Similarly, the query object relationship 1008 may include one or more relationships between the object referenced by the user and one or more additional objects of the corresponding environment. The query object relationship 1008 may also include one or more relationships between the object referenced by the user and one or more area types (e.g., rooms) of the corresponding environment. In the case where the first criterion is based on a sufficiently high confidence level, the query location description 1010 may include "The work tablet computer was found next to the stairs ten minutes ago, so it may still be there." In the case where the object location is known, the query object relationship may include a description of the TV object, such as "home TV." The query object relationship may also include a description of an area, such as "living room." Based on the query object relationship 1008, a query location description 1010 is obtained, such as "the work tablet computer is next to the home TV," or "the work tablet computer is in the living room," or "the work tablet computer is next to the home TV in the living room."

[0260] Thus, based on a determination that one or more first criteria are met, a description of the location of the object is provided to the user. For example, in the case where the user provides a request to the primary device, such that the object referenced in the request is a different device from the primary device, the primary device can respond to the user's initial request. Specifically, the user can say "Where is my work tablet?", causing the primary device to respond with an audible prompt "The work tablet is next to the home TV in the living room." The primary device can also respond with a display prompt, including "The work tablet is next to the home TV in the living room" (in addition to the living room prompt or in combination with the audible prompt). Alternatively, in the case where the user typically speaks the request within the environment, such that the object referenced in the request is the same device as the user's primary device (i.e., the device to which the user intends to direct the voice), the target device can respond to the user's request. For example, the user can say "Hey Siri, where is my work tablet?", and the device can respond in the form of a digital assistant on a device named "Work Tablet", for example, with a response of "Here, next to the home TV in the living room."

[0261] In addition, if one or more third criteria are met, the location value of the object can be obtained regularly and provided to the user. The third criterion may include a user explicitly requesting that the location of the device be updated regularly (e.g., based on a voice request, user preference, etc.). The third criterion may also include detecting that a particular device is located in a particular area or at a particular distance from the user (e.g., a certain distance from the user's main device). The third criterion may also include detecting that a particular device has moved or is moving and is not located near the user, or is otherwise detected to be away from the user. Based on the third criterion that is met, the representation of the corresponding environment is updated to include the most recently identified location of the corresponding object, and optionally, the user is notified of the updated location.

[0262] Fig.11A process 1100 for providing contextual suggestions to a search interface according to various examples is shown. For example, process 1100 is performed using one or more electronic devices that implement a digital assistant. In some examples, process 1100 is performed using a client-server system (e.g., system 100), and the boxes of process 1100 are divided in any way between a server (e.g., DA server 106) and a client device. In other examples, the boxes of process 1100 are divided between a server and multiple client devices (e.g., a mobile phone and a smart watch). Therefore, although part of process 1100 is described herein as being performed by a specific device of a client-server system, it should be understood that process 1100 is not limited thereto. In other examples, process 1100 is performed using only a client device (e.g., user device 104) or only multiple client devices. In process 1100, some boxes are optionally combined, the order of some boxes is optionally changed, and some boxes are optionally omitted. In some examples, additional steps may be performed in conjunction with process 1100.

[0263] At box 1102, in some embodiments, the electronic device receives an input including a reference to a first object (e.g., 1002), wherein the input includes a request for the location of the first object (e.g., 1002), and the first object (e.g., 1002) is located in a physical environment. In some embodiments, the first object (e.g., 1002) corresponds to a second electronic device different from the electronic device. In some embodiments, the first object (e.g., 1002) corresponds to an electronic device. In some embodiments, in response to receiving an input including a reference to the first object (e.g., 1002), the location of the first object (e.g., 1002) is determined.

[0264] By providing the ability to locate a user's primary device and the user's secondary devices, the system enhances device functionality by facilitating a convenient way to manage and locate a user's devices within an environment. The device location management capability makes the device more efficient by reducing the likelihood that the device will be misplaced for an extended period of time and, in turn, shorten the device's battery life. Thus, these features improve the device's battery life by assisting the user with device management.

[0265] At box 1104, in some embodiments, the electronic device determines the location of the first object (e.g., 1002). In some embodiments, determining the location of the first object (e.g., 1002) includes obtaining a representation of the physical environment (e.g., 1000), comparing the location information with the location information corresponding to the representation (e.g., 1000), and determining the location of the first object (e.g., 1002) based on the comparison. In some embodiments, in response to receiving an input including a reference to the first object (e.g., 1002), the electronic device requests the location information of the first object (e.g., 1002), receives the location information from the first object (e.g., 1002) and determines the location of the first object (e.g., 1002) based on the location information. In some embodiments, the location information corresponding to the representation (e.g., 1000) includes a plurality of object locations, each of the plurality of object locations corresponding to a corresponding physical object in the physical environment. In some embodiments, the location information corresponding to the representation (e.g., 1000) includes a plurality of boundary locations, each of the plurality of boundary locations corresponding to a corresponding physical boundary in the physical environment. In some embodiments, in response to receiving input including a reference to a first object (e.g., 1002), the electronic device identifies the first object (e.g., 1002) as a secondary electronic device, and after identifying the first object (e.g., 1002) as a secondary device, receives a location value corresponding to the location of the secondary electronic device within a physical environment from the secondary electronic device, and determines the location of the first object (e.g., 1002) based on the received location value.

[0266] By taking into account the location of objects and boundaries within the corresponding environment, the system enhances device functionality by utilizing known references within the environment when providing object location descriptions. Using known references makes devices more efficient by reducing user interaction time when trying to locate a specific device. Thus, these features reduce power usage and extend the battery life of the device by enabling users to use the device more quickly and efficiently.

[0267] At box 1106, in some embodiments, in response to receiving the input, based on the determination that one or more first criteria are met, the electronic device provides a description of the location of the first object (e.g., 1002), wherein when the location of the first object (e.g., 1002) is available, a criterion in the one or more first criteria is met, and the description includes a relationship between the first object (e.g., 1002) and the reference within the physical environment. In some embodiments, the description includes a reference to a second object (e.g., 1004) that is different from the first object (e.g., 1002). In some embodiments, the reference within the physical environment corresponds to an identification area (e.g., 1006) within the physical environment, and the relationship between the first object (e.g., 1002) and the reference within the physical environment includes the first object within the identification area (e.g., 1006). In some embodiments, the reference within the physical environment includes an identification area (e.g., 1006) within the physical environment, and wherein the identification area is associated with at least one area type. In some embodiments, the reference within the physical environment includes a second object (e.g., 1004) identified within the physical environment, wherein the second object is associated with at least one object type. In some embodiments, the reference within the physical environment includes an identified spatial relationship between a second object (e.g., 1004) identified within the physical environment and a third object identified within the physical environment. In some embodiments, the electronic device obtains spatial information corresponding to the physical environment of the electronic device, wherein the spatial information is based on a multi-dimensional representation of the environment (e.g., 1000), obtains a position value corresponding to the position of the first object (e.g., 1002), and determines that the position of the first object (e.g., 1002) is available based on a determination that the position value corresponding to the position of the first object (e.g., 1002) is included in the spatial information corresponding to the physical environment.

[0268] By considering both the room type and additional objects close to the target, the system enhances device functionality by focusing on relevant areas and objects within the area to locate the device. Using known references makes the device more efficient by reducing user interaction time when trying to locate a specific device. Therefore, these features reduce power usage and extend the battery life of the device by enabling the user to use the device more quickly and efficiently.

[0269] At box 1108, based on a determination that one or more second criteria are met, the electronic device abandons providing a description of the location of the first object (e.g., 1002), wherein a criterion in the one or more second criteria is met when the location of the first object (e.g., 1002) is not available. In some embodiments, the electronic device obtains a multidimensional representation of the physical environment (e.g., 1000), wherein the multidimensional representation of the physical environment (e.g., 1000) includes location values ​​corresponding to multiple object representations and location values ​​corresponding to multiple boundary representations, wherein one or more first criteria and one or more second criteria are based on the obtained multidimensional representation (e.g., 1000). In some embodiments, based on a determination that the first object (e.g., 1002) meets one or more third criteria, the electronic device periodically obtains a location value corresponding to the location of the first object (e.g., 1002). In some embodiments, based on a determination that the location value corresponding to the location of the first object (e.g., 1002) is not included in the spatial information corresponding to the physical environment, the electronic device determines that the location of the first object (e.g., 1002) is not available.

[0270] By facilitating regular monitoring of device locations, the system enhances device functionality by allowing users to find devices that may be moving (e.g., in a vehicle). Monitoring actively moving devices makes devices more efficient by reducing user interaction time when trying to locate a specific device. Thus, these features reduce power usage and extend device battery life by enabling users to use devices more quickly and efficiently.

[0271] References Fig.11 The described operations are optionally performed by Figures 1 to 4 , FIG. 6A to FIG. 6B and 7A to 7C For example, the operations of process 900 may be implemented by one or more of the following: operating system 718, application module 724, I / O processing module 728, STT processing module 730, natural language processing module 732, vocabulary index 744, task flow processing module 736, service processing module 738, media service 120-1, or processors 220, 410, and 704. A person of ordinary skill in the art will clearly know how to implement the process 900 based on the above. Figures 1 to 4 , FIG. 6A to FIG. 6B and 7A to 7C The components depicted in the figure are used to implement other processes.

[0272] Fig.12A process 1200 for providing contextual suggestions to a search interface according to various examples is illustrated. For example, process 1200 is performed using one or more electronic devices that implement a digital assistant. In some examples, process 1200 is performed using a client-server system (e.g., system 100), and the boxes of process 1200 are divided in any way between a server (e.g., DA server 106) and a client device. In other examples, the boxes of process 1200 are divided between a server and multiple client devices (e.g., a mobile phone and a smart watch). Therefore, although part of process 1200 is described herein as being performed by a specific device of a client-server system, it should be understood that process 1200 is not limited thereto. In other examples, process 1200 is performed using only a client device (e.g., user device 104) or only multiple client devices. In process 1200, some boxes are optionally combined, the order of some boxes is optionally changed, and some boxes are optionally omitted. In some examples, additional steps may be performed in conjunction with process 1200.

[0273] At box 1202, in some embodiments, the electronic device receives image data corresponding to the environment of the electronic device from an image sensor. In some embodiments, upon receiving image data corresponding to the environment of the electronic device, the electronic device displays the captured image data from the image sensor (e.g., 802), and displays instructions to move the electronic device to capture additional image data. In some embodiments, upon receiving image data corresponding to the environment of the electronic device, the electronic device obtains multiple partial representations of the environment and displays the captured image data from the image sensor (e.g., 802), wherein the displayed image data includes a visual indication of whether a partial representation of the environment corresponding to the image data has been obtained (e.g., 810). In some embodiments, upon receiving image data corresponding to the environment of the electronic device, in response to determining that an area amount corresponding to the received image data exceeds a threshold area amount, the electronic device displays a representation of the environment as a multi-dimensional representation (e.g., 820).

[0274] By providing guidance for capturing image data corresponding to the device environment, the system enhances device functionality by improving user feedback from the device. Improving user feedback makes the device more efficient by reducing unnecessary input and extending device usage time. Thus, these features reduce power usage and extend the battery life of the device by enabling the user to use the device more quickly and efficiently.

[0275] At box 1204, in some embodiments, the electronic device obtains a representation of the environment, wherein the representation is generated based on the image data. In some embodiments, obtaining the representation of the environment includes obtaining spatial information, which includes multiple object representations (e.g., 814, 816, 822, and / or 824) and multiple boundary representations (e.g., 818). In some embodiments, based on determining that the representation of the environment includes object representations (e.g., 814, 816, 822, and / or 824) corresponding to a predetermined object type, the electronic device identifies an area within the environmental representation, wherein the object representation is positioned within the identified area, and assigns an area type to the identified area based on the predetermined object type, wherein the selected description includes the area type. In some embodiments, the electronic device receives input including a request for the location of the corresponding object, and provides a description of the location of the referenced object based on the obtained environmental representation.

[0276] By assigning zone labels based on objects within the corresponding zones, the system enhances device functionality by facilitating automatic naming within the environmental representation. Facilitating automatic naming makes the device more efficient by reducing the number of entries required by the user. Thus, these features reduce power usage and extend the battery life of the device by enabling the user to use the device more quickly and efficiently.

[0277] At box 1206, in some embodiments, the electronic device identifies the location of a first object (e.g., 824) within an environment, wherein the first object corresponds to a secondary electronic device. In some embodiments, identifying the location of the first object within the environment includes displaying a representation of the environment (e.g., 820), wherein the displayed representation includes a multi-dimensional representation of the environment; and detecting a user selection of a location within the displayed representation of the environment. In some embodiments, identifying the location of the first object within the environment includes detecting a wireless signal sent from a third electronic device located within the environment of the electronic device, and identifying the location of the first object (e.g., 824) based on the strength of the wireless signal. In some embodiments, the third electronic device corresponds to a wireless router. In some embodiments, identifying the location of the first object (e.g., 824) within the environment includes detecting a wireless signal sent from a third electronic device located in the environment of the electronic device, and identifying the location of the first object (e.g., 824) based on timing information corresponding to the transmitted wireless signal.

[0278] By utilizing multiple different channels to receive device location information, the system enhances device functionality by utilizing redundancy for location determination. The redundant positioning framework makes the device more efficient by reducing errors when certain communication channels are unavailable. Therefore, these features reduce power usage and extend the battery life of the device by enabling the user to use the device more quickly and efficiently.

[0279] At box 1208, in some embodiments, the electronic device provides a description of the location of the first object (e.g., 824). In some embodiments, the electronic device provides a description of the location of the first object (e.g., 824) by outputting an audible prompt including the description, and receives voice input from a user of the electronic device, wherein the received voice input corresponds to a user selection of the provided description. In some embodiments, the electronic device provides a description of the location of the first object (e.g., 824) by displaying a text representation of the description on a display of the electronic device, and receives touch input from a user of the electronic device, wherein the received touch input corresponds to a user selection of the provided description.

[0280] By providing a variety of different input and output types to choose from for device names, the system enhances device functionality by providing flexible device interaction methods. Interaction flexibility makes devices more efficient by providing backup interaction methods when the primary method is not ideal or unavailable. Therefore, these features reduce power usage and extend the battery life of the device by enabling users to use the device more quickly and efficiently.

[0281] At box 1210, in some embodiments, in response to a user selection of the provided description, the electronic device adds a representation of the first object (e.g., 824) to the representation (e.g., 820). In some embodiments, the electronic device periodically identifies the location of the corresponding object within the environment, wherein the periodic identification includes identifying the first location at a first time and identifying the second location at a second time, wherein the first location is different from the second location, and wherein in response to each identification of the location of the corresponding object within the environment, the electronic device updates the representation of the environment (e.g., 820) to include the latest identified location of the corresponding object.

[0282] By facilitating periodic monitoring of device location, the system enhances device functionality by allowing users to find devices that may be moving (e.g., being carried by another user, in a vehicle, etc.). Monitoring actively moving devices makes devices more efficient by reducing user interaction time when trying to locate a specific device. Thus, these features reduce power usage and extend the battery life of the device by enabling users to use the device more quickly and efficiently.

[0283] At box 1212, in some embodiments, the electronic device assigns the selected description to the first object (e.g., 824). In some embodiments, in response to a user rejection of the provided description, the electronic device receives a device description from the user in response to the provided prompt, adds a representation of the first object (e.g., 824) to the representation of the environment (e.g., 820), and assigns the received device description to the first object (e.g., 824).

[0284] By allowing user-customizable device names, if the user does not like the automatically selected name, the system enhances device functionality by allowing further user customization. Facilitating automatic naming with additional user customization makes the device more efficient by reducing the entries required by the user. Thus, these features reduce power usage and extend the battery life of the device by enabling the user to use the device more quickly and efficiently.

[0285] References Fig.12 The described operations are optionally performed by Figures 1 to 4 , FIG. 6A to FIG. 6B and 7A to 7C For example, the operations of process 1200 may be implemented by one or more of the following: operating system 718, application module 724, I / O processing module 728, STT processing module 730, natural language processing module 732, vocabulary index 744, task flow processing module 736, service processing module 738, media service 120-1, or processors 220, 410, and 704. A person of ordinary skill in the art will clearly know how to implement the process 1200 based on the above. Figures 1 to 4 , FIG. 6A to FIG. 6B and 7A to 7C The components depicted in the figure are used to implement other processes.

[0286] According to some specific implementations, a computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium) is provided, which stores one or more programs for execution by one or more processors of an electronic device, the one or more programs including instructions for performing any of the methods or processes described herein.

[0287] According to some implementations, an electronic device (eg, a portable electronic device) is provided that includes means for performing any of the methods or processes described herein.

[0288] According to some implementations, an electronic device (eg, a portable electronic device) is provided that includes a processing unit configured to perform any of the methods and processes described herein.

[0289] According to some specific implementations, an electronic device (e.g., a portable electronic device) is provided, which includes one or more processors and a memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for performing any of the methods or processes described herein.

[0290] For the purpose of explanation, the preceding description is described by reference to specific embodiments. However, the above exemplary discussion is not intended to be exhaustive or limit the invention to the disclosed precise form. According to the above teachings, many modifications and variations are possible. These embodiments are selected and described in order to best explain the principles of these technologies and their practical applications. Others skilled in the art can thus best utilize these technologies and various embodiments with various modifications suitable for the intended specific use.

[0291] Although the disclosure and examples have been fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be noted that various changes and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It should be understood that such changes and modifications are considered to be included within the scope of the disclosure and examples defined by the claims.

[0292] As described above, one aspect of the present technology is to collect and use data from various sources to improve the positioning of objects and environmental mapping. The present disclosure contemplates that, in some instances, the collected data may include personal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used to contact or locate a specific person. Such personal information data may include demographic data, location-based data, phone numbers, email addresses, Twitter IDs, home addresses, data or records related to the user's health or fitness level (e.g., vital sign measurements, medication information, exercise information), date of birth, or any other identification or personal information.

[0293] The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information data in the present technology can be used to benefit the user. For example, personal information such as the user's general routine can be used to locate objects and map the environment. In addition, the present disclosure also anticipates other uses of personal information data that benefit the user. For example, health and fitness data can be used to provide insights into the user's overall health or can be used as positive feedback to individuals who use technology to pursue health goals.

[0294] The disclosure anticipates that entities responsible for the collection, analysis, disclosure, transmission, storage or other purposes of such personal information data will comply with sound privacy policies and / or privacy measures. Specifically, such entities should implement and adhere to the use of privacy policies and practices that are recognized as meeting or exceeding the industry or government requirements for maintaining the privacy and security of personal information data. Such policies should be easy for users to access and should be updated as changes in the collection and / or use of data occur. Personal information from users should be collected for legal and reasonable entity purposes and should not be shared or sold outside these legal purposes. In addition, such collection / sharing should be carried out after receiving the informed consent of the user. In addition, such entities should consider taking any necessary steps to protect and safeguard access to such personal information data, and ensure that other entities with access to personal information data comply with their privacy policies and procedures. In addition, such entities can subject themselves to third-party assessments to prove that they comply with widely accepted privacy policies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should be adapted to specific types of personal information data collected and / or accessed, and to applicable laws and standards including considerations of special jurisdictions. For example, in the United States, the collection or acquisition of certain health data may be governed by federal and / or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); while health data in other countries may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be handled accordingly. Therefore, different privacy measures should be advocated for different types of personal data in each country.

[0295] Regardless of the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates implementation schemes in which users selectively block the use or access of personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates hardware elements and / or software elements to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, the technology of the present invention can be configured to allow users to choose to "opt in" or "opt out" to participate in the collection of personal information data during or at any time after registration for the service. In another example, the user can choose not to provide environmental data or device information, such as name and location information. In another example, the user can choose to limit the detailed information provided about contact information, application usage information, etc. In addition to providing "opt-in" and "opt-out" options, the present disclosure also contemplates providing notifications related to access or use of personal information. For example, the user can be notified that the user's personal information data will be accessed when downloading the application, and then the user is reminded again just before the personal information data is accessed by the application.

[0296] In addition, it is the intention of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and processed in a manner that minimizes the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Once the data is no longer needed, the risk can be minimized by limiting data collection and data deletion. In addition, and when applicable, including in certain health-related applications, data de-identification can be used to protect the privacy of users. Where appropriate, de-identification can be facilitated by removing specific identifiers (e.g., date of birth, etc.), controlling the amount or characteristics of stored data (e.g., collecting location data at the city level rather than the address level), controlling how the data is stored (e.g., aggregating data across users), and / or other methods.

[0297] Thus, while the present disclosure broadly covers the use of personal information data to implement one or more of the various disclosed embodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that various embodiments may also be implemented without access to such personal information data. That is, various embodiments of the present technology will not fail to function properly due to the lack of all or a portion of such personal information data. For example, locating objects and mapping the environment may be accomplished on non-personal information data or a minimal amount of personal information, such as anonymous environmental information, other non-personal information available to the positioning system, or publicly available information.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, the computer-implemented method comprising: At an electronic device having one or more processors and a memory: An input comprising a reference to a first object is received, wherein: The input comprises a request for a location of the first object, and The first object is located in a physical environment; determining a position of the first object; and In response to receiving the input: Based on a determination that one or more first criteria are satisfied, providing a description of the location of the first object, wherein: When the location of the first object is available, a criterion in the one or more first criteria is satisfied, and The description includes a relationship between the first object and the reference within the physical environment; and Based on a determination that one or more second criteria are satisfied, providing the description of the location of the first object is foregone, wherein a criterion of the one or more second criteria is satisfied when the location of the first object is not available. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first object corresponds to a second electronic device different from the electronic device. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first object corresponds to the electronic device. 4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the description comprises a reference to a second object different from the first object.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The reference within the physical environment corresponds to an identified area within the physical environment, and The relationship between the first object within the physical environment and the reference includes the first object being within the identified area.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising: in response to receiving the input including the reference to the first object, requesting location information of the first object; receiving location information from the first object; as well as The position of the first object is determined based on the position information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the position of the first object comprises: obtaining a representation of the physical environment; comparing the position information with position information corresponding to the representation; as well as The position of the first object is determined based on the comparison.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the position information corresponding to the representation comprises a plurality of object positions, each object position in the plurality of object positions corresponding to a respective physical object in the physical environment.

9. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 8, wherein the position information corresponding to the representation comprises a plurality of boundary positions, each boundary position of the plurality of boundary positions corresponding to a respective physical boundary in the physical environment.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising: in response to receiving the input including the reference to the first object, identifying the first object as a secondary electronic device; After identifying the first object as a secondary device, receiving from the secondary electronic device a location value corresponding to a location of the secondary electronic device within the physical environment; as well as The position of the first object is determined based on the received position value.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, comprising: obtaining spatial information corresponding to the physical environment of the electronic device, wherein the spatial information is based on a multi-dimensional representation of the environment; obtaining a position value corresponding to the position of the first object; as well as Based on a determination that the position value corresponding to the position of the first object is included within the spatial information corresponding to the physical environment, it is determined that the position of the first object is available.

12. The method according to claim 11, comprising: Based on a determination that the position value corresponding to the position of the first object is not included within the spatial information corresponding to the physical environment, it is determined that the position of the first object is not available.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 11, comprising: A multidimensional representation of the physical environment is obtained, wherein the multidimensional representation of the physical environment includes position values ​​corresponding to multiple object representations and position values ​​corresponding to multiple boundary representations, wherein the one or more first criteria and the one or more second criteria are based on the obtained multidimensional representation.

14. The method of any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the position of the first object is determined in response to receiving the input comprising the reference to the first object.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, comprising: Based on a determination that the first object satisfies one or more third criteria, the position value corresponding to the position of the first object is periodically obtained.

16. The method of any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the reference within the physical environment comprises an identified area within the physical environment, and wherein the identified area is associated with at least one area type.

17. The method of any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the reference within the physical environment comprises a second object identified within the physical environment, wherein the second object is associated with at least one object type.

18. The method of any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the reference within the physical environment comprises an identified spatial relationship between a second object identified within the physical environment and a third object identified within the physical environment.

19. An electronic device, comprising: one or more processors; Memory; and One or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs comprising instructions for: An input comprising a reference to a first object is received, wherein: The input comprises a request for a location of the first object, and The first object is located in a physical environment; determining a position of the first object; and In response to receiving the input: Based on a determination that one or more first criteria are satisfied, providing a description of the location of the first object, wherein: When the location of the first object is available, a criterion in the one or more first criteria is satisfied, and The description includes a relationship between the first object and the reference within the physical environment; and Based on a determination that one or more second criteria are satisfied, providing the description of the location of the first object is foregone, wherein a criterion of the one or more second criteria is satisfied when the location of the first object is not available.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a first electronic device, cause the first electronic device to: An input comprising a reference to a first object is received, wherein: The input comprises a request for a location of the first object, and The first object is located in a physical environment; determining a position of the first object; and In response to receiving the input: Based on a determination that one or more first criteria are satisfied, providing a description of the location of the first object, wherein: When the location of the first object is available, a criterion in the one or more first criteria is satisfied, and The description includes a relationship between the first object and the reference within the physical environment; as well as Based on a determination that one or more second criteria are satisfied, providing the description of the location of the first object is foregone, wherein a criterion of the one or more second criteria is satisfied when the location of the first object is not available.

21. An electronic device, comprising: Means for receiving input comprising a reference to a first object, wherein: The input comprises a request for a location of the first object, and The first object is located in a physical environment; means for determining a position of said first object; and means for, in response to receiving the input, performing the following operations: Based on a determination that one or more first criteria are satisfied, providing a description of the location of the first object, wherein: When the location of the first object is available, a criterion in the one or more first criteria is satisfied, and The description includes a relationship between the first object and the reference within the physical environment; and Based on a determination that the one or more second criteria are satisfied, providing the description of the location of the first object is foregone, wherein a criterion of the one or more second criteria is satisfied when the location of the first object is not available.

22. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising one or more programs configured to be executed by one or more processors of a first electronic device, the one or more programs comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of the first electronic device, cause the first electronic device to: An input comprising a reference to a first object is received, wherein: The input comprises a request for a location of the first object, and The first object is located in a physical environment; determining a position of the first object; and In response to receiving the input: Based on a determination that one or more first criteria are satisfied, providing a description of the location of the first object, wherein: When the location of the first object is available, a criterion in the one or more first criteria is satisfied, and The description includes a relationship between the first object and the reference within the physical environment; as well as Based on a determination that the one or more second criteria are satisfied, providing the description of the location of the first object is foregone, wherein a criterion of the one or more second criteria is satisfied when the location of the first object is not available.

23. An electronic device, comprising: one or more processors; Memory; and One or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs comprising instructions for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

25. An electronic device, comprising: A component for carrying out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

26. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising one or more programs configured to be executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, the one or more programs comprising instructions for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

27. A computer-implemented method, the computer-implemented method comprising: At an electronic device having one or more processors, a memory, and an image sensor: receiving image data corresponding to an environment of the electronic device from the image sensor; obtaining a representation of the environment, wherein the representation is generated based on the image data; identifying a location of a first object within the environment, wherein the first object corresponds to a secondary electronic device; providing a description of the location of the first object; as well as In response to a user selection of a provided description: adding a representation of the first object to the representation; and A selected description is assigned to the first object.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein obtaining the representation of the environment comprises: Spatial information including a plurality of object representations and a plurality of boundary representations is obtained.

29. The method according to any one of claims 27 to 28, comprising: The representation according to the environment comprises determination of an object representation corresponding to a predetermined object type: identifying a region within the representation of the environment, wherein the object representation is located within the identified region; and Based on the predetermined object type, a region type is assigned to the identified region, wherein the selected description includes the region type.

30. The method of any one of claims 27 to 29, wherein identifying the location of the first object within the environment comprises: displaying the representation of the environment, wherein the displayed representation includes a multi-dimensional representation of the environment; as well as A user selection of a location within the displayed representation of the environment is detected.

31. The method of any one of claims 27 to 30, wherein identifying the location of the first object within the environment comprises: detecting a wireless signal transmitted from a third electronic device located within the environment of the electronic device; as well as The location of the first object is identified based on the strength of the wireless signal.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the third electronic device corresponds to a wireless router.

33. The method of any one of claims 27 to 32, wherein identifying the location of the first object within the environment comprises: detecting a wireless signal transmitted from a third electronic device located within the environment of the electronic device; as well as The location of the first object is identified based on timing information corresponding to the transmitted wireless signal.

34. A method according to any one of claims 27 to 33, comprising: In response to a user rejection of the provided description: receiving a device description from the user in response to the provided prompt; adding a representation of the first object to the representation of the environment; as well as The received device description is assigned to the first object.

35. A method according to any one of claims 27 to 34, comprising: providing the description of the location of the first object by outputting an audible prompt including the description; as well as Voice input is received from a user of the electronic device, wherein the received voice input corresponds to the user selection of the provided description.

36. A method according to any one of claims 27 to 35, comprising: providing the description of the location of the first object by displaying a textual representation of the description on a display of the electronic device; as well as A touch input is received from a user of the electronic device, wherein the received touch input corresponds to the user selection of the provided description.

37. A method according to any one of claims 27 to 36, comprising: While receiving the image data corresponding to the environment of the electronic device: displaying captured image data from the image sensor; as well as Instructions are displayed to move the electronic device to capture additional image data.

38. A method according to any one of claims 27 to 37, comprising: While receiving the image data corresponding to the environment of the electronic device: obtaining representations of a plurality of portions of the environment; as well as The captured image data from the image sensor is displayed, wherein the displayed image data includes a visual indication of whether a partial representation of the environment corresponding to the image data has been obtained.

39. The method according to any one of claims 27 to 38, comprising: receiving input including a request for a location of a corresponding object; as well as A description of the location of the referenced object is provided based on the obtained representation of the environment.

40. A method according to any one of claims 27 to 39, comprising: While receiving the image data corresponding to the environment of the electronic device: Responsive to a determination that an amount of area corresponding to the received image data exceeds a threshold amount of area, the representation of the environment is displayed as a multi-dimensional representation.

41. A method according to any one of claims 27 to 40, comprising: Periodically identifying the location of the corresponding object in the environment, wherein the periodic identification includes: identifying a first location at a first time; and identifying a second location at a second time, wherein the first location is different than the second location; and In response to each identification of the position of the respective object within the environment, the representation of the environment is updated to include the most recently identified position of the respective object.

42. An electronic device, comprising: Image sensor; one or more processors; Memory; and One or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs comprising instructions for: receiving image data corresponding to an environment of the electronic device from the image sensor; obtaining a representation of the environment, wherein the representation is generated based on the image data; identifying a location of a first object within the environment, wherein the first object corresponds to a secondary electronic device; providing a description of the location of the first object; as well as In response to a user selection of a provided description: adding a representation of the first object to the representation; and A selected description is assigned to the first object.

43. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device including an image sensor, cause the electronic device to: receiving image data corresponding to an environment of the electronic device from the image sensor; obtaining a representation of the environment, wherein the representation is generated based on the image data; identifying a location of a first object within the environment, wherein the first object corresponds to a secondary electronic device; providing a description of the location of the first object; as well as In response to a user selection of a provided description: adding a representation of the first object to the representation; and A selected description is assigned to the first object.

44. An electronic device, comprising: means for receiving image data corresponding to an environment of the electronic device from an image sensor; means for obtaining a representation of the environment, wherein the representation is generated based on the image data; means for identifying a location of a first object within the environment, wherein the first object corresponds to a secondary electronic device; means for providing a description of said location of said first object; as well as Means for, in response to a user selection of a provided description: adding a representation of the first object to the representation; and A selected description is assigned to the first object.

45. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising one or more programs configured to be executed by one or more processors of an electronic device including an image sensor, the one or more programs, when executed by the one or more processors of the electronic device, causing the electronic device to: receiving image data corresponding to an environment of the electronic device from the image sensor; obtaining a representation of the environment, wherein the representation is generated based on the image data; identifying a location of a first object within the environment, wherein the first object corresponds to a secondary electronic device; providing a description of the location of the first object; as well as In response to a user selection of a provided description: adding a representation of the first object to the representation; and A selected description is assigned to the first object.

46. ​​An electronic device, comprising: Image sensor; one or more processors; Memory; and One or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs comprising instructions for executing the method according to any one of claims 27 to 41.

47. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the method of any one of claims 27 to 41.

48. An electronic device, comprising: A component for carrying out the method according to any one of claims 27 to 41.

49. A computer program product comprising one or more programs configured to be executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, the one or more programs comprising instructions for performing the method according to any one of claims 27 to 41.

Images