Digital assistant for providing and modifying output of electronic document

Abstract

Systems and processes are provided for providing and modifying an output of an electronic document using a digital assistant of an electronic device. An example method includes receiving, at a first electronic device, a user input requesting audible output of an electronic document including text; and providing the audible output of the electronic document in accordance with a determination: generating a media item based on the text of the electronic document; after generating the media item, outputting the media item based on a semantic structure of the electronic document; receiving a second user input while outputting the media item; and in accordance with a determination that the second user input is associated with an intention to modify the output: modifying the output of the media item based on the second user input and the semantic structure of the electronic document.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 414,321, filed January 16, 2024, entitled "DIGITAL ASSISTANT FOR PROVIDING AND MODIFYING AN OUTPUT OF AN ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT", and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 459,580, filed April 14, 2023, entitled "DIGITAL ASSISTANT FOR PROVIDING AND MODIFYING AN OUTPUT OF AN ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT". The entire contents of each of these patent applications are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates in general to digital assistants, and more specifically to the use of digital assistants to provide and modify the output of electronic documents. Background Technology

[0004] Intelligent automated assistants (or digital assistants) provide a beneficial interface between human users and electronic devices. Such assistants allow users to interact with devices or systems using natural language in the form of speech and / or text. For example, a user can provide verbal input containing their request to a digital assistant running on an electronic device. The digital assistant can interpret the user's intent from this verbal input and act it out as a task. These tasks can then be performed by executing one or more services of the electronic device, and relevant output in response to the user's request can be returned to the user.

[0005] Historically, users have had to read books and articles on their own without assistance. For example, to read an online article, a user must open the article in a reading app or browser and read it aloud. Some reading software applications implement text-to-speech engines, which allow the application to convert the text of an article into audio output. While reading apps can convert text to speech, users typically have to open a separate application containing a text-to-speech engine to analyze a given document. In other words, humans must provide additional input and expend more effort to convert the document's text into speech. Therefore, there is a need for a means to reduce the amount of input required to produce the output of electronic documents.

[0006] Furthermore, reading applications typically provide static, unchanging output. For example, most reading applications that incorporate text-to-speech engines provide output with a monotonous pitch and symmetrical pauses. Therefore, reading applications cannot provide output in a human-like manner. For instance, a person reading an electronic document aloud will add longer pauses after long sentences. In another example, a person reading an electronic document might adopt a melancholic speaking style when reading sentences containing melancholic content. Therefore, a means is needed to provide output that more closely mimics human language and speech to improve the user experience. To achieve this, software applications can analyze text, including sentence length, paragraph length, writing style, and tone, and allow text-to-speech engine output to be more tailored to the speaking style of the given input text. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This document discloses an example method. An example method includes: receiving, at a first electronic device, user input requesting audible output of an electronic document comprising text; and, based on determining that the audible output of the electronic document is provided: generating a media item based on the text of the electronic document; after generating the media item, outputting the media item based on the semantic structure of the electronic document; receiving second user input while outputting the media item; and, based on determining that the second user input is associated with an intention to modify the output: modifying the output of the media item based on the second user input and the semantic structure of the electronic document.

[0008] This document discloses an example non-transitory computer-readable medium. An example non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores one or more programs. The one or more programs include instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a first electronic device, cause the first electronic device to perform the following actions: receiving user input at the first electronic device requesting audible output of an electronic document comprising text; and, based on determining that the audible output of the electronic document is provided: generating a media item based on the text of the electronic document; after generating the media item, outputting the media item based on the semantic structure of the electronic document; receiving second user input while outputting the media item; and, based on determining that the second user input is associated with an intention to modify the output: modifying the output of the media item based on the second user input and the semantic structure of the electronic document.

[0009] This document discloses example electronic devices. An example first electronic device includes: a display; one or more processors; a 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 including instructions for performing: receiving user input at the first electronic device requesting audible output of an electronic document including text; and, based on determining that the audible output of the electronic document is provided: generating a media item based on the text of the electronic document; after generating the media item, outputting the media item based on the semantic structure of the electronic document; receiving second user input while outputting the media item; and, based on determining that the second user input is associated with an intention to modify the output: modifying the output of the media item based on the second user input and the semantic structure of the electronic document.

[0010] In some examples, the methods and techniques illustrated above allow digital assistants to intelligently output electronic documents without requiring the user's attention to the document. For instance, a user of an electronic device (e.g., a mobile device, vehicle, tablet, smartwatch, desktop computer, laptop computer, or public electronic device) might expect to read an electronic document (e.g., an online article or ebook), but the user is focused on another activity that requires their attention (e.g., driving, playing a game, cooking, etc.). Therefore, the user will typically not read the electronic document until they have finished the activity they are engaged in.

[0011] The digital assistants discussed in the methods illustrated above enable users to consume electronic documents containing text via audio output. By providing audio output of the electronic document, the methods illustrated above free up the user's hands and vision for other tasks they might wish to perform while consuming the content of the electronic document. Therefore, the methods illustrated above make reading electronic documents simple and efficient while performing other tasks by reducing the time users spend visually selecting and reading them.

[0012] The methods illustrated above facilitate modification of the output. For example, using media items for output provides users with a familiar interface for modification. Media items offer a simple and familiar interface to users because they have already been used to output other forms of media (e.g., music). Therefore, using media items for output helps users gain better control over the output because it provides a simple, familiar representation, which reduces the learning curve for modifying the output.

[0013] Outputting media items based on the semantic structure of electronic documents can improve a digital assistant's ability to provide a human-like reading experience of those documents. For example, a digital assistant could extend the pause after lengthy sentences to mimic a user's longer breathing time after reading a long sentence aloud. Therefore, by providing a more human-like output of electronic documents, the system improves usability and creates a more desirable output for the user.

[0014] Modifying the output of media items based on the semantic structure of electronic documents can improve the ability of electronic devices to execute user-requested modifications to the output more accurately and efficiently. For example, a user might want to rewind or fast-forward to a specific sentence. In this case, the electronic device can use the semantic structure of the electronic document to locate the requested specific sentence without requiring the user to manually search for the sentence using a time / progress bar. In this way, the electronic device can be more efficient (e.g., by enabling digital assistants to execute modifications to the output more accurately and efficiently by reducing the amount of user input required to operate the device as needed), which additionally reduces power consumption and extends device battery life by allowing users to modify the output more quickly and accurately.

[0015] This document discloses an example method. One example method includes: when outputting a media item associated with an electronic document including text at a first electronic device, receiving a first user input associated with an intention to pause the output of the media item; pausing the output of the media item based on determining that the first user input is associated with the intention to pause the output of the media item; determining the first position in the electronic document based on the first user input and the semantic structure of the electronic document based on determining that the first user input is associated with an intention to resume output at a first position in the electronic document; and resuming the output of the media item at the determined first position.

[0016] This document discloses an example non-transitory computer-readable medium. An example non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores one or more programs. The one or more programs include instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a first electronic device, cause the first electronic device to perform the following actions: receiving first user input associated with a pause intention when outputting a media item associated with an electronic document including text at the first electronic device; and pausing the output of the media item based on determining that the first user input is associated with the pause intention; and determining the first position in the electronic document based on the first user input and the semantic structure of the electronic document based on determining that the first user input is associated with an intention to resume output at a first position in the electronic document; and resuming the output of the media item at the determined first position.

[0017] This document discloses an example electronic device. An example first electronic device includes: a display; one or more processors; a 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 including instructions for performing the following operations: receiving first user input associated with a pause intention when outputting a media item associated with an electronic document including text at the first electronic device; pausing the output of the media item based on determining that the first user input is associated with the pause intention; and determining, based on determining that the first user input is associated with an intention to resume output at a first position in the electronic document; and resuming the output of the media item at the determined first position.

[0018] Pausing the output of a media item and then resuming it at a predetermined first point can improve the user's ability to focus on modifying the output. For example, a user might provide drag input on a progress bar, indicating a desire to rewind the electronic device's output to a specific paragraph. In this case, the electronic device can pause the output because the user is indicating a desired change. Pausing the output and then resuming based on the user's input and the semantic structure of the document can conserve battery life and processing power by pausing the output when input indicating fast forward / rewind / repeat is received. Further pausing the output and then resuming based on the user's input and the semantic structure of the document can enhance and improve usability by allowing users to focus without being distracted by the output of parts of the document that the user does not currently intend to listen to.

[0019] This document discloses an example method. One example method includes: receiving a message at a first electronic device, wherein the message includes an electronic document containing text; detecting the electronic document in the received message by a digital assistant; prompting a user for user input by the digital assistant; receiving the user input, wherein the user input is associated with an intent to provide audio output of the electronic document; and, based on determining that the received user input is associated with the intent to provide the audio output of the electronic document: generating a media item based on the text of the electronic document; and, after generating the media item, outputting the media item.

[0020] This document discloses an example non-transitory computer-readable medium. An example non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores one or more programs. The one or more programs include instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a first electronic device, cause the first electronic device to perform the following actions: receiving a message at the first electronic device, wherein the message includes an electronic document containing text; detecting the electronic document in the received message by a digital assistant; prompting a user for user input by the digital assistant; receiving the user input, wherein the user input is associated with an intent to provide audio output of the electronic document; and, based on determining that the received user input is associated with the intent to provide the audio output of the electronic document: generating a media item based on the text of the electronic document; and, after generating the media item, outputting the media item.

[0021] This document discloses example electronic devices. An example first electronic device includes: a display; one or more processors; a 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 including instructions for performing: receiving a message at the first electronic device, wherein the message includes an electronic document containing text; detecting the electronic document in the received message by a digital assistant; prompting a user for user input by the digital assistant; receiving the user input, wherein the user input is associated with an intent to provide audio output of the electronic document; and, based on determining that the received user input is associated with the intent to provide audio output of the electronic document: generating a media item based on the text of the electronic document; and, after generating the media item, outputting the media item.

[0022] In some examples, the methods and techniques illustrated above allow digital assistants to intelligently provide the output of electronic documents detected in messaging applications, without requiring the user to open and read the document themselves. By detecting electronic documents in received messages and generating / outputting media items based on the document's text, digital assistants improve the usability of electronic devices because they enable users to consume electronic documents without opening and reading them from the message. In this way, electronic devices can be more efficient (e.g., by enabling digital assistants to output media items of electronic documents more efficiently by reducing the amount of user input required to operate the device), which additionally reduces power consumption and extends device battery life by allowing users to read electronic documents with less input. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 These are block diagrams illustrating various examples of systems and environments used to implement digital assistants.

[0024] Figure 2A This is a block diagram illustrating a portable multi-functional device that implements the client-side portion of a digital assistant according to various examples.

[0025] Figure 2B This is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components for event handling based on various examples.

[0026] Figure 3 Portable multi-functional devices that implement the client-side portion of a digital assistant, based on various examples, are illustrated.

[0027] Figure 4 This is a block diagram of an exemplary multifunctional device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface, based on various examples.

[0028] Figure 5A Examples of user interfaces for menus on portable multi-functional devices, based on various examples, are shown.

[0029] Figure 5B Exemplary user interfaces of multifunctional devices having a touch-sensitive surface separate from the display are illustrated according to various examples.

[0030] Figure 6A Examples of personal electronic devices are shown, based on various examples.

[0031] Figure 6B This is a block diagram illustrating various examples of personal electronic devices.

[0032] Figure 7A It is a block diagram illustrating a digital assistant system or its server portion according to various examples.

[0033] Figure 7B Examples are provided based on various examples. Figure 7A The functions of the digital assistant are shown.

[0034] Figure 7C Examples are provided for a portion of the knowledge ontology based on various examples.

[0035] Figure 8 System 800 is illustrated with various examples of a digital assistant document reading system for providing electronic document output.

[0036] Figures 9A to 9B Examples of user interfaces and digital assistant user interfaces are shown, based on various examples.

[0037] Figure 10 Examples of devices that receive user input to modify the output of media items are shown, based on various examples.

[0038] Figures 11A to 11C Examples of devices that pause and resume the output of media items based on received user input are shown.

[0039] Figure 12 Examples of readable electronic documents based on various examples are provided.

[0040] Figures 13A to 13D Examples of devices are provided that pause the output of media items on a first device and resume the output of media items on a second device, based on various examples.

[0041] Figures 14A to 14D Examples of devices that continue outputting media items after stopping the display of an electronic document and opening an application are shown, based on various examples.

[0042] Figures 15A to 15B This example illustrates a digital assistant that detects electronic documents in messages on an application based on various examples and generates media items for those electronic documents.

[0043] Figure 16 Examples of processes for providing electronic document output via digital assistants are illustrated, based on various examples.

[0044] Figure 17 Examples of processes for providing electronic document output via digital assistants are illustrated, based on various examples.

[0045] Figure 18 Examples of processes for providing electronic document output via digital assistants are illustrated, based on various examples. Detailed Implementation

[0046] The accompanying drawings will be referenced in the following description of the examples, which illustrate specific examples that can be implemented by way of example. It should be understood that other examples may be used and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the individual examples.

[0047] 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 only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the various examples described, 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 and second inputs are inputs, and in some cases, they are independent and distinct inputs.

[0048] The terminology used in the description of the various examples herein is for the purpose of describing particular examples only and is not intended to be limiting. As used in the description of the various described examples and in the appended claims, the singular forms “an,” “a,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context expressly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the term “and / or” as used herein refers to and covers any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will also be understood that the terms “comprising” and / or “including” as used in this specification specify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0049] Depending on the context, the term "if" can be interpreted as meaning "when," "at," "in response to determination," or "in response to detection." Similarly, depending on the context, the phrases "if it is determined that..." or "if [the stated condition or event] is detected" can be interpreted as meaning "when it is determined that..." or "in response to determination that..." or "when [the stated condition or event] is detected," or "in response to detection of [the stated condition or event]."

[0050] 1. System and Environment

[0051] Figure 1 A block diagram of system 100 according to various examples is illustrated. In some examples, 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 having steps and parameters designed to achieve the inferred user intent; inputting a specific request into the task flow based on the inferred user intent; executing the task flow by invoking programs, methods, services, APIs, etc.; and generating an output response to the user in an audible (e.g., verbal) and / or visual form.

[0052] Specifically, a digital assistant can accept user requests, at least in part, in the form of natural language commands, requests, statements, narration, and / or inquiries. Typically, user requests seek an informational response or task from the digital assistant. A satisfactory response to a user request includes providing the requested informational response, performing the requested task, or a combination of both. For example, a user asks a digital assistant a question such as, “Where am I now?” Based on the user’s current location, the digital assistant replies, “You are near the west entrance of Central Park.” The user also requests a task, such as, “Please invite my friends to my girlfriend’s birthday party next week.” In response, the digital assistant confirms the request by saying “Okay, coming right away,” and then sends the appropriate calendar invitations to each of the user’s friends listed in the user’s electronic address book. During the performance of the requested task, the digital assistant sometimes interacts with the user in a sustained conversation involving multiple exchanges of information over extended periods. Many other methods exist for interacting with a digital assistant to request information or perform various tasks. In addition to providing verbal responses and taking programmed actions, digital assistants also provide responses in other forms of video or audio, such as text, alerts, music, video, animation, etc.

[0053] 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") executing on user device 104 and a server-side portion 106 (hereinafter referred to as "DA server 106") executing on server system 108. DA client 102 communicates with DA server 106 via one or more networks 110. DA client 102 provides client-side functionality, such as user-oriented input and output processing, and communication with DA server 106. DA server 106 provides server-side functionality for any number of DA clients 102, each residing on a corresponding user device 104.

[0054] In some examples, 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 DA server 106. One or more processing modules 114 utilize data and models 116 to process verbal input and determine user intent based on natural language input. Furthermore, one or more processing modules 114 perform task execution based on the inferred user intent. In some examples, 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 communication.

[0055] User equipment 104 can be any suitable electronic device. In some examples, user equipment 104 is a portable multi-functional device (e.g., see reference below). Figure 2A The aforementioned device 200), multi-functional device (for example, see below for reference) Figure 4 The device 400) or personal electronic device (e.g., referred to below) Figures 6A to 6B The device 600 is described above. A portable multi-functional device is, for example, a mobile phone that also includes other functions such as a PDA and / or music player. Specific examples of portable multi-functional devices include the Apple Watch from Apple Inc. (Cupertino, California). ® iPhone ® iPod Touch ® and iPad ® Devices. Other examples of portable multifunction devices include, but are not limited to, earbuds / headphones, speakers, and laptop or tablet computers. Additionally, in some examples, user device 104 is a non-portable multifunction device. Specifically, user device 104 is a desktop computer, game console, speaker, television, or set-top box. In some examples, user device 104 includes a touch-sensitive surface (e.g., a touchscreen display and / or touchpad). Furthermore, user device 104 optionally includes one or more other physical user interface devices, such as a physical keyboard, mouse, and / or joystick. Various examples of electronic devices such as multifunction devices are described in more detail below.

[0056] Examples of communication networks 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.

[0057] Server system 108 is implemented on one or more stand-alone data processing devices or distributed computer networks. In some examples, server system 108 also utilizes various virtual devices and / or services from third-party service providers (e.g., third-party cloud service providers) to provide potential computing and / or infrastructure resources for server system 108.

[0058] In some examples, user equipment 104 communicates with DA server 106 via a second user equipment 122. The second user equipment 122 is similar to or identical to user equipment 104. For example, the second user equipment 122 is similar to the one described below. Figure 2A , Figure 4 and Figures 6A to 6B The devices 200, 400, or 600 are described above. User equipment 104 is configured to be communicatively coupled to a second user equipment 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 equipment 122 is configured to act as a proxy between user equipment 104 and DA server 106. For example, a DA client 102 of user equipment 104 is configured to transmit information (e.g., a user request received at user equipment 104) to DA server 106 via the second user equipment 122. DA server 106 processes this information and returns relevant data (e.g., data content in response to the user request) to user equipment 104 via the second user equipment 122.

[0059] In some examples, user equipment 104 is configured to send a shortened request for data to a second user equipment 122 to reduce the amount of information transmitted from user equipment 104. The second user equipment 122 is configured to determine supplementary information to add to the shortened request to generate a complete request to be transmitted to DA server 106. This system architecture can advantageously allow user equipment 104 (e.g., a watch or similar compact electronic device) with limited communication capabilities and / or limited battery power (e.g., a second user equipment 122 with strong communication capabilities and / or battery power, such as a mobile phone, laptop computer, tablet computer, etc.) to access the services provided by DA server 106 by using a second user equipment 122 with strong communication capabilities and / or battery power as a proxy to DA server 106. Although Figure 1 Only two user devices, 104 and 122, are shown in this document, but it should be understood that in some examples, system 100 includes any number and type of user devices configured in this agent configuration to communicate with DA server system 106.

[0060] Although Figure 1 The digital assistant shown includes both a client-side component (e.g., DA client 102) and a server-side component (e.g., DA server 106), but in some examples, the digital assistant's functionality is implemented as a standalone application installed on the user's device. Furthermore, the functional division between the client and server components of the digital assistant can vary in different implementations. For example, in some examples, the DA client is a thin client that only provides user-facing input and output processing functions and delegates all other functions of the digital assistant to the backend server.

[0061] 2. Electronic equipment

[0062] Now let’s turn our attention to the implementation of electronic devices for the client-side portion of a digital assistant. Figure 2A This is a block diagram illustrating a portable multi-functional device 200 with a touch-sensitive display system 212 according to some embodiments. The touch-sensitive display 212 is sometimes referred to as a “touchscreen” for convenience, and is sometimes referred to as or called a “touch-sensitive display system.” 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 interface 218, RF circuitry 208, audio circuitry 210, a speaker 211, a microphone 213, an input / output (I / O) subsystem 206, other input control devices 216, and an external port 224. Device 200 optionally includes one or more optical sensors 264. Device 200 optionally includes one or more contact strength 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 haptic output generators 267 for generating haptic output on device 200 (e.g., generating haptic output on a touch-sensitive surface such as the touch-sensitive display system 212 of device 200 or the touchpad 455 of device 400). These components optionally communicate via one or more communication buses or signal lines 203.

[0063] As used in this specification and claims, the term "intensity" of contact on a tactile surface refers to the force or pressure (force per unit area) of a contact (e.g., finger contact) on a tactile surface, or to a substitute (alternative) for the force or pressure of a contact on a tactile surface. The intensity of contact has a range of values ​​that includes at least four different values ​​and more typically hundreds of different values ​​(e.g., at least 256). The intensity of 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 tactile surface are optionally used to measure the force at different points on the tactile surface. In some embodiments, force measurements from multiple force sensors are combined (e.g., weighted average) to determine the estimated contact force. Similarly, the pressure sensitivity of a stylus is optionally used to determine the pressure of the stylus on the tactile surface. Alternatively, the size and / or change of the contact area detected on the touch-sensitive surface, the capacitance and / or change of the touch-sensitive surface adjacent to the contact, and / or the resistance and / or change of the touch-sensitive surface adjacent to the contact are optionally used as substitutes 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 an 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 an 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 user input allows users to access additional device functionality that would otherwise be inaccessible to the user on a space-constrained, scaled-down device used (e.g., on a touch-sensitive display) to display an indication and / or receive user input (e.g., via a touch-sensitive display, touch-sensitive surface, or physical / mechanical controls, such as knobs or buttons).

[0064] As used in this specification and claims, the term "haptic output" refers to a physical displacement of the 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., the housing), or a displacement of a component relative to the center of mass of the device, which is detected by the user using the user's tactile sense. For example, when the device or a component of the device comes into contact with a touch-sensitive surface (e.g., a finger, palm, or other part of the user's hand), the haptic output generated by the physical displacement will be interpreted by the user as a tactile sensation corresponding to a perceived change in the physical characteristics of the device or a component of the device. For example, movement of a touch-sensitive surface (e.g., a touch-sensitive display or touchpad) may optionally be interpreted by the user as a "press-click" or "release-click" on a physically actuated button. In some cases, the user will feel a tactile sensation, such as a "press-click" or "release-click," even when a physically actuated button associated with the touch-sensitive surface, which has been physically pressed (e.g., displaced) by the user's movement, does not move. As another example, even when the smoothness of the tactile surface remains unchanged, the movement of the tactile surface can optionally be interpreted or perceived by the user as the "roughness" of the tactile surface. While such interpretations of touch by users will be limited by the individualized sensory perceptions of the user, many sensory perceptions of touch are common to most users. Therefore, when a tactile output is described as corresponding to a specific sensory perception of the user (e.g., "release click", "press click", "roughness"), unless otherwise stated, the generated tactile output corresponds to a physical displacement of the device or its components that will generate the sensory perception described by a typical (or common) user.

[0065] It should be understood that device 200 is merely an example of a portable multifunctional device, and device 200 may optionally have more or fewer components than shown, may optionally combine two or more components, or may optionally have different configurations or arrangements of these components. Figure 2A The various components shown are implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both, including one or more signal processing and / or application-specific integrated circuits.

[0066] Memory 202 includes one or more computer-readable storage media. These computer-readable storage media are, for example, tangible and non-transitory. Memory 202 includes high-speed random access memory and also includes non-volatile memory, such as one or more disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state memory devices. Memory controller 222 controls other components of device 200 to access memory 202.

[0067] In some examples, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of memory 202 is used to store instructions (e.g., aspects of the processes described below) for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system, a processor-integrated system, or other system from which instructions can be fetched and executed. In other examples, instructions (e.g., aspects of the processes described below) are stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (not shown) of server system 108, or partitioned between the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of memory 202 and the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of server system 108.

[0068] Peripheral interface 218 is used to couple the device's input and output peripherals to CPU 220 and memory 202. The one or more processors 220 run or execute various software programs and / or instruction sets stored in memory 202 to perform various functions of device 200 and process data. In some embodiments, peripheral interface 218, CPU 220, and memory controller 222 are implemented on a single chip, such as chip 204. In some other embodiments, they are implemented on separate chips.

[0069] RF (Radio Frequency) circuit 208 receives and transmits RF signals, also known as electromagnetic signals. RF circuit 208 converts electrical signals into electromagnetic signals / 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 circuitry 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, subscriber identity module (SIM) cards, memory, etc. RF circuit 208 optionally communicates wirelessly with networks (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))) and other devices. RF circuit 208 optionally includes well-known circuitry for detecting near-field communication (NFC) fields, such as via short-range communication radio components. Wireless communication may optionally employ 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, Pure Data (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), and Wi-Fi (e.g., IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n and / or IEEE 802.11ac), Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Wi-MAX, email protocols (e.g., Internet Messaging 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 with Extended Utility (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 date of this document submission.

[0070] Audio circuitry 210, speaker 211, and microphone 213 provide an audio interface between the user and device 200. Audio circuitry 210 receives audio data from peripheral interface 218, converts the audio data into electrical signals, and sends the electrical signals to speaker 211. Speaker 211 converts the electrical signals into sound waves that are audible to humans. Audio circuitry 210 also receives electrical signals converted from sound waves by microphone 213. Audio circuitry 210 converts the electrical signals into audio data and sends the audio data to peripheral interface 218 for processing. The audio data is retrieved from and / or sent to memory 202 and / or RF circuitry 208 via peripheral interface 218. In some embodiments, audio circuitry 210 also includes a headset jack (e.g., ...). Figure 3 (312 in the text). The headset jack provides an interface between the audio circuitry 210 and a removable audio input / output peripheral device, such as an output-only headset or a headset with both outputs (e.g., a single-ear or dual-ear headset) and inputs (e.g., a microphone).

[0071] I / O subsystem 206 couples input / output peripherals on device 200, such as touchscreen 212 and other input control devices 216, to peripheral interface 218. I / O subsystem 206 optionally includes display controller 256, optical sensor controller 258, intensity sensor controller 259, haptic feedback controller 261, and one or more input controllers 260 for other input or control devices. The one or more input controllers 260 receive electrical signals from / transmit electrical signals to the other input control device 216. Other input control devices 216 optionally include physical buttons (e.g., push-buttons, rocker buttons, etc.), dial pads, slide switches, joysticks, click dials, etc. In some alternative embodiments, input controller 260 is optionally coupled to (or not coupled to) any of the following: keyboard, infrared port, USB port, and pointing device such as mouse. One or more buttons (e.g., ... Figure 3 Optionally, 308 (of which) includes volume up / down buttons for volume control of speaker 211 and / or microphone 213. One or more buttons optionally include push-button buttons (e.g., Figure 3 (306 in the middle).

[0072] A rapid press of the down button disengages the touchscreen 212 from its lock or initiates a process of unlocking the device using gestures on the touchscreen, as described in U.S. Patent Application 11 / 322,549 (U.S. Patent No. 7,657,849), filed December 23, 2005, entitled "Unlocking a Device by Performing Gestures on an Unlock Image," the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. A longer press of the down button (e.g., 306) powers the device 200 on or off. The user can customize the function of one or more buttons. The touchscreen 212 is used to implement virtual buttons or soft buttons and one or more soft keyboards.

[0073] The touch-sensitive display 212 provides an input and output interface between the device and the user. The display controller 256 receives electrical signals from and / or sends electrical signals to the touchscreen 212. The touchscreen 212 displays visual output to the user. Visual output includes graphics, text, icons, video, and any combination thereof (collectively, "graphics"). In some embodiments, some or all of the visual output corresponds to user interface objects.

[0074] Touchscreen 212 has a touch-sensitive surface, sensor, or sensor array that accepts input from a user based on tactile and / or haptic contact. Touchscreen 212 and display controller 256 (along with any associated modules and / or instruction set in memory 202) detect contact on touchscreen 212 (and any movement or interruption of that contact) and translate the detected contact into interaction with user interface objects (e.g., one or more soft keys, icons, web pages, or images) displayed on touchscreen 212. In an exemplary embodiment, the contact point between touchscreen 212 and the user corresponds to the user's finger.

[0075] Touchscreen 212 uses LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) technology, LPD (Light Emitting Polymer Display) technology, or LED (Light Emitting Diode) technology, but other display technologies may be used in other embodiments. Touchscreen 212 and display controller 256 use any of a variety of touch sensing technologies currently known or to be developed thereafter, as well as other proximity sensor arrays or other elements for determining one or more points of contact with touchscreen 212 to detect contact and any movement or interruption thereof. These various touch sensing technologies include, but are 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 iPhone from Apple Inc. (Cupertino, California). ® and iPod Touch® The technology used.

[0076] In some embodiments, the touchscreen 212's touch-sensitive display is similar to the multi-touch touchpad described in the following 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 incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. However, the touchscreen 212 displays visual output from the device 200, while the touch-sensitive touchpad does not provide visual output.

[0077] The touch-sensitive display in some embodiments of the touchscreen 212 is described in the following applications: (1) U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 381,313, filed May 2, 2006, “Mulsuggestionoint Touch Surface Controller”; (2) U.S. Patent Application No. 10 / 840,862, filed May 6, 2004, “Mulsuggestionoint Touchscreen”; (3) U.S. Patent Application No. 10 / 904,964, filed July 30, 2004, “Gestures For Touch Sensitive Input Devices”; (4) U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 048,264, filed January 31, 2005, “Gestures For Touch Sensitive Input Devices”; and (5) U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 038,590, filed January 18, 2005, “Mode-Based Graphical User Interfaces For Touch Sensitive Input”. (6) U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 228,758, filed September 16, 2005, “Virtual Input Device Placement On A Touch Screen User Interface”; (7) U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 228,700, filed September 16, 2005, “Operation Of A Computer With A Touch Screen Interface”; (8) U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 228,737, filed September 16, 2005, “Activating Virtual Keys Of A Touch-Screen Virtual Keyboard”; and (9) U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 367,749, filed March 3, 2006, “Multi-Functional Hand-Held Device”. The full text of all these applications is incorporated herein by reference.

[0078] Touchscreen 212 has a video resolution of over 100 dpi, for example. In some embodiments, the touchscreen has a video resolution of approximately 160 dpi. The user interacts with touchscreen 212 using any suitable object or accessory such as a stylus, finger, etc. In some embodiments, the user interface is designed to function primarily through finger-based touch and gestures, which may be less precise than stylus-based input due to the larger contact area of ​​a finger on the touchscreen. In some embodiments, the device translates coarse finger-based input into precise pointer / cursor positioning or commands for performing the user-desired actions.

[0079] In some embodiments, in addition to the touchscreen, 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 touchscreen, does not display visual output. The touchpad is a touch-sensitive surface separate from the touchscreen 212, or an extension of the touch-sensitive surface formed by the touchscreen.

[0080] The device 200 also includes a power system 262 for supplying power to various components. The power system 262 includes a power management system, one or more power sources (e.g., a battery, alternating current (AC)), a recharging system, power fault detection circuitry, a power converter or inverter, a power status indicator (e.g., a light-emitting diode (LED)), and any other components associated with the generation, management, and distribution of power in the portable device.

[0081] The device 200 also includes one or more optical sensors 264. Figure 2A An optical sensor 264 is shown coupled to an optical sensor controller 258 in I / O subsystem 206. The optical sensor 264 includes a charge-coupled device (CCD) or 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 an imaging module 243 (also called a camera module), the optical sensor 264 captures still images or video. In some embodiments, the optical sensor is located at the rear of device 200, opposite to a touchscreen display 212 at the front of the device, such that the touchscreen display is used as a viewfinder for still image and / or video image acquisition. In some embodiments, the optical sensor is located at the front of the device, such that an image of the user is acquired for use in video conferencing while the user views other video conferencing participants on the touchscreen display. In some embodiments, the positioning of the optical sensor 264 can be changed by the user (e.g., by rotating the lenses and sensors in the device housing), such that a single optical sensor 264 is used in conjunction with the touchscreen display for both video conferencing and still image and / or video image acquisition.

[0082] The device 200 may optionally also include one or more contact strength sensors 265. Figure 2A A contact strength sensor is shown coupled to a strength sensor controller 259 in I / O subsystem 206. The contact strength sensor 265 optionally includes one or more piezoresistive strain gauges, capacitive force sensors, electro-force sensors, piezoelectric sensors, optical force sensors, capacitive touch-sensitive surfaces, or other strength sensors (e.g., sensors for measuring the force (or pressure) of contact on a touch-sensitive surface). The contact strength sensor 265 receives contact strength information (e.g., pressure information or a substitute for pressure information) from the environment. In some embodiments, at least one contact strength sensor is arranged juxtaposed with or adjacent to a touch-sensitive surface (e.g., touch-sensitive display system 212). In some embodiments, at least one contact strength sensor is located on the rear of device 200, opposite to a touchscreen display 212 located on the front of device 200.

[0083] The device 200 also includes one or more proximity sensors 266. Figure 2A A proximity sensor 266 coupled to a peripheral device interface 218 is shown. Alternatively, the proximity sensor 266 is coupled to an input controller 260 in an I / O subsystem 206. The proximity sensor 266 performs as described in the following U.S. patent applications numbered: 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", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. In some implementations, when the multifunction device is placed near the user's ear (e.g., when the user is making a phone call), the proximity sensor is turned off and the touchscreen 212 is disabled.

[0084] The device 200 optionally also includes one or more tactile output generators 267. Figure 2AA haptic output generator coupled to a haptic feedback controller 261 in I / O subsystem 206 is shown. The haptic output generator 267 optionally includes one or more electroacoustic devices, such as speakers or other audio components, and / or electromechanical devices that convert energy into linear motion, such as motors, solenoids, electroactive polymers, piezoelectric actuators, electrostatic actuators, or other haptic output generating components (e.g., components that convert electrical signals into haptic outputs on the device). A contact intensity sensor 265 receives haptic feedback generation instructions from a haptic feedback module 233 and generates a haptic output on device 200 that can be felt by a user of device 200. In some embodiments, at least one haptic output generator is juxtaposed or adjacent to a haptic surface (e.g., haptic display system 212) and optionally generates the haptic output by moving the haptic surface vertically (e.g., in / outward from the surface of device 200) or laterally (e.g., backward and forward in the same plane as the surface of device 200). In some implementations, at least one haptic output generator sensor is located on the rear of the device 200, opposite to the touch screen display 212 located on the front of the device 200.

[0085] The device 200 also includes one or more accelerometers 268. Figure 2A An accelerometer 268 coupled to a peripheral device interface 218 is shown. Alternatively, the accelerometer 268 is coupled to an input controller 260 in an I / O subsystem 206. The accelerometer 268 performs, for example, 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 PortableDevice Based On An Accelerometer,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. In some embodiments, information is displayed on a touchscreen display in portrait or landscape view based on analysis of data received from one or more accelerometers. The device 200 optionally includes, in addition to the accelerometer 268, a magnetometer (not shown) and a GPS (or GLONASS or other global navigation system) receiver (not shown) for acquiring information about the location and orientation (e.g., portrait or landscape) of the device 200.

[0086] In some embodiments, 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. Additionally, memory 202 stores data and models, such as user data and models 231. Furthermore, in some embodiments, memory 202 ( Figure 2A ) or 470 ( Figure 4 Storage device / global internal state 257, such as Figure 2A and Figure 4 As shown in the diagram. Device / global internal state 257 includes one or more of the following: active application state, which indicates which applications (if any) are currently active; display state, which indicates what applications, views or other information occupy various areas of the touchscreen display 212; sensor state, which includes information obtained from various sensors and input control devices 216 of the device; and position information relating to the position and / or orientation of the device.

[0087] The operating system 226 (e.g., Darwin, RTXC, LINUX, UNIX, OS X, iOS, WINDOWS, or embedded operating systems 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 and software components.

[0088] The communication module 228 facilitates communication with other devices via one or more external ports 224 and includes various software components for processing data received by the RF circuitry 208 and / or the external ports 224. The external ports 224 (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB), FireWire, etc.) are adapted to be directly coupled to other devices or indirectly coupled via a network (e.g., the Internet, Wireless LAN, etc.). In some embodiments, the external port is for use with an iPod. ® (Trademark of Apple Inc.) The same or similar and / or compatible multi-pin (e.g., 30-pin) connectors used in Apple Inc. devices.

[0089] The contact / motion module 230 optionally detects contact with the touchscreen 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 a contact has occurred (e.g., detecting a finger press event), determining the intensity of the contact (e.g., the force or pressure of the contact, or an alternative to force or pressure), determining whether there is movement of the contact and tracking movement across 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 a contact disconnection). The contact / motion module 230 receives contact data from the touch-sensitive surface. Determining 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 which is represented by a series of contact data. These operations are optionally applied to single-point contact (e.g., single-finger contact) or multi-point simultaneous contact (e.g., "multi-touch" / multiple-finger contact). In some implementations, the contact / motion module 230 and the display controller 256 detect contact on the touchpad.

[0090] In some implementations, the contact / motion module 230 uses a set of one or more intensity thresholds to determine whether an operation has been performed by the user (e.g., determining whether the user has “clicked” an icon). In some implementations, at least a subset of the intensity thresholds is determined based on software parameters (e.g., the intensity thresholds are not determined by the activation thresholds of a specific physical actuator and can be adjusted without changing the physical hardware of the device 200). For example, the mouse “click” threshold of a touchpad or touchscreen display can be set to any threshold in a wide range of predefined thresholds without changing the touchpad or touchscreen display hardware. Additionally, in some implementations, the user of the device is provided with software settings for adjusting one or more intensity thresholds in a set (e.g., by adjusting the individual intensity thresholds and / or by adjusting multiple intensity thresholds at once using system-level clicks on the “intensity” parameter).

[0091] The touch / motion module 230 optionally detects gesture input performed by the user. Different gestures on a touch-sensitive surface have different contact patterns (e.g., different movements, timings, and / or intensities of the detected contact). Therefore, 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-off (lift-away) event at the same (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 subsequently detecting a finger lift-off (lift-away) event.

[0092] The graphics module 232 includes various known software components for rendering and displaying graphics on the touchscreen 212 or other displays, including components for altering the visual impact of the displayed graphics (e.g., brightness, transparency, saturation, contrast, or other visual characteristics). As used herein, the term "graphics" includes any object that can be displayed to a user, and non-limitingly includes text, web pages, icons (such as user interface objects including soft keys), digital images, videos, animations, etc.

[0093] In some implementations, the graphics module 232 stores data representing the graphics to be used. Each graphic is optionally assigned a corresponding code. The graphics module 232 receives one or more codes from applications, etc., to specify the graphics to be displayed, and also receives coordinate data and other graphic attribute data if necessary, and then generates screen image data for output to the display controller 256.

[0094] The haptic feedback module 233 includes various software components for generating instructions that are used by the haptic output generator 267 to produce haptic output at one or more locations on the device 200 in response to user interaction with the device 200.

[0095] In some examples, the text input module 234, which is a component of the graphics module 232, provides a soft keyboard for entering text in various applications, such as contacts 237, email 240, IM 241, browser 247, and any other application that requires text input.

[0096] GPS module 235 determines the location of the device and provides that information for use in various applications (e.g., to telephone 238 for use in location-based dialing; to camera 243 as image / video metadata; and to applications that provide location-based services, such as weather widgets, local yellow pages widgets, and map / navigation widgets).

[0097] The digital assistant client module 229 includes various client-side digital assistant commands to provide client-side functionality for 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 audio output (e.g., speech output), visual output, and / or tactile output through various output interfaces of the portable multifunction device 200 (e.g., speaker 211, touch-sensitive display system 212, one or more haptic output generators 267, etc.). For example, output can be provided as voice, sound, alarms, text messages, menus, graphics, video, animation, vibration, and / or combinations of both or more of these. During operation, the digital assistant client module 229 communicates with the DA server 106 using RF circuitry 208.

[0098] User data and models 231 include various data associated with the user (e.g., user-specific vocabulary data, user preference data, user-specified name pronunciation, data from the user's electronic address book, to-do lists, shopping lists, etc.) to provide client-side functionality for the digital assistant. Additionally, 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 ontology, task flow models, service models, etc.).

[0099] In some examples, the digital assistant client module 229 utilizes 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 contextual information, or a subset thereof, along with the user input to the DA server 106 to help infer the user's intent. In some examples, the digital assistant also uses the contextual information to determine how to prepare output and deliver it to the user. This contextual information is referred to as contextual data.

[0100] In some examples, the contextual information accompanying user input includes sensor information such as lighting, ambient noise, ambient temperature, and images or videos of the surrounding environment. 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, and cellular signal strength. In some examples, information related to the software state of the DA server 106, such as the operation of the portable multifunction device 200, installed programs, past and current network activity, background services, error logs, and resource usage, is provided to the DA server 106 as contextual information associated with the user input.

[0101] In some examples, the digital assistant client module 229 selectively provides information (e.g., user data 231) stored on the portable multifunction device 200 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 natural language dialogue or other user interfaces when requested by the DA server 106. The digital assistant client module 229 transmits this additional input to the DA server 106 to assist the DA server 106 in intent inference and / or to realize the user intent expressed in the user request.

[0102] The following is for reference. Figures 7A to 7C A more detailed description of the digital assistant follows. It should be understood that the digital assistant client module 229 may include any number of sub-modules of the digital assistant module 726 described below.

[0103] Application 236 includes the following modules (or instruction sets) or subsets or supersets:

[0104] • Contacts module 237 (sometimes called address book or contact list);

[0105] • Telephone module 238;

[0106] • Video conferencing module 239;

[0107] • Email client module 240;

[0108] • Instant Messaging (IM) module 241;

[0109] • Fitness support module 242;

[0110] • Camera module 243 for still images and / or video images;

[0111] • Image management module 244;

[0112] • Video player module;

[0113] • Music player module;

[0114] • Browser module 247;

[0115] • Calendar module 248;

[0116] • Widget module 249, which in some examples includes one or more of the following: weather widget 249-1, stock market widget 249-2, calculator widget 249-3, alarm clock widget 249-4, dictionary widget 249-5 and other widgets obtained by the user and widgets created by the user 249-6;

[0117] • Widget creator module 250 for creating user-created widgets 249-6;

[0118] • Search module 251;

[0119] • Video and music player module 252, which combines a video player module and a music player module;

[0120] • Memo module 253;

[0121] • Map module 254; and / or

[0122] • Online video module 255.

[0123] 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 access control, voice recognition, and voice copying.

[0124] In conjunction with touchscreen 212, display controller 256, touch / motion module 230, graphics module 232, and text input module 234, contact module 237 manages an address book or contact list (e.g., stored in application internal state 292 of contact module 237 in memory 202 or memory 470), including: adding one or more names to the address book; deleting names from the address book; associating phone numbers, email addresses, physical addresses, or other information with names; associating images with names; categorizing and classifying names; providing phone numbers or email addresses to initiate and / or facilitate communications via telephone 238, video conferencing module 239, email 240, or IM 241; and so on.

[0125] Combining RF circuitry 208, audio circuitry 210, speaker 211, microphone 213, touchscreen 212, display controller 256, contact / motion module 230, graphics module 232, and text input module 234, telephone module 238 is used to input character sequences corresponding to telephone numbers, access one or more telephone numbers in contact module 237, modify already entered telephone numbers, dial corresponding telephone numbers, initiate conversations, and disconnect or hang up when a conversation is completed. As described above, wireless communication uses any of a variety of communication standards, protocols, and technologies.

[0126] Combining RF circuitry 208, audio circuitry 210, speaker 211, microphone 213, touchscreen 212, display controller 256, optical sensor 264, optical sensor controller 258, contact / motion module 230, graphics module 232, text input module 234, contact module 237, and telephone module 238, video conferencing module 239 includes executable instructions to initiate, conduct, and terminate video conferences between the user and one or more other participants based on user instructions.

[0127] Incorporating RF circuitry 208, touchscreen 212, display controller 256, touch / 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 commands. Combined with image management module 244, email client module 240 makes it very easy to create and transmit emails containing still images or video images captured by camera module 243.

[0128] In conjunction with RF circuitry 208, touchscreen 212, display controller 256, touch / motion module 230, graphics module 232, and text input module 234, the instant messaging module 241 includes executable instructions for: inputting a character sequence corresponding to an instant message, modifying previously input characters, sending a corresponding instant message (e.g., using Short Message Service (SMS) or Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) protocols for telephone-based instant messaging or using XMPP, SIMPLE, or IMPS for internet-based instant messaging), receiving an instant message, and viewing received instant messages. In some embodiments, the instant messages sent and / or received include graphics, photographs, audio files, video files, and / or other attachments supported by MMS and / or Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS). As used herein, "instant messaging" refers to both telephone-based messages (e.g., messages transmitted using SMS or MMS) and internet-based messages (e.g., messages transmitted using XMPP, SIMPLE, or IMPS).

[0129] Incorporating RF circuitry 208, touchscreen 212, display controller 256, touch / motion module 230, graphics module 232, text input module 234, GPS module 235, map module 254, and music player module, fitness support module 242 includes executable instructions for: creating fitness activities (e.g., with time, distance, and / or calorie burning goals); communicating with fitness sensors (exercise equipment); receiving fitness sensor data; calibrating sensors used to monitor fitness; selecting and playing music for fitness activities; and displaying, storing, and transmitting fitness data.

[0130] In conjunction with the touchscreen 212, display controller 256, optical sensor 264, optical sensor controller 258, contact / motion module 230, graphics module 232, and image management module 244, camera module 243 includes executable instructions for: capturing still images or videos (including video streams) and storing them in memory 202, modifying the characteristics of still images or videos, or deleting still images or videos from memory 202.

[0131] Incorporating the touchscreen 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, tagging, deleting, presenting (e.g., in a digital slideshow or album), and storing still images and / or video images.

[0132] Combining RF circuitry 208, touchscreen 212, display controller 256, contact / motion module 230, graphics module 232, and text input module 234, browser module 247 includes executable instructions for browsing the Internet according to user instructions, including searching, linking to, receiving, and displaying web pages or portions thereof, as well as links to attachments and other files on web pages.

[0133] Combining RF circuitry 208, touchscreen 212, display controller 256, touch / motion module 230, graphics module 232, text input module 234, email client module 240, and browser module 247, calendar module 248 includes executable instructions to create, display, modify, and store calendars and associated data (e.g., calendar entries, to-dos, etc.) according to user instructions.

[0134] In conjunction with RF circuitry 208, touchscreen 212, display controller 256, contact / motion module 230, graphics module 232, text input module 234, and browser module 247, the desktop applet module 249 is a micro-application that can be downloaded and used by a user (e.g., weather desktop applet 249-1, stock market desktop applet 249-2, calculator desktop applet 249-3, alarm clock desktop applet 249-4, and dictionary desktop applet 249-5) or a user-created micro-application (e.g., user-created desktop applet 249-6). In some embodiments, the widget includes HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) files, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) files, and JavaScript files. In some embodiments, the widget includes XML (Extensible Markup Language) files and JavaScript files (e.g., Yahoo! widgets).

[0135] Combining RF circuit 208, touch screen 212, display controller 256, contact / motion module 230, graphics module 232, text input module 234 and browser module 247, the desktop applet creator module 250 is used by the user to create desktop applets (e.g., to turn a user-specified part of a webpage into a desktop applet).

[0136] In conjunction with the touchscreen 212, display controller 256, touch / 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) according to user instructions.

[0137] Incorporating touchscreen 212, display controller 256, touch / motion module 230, graphics module 232, audio circuitry 210, speaker 211, RF circuitry 208, and browser module 247, the video and music player module 252 includes executable instructions allowing users 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 touchscreen 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 (a trademark of Apple Inc.).

[0138] Combining the touchscreen 212, display controller 256, touch / motion module 230, graphics module 232, and text input module 234, the memo module 253 includes executable instructions for creating and managing memos, to-do items, etc., according to user instructions.

[0139] Combining RF circuit 208, touch screen 212, display controller 256, contact / motion module 230, graphics module 232, text input module 234, GPS module 235 and browser module 247, 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 shops and other points of interest at or near a specific location, and other location-based data) according to user instructions.

[0140] Incorporating touchscreen 212, display controller 256, touch / motion module 230, graphics module 232, audio circuitry 210, speaker 211, RF circuitry 208, text input module 234, email client module 240, and browser module 247, the online video module 255 includes instructions allowing users to access, browse, receive (e.g., via streaming and / or downloading), play back (e.g., on the touchscreen or on a connected external display via external port 224), send emails with links to specific online videos, and otherwise manage one or more file formats (such as H.264). In some embodiments, an instant messaging module 241 is used instead of the email client module 240 to transmit links to specific online videos. Additional descriptions of the online video application can be found in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 936,562, filed 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 December 31, 2007, entitled “Portable Multifunction Device, Method, and Graphical User Interface for Playing Online Videos,” the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0141] Each of the modules and applications described above corresponds to an executable set of instructions for performing one or more functions described above and the methods described in this patent application (e.g., computer-implemented methods and other information processing methods described herein). These modules (e.g., instruction sets) need not be implemented as standalone software programs, processes, or modules, and therefore various subsets of these modules can be combined or otherwise rearranged in various embodiments. For example, a video player module can be combined with a music player module into a single module (e.g., Figure 2A(e.g., video and music player module 252). In some embodiments, memory 202 stores a subset of the aforementioned modules and data structures. Additionally, memory 202 stores additional modules and data structures not described above.

[0142] In some implementations, device 200 is a device on which the operation of a predefined set of functions is performed solely via a touchscreen and / or touchpad. By using a touchscreen and / or touchpad as the primary input control device for the operation of device 200, the number of physical input control devices (such as push-buttons, dials, etc.) on device 200 is reduced.

[0143] A predefined set of functions, uniquely performed via a touchscreen and / or touchpad, optionally includes navigation between user interfaces. In some implementations, the touchpad, when touched by a user, navigates device 200 from any user interface displayed on device 200 to the main menu, home menu, or root menu. In such implementations, a touchpad is used to implement a "menu button." In some other implementations, the menu button is a physical push-button or other physical input control device, rather than a touchpad.

[0144] Figure 2B This is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components for event handling according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, memory 202 ( Figure 2A ) or memory 470 ( Figure 4 This includes an event classifier 270 (e.g., in operating system 226) and a corresponding application 236-1 (e.g., any one of the aforementioned applications 237 to 251, 255, 480 to 490).

[0145] Event classifier 270 receives event information and determines the application 236-1 to which the event information should be delivered and the application view 291 of application 236-1. Event classifier 270 includes event monitor 271 and event dispatcher module 274. In some embodiments, application 236-1 includes application internal state 292, which indicates one or more current application views displayed on touch-sensitive display 212 when the application is active or executing. In some embodiments, device / global internal state 257 is used by event classifier 270 to determine which application(s) is currently active, and application internal state 292 is used by event classifier 270 to determine the application view 291 to which the event information should be delivered.

[0146] In some implementations, the application internal state 292 includes additional information such as one or more of the following: recovery information to be used when the application 236-1 resumes execution, user interface state information indicating that information is being displayed or ready to be displayed by the application 236-1, a state queue for enabling the user to return to the previous state or view of the application 236-1, and a recovery / cancellation queue for the user's previous actions.

[0147] Event monitor 271 receives event information from peripheral device interface 218. The event information includes information about sub-events, such as user touches on touch-sensitive display 212 as part of a multi-touch gesture. Peripheral device interface 218 transmits information it receives from I / O subsystem 206 or sensors such as proximity sensor 266, one or more accelerometers 268, and / or microphone 213 (via audio circuitry 210). The information received by peripheral device interface 218 from I / O subsystem 206 includes information from touch-sensitive display 212 or touch-sensitive surfaces.

[0148] In some implementations, event monitor 271 sends requests to peripheral device interface 218 at predetermined intervals. In response, peripheral device interface 218 sends event information. In other implementations, peripheral device interface 218 sends event information only when a significant event occurs (e.g., receiving input above a predetermined noise threshold and / or receiving input for a predetermined duration).

[0149] In some implementations, the event classifier 270 also includes a hit view determination module 272 and / or an activity event recognizer determination module 273.

[0150] When the touch-sensitive display 212 displays more than one view, the hit view determination module 272 provides a software process for determining where a sub-event has occurred within one or more views. A view consists of controls and other elements that the user can see on the display.

[0151] Another aspect of the user interface associated with an application is a set of views, sometimes referred to herein as application views or user interface windows, in which information is displayed and touch-based gestures occur. The application view (of the corresponding application) in which a touch is detected corresponds to a procedural level within the application's procedural hierarchy or view hierarchy. For example, the lowest-level view in which a touch is detected is called the hit view, and the set of events considered as correct input is determined at least in part based on the hit view of the initial touch that initiates the touch-based gesture.

[0152] 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 hierarchical structure, the hit view determination module 272 identifies the hit view as the lowest-level view in the hierarchical structure from which the sub-events should be processed. 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 forming an event or potential event) occurs. Once the 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 to which it was identified as the hit view.

[0153] The activity event recognizer determination module 273 determines which views(s) within the view hierarchy should receive a specific sub-event sequence. In some embodiments, the activity event recognizer determination module 273 determines that only the hit view should receive the specific sub-event sequence. In other embodiments, the activity event recognizer determination module 273 determines that all views including the physical location of the sub-event are actively participating views, and therefore determines that all actively participating views should receive the specific sub-event sequence. In other embodiments, even if the touch sub-event is entirely confined to the area associated with a particular view, higher views in the hierarchy will still remain actively participating views.

[0154] Event assigner module 274 assigns event information to event identifiers (e.g., event identifier 280). In embodiments that include active event identifier determination module 273, event assigner module 274 delivers event information to the event identifier determined by active event identifier determination module 273. In some embodiments, event assigner module 274 stores event information in an event queue, which is retrieved by the corresponding event receiver 282.

[0155] In some implementations, operating system 226 includes event classifier 270. Alternatively, application 236-1 includes event classifier 270. In yet another implementation, event classifier 270 is a separate module or part of another module (such as contact / motion module 230) stored in memory 202.

[0156] In some implementations, application 236-1 includes a plurality of event handlers 290 and one or more application views 291, each application view including instructions for handling touch events occurring within a corresponding view of the application's user interface. Each application view 291 of application 236-1 includes one or more event recognizers 280. Typically, a corresponding application view 291 includes a plurality of event recognizers 280. In other implementations, one or more event recognizers among the event recognizers 280 are part of a separate module, such as a user interface toolkit (not shown) or a higher-level object from which application 236-1 inherits methods and other properties. In some implementations, a corresponding event handler 290 includes one or more of the following: a data updater 276, an object updater 277, a GUI updater 278, and / or event data 279 received from an event classifier 270. The event handler 290 utilizes or invokes the data updater 276, the object updater 277, or the GUI updater 278 to update the application's internal state 292. Alternatively, one or more application views in application view 291 include one or more corresponding event handlers 290. Additionally, in some embodiments, one or more of data updater 276, object updater 277, and GUI updater 278 are included in the corresponding application view 291.

[0157] The corresponding event identifier 280 receives event information (e.g., event data 279) from the event classifier 270 and identifies the event based on the event information. The event identifier 280 includes an event receiver 282 and an event comparator 284. In some embodiments, the event identifier 280 also includes at least one subset of metadata 283 and event delivery instructions 288 (which includes sub-event delivery instructions).

[0158] Event receiver 282 receives event information from event classifier 270. The event information includes information about sub-events such as touch or touch movement. 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 touch movement, 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 (e.g., from a portrait orientation to a lateral orientation, or vice versa), and the event information includes corresponding information about the device's current orientation (also referred to as device pose).

[0159] Event comparator 284 compares event information with predefined event or sub-event definitions and, based on the comparison, determines the event or sub-event, or determines or updates the state of the event or sub-event. In some embodiments, event comparator 284 includes event definition 286. Event definition 286 contains definitions of events (e.g., predefined sequences of sub-events), such as event 1 (287-1), event 2 (287-2), and others. 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, event 1 (287-1) is defined as a double-click on a displayed object. For example, a double-click includes a first touch (touch start) of a predetermined duration on the displayed object, a first lift-off of a predetermined duration (touch end), a second touch (touch start) of a predetermined duration on the displayed object, and a second lift-off of a predetermined duration (touch end). In another example, event 2 (287-2) is defined as a drag on a displayed object. For example, dragging includes a touch (or contact) on the displayed object for a predetermined duration, movement of the touch on the touch-sensitive display 212, and lifting off the touch (end of touch). In some embodiments, the event also includes information for one or more associated event handlers 290.

[0160] In some implementations, event definition 287 includes definitions of events for corresponding user interface objects. In some implementations, event comparator 284 performs a hit test to determine which user interface object is associated with the 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 the event handler associated with the sub-event and the object that triggered the hit test.

[0161] In some implementations, the definition of the corresponding event (287) also includes a delay action that delays the delivery of event information until it has been determined whether the sub-event sequence actually corresponds to or does not correspond to the event type of the event recognizer.

[0162] When the corresponding event recognizer 280 determines that the sub-event sequence 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 based on touch gestures are ignored. In this case, other event recognizers (if any) that remain active in the hit view continue to track and process the ongoing sub-events based on touch gestures.

[0163] In some embodiments, the corresponding event recognizer 280 includes metadata 283 having configurable attributes, flags, and / or lists instructing how the event delivery system should perform sub-event delivery to actively participating event recognizers. In some embodiments, the metadata 283 includes configurable attributes, flags, and / or lists instructing how or how event recognizers can interact with each other. In some embodiments, the metadata 283 includes configurable attributes, flags, and / or lists instructing whether sub-events are delivered to different levels in a view or programmatic hierarchy.

[0164] In some implementations, when one or more specific sub-events of an event are identified, the corresponding event recognizer 280 activates the event handler 290 associated with the event. In some implementations, the corresponding event recognizer 280 delivers event information associated with the event to the event handler 290. Activating the event handler 290 is different from delivering (and deferred delivering) the sub-events to the corresponding hit view. In some implementations, the event recognizer 280 throws a flag associated with the identified event, and the event handler 290 associated with the flag acquires the flag and performs a predefined process.

[0165] In some implementations, event delivery instruction 288 includes 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 the sub-event sequence or to an actively participating view. The event handler associated with the sub-event sequence or the actively participating view receives the event information and performs a predetermined process.

[0166] In some implementations, 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 implementations, 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 transmits that display information to graphics module 232 for display on a touch-sensitive display.

[0167] In some implementations, event handler 290 includes, or has access to, a data updater 276, an object updater 277, and a GUI updater 278. In some implementations, 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 implementations, they are included in two or more software modules.

[0168] It should be understood that the above discussion regarding event handling of user touch 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 touchscreen. For example, mouse movement and mouse button presses optionally in conjunction with single or multiple keyboard presses or holds; touch movements on the touchpad, such as taps, drags, scrolls, etc.; stylus input; device movement; verbal commands; detected eye movements; biometric input; and / or any combination thereof may optionally be used as input corresponding to sub-events that define the event to be identified.

[0169] Figure 3A portable multifunction device 200 with a touchscreen 212 is illustrated according to some embodiments. The touchscreen 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 graphics by gesturing over the graphics, for example, 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, selection of one or more graphics occurs when the user breaks contact with one or more graphics. 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 scrolling (from right to left, from left to right, up and / or down) of a finger already in contact with the device 200. In some specific embodiments or in some cases, unintentional contact with a graphic does not select the graphic. For example, a swipe gesture over an application icon optionally does not select the corresponding application when the gesture corresponding to selection is a tap.

[0170] Device 200 also includes one or more physical buttons, such as a "home" or menu button 304. As previously described, menu button 304 is used to navigate to any application 236 of a set of applications running on device 200. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the menu button is implemented as a soft key in a GUI displayed on touchscreen 212.

[0171] In some embodiments, device 200 includes a touchscreen 212, a menu button 304, a push-button 306 for powering on / off the device and locking the device, one or more volume control buttons 308, a SIM card slot 310, a headset jack 312, and a docking / charging external port 224. The push-button 306 is optionally used to: power on / off the device by pressing the button and holding it in the pressed state for a predefined time interval; lock the device by pressing the button and releasing it before the predefined time interval has elapsed; and / or unlock the device or initiate an unlocking process. In another embodiment, device 200 also accepts voice input via microphone 213 for activating or deactivating certain functions. Device 200 also optionally includes one or more contact strength sensors 265 for detecting the intensity of contact on the touchscreen 212, and / or one or more haptic output generators 267 for generating haptic outputs for the user of device 200.

[0172] Figure 4This is a block diagram of an exemplary multi-functional device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface according to some embodiments. Device 400 need not be portable. In some embodiments, device 400 is a laptop computer, desktop computer, tablet computer, multimedia player device, navigation device, educational device (such as a children's learning toy), gaming system, or control device (e.g., a home controller or industrial controller). Device 400 typically includes one or more processing units (CPUs) 410, one or more network or other communication interfaces 460, memory 470, and one or more communication buses 420 for interconnecting these components. Communication bus 420 optionally includes circuitry (sometimes referred to as a chipset) that interconnects system components and controls communication between system components. Device 400 includes an input / output (I / O) interface 430 with a display 440, which is typically a touchscreen display. I / O interface 430 also optionally includes a keyboard and / or mouse (or other pointing device) 450 and a touchpad 455, and a haptic output generator 457 for generating haptic output on device 400 (e.g., similar to the above reference). Figure 2A The one or more tactile output generators 267 and sensors 459 (e.g., optical sensors, accelerometers, proximity sensors, touch sensors, and / or similar to those mentioned above) are described. Figure 2A The contact strength sensor of the one or more contact strength sensors 265. Memory 470 includes high-speed random access memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM, or other random access solid-state memory devices; and optionally includes non-volatile memory, such as one or more disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state storage devices. Memory 470 optionally includes one or more storage devices located remotely from CPU 410. In some embodiments, memory 470 stores data with portable multifunction device 200 (… Figure 2A The memory 470 stores programs, modules, and data structures similar to those in the memory 202 of the portable multifunction device 200, or subsets thereof. Additionally, the memory 470 optionally stores additional programs, modules, and data structures not present in the memory 202 of the portable multifunction device 200. For example, the memory 470 of the 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 the portable multifunction device 200 ( Figure 2A The memory 202 optionally does not store these modules.

[0173] Figure 4Each of the aforementioned elements is stored in one or more of the previously mentioned memory devices in some examples. Each of the aforementioned modules corresponds to a set of instructions for performing the functions described above. The aforementioned modules or programs (e.g., instruction sets) need not be implemented as standalone software programs, processes, or modules; therefore, various subsets of these modules are combined or otherwise rearranged in various embodiments. In some embodiments, memory 470 stores a subset of the aforementioned modules and data structures. In addition, memory 470 stores additional modules and data structures not described above.

[0174] Now let’s turn our attention to implementations of user interfaces that can be implemented, for example, on a portable multi-functional device 200.

[0175] Figure 5A An exemplary user interface for a menu of an application on a portable multifunction device 200 according to some embodiments is illustrated. 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:

[0176] Signal strength indicator 502 for wireless communications such as cellular signals and Wi-Fi signals;

[0177] • Time 504;

[0178] • Bluetooth indicator 505;

[0179] • Battery status indicator 506;

[0180] • Tray 508 features icons for frequently used applications, such as:

[0181] ○ The telephone module 238 has an icon 516 labeled "telephone", which optionally includes an indicator 514 indicating the number of missed calls or voicemail messages;

[0182] ○ An icon 518 labeled "Mail" in the email client module 240, which optionally includes an indicator 510 for the number of unread emails;

[0183] ○ The icon 520 labeled "Browser" in browser module 247; and

[0184] ○ The video and music player module 252 (also known as the iPod (Apple Inc. trademark) module 252) is marked with an icon 522 labeled "iPod"; and

[0185] • Icons of other applications, such as:

[0186] ○Icon 524 of IM module 241, which is marked as "message";

[0187] ○The icon 526 labeled "Calendar" in the calendar module 248;

[0188] ○ The icon 528 of the image management module 244, which is labeled "Photo".

[0189] ○ The icon 530 of camera module 243, which is labeled "camera";

[0190] ○ Icon 532 of the online video module 255, which is labeled "Online Video";

[0191] ○ The icon 534 labeled "Stock Market" in the Stock Market widget 249-2;

[0192] ○The icon 536 in map module 254 that is labeled "map";

[0193] ○ The weather widget 249-1 has icon 538 labeled "weather";

[0194] ○ The alarm clock widget 249-4 has an icon 540 labeled "clock";

[0195] ○ The icon 542 of the fitness support module 242 is labeled "fitness support";

[0196] ○ The icon 544 labeled "Memo" in the Memo module 253; and

[0197] ○ An icon 546 labeled "Settings" is used to set the settings of an application or module, which provides access to the settings of the device 200 and its various applications 236.

[0198] It should be pointed out that, Figure 5A The icon labels illustrated herein are merely exemplary. For example, the icon 522 of the video and music player module 252 may optionally be labeled “Music” or “Music Player”. Other labels may optionally be used for various application icons. In some embodiments, the label of a particular application icon includes the name of the application corresponding to that particular application icon. In some embodiments, the label of a particular application icon is different from the name of the application corresponding to that particular application icon.

[0199] Figure 5B An example is illustrated having a touch-sensitive surface 551 (e.g., separate from the display 550 (e.g., touchscreen display 212)). Figure 4 Devices (e.g., tablets or touchpads 455) Figure 4An exemplary user interface on the device 400. The device 400 also optionally includes one or more contact intensity sensors (e.g., one or more sensors in sensor 457) for detecting the intensity of contact on the tactile surface 551 and / or one or more tactile output generators 459 for generating tactile outputs for the user of the device 400.

[0200] While some examples of input on a reference touchscreen display 212 (which combines a touch-sensitive surface and a display) are given in the following examples, in some implementations, the device detects input on a touch-sensitive surface separate from the display, such as... Figure 5B As shown in the diagram. In some embodiments, the touch-sensitive surface (e.g., Figure 5B 551) has a spindle (e.g., on the display (e.g., 550) with the spindle on the display (e.g., 551). Figure 5B The spindle corresponding to 553 in the middle (e.g., Figure 5B (552 in the example). According to these embodiments, the device detects the position corresponding to the corresponding position on the display (e.g., in the example). Figure 5B In the diagram, 560 corresponds to 568 and 562 corresponds to 570) at the contact point with the touch-sensitive surface 551 (e.g., Figure 5B (560 and 562 in the text). Thus, on touch-sensitive surfaces (e.g., ... Figure 5B 551 in the middle) and the display of a multi-functional device (e.g., Figure 5B When 550 is separated from 560, user input detected by the device on the touch-sensitive surface (e.g., contact with 560 and 562 and their movement) is used by the device to manipulate the user interface on the display. It should be understood that similar methods may be optionally used for other user interfaces described herein.

[0201] Additionally, while the examples below are given primarily with reference to finger input (e.g., finger touch, finger tap, finger swipe), it should be understood that in some implementations, one or more of these finger inputs may be replaced by input from another input device (e.g., mouse-based input or stylus input). For example, a swipe gesture may optionally be replaced by a mouse click (e.g., instead of a touch), followed by movement of the cursor along the path of the swipe (e.g., instead of movement of the touch). As another example, a tap gesture may optionally be replaced by a mouse click while the cursor is over the location of the tap gesture (e.g., instead of detection of touch, followed by cessation of touch detection). Similarly, when multiple user inputs are detected simultaneously, it should be understood that multiple computer mice may optionally be used simultaneously, or mouse and finger touch may optionally be used simultaneously.

[0202] Figure 6AAn exemplary personal electronic device 600 is illustrated. Device 600 includes a body 602. In some embodiments, device 600 includes components relative to devices 200 and 400 (e.g., Figures 2A to 4 Some or all of the features described herein. In some embodiments, device 600 has a touch-sensitive display 604, referred to below as touchscreen 604. As an alternative to or complement to touchscreen 604, device 600 has a display and a touch-sensitive surface; similar to devices 200 and 400, in some embodiments, touchscreen 604 (or touch-sensitive surface) has one or more intensity sensors for detecting the intensity of an applied contact (e.g., a touch). The one or more intensity sensors of touchscreen 604 (or touch-sensitive surface) provide output data representing the intensity of the touch. The user interface of device 600 responds to touches based on touch intensity, meaning that touches of different intensities may invoke different user interface operations on device 600.

[0203] Techniques for detecting and processing touch intensity may exist, for example, in the following related applications: International Patent Application Serial No. PCT / US2013 / 040061, filed May 8, 2013, entitled “Device, Method, and Graphical User Interface for Displaying User Interface Objects Corresponding to an Application”, and International Patent Application Serial No. PCT / US2013 / 069483, filed November 11, 2013, entitled “Device, Method, and Graphical User Interface for Transitioning Between Touch Input to Display Output Relationships”, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0204] In some embodiments, device 600 has one or more input mechanisms 606 and 608. Input mechanisms 606 and 608, if included, are physical in form. Examples of physical input mechanisms include push-buttons and rotatable mechanisms. In some embodiments, device 600 has one or more attachment mechanisms. Such attachment mechanisms, if included, allow device 600 to be attached to, for example, hats, glasses, earrings, necklaces, shirts, jackets, bracelets, watch straps, bangles, trousers, belts, shoes, wallets, backpacks, etc. These attachment mechanisms allow a user to wear device 600.

[0205] Figure 6BAn exemplary personal electronic device 600 is illustrated. In some embodiments, device 600 includes, relative to... Figure 2A , Figure 2B and Figure 4 Some or all of the components described herein. Device 600 has a bus 612 that operatively couples I / O portion 614 to one or more computer processors 616 and memory 618. I / O portion 614 is connected to display 604, which may have touch-sensitive component 622 and optionally also has touch intensity-sensitive component 624. Furthermore, I / O portion 614 is connected to 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 pressable input device and a rotatable input device. In some examples, input mechanism 608 is a button.

[0206] In some examples, the input mechanism 608 is a microphone. The personal electronic device 600 includes, for example, various sensors such as a GPS sensor 632, an accelerometer 634, an orientation sensor 640 (e.g., a compass), a gyroscope 636, a motion sensor 638, and / or combinations thereof, all of which are operatively connected to the I / O section 614.

[0207] The memory 618 of the personal electronic device 600 is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by one or more computer processors 616, cause the computer processors to perform, for example, the techniques and processes described below. The computer-executable instructions are also stored and / or transported, for example, in any non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system, a processor-containing system, or other system capable of retrieving and executing instructions from and from an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The personal electronic device 600 is not limited to... Figure 6B It can be the components and configurations, or it can include other components or additional components in a variety of configurations.

[0208] As used herein, the term "power indication" refers, for example, in devices 200, 400, and / or 600 ( Figure 2A , Figure 4 and Figures 6A to 6B A graphical user interface object displayed on a screen. For example, images (e.g., icons), buttons, and text (e.g., hyperlinks) each constitute a representation.

[0209] As used herein, the term "focus selector" refers to an input element used to indicate the current portion of a user interface with which a user is interacting. In some specific implementations that include a cursor or other positional 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), the cursor is positioned on a touch-sensitive surface (e.g., a...). Figure 4 The touchpad 455 or Figure 5B When an input (e.g., a press input) is detected on the touch-sensitive surface 551 of the display, the specific user interface element is adjusted according to the detected input. This applies to touchscreen displays (e.g., those capable of direct interaction with user interface elements on a touchscreen display) that enable direct interaction with user interface elements on the touchscreen display. Figure 2A The touch-sensitive display system 212 or Figure 5A In some embodiments of the touchscreen 212, a touch detected on the touchscreen acts as a "focus selector," such that when input (e.g., a press input by touch) is detected at the location of a particular user interface element (e.g., a button, window, slider, or other user interface element) on the touchscreen display, that particular user interface element is adjusted according to the detected input. In some embodiments, focus moves from one area of ​​the user interface to another without corresponding movement of the cursor or movement of a touch on the touchscreen display (e.g., moving focus from one button to another using tab keys or arrow keys); in these embodiments, the focus selector moves according to the movement of focus between different areas of the user interface. Regardless of the specific form the focus selector takes, the focus selector is typically a user-controlled user interface element (or a touch on the touchscreen display) that conveys the user's expected interaction with the user interface (e.g., by indicating to the device the elements of the user interface that the user expects to interact with). For example, when a press input is detected on a touch-sensitive surface (e.g., a touchpad or touchscreen), the position of the focus selector (e.g., a cursor, touch, or selection box) above the corresponding button will indicate to the user that they expect to activate the corresponding button (rather than other user interface elements shown on the device's display).

[0210] As used in the specification and claims, the term "characteristic strength" of a contact refers to a characteristic of the contact based on one or more intensities of the contact. In some embodiments, the characteristic strength is based on multiple intensity samples. The characteristic strength is optionally based on a predefined number of intensity samples or a set of intensity samples collected over 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 begins to move, before contact ends, before or after contact intensity is detected to increase and / or before or after contact intensity decreases). The characteristic strength of the 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 strength (e.g., when the characteristic strength is the average value of the contact intensity over time). In some implementations, the feature intensity is compared to a set of one or more intensity thresholds to determine whether a user has performed an action. For example, the set of one or more intensity thresholds may include a first intensity threshold and a second intensity threshold. In this example, contact with a feature intensity not exceeding the first threshold results in a first action, contact with a feature intensity exceeding the first intensity threshold but not exceeding the second intensity threshold results in a second action, and contact with a feature intensity exceeding the second threshold results in a third action. In some implementations, a comparison between the feature intensity and one or more thresholds is used to determine whether to perform one or more actions (e.g., whether to perform the corresponding action or abort performing the corresponding action), rather than to determine whether to perform the first or second action.

[0211] In some implementations, a portion of the gesture is identified for determining the characteristic intensity. For example, a touch-sensitive surface receives a series of swipes that transition from a starting position to an ending position, where the intensity of the contact increases. In this example, the characteristic intensity of the contact at the ending position is based only on a portion of the series of swipes, rather than the entire swipe (e.g., the swipe contact is only the portion at the ending position). In some implementations, a smoothing algorithm is applied to the intensity of the swipe contact before determining its characteristic intensity. For example, the smoothing algorithm optionally includes one or more of the following: unweighted moving average smoothing algorithm, triangular smoothing algorithm, median filter smoothing algorithm, and / or exponential smoothing algorithm. In some cases, these smoothing algorithms eliminate narrow spikes or dips in the intensity of the swipe contact to achieve the purpose of determining the characteristic intensity.

[0212] 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 performs an operation typically associated with clicking a button on a physical mouse or touchpad. In some embodiments, the deep press intensity threshold corresponds to an intensity at which the device performs an operation different from the operation typically associated with clicking a button on a physical mouse or touchpad. In some embodiments, when a contact with a characteristic intensity lower than the light press intensity threshold (e.g., and higher than the nominal contact detection intensity threshold, where contacts lower than the nominal contact detection intensity threshold are no longer detected) is detected, the device will move the focus selector based on the movement of the contact on the touch-sensitive surface without performing the operation associated with the light press intensity threshold or the deep press intensity threshold. Generally, unless otherwise stated, these intensity thresholds are consistent across different groups of user interface figures.

[0213] An increase in contact intensity from 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 intensity from 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 intensity from 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 a contact on the touch surface. A decrease in contact intensity from above a contact detection intensity threshold to an intensity below the contact detection intensity threshold is sometimes referred to as detecting a contact being lifted off 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.

[0214] In some embodiments described herein, one or more operations are performed in response to detecting a gesture including 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 intensity of the contact (or multiple contacts) increases to above a press input intensity threshold. In some embodiments, the corresponding operation is performed in response to detecting that the intensity of the corresponding contact increases to above a press input intensity threshold (e.g., a "downward stroke" of the corresponding press input). In some embodiments, the press input includes the intensity of the corresponding contact increasing to above a press input intensity threshold and the intensity of the contact subsequently decreasing to below the press input intensity threshold, and the corresponding operation is performed in response to detecting that the intensity of the corresponding contact subsequently decreases to below the press input threshold (e.g., an "upward stroke" of the corresponding press input).

[0215] In some implementations, the device employs intensity hysteresis to avoid unintended inputs sometimes referred to as "jitter," wherein the device defines or selects a hysteresis intensity threshold that has a predefined relationship with 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 percentage of the press input intensity threshold). Therefore, in some implementations, a press input includes an increase in the intensity of the corresponding contact above the press input intensity threshold and a subsequent decrease in the intensity of that contact below the hysteresis intensity threshold corresponding to the press input intensity threshold, and an operation is performed in response to detecting that the intensity of the corresponding contact subsequently decreases below the hysteresis intensity threshold (e.g., the "upstroke" of the corresponding press input). Similarly, in some embodiments, a press input is detected only when the device detects that the intensity of the contact increases from an intensity equal to or below a hysteresis intensity threshold to an intensity equal to or above a press input intensity threshold and optionally the intensity of the contact subsequently decreases to an intensity equal to or below the hysteresis intensity, and corresponding operations are performed in response to the detection of a press input (e.g., depending on the environment, the intensity of the contact increases or decreases).

[0216] For ease of explanation, optionally, the description of an operation triggered in response to a press input associated with a press input strength threshold or in response to a gesture including a press input is provided in response to detecting any of the following conditions: the contact strength increases to above the press input strength threshold, the contact strength increases from below a hysteresis strength threshold to above the press input strength threshold, the contact strength decreases to below the press input strength threshold, and / or the contact strength decreases to below the hysteresis strength threshold corresponding to the press input strength threshold. Additionally, in the example where the operation is described as being performed in response to detecting a decrease in contact strength to below the press input strength threshold, the operation is optionally performed in response to detecting a decrease in contact strength to below a hysteresis strength threshold corresponding to and less than the press input strength threshold.

[0217] 3. Digital Assistant System

[0218] Figure 7A Block diagrams of digital assistant systems 700 according to various examples are illustrated. In some examples, the digital assistant system 700 is implemented on a standalone 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 server and client parts, wherein the client part resides on one or more user devices (e.g., device 104, device 122, device 200, device 400, or device 600) and communicates with the server part (e.g., server system 108) via one or more networks, for example, as... Figure 1As shown in the image. In some examples, the digital assistant system 700 is... Figure 1 The specific implementation of server system 108 (and / or DA server 106) shown is illustrated. It should be noted that digital assistant system 700 is merely one example of a digital assistant system, and digital assistant system 700 may have more or fewer components than shown, may combine two or more components, or may have different configurations or arrangements of components. Figure 7A The various components shown 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.

[0219] 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.

[0220] 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).

[0221] In some examples, I / O interface 706 couples input / output devices 716 of digital assistant system 700, such as a display, keyboard, touchscreen, and microphone, to user interface module 722. I / O interface 706, together with user interface module 722, receives user input (e.g., voice input, keyboard input, touch input, etc.) and processes this input accordingly. In some examples, for instance, when the digital assistant is implemented on a standalone user device, digital assistant system 700 includes components related to… Figure 2A , Figure 4 , Figures 6A to 6B Any of the components and I / O communication interfaces described in devices 200, 400, or 600. In some examples, digital assistant system 700 represents the server portion of a digital assistant implementation and can interact with the user through a client-side portion located on a user device (e.g., device 104, device 200, device 400, or device 600).

[0222] In some examples, the network communication interface 708 includes one or more wired communication ports 712 and / or wireless transmitting and receiving circuitry 714. The one or more wired communication ports receive and transmit communication signals via one or more wired interfaces such as Ethernet, Universal Serial Bus (USB), FireWire, etc. The wireless circuitry 714 receives RF signals and / or optical signals from the communication network and other communication devices, and transmits RF signals and / or optical signals to the 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 via networks such as the Internet, intranets, and / or wireless networks such as cellular telephone networks, wireless local area networks (LANs), and / or metropolitan area networks (MANs).

[0223] In some examples, memory 702 or its computer-readable storage medium 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, memory 702 or its computer-readable storage medium stores instructions for performing the above-described processes. One or more processors 704 execute these programs, modules, and instructions, and read data from or write data to data structures.

[0224] Operating systems 718 (e.g., Darwin, RTXC, LINUX, UNIX, iOS, OS X, WINDOWS, or embedded operating systems such as VxWorks) include various software components and / or drivers for controlling and managing general system tasks (e.g., memory management, storage device control, power management, etc.) and facilitate communication between various hardware, firmware, and software components.

[0225] The communication module 720 facilitates communication between the digital assistant system 700 and other devices via the network communication interface 708. For example, the communication module 720 communicates with electronic devices (such as those in…) Figure 2A , Figure 4 , Figures 6A to 6B The device 200, 400, or 600 shown communicates with the RF circuit 208. The communication module 720 also includes various components for processing data received by the wireless circuit 714 and / or the wired communication port 712.

[0226] The user interface module 722 receives commands and / or input from the user (e.g., from a keyboard, touchscreen, 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, icons, vibration, haptic 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.).

[0227] Application 724 includes programs and / or modules configured to be executed by one or more processors 704. For example, if the digital assistant system is implemented on a standalone user device, application 724 includes user applications such as games, calendar applications, navigation applications, or email applications. If the digital assistant system 700 is implemented on a server, application 724 includes, for example, resource management applications, diagnostic applications, or scheduling applications.

[0228] The memory 702 also stores the 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: input / output processing module 728, speech-to-text (STT) processing module 730, natural language processing module 732, dialogue flow processing module 734, task flow processing module 736, service processing module 738, and speech synthesis processing module 740. Each of these modules has access to one or more, or subsets or supersets of, the following systems or data and models of the digital assistant module 726: knowledge ontology 760, vocabulary index 744, user data 748, task flow model 754, service model 756, and ASR system 758.

[0229] In some examples, using the processing modules, data, and models implemented in the digital assistant module 726, the digital assistant can perform at least some of the following: converting verbal input into text; identifying user intent expressed in natural language input received from the user; proactively eliciting and obtaining the information needed to fully infer the user intent (e.g., by disambiguating words, games, intents, etc.); determining a task flow to satisfy the inferred intent; and executing the task flow to satisfy the inferred intent.

[0230] In some examples, such as Figure 7B As shown, the I / O processing module 728 can... Figure 7A The I / O device 716 in the middle interacts with the user or through Figure 7AThe network communication interface 708 interacts with user equipment (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 contextual information associated with the user input from the user equipment along with or shortly after receiving the user input. Contextual information includes user-specific data, vocabulary, and / or preferences associated with the user input. In some examples, the contextual information also includes the software and hardware states of the user equipment at the time the user request is received, and / or information related to the user's surrounding environment at the time the user request is received. In some examples, the I / O processing module 728 also transmits follow-up questions related to the user request to the user and receives answers from the user. When a 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.

[0231] STT processing module 730 includes one or more ASR systems 758. The one or more ASR systems 758 can process speech input received through I / O processing module 728 to produce recognition results. 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 spectral features characterizing the speech input as a sequence of representative multidimensional vectors. Additionally, 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 grammar language models, and other statistical models. Examples of speech recognition engines include engines based on Dynamic Time Warping (VTW) 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 representative features extracted by the front-end speech preprocessor to produce intermediate recognition results (e.g., phonemes, phoneme strings, and sub-words), and finally to produce text recognition results (e.g., words, word strings, or token sequences). In some examples, the speech input is processed at least in part by a third-party service or on the user's device (e.g., device 104, device 200, device 400, or device 600) to produce the recognition results. Once the STT processing module 730 produces the recognition results containing text strings (e.g., words, word sequences, or token sequences), the recognition results are passed to the natural language processing module 732 for intent inference. In some examples, the STT processing module 730 produces multiple candidate text representations of the speech input. Each candidate text representation is a sequence of words or tokens 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., the 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. In another example, the five highest-ranked (n=5) candidate text representations are passed to the natural language processing module 732 for intent inference.

[0232] Further details regarding speech-to-text processing are described in U.S. Utility Model Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 236,942, entitled "Consolidating Speech Recognition Results," filed September 20, 2011, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0233] In some examples, the STT processing module 730 includes a vocabulary of recognizable words and / or accesses that vocabulary via the speech alphabet conversion module 731. Each vocabulary word is associated with one or more candidate pronunciations of a word represented in the speech recognition speech alphabet. Specifically, the vocabulary of recognizable words includes words associated with multiple candidate pronunciations. For example, the vocabulary includes words associated with... and The candidate pronunciations are associated with the word "tomato". Additionally, lexical words are associated with custom candidate pronunciations based on previous speech input from the user. These custom candidate pronunciations are stored in the STT processing module 730 and associated with a specific user via a user profile on the device. In some examples, candidate pronunciations are determined based on the spelling of the word and one or more linguistic and / or phonetic rules. In some examples, candidate pronunciations are generated manually, for example, based on known standard pronunciations.

[0234] In some examples, candidate pronunciations are ranked based on their prevalence. For example, candidate pronunciations... The ranking is higher than This is because the former is a more commonly used pronunciation (e.g., among all users, for users in a specific geographic region, or for any other suitable subset of users). In some examples, candidate pronunciations are ranked based on whether they are custom candidate pronunciations associated with a user. For example, custom candidate pronunciations rank higher than standard candidate pronunciations. This can be used to identify proper nouns with unique pronunciations that deviate from the canonical pronunciation. In some examples, candidate pronunciations are associated with one or more speech features such as geographic origin, country, or ethnicity. For example, candidate pronunciations... Associated with the United States, and candidate pronunciation The candidate pronunciations are associated with the United Kingdom. Furthermore, the ranking of candidate pronunciations is based on one or more characteristics of the user (e.g., geographic origin, country, ethnicity, etc.) stored in the user profile on the device. For example, it can be determined from the user profile that the user is associated with the United States. Based on the user's association with the United States, candidate pronunciations... (Related to the United States) Comparable candidate pronunciations (Related to the UK) It ranks higher. In some examples, one of the ranked candidate pronunciations can be selected as the predicted pronunciation (e.g., the most likely pronunciation).

[0235] Upon receiving speech input, the STT processing module 730 is used (e.g., using an acoustic model) to determine the phonemes corresponding to the speech input, and then attempts (e.g., using a language model) to determine the words that match those phonemes. For example, if the STT processing module 730 first identifies a sequence of phonemes corresponding to a portion of the speech input... Then it can then determine, based on the vocabulary index 744, that the sequence corresponds to the word "tomato".

[0236] In some examples, the STT processing module 730 uses fuzzy matching techniques to determine words in a utterance. Therefore, for example, the STT processing module 730 determines phoneme sequences. This corresponds to the word "tomato," even if the specific phoneme sequence is not a candidate phoneme sequence for that word.

[0237] The digital assistant's natural language processing module 732 ("natural language processor") acquires 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 intentions" recognized by the digital assistant. An "executable intention" (or "user intention") represents a task that can be performed by the digital assistant and may have an associated task flow implemented in the task flow model 754. An associated task flow is a series of programmed actions and steps taken by the digital assistant to perform the task. The capabilities of the digital assistant depend on the number and type of task flows implemented and stored in the task flow model 754, or in other words, on the number and type of "executable intentions" recognized by the digital assistant. However, the effectiveness of the digital assistant also depends on its ability to infer the correct "one or more executable intentions" from user requests expressed in natural language.

[0238] 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, for example, contextual information associated with the user request from the I / O processing module 728. The natural language processing module 732 optionally uses the contextual information to clarify, supplement, and / or further define the information contained in the candidate text representation received from the STT processing module 730. Contextual information includes, for example, user preferences, the hardware and / or software state of the user's device, sensor information collected before, during, or shortly after the user request, previous interactions (e.g., conversations) between the digital assistant and the user, and so on. As described herein, in some examples, the contextual information is dynamic and varies with the time, location, content, and other factors of the conversation.

[0239] In some examples, natural language processing is based on, for example, a knowledge ontology 760. Knowledge ontology 760 is a hierarchical structure containing many nodes, each node representing an "executable intent" or an "attribute" associated with one or more of the "executable intent" or other "attributes." As mentioned above, an "executable intent" represents a task that a digital assistant can perform; that is, the task is "executable" or can be done. An "attribute" represents a parameter associated with a sub-aspect of an executable intent or another attribute. The connections between executable intent nodes and attribute nodes in knowledge ontology 760 define how the parameters represented by the attribute nodes are subordinate to the task represented by the executable intent nodes.

[0240] In some examples, the knowledge ontology 760 consists of executable intent nodes and attribute nodes. Within the knowledge ontology 760, each executable intent node is directly connected to or connected to one or more attribute nodes via one or more intermediate attribute nodes. Similarly, each attribute node is directly connected to or connected to one or more executable intent nodes via one or more intermediate attribute nodes. For example, as... Figure 7C As shown, knowledge ontology 760 includes a "Restaurant Reservation" node (i.e., an executable intent node). The attribute nodes "Restaurant", "Date / Time" (for reservations) and "Party Attendees" are all directly connected to the executable intent node (i.e., the "Restaurant Reservation" node).

[0241] Furthermore, the attribute nodes "Cuisine," "Price Range," "Phone Number," and "Location" are child nodes of the attribute node "Restaurant," and all are linked to the "Restaurant Reservation" node (i.e., the executable intent node) through the intermediate attribute node "Restaurant." For example, ... Figure 7C As shown, knowledge ontology 760 also includes a "Set Reminder" node (i.e., another executable intent node). The attribute nodes "Date / Time" (for setting reminders) and "Topic" (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 knowledge ontology 760.

[0242] An executable intent node, along with its linked attribute nodes, is described as a "domain." 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 knowledge ontology 760 shown includes examples of a restaurant reservation domain 762 and a reminder domain 764 within the knowledge ontology 760. The restaurant reservation domain includes an actionable intent node “Restaurant Reservation”, attribute nodes “Restaurant”, “Date / Time”, and “Participant Size”, and sub-attribute nodes “Cuisine”, “Price Range”, “Phone Number”, and “Location”. The reminder domain 764 includes an actionable intent node “Set Reminder” and attribute nodes “Topic” and “Date / Time”. In some examples, the knowledge 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 associated with many different domains (e.g., itinerary domain, travel booking domain, movie ticket domain, etc.).

[0243] although Figure 7C Two example fields within knowledge ontology 760 are illustrated, but other fields include, for example, "Find a movie," "Initiate a phone call," "Find directions," "Schedule a meeting," "Send a message," and "Provide answers to questions," "Reading lists," "Provide navigation instructions," and "Provide instructions for a task," etc. The "Send a message" field is associated with the "Send a message" executable intent node and further includes attribute nodes such as "One or more recipients," "Message type," and "Message body." The attribute node "Recipient" is further defined, for example, by sub-attribute nodes such as "Recipient name" and "Message address."

[0244] In some examples, knowledge ontology 760 includes all domains (and thus executable intents) that a digital assistant can understand and act upon. In some examples, knowledge ontology 760 is modified, such as by adding or removing entire domains or nodes, or by modifying the relationships between nodes within knowledge ontology 760.

[0245] In some examples, nodes associated with multiple related executable intents are clustered under a “superdomain” in Knowledge Ontology 760. For example, the “Travel” superdomain includes clusters of travel-related attribute nodes and executable intent nodes. Travel-related executable intent nodes include “Flight Booking,” “Hotel Booking,” “Car Rental,” “Route Planning,” “Find Points of Interest,” and so on. Executable intent nodes under the same superdomain (e.g., the “Travel” superdomain) have multiple shared attribute nodes. For example, executable intent nodes for “Flight Booking,” “Hotel Booking,” “Car Rental,” “Get Route,” and “Find Points of Interest” share one or more of the attribute nodes “Starting Location,” “Destination,” “Departure Date / Time,” “Arrival Date / Time,” and “Number of People in Party.”

[0246] 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 called the "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, returning... Figure 7B The vocabulary associated with nodes of the "restaurant" attribute includes words such as "food," "drinks," "cuisine," "hunger," "eat," "pizza," "fast food," and "meals." Similarly, the vocabulary associated with nodes of the "initiate a phone call" action includes words and phrases such as "call," "make a phone call," "dial," "talk to," "call this number," and "make a phone call." The vocabulary index 744 optionally includes words and phrases from different languages.

[0247] Natural Language Processing (NLP) module 732 receives candidate text representations (e.g., text strings or symbol sequences) from STT processing module 730 and, for each candidate representation, determines which nodes the words in the candidate text representation relate to. In some examples, if a word or phrase in the candidate text representation is found to be associated with one or more nodes in knowledge ontology 760 (via lexical index 744), the word or phrase "triggers" or "activates" those nodes. Based on the number and / or relative importance of the activated nodes, NLP module 732 selects one executable intent as the task 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 individual 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, such as whether the digital assistant has previously correctly interpreted similar requests from the user, are also considered in the node selection process.

[0248] 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- or long-term information for each user. In some examples, the natural language processing module 732 uses user-specific information to supplement the information contained in the user input to further refine the user's intent. For example, in response to a user request "Invite my friends to my birthday party," the natural language processing module 732 can access user data 748 to determine who the "friends" are and when and where the "birthday party" will be held, without requiring the user to explicitly provide such information in their request.

[0249] It should be recognized that, in some examples, the natural language processing module 732 is implemented using one or more machine learning agencies (e.g., neural networks). Specifically, the one or more machine learning agencies are configured to receive candidate text representations and contextual information associated with the candidate text representations. Based on the candidate text representations and the associated contextual information, the one or more machine learning agencies are configured to determine an intent confidence score based on a set of candidate executable intents. The natural language processing module 732 can select one or more candidate executable intents from the set of candidate executable intents based on the determined intent confidence score. In some examples, a knowledge ontology (e.g., knowledge ontology 760) is also utilized to select one or more candidate executable intents from the set of candidate executable intents.

[0250] Further details regarding the symbol string-based search of knowledge ontology are described in U.S. Utility Model Patent Application Serial No. 12 / 341,743, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Searching Using An Active Ontology,” filed on December 22, 2008, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0251] In some examples, once the natural language processing module 732 identifies an executable intent (or domain) based on a user request, it 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 these parameters are populated with specific information and requirements specified in the user request. For example, a user says, “Reserve a table at a sushi restaurant for 7 pm.” 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 for the “restaurant reservation” domain includes parameters such as {cuisine}, {time}, {date}, {number of people}, etc. In some examples, based on verbal input and text derived from the verbal input using the STT processing module 730, the natural language processing module 732 generates a partially structured query for the restaurant reservation domain, where the partially structured query includes the parameters {cuisine = “sushi”} and {time = “7 pm”}. However, in this example, the user's utterance contains insufficient information to complete a structured query associated with the domain. Therefore, based on the currently available information, no other necessary parameters such as {number of people at the party} and {date} are specified in the structured query. In some examples, the natural language processing module 732 uses the received context information to populate some parameters of the structured query. For example, in some examples, if a user requests a "nearby" sushi restaurant, the natural language processing module 732 uses GPS coordinates from the user's device to populate the {location} parameter in the structured query.

[0252] In some examples, the Natural Language Processing (NLP) module 732 identifies multiple candidate executable intents for each candidate text representation received from the STT processing module 730. Additionally, in some examples, a corresponding structured query (partially or entirely) is generated for each identified candidate executable intent. The NLP module 732 determines an intent confidence score for each candidate executable intent and ranks the candidate executable intents based on the intent confidence scores. In some examples, the NLP module 732 transmits one or more of the generated 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 intents 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 intents, along with corresponding one or more candidate text representations, are provided to the task flow processing module 736.

[0253] Further details regarding the inference of user intent based on multiple candidate executable intents determined from multiple candidate text representations of speech input are described in U.S. Utility Model Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 298,725, filed June 6, 2014, entitled “System and Method for Inferring UserIntent From Speech Inputs,” the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0254] Task flow processing module 736 is configured to receive one or more structured queries from 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 task flow model 754. In some examples, task flow model 754 includes processes for obtaining additional information from the user, and task flows for performing actions associated with the executable intent.

[0255] As described above, to complete a structured query, task flow processing module 736 needs to initiate additional dialogue with the user to obtain additional information and / or clarify potentially ambiguous statements. When such interaction is necessary, task flow processing module 736 invokes dialogue flow processing module 734 to participate in the dialogue with the user. In some examples, dialogue flow processing module 734 determines how (and / or when) to request additional information from the user and receives and processes user responses. Questions are presented to the user and answers are received from the user via I / O processing module 728. In some examples, dialogue flow processing module 734 presents dialogue output to the user via audible and / or visual output and receives input from the user via verbal or physical (e.g., click) responses. Continuing with the above example, when task flow processing module 736 invokes dialogue flow processing module 734 to determine the "party size" and "date" information for a structured query associated with the domain "restaurant reservation," dialogue flow processing module 734 generates questions such as "How many people in a row?" and "Which day to book?" and presents them to the user. Once a response is received from the user, the dialogue flow processing module 734 either fills 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.

[0256] Once the task flow processing module 736 has completed the structured query for the executable intent, it begins executing 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 based on 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 the restaurant and actually requesting a reservation for a specific number of people at a specific time for a specific party. For example, using a structured query such as: {restaurant reservation, restaurant = ABC Cafe, date = 3 / 12 / 2012, time = 7 pm, number of people = 5}, the task flow processing module 736 can perform the following steps: (1) log in to ABC Cafe's server or such as OPENTABLE ® The restaurant reservation system, (2) inputs date, time and party number information on the website, (3) submits the form, and (4) creates a calendar entry for the reservation in the user's calendar.

[0257] In some examples, task flow processing module 736, with the assistance of service processing module 738 (“service processing module”), completes the task requested in the user input or provides the informational answer requested in the user input. For example, service processing module 738, on behalf of task flow processing module 736, initiates a phone call, sets a calendar entry, invokes a map search, invokes or interacts with other user applications installed on the user's device, and invokes or interacts with third-party services (e.g., restaurant reservation portals, social networking sites, bank portals, etc.). In some examples, the protocols and application programming interfaces (APIs) required for each service are specified through the corresponding service model in service model 756. Service processing module 738 accesses the appropriate service model for a service and, based on the service model, generates a request for that service according to the protocols and APIs required by that service.

[0258] For example, if a restaurant has enabled an online reservation service, it submits a service model that specifies the necessary parameters for making a reservation and the values ​​of those parameters to be transmitted to the online reservation service's API. 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 transmit the necessary reservation parameters (e.g., time, date, number of party members) to the online reservation interface in a format appropriate to the online reservation service's API.

[0259] In some examples, the natural language processing module 732, the dialogue flow processing module 734, and the task flow processing module 736 are used together and repeatedly to infer and define the user's intent, obtain information to further clarify and refine the user's intent, and ultimately generate a response (i.e., output to the user, or to complete a task) to satisfy the user's intent. The generated response is a dialogue response to the verbal input that at least partially satisfies the user's intent. Additionally, in some examples, the generated response is output as verbal output. In these examples, the generated response is passed to the speech synthesis processing module 740 (e.g., a speech synthesizer), which processes the generated response to synthesize the dialogue response in verbal form. In other examples, the generated response is data content related to satisfying the user's request in the verbal input.

[0260] 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 a first structured query of the received structured queries to attempt to complete the first structured query and / or execute one or more tasks or actions represented by the first structured query. In some examples, the first structured query corresponds to the highest-ranking executable intent. In other examples, the first structured query is selected from structured queries received based on a combination of a corresponding speech recognition confidence score and a 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 necessary parameters), the task flow processing module 736 may continue to select and process a second structured query from the received structured queries that corresponds to a lower-ranking executable intent. For example, the second structured query may be selected based on a speech recognition confidence score of a corresponding candidate text representation, an intent confidence score of a corresponding candidate executable intent, missing necessary parameters in the first structured query, or any combination thereof.

[0261] Speech synthesis processing module 740 is configured to synthesize speech output for presentation to a user. Speech synthesis processing module 740 synthesizes speech output based on text provided by a digital assistant. For example, the generated dialogue response is in the form of a text string. Speech synthesis processing module 740 converts the text string into audible speech output. Speech synthesis processing module 740 uses any appropriate speech synthesis techniques to generate speech output from text, including but not limited to: concatenation synthesis, unit selection synthesis, diphone synthesis, domain-specific synthesis, formant synthesis, articulation synthesis, Hidden Markov Model (HMM) based synthesis, and sine wave synthesis. In some examples, speech synthesis processing module 740 is configured to synthesize individual words based on phoneme strings corresponding to those words. For example, phoneme strings are associated with words in the generated dialogue response. Phoneme strings are stored in metadata associated with the words. Speech synthesis processing module 740 is configured to directly process the phoneme strings in the metadata to synthesize words in speech form.

[0262] In some examples, as an alternative (or supplement) 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 transmitted to a user device for output to the user. For example, this could occur in some implementations where the output of a digital assistant is generated at the server system. And since the server system typically has greater processing power or more resources than the user device, it is possible to obtain speech output of higher quality than that achieved through client-side synthesis.

[0263] Additional details regarding digital assistants can be found in U.S. Utility Model Patent Application No. 12 / 987,982, filed January 10, 2011, entitled “Intelligent Automated Assistant,” and U.S. Utility Model Patent Application No. 13 / 251,088, filed September 30, 2011, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0264] 4. The process for providing electronic document output.

[0265] Figure 8 System 800 of a digital assistant document reading system for providing audio output to electronic documents is illustrated according to various examples. For example... Figure 8 As illustrated, system 800 includes an input module 801, a natural language processor (NLP) 802, an action identification module 803, a media item module 804, a media item generator 805, a media item player 806, an electronic document module 807, a semantic module 808, and a concept module 809. System 800 includes a media item generation 805 for performing processes, for example, using one or more electronic devices implementing digital assistant 700.

[0266] In some examples, system 800 is implemented using a client-server system (e.g., system 100), and the modules of system 800 are divided between a server (e.g., DA server 106) and client devices in any way. In some examples, the modules of system 800 are divided between a server and multiple client devices (e.g., mobile phones and tablets). Therefore, although parts of the functionality performed by system 800 are described herein as being performed by a specific device of the client-server system, it should be understood that system 800 is not limited to this. In other examples, the functionality performed by modules within system 800 is performed using only client devices (e.g., user device 104) or only multiple client devices. In system 800, some modules are optionally combined, the order of some modules is optionally changed, and some modules are optionally omitted. Additionally, system 800 may be integrated into any other function or application of a client device, other than digital assistant 700.

[0267] Depending on the specific implementation, the digital assistant document reading system 800 may include an input module 801, such as... Figure 8As shown. System 800 can provide input module 801 with data corresponding to voice or physical interaction in response to receiving user input requesting audible output of an electronic document, including text. Input module 801 can receive data from one or more sensors or devices (e.g., touchscreen, physical or virtual buttons, camera sensors, microphones, etc.) that receive physical interactions (e.g., touch, drag, click, tap, gesture, gaze, etc.) or voice interactions (e.g., user speech) from the user. Input module 801 then processes the data representing the voice or physical interaction in several different ways to determine the user's intent. Specifically, as discussed below, input module 801 determines whether the user is attempting to request the digital assistant to output an electronic document.

[0268] In some examples, input module 801 includes a display (e.g., 202) that provides an input and output interface between the client (or user) device and the user. Additionally, input module 801 may access one or more sensors or devices of the client device to capture user input, such as the user's words or taps.

[0269] In some examples, the input module 801 receives audio input or user speech from the user. Specifically, to provide user speech, the user invokes the digital assistant. This can be achieved in various ways, such as raising the computing device, pressing or selecting a digital assistant object (e.g., a microphone icon), pressing and holding the home button, or speaking a wake-up phrase such as "Hey digital assistant" or "Hey Siri." In some implementations, the digital assistant always listens for the wake-up phrase or whether it can interpret any commands in the audio input.

[0270] In some examples, in response to receiving audio input or user utterances, input module 801 may forward data associated with the audio input or user utterances to NLP 802. NLP 802 will process the data associated with the received input to determine the user's intent. In some examples, NLP 802 may identify key terms (e.g., terms of interest) from the user's audio input and also use the key terms in many ways. In some examples, the user's utterances and the identified key terms may be used to determine the audio output for providing an electronic document.

[0271] In some examples, system 800 includes an action identification module 803. In some examples, action identification module 803 interacts with NLP 802 to identify one or more actions to be performed in response to receiving physical and / or voice interactions from a user. For example, action identification module 803 may determine to provide audible output of an electronic document in response to a user's request to read the document aloud.

[0272] In some examples, the action identification module 803 uses key terms from the user's audio input determined by the NLP 802 to identify one or more actions. For example, when the system 800 is displaying an electronic document, the user can provide the audio input "read this". Based on the key terms associated with the user's speech from the NLP 802 (e.g., "read" and "this"), the action identification module 803 can identify actions stored in the memory of the system 800.

[0273] In response to determining that audio output is to be provided for an electronic document, input module 801 may forward data to media item module 804. In some examples, media item module 804 generates media items based on the text of the electronic document, depending on whether audio output is provided for the electronic document.

[0274] In some examples, the media item generator 805 forwards the data associated with the generated media item to the media item player 806. In some examples, the media item player 806 outputs the generated media item.

[0275] In some examples, the media item generator 805 interacts with the electronic document module 807 to generate media items. In some examples, the electronic document module 807 determines whether the displayed or selected electronic document is readable (e.g., including text that can be converted into speech). If the electronic document is readable, the electronic document module uses the semantic module 808 to determine the semantic structure of the electronic document (e.g., regarding...). Figure 12 (To be discussed in further detail). In some examples, the electronic document module 807 also uses the concept module 809 to determine the concepts expressed in the electronic document (such as about...). Figure 12 (To be discussed in further detail).

[0276] In some examples, the media item player 806 interacts with the electronic document module 807 to output media items. In some examples, the output media item is based on the semantic structure and concepts of the electronic document. For example, outputting media items may include streaming the electronic document to the media item (e.g., sentence-by-sentence, paragraph-by-paragraph, section-by-section, or concept-by-concept). In some examples, streaming the electronic document to the media item includes analyzing and outputting the electronic document on a semantic object-by-semantic object or word-by-word basis as the digital assistant encounters each semantic object or word individually. In other examples, the digital assistant analyzes the entire electronic document (including each semantic object and word in the electronic document) when generating the media item. In some examples, the length of semantic objects (e.g., sentences, paragraphs, pages, headers, chapters, and sections) is determined by the semantic module 808. In some examples, concepts (e.g., themes, ideas, emotions, and tones associated with semantic objects) are determined by the concept module 809.

[0277] In some examples, input module 801 receives a second user input associated with the intent to modify the output. In some examples, the input module determines the intent to modify the output in the identifiable action module by receiving processed input associated with the received user input from NLP module 802.

[0278] In some examples, based on the determination that the second user input is associated with the intent to modify the output, the input module interacts with the media item module 803 to modify the output of the media item using the media item player 806. In some examples, modifying the output includes pausing the output, repeating semantic objects in the document, jumping to semantic objects in the document, rewinding to semantic objects in the document, or modifying the pitch, volume, speaking style, or speed of the output. In some examples, the media item player 806 of the item module 803 interacts with the document module 807 to modify the output. For example, the media item player 806 may determine where to jump within the document based on the semantic structure of the document determined by the semantic module 808. For example, jumping to or to a meaningful location in the document, such as the end of a sentence, paragraph, page, chapter, section, concept, etc. In another example, the media item player 806 determines where to rewind within the document based on a concept determined in the concept module 809.

[0279] Figures 9A to 9B Examples of user interfaces and digital assistant user interfaces are shown, based on various examples. Figures 9A to 9B Used to illustrate the process described below, including Figure 16 , Figure 17 and Figure 18 The process in.

[0280] Figure 9A An electronic device 900 is shown. Device 900 may be implemented as device 104, device 122, device 200, or device 600. In some examples, device 900 at least partially implements digital assistant system 700. Figure 9A In one example, device 900 is a smartphone with a display and a touch-sensitive surface. In other examples, device 900 is a different type of device, such as a wearable device (e.g., a smartwatch), a tablet, a laptop computer, or a desktop computer.

[0281] exist Figure 9A In this example, device 900 displays electronic document 901. In some examples, electronic document 901 contains text. In some examples, electronic document 901 is displayed on a browser or book reading application. In some examples, electronic document 901 is not displayed. Instead, a hyperlink to the electronic document or a message referencing the electronic document may be displayed (in...). Figures 15A to 15B and Figure 18 (Further discussion in the future).

[0282] In some examples, electronic document 901 is saved to the user's reading list. In some examples, the reading list is a saved list of articles and ebooks that the user plans to read. In some examples, the reading list is stored on device 900 and is accessible to the digital assistant.

[0283] In some examples, the user invokes the digital assistant on device 900 (e.g., 700). In some examples, invoking the digital assistant includes providing physical input (e.g., pressing and / or holding a physical button on device 900, and tapping / swiping / clicking the digital assistant power indicator) or audio input (e.g., “Hey Siri,” “Computer,” “Assistant,” etc.). In some examples, invoking the digital assistant includes displaying the digital assistant icon 902. In some examples, the digital assistant icon 902 is displayed at the bottom of device 900.

[0284] In some examples, device 900 receives user input 903 requesting audible output of an electronic document containing text. In some examples, user input 903 includes audio input (e.g., "Read this" or "Read it to me"). In some examples, user input 903 includes physical input (e.g., tapping a visual suggestion to read an electronic document aloud 901). In some examples, device 900 receives user input 903 while displaying a digital assistant icon 902. When device 900 receives user input 903 while displaying the digital assistant icon 902, the digital assistant icon 902 may blink or dynamically change size to indicate that device 900 is receiving input. In some examples, the digital assistant icon 902 remains static (e.g., does not change) while receiving user input 903.

[0285] In some examples, the digital assistant determines whether the electronic document 901 is readable. In some examples, the electronic document 901 is readable when it contains a threshold amount of readable HTML (e.g., an ebook or an offline / online article). In some examples, readable HTML includes section elements (e.g., ...). <article> ， <nav> ， <section>or <aside>(and semantic HTML within the section elements. For example, news websites can...) <article>Articles containing semantic text within HTML tags. Articles on news websites will be readable. In some examples, electronic document 901 is readable when it contains a threshold amount of semantic text. In some examples, semantic text includes characters, words, and semantic objects of said characters and words (e.g., sentences, paragraphs, pages, chapters, sections, and headers). In some examples, the amount of semantic text is determined based on the length of all symbols in the text of the electronic document. In some examples, symbols include characters, words, spaces, punctuation marks, code elements, and syllables. For example, an ebook may contain 1700 words in the form of sentences, paragraphs, footnotes, headers, and headings. Because the ebook contains the threshold of 1700 words in the form of semantic text, it is readable. Semantic text does not include graphics, tables, and images. For example, a pie chart on the same news website would not be a readable electronic document because it lacks the threshold amount of semantic text. Based on the determination that electronic document 901 is unreadable, device 900 will provide a response indicating that the electronic document is unreadable (e.g., "I cannot read it."). For example, a digital assistant can determine that PowerPoint... ® The demo is unreadable because it lacks readable HTML section elements. In another example, a forum on a social media app might be unreadable because it lacks readable HTML, such as... <article>HTML tags. Based on the determination that the electronic document is readable, the digital assistant determines to output the electronic document.

[0286] In some examples, determining whether electronic document 901 is readable is based on whether electronic document 901 is compatible with the application's reader mode. In some examples, electronic document 901 is unreadable when it is incompatible with the application's reader mode. In some examples, the application with reader mode is an internet browser. For example, electronic document is compatible with the application's reader mode when the application's reader mode can remove electronic advertisements and / or display the semantic text of the electronic document and related images from the electronic document in a new, compact, organized, and readable layout. For example, if the electronic document is compatible with Safari... ® Google Chrome ® or Firefox ® If the application's reader mode is compatible, the electronic document is readable.

[0287] In some examples, based on the output of providing an electronic document 901, the digital assistant generates media items 904 based on the text of the electronic document, such as... Figure 9B As illustrated in the example. In some examples, media item 904 is a media file that can be output by device 900.

[0288] In some examples, generating media item 904 is based on the semantic structure of electronic document 901. In some examples, generating media item 904 based on the semantic structure of electronic document 901 includes determining the presence and location of semantic objects (e.g., sentences, paragraphs, pages, headings, headers, etc.). In some examples, generating media item 904 based on the semantic structure includes determining the length of at least one semantic object (e.g., sentence, paragraph, page, etc.). For example, when generating media item 904, the digital assistant can determine the length of each sentence in electronic document 901 to determine how long to pause after reading each sentence. For example, if a sentence is lengthy (e.g., longer than 30 symbols (e.g., words, syllables, characters, and spaces), the output of the media item will extend the pause after reading the lengthy sentence.

[0289] In some examples, generating media item 904 based on the semantic structure of the electronic document includes the presence of a header in the electronic document 901. For example, the electronic document 901 may include a title, chapter, or section header (e.g., 1204). In some examples, generating media item 904 includes an extended pause after the output header.

[0290] In some examples, generating media item 904 includes estimating the duration of media item 904 and including a progress bar (e.g., 907). For example, when generating media item 904, the digital assistant may determine that the estimated duration required for the digital assistant to output the entire electronic document 901 is five minutes. In this example, media item 904 may include a progress bar (e.g., 907) with a length of five minutes.

[0291] In some examples, the digital assistant dynamically streams the electronic document 901 to the media item 904 as it outputs the media item 904. In some examples, dynamically streaming the electronic document 901 involves processing and outputting each semantic object individually. For example, instead of processing each sentence in the electronic document 901 during the generation of the media item 904, the digital assistant could dynamically stream each sentence in the electronic document 901 to the media item 904 individually as the device 900 outputs the media item 904.

[0292] Figure 9B The diagram illustrates the output of media item 904 after its generation. In some examples, media item 904 is displayed on device 900. Displaying media item 904 includes displaying a title 906, a progress bar 907 indicating the current position of output 905 within the context of electronic document 901, a fast-forward indicator 908, a rewind indicator 909, and a play / pause indicator 910. In some examples, media item 904 includes a volume indicator (e.g., a volume bar or a digital line associated with the volume of device 900). In some examples, electronic document 901 is displayed while media item 904 is being output. Electronic document 901 may also be displayed concurrently with media item 904.

[0293] In some examples, output 905 is the output of media item 904. For example, output 905 may include reading aloud an electronic document 901. In some examples, electronic document 901 is streamed to media item 904 (e.g., sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph, section by section, page by page, etc.) and output 905.

[0294] In some examples, the output media item 904 is based on the semantic structure of the electronic document 901. In some examples, outputting media item 904 based on the semantic structure of the electronic document 901 includes determining the presence and location of semantic objects (e.g., sentences, paragraphs, pages, headings, headers, etc.). For example, the digital assistant can determine that media item 904 is currently outputting the third sentence in the second paragraph of the electronic document 901. In some examples, the semantic structure includes determining at least one length of the currently output semantic object. In some examples, the currently output semantic object includes the semantic object currently being output by the digital assistant using media item 904 at the time of determination. In some examples, the length of the currently output semantic object is determined by counting the number of symbols (e.g., words, syllables, characters, and spaces) in the currently output semantic object.

[0295] In some examples, outputting based on the semantic structure of the electronic document 901 includes determining that the length of the current output semantic object (e.g., the number of symbols) is greater than a threshold (e.g., more than 30 characters). In some examples, based on determining that the length of the current output semantic object is greater than the threshold, the digital assistant extends the pause after the current output semantic object (e.g., an extended period of silence (e.g., more than 3 seconds)). Extending the pause after the output of a lengthy semantic object mimics a natural person reading aloud a lengthy semantic object. For example, a person reading a lengthy sentence would need an extended pause to breathe. Therefore, extending the pause after the current output semantic sentence or at the end of the current output sentence will closely reflect actual human behavior. In other examples, the pause after the semantic object may vary proportionally to the length of the semantic object (e.g., the pause doubles as the size of the semantic object doubles).

[0296] In some examples, outputting media item 904 based on the semantic structure of the electronic document 901 includes determining the type of the current output semantic object. In some examples, the types of semantic objects include sentence type, paragraph type, page type, header type, footer type, footnote type, chapter type, and section type. In some examples, outputting based on the semantic structure of the electronic document also includes outputting based on the type of the output semantic object. For example, outputting a chapter-type semantic object may end with a longer pause than outputting a sentence-type semantic object.

[0297] In some examples, the semantic structure output media item 904 based on electronic document 901 includes visually indicating each semantic object being output. In some examples, visually indicating each semantic object includes highlighting the currently output semantic object. For example, as media item 904 outputs 905 each sentence (e.g., a semantic object) in electronic document 901, device 900 highlights the currently output sentence. This feature allows the user to read along with a digital assistant and to focus on the portion of the electronic document being read aloud. In some examples, visually indicating each semantic object includes highlighting all output semantic objects. For example, if the output 905 of media item 904 has read the first paragraph aloud (e.g., a semantic object), the entire first paragraph will remain highlighted as device 900 continues outputting media item 904. This feature allows the user to remember and view the progress of the digital assistant as it reads electronic document 901.

[0298] In some examples, the digital assistant determines the concepts in electronic document 901 when outputting media item 904. In some examples, the digital assistant determines the concepts in electronic document 901 when generating media item 904. In some examples, each semantic object in electronic document 901 is associated with at least one concept. In some examples, concepts include ideas, emotions, tone, and themes expressed in or associated with semantic objects. For example, a sentence (e.g., a semantic object) might describe "the dog wagged its tail excitedly." In this example, the sentence is associated with at least the concept of excitement (e.g., tone or emotion) and the concept of a dog (e.g., the theme). In some examples, the concept of a semantic object is determined by the header, section, or chapter associated with the semantic object. For example, a sentence in a book about dog breeds might be associated with the theme "Beagle" because the chapter associated with that sentence is titled "Beagle." In some examples, a set of semantic objects is associated with at least one concept. In some examples, concepts include ideas, emotions, tone, and themes expressed in or associated with semantic objects. In some examples, the concept of a set of semantic objects is determined by the header, section, or chapter associated with that set of semantic objects. In another example, a set of paragraphs in a chapter might be associated with the topic "Dog" because the section associated with that set of paragraphs is titled "Dog." In some examples, the concept is determined by keywords identified in the semantic objects. For example, if a digital assistant identifies keywords in a chapter (such as "laugh," "smile," "sunshine," and "fun"), the digital assistant will be able to determine that the concept of the chapter is the emotion of joy.

[0299] In some examples, output media item 904 is based on at least one concept in electronic document 901. In some examples, at least one concept in electronic document 901 is a first concept associated with the semantic object currently being output in electronic document 901. For example, output 905 of media item 904 may currently be playing a paragraph associated with the concept of "laughter" (e.g., a theme). In some examples, modifying the output based on concepts in electronic document 901 (e.g., themes, emotions, tone, and thoughts associated with semantic objects) includes extending the pause after outputting the first concept. For example, after outputting a sentence associated with the emotion of sadness, the output may extend the pause at the end of the sentence to mimic a human pause after reading a melancholy or sad sentence. Thus, the emotion (e.g., the first concept) associated with the sentence (e.g., the semantic object) modifies output 905 by extending the pause to emotionally simulate reading.

[0300] In some examples, the output of media item 904 based on at least one concept includes outputting at a specific pitch, speed, or volume. In some examples, the concept (such as tone, emotion, theme, or idea associated with the current output semantic object) influences the pitch, speed, speaking style, or volume of the output. For example, the output 905 of media item 904 could output a paragraph associated with a "suspenseful" tone and a "chase" theme. Therefore, the output could be sped up to simulate a more engaging reading of the chase scene described in the paragraph. In another example, the output of the media item could output a paragraph associated with the theme of a "bedtime story." Therefore, the digital assistant could lower the volume of device 900 to mimic the softer reading voice of a parent reading to a toddler.

[0301] In some examples, outputting media item 904 based on at least one concept includes extending the pause at the end of the concept. In some examples, extending the pause at the end of a concept includes extending the pause at the end of a set of semantic objects associated with that concept. For example, if a set of paragraphs within a section is associated with the concept of a bird. In this example, the digital assistant could extend the pause at the end of the last sentence associated with a bird to signal to the user that a concept has been completed and a new concept is about to begin.

[0302] Figure 10 The device 900 is illustrated with various examples of receiving a second user input 1000 to modify the output 905 of media item 904. Figure 10 Used to illustrate the process described below, including Figure 16 , Figure 17 and Figure 18 The process in.

[0303] Figure 10 A device 900 is shown that receives a second user input 1000 when outputting media item 904. In some examples, the digital assistant determines whether the second user input 1000 is associated with an intention to modify output 905 (e.g., "read faster", "read slower", "speak softer", "speak louder", "skip this part", "repeat what was just said", "rewind to the previous sentence", "speak in a lower voice", and "read in a higher voice").

[0304] In some examples, the digital assistant modifies the output 905 of media item 904 based on the second user input 1000, determining that the second user input 1000 is associated with an intent to modify the output 905. In some examples, modifying the output 905 based on the second user input 1000 includes determining that the second user input 1000 is associated with an intent to change the pitch of the output 905 (e.g., a higher or lower pitch). In some examples, modifying the output 905 based on the second user input 1000 includes determining that the second user input 1000 is associated with an intent to change the volume of the output 905 (e.g., louder or softer). In some examples, modifying the output 905 based on the second user input 1000 includes determining that the second user input 1000 is associated with an intent to change the speed of the output 905 (e.g., reading faster or slower). In some examples, modifying the output includes modifying the pitch of the output 905, modifying the volume of the output 905, and / or modifying the output speed of the output 905. For example, if a user requests "softer reading", the digital assistant will correspondingly reduce the volume of device 900 during the output of media item 904, 905, while device 900 is outputting media item 904.

[0305] In some examples, modifying output 905 based on second user input 1000 includes determining that the second user input 1000 is associated with an output media item 904 at a first location in electronic document 901 (e.g., rewinding to the previous sentence, jumping to the next sentence, repeating the currently output sentence). In some examples, based on determining that the received second user input 1000 is associated with an intent to output at a first location in electronic document 901, the digital assistant determines the first location of electronic document 901 based on the second user input 1000 and when outputting media item 904. In some examples, determining the first location of electronic document 901 based on second user input 1000 includes determining that the first location of electronic document 901 is a previously defined semantic object (e.g., sentence, paragraph, page, etc.).

[0306] In some examples, determining the first position of electronic document 901 is based on previously received physical user input. In some examples, physical user input is a tap, touch, or click on the display of device 900. In some examples, physical user input is a tap, touch, or click on a word or semantic object in electronic document 901. In some examples, physical user input is highlighting a word or semantic object (e.g., swiping, clicking, and dragging). For example, a user might tap a word in electronic document 901. After tapping the word, the user might provide a second user input 1000 "Repeat it." Device 900 will then determine that the user intends to output media item 904 at the tapped word in electronic document 901. In another example, a user might click and drag a sentence in electronic document 901 (e.g., highlighting). The user might then provide a second user input 1000 "Jump here." Device 900 will then determine that the user intends to output media item 904 at the highlighted word in electronic document 901.

[0307] In some examples, modifying output 905 can be based on the semantic structure of electronic document 901. In some examples, modifying output 905 based on the semantic structure of electronic document 901 includes restarting output 905 at a first position where media item 904 is a subsequent or future semantic object. For example, a user can provide a second user input, "Jump to the next paragraph." The digital assistant can then use the semantic structure of electronic document 901 to determine the position of the current output paragraph and the "next paragraph." When the "next paragraph" is determined, the digital assistant can determine that the first position is the start of the determined "next paragraph" and restart output 905 at that first position.

[0308] In some examples, the semantic structure includes the length of the current output semantic object (e.g., sentence, paragraph, page, etc.). In some examples, upon receiving a second user input 1000, the digital assistant determines whether the media item's output 905 has already output a number of symbols (e.g., words, syllables, characters, and spaces) less than or greater than a threshold in the current output semantic object. In some examples, based on determining that the media item 904's output 905 has output less than a threshold number of symbols, the digital assistant determines that a first position is the beginning of a previously output sentence and restarts output 905 at that first position. For example, a user might request "Say it again" 1000. Upon receiving a second user input 1000, the digital assistant can determine that output 905 has output 2 out of 12 words in the current output sentence. The digital assistant can then determine that 2 out of 12 words is less than a threshold number of words in the sentence. Therefore, the digital assistant can determine that the user intends to repeat a previously output sentence before the current output sentence, and the digital assistant can modify output 905 to restart output 905 at the beginning of the sentence preceding the currently output sentence.

[0309] In some examples, based on the determination that the output 905 of media item 904 has output more than a threshold number of symbols, a first position is determined to be the beginning of the currently output sentence (e.g., repeating the current sentence), and output 905 restarts at the first position. For example, a user might request "Say it again" 1000. Upon receiving the second user input 1000, the digital assistant can determine that output 905 has output 9 out of 12 words in the currently output sentence. The digital assistant can then determine that 9 out of 12 words is greater than a threshold number of words in the sentence. Therefore, the digital assistant can determine that the user intends to repeat the currently output sentence and can modify output 905 to restart outputting 905 at the beginning of the currently output sentence.

[0310] In some examples, modifying the output 905 of media item 904 is based on at least one concept in electronic document 901. In some examples, modifying the output 905 of media item 904 based on at least one concept in electronic document 901 and based on a second user input 1000 includes restarting the output 905 at a first position associated with a desired concept in the electronic document (e.g., "jump to the happier section" and "rewind to the last sentence about lemons"). In some examples, the digital assistant determines the first position associated with the desired concept in electronic document 901 based on at least one concept in electronic document 901 and the second user input 1000, according to the determination that the received second user input 1000 is associated with an intention to output at the first position associated with the desired concept in electronic document 901. In some examples, such determination includes determining the semantic object to be output, either the last output or the next to be output, associated with the desired concept. For example, while listening to the output 905 of media item 904, a user can provide the audio input "jump to the happier section." The digital assistant will then determine the next section (after the current output section) in electronic document 901 associated with the emotion (e.g., concept) of happiness. In this example, suppose the next section in electronic document 901 is associated with the emotion of sadness, and the subsequent section is associated with the emotion of joy. In this example, the digital assistant would restart the output at the beginning of the section associated with joy (e.g., skipping the previous two sections).

[0311] In some examples, the output media item 904 is based on at least one user preference. In some examples, user preferences include concepts that the user dislikes or doesn't want to listen to. In some examples, user preferences include concepts that the user likes or wants to listen to. In some examples, user preferences are based on explicit user input. For example, the user can provide input such as "sentences to avoid sadness." In some examples, user preferences are based on implicit user feedback when the media item 904 is output at device 900. For example, if it is assumed that the user consistently skips sentences associated with the concept of "sadness," device 900 can determine that the user has a preference to avoid semantic objects associated with "sadness." In some examples, outputting media item 904 based on at least one user preference includes abandoning semantic objects associated with at least one concept in the output document 901. Continuing with this example, after determining the user's preference to avoid semantic objects associated with "sadness," device 900 will abandon the output of any semantic objects associated with "sadness." If device 900 abandons the output of semantic objects, device 900 will immediately continue outputting media item 904 at subsequent semantic objects not associated with "sadness."

[0312] Figures 11A to 11C Examples of devices that pause and resume the output of media items based on received user input are shown. Figures 11A to 11C Used to illustrate the process described below, including Figure 17 and Figure 18 The process in.

[0313] Figure 11A A device 900 is shown that outputs media item 904 and receives third user input 1100 (e.g., audio input or physical input (e.g., tap, swipe, drag, click, etc.)). In some examples, when outputting media item 904 associated with an electronic document 901 including text, device 900 receives third user input 1100 associated with a pause intention (e.g., "pause", "stop and skip to the next section", "wait, rewind to this section", dragging on the progress bar 907 in media item 904, pressing the play / pause indicator 910 on the media item, tapping a paragraph or sentence in electronic document 901).

[0314] In some examples, based on the determination that the received third user input 1100 is associated with a pause intent, the digital assistant pauses the media item 904, outputting 905, as shown. Figure 11B As shown. In some examples, pausing the output 905 of media item 904 includes determining a pause position in the electronic document associated with the output 905 of media item 904. In some examples, the pause position includes the position in the electronic document 901 where output 905 is currently being output when third user input 1100 is received. In some examples, pausing the output 905 of media item 905 also includes saving the pause position. In some examples, the pause position is stored on device 900 or on a network connected to device 900.

[0315] In some examples, when output is paused at 905 and based on the determination that the received third user input 1100 is associated with the intention to resume output at the first position, the digital assistant determines the first position in the electronic document (in) based on the user input. Figure 12 (To be discussed further below). For example, third user input 1100 may include a user tapping a sentence in an electronic document 901. In this example, the digital assistant will pause the output and determine to resume the output at a first position, where the first position is the beginning of the tapped sentence.

[0316] In some examples, determining the first position in electronic document 901 is based on the semantic structure of electronic document 901. In some examples, the semantic structure includes pause positions. In some examples, the semantic structure includes semantic objects (e.g., sentences, paragraphs, pages, etc.) in electronic document 901, such as... Figure 12 As shown.

[0317] Figure 12 Examples of readable electronic documents based on various examples are shown. Figure 12 Used to illustrate the process described below, including Figure 16 , Figure 17 and Figure 18 The process in.

[0318] Figure 12 An exemplary readable electronic document 901 is shown. In some examples, electronic document 901 includes a first semantic object (e.g., sentence, paragraph, page, etc.) 1201, a second semantic object 1202, a third semantic object 1203, and a fourth semantic object 1204. In some examples, the semantic object is a sentence, paragraph, page, section, header, or chapter in the electronic document. In some examples, each semantic object in electronic document 901 is associated with at least one concept (e.g., topic, idea, emotion, tone).

[0319] In some examples, determining a first location in electronic document 901 based on its semantic structure includes a first semantic object 1201. In some examples, the first semantic object 1201 is associated with a pause location. In some examples, determining the first location based on the semantic structure of electronic document 901 is further based on the pause location.

[0320] In some examples, the pause position is a number of symbols (e.g., words, syllables, characters, and spaces) that are less than a threshold (e.g., less than 30 characters) away from the beginning of the first semantic object 1201. In some examples, the threshold is the number of symbols that are less than the end of the first semantic object 1201. Based on determining that the pause position is less than the threshold, the digital assistant can determine that the first position is associated with the beginning of the first semantic object 1201. For example, if the output 905 is paused after the word "juice" in the first semantic object 1201, the digital assistant will determine that the pause position is a number of symbols less than the threshold away from the beginning of the first semantic object 1201. Therefore, the digital assistant will determine that the first position is the beginning of the first semantic object 1201.

[0321] In some examples, the pause position is a number of symbols (e.g., words, syllables, characters, and spaces) that are farther away from the beginning of the first semantic object 1201 than a threshold (e.g., more than 30 characters). In some examples, the threshold is the number of symbols that are farther away from the end of the first semantic object 1201. Based on determining that the pause position is greater than the threshold, the digital assistant can determine that the first position is associated with the beginning of the first semantic object 1201. For example, if the output 905 is paused after the word "clean" in the first semantic object 1201, the digital assistant will determine that the pause position is a number of symbols farther away from the beginning of the first semantic object 1201 than the threshold. Therefore, the digital assistant will determine that the first position is the beginning of the first semantic object 1201.

[0322] In some examples, determining the first position based on the semantic structure of electronic document 901 includes determining that the first position is associated with the beginning of a third semantic object 1203, which follows the first semantic object 1201. For example, if the third user input 1100 includes the audio input "jump," the digital assistant will determine the pause position in the first semantic object 1201. Then, based on determining that "jump" is further associated with the intention to resume output 905 at the first position (e.g., a broad indication to jump to any semantic object after the pause position (e.g., "jump," "fast forward," pressing the fast forward button 908 on media item 904) or a specific indication to jump to a specific semantic object after the pause position (e.g., "jump to this paragraph," "jump to the next paragraph," dragging the progress bar 907)), the digital assistant can determine that the first position is associated with the third semantic object 1203. After determining that the first position is associated with the third semantic object 1203, the digital assistant can resume output 905 by skipping the first semantic object 1201 and restarting output 905 at the beginning of the third semantic object 1203.

[0323] In some examples, determining the first position is further based on concepts in electronic document 901, such as themes, ideas, sentiments, and tone associated with semantic objects (e.g., 1201, 1202, 1203, and 1204) in electronic document 901. In some examples, concepts in electronic document 901 are associated with semantic objects in electronic document 901. In some examples, the concepts of semantic objects are determined based on headers, sections, or chapters associated with semantic objects (as previously discussed regarding...). Figures 9A to 9B and Figure 10 (As discussed). For example, semantic objects 1201-1204 will be associated with the topic "Citrus" (e.g., concept) because these semantic objects are within the section titled "Citrus" (e.g., 1204).

[0324] In some examples, the pause position is associated with at least one concept. In some examples, at least one concept is associated with a semantic object associated with the pause position. For example, if output 905 is paused in semantic object 1202, the pause position will be associated with a concept associated with semantic object 1202.

[0325] In some examples, the first position is associated with a concept. For example, the third user input 1100 may include the audio input "Tell me again about the Citrus genus". Based on determining that the received third user input 1100 is associated with an intent to resume output at the first position, the digital assistant can determine the concept in the electronic document 901. Once the digital assistant determines that the semantic object 1204 (e.g., a section) is associated with the concept of "Citrus genus", the digital assistant can attempt to match the concept of "Citrus genus" with the user's expected concept of "Citrus genus". Since the semantic object 1204 matches the user's expected concept of "Citrus genus", the digital assistant will determine that the first position is associated with the beginning of the semantic object 1204, which is associated with the first concept "Citrus genus".

[0326] In some examples, the first position is associated with the beginning of a second concept following the semantic object associated with the first concept. In some examples, the first position is associated with the beginning of a third concept preceding the semantic object associated with the first concept. For example, an article may include a semantic object 1204 associated with the concept of "citrus," a semantic object preceding semantic object 1204 associated with the second concept "candy," and a semantic object following semantic object 1204 associated with the third concept "dairy." Continuing this example, the digital assistant may determine that the first position is associated with the beginning of the second concept "candy" because the user provides input intended to resume output 905 by skipping the current concept "citrus" (e.g., "Skip this section about citrus"). In this example, the beginning of the second concept could be the beginning of a section (e.g., a semantic object) associated with "candy." Alternatively, the digital assistant may determine that the first position is associated with the third concept "dairy" because the user provides input intended to resume output 905 by rewinding to a previous concept (e.g., "Return to the dairy section of the article"). In this example, the beginning of the third concept could be the beginning of a section associated with "dairy products" (e.g., a semantic object).

[0327] return Figure 11C In some examples, in response to determining a first position in electronic document 901, the digital assistant resumes the output 905 of media item 904 at the first position. For example, device 900 may receive third user input "skip this sentence" 1100. Then, based on the determination that the third user input "skip this sentence" 1100 is associated with an intention to pause the output of media item 904, the digital assistant will pause the output 905 accordingly. After pausing the output 905, the digital assistant will determine that the first position in electronic document 901 is the beginning of a sentence following the currently output sentence when the third user input 1100 was received. After determining the first position, the digital assistant will resume the output of the media item at the determined first position.

[0328] Figures 13A to 13D Examples of devices are provided that pause the output of media items on a first device and resume the output of media items on a second device, based on various examples. Figures 13A to 13D Used to illustrate the process described below, including Figure 17 and Figure 18 The process in.

[0329] Figure 13A A device 900 is shown with a paused media item 904 associated with an electronic document 901. Figure 13A The diagram also illustrates device 900 receiving a fourth user input 1300 (e.g., "Continue reading that article," "Read this on my tablet," and "Send this to my car for later reading") while output media item 904 is paused. In some examples, the fourth user input 1300 is associated with an intent to resume output media item 904. In some examples, based on the determination that the fourth user input 1300 is associated with an intent to resume output media item 904, the digital assistant resumes output 905 of media item 904 based on the fourth user input 1300 at device 900.

[0330] Figure 13B The diagram shows that, based on the determination that the fourth user input 1300 is associated with the intent to restore output media item 904, the digital assistant restores output media item 904 at device 900.

[0331] Figure 13C The illustration shows the receipt of a fourth user input 1300 at a second electronic device 1301. In some examples, the second electronic device 1301 receives the fourth user input 1300 when media item 904 is output at device 900. In other examples, the second electronic device 1301 receives the fourth user input when media item 904 is paused or turned off at device 900. In some examples, the second electronic device is a vehicle, mobile device, desktop computer, tablet computer, smartwatch, public electronic device, or smart speaker.

[0332] Figure 13D The diagram illustrates how, based on the determination that a fourth user input 1300 is associated with the intent to resume output media item 904, a digital assistant resumes output media item 904, wherein resuming the output of media item 904 includes resuming the output of the media item at a second electronic device 1301. In some examples, resuming the output of media item 904 includes the digital assistant retrieving media item 904 from device 900. For example, a user can pause the output 905 of media item 904 on device 900 (e.g., an e-book application on a tablet). The user can then get into their car and start driving. While driving, the user can provide a fourth user input 1300 (e.g., "Continue reading that article") to the second electronic device 1301 inside or part of the car. The digital assistant will then retrieve media item 904 from device 900 and resume the output of media item 904 from the second electronic device 1301 at the paused position. In some examples, based on the determination that a fourth user input 1300 is associated with the intent to resume outputting media item 904 (e.g., "continue reading"), and while media item 904 is being output at device 900, the digital assistant pauses the output of media item 904 and resumes it at the second electronic device 1301. For example, a user might enter their car and start driving while their mobile phone is outputting media item 904. The user could then provide audio input to the second electronic device 1301 saying "Car, continue reading that article" while the mobile phone continues outputting media item 904. The digital assistant can then pause the output of media item 904 at the mobile phone and retrieve media item 904 from device 900 and resume outputting media item 904 from the paused position at the second electronic device 1301.

[0333] In some examples, resuming the output of media item 904 at the second electronic device 1301 includes device 900 sending media item 904 to the second electronic device 1301. In some examples, device 900 receives a fifth user input associated with the intention to send media item 904 to the second electronic device 1301 (e.g., "Send this to my phone so I can read it later"). In some examples, device 900 receives the fifth user input while outputting media item 904 at device 900. In some examples, device 900 sends media item 904 to the second electronic device 1301 based on the determination that the fifth user input is associated with the intention to send media item 904 to the second electronic device 1301. In some examples, device 900 pauses the output of media item 904 at device 900 in response to sending media item 904 to the second electronic device 1301. In some examples, device 900 pauses the output of media item 904 before sending media item 904 to the second electronic device 1301. For example, when media item 904 is output at device 900, the user can provide audio input, "Send this to my phone so I can listen to it later." The digital assistant then determines that the audio input is associated with the intention to send media item 904 to the user's phone. Based on this determination, the device sends media item 904 to the user's phone and pauses the output of media item 904 at device 900. In another example, the user may have paused the output of media item 904 by tapping the play / pause indicator 910 on media item 904. After pausing the output, the user can provide audio input, "I will listen to this in my car." The digital assistant determines that the audio input is associated with the intention to send media item 904 to a second electronic device 1301 in the user's car. Based on this determination, the device sends media item 904 to the second electronic device 1301 in the user's car.

[0334] In some examples, after media item 904 is sent to the second electronic device 1301, the second electronic device 1301 displays media item 904. In some examples, after media item 904 is displayed on the second electronic device 1301, the second electronic device 1301 receives a fourth user input 1300 from the user. In some examples, the fourth user input 1300 is a tap or click on the media item 904 displayed on the second electronic device 1301. For example, in the example of continuing to send media items from a user's phone to their car, the user can then get into their car and start driving. While driving, the second electronic device 1301 may automatically display media item 904 because media item 904 has previously been delivered to the second electronic device 1301. The user can then select the play / pause indication 910 on the media item 904 displayed on the second electronic device 1301. After selecting the play / pause indication 910, the second electronic device 1301 will then resume output 905 at the paused position on the second electronic device 1301.

[0335] Figures 14A to 14D Examples of devices that continue outputting media items after stopping the display of an electronic document and opening an application are shown, based on various examples. Figures 14A to 14D Used to illustrate the process described below, including Figure 16 , Figure 17 and Figure 18 The process in.

[0336] Figure 14A The illustration shows that device 900 receives a sixth user input 1400 when outputting a media item 904 associated with electronic document 901. In some examples, the sixth user input 1400 is associated with physical input (e.g., tap, swipe, drag, click, etc.) or audio input (e.g., "close document") that is associated with an intention to stop displaying electronic document 901.

[0337] Figure 14B This illustrates that, based on the determination that a sixth user input 1400 is associated with the intention to stop displaying the electronic document 901, the display of the electronic document 901 is stopped while continuing to output media items 904. In some examples, stopping the display of the electronic document 901 causes the device 900 to display the home screen 1401. For example, the user can click the close indicator on the electronic document 901, such as... Figure 14B As depicted in the description. Based on the determination that the click is associated with the intention to close the electronic document 901, the device 900 can stop displaying the electronic document 901 and instead display the main screen 1401.

[0338] Figure 14C The illustration shows device 900 receiving a seventh user input 1402 when outputting a media item 904 associated with electronic document 901. In some examples, the seventh user input 1402 is associated with physical input (e.g., tap, swipe, drag, click, etc.) or audio input (e.g., "Open my email") that is associated with an intent to open an application. In some examples, the seventh user input 1402 is received while electronic document 901 is displayed (e.g., opening a new tab on a browser displaying electronic document 901). In some examples, the seventh user input 1402 is received when electronic document 901 is not displayed (e.g., opening a game application while home screen 1401 is displayed).

[0339] Figure 14D The diagram illustrates how, based on the determination that a seventh user input 1402 is associated with an intent to open the application, the application 1403 is opened while continuing to output media item 904. In some examples, opening the application may include opening a new tab in a browser or opening a software application unrelated to an electronic document. For example, a user may provide the seventh user input "Open my email" 1402 while device 900 outputs media item 904. Based on the determination that the received seventh user input 1402 is associated with an intent to open the application, the digital assistant will open the application 1403 while continuing to output media item 904.

[0340] Figures 15A to 15B This example illustrates a digital assistant that detects electronic documents in messages on an application based on various examples and generates media items for those electronic documents. Figures 15A to 15B Used to illustrate the process described below, including Figure 16 , Figure 17 and Figure 18 The process in.

[0341] Figure 15A The image shows a device 900 displaying an open messaging application 1500. In some examples, device 900 can receive messages. In some examples, the received message is associated with an electronic document 901 containing text. In some examples, the received message is an email, SMS, or voicemail message. In some examples, the received message includes a hyperlink to electronic document 901. For example, a user's friend could send the user a text message 1501 citing an online article about lemons (e.g., electronic document 901). The user could then open the messaging application 1500, which could display the received text message 1501.

[0342] In some examples, the digital assistant detects an electronic document 901 within a received message. In other examples, the digital assistant can detect an electronic document 901 within a received message by searching for keywords or hyperlinks within the message. For instance, a received text message 1501 might include the message "Have you read the latest article 'Lemon'?" The digital assistant would then detect the keywords "read" and "article," as well as the title "Lemon" in quotation marks, to detect an electronic document containing that text. In some examples, the digital assistant will retrieve hyperlinks to the detected electronic document.

[0343] In some examples, the digital assistant prompts user 1502 to provide an eighth user input 1503. In some examples, prompting user 1502 to provide the eighth user input 1503 includes displaying a visual cues associated with a suggestion to provide audio output of the detected electronic document (e.g., a hyperlink to the article, a text prompt stating "Read the article?", and highlighting keywords in the message). For example, the digital assistant may display the words "Read the article?" near the received text message 1501 to indicate that the digital assistant may read the article cited in the message aloud.

[0344] In some examples, prompting the user for an eighth user input includes providing an auditory response associated with a suggestion to provide an audio output of a detected electronic document (e.g., "Would you like me to read the article?"). For example, a digital assistant could provide the auditory response "Would you like me to read this article?" after the user receives the text message 1501.

[0345] In some examples, device 900 receives an eighth user input 1503, wherein the eighth user input 1503 is associated with an intent to provide audio output 1504 of the detected electronic document. In some examples, the eighth user input 1503 is physical input (e.g., touch, tap, swipe, drag, and click) or audio input (e.g., "Yes," "Read the article," "Read it aloud," "Save it to my reading list").

[0346] In some examples, the eighth user input 1503 is associated with the intent to save the detected electronic document to the user's reading list. In some examples, based on the determination that the eighth user input 1503 is associated with the intent to save the detected electronic document to the user's reading list, the digital assistant saves the detected electronic document to the user's reading list. In some examples, saving the detected electronic document to the user's reading list includes downloading the electronic document and storing the document in the memory of device 900.

[0347] Figure 15B The diagram illustrates how, based on the determination that the received eighth user input 1503 is associated with the intent to provide audio output 1504 of the detected electronic document, the digital assistant generates a second media item 1505 based on the text of the detected electronic document. In some examples, the generation of the second media item 1505 is based on the semantic structure of the detected electronic document (as previously discussed). Figures 9A to 9B (Further discussion). In some examples, the digital assistant displays the detected electronic document on device 900 after generating the second media item 1505.

[0348] In some examples, the second media item 1505 is output after it is generated. In some examples, outputting the second media item 1505 includes displaying it on device 900. In some examples, displaying the second media item 1505 includes displaying a title 1506, a progress bar 1507 indicating the current position of the audio output 1504 of the second media item 1505 in the context of the detected electronic document, a fast-forward indicator 1508, a rewind indicator 1509, a play or pause indicator 1510, and a volume indicator 1511. In some examples, the detected electronic document is displayed while the second media item 1505 is being output. The electronic document 901 may also be displayed concurrently with the second media item 1505.

[0349] In some examples, the output of the second media item 1505 is based on the semantic structure of the detected electronic document (previously regarding...). Figures 9A to 9B and Figures 11A to 11C (Further discussion). For example, a user could provide user input 1503, "Start reading this article from the second paragraph." The digital assistant can then use the semantic structure of the detected electronic document to determine which paragraph (e.g., a semantic object) is the second paragraph. Once determined, the digital assistant can output media item 904 starting from the identified second paragraph of the detected electronic document.

[0350] Figure 16 Examples of processes for providing electronic document output via a digital assistant are illustrated below. For instance, process 1600 may be performed using one or more electronic devices implementing a digital assistant (e.g., electronic device 600 or 900, including document reading system 800). In some examples, one or more boxes of process 1600 may be performed by one or more remote devices (e.g., one or more remote servers, one or more local servers, cloud computing systems, etc.). Alternatively, one or more client electronic devices implementing a digital assistant or software application may be used to perform one or more boxes of process 1600. For example, boxes of process 1600 may be divided in any way between one or more servers (e.g., DA servers) and client devices (e.g., 600 or 900). Therefore, while portions of process 1600 are described herein as being performed by a particular device, it should be understood that process 1600 is not limited thereto. In another example, process 1600 may be performed using only one client device (e.g., electronic device 600) or multiple client devices. In process 1600, some boxes are optionally combined, the order of some boxes is optionally changed, and some boxes (i.e., client devices (e.g., 600)) are optionally omitted. In some examples, process 1600 may be combined to perform additional steps.

[0351] In some examples, electronic devices (e.g., personal electronic devices) or client electronic devices (e.g., mobile devices (e.g., iPhones) ® ), tablet computers (e.g., iPad) ® ), smartwatches (e.g., Apple Watch) ® Desktop computers (such as iMac) ® ) or laptop computers (e.g., MacBook) ® () or public electronic devices (e.g., smart TVs (e.g., Apple TV) ® Virtual reality headsets (e.g., VR headsets), intelligent transportation devices, or augmented reality headsets (e.g., smart glasses) (e.g., user equipment 600 or 900) may be connected to a communication network (e.g., a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), such as the Internet). Electronic devices may include displays (e.g., 212) that can provide input and output interfaces between the electronic device and the user. The input interface may be an icon of a digital assistant or a software application for the user to submit user requests.

[0352] In some examples, at box 1601, the electronic device (e.g., 600 or 900) (or the processor of the electronic device) receives user input (e.g., 903 or 1503) requesting audible output of an electronic document (e.g., 901) that includes text. User input may include physical input or audio input. For example, a user could provide audio input such as "Read this article" or tap a power indicator for reading the document.

[0353] In some examples, at box 1602, boxes 1603, 1604, 1605, 1606 and 1607 are executed by one or more processors associated with an electronic device, based on the determination of providing audible output (e.g., 905) of an electronic document (e.g., 901).

[0354] In some examples, at box 1603, the digital assistant generates media items based on the text of the electronic document (e.g., 904). In other examples, media items are generated based on the semantic structure of the electronic document (e.g., about...). Figures 9A to 9B (As discussed).

[0355] In some examples, at box 1604, after generating the media item, the device (e.g., 600 or 900) outputs the media item based on the semantic structure of the electronic document. In some examples, the output begins at the first position of the first semantic object (e.g., 1201, 1202, 1203). In some examples, the first position is determined based on user input. For example, a user might provide audio input such as "Start reading this article from page two." In this example, the device would begin outputting the media item at the beginning of the second page of the electronic document. In some examples, the semantic structure of the electronic device includes the length of at least one semantic object (e.g., sentence, paragraph, and page) in the electronic document.

[0356] In some examples, at box 1605, the device receives a second user input when outputting a media item. In some examples, the second user input is physical input (e.g., taps, swipes, drags, and clicks) or auditory input (e.g., "speak softer," "speak faster," "speak lower," "skip this section," "rewind," and "repeat that"). In some examples, the second user input is received while concurrently displaying electronic documents (e.g., ...). Figure 10 (As depicted in the text).

[0357] In some examples, at box 1606, step 1607 is performed by one or more processors associated with the electronic device, based on the determination that the second user input is associated with the intent to modify the output.

[0358] In some examples, at box 1607, the device modifies the output of the media item based on the second user input and the semantic structure of the electronic document. In some examples, modifying the output includes modifying the output pitch, modifying the output volume, modifying the output speed, jumping to a position in the electronic document, repeating semantic objects, or rewinding to a position in the electronic document (as mentioned above). Figures 9A to 9B , Figure 10 and Figures 11A to 11C (as described).

[0359] Figure 17 Examples of processes for providing electronic document output via a digital assistant are illustrated, based on various examples. For instance, with (as previously discussed) Figure 16 In a similar manner to process 1600 (as discussed), process 1700 is performed using one or more electronic devices (e.g., electronic device 600 or 900) that implement a digital assistant or a software application for a digital assistant document reading system 800.

[0360] In some examples, at box 1701, when a media item (e.g., 904) associated with an electronic document (e.g., 901) including text is output at the first electronic device (e.g., 600, 900, 1301), user input (e.g., 903 and 1503) associated with an intent to pause the output of the media item (e.g., 905) is received. In some examples, the user input is physical input (e.g., taps, swipes, drags, and clicks) or audio input (e.g., "jump to next paragraph" or "pause").

[0361] In some examples, at box 1702, boxes 1703, 1704, 1705 and 1706 are executed by one or more processors associated with the electronic device, based on the determination that the received user input is associated with the intention to restore the output at a first location in the electronic document.

[0362] In some examples, at box 1703, the digital assistant pauses the output of a media item. In some examples, pausing media output includes determining the pause position associated with the media item's output in the electronic document. In some examples, pausing media output also includes saving the pause position.

[0363] In some examples, at box 1704, boxes 1705 and 1706 are executed by one or more processors associated with the electronic device, based on the determination that the received user input is associated with the intent to restore the output at a first location in the electronic document.

[0364] In some examples, at box 1705, the digital assistant determines a first position in the electronic document based on user input and the semantic structure of the document. In some examples, the semantic structure of the electronic document includes a first semantic object (e.g., 1201). In some examples, the first semantic object is associated with a pause position. In some examples, determining the first position also includes determining whether the pause position is less than or greater than a threshold. If the pause position is determined to be less than the threshold, the digital assistant determines that the first position is associated with the beginning of a second semantic object, where the second semantic object precedes the first semantic object in the electronic document. If the pause position is determined to be greater than the threshold, the digital assistant determines that the first position is associated with the beginning of the first semantic object. For example, if the output is paused at the sixth sentence in a ten-sentence paragraph, the digital assistant may determine that the pause position is more than a threshold number of sentences away from the beginning of the paragraph associated with the pause position (e.g., 5 sentences). In this example, the digital assistant would determine that the first position is associated with the beginning of the paragraph associated with the pause position.

[0365] In some examples, at box 1707, the digital assistant resumes the output of the media item at the determined first position. In some examples, the progress bar is updated based on the determined first position.

[0366] Figure 18 Examples of processes for providing electronic document output via a digital assistant are illustrated, based on various examples. For instance, with (as previously discussed) Figure 16 and Figure 17 In a manner similar to processes 1600 and 1700, process 1800 is performed using one or more electronic devices (e.g., electronic device 600 or 900) that implement a digital assistant or a software application for a digital assistant document reading system 800.

[0367] In some examples, at box 1801, the device (e.g., 600, 900, and 1301) receives a message, where the message (e.g., 1501) includes an electronic document containing text (e.g., 901). In some examples, the received message is displayed in a messaging application (e.g., 1501). In some examples, the received message is an email, SMS, or voicemail message.

[0368] In some examples, at box 1802, the digital assistant detects electronic documents within the received message. In some examples, detecting electronic documents within the received message includes identifying keywords in the received message and identifying hyperlinks to the electronic document.

[0369] In some examples, at box 1803, the digital assistant prompts the user for user input (e.g., 903 and 1503). In some examples, prompting the user for user input includes displaying a visual cues associated with a suggestion to provide audio output of an electronic document (e.g., 1502). In some examples, the visual cues are a hyperlink displayed near the received message, plain text displayed near the received message, or highlighting keywords in the message (e.g., highlighting the title of an article in the message). For example, the device could display plain text above the received message that reads "Read?". In some examples, prompting the user for user input includes providing an auditory response associated with a suggestion to provide audio output of a detected electronic document (e.g., "Would you like me to read the article?"). As another example, the device could output "Would you like me to read that article?".

[0370] In some examples, at box 1804, the device receives user input, where the user input is associated with an intent to provide audio output of an electronic document. In some examples, the user input is physical input (e.g., taps, swipes, drags, and clicks) or audio input (e.g., "Read it").

[0371] In some examples, at box 1805, boxes 1806 and 1807 are executed by one or more processors associated with the electronic device, based on the determination that the received user input is associated with the intent to provide audio output of an electronic document.

[0372] In some examples, at box 1806, the digital assistant generates media items based on the text of the electronic document. In other examples, the generation of media items is further based on the semantic structure of the electronic document.

[0373] In some examples, at box 1806, the media item is output after it has been generated. In some examples, the output media item is based on the semantic structure of the electronic document. In some examples, the semantic structure includes at least one length of semantic objects within the electronic document.

[0374] The above references Figures 16 to 18 The described operation is optionally provided by Figures 1 to 4 , Figures 6A to 6B and Figures 7A to 7C The components described herein can be used to implement these processes. For example, the operation of processes 1600, 1700, and 1800 can be implemented by any device (or its components) described herein (including, but not limited to, devices 104, 200, 400, and 600). Those skilled in the art will readily understand how to implement these processes based on... Figures 1 to 4 , Figures 6A to 6B and Figures 7A to 7C The components described herein are used to implement other processes.

[0375] According to some specific embodiments, a computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium) is provided that stores one or more programs executable 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.

[0376] According to some specific embodiments, an electronic device (e.g., a portable electronic device) is provided, which includes components for performing any of the methods or processes described herein.

[0377] According to some specific embodiments, an electronic device (e.g., a portable electronic device) is provided, the electronic device including a processing unit configured to perform any of the methods or processes described herein.

[0378] According to some specific embodiments, an electronic device (e.g., a portable electronic device) is provided, the electronic device including 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.

[0379] For purposes of explanation, the foregoing description has been given by reference to specific embodiments. However, the illustrative discussion above is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible based on the teachings above. These embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of these techniques and their practical application. Others skilled in the art will thus be able to best utilize these techniques and the various embodiments with various modifications suitable for the particular intended use.

[0380] While this 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 this disclosure and examples as defined by the claims.

[0381] As described above, one aspect of the present invention involves collecting and using data from various sources to improve the delivery of suggestions to users regarding tasks that can be performed by a digital assistant on an electronic device. This disclosure envisions that, in some instances, such collected data may include personal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used to contact or locate specific individuals. Such personal information data may include demographic data, location-based data, telephone numbers, email addresses, Twitter IDs, home addresses, data or records related to a user's health or fitness level (e.g., vital sign measurements, medication information, exercise information), date of birth, or any other identifying or personal information.

[0382] This disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information data in the present invention can benefit users. For example, personal information data can be used to deliver personalized suggestions that are more interesting to users, indicating that tasks can be performed by the digital assistant of an electronic device (e.g., by being more relevant to the user's current activities and cognitive knowledge). Thus, the use of such personal information data enables electronic devices to provide suggestions that users are more likely to adopt and learn from. Furthermore, this disclosure also anticipates other uses of personal information data that benefit users. For example, health and fitness data can be used to provide insights into a user's overall health status or can be used as positive feedback for individuals using technology to pursue health goals.

[0383] This disclosure anticipates that entities responsible for the collection, analysis, disclosure, transmission, storage, or other use of such personal information data will comply with robust privacy policies and / or privacy measures. Specifically, such entities should implement and adhere to privacy policies and measures that are recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy and security of personal information data. Such policies should be easily accessible to users and should be updated as the collection and / or use of data changes. Personal information from users should be collected for legitimate and reasonable entity purposes and should not be shared or sold outside of these legitimate purposes. Furthermore, such collection / sharing should be conducted only after receiving informed consent from users. Additionally, such entities should consider taking any necessary steps to protect and safeguard the right to access such personal information data and ensure that other entities with access to personal information data comply with the privacy policies and procedures of other entities. Furthermore, such entities may subject themselves to third-party assessments to demonstrate their compliance with widely accepted privacy policies and privacy measures. Moreover, policies and measures should be appropriate for the specific types of personal information data collected and / or accessed, and should be compatible with applicable laws and standards, including considerations of specific 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 in other countries, health data 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.

[0384] Regardless of the foregoing, this disclosure also contemplates implementation schemes that allow users to selectively block the use or access to personal information data. That is, this disclosure contemplates providing hardware and / or software components to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, with regard to personalized recommendations that instruct tasks to be performed by a digital assistant on an electronic device, the technology of the present invention can be configured to allow a user to opt in or out of the collection of personal information data during or at any time after registering for the service. In another example, a user may choose not to provide prior contextual data, such as user trends on an electronic device, for the generation and provision of personalized recommendations. In yet another example, a user may choose to limit the length of time prior contextual data is retained or to completely prohibit the collection of prior contextual data associated with the provision of personalized recommendations. In addition to providing "opt in" and "opt out" options, this disclosure also contemplates providing notifications related to access to or use of personal information. For example, a user may be notified when downloading an application that their personal information data will be accessed, and then reminded again just before the application accesses the personal information data.

[0385] Furthermore, the intent of this disclosure is that personal information data should be managed and processed in a manner that minimizes the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Once data is no longer needed, this risk can be minimized by restricting data collection and deleting data. Additionally, and where applicable, including in certain health-related applications, data deidentification can be used to protect user privacy. Where appropriate, deidentification 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 address level), controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data among users), and / or other methods.

[0386] Therefore, while this disclosure broadly covers the use of personal information data to implement one or more of the various disclosed embodiments, it is also contemplated that various embodiments can be implemented without access to such personal information data. That is, various embodiments of the present invention will not become inoperable due to the absence of all or part of such personal information data. For example, personalized suggestions instructing a user to perform tasks by the digital assistant of the electronic device can be generated and provided to the user by inferring preferences and user knowledge based on non-personal information data or only a minimal amount of personal data, such as contextual data received by the electronic device, other non-personal information available to the electronic device, or publicly available information.< / article> < / article> < / aside> < / section> < / nav> < / article>

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, the computer-implemented method comprising: Receive user input at the first electronic device requesting audible output of an electronic document, including text. as well as Based on the audible output of the electronic document provided: Media items are generated based on the text of the electronic document; After the media item is generated, it is output based on the semantic structure of the electronic document; When outputting the media item, receive input from a second user; as well as Based on the determination that the second user input is associated with the intent to modify the output: The output of the media item is modified based on the second user input and the semantic structure of the electronic document.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the semantic structure of the electronic document includes the length of at least one currently output semantic object in the electronic document.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein outputting based on the semantic structure of the electronic document further includes outputting based on the type of the semantic object currently being output.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the media item based on the semantic structure of the electronic document includes determining that the length of the currently output semantic object is greater than a threshold.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising: Based on the determination that the length of the current output semantic object is greater than the threshold: Extend the pause after the current output semantic object.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the media item based on the semantic structure of the electronic document includes visually indicating each semantic object being output.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein visually indicating each semantic object includes highlighting the semantic object for all outputs.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electronic document is an article stored in the user's reading list.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic document is displayed on a browser.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Determine whether the electronic document is readable; Based on the determination that the electronic document is unreadable, a response indicating that the electronic document is unreadable is provided; as well as Based on the determination that the electronic document is readable, it is determined to provide the output of the electronic document.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic document is displayed when the media item is output.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: When outputting the media item, a third input associated with the intention to stop displaying the electronic document is received; as well as Based on the determination that the third input is associated with the intention to stop displaying the electronic document, the display of the electronic document is stopped while the media item continues to be output.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: When outputting the media item, a fourth input associated with the intent to open the application is received; as well as Based on the determination that the fourth input is associated with the intent to open the application: to open the application while continuing to output the media item.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the output to the media item is performed by streaming the electronic document to the media item.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein modifying the output of the media item based on the second user input and the semantic structure of the electronic document includes modifying the pitch of the output.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein modifying the output of the media item based on the second user input and the semantic structure of the electronic document includes modifying the volume of the output.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein modifying the output of the media item based on the second user input and the semantic structure of the electronic document includes modifying the speed of the output.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein modifying the output of the media item based on the second user input and the semantic structure of the electronic document includes restarting the output at a position in the electronic document.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, said 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 perform the following operations: Receive user input at the first electronic device requesting audible output of an electronic document comprising text; and Based on the audible output of the electronic document provided: Media items are generated based on the text of the electronic document; After generating the media item, the media item is output, wherein the output media item is based on the semantic structure of the electronic document; When outputting the media item, receive second user input; and Based on the determination that the second user input is associated with the intent to modify the output: The output of the media item is modified based on the second user input and the semantic structure of the electronic document.

20. A first electronic device, the first electronic device comprising: monitor; One or more processors; Memory; as well as 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 including instructions for performing the following operations: Receive user input at the first electronic device requesting audible output of an electronic document, including text; and Based on the audible output of the electronic document provided: To generate media items based on the text of the electronic document; and After generating the media item, the media item is output, wherein the output media item is based on the semantic structure of the electronic document; When outputting the media item, receive input from a second user; as well as Based on the determination that the second user input is associated with the intent to modify the output: The output of the media item is modified based on the second user input and the semantic structure of the electronic document.

21. A computer-implemented method, the computer-implemented method comprising: When a media item associated with an electronic document including text is output at a first electronic device, a first user input associated with an intention to pause the output of the media item is received; as well as Based on the determination that the first user input is associated with the intent to pause the output of the media item: Pause the output of the media item; as well as Based on the determination that the first user input is associated with the intent to restore output at a first location in the electronic document: The first position in the electronic document is determined based on the first user input and the semantic structure of the electronic document; as well as Restore the output of the media item at the determined first position.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the first user input is an audio input.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the first user input is a physical input.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein pausing the output of the media item comprises: Determine a second location in the electronic document that is associated with the output of the media item.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein pausing the output of the media item further comprises: Save the second location.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the semantic structure of the electronic document includes a first semantic object, and wherein the first semantic object is associated with the second location.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein determining the first position comprises: Based on the determination that the second position is less than the threshold: The first position is determined to be associated with the beginning of the first semantic object.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the electronic document includes a second semantic object preceding the first semantic object, and wherein determining the first position includes: Based on the determination that the second position is greater than the threshold: The first position is determined to be associated with the beginning of the second semantic object.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the first position is associated with the beginning of a third semantic object following the first semantic object.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the first semantic object is a sentence.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein the first semantic object is a paragraph.

32. The method of claim 26, wherein the first semantic object is a page of the electronic document.

33. The method of claim 24, wherein determining the first location is further based on a concept in the electronic document.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the concept in the electronic document includes a first concept, wherein the first concept is associated with the second location.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the first position is associated with the beginning of the first concept.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the first position is associated with the beginning of a second concept following the first concept in the electronic document.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein the first position is associated with the start of the third concept, wherein the third concept precedes the first concept in the electronic document.

38. The method according to claim 21, further comprising: When the output to the media item is paused, a second user input associated with the intention to resume the output of the media item is received; as well as Based on the determination that the second user input is associated with the intent to restore the media item: The output to the media item is restored based on the second user input.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the first user input is received at the first electronic device and the second user input is received at the second electronic device.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein restoring the output of the electronic document comprises restoring the output of the media item at the second electronic device.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein the second electronic device is a vehicle.

42. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, said 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 perform the following operations: When outputting a media item associated with an electronic document including text at the first electronic device, receiving first user input associated with a pause intention; and Based on the determination that the first user input is associated with the pause intention: Pause the output of the media item; as well as Based on the determination that the first user input is associated with the intent to restore output at a first location in the electronic document: The first position in the electronic document is determined based on the first user input and the semantic structure of the electronic document; as well as Restore the output of the media item at the determined first position.

43. A first electronic device, the first electronic device comprising: monitor; One or more processors; Memory; as well as 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 including instructions for performing the following operations: When outputting a media item associated with an electronic document including text at the first electronic device, receiving first user input associated with a pause intention; and Based on the determination that the first user input is associated with the pause intention: Pause the output of the media item; as well as Based on the determination that the first user input is associated with the intent to restore output at a first location in the electronic document: The first position in the electronic document is determined based on the first user input and the semantic structure of the electronic document; as well as Restore the output of the media item at the determined first position.

44. A computer-implemented method, the computer-implemented method comprising: Receive a message at a first electronic device, wherein the message includes an electronic document containing text; The electronic document in the received message is detected by the digital assistant; The digital assistant prompts the user for input; Receive the user input, wherein the user input is associated with an intent to provide audio output of the electronic document; as well as Based on the determination that the received user input is associated with the intent to provide the audio output of the electronic document: To generate media items based on the text of the electronic document; and After generating the media item, output the media item.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the message includes a hyperlink to the electronic document.

46. ​​The method of claim 44, wherein prompting the user to provide user input further comprises: Display a visual representation associated with the suggestion to provide audio output for the electronic document.

47. The method of claim 44, wherein prompting the user to provide user input further comprises: Provide an auditory response associated with the suggestion to provide audio output of the electronic document.

48. The method of claim 44, wherein the user input is physical input.

49. The method of claim 44, wherein the user input is audio input.

50. The method of claim 44, further comprising: Based on the determination that the received user input is associated with the intent to save the electronic document to the user's reading list: The electronic document is saved to the user's reading list.

51. The method of claim 44, wherein, based on determining that the received user input is associated with the intent to provide the audio output of the electronic document, the method further comprises: After the media item is generated, the electronic document is displayed.

52. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, said 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 perform the following operations: Receive a message at the first electronic device, wherein the message includes an electronic document containing text; The electronic document in the received message is detected by the digital assistant; The digital assistant prompts the user for input; Receive the user input, wherein the user input is associated with an intent to provide audio output of the electronic document; as well as Based on the determination that the received user input is associated with the intent to provide the audio output of the electronic document: To generate media items based on the text of the electronic document; and After generating the media item, output the media item.

53. A first electronic device, the first electronic device comprising: monitor; One or more processors; Memory; as well as 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 including instructions for performing the following operations: Receive a message at the first electronic device, wherein the message includes an electronic document containing text; The electronic document in the received message is detected by the digital assistant; The digital assistant prompts the user for input; Receive the user input, wherein the user input is associated with an intent to provide audio output of the electronic document; as well as Based on the determination that the received user input is associated with the intent to provide the audio output of the electronic document: To generate media items based on the text of the electronic document; and After generating the media item, output the media item.

54. A first electronic device, the first electronic device comprising: A component for receiving, at the first electronic device, audible input requesting an electronic document comprising text; as well as Based on the audible output of the electronic document provided: A component for generating media items based on the text of the electronic document; After the media item is generated, a component is used to output the media item based on the semantic structure of the electronic document; A component for receiving second user input when outputting the media item; as well as Based on the determination that the second user input is associated with the intent to modify the output: A component for modifying the output of the media item based on the second user input and the semantic structure of the electronic document.

55. An electronic device, the electronic device comprising: A component for receiving first user input associated with a pause intent when outputting a media item associated with an electronic document including text at the first electronic device; as well as Based on the determination that the first user input is associated with the pause intention: A component for pausing the output of the media item; as well as Based on the determination that the first user input is associated with the intent to restore output at a first location in the electronic document: A component for determining the first position in the electronic document based on the first user input and the semantic structure of the electronic document; as well as A component for restoring the output of the media item at the determined first location.

56. A first electronic device, the first electronic device comprising: A component for receiving messages at the first electronic device, wherein the messages include electronic documents containing text; Components for detecting the electronic document in a received message by a digital assistant; Components for prompting user input from the digital assistant; A component for receiving the user input, wherein the user input is associated with an intent to provide audio output of the electronic document; as well as Based on the determination that the received user input is associated with the intent to provide the audio output of the electronic document: A component for generating media items based on the text of the electronic document; and The component used to output the media item after it has been generated.

57. An electronic device, the electronic device comprising: monitor; One or more processors; Memory; as well as 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, wherein the one or more programs include instructions for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

58. An electronic device, the electronic device comprising: monitor; One or more processors; Memory; as well as 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, wherein the one or more programs include instructions for performing the method according to any one of claims 21 to 41.

59. An electronic device, the electronic device comprising: monitor; One or more processors; Memory; as well as 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, wherein the one or more programs include instructions for performing the method according to any one of claims 44 to 51.

60. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs include instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device having a display, cause the electronic device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

61. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs include instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device having a display, cause the electronic device to perform the method according to any one of claims 21 to 41.

62. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs include instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device having a display, cause the electronic device to perform the method according to any one of claims 44 to 51.

63. An electronic device, the electronic device comprising: Components for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

64. An electronic device, the electronic device comprising: Components for performing the method according to any one of claims 21 to 41.

65. An electronic device, the electronic device comprising: Components for performing the method according to any one of claims 44 to 51.

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