Automated Assistant Commands Without Wake Words for Display Content

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing automated assistants require invocation phrases or words, which prolong interactions and inefficiently consume resources, especially when rendering content like audio or text-to-speech operations, and do not allow invocation-free utterances to perform operations.

Innovation Solution

An automated assistant that responds to a dynamically updated set of words or phrases based on display content, allowing invocation-free utterances to perform operations without requiring a preceding invocation phrase or word.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If an automated assistant requires invocation phrases or wake words before processing audio data, then the assistant can be reliably activated, but the interaction time is prolonged and resources are wasted during content rendering operations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveactivation reliabilityVSAvoidinteraction time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies different invocation requirements based on the local context of the operation being performed. During content rendering operations (TTS, alarm, notification), the system allows direct command execution without invocation phrases, while maintaining normal invocation requirements for other operations. This localized quality change resolves the contradiction by eliminating unnecessary delays in specific contexts while preserving reliable activation elsewhere.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts its invocation behavior based on the current operational state. When detecting that a content rendering operation is active, the system transitions from requiring invocation phrases to accepting direct commands. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to respond to user needs in real-time without wasting resources on unnecessary wake word detection during relevant operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Adaptability or versatility

If the automated assistant continuously detects invocation phrases during all operations, then the assistant remains responsive, but resource consumption increases unnecessarily during content rendering

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresponse readinessVSAvoidresource consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of continuously monitoring for invocation phrases during all operations, the system implements periodic or conditional monitoring. During content rendering operations, the system suspends wake word detection and focuses on processing direct commands related to the current content. This periodic action approach maintains response readiness for relevant operations while significantly reducing resource consumption during inappropriate monitoring periods.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The system determines its own operational state and automatically adjusts its monitoring behavior accordingly. When detecting that a content rendering operation is active, the system self-regulates by disabling unnecessary wake word detection and invocation phrase monitoring, thereby reducing resource consumption while maintaining responsiveness to relevant user commands.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Ease of operation

If the automated assistant requires invocation phrases before executing operations, then the assistant maintains clear command separation, but the efficiency of task completion is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommand clarityVSAvoidtask completion efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies different command processing rules based on the local operational context. During content rendering operations, the system accepts commands without invocation phrases, understanding that the context itself provides the necessary disambiguation. This localized quality change maintains command clarity in relevant contexts while dramatically improving task completion efficiency by eliminating unnecessary invocation steps.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses feedback from the current operational state to determine the appropriate command processing mode. When detecting that a content rendering operation is active, the system adjusts its command parsing to accept direct commands without invocation phrases. This feedback mechanism ensures that command clarity is maintained through contextual understanding while improving efficiency by removing redundant invocation requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS12451142B2Non-wake word invocation of an automated assistant from certain utterances related to display content
Publication Date: 2025.10.21 GOOGLE LLC
  • US12451142B2 patent drawing
  • US12451142B2 patent drawing
  • US12451142B2 patent drawing

AI summary

Implementations relate to an automated assistant that is responsive, without requiring an invocation phrase or other invocation input(s), to certain spoken utterances when certain display content is being accessed by a user. The display content can be processed to identify certain inputs and/or other intents and parameters that are associated with assistant operations and are relevant to the display content. Thereafter, the automated assistant can determine whether any spoken utterances from the user correspond to those certain inputs, intents, and/or parameters. In response to receiving such a spoken utterance, the automated assistant can initialize performance of the relevant operation without necessitating that the user provides a preceding invocation phrase or other invocation input(s). When other display content is being accessed, the automated assistant can repeat the process for other inputs and operations.