Controller Hub for Accessory Call Relay
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing smart devices in home environments face challenges in communicating and managing accessory devices, particularly when they lack cellular capabilities, making it difficult to initiate and manage phone calls across diverse devices from different manufacturers.
Innovation Solution
A system where a controller device receives call requests from accessory devices, selects an appropriate cellular-capable device, and establishes an audio connection to relay calls, using interaction instances and speech processing to handle wake words and end commands, ensuring seamless communication and management while maintaining data privacy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If accessory devices relay call requests to user devices with digital assistants, then call functionality can be accessed, but the system fails when the user device lacks cellular communication capability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a hub device as an intermediary component that sits between accessory devices and cellular-capable devices. The hub receives call requests from accessories, identifies appropriate cellular-capable devices, and establishes audio connections to relay the calls. This mediator approach allows accessories without cellular capability to access phone functionality through the hub's coordination of multiple devices in the home environment.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple accessory devices from various manufacturers are managed, then device versatility increases, but management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hub device is designed with universal functionality to manage multiple types of accessory devices from different manufacturers. It implements a unified architecture that can process requests from various accessory types (smartphones, tablets, wearables) and coordinate with different cellular-capable devices, thereby simplifying management despite the diversity of connected devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The system divides functionality into distinct segments: accessory devices handle user interaction and request generation, the hub device manages coordination and device identification, and cellular-capable devices execute the actual calls. This segmentation allows each component to specialize, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining broad compatibility.
3Ease of operation
If the user device processes all speech requests during normal operation, then comprehensive speech processing is available, but processing resources are consumed during calls
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts speech processing behavior based on operational state. During active calls, the user device transitions to a call listening state where it selectively processes only end-word commands rather than continuously analyzing all speech. This dynamic adaptation maintains essential functionality while reducing processing resource consumption during high-energy call operations.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are disclosed for connecting third-party accessories to a cellular-capable device to participate in a telephone call. In one example, a user can voice a request to make a call to an accessory device. The accessory device can transmit the request to a controller device. Upon processing the request, the controller device can identify an appropriate cellular-capable device and instruct the cellular-capable device to place the requested call. The controller device can also instruct the cellular-capable device to establish an audio connection with the accessory device to relay the call audio. In another example, the controller device can listen for a word spoken at the accessory device indicating the end of the call. Upon receiving the end of call word, the controller device can instruct the cellular-capable device to terminate the call. While in the listening state, the controller device may continue processing user requests received at other accessory devices.