Digital Assistant Macrotask Execution via Online Repository
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current digital assistant devices are ill-equipped to handle complex tasks, such as planning a wedding or an overseas trip, as these tasks are not well-defined from a technical standpoint, limiting their utility to providing advisory information or simple reminders.
Innovation Solution
A digital assistant device communicates with a task server storing an online macrotask repository, querying task templates designed by human editors or crowd-sourcing, which breaks down complex tasks into executable microtasks, allowing the device to automatically schedule and execute them with user oversight when necessary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If digital assistant devices provide only advisory information and simple reminders for complex tasks, then the device complexity remains low, but the task execution capability is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an online macrotask repository as an intermediary component that stores pre-defined task templates. The digital assistant device queries this repository to obtain structured task breakdowns for complex macrotasks, thereby enhancing task execution capability without significantly increasing the complexity of the device itself. The repository acts as a mediator between the user's high-level task requests and the device's execution capabilities.
2Manufacturing precision
If digital assistant devices break down complex tasks into discrete steps, then the task execution precision improves, but the difficulty of formulating software code increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-defining task templates in the online macrotask repository that contain structured breakdowns of complex tasks into executable microtasks. These templates are created in advance by human editors or through crowd-sourcing, encoding the task decomposition logic beforehand. When a user requests a complex task, the device simply queries and executes the pre-prepared template, achieving high task execution precision without requiring the device to perform complex real-time decomposition.
3Productivity
If digital assistant devices automatically execute microtasks, then the productivity increases, but the need for user oversight and confirmation may reduce
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements partial automation where the digital assistant device automatically executes certain microtasks that are well-defined and routine, while retaining user oversight for tasks requiring judgment or confirmation. The system selectively applies automatic execution based on the nature of each microtask, achieving improved productivity for automated portions while maintaining user control where necessary, rather than fully automating the entire macrotask execution process.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for providing digital assistant devices with the capability to plan and execute complex macrotasks. In an aspect, a digital assistant device queries an online macrotask repository for task templates associated with a macrotask. The task templates may be designed and configured by Internet crowd-sourcing, with oversight from human editors. Based on a retrieved task template, a digital assistant device may automatically execute autonomous microtasks specified by the task template, and further elicit user input for executing certain microtasks requiring user oversight and/or confirmation. The online macrotask repository enables digital assistant devices to execute a broad range of complex macrotasks that would otherwise be difficult to execute in a satisfactory manner.