Digital Assistant Timed Task Management Across Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face difficulties in managing timed tasks across multiple devices, requiring them to interact with each device individually, which is time-consuming and inefficient, and can also impact device performance by increasing power usage and reducing battery life.
Innovation Solution
A digital assistant system that allows users to manage timed tasks across devices by receiving natural-language speech inputs, identifying associated devices, and providing task status outputs, enabling faster creation, cancellation, and modification of tasks while optimizing device usage and power management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If users interact with each device individually to manage timed tasks, then they can access device-specific task information, but the time required to manage tasks increases and device power usage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple device-specific task management interfaces into a single centralized interface that displays and manages timed tasks from multiple devices simultaneously. This merging allows users to view and control timed tasks from different devices in one location, eliminating the need to switch between individual device interfaces and thereby reducing the time required to manage timed tasks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal task management interface that can handle timed tasks from multiple different device types through a single system. This multi-functional interface provides consistent task management capabilities across diverse devices, improving ease of operation by allowing users to manage all timed tasks regardless of source device through one unified system.
2Loss of energy
If users interact with each device individually to manage timed tasks, then they can access complete task information, but power usage increases and battery life decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functionality of multiple device-specific task management systems into a single centralized interface. By consolidating task management operations into one system, the patent reduces the cumulative power consumption that would result from multiple devices actively monitoring and managing tasks independently, thereby reducing overall power usage while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a centralized copy or representation of timed tasks from multiple devices in a single interface. Instead of requiring users to access each original device to manage tasks, the system maintains a replicated view of all timed tasks in one location, reducing the need for multiple devices to remain actively engaged and thereby reducing power consumption while preserving full task management capability.
3Productivity
If a centralized system manages timed tasks across multiple devices, then time required to manage tasks decreases, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a centralized interface as an intermediary layer between users and multiple devices. This mediator consolidates task management functions, providing a simplified unified interface that masks the underlying complexity of coordinating multiple devices. Users interact with the simple centralized interface rather than dealing directly with the complex multi-device coordination, thereby improving productivity without exposing users to system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms in the centralized task management system that automatically coordinate task information across multiple devices. The system provides real-time feedback about task status and automatically synchronizes information between devices, reducing the complexity of manual coordination while maintaining high efficiency in task management operations.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and processes for managing timed tasks with a digital assistant are provided. An example method includes, at a computer system that is in communication with one or more input devices: receiving, via the one or more input devices, a natural-language speech input including a request for a status of a timed task; identifying, based on the natural-language speech input, an electronic device associated with the timed task; receiving the status of the timed task; and providing an output indicative of the status of the timed task.