Multi-device Personal Assistant Proximity Coordination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing personal assistant technologies are inadequate in determining when and how to act in specific scenarios, often leading to suboptimal interactions across multiple devices and interfaces, resulting in user inconvenience and disrupted operations.
Innovation Solution
The described technologies enable multi-device personal assistants to determine when and how to act, respond, or refrain from acting by processing inputs and proximity data, selecting the most appropriate device for interaction based on factors like audio volume, visual perception, and user intent, thereby coordinating device responses to prevent redundant interactions and enhance user experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If personal assistants operate on multiple devices simultaneously, then user accessibility and convenience are improved, but redundant responses and disrupted operations occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where devices monitor and respond to each other's operational states. When one device is actively engaged in a personal assistant interaction, other devices receive feedback and adjust their responsiveness accordingly, preventing redundant responses while maintaining user accessibility across multiple devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the operational states and context information from multiple devices into a unified system state. By combining data about user interactions, device proximity, and current operations across devices, the system makes coordinated decisions about which device should respond to user inputs, ensuring reliable operation while maintaining multi-device accessibility.
2Adaptability or versatility
If personal assistants respond to all device inputs, then user coverage is improved, but resource waste and inefficiency increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by making personal assistant responses context-dependent and location-aware. Instead of uniformly responding to all device inputs, the system evaluates local conditions such as user proximity to specific devices, current device usage state, and interaction context to determine which device should handle the response, thereby improving user coverage while avoiding unnecessary processing on distant or inactive devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial action by having personal assistants selectively respond to user inputs based on contextual evaluation rather than responding to all possible inputs. The system performs partial processing by analyzing only the necessary device states and user context required to make intelligent routing decisions, avoiding excessive processing of irrelevant inputs across all devices.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple devices compete to respond to user inputs, then interaction options are improved, but user confusion and disruption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary coordination mechanism that mediates between multiple devices and the user. This intermediary layer evaluates device states, user context, and interaction patterns to determine the most appropriate responding device, presenting a unified and coherent interaction experience to the user while maintaining the benefits of multiple available interaction options across devices.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are disclosed for multi-device personal assistants. In one implementation, input(s) are received in relation to a first device. The input(s) are processed in relation to one or more inputs received in relation to a second device to determine a proximity of the first device to the second device. Operation(s) of the first device are adjusted based on the determined proximity of the first device to the second device. In another implementation, one or more first outputs are provided with respect to a first user via one or more interfaces of a first device. One or more inputs are received in relation to the first user. The one or more inputs are processed to identify a second device in relation to the first user. One or more second outputs are provided, with respect to the first user, via one or more interfaces of the second device.