Virtual Assistant Intermediary for Proactive User Information Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional virtual assistants are limited in the type of information they can provide and actions they can perform, requiring users to specifically ask for information and lacking proactive capabilities to offer relevant information outside their predefined frameworks.
Innovation Solution
A system that enables a primary virtual assistant to leverage a secondary virtual assistant, allowing the combination to provide more relevant information to users without explicit requests, by accessing and managing user-specific information and data from different sources, such as user accounts and IoT devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a primary virtual assistant is used to provide information to users, then the system is simple and easy to operate, but the assistant cannot provide information outside its predefined framework and lacks access to relevant user-specific information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a secondary virtual assistant as an intermediary component that the primary virtual assistant can invoke. This secondary assistant has access to additional information sources including user accounts and IoT devices, allowing the primary assistant to provide more comprehensive information without directly managing all data access itself. The secondary assistant acts as a mediator that bridges the gap between the primary assistant's limited access and the user's broader information needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements multi-functionality by enabling the primary virtual assistant to perform both its core functions and additional information retrieval functions by invoking the secondary assistant. This allows a single system to handle diverse information requests (weather, news, user-specific data, IoT device status) without requiring separate specialized systems for each function type.
2Productivity
If a virtual assistant is programmed to access specific information sources, then the system is reliable and stable, but it cannot proactively offer relevant information without explicit user requests
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables proactive information delivery by allowing the virtual assistant to perform preliminary actions - invoking the secondary assistant and retrieving relevant information - before the user explicitly requests it. The assistant can proactively fetch user-specific information from the secondary assistant based on contextual understanding, delivering information in advance of explicit user requests while maintaining natural interaction flow.
3Loss of information
If a single virtual assistant manages all information access, then the system is simple to manage, but it lacks access to user-specific information from multiple sources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the information access architecture into two distinct virtual assistants with specialized roles. The primary virtual assistant handles general queries and user interaction, while the secondary virtual assistant specifically manages access to user accounts and IoT devices. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while collectively providing comprehensive information access.
Data Source
AI summary
A primary virtual assistant and local virtual assistant herein can provide secondary information, including, without limitation, user-specific information, without having direct access to such information. For example, a user may invoke a secondary virtual assistant, through the local virtual assistant connected to a primary virtual assistant system. This invocation may be sent through the primary virtual assistant to the third party provider, i.e., the secondary virtual assistant. The secondary virtual assistant has access to the secondary information, for example, email, calendars, other types of information specifically associated with the user or learned from past user actions while this information is not directly available to the primary virtual assistant. This secondary information is then provided to the local virtual assistant in response to the invocation to be provided to the user.