IP Library Granted Patent US 11,748,415
Granted Patent B2
US 11,748,415 · App. 16/687,417 · Granted Sep 5, 2023

Digital assistant output attribute modification

Inventors: Russell Speight VanBlon (Raleigh, NC); Roderick Echols (Chapel Hill, NC); Ryan Charles Knudson (Durham, NC); Bradley Park Strazisar (Cary, NC)
Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
G06F16/90332H04N21/41265H04N21/42203H04N21/42222
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,748,415
App. No.
16/687,417
Granted
Sep 5, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

One embodiment provides a method, including: receiving, at an information handling device comprising a digital assistant, a user command, wherein the digital assistant is providing a current output; determining whether an attribute of the current output should be modified, wherein the determining is based on a content type of the current output and a request type of the command; and providing a response to the user command; wherein the providing comprises modifying, responsive to determining that an attribute should be modified, an attribute of the current output during provision of the response, wherein the modification and the attribute to be modified are based on the content type and the request type; and wherein the providing comprises continuing the current output with no modification responsive to determining that an attribute should not be modified. Other aspects are described and claimed.

Claims (38)

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at an information handling device comprising a digital assistant, a user command, wherein the digital assistant is providing a current output;

determining whether an attribute of the current output should be modified, wherein the determining is based on a content type of the current output and a request type of the command, wherein the content type comprises of one of: a steaming content and a non-streaming content and the request type comprises one of: a background request and a foreground request, wherein the determining comprises determining the attribute should not be modified based upon determining at least one of: the content type comprises a non-streaming content and the request type comprises a background request, wherein the attribute is further modified based upon an environmental context surrounding the digital assistant;

providing a response to the user command, wherein the providing the response comprises minimizing a disruption of the current output by utilizing at least one of: a noise cancellation technique and historical data, to determine if the user command is decipherable in the environmental context;

wherein the providing comprises modifying, responsive to determining that an attribute should be modified, an attribute of the current output during provision of the response, wherein the modification and the attribute to be modified are based on the content type and the request type, and the environmental context surrounding the digital assistant, wherein when the environmental context exceeds a threshold value a modification of an attribute is overridden, wherein the modifying an attribute comprises modifying at least one attribute selected from the group consisting of: output volume, output speed, and output playback, to minimize the user missing the streaming content;

wherein the providing comprises continuing the current output with no modification responsive to determining that an attribute should not be modified; and

resuming, after providing the response, the current output with the attribute unmodified.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the content type of the current output comprises streaming content.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the request type is a background request and comprises a command identifying an action for the digital assistant to perform; and

wherein the determining comprises determining that an attribute should not be modified.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the request type is a foreground request and comprises a query requiring an audible response from the digital assistant; and

wherein the determining comprises determining that an attribute should be modified.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the resuming comprises rewinding the current output a predetermined time period.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the modification and the attribute are configured by the user.

7. An information handling device, comprising:

a digital assistant;

a processor;

a memory device that stores instructions executable by the processor to:

receive, at the digital assistant, a user command, wherein the digital assistant is providing a current output;

determine whether an attribute of the current output should be modified, wherein the determining is based on a content type of the current output and a request type of the command, wherein the content type comprises of one of: a steaming content and a non-streaming content and the request type comprises one of: a background request and a foreground request, wherein the determining comprises determining the attribute should not be modified based upon determining at least one of: the content type comprises a non-streaming content and the request type comprises a background request, wherein the attribute is further modified based upon an environmental context surrounding the digital assistant;

provide a response to the user command, wherein to provide the response comprises minimizing a disruption of the current output by utilizing at least one of: a noise cancellation technique and historical data, to determine if the user command is decipherable in the environmental context;

wherein the instructions executable by the processor to provide comprise instructions executable by the processor to modify, responsive to determining that an attribute should be modified, an attribute of the current output during provision of the response, wherein the modification and the attribute to be modified are based on the content type and the request type, and the environmental context surrounding the digital assistant, wherein when the environmental context exceeds a threshold value a modification of an attribute is overridden, wherein the modifying an attribute comprises modifying at least one attribute selected from the group consisting of: output volume, output speed, and output playback, to minimize the user missing the streaming content;

wherein the instructions executable by the processor to provide comprise instructions executable by the processor to continue the current output with no modification responsive to determining that an attribute should not be modified; and

resume, after providing the response, the current output with the attribute unmodified.

8. The information handling device of claim 7 , wherein the content type of the current output comprises streaming content.

9. The information handling device of claim 8 , wherein the request type is a background request and comprises a command identifying an action for the digital assistant to perform; and

wherein the instructions executable by the processor to determine comprise instructions executable by the processor to determine that an attribute should not be modified.

10. The information handling device of claim 8 , wherein the request type is a foreground request and comprises a query requiring an audible response from the digital assistant; and

wherein the instructions executable by the processor to determine comprise instructions executable by the processor to determine that an attribute should be modified.

11. The information handling device of claim 7 , wherein the instructions executable by the processor to resume comprise instructions executable by the processor to rewind the current output a predetermined time period.

12. A product, comprising:

a storage device that stores code, the code being executable by a processor and comprising:

code that receives, at an information handling device comprising a digital assistant, a user command, wherein the digital assistant is providing a current output;

code that determines whether an attribute of the current output should be modified, wherein the determining is based on a content type of the current output and a request type of the command, wherein the content type comprises of one of: a steaming content and a non-streaming content and the request type comprises one of: a background request and a foreground request, wherein the determining comprises determining the attribute should not be modified based upon determining at least one of: the content type comprises a non-streaming content and the request type comprises a background request, wherein the attribute is further modified based upon an environmental context surrounding the digital assistant; and

code that provides a response to the user command, wherein the code that provides the response comprises minimizing a disruption of the current output by utilizing at least one of: a noise cancellation technique and historical data, to determine if the user command is decipherable in the environmental context;

wherein the code that provides comprises code that modifies, responsive to determining that an attribute should be modified, an attribute of the current output during provision of the response, wherein the modification and the attribute to be modified are based on the content type and the request type, and the environmental context surrounding the digital assistant, wherein when the environmental context exceeds a threshold value a modification of an attribute is overridden, wherein the modifying an attribute comprises modifying at least one attribute selected from the group consisting of: output volume, output speed, and output playback, to minimize the user missing the streaming content;

wherein the code that provides comprises code that continues the current output with no modification responsive to determining that an attribute should not be modified; and

code that resumes, after providing the response, the current output with the attribute unmodified.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 20, 2025
From: LENOVO PC INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
To: LENOVO SWITZERLAND INTERNATIONAL GMBH
Reel/Frame 070269/0092 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 19, 2025
From: LENOVO (SINGAPORE) PTE LTD.
To: LENOVO PC INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
Reel/Frame 070266/0925 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 12, 2023
From: VANBLON, RUSSELL SPEIGHT; ECHOLS, RODERICK; KNUDSON, RYAN CHARLES; STRAZISAR, BRADLEY PARK
To: LENOVO (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
Reel/Frame 063981/0747 →
Continuity (1)
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