An intelligent automated assistant system engages with the user in an integrated, conversational manner using natural language dialog, and invokes external services when appropriate to obtain information or perform various actions. The system can be implemented using any of a number of different platforms, such as the web, email, smartphone, and the like, or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, the system is based on sets of interrelated domains and tasks, and employs additional functionally powered by external services with which the system can interact.

Intelligent Automated Assistant

The various methods and devices described herein relate to devices which, in at least certain embodiments, may include one or more sensors for providing data relating to user activity and at least one processor for causing the device to respond based on the user activity which was determined, at least in part, through the sensors. The response by the device may include a change of state of the device, and the response may be automatically performed after the user activity is determined.

Automated Response to and Sensing of User Activity in Portable Devices

A virtual assistant uses context information to supplement natural language or gestural input from a user. Context helps to clarify the user's intent and to reduce the number of candidate interpretations of the user's input, and reduces the need for the user to provide excessive clarification input. Context can include any available information that is usable by the assistant to supplement explicit user input to constrain an information-processing problem and/or to personalize results. Context can be used to constrain solutions during various phases of processing, including, for example, speech recognition, natural language processing, task flow processing, and dialog generation.

Using context information to facilitate processing of commands in a virtual assistant

A method and apparatus are provided for building an intelligent automated assistant. Embodiments of the present invention rely on the concept of “active ontologies” (e.g., execution environments constructed in an ontology-like manner) to build and run applications for use by intelligent automated assistants. In one specific embodiment, a method for building an automated assistant includes interfacing a service-oriented architecture that includes a plurality of remote services to an active ontology, where the active ontology includes at least one active processing element that models a domain. At least one of the remote services is then registered for use in the domain.

Method and apparatus for building an intelligent automated assistant

Among other things, techniques and systems are disclosed for implementing contextual voice commands. On a device, a data item in a first context is displayed. On the device, a physical input selecting the displayed data item in the first context is received. On the device, a voice input that relates the selected data item to an operation in a second context is received. The operation is performed on the selected data item in the second context.

Contextual voice commands

A computer program for execution on a computing device is provided to cross-train students in language development skills such as letter-word correspondence, word recognition, vocabulary, and sentence and paragraph comprehension. A set of programs provide an adaptive methodology for training a student in decoding (semantic, syntactic, phonological, and morphological relationships), knowledge of rhymes, synonyms, antonyms, and homophones, spelling, letter-word correspondences, sentence comprehension, grammatical comprehension, working memory, vocabulary, paragraph comprehension, and improved reading comprehension. In each program, students are presented with an animated scene that poses a question, and a set of answers. The set of answers contain a correct response, and a number of incorrect responses or foils. The student advances to more complex levels by satisfying predetermined correct thresholds. Through repetition and intensity, the student's language skills are developed.

Method and apparatus for automated training of language learning skills

An apparatus and method on a computing device for training of auditory and graphical discrimination in humans is provided. The method and apparatus provides a number of stimulus sets, each stimulus set having a number of different phonemes. Speech processing is used to provide multiple levels of emphasis and or stretching for enhancing a subject's ability to discriminate between similarly sounding phonemes. The processing is applied to phonemes and presented to the human as a trial. As a subject correctly identifies phonemes in the stimulus sets, the amount of processing applied to the phonemes is reduced, ultimately to the level of normal speech. A performance feedback mechanism is provided to allow the human to obtain a summary of his/her success over the stimulus sets, at the different processing levels. More detailed feedback is also provided indicating specific processing levels achieved for each of the stimulus sets. Selection buttons are provided on a graphical interface to allow the human to hear a stimulus set at his beginning processing level, and at his currently obtained processing level.

Elizabeth H. Budra

Papers

Method and apparatus for automated training of language learning skills

Method and apparatus for reporting progress of a subject using audio/visual adaptive training stimulii