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

A method includes displaying information associated with a first application on a touch-sensitive display, detecting a touch on a touch-sensitive display and determining touch attributes, determining when the touch is a first gesture type based on the touch attributes, and when the touch is determined to be the first gesture type, forwarding information related to the touch to a second application, otherwise forwarding the information related to the touch to the first application.

Portable electronic device and method of controlling same

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

An electronic device (1904) includes a first means (1911) for entering characters coupled to the device for generating a second character input data, where the second means (1906) for entering characters includes a system for monitoring a user's voice. A display (1905) displays the character thereon. A processor (not shown) is coupled to the first (1911) and second means (1906) for entering characters configured to receive the first and second character input data such that the characters displayed on the display (1905) corresponds to both the first and second character input data.

Systems to enhance data entry in mobile and fixed environment

Accordingly, a virtual keypad system for inputting text is provided. A virtual keypad system includes a remote controller having at least one touchpad incorporated therein and divided into a plurality of touch zones. A display device is in data communication with the remote controller and is operable to display a user interface including a keypad, where each key of the keypad is mapped to a touch zone of the touchpad. A prediction module, in response to an operator pressing a given touch zone to select a particular character, performs one or more key prediction methods to predict one or more next plausible keys. A key mapping module remaps the touch zones of the touchpad to the keys of the keypad based on the one or more next plausible keys.

Virtual keypad systems and methods

A hybrid approach to improve handwriting recognition and voice recognition in data process systems is disclosed. In one embodiment, a front end is used to recognize strokes, characters and/or phonemes. The front end returns candidates with relative or absolute probabilities of matching to the input. Based on linguistic characteristics of the language, e.g. alphabetical or ideographic language for the words being entered, e.g. frequency of words and phrases being used, likely part of speech of the word entered, the morphology of the language, or the context in which the word is entered), a back end combines the candidates determined by the front end from inputs for words to match with known words and the probabilities of the use of such words in the current context.

Handwriting and voice input with automatic correction

A selective input system and associated method is provided which tracks the motion of a pointing device over a region or area. The pointing device can be a touchpad, a mouse, a pen, or any device capable of providing two or three-dimensional location. The region or area is preferably augmented with a printed or actual keyboard/pad. Alternatively, a representation of the location of the pointing device over a virtual keyboard/pad can be dynamically shown on an associated display. The system identifies selections of items or characters by detecting parameters of motion of the pointing device, such as length of motion, a change in direction, a change in velocity, and or a lack of motion at locations that correspond to features on the keyboard/pad. The input system is preferably coupled to a text disambiguation system such as a T9® or Sloppytype™ system, to improve the accuracy and usability of the input system.

Touch screen and graphical user interface

A selective input system and associated method is provided which tracks the motion of a pointing device over a region or area. The pointing device can be a touchpad, a mouse, a pen, or any device capable of providing two or three­dimensional location. The region or area is preferably augmented with a printed or actual keyboard/pad. Alternatively, a representation of the location of the pointing device over a virtual keyboard/pad can be dynamically shown on an associated display. The system identifies selections of items or characters by detecting parameters of motion of the pointing device, such as length of motion, a change in direction, a change in velocity, and or a lack of motion at locations that correspond to features on the keyboard/pad. The input system is preferably coupled to a text disambiguation system such as a T9® or SloppytypeTm system, to improve the accuracy and usability of the input system.

Selective input system based on tracking of motion parameters of an input device

From a text entry tool (102), a digital data processing device receives inherently ambiguous user input (107). Independent of any other user input, the device interprets the received user input against a vocabulary (156) to yield candidates such as words (of which the use input forms the entire word or part such as a root, stem, syllable, affix), or phrases having the user input as one word. The device displays the candidates and applies speech recognition (130) to spoken user input. If the recognized speech comprises one of the candidates, that candidate is selected. If the recognized speech forms an extension of a candidate, the extended candidate is selected. If the recognized speech comprises other input (115), various other actions are taken.

Method and apparatus utilizing voice input to resolve ambiguous manually entered text input

An apparatus and method for providing visual indication of character ambiguity and ensuing reduction of such ambiguity during text entry are described. An application text entry field (701) is presented in a display screen, into which the user enters text by means of a reduced keyboard and a disambiguating system. The default or most likely word construct for the current key sequence may be presented at the insertion point of the text entry field. An indication of ambiguity (702) is presented in the display screen to communicate to the user the possible ambiguous characters associated with each key. A word choice list field (703) may also be present to display at least one word construct matching the current key sequence.

James Stephanick

Papers

Handwriting and voice input with automatic correction

Touch screen and graphical user interface

Selective input system based on tracking of motion parameters of an input device

Method and apparatus utilizing voice input to resolve ambiguous manually entered text input

Apparatus and method for providing visual indication of character ambiguity during text entry