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 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

The method includes automatically, without user input and without regard to whether a digital assistant application has been separately invoked by a user, determining that the electronic device is in a vehicle. In some implementations, determining that the electronic device is in a vehicle comprises detecting that the electronic device is in communication with the vehicle (e.g., via a wired or wireless communication techniques and/or protocols). The method also includes, responsive to the determining, invoking a listening mode of a virtual assistant implemented by the electronic device. In some implementations, the method also includes limiting the ability of a user to view visual output presented by the electronic device, provide typed input to the electronic device, and the like.

Automatically adapting user interfaces for hands-free interaction

A method for operating a voice trigger is provided. In some implementations, the method is performed at an electronic device including one or more processors and memory storing instructions for execution by the one or more processors. The method includes receiving a sound input. The sound input may correspond to a spoken word or phrase, or a portion thereof. The method includes determining whether at least a portion of the sound input corresponds to a predetermined type of sound, such as a human voice. The method includes, upon a determination that at least a portion of the sound input corresponds to the predetermined type, determining whether the sound input includes predetermined content, such as a predetermined trigger word or phrase. The method also includes, upon a determination that the sound input includes the predetermined content, initiating a speech-based service, such as a voice-based digital assistant.

Voice trigger for a digital assistant

A character pattern is extracted from image data read from a document, listing, etc., and discriminated between a hand-written character and a typed character by a hand-written/typed character discrimination unit. The hand-written/typed character discrimination unit obtains, from the character pattern, N feature vectors containing a feature indicating at least the complexity and the linearity of the character pattern; and discriminating the character pattern between a hand-written character and a typed character using the feature vectors. A character recognition unit performs a character recognizing process based on the result of discriminating whether the character data is a hand-written character or a typed character. As a feature of the above described character pattern, the variance of line widths, the variance of character positions, etc. can also be used.

Apparatus and method for recognizing character

The present invention provides a character recognition method and recording medium for recognizing characters entered in a document or the like including preprint information. An object of the invention is to recognize characters in contact with or superposed on the preprint information without using any knowledge of the preprint information or a difference in gray level. An image in an area where the characters to be recognized are present is divided into line segments individually, wherein the image is obtained by reading the preprint information and the entry characters. A recognition image is created by changing a combination of the plurality of line segments divided. A recognition result with the reliability is memorized by making the character recognition for the created recognition image. And the recognition result having a greatest reliability is output by executing the character recognition for all the combinations while changing the combination of line segments successively.

Character recognition method, program and recording medium

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To highly accurately identify a handwritten character and a type character in a short time and to shorten the time required for a character recognition processing. SOLUTION: A character pattern is extracted from image data read from a document or a slip or the like and the handwritten character and the type character are discriminated in a handwritten/type discrimination part 2. In the handwritten/type discrimination part 2, at least N pieces of feature vectors including a feature for indicating the complication of the character pattern and the feature for indicating linearity are obtained and whether the character pattern is the handwritten character or the type character is discriminated by using the feature vectors. In a character recognition part 3, a corresponding character recognition processing is performed corresponding to whether character data are the handwritten character or the type character. As the feature of the character pattern, the dispersion of a line width and the dispersion of a character position or the like can be used as well.

Junji Kashioka

Papers

Apparatus and method for recognizing character

Character recognition method, program and recording medium

Character recognition method and device