Patent•
system and method for distributed meetings
26 Jun 2003-
TL;DR: In this article, a system and method for teleconferencing and recording of meetings is presented, which uses a variety of capture devices (a 360° camera, a whiteboard camera, presenter view camera, and a remote view camera) to provide a rich experience for people who want to participate in a meeting from a distance.
Abstract: A system and method for teleconferencing and recording of meetings. The system uses a variety of capture devices (a novel 360° camera, a whiteboard camera, a presenter view camera, a remote view camera, and a microphone array) to provide a rich experience for people who want to participate in a meeting from a distance. The system is also combined with speaker clustering, spatial indexing, and time compression to provide a rich experience for people who miss a meeting and want to watch it afterward.
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11 Jan 2011TL;DR: In this article, 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.
Abstract: 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.
1,462 citations
Patent•
28 Sep 2012TL;DR: In this article, a virtual assistant uses context information to supplement natural language or gestural input from a user, which helps to clarify the user's intent and reduce the number of candidate interpretations of user's input, and reduces the need for the user to provide excessive clarification input.
Abstract: 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.
593 citations
Patent•
08 Sep 2006TL;DR: In this paper, 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 ontologies includes at least one active processing element that models a domain.
Abstract: 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.
389 citations
Patent•
30 Sep 2011TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a method for automatically determining whether a digital assistant application has been separately invoked by a user without regard to whether a user has separately invoked the application.
Abstract: 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.
367 citations
Patent•
07 Feb 2014TL;DR: In this paper, a method for operating a voice trigger is presented, which includes determining whether at least a portion of the sound input corresponds to a predetermined type of sound, such as a human voice.
Abstract: 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.
365 citations
References
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Patent•
04 Apr 1996
TL;DR: In this article, a PC-based system for monitoring and storing representative images from video cameras (252, 254) may be utilized for security and other monitoring applications, and further applications of the invention are disclosed for process monitoring in manufacturing environments and also for applications in videoconferencing.
Abstract: A PC-based system (220) for monitoring and storing representative images from video cameras (252, 254) may be utilized for security and other monitoring applications. Camera inputs from digital or analog sources are individually and independently digitized and displayed at a first set of image sizes, sampling rates, and frame rates, and may be stored in digital form on various recording media at a second set of image sizes, sampling rates and frame rates, and these two sets of sizes and rates may or may not be identical. Provisions are included for adding detection or alarm systems which will automatically alter image size, sampling rate and/or frame rate of an individual input source, or activate other physical responses. In addition to security system monitoring, further applications of the invention are disclosed for process monitoring in manufacturing environments and also for applications in videoconferencing.
316 citations
Patent•
03 Apr 2001
TL;DR: In this paper, an electronic image distribution apparatus for distributing panoramic images is described, in which a panorama image server extracts a subset of each panorama image frame and compresses that subset of the image.
Abstract: An electronic image distribution apparatus for distributing panoramic images is disclosed. The central feature of the system is a panoramic image server coupled to a source of panoramic image information. The source of panoramic image frames may be a panoramic image storage device or a panoramic camera system. The panoramic image server converts the panoramic image frames into a format that is more conducive for electronic transmission. Specifically, the panoramic image server extracts a subset of each panoramic image frame and compresses that subset of the panoramic image. The panoramic image server may also geometrically transform the subset of the panoramic image frame. The compressed subset of a panoramic image frame is transmitted across a transmission medium to a client system. The client system decompresses the subset of panoramic image frame and displays the subset of the panoramic image frame. To conserve bandwidth, the panoramic image server compresses a large portion of the panoramic image frame and leaves a smaller portion of the panoramic image frame. The smaller portion of the panoramic image frame is later expanded by the client system.
244 citations
Patent•
15 Jul 1998
TL;DR: In this article, the virtual reality mixed media meeting room functions to provide the user with a visually familiar conference format and conference controls that are intuitive to operate, so that the participant needs no training to actively and efficiently participate in the VR mixed media conference.
Abstract: The virtual reality mixed media meeting room functions to provide the user with a visually familiar conference format and conference controls that are intuitive to operate. In particular, the system presents the conference participants with a visual representation of the various communication equipment that is typically present in a conference room and that is available in the virtual reality mixed media conference. The operation of this communication equipment is analogous to that of the physical communication equipment, so the conference participant needs no training to actively and efficiently participate in the virtual reality mixed media conference. The various aspects of the virtual reality conference are presented in a rendering that emulates the physical appearance and presence of the physical participants and communication devices that would be present in a traditional conference room. The user interacts with the virtual reality mixed media meeting room via the graphical user interface in a point and click manner, thereby eliminating the need for the conference participant to be aware of specific controls or keyboard entries required in previous systems to control their participation in the conference. Furthermore, switching among the plurality of concurrently active virtual reality mixed media conferences to participate in one of these conferences is accomplished by a visually familiar mechanism, such as panning or traveling through a hallway that interconnects the various virtual reality mixed media "conference rooms." In addition to being able to move among a plurality of conferences, the conference participants in any selected conference can share applications and jointly participate in the modification of presentations and displays.
202 citations
Patent•
19 Jan 1999
TL;DR: In this paper, an electronic image distribution apparatus for distributing motion panoramic images is described, where the main portion of the apparatus consists of a motion-panoramic image server that has a source of motion panorama images, and the intermediate planar representation is divided into individual tiles on different multicast channels.
Abstract: The present invention discloses an electronic image distribution apparatus for distributing motion panoramic images. The main portion of the apparatus is a motion panoramic image server that has a source of motion panoramic images. The source of the panoramic images frames may be a motion panoramic image playback device or a motion panoramic camera system (405). The motion panoramic image server (400) transforms the panoramic image frames into an intermediate format that is more conducive for electronic transmission (417). The motion panoramic image server (400) then transmits the motion panoramic images to client systems (495, 497). A first transmission system divides the intermediate planar representation into individual tiles (441, 445) and transmits tiles that are requested by clients systems (440, 443). A second panoramic image transmission system divides the intermediate planar representation into individual tiles on different multicast channels. Client systems (495, 497) then subscribe to the multicast channels needed to render an image in the direction of a desired view.
192 citations
Proceedings Article•
01 Jan 1997
145 citations