Apple Inc.

Kisun You

Benjamin S Phipps

Brandon J Newendorp

Anumita Biswas

Gagan A Gupta

Patrick L Coffman

Aram M Lindahl

Baptiste Pierre Paquier

Sachin S Kajarekar

Adam E Kriegel

Sarang S Ranade

Mahesh Ramaray Shanbhag

Eugene Ray

Myra C Lukens

Shehryar Lasi

Implementations of the subject technology provide systems and methods for determining whether to interrupt a user of an audio device that is operating in a noise-cancelling mode of operation. For example, the user may desire to be interrupted by one or more pre-designated contacts that are identified at an associated electronic device as interrupt-authorized contacts, or by a person who speaks a designated keyword to the user.

Interrupt for noise-cancelling audio devices

Systems and processes for providing a virtual assistant service are provided. In accordance with one or more examples, a method includes receiving, from an accessory device communicatively coupled to the first electronic device, a representation of a speech input representing a user request. The method further includes detecting a second electronic device and transmitting, from the first electronic device, a representation of the user request and data associated with the detected second electronic device to a third electronic device. The method further includes receiving, from the third electronic device, a determination of whether a task is to be performed by the second electronic device in accordance with the user request; and in accordance with a determination that a task is to be performed by the second electronic device, requesting the second electronic device to performed the task in accordance with the user request.

Virtual assistant operations in multi-device environments

Systems and processes for operating an intercom system via a digital assistant are provided. The intercom system is trigger-free, in that users communicate, in real-time, via devices without employing a trigger to speak. Acoustic fingerprints are employed to associate users with devices. Acoustic fingerprints include vector embeddings of speech input in an acoustic-feature vector space. Speech heard at multiple devices, as embedded in a fingerprint, may be clustered in the vector space, and the structure of the clusters is employed to associate users and devices. Based on the fingerprints, a device is mapped to a user, and the user employs that device to participate in a conversation, via the intercom service.

Device arbitration for digital assistant-based intercom systems

An appliance can include a microphone transducer configured to receive sound from an environment and to convert the received sound into an audio signal. The appliance can be configured to receive an input audio signal via the microphone transducer, responsive to an activation input. The appliance can be configured to initiate a bi-directional, wireless communication connection with an external device in parallel with receiving the input audio signal, and responsive to the activation input. The appliance can be configured to transmit an output audio signal corresponding to the input audio signal over the communication connection when the wireless communication connection is established. Related aspects also are described.

Hybrid routing for hands-free voice assistant, and related systems and methods

Virtual assistant operation in multi-device environments

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Campbell, CA, United States of America

Kisun You