Amazon Technologies, Inc.

Rawles LLC

Scott Ian Blanksteen

Gregory Michael Hart

Julien George Beguin

Meng Li

Eric Alan Breitbard

Robert Steven Murdock

Michael Douglas McQueen

John Daniel Thimsen

Allan Timothy Lindsay

Vikram Kumar Gundeti

Frederic Johan Georges Deramat

Peter Paul Henri Carbon

David A Limp

Heinz-Dominik Langhammer

Charles S Rogers, Iii

Ronald Edward Webber

Edward Dietz Crump

Bjorn Hoffmeister

Nikko Strom

Tony David

Kavitha Velusamy

William Folwell Barton

Stephen Frederick Potter

Robert David Owen

Charles Peter Hoppe

A computing system may determine audio data representing a message that is to be provided to a first user, wherein the first user is associated with at least a first device and a second device. First data corresponding to an audio characteristic of a first physical environment in which the first device is located and second data corresponding to the audio characteristic of a second physical environment in which the second device is located may be determined, wherein the second physical environment is different than the first physical environment and the second data is different than the first data. The computing system may determine, based at least in part on the first data and the second data, that the second physical environment is better suited for outputting audio corresponding to the message than the first physical environment, and may send the audio data to the second device via a network to cause the second device to output the audio based at least in part on the second physical environment being better suited for outputting the audio than the first physical environment.

Response endpoint selection based on audio characteristics of physical environments

A speech recognition platform configured to receive an audio signal that includes speech from a user and perform automatic speech recognition (ASR) on the audio signal to identify ASR results. The platform may identify: (i) a domain of a voice command within the speech based on the ASR results and based on context information associated with the speech or the user, and (ii) an intent of the voice command. In response to identifying the intent, the platform may perform a corresponding action, such as streaming audio to the device, setting a reminder for the user, purchasing an item on behalf of the user, making a reservation for the user or launching an application for the user. The speech recognition platform, in combination with the device, may therefore facilitate efficient interactions between the user and a voice-controlled device.

Speech recognition services

Techniques for identifying a location of a voice-controlled device within an environment. After identifying a location of the device, the device may receive a voice command from a user within the environment and may determine a response to the command based in part on the location, may determine how to output a response based in part on the location or may determine how to interact with the user based in part on the location.

Identifying a location of a voice-input device

A video display hub is mounted in a common household area such as a kitchen or family room. The display hub is configured to display various types of information for users in the area, such as weather, traffic updates, schedules, notes, messages, lists, news, etc. When the user is at a distance from the display hub, information is presented at a relatively low density, with a low level of granularity and detail in conjunction with large fonts, graphics, and icons. When the user is close to the display hub, information is presented at a relatively high density, with a high level of granularity and detail in conjunction with small fonts, graphics, and icons.

Variable density content display

A computer-implemented method involves receiving a request corresponding to input provided by a user and generating first data associated with a response to the request. Second data associated with a proximity of the user to the first computing device may be received from the first computing device, and third data associated with a proximity of the user to the second computing device may be received from the second computing device. Based at least on the second data and the third data, it may be determined that the user is closer to the first computing device than to the second computing device. Based at least in part on the user being closer to the first computing device than to the second computing device, it may be determined that the response is to be sent to the first computing device.

Response endpoint selection based on user proximity determination

A video display hub is mounted in a common household area such as a kitchen or family room. During times that have been designated as being available for communications, devices in first and second households exchange and display blurred video, allowing users in each household to see vague shapes and movements of the other household. Upon noticing activity, a user in the first household may initiate a video conversation, causing the video from the first household to be unblurred and causing unobscured voice to be transmitted to the second household. A user in the second household may respond by allowing the video conversation to be fully enabled, allowing the video from the second household to be unblurred and unobscured voice to be transmitted back to the first household.

Automatically staged video conversations

Architectures and techniques to visually indicate an operational state of an electronic device. In some instances, the electronic device comprises a voice-controlled device configured to interact with a user through voice input and visual output. The voice-controlled device may be positioned in a home environment, such as on a table in a room of the environment. The user may interact with the voice-controlled device through speech and the voice-controlled device may perform operations requested by the speech. As the voice-controlled device enters different operational states while interacting with the user, one or more lights of the voice-controlled device may be illuminated to indicate the different operational states.

Visual indication of an operational state

The systems, devices, and processes described herein may asynchronously transfer audio signals from a voice-controlled device to a remote device. The audio signals may correspond to sound that is captured by multiple microphones of the voice-controlled device, which may then process the audio signals. The audio signals may also be transferred to the remote device for processing. Moreover, a determination of whether the voice-controlled device or the remote device is to process the audio signals may be based at least in part on the bandwidth of a network communicatively coupled to the voice-controlled device. The voice-controlled device may also cache and log the audio signals, and then asynchronously stream the audio signals to the remote device after the audio signals are initially processed, which may be based on the bandwidth of the network. The remote device may utilize the unprocessed audio signals to improve subsequent processing of audio signals.

Asynchronous transfer of audio data

Techniques for receiving a voice command from a user and, in response, providing audible content to the user using a first device and providing visual content for the user using a second device. In some instances, the first device includes a microphone for generating audio signals that include user speech, as well as a speaker for outputting audible content in response to identified voice commands from the speech. However, the first device might not include a display for displaying graphical content. As such, the first device may be configured to identify devices that include displays and that are proximate to the first device. The first device may then instruct one or more of these other devices to output visual content associated with a user's voice command.

Providing content on multiple devices

Growing community of inventors

Issaquah, WA, United States of America

Scott Ian Blanksteen