{
  "patent_number": "US 11204787",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How Digital Assistants Control Apps and Ask for More Information",
  "original_title": "Application integration with a digital assistant",
  "summary": "This patent describes how a digital assistant on a device can understand what a user wants from a natural language command, find the right app, get a step-by-step guide from another device, and then ask the user for more details on the screen to complete the task with that app.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent details a system where an electronic device, like a smartphone, receives a natural-language voice command from a user. The device then figures out the user's 'intent' (what they want to do) and identifies a specific software application on the device that can perform that task. Uniquely, the device then receives a 'task flow'—a series of programmed steps—from a *second electronic device* (Claim 1). This task flow guides how the primary device interacts with the identified app. If the app needs more information to complete the task, it sends a request. The device then uses the touch-sensitive display to show a 'query' (a question) to the user, determined by the task flow. After the user provides a 'second user input' (the answer to the query), the device sends this response back to the app to help it finish the task. For example, if you tell your phone, \"Order a pizza,\" the phone identifies a pizza ordering app, gets the steps for ordering from a server, and if the app needs to know the topping, it might display, \"What toppings would you like?\" on your screen.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover scenarios where the 'task flow' (the step-by-step guide) is not received from a 'second electronic device' but is instead entirely pre-programmed or generated on the primary device itself (Claim 1).",
    "Does not cover situations where the digital assistant's 'query' for more information from the user is provided solely through voice, without using a 'touch-sensitive display' (Claim 1).",
    "Does not cover applications that are not 'stored on the electronic device' but run entirely in the cloud or on a remote server (Claim 1).",
    "Does not cover user inputs that are not 'natural-language user input,' such as direct button presses, gestures, or menu selections (Claim 1).",
    "Does not cover systems where the identified software application does not send a 'request' for additional information, meaning the task can be completed without further user interaction (Claim 1)."
  ],
  "filed": "2018-01-05",
  "granted": "2021-12-21",
  "expires": null,
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Apple Inc",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/apple-inc",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Carey E. RADEBAUGH",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/carey-e-radebaugh"
    },
    {
      "name": "Rohit DASARI",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/rohit-dasari"
    },
    {
      "name": "Trungtin TRAN",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/trungtin-tran"
    },
    {
      "name": "Vineet Khosla",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/vineet-khosla"
    },
    {
      "name": "Brandon J. NEWENDORP",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/brandon-j-newendorp"
    },
    {
      "name": "Corey J. PETERSON",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/corey-j-peterson"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 48,
  "tags": [
    "consumer_electronics",
    "software",
    "telecommunications",
    "ai_ml"
  ],
  "abstract": "Systems and processes for application integration with a digital assistant are provided. In accordance with one example, a method includes receiving an audio input including a natural-language user input and identifying an intent object of a set of intent objects. The intent object may be derived from the natural-language user input. The method further includes identifying a software application associated with the intent object of the set of intent objects, providing the intent object to the software application to cause the software application to perform a task associated with the intent object, receiving a result response indicating whether the task was successfully performed, and providing an output indicating whether the task was performed.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11204787/github-copilot-code-generation-ai",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11204787/github-copilot-code-generation-ai/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US11204787",
  "relatedPatents": []
}