Apple has shown continued interest in creating robust handsfree software for its mobile devices like the iPhone, and new filings detail how the company could make such a system more responsive and efficient than current options.
The details come from a handful of patent applications revealed this week by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Discovered on Thursday by AppleInsider, they offer a glimpse of how Apple's rumored voice control system -- which may be a secret, unannounced feature coming to iOS 5 later this year -- could work.
The first application, entitled Adaptive Audio Feedback System and Method, notes that current audio feedback systems are inefficient, particularly when dealing with items that may contain a large amount of information. Presenting so much to a user audibly can be overwhelming and result in a negative experience.
In addition, relying on audio prompts for a user interface can result in certain information not being appropriately conveyed. For example, audio feedback may not adequately distinguish between prompts that are of high importance, versus those that are not as important.
Apple's solution looks to cut down on the verbosity, or "wordiness," of audio feedback systems, making them more efficient and less frustrating for the user. In one method, the system would recognize if a list of data -- such as a selection of songs being presented to the user audibly -- contained repetitive information, such as the artist or album name.
Such a system would intelligently recognize that a user has already been presented with certain information in any context, and would spare them the need to hear it repeated once again. This could apply to menu navigation, alerts and prompts, and more, in a method referred to as "stepping down."
"If a subsequent occurrence of the user interface event occurs in relatively close proximity to a previous occurrence of the user interface event, the audio user interface may devolve the audio feedback (e.g. by reducing verbosity), such as to avoid overwhelming a user with repetitive and highly verbose information," the application reads.
In one specific example provided, the audio prompt "Genius is not available" is replaced by a shorter, more efficient "No Genius." This could be made even more efficient in the form of an audible cue, such as a negative sounding tone or beep.
Such a system could also work in reverse, too. An iPhone could "step up" the verbosity of an item based on user preferences, such as to convey more important information or alerts to users.
This dynamic system would spare users the need to repeatedly hear the same audio prompts, particularly if they are accomplishing a task with their iPhone that they are already familiar with. Shorter prompts are not only less bothersome to the user, but could also make handsfree navigation faster.
The details come from a handful of patent applications revealed this week by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Discovered on Thursday by AppleInsider, they offer a glimpse of how Apple's rumored voice control system -- which may be a secret, unannounced feature coming to iOS 5 later this year -- could work.
The first application, entitled Adaptive Audio Feedback System and Method, notes that current audio feedback systems are inefficient, particularly when dealing with items that may contain a large amount of information. Presenting so much to a user audibly can be overwhelming and result in a negative experience.
In addition, relying on audio prompts for a user interface can result in certain information not being appropriately conveyed. For example, audio feedback may not adequately distinguish between prompts that are of high importance, versus those that are not as important.
Apple's solution looks to cut down on the verbosity, or "wordiness," of audio feedback systems, making them more efficient and less frustrating for the user. In one method, the system would recognize if a list of data -- such as a selection of songs being presented to the user audibly -- contained repetitive information, such as the artist or album name.
Such a system would intelligently recognize that a user has already been presented with certain information in any context, and would spare them the need to hear it repeated once again. This could apply to menu navigation, alerts and prompts, and more, in a method referred to as "stepping down."
"If a subsequent occurrence of the user interface event occurs in relatively close proximity to a previous occurrence of the user interface event, the audio user interface may devolve the audio feedback (e.g. by reducing verbosity), such as to avoid overwhelming a user with repetitive and highly verbose information," the application reads.
In one specific example provided, the audio prompt "Genius is not available" is replaced by a shorter, more efficient "No Genius." This could be made even more efficient in the form of an audible cue, such as a negative sounding tone or beep.
Such a system could also work in reverse, too. An iPhone could "step up" the verbosity of an item based on user preferences, such as to convey more important information or alerts to users.
This dynamic system would spare users the need to repeatedly hear the same audio prompts, particularly if they are accomplishing a task with their iPhone that they are already familiar with. Shorter prompts are not only less bothersome to the user, but could also make handsfree navigation faster.
: Spoiled!
