Saturday, December 14, 2024
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Apple patent filing involves better app integration with Siri

Apple has applied for a patent (number 20180196683) for “application integration with a digital assistant,” which shows further ways the company is looking to beef up Siri.

In the patent filing, Apple notes that digital assistants can help a user perform various functions on a device. For example, digital assistants can set alarms, provide weather updates, and perform searches both locally and on the Internet, all while providing a natural-language interface to a user. 

However, Apple says that existing digital assistants, can’t ffectively integrate with applications, such as those locally stored on the user device, and in particular, third-party applications. The company says that what’s needed is an even better natural-language interface with such applications. 

Here’s Apple’s summary of the invention: “ystems 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.”

Of course, Apple files for — and is granted — lots of patents by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Many are for inventions that never see the light of day. However, you never can tell which ones will materialize in a real product.

 

Dennis Sellers
the authorDennis Sellers
Dennis Sellers is the editor/publisher of Apple World Today. He’s been an “Apple journalist” since 1995 (starting with the first big Apple news site, MacCentral). He loves to read, run, play sports, and watch movies.