Location-Based Mode(s) For Biasing Provisioning Of Content When An Automated Assistant Is Responding To Condensed Natural Language Inputs

Abstract

Implementations set forth herein relate to an automated assistant that operates according to a variety of different location-based biasing modes for rendering responsive content for a user and/or proactively suggesting content for the user. The user can provide condensed spoken utterances to the automated assistant, when the automated assistant is operating according to one or more location-based biasing modes, but nonetheless receive accurate responsive outputs from the automated assistant. A responsive output generated by biasing toward a subset of location characteristic data that has been prioritized over other subsets of location characteristic data. The biasing allows the automated assistant to compensate for any details that may be missing from a spoken utterance, but allows the user to provide shorter spoken utterances, thereby reducing an amount of language processing when processing inputs from the user.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method implemented by one or more processors, the method comprising:
 determining a current location of the user;   receiving, via an automated assistant of the portable computing device, a spoken utterance from the user,
 wherein the spoken utterance includes natural language content corresponding to a request for the automated assistant to provide information about a location of interest; 
   determining whether location characteristic data is associated with an area that includes the current location, wherein the location characteristic data is accessible via one or more applications of the portable computing device;   in response to determining there is location characteristic data associated with the area:
 generating, in response to receiving the spoken utterance from the user, responsive data by biasing a data selection based on the location characteristic data; and 
 rendering, via the automated assistant of the portable computing device, responsive output that is based on the responsive data. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the location characteristic data includes information related to one or more places of interests in the area. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein biasing includes modifying the request by adding an alias having a defined relationship to the area. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein biasing includes modifying the request by replacing a pronoun of the request with an alias having a defined relationship to the location of interest. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 in response to determining that there is location characteristic data associated with the area:   causing the portable computing device to render a prompt that solicits whether the user desires the automated assistant to bias the data selection; and   causing the computing device to bias the data selection responsive to receiving an affirmative user input responsive to the prompt.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein biasing the data selection based on the location characteristic data includes biasing speech to text processing toward the toward a set of terms. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining that the current location of the user has changed to a second location;   
       receiving, via an automated assistant of the portable computing device, a second spoken utterance from the user,
 wherein the second spoken utterance includes natural language content corresponding to a request for the automated assistant to provide information about a second location of interest; 
 
       determining whether second location characteristic data is associated with an area that includes the second location, wherein the location characteristic data is accessible via one or more applications of the portable computing device; 
       in response to determining there is location characteristic data associated with the area that includes the second location:
 generating, in response to receiving the second spoken utterance from the user, second responsive data by biasing a data selection based on the second location characteristic data; and 
 rendering, via the automated assistant of the portable computing device, responsive output that is based on the second responsive data. 
 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein, in response to determining there is not location characteristic data associated with the areas that includes the second location:
 generating, in response to receiving the second spoken utterance from the user, unbiased responsive data; and
 rendering, via the automated assistant of the portable computing device, responsive output that is based on the unbiased responsive data. 
   
     
     
         9 . A system, comprising:
 memory and one or more processors, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the following operations:   
       determining a current location of the user; 
       receiving, via an automated assistant of the portable computing device, a spoken utterance from the user,
 wherein the spoken utterance includes natural language content corresponding to a request for the automated assistant to provide information about a location of interest; 
 
       determining whether location characteristic data is associated with an area that includes the current location, wherein the location characteristic data is accessible via one or more applications of the portable computing device; 
       in response to determining there is location characteristic data associated with the area:
 generating, in response to receiving the spoken utterance from the user, responsive data by biasing a data selection based on the location characteristic data; and 
 rendering, via the automated assistant of the portable computing device, responsive output that is based on the responsive data. 
 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the location characteristic data includes information related to one or more places of interests in the area. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein biasing includes modifying the request by adding an alias having a defined relationship to the area. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein biasing includes modifying the request by replacing a pronoun of the request with an alias having a defined relationship to the location of interest. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the instructions further cause the processors to perform the following operations:
 in response to determining that there is location characteristic data associated with the area:   causing the portable computing device to render a prompt that solicits whether the user desires the automated assistant to bias the data selection; and   causing the computing device to bias the data selection responsive to receiving an affirmative user input responsive to the prompt.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein biasing the data selection based on the location characteristic data includes biasing speech to text processing toward the toward a set of terms. 
     
     
         15 . At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, in response to execution of the instructions by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the following operations:
 determining a current location of the user;   receiving, via an automated assistant of the portable computing device, a spoken utterance from the user,
 wherein the spoken utterance includes natural language content corresponding to a request for the automated assistant to provide information about a location of interest; 
   determining whether location characteristic data is associated with an area that includes the current location, wherein the location characteristic data is accessible via one or more applications of the portable computing device;   in response to determining there is location characteristic data associated with the area:
 generating, in response to receiving the spoken utterance from the user, responsive data by biasing a data selection based on the location characteristic data; and 
 rendering, via the automated assistant of the portable computing device, responsive output that is based on the responsive data. 
   
     
     
         16 . The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the location characteristic data includes information related to one or more places of interests in the area. 
     
     
         17 . The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein biasing includes modifying the request by adding an alias having a defined relationship to the area. 
     
     
         18 . The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein biasing includes modifying the request by replacing a pronoun of the request with an alias having a defined relationship to the location of interest. 
     
     
         19 . The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions further include:
 in response to determining that there is location characteristic data associated with the area:   causing the portable computing device to render a prompt that solicits whether the user desires the automated assistant to bias the data selection; and   causing the computing device to bias the data selection responsive to receiving an affirmative user input responsive to the prompt.   
     
     
         20 . The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein biasing the data selection based on the location characteristic data includes biasing speech to text processing toward the toward a set of terms.