Patent Description:
The present description relates generally to a multi-user device including a multi-user device in a connected home environment.

Multiple different devices in a home may be communicably coupled together to form a connected home environment. For example, a connected home environment may include a smart thermostat, smart switches, smart light bulbs, and the like. Patent publication <CIT> describes a home automation environment with the host providing specific guests access to its services.

The scope of protection of the invention is set forth in the appended claims.

A multi-user device in a connected home environment may facilitate outputting content in the connected home environment. For example, a multi-user device with a built-in voice assistant, such as a smart speaker with a built-in voice assistant, may receive voice requests from users to output content, such as movies, music, etc., on an output device in the connected home environment, such as on the smart speaker, on another smart speaker, on a video output device, and the like.

The subject system provides for one or more authorized users of a connected home environment (that belongs to another user) to share their voice profiles with multi-user device(s) included in the connected home environment. A user's voice profile may have been generated and stored (e.g., in a secure container associated with the user's account on a cloud storage service) by a personal electronic device of the user, such as the user's mobile phone. When a user shares their voice profile with a multi-user device in a connected home environment that belongs to another user, a secure container associated with the other user is updated to include a reference to the secure container that stores the user's voice profile. Each of the multi-user devices in the connected home environment that the user has shared their voice profile with may then access the user's voice profile through the secure container associated with the other user (which refers back to the voice profile stored on the user's secure container). Thus, the multi-user devices in the connected home environment can access the voice profiles of any authorized users of the connected home environment who have shared their voice profiles.

After a user has authorized their voice profile to be shared with multi-user devices in a connected home environment, one of the multi-user devices may receive a voice request, such as a voice request for the output of content. For example, the voice request may be to play music, play a movie, read a text message, play a game or perform another action. The multi-user device may determine which of the authorized user accounts of the connected home environment corresponds to the user who issued the voice request, if any. This determination may be made based on, for example, vocal characteristics of the voice request, and corresponding vocal characteristics indicated by the voice profiles of the authorized users of the connected home environment. Once the multi-user device determines which of the user accounts corresponds to the user who issued the voice request, the multi-user device may access one or more settings or content libraries associated with the determined user account, e.g., for responding to the voice request.

When the voice request is a request to output content in the connected home environment, the multi-user device may determine an appropriate output device in the connected home environment for outputting the content. The multi-user device may determine the appropriate output device based on one or more of: configuration settings related to positions of respective output devices within the connected home environment, user account profiles that are available on the different output devices in the connected home environment, the content available through such user account profiles, and/or device output capabilities (e.g., video/audio, audio only) of the output devices in the connected home environment.

In one or more implementations, the multi-user device may determine that the requested content is not available in a content library corresponding to the user account of the user who provided the voice request. However, the multi-user device may determine that the requested content is available in a content library corresponding to another authorized user of the connected home environment, such as the owner. Thus, the multi-user device may be configured to a select a content library corresponding to another authorized user of the connected home environment (e.g., of the owner, another user within the home and/or a default account) in order to access the requested content when the requested content is not available through the content library corresponding to the user account of the user who provided the voice request.

The subject system also provides for the multi-user device to select an appropriate request domain for responding to the voice request, where different request domains correspond to different privacy levels. For example, a personal request domain may be used for the multi-user device to access/read a text message from the personal device of the speaking user. The personal request domain may be associated with a higher privacy level than the other request domains (e.g., requiring appropriate authorization by the user based on configuration settings). A media request domain may be used to access content associated with the user's content library (e.g., which may require appropriate authorization via configuration settings for accessing a user profile). Moreover, a general request domain may be used to provide general content (e.g., weather, time and the like).

By virtue of the subject system as described herein, multiple different authorized users of a connected home environment can issue voice requests to multi-user device(s) within the connected home environment. The responses to the voice requests can be personalized for each authorized user, as appropriate, and different output devices of the connected home environment may be selected for responding to the requests, such as based on configuration settings (e.g., of the connected home environment and/or provided by the requesting user). Moreover, privacy of an authorized user of a connected home environment belonging to another user can be maintained by, for example, storing the user's voice profile and/or user preferences/settings in the user's secure container, with only a reference to the voice profile and/or preferences/settings being made available to the multi-user devices of the connected home environment belonging to the other user.

<FIG> illustrates an example network environment <NUM> that includes a connected home environment containing multi-user devices in accordance with one or more implementations. Not all of the depicted components may be used in all implementations, however, and one or more implementations may include additional or different components than those shown in the figure. Variations in the arrangement and type of the components may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims as set forth herein. Additional components, different components, or fewer components may be provided.

The network environment <NUM> includes electronic devices <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> (hereinafter "the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM>"), a local area network ("LAN") <NUM>, a network <NUM>, and a content provider <NUM> and one or more cloud-based service(s) <NUM> (hereinafter "the servers <NUM>-<NUM>"). In one or more implementations, the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> may part of a connected home environment <NUM>, and the LAN <NUM> may communicatively (directly or indirectly) couple any two or more of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> within the connected home environment <NUM>. Moreover, the network <NUM> may communicatively (directly or indirectly) couple any two or more of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> with the content provider <NUM> and/or the cloud-based service <NUM>, for example, in conjunction with the LAN <NUM>.

In one or more implementations, the LAN <NUM> may include one or more different network devices/network medium and/or may utilize one or more different wireless and/or wired network technologies, such as Ethernet, optical, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Powerline over Ethernet, coaxial, Ethernet, Z-Wave, cellular, or generally any wireless and/or wired network technology that may communicatively couple two or more devices.

In one or more implementations, the network <NUM> may be an interconnected network of devices that may include, and/or may be communicatively coupled to, the Internet. For explanatory purposes, the network environment <NUM> is illustrated in <FIG> as including electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM>, and the servers <NUM>-<NUM>; however, the network environment <NUM> may include any number of electronic devices and any number of servers.

One or more of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> may be, for example, a portable computing device such as a laptop computer, a smartphone, a smart speaker, a peripheral device (e.g., a digital camera, headphones), a digital media player, a tablet device, a wearable device such as a smartwatch or a band, a connected home device, such as a wireless camera, a router and/or wireless access point, a wireless access device (e.g., a door lock), a smart thermostat, smart light bulbs, home security devices (e.g., motion sensors, door/window sensors, etc.), smart outlets, smart switches, and the like, or any other appropriate device that includes and/or is communicatively coupled to, for example, one or more wired or wireless interfaces, such as WLAN radios, cellular radios, Bluetooth radios, Zigbee radios, near field communication (NFC) radios, and/or other wireless radios.

By way of example, in <FIG> each of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> is depicted as a smart speaker, the electronic device <NUM> is depicted as a smartphone, the electronic device <NUM> is depicted as a smartwatch, and each of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> is depicted as a digital media player (e.g., configured to receive digital data such as music and/or video and stream it to a display device such as a television or other video display). In one or more implementations, one or more of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> may be integrated into its corresponding display device. One or more of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> may be, and/or may include all or part of, the device discussed below with respect to <FIG>, and/or the electronic system discussed below with respect to <FIG>.

In one or more implementations, the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> may correspond to multi-user devices, which are associated with a home account and usable to provide content and/or respond to requests (e.g., voice requests) for multiple users associated with respective user accounts of the connected home environment <NUM> (e.g., authorized users). One of more of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> may be configured to receive user authorization to access respective voice profiles and/or respective user account profiles, in order to respond to a user request (e.g., a voice request) within the connected home environment <NUM>.

In one or more implementations, the electronic device <NUM> may correspond to a personal device associated with a user account (e.g., of a user named "Alison"). Alison may reside in or be a guest of the home/residence (e.g., corresponding to the connected home environment <NUM>), which is also the home of another user (e.g., named "Bob"). The electronic device <NUM> may be associated with a user account for Bob, and the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> may correspond to a home account for Bob. For example, the respective users may register and/or associate their respective electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> to their respective user accounts through a service provider, such as through the cloud-based service <NUM>.

In one or more implementations, Bob may interact with the electronic device <NUM> in order to access and/or output content (e.g., video and/or music available through Bob's content library) on one or more of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM>. Moreover, based on an invitation from Bob (e.g., via the electronic device <NUM>) and acceptance by Alison (e.g., via the electronic device <NUM>), Alison's user account may be associated with, and accessible on, one or more of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> (e.g., the multi-user devices) in Bob's connected home environment <NUM>. Thus, Alison may use her electronic device <NUM> as a remote control in order to output content (e.g., content that is provided by the content provider <NUM> in association with her content library) on one or more of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM>.

Alternatively or in addition, Alison may access her media content (e.g., music and/or video) on one or more of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> without using her electronic device <NUM>. For example, the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> (e.g., smart speakers) may have a virtual assistant application running thereon, and Alison may provide a voice request to stream music (e.g., via the content provider <NUM>) in association with her user account (e.g., content library). In another example, the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> (e.g., digital media players) may have respective remote control devices that Alison can use (e.g., via physical button(s) and/or voice requests spoken to the remote) to output video and/or music via the content provider <NUM> in association with her user account.

With respect to voice requests, Alison may have selected, via a user interface provided by the electronic device <NUM>, to authorize sharing of a voice profile associated with her user account with one or more of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM>. Thus, in response to the electronic device <NUM> receiving a voice request by Alison for content, the electronic device <NUM> may determine that the request is associated with Alison's user account (e.g., based on the shared voice profile), and provide for responding to Alison's request based on her user account.

In one or more implementations, the content provider <NUM> may be configured to provide content (e.g., media content and/or other type(s) of content) to a device (e.g., one or more of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM>). In one or more implementations, the cloud-based service <NUM> may be configured to perform operations in association with user accounts such as: storing data (e.g., voice profiles, user settings/preferences, files such as documents and/or photos, etc.) with respect to a user account, sharing and/or sending data with other users with respect to a user account, backing up device data with respect to a user account, and/or associating devices and/or groups of devices (e.g., within the connected home environment <NUM>) with user accounts.

One or more of the servers <NUM>-<NUM> may be, and/or may include all or part of the device discussed below with respect to <FIG>, and/or the electronic system discussed below with respect to <FIG>. Each of the servers <NUM>-<NUM> may include one or more servers, such as a cloud of servers. For explanatory purposes, a single server is shown and discussed with respect to various operations for each of the servers <NUM>-<NUM>. However, these and other operations discussed herein may be performed by one or more servers, and each different operation may be performed by the same or different servers.

<FIG> illustrates an example device that may implement a system for responding to a user request in a connected home environment in accordance with one or more implementations. For example, the device <NUM> of <FIG> can correspond to any of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> and/or the servers <NUM>-<NUM> of <FIG>. Not all of the depicted components may be used in all implementations, however, and one or more implementations may include additional or different components than those shown in the figure. Variations in the arrangement and type of the components may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims as set forth herein. Additional components, different components, or fewer components may be provided.

The device <NUM> may include a processor <NUM>, a memory <NUM>, a communication interface <NUM> and an audio input device <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may include suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that enable processing data and/or controlling operations of the device <NUM>. In this regard, the processor <NUM> may be enabled to provide control signals to various other components of the device <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may also control transfers of data between various portions of the device <NUM>. Additionally, the processor <NUM> may enable implementation of an operating system or otherwise execute code to manage operations of the device <NUM>.

The memory <NUM> may include suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that enable storage of various types of information such as received data, generated data, code, and/or configuration information. The memory <NUM> may include, for example, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash, and/or magnetic storage.

In one or more implementations, in a case where the device <NUM> corresponds to one of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM>, the memory <NUM> may store one or more components configured to receive a request (e.g., a voice request), associate the request with a user account and provide for responding to the request. Moreover, the audio input device <NUM> may include suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code for capturing audio input, such as voice requests. For example, the audio input device <NUM> may include one or more microphones and/or other devices for capturing audio input.

In one or more implementations, in a case where the device <NUM> corresponds to the cloud-based service, <NUM>, the memory <NUM> may store user profile data (e.g., voice profiles) and/or configuration settings associated with a home environment (e.g., the connected home environment <NUM>).

The communication interface <NUM> may include suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that enables wired or wireless communication, such as between any of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> and/or the servers <NUM>-<NUM> over the network <NUM> (e.g., in conjunction with the LAN <NUM>). The communication interface <NUM> may include, for example, one or more of a Bluetooth communication interface, a cellular interface, an NFC interface, a Zigbee communication interface, a WLAN communication interface, a USB communication interface, or generally any communication interface.

In one or more implementations, one or more of the processor <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, the communication interface <NUM>, the audio input device <NUM>, and/or one or more portions thereof, may be implemented in software (e.g., subroutines and code), may be implemented in hardware (e.g., an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a Programmable Logic Device (PLD), a controller, a state machine, gated logic, discrete hardware components, or any other suitable devices) and/or a combination of both.

<FIG> illustrates an example process for utilizing a voice profile in a connected home environment in accordance with one or more implementations. For explanatory purposes, the process <NUM> is primarily described herein with reference to the electronic devices <NUM> and <NUM>, and the cloud-based service <NUM> of <FIG>. However, the process <NUM> is not limited to the electronic devices <NUM> and <NUM>, and the cloud-based service <NUM> of <FIG>, and one or more blocks (or operations) of the process <NUM> may be performed by one or more other components and/or other suitable devices (e.g., any of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM>). Further for explanatory purposes, the blocks of the process <NUM> are described herein as occurring in serial, or linearly. However, multiple blocks of the process <NUM> may occur in parallel. In addition, the blocks of the process <NUM> need not be performed in the order shown and/or one or more blocks of the process <NUM> need not be performed and/or can be replaced by other operations.

As noted above, the connected home environment <NUM> of <FIG> may include electronic devices associated with respective user accounts (e.g., the electronic device <NUM> being associated with Alison's user account and the electronic device <NUM> being associated with Bob's user account). Moreover, the connected home environment <NUM> may include one or more of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM>, corresponding to multi-user devices that are configured to output content and/or respond to requests with respect to different user accounts. In one or more implementations, the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> may belong to Bob, and therefore Bob's user account may be associated with the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> as the owner user account and/or as the primary user account.

The process <NUM> includes an enrollment phase (e.g., blocks <NUM>-<NUM>) and a sharing phase (e.g., blocks <NUM>-<NUM>). During the enrollment phase, a user of the electronic device <NUM>, such as Alison, may request to share a voice profile with the electronic device <NUM>, and appropriate updates may be made to a cloud-based data store to share the voice profile. Moreover, during the sharing phase, the user of the electronic device <NUM> may use the voice profile in association with issuing voice requests to the electronic device <NUM>. In one or more implementations, the enrollment phase may first occur when the user associated with the electronic device <NUM>, e.g., Alison, is invited to the connected home environment <NUM> by the electronic device <NUM> associated with the user account of the owner of the connected home environment <NUM>, such as Bob. Alison may accept Bob's request, e.g. via the electronic device <NUM>, and Alison may then complete the enrollment phase.

As described herein, in one or more implementations, different identifiers may be used to identify user accounts and/or devices associated with the connected home environment <NUM>. For example, after Alison completes the enrollment process with respect to Bob's connected home environment <NUM>, Alison may be identifiable by one or more of: a "home user identifier" that uniquely identifies Alison with respect to the home account (e.g., for the connected home environment <NUM>); a "shared user identifier" that uniquely identifies Alison across multiple devices associated with Alison's user account (e.g., the electronic device <NUM> as well as other devices associated with Alison's user account); a "primary device identifier" that identifies the electronic device <NUM> as a primary device of Alison; and/or a "content user identifier" that uniquely identifies Alison with respect to the content provider <NUM>. Similar identifiers may be associated with Bob and other user accounts associated with the connected home environment <NUM>.

At operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM>, e.g. associated with Alison's user account, sends, to the electronic device <NUM>, e.g., associated with Bob's user account, a request to share a voice profile with the electronic device <NUM>. For example, the request may be sent based on user input received via a user interface displayed at the electronic device <NUM>. The user interface may provide the user (e.g., Alison) with the option to share a voice profile, which is associated with the electronic device <NUM>, with the electronic device <NUM>. By sharing the voice profile, the electronic device <NUM> may access Alison's voice profile when responding to a voice request received by the electronic device <NUM> (e.g., to detect whether the voice request is attributable to Alison).

In one or more implementations, Alison may already have a voice profile stored in association with the electronic device <NUM> (e.g., her personal device). As discussed below with respect to <FIG>, the voice profile may be stored in an encrypted data store (e.g., within the cloud-based service <NUM>) in association with the electronic device <NUM>. However, it is possible that Alison may have not yet set up a voice profile in association with the electronic device <NUM>. In such a case, the user interface for sharing a voice profile (e.g., as displayed at the electronic device <NUM>) may provide an option for Alison to set up a voice profile. In one or more implementations, setting up a voice profile may request Alison to provide voice input to the electronic device <NUM> based on a series of predefined questions. For example, the predefined questions may assist in determining vocal characteristics (e.g., tone, pitch, accent and the like) for Alison's voice. After completing the voice profile setup, an encrypted data store may be updated for Alison, to include a voice profile associated with Alison's user account for the electronic device <NUM>.

At operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> sends, to the cloud-based service <NUM>, a request to update a data store on the cloud-based service <NUM> to include the voice profile. As noted, the data store may correspond to a secure/encrypted data container for storing a respective voice profile for Alison. The cloud-based service <NUM> may include additional encrypted data stores for including voice profiles associated with other user accounts (e.g., a voice profile for Bob and/or voice profiles for other user accounts associated with the connected home environment <NUM>). In one or more implementations, the cloud-based service <NUM> may be configured to identify users based on the shared user identifiers as described above. As such, the request at operation <NUM> may include the shared user identifier for Alison. The request may further include the primary device identifier for the electronic device <NUM> (e.g., corresponding to Alison's personal device).

The cloud-based server <NUM> receives the request and shares Alison's voice profile with Bob's device (e.g., the electronic device <NUM>) by performing, for example, the following process described with respect to <FIG>. In this regard, <FIG> illustrates an example process of sharing profile data contained within data stores with a multi-user device in accordance with one or more implementations. For explanatory purposes, the process <NUM> is primarily described herein with reference to the electronic devices <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> and the cloud-based service <NUM> of <FIG>. However, the process <NUM> is not limited to the electronic device <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> and/or the cloud-based service <NUM>, and one or more other components and/or other suitable devices (e.g., any of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM>) may be used.

As noted above with respect to <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM> may be associated with/registered to Alison's user account and may correspond to a personal device of Alison, the electronic device <NUM> may be associated with/registered to Bob's user account and may correspond to a personal device of Bob, and the electronic device <NUM> may be associated with/registered to Bob's user account and may correspond to a multi-user device associated with a home account for Bob (e.g., where the devices <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> are connected to the LAN <NUM>).

In the example of <FIG>, the cloud-based service <NUM> includes data stores <NUM> and <NUM>, which may correspond to encrypted data containers specific to individual user accounts. For example, the data store <NUM> includes a voice profile for the user account of Alison (e.g., stored as personal profile data 403A), and the data store <NUM> includes a voice profile for the user account of Bob (e.g., stored as personal profile data 403A). Moreover, the data store <NUM> may include one or more references to other users' voice profiles/profile data (e.g., stored as other user profile data 406B). Thus, the data store <NUM> may be logically partitioned into separate zones, where a first zone stores the profile data 406A corresponding to Bob's user account, and a second zone stores references for other users' profile data 406B. Although not shown in <FIG>, the data store <NUM> may include a respective zone for other user profile data (e.g., based on multi-user devices in a separate home in which Alison is the owner of the home account). As shown in operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may access the data store <NUM>, so as to download the personal profile data 406A and/or the other user profile data 406B from the data store <NUM>.

In one or more implementations, each of the voice profiles corresponding to the personal profile data 403A, the personal profile data 406A and/or the other user profile data 406B may store the above-noted home user identifier, shared user identifier, primary device identifier, and content user identifier for the respective user(s) accounts. Moreover, the personal profile data 403A, the personal profile data 406A and/or the other user profile data 406B may store a mapping between the various identifiers, in order for the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> to identify users with respect to the cloud-based service <NUM>, the content provider <NUM> and/or the connected home environment <NUM>. The mapping may be encrypted, such that authorized devices (e.g., the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM>) may access the mapped identifiers to properly identify user accounts and/or devices, while other services (e.g., corresponding to the cloud-based service <NUM>) are not able to access the mapping as encrypted.

In one or more implementations, one or more of the personal profile data 403A and/or the personal profile data 406A may correspond to data that was copied (e.g., mirrored) from other data store(s) (not shown). The other data store(s) may correspond to legacy data store(s) configured to store voice profiles for individual users, without necessarily being configured to store data corresponding to other users' profiles (e.g., such that the legacy data stores included the above-mentioned first zone but not the second zone). Thus, with respect to incorporating voice profile data stored on the legacy data stores onto the data stores <NUM>-<NUM>, the cloud-based service <NUM> may provide for mirroring the data from the legacy data stores into the respective personal profile data 406A and personal profile data 403A zones of the data stores <NUM>-<NUM>.

As noted above, Alison's electronic device <NUM> may display a user interface for Alison to share her voice profile with the electronic device <NUM>. In response, Bob (e.g., who may correspond to the owner of the home account) may be provided with a user interface for accepting that Alison's voice profile be shared for the electronic device <NUM> (e.g., and/or the electronic device <NUM>). As shown in operations <NUM> of <FIG>, the user interface may be provided at one or more of the electronic device <NUM> and/or the electronic device <NUM> (e.g., or <NUM>, not shown in <FIG>), such that Bob may authorize via either the electronic devices <NUM> and/or <NUM>. In authorizing with respect to the electronic device <NUM>, the user interface may be voice-based (e.g., "may Alison add/share her voice profile with this device?"), such that Bob may authorize via the electronic device <NUM> using a voice command (e.g., "yes") that is authenticated using Bob's voice profile. On the other hand, in authorizing with respect to the electronic device <NUM>, the user interface may be display-based.

At operation <NUM>, after Bob has authorized the sharing of Alison's voice profile on the electronic device <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> and/or the electronic device <NUM> (e.g., devices associated with Bob's user account) may request that the data store <NUM> (e.g., encrypted to Bob's user account) reference the voice profile associated with Alison's user account stored on the data store <NUM>. In response to this request, the cloud-based service <NUM> at operation <NUM> may provide that the other user profile data 406B of the data store <NUM> be updated to reference the personal profile data 403A of the data store <NUM>. With respect to above-noted operation <NUM>, the electronic device may download the personal profile data 406A from the data store <NUM>. Moreover, the electronic device <NUM> may download the other user profile data 406B, which as noted above, references the personal profile data 403A. Thus, the electronic device <NUM> may access (e.g., via download) the voice profile associated with Alison's user account.

As such, with reference to operation <NUM> of <FIG>, Bob's data store <NUM> is updated to store a reference to Alison's data store <NUM>. At operation <NUM>, the cloud-based service <NUM> sends, to the electronic device <NUM>, a notification of the update (e.g., that data store <NUM> references data store <NUM>, so that the electronic device <NUM> may download Alison's voice profile). At operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> sends a notification to the electronic device <NUM> that the voice profile is being shared.

In one or more implementations, user configuration settings (discussed below) associated with Alison's user account may also be stored on the data store <NUM> (e.g., as part of the personal profile data 403A). The configuration settings may be referenced by the data store <NUM> (e.g., via the other user profile data 406B), and downloaded by the electronic device <NUM>. Thus, the downloading of the Alison's voice profile data and/or configuration settings may correspond to with completion of the enrollment phase.

Regarding the sharing phase, at operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> receives a request (e.g., a voice request) for content, e.g., to output content. For example, the voice request may correspond to one or more types of request for content, including, but not limited to: messaging (e.g., text messages, emails), calendar content, music, photo & video, games, books, business, catalogs, education, entertainment, finance, food & drink, health & fitness, lifestyle, medical, music, navigation, news, productivity, reference, social networking, sports, travel, utilities and weather.

Operations <NUM>-<NUM> relate to determining appropriate user accounts, output devices and/or request domains for responding to the voice request. In one or more implementations, each user account (e.g., Alison, Bob) may have configuration settings associated therewith. The configuration settings for a user account may indicate particular authorizations that have been set by the associated user. The configuration settings may have been set at a time when the user was first invited to access multi-user devices (e.g., the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM>) within the home environment, and may be updatable at a later time by the user via a control application for settings associated with home accounts. Moreover, the electronic device <NUM> may download the configuration settings via the data store <NUM> (e.g., by direct download of Bob's configuration settings within the personal profile data 406A and/or based on a reference to Alison's configuration settings within the other user profile data 406B).

The configuration settings may include, but are not limited to: sharing a voice profile in association with a home account; sharing a user account profile from which content may be provided in association with a home account; specifying which of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> are authorized to access/activate the user account profile; enabling personal requests in association with a home account; specifying which of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> are authorized to perform personal requests. In one or more implementations, the user account profile may relate to user accounts for content (e.g., music, video, games, and the like) that may be provided by the content provider <NUM>. Moreover, the personal requests may relate to content that is stored on a personal electronic device (e.g., the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM>) of a user. For example, personal requests may relate to content included in electronic messages (e.g., text messages, emails), documents, contacts and/or calendar information stored on, and/or accessible to, the personal electronic device.

At operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> determines a user account based on the voice profile. As noted above, the data store <NUM> may store personal voice profiles (e.g., within personal profile data 406A) and/or may reference other users' voice profiles (e.g., within other user profile data 406B). The electronic device <NUM> may have downloaded these voice profiles (e.g., as part of a bootstrap process).

For each voice profile, the electronic device <NUM> may calculate a confidence score that the user (e.g., associated a user account) who issued/spoke the voice request corresponds to the voice profile for the user account. The confidence scores may be based on comparing vocal characteristics (e.g., tone, voice pitch, accent and the like) associated with the voice request with corresponding vocal characteristics associated with the respective voice profiles. The electronic device <NUM> may determine a user account based on the calculated confidence scores.

In one or more implementations, electronic device <NUM> determines the user account based on the confidence scores and/or additional data with respect to user accounts. For example, the additional data may include prior user feedback, viewing history, listening history, viewing/listening patterns, and the like. In one or more implementations, the electronic device <NUM> may interact with the cloud-based service <NUM> in determining the user account based on the voice profile.

At operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> determines an output device (e.g., one of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM>) for responding to the voice request. For example, the voice request received at the electronic device <NUM> may be a request to output content (e.g., video content). The electronic device <NUM> may determine, based on the voice request, to provide the content via one of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM>. For example, the voice request may have explicitly indicated to output content "on a TV," and the electronic device <NUM> may determine (e.g., based on configuration settings) that the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> are the only multi-user devices within the connected home environment <NUM> that correspond to a TV. Alternatively or in addition, the voice request may have requested to output video content (e.g., by including a movie, show or other video-based title in the request), such that output to a TV is implicit. In response, the electronic device <NUM> may determine to provide the content via one of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM>, since the electronic device <NUM> does not include the appropriate hardware for video output.

Alternatively or in addition, determination of the output device may be further based on other configuration settings associated with the home environment (e.g., and stored by the cloud-based service <NUM>). For example, the configuration settings may indicate which rooms (e.g., living room, kitchen) and/or floors (e.g., upstairs, downstairs) each of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> is located in. If the user does not specify a specific output device, since the user is presumably in the same room as the electronic device <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may select an output device which is located in the same room and/or floor as itself (e.g., the electronic <NUM> is on the same floor as the electronic device <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>). In addition, the determination of the output device may be based on the availability of the content (e.g., a movie or show title) on the output device relative to other output devices in the connected home environment <NUM>. For example, availability may be based on one or more of the user profile accounts associated/selectable on the output device (e.g., based on the configuration settings) and/or may be vendor-based (e.g., where applications installed on the respective output device are associated with vendors that have different content availability). In one or more implementations, the electronic device <NUM> may interact with the cloud-based service <NUM> in determining the output device.

At operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> determines a request domain for responding to the voice request. In one or more implementations, different request domains may correspond with different personal data (e.g., privacy levels) for responding to a request. The different request domains may include, but are not limited to a personal request domain, a media request domain and/or a general request domain. The determination of a request domain may be based on the content being requested with respect to the voice request, configuration settings (e.g., user authorizations) associated with the connected home environment <NUM>, and/or confidence scores with respect for voice requests corresponding to voice profiles.

The personal request domain may correspond to a privacy level for accessing content on a personal device (e.g., the electronic device <NUM>). For example, the content may correspond to electronic messages (e.g., text messages, emails), documents, address book data (e.g., contacts, addresses), calendar information and/or other personal data stored on the personal electronic device <NUM>. The voice request may be for the electronic device <NUM> to output (e.g., via audio playback) content included in such personal data (e.g., a voice request of "read me my last text message"). As noted above, the configuration settings may include authorizations, provided by the user, with respect to personal requests, and which of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> are authorized to access data from the personal request domain.

The media request domain may correspond to a privacy level for accessing media content (e.g., music, video, games and the like) associated with a user account. For example, media content may be provided by the content provider <NUM> in association with user account profiles. Examples of a voice request corresponding to the media request domain include requests to play music, video and/or games. As noted above, the configuration settings may include authorizations, provided by the user, with respect to user account profiles, and which of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> are authorized to access/activate user account profiles.

The general request domain may correspond to a privacy level for accessing general content. Examples of a voice request corresponding to the general request domain include requests for the weather, time of day and/or other general information. In one or more implementations, the general request domain is independent of the user account. Alternatively, the general request domain may be associated with user preferences (e.g., stored in association with a user account) for the output of general content based on user preferences (e.g., units of measure such as Celsius vs. Fahrenheit for weather, metric vs. standard, <NUM> vs. <NUM> hour for time).

The determination of the appropriate request domain may further be based on a confidence score in determining the user who issued the voice request, for example, as described above with respect to operation <NUM>. The determination may be further based on the additional data (e.g., stored locally by the electronic device <NUM> and/or as stored by the cloud-based service <NUM>) with respect to user accounts, including prior user feedback, viewing history, listening history, viewing/listening patterns, and the like. In one or more implementations, the electronic device <NUM> may interact with the cloud-based service <NUM> in determining the request domain.

Operation <NUM> is illustrated as optional, based on determining (at operation <NUM>) that the request domain corresponds to the personal request domain. In such a case, the electronic device <NUM> communicates with the electronic device <NUM> in order to access the content (e.g., a message, document, calendar, address book or other personal data stored) from the electronic device <NUM> corresponding to the voice request. The accessed content may be output by the electronic device <NUM> (e.g., audio output of a text message) and/or another determined output device.

At operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> provides for responding to the voice request based on one or more of the determined user account (corresponding to operation <NUM>), the determined output device (corresponding to operation <NUM>) and/or the determined request domain (corresponding to operation <NUM> and/or optional operation <NUM>).

With respect to the various determinations, it is possible that a user account different from the determined user account (at operation <NUM>, corresponding to who issued the voice request) may be used to output the content corresponding to the voice request. The electronic device <NUM> may be configured to check whether the requested content (e.g., corresponding to the voice request) is available on different user accounts.

For example, both Alison and Bob may have user account profiles that are authorized for video output on the electronic device <NUM>. With respect to a requested movie, music, game or the like, the content may unavailable within Alison's content library (e.g., corresponding to the content provider <NUM>), but may be available within Bob's content library. Thus, even if the electronic device <NUM> initially determined that the Alison issued the voice request, the output of content may be switched to a different user account. In a case where the requested content is also unavailable on Bob's user account, the electronic device <NUM> may select among other user account profile(s) on the output device (e.g., within the connected home environment <NUM>), including a default account that may be associated with the home but not necessarily associated with a specific user within the home.

At operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> sends, to the electronic device <NUM> (e.g., based on the primary device identifier associated with the identified user account), an indication of the output device responding to the request. At operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> surfaces user interface controls for controlling the output device with respect to the voice request. For example, if the electronic device <NUM> corresponds to the output device (e.g., for playing music), the electronic <NUM> may surface a set of controls on the electronic device <NUM> for remotely controlling the output of music (e.g., pause, play, switch song, switch playlist and/or switch user account from Alison to Bob). In another example, if the electronic device <NUM> corresponds to the output device (e.g., for playing a video), the electronic <NUM> may surface a set of controls for remotely controlling the output of the video (e.g., pause, play, switch movie, switch user account from Alison to Bob). In yet another example, if the electronic device <NUM> corresponds to the output device (e.g., for playing a game), the electronic <NUM> may surface a set of controls for playing the game and/or otherwise interacting with the game (e.g., pause, play, account settings, save current place in game, and the like).

In one or more implementations, a playback history and/or preferences for the user account (e.g., Alison) may be updated based on the output of content. For example, the cloud-based service <NUM> may store history and/or preference data to indicate one or more of the output device, the output content and/or the user account used for output. Such history data may be used to provide recommendations and/or facilitate future playback of content with respect to a user account.

In one or more implementations, the voice profile data for the user who issued the voice request (e.g., Alison) may be updated, for example, based on one or more of playback history and/or user feedback (e.g., where Alison indicates that the response to the voice request is incorrect or correct). In updating the voice profile, one or more of the electronic device <NUM> and/or the electronic device <NUM> may provide for the personal profile data 403A to be updated, via the references to the voice profile included in the other user profile data 406B.

In one or more implementations, Alison may opt (e.g., via user input at the electronic device <NUM>, or via voice command at a multi-user device) to no longer associate her user account and/or voice profile with the home account and the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM>. In response to the request, the corresponding identifiers and/or within the other user profile data 406B, as well as the reference to the personal profile data 403A within the other user profile data 406B, may be removed.

<FIG> illustrates a flow diagram of an example process <NUM> for providing a multi-user device with access to a voice profile in accordance with one or more implementations. For explanatory purposes, the process <NUM> is primarily described herein with reference to the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> and the cloud-based service <NUM> of <FIG>. However, the process <NUM> is not limited to the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> and the cloud-based service <NUM> of <FIG>, and one or more blocks (or operations) of the process <NUM> may be performed by one or more other components of the cloud-based service <NUM> and other suitable devices (e.g., any of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM>). Further for explanatory purposes, the blocks of the process <NUM> are described herein as occurring in serial, or linearly. However, multiple blocks of the process <NUM> may occur in parallel. In addition, the blocks of the process <NUM> need not be performed in the order shown and/or one or more blocks of the process <NUM> need not be performed and/or can be replaced by other operations.

The cloud-based service <NUM> receives a request to share a first voice profile corresponding to a first user account (e.g., associated with the electronic device <NUM>) with the electronic device <NUM> associated with a second user account (<NUM>). The electronic device <NUM> is voice-enabled, and the first voice profile is stored on a first data store associated with the first user account. Receiving the request may be based on user input received at the electronic device <NUM>, the user input authorizing to share the first voice profile with the electronic device <NUM>.

The electronic device <NUM> may be associated with a home account corresponding to the second user account. A user of the first user account may be identifiable by at least one of a first identifier that uniquely identifies the user with respect to the home account, a second identifier that uniquely identifies the user across multiple devices of the user, a third identifier that identifies the electronic device <NUM> as a primary device of the user, or a fourth identifier that uniquely identifies the user with respect to a media content server (e.g., the content provider <NUM>).

The cloud-based service <NUM> updates a second data store associated with the second user account to include a reference to the first voice profile stored on the first data store (<NUM>). The second data store may further store a second voice profile corresponding to the second user account. The second data store may mirror the second voice profile from a third data store which does not include or reference the first voice profile.

The second data store may include a first portion and a second portion, the first portion for storing the second voice profile, and the second portion for storing the reference to the first voice profile and references to other voice profiles corresponding to user accounts other than the second user account. The cloud-based service <NUM> sends, to the electronic device <NUM>, a notification that the second data store has been updated to include the reference to the first voice profile (<NUM>).

The electronic device <NUM> may receive a voice request from a user, and compare vocal characteristics of the voice request with those indicated by the first voice profile and the second voice (e.g., as downloaded by the electronic device via the second data store). The electronic device <NUM> may calculate a first confidence score that the user corresponds to the first user account, based on the voice request and the first voice profile, and calculate a second confidence score that the user corresponds to the second user account, based on the voice request and the second voice profile.

The electronic device <NUM> may determine, based on the first and second confidence scores, that the voice request is associated with the first user account. The electronic device <NUM> may provide a response to the voice request based on content that corresponds to the first user account.

<FIG> illustrates a flow diagram of an example process <NUM> for selecting a user account on a multi-user device from which to provide content in response to a voice request in accordance with one or more implementations. For explanatory purposes, the process <NUM> is primarily described herein with reference to the electronic device <NUM> of <FIG>. However, the process <NUM> is not limited to the electronic device <NUM> of <FIG>, and one or more blocks (or operations) of the process <NUM> may be performed by one or more other components and/or other suitable devices (e.g., any of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM>). Further for explanatory purposes, the blocks of the process <NUM> are described herein as occurring in serial, or linearly. However, multiple blocks of the process <NUM> may occur in parallel. In addition, the blocks of the process <NUM> need not be performed in the order shown and/or one or more blocks of the process <NUM> need not be performed and/or can be replaced by other operations.

The electronic device <NUM> receives a voice request for content (<NUM>). The voice request corresponds to a first user account, and the electronic device <NUM> is associated with the first user account, a second user account and a default account. The electronic device <NUM> may determine that the voice request corresponds to the first user account based on a voice profile associated with the first user account. The second user account may correspond to an owner of the electronic device <NUM>.

The electronic device <NUM> determines that the content is unavailable via the first user account (<NUM>). The determining may be based on an availability of the content within a cloud-based library of content associated with the first user account. The cloud-based library of content may include, for example, content that is owned by the first user account and/or content that is accessible to the first user account, such as through a subscription service. In one or more implementations, the content may be available to the user account through one or more different applications for which the user account directly or indirectly has access.

The electronic device <NUM> provides, in response to the determining, the content via at least one of the second user account or the default account (<NUM>). The electronic device <NUM> may provide the content via the second user account based on a determination that the content is available via the second user account. The electronic device <NUM> may provide the content via the default account based on a determination that the content is unavailable via the second user account. The electronic device <NUM> may update a playback history for the at least one of the second user account or the default account based on the providing.

<FIG> illustrates a flow diagram of an example process <NUM> for selecting a request domain from which to provide content in response to a voice request in accordance with one or more implementations. For explanatory purposes, the process <NUM> is primarily described herein with reference to the electronic devices <NUM> and <NUM> of <FIG>. However, the process <NUM> is not limited to the electronic devices <NUM> and <NUM> of <FIG>, and one or more blocks (or operations) of the process <NUM> may be performed by one or more other components and/or other suitable devices (e.g., any of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM>). Further for explanatory purposes, the blocks of the process <NUM> are described herein as occurring in serial, or linearly. However, multiple blocks of the process <NUM> may occur in parallel. In addition, the blocks of the process <NUM> need not be performed in the order shown and/or one or more blocks of the process <NUM> need not be performed and/or can be replaced by other operations.

The electronic device <NUM> receives a voice request, the electronic device <NUM> being associated with a user account (<NUM>). The electronic device <NUM> determines, based on the voice request, a confidence score that the voice request corresponds to a voice profile associated with the user account (<NUM>). The electronic device <NUM> may be configured to access the voice profile based on authorization received in association with the user account.

The electronic device <NUM> selects, based on the confidence score, a request domain from among plural request domains for responding to the voice request (<NUM>). Each request domain of the plural request domains may correspond to a respective privacy level associated with the user account. In a case where the confidence score is below a predefined value, the selecting may be further based on at least one of a location of the electronic device <NUM> or prior user interaction with respect to the user account.

The plural request domains may include a personal request domain corresponding to a privacy level for accessing content on a personal device (e.g., the electronic device <NUM>) associated with the user account. Alternatively or in addition, the plural request domains may also include a media request domain corresponding to a privacy level for accessing media content associated with the user account, and/or a general request domain corresponding to a privacy level for accessing general content that is independent of the user account.

In one or more implementations, the personal request domain may be associated with the highest privacy level and therefore may require that a first, highest confidence threshold be met, the media request domain may be associated with the second highest privacy level and therefore may require, a second confidence threshold, less than the first confidence threshold to be met, and the general request domain may be associated with the lowest privacy level and therefore may require that a third confidence threshold, less than the second confidence threshold, be met.

The electronic device <NUM> provides for a response to the voice request based on the selected request domain (<NUM>). In a case where the selected request domain is the personal request domain, the electronic device <NUM> may access content from the electronic device <NUM>, to access a message, document, calendar, address book or other personal data on the electronic device <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates a flow diagram of an example process <NUM> for selecting a device from which to provide content in response to a voice request in accordance with one or more implementations. For explanatory purposes, the process <NUM> is primarily described herein with reference to the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> of <FIG>. However, the process <NUM> is not limited to the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM> of <FIG>, and one or more blocks (or operations) of the process <NUM> may be performed by one or more other components and/or other suitable devices (e.g., any of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM>). Further for explanatory purposes, the blocks of the process <NUM> are described herein as occurring in serial, or linearly. However, multiple blocks of the process <NUM> may occur in parallel. In addition, the blocks of the process <NUM> need not be performed in the order shown and/or one or more blocks of the process <NUM> need not be performed and/or can be replaced by other operations.

The electronic device <NUM> receives a voice request for content (<NUM>), the electronic device <NUM> being associated with a home environment. The voice request corresponds to a user account. The electronic device <NUM> may determine that the voice request corresponds to the user account based on a voice profile associated with the user account.

The electronic device <NUM> determines, based on the voice request, not to output the requested content via the electronic device <NUM> (<NUM>). The determining may be based on the voice request implicitly or explicitly indicating to provide the content via a device other than the electronic device <NUM>. Alternatively or in addition, the determining may be based on the electronic device <NUM> not including, and/or being associated with hardware needed to output the content, such as a video output device.

The electronic device <NUM> selects, in response to the determining, the electronic device <NUM> to output the content from multiple candidate output devices (e.g., that include the necessary output hardware) in the connected home environment <NUM> (<NUM>). In one or more implementations, the selecting is based at least in part on configuration settings associated with the connected home environment <NUM>.

For example, the selecting may be based at least in part on the configuration settings indicating the electronic device <NUM> and the electronic device <NUM> are within a same room of the home environment. Alternatively or in addition, the selecting may be based at least in part on the configuration settings indicating that the profile of the user account is associated with the electronic device <NUM>, and, e.g., is not associated with the other candidate output devices in the connected home environment <NUM>. Alternatively or in addition, the selecting may be based at least in part on the configuration settings indicating that the content is available on the electronic device <NUM> but not on the other candidate output devices in the connected home environment <NUM>.

The electronic device <NUM> provides for the electronic device <NUM> to output the content based on a profile of the user account (<NUM>). Prior to the providing, the electronic device <NUM> may activate the profile of the user account. A playback history for the user account may be updated based on the activating and the providing.

For example, the electronic device <NUM> may transmit a command to the electronic device <NUM> to switch to a particular user account profile (if necessary), such as the user account profile corresponding to the determined user account, and to begin playback of the requested content. In one or more implementations, the electronic device <NUM> may also transmit a command to a personal device associated with the determined user account to surface a remote control application on the electronic device <NUM> for remotely controlling the content being output by the electronic device <NUM>.

As described above, one aspect of the present technology is the gathering and use of data available from specific and legitimate sources for responding to a user request within a home environment. The present disclosure contemplates that in some instances, this gathered data may include personal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used to identify a specific person. Such personal information data can include demographic data, location-based data, online identifiers, telephone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, data or records relating to a user's health or level of fitness (e.g., vital signs measurements, medication information, exercise information), date of birth, or any other personal information.

The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information data, in the present technology, can be used to the benefit of users. For example, the personal information data can be used for responding to a user request within a home environment. Accordingly, use of such personal information data may facilitate transactions (e.g., on-line transactions). Further, other uses for personal information data that benefit the user are also contemplated by the present disclosure. For instance, health and fitness data may be used, in accordance with the user's preferences to provide insights into their general wellness, or may be used as positive feedback to individuals using technology to pursue wellness goals.

Despite the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates embodiments in which users selectively block the use of, or access to, personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates that hardware and/or software elements can be provided to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, in the case of responding to a user request using a multi-user device within a home environment, the present technology can be configured to allow users to select to "opt in" or "opt out" of participation in the collection of personal information data during registration for services or anytime thereafter. In addition to providing "opt in" and "opt out" options, the present disclosure contemplates providing notifications relating to the access or use of personal information. For instance, a user may be notified upon downloading an app that their personal information data will be accessed and then reminded again just before personal information data is accessed by the app.

<FIG> illustrates an electronic system <NUM> with which one or more implementations of the subject technology may be implemented. The electronic system <NUM> can be, and/or can be a part of, one or more of the electronic devices <NUM>-<NUM>, the content provider <NUM> and/or the cloud-based service <NUM> shown in <FIG>. The electronic system <NUM> may include various types of computer readable media and interfaces for various other types of computer readable media. The electronic system <NUM> includes a bus <NUM>, one or more processing unit(s) <NUM>, a system memory <NUM> (and/or buffer), a ROM <NUM>, a permanent storage device <NUM>, an input device interface <NUM>, an output device interface <NUM>, and one or more network interfaces <NUM>, or subsets and variations thereof.

Finally, as shown in <FIG>, the bus <NUM> also couples the electronic system <NUM> to one or more networks and/or to one or more network nodes, such as the content provider <NUM> shown in <FIG>, through the one or more network interface(s) <NUM>. In this manner, the electronic system <NUM> can be a part of a network of computers (such as a LAN, a wide area network ("WAN"), or an Intranet, or a network of networks, such as the Internet. Any or all components of the electronic system <NUM> can be used in conjunction with the subject disclosure.

It is understood that any specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the processes disclosed is an illustration of example approaches. Based upon design preferences, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the processes may be rearranged, or that all illustrated blocks be performed. Any of the blocks may be performed simultaneously. In one or more implementations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.

The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration". Any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" or as an "example" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. Furthermore, to the extent that the term "include", "have", or the like is used in the description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "comprise" as "comprise" is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.

Claim 1:
A method (<NUM>), comprising:
receiving (<NUM>) a voice request at a first device (<NUM>), the first device being associated with a user account belonging to a respective user;
determining (<NUM>), based on the voice request, a confidence score that the user who provided the voice request corresponds to the voice profile of the user account, wherein determining the confidence score is based on comparing vocal characteristics of the voice request with vocal characteristics associated with the user account;
selecting (<NUM>), based at least on the content of the voice request and on the confidence score, a request domain from among plural request domains for responding to the voice request, each respective request domain corresponding to respective data having a respective privacy level and corresponding to a respective confidence threshold, wherein the respective confidence threshold increases as the respective privacy level of the respective data increases and a respective domain can be selected only when the respective confidence score is higher or equal to the respective confidence threshold,
wherein the plural request domains comprise a personal request domain associated with a first privacy level for accessing content on a personal device (<NUM>) of the respective user, the personal device (<NUM>) being associated with the user account of the respective user and being different from the first device (<NUM>); and
providing (<NUM>) for a response to the voice request based on the selected request domain,
characterized in that the plural request domains further comprise a general request domain associated with a second privacy level for accessing general content that is independent of the user account, wherein the personal request domain corresponds to a first confidence threshold and the general request domain corresponds to a second confidence threshold that is less than the first confidence threshold.