Dialog server for handling conversation in virtual space method and computer program for having conversation in virtual space

• US 10,001,970 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2017
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Kurata, Gakuto, Nagano, Tohru, Tatsubori, Michiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hussain, Imad
• Application Number:
  US15/404,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20170235547A1
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• Field of Search: 709206
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/157 defining a virtual conference space and using avatars or agents computer conference optimisation or adaptation H04L12/1827

Abstract

A dialog server which provides dialogs made by at least one user through their respective avatars in a virtual space. A method and a computer readable article of manufacture tangibly embodying computer readable instructions for executing the steps of the method are also provided. The dialog server includes: a position storage unit which stores positional information on the avatars; an utterance receiver which receives at least one utterance of avatars and utterance strength representing an importance or attention level of the utterance; an interest level calculator which calculates interest levels between avatars based on their positional information; a message processor which generates a message based on the utterance in accordance with a value calculated from the interest levels and the utterance strength; and a message transmitter which transmits the message to the avatars.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

storing positional information on at least a first avatar and a second avatar;

receiving (i) at least one utterance from said first avatar and (ii) at least one utterance strength representing an importance or attention level of said at least one utterance;

calculating at least one interest level between said first avatar and said second avatar based on said positional information;

when a value calculated from said at least one interest level and said at least one utterance strength is not less than a predetermined threshold value, generating at least one message from said at least one utterance in accordance with the value and transmitting said at least one message to said second avatar; and

when the value is less than a predetermined threshold value, generating the at least one message from the at least one utterance in accordance with the value, not delivering the at least one message to the second avatar while the value is less than the predetermined threshold value, and delivering the at least one message to the second avatar once the value is at least equal to the predetermined threshold value,

wherein the at least one interest level of the first avatar and the second avatar are normalized relative to a plurality of interest levels associated with avatars present within a predetermined radius from at least one of the first avatar and the second avatar.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the positional information is data that becomes larger as the direction from the first avatar becomes closer to the direction of the second avatar or as the first avatar stands closer to the second avatar.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising delivering the at least one message to the second avatar once the value is at least equal to the predetermined threshold value only if a user of the second avatar chooses to receive the at least one message.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein an appearance of the at least one message is based on at least one of the utterance strength level and the interest level.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the utterance strength is a value indicating deliverability of the at least one utterance.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the utterance strength is a voice volume of the at least one utterance.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein text data of the at least one message is generated from the at least one utterance such that the text data is displayed in a form varying in accordance with at least one of the interest level and the utterance strength.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the varying of said form comprises increasing a font size of the text data in a first case, as compared to a second case, when at least one of the interest level and the utterance strength is greater in said first case than in said second case.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one interest level is a function of an angle made by a facing direction of the first avatar relative to a straight line connecting position of the first avatar and second avatar.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the at least one interest level is a function of said angle divided by a distance between the first avatar and the second avatar.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising normalizing the function relative to a plurality of interest levels associated with avatars present within a predetermined radius from the first avatar.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one interest level is a function of an angle formed by a facing direction of the first avatar relative to a straight line connecting position of the first avatar and second avatar and a distance between the first avatar and the second avatar and wherein said function is normalized relative to a plurality of interest levels associated with avatars present within a predetermined radius from the first avatar.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the value is a function of an interest level of the first avatar, an interest level of the second avatar, and a volume of the at least one utterance.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising calculating the value by multiplying an interest level of the first avatar by a volume of the at least one utterance and adding an interest level of the second avatar.

15. The method of claim 1 when the value calculated from said at least one interest level and said at least one utterance strength is not less than a predetermined threshold value, a display of the second avatar to the first avatar is not darkened.

16. The method of claim 1 when the value calculated from said at least one interest level and said at least one utterance strength is less than a predetermined threshold value, a display of the second avatar to the first avatar is darkened.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising a third avatar, calculating a second interest level between the first avatar and the third avatar based on positional information, calculating a second value from the second interest level, and comparing said second value to the predetermined threshold value.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein if said value is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value and said second value is less than the predetermined threshold value, delivering the at least one message to the second avatar and not the third avatar and wherein if said value is less than the predetermined threshold value and said second value is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value, delivering the at least one message to the third avatar and not the second avatar.