Avatar personalization in a virtual environment

• US 10,203,838 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2016
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Makofsky, Steven, Cutsinger, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Ulrich, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US15/005,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20160155256A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/655 by importing photos, e.g. of the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/169 Holistic features and representations, i.e. based on the facial image taken as a whole
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/171 Local features and components; Facial parts eye characteristics G06V40/18; Occluding parts, e.g. glasses; Geometrical relationships
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/365 Application layer names, e.g. buddy names, unstructured names chosen by a user or home appliance name

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed to facilitate avatar personalization in a virtual environment. A request to generate an avatar in the virtual environment to represent a requesting entity is received. Data pertaining to the requesting entity is retrieved, the data not specifying any visual appearance of the avatar. A proposed avatar is generated based on the retrieved data. The proposed avatar is output to the requesting entity.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of avatar personalization in a virtual environment, based on user aspect, geographic region, and topic of interest, the computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a request to generate an avatar in the virtual environment to represent a user;

detecting a facial skin color of the user by analyzing an image depicting the user, wherein the image is analyzed based on one or more facial recognition rules;

determining a topic of interest pertaining to a geographic region of the user;

generating, by operation of one or more computer processors, a proposed avatar having a visual appearance based on the detected facial skin color of the user and further having a name comprising a concatenation of;

(i) a desired name for the avatar and (ii) the topic of interest pertaining to the geographic region;

whereafter the proposed avatar is output to the user responsive to the received request; and

subsequent to finalizing the proposed avatar, controlling movement of the finalized avatar in the virtual environment in real-time based on input from the user.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the facial skin color constitutes an aspect pertaining to the user, wherein the aspect pertaining to the user comprises an aspect of visual appearance of the user, wherein the aspect pertaining to the user, the topic of interest, and the geographic region are distinct from one another, wherein the request is received from a requesting entity selected from the user and another user, wherein the proposed avatar includes at least a first avatar aspect that is programmatically defined based on retrieved data pertaining to the user, thereby facilitating generation of a personalized avatar desired by the user, wherein the aspect of visual appearance comprises an aspect of physical appearance of the user, wherein the proposed avatar is output to the requesting entity responsive to the received request, wherein the aspect of physical appearance of the user is determined without requiring any user input explicitly specifying any aspect of physical appearance of the user, wherein the topic of interest pertaining to the geographic region of the user is determined without requiring any user input explicitly specifying any topic of interest.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

retrieving the data pertaining to the user, wherein the retrieved data is exclusive of any visual appearance of the avatar and is exclusive of any name for the avatar;

determining the geographic region of the user absent any user input explicitly specifying any geographic region of the user; and

determining a music preference of the user absent any user input explicitly specifying any music preference of the user, wherein the name of the proposed avatar is further based on the determined music preference;

wherein finalizing the proposed avatar comprises generating a finalized avatar including;

(i) the first avatar aspect that is programmatically defined and (ii) a second avatar aspect that is defined by the requesting entity;

wherein the first avatar aspect and the second avatar aspect are different aspects, wherein the first avatar aspect is not defined by the user, wherein the second avatar aspect is not programmatically defined.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the proposed avatar is generated by a virtual world application, wherein the topic of interest comprises a trending topic pertaining to the geographic region, wherein the aspect of physical appearance comprises a facial feature, wherein the desired name is specified in the received request, wherein the name of the avatar is determined to be available for use by the user, wherein the computer-implemented method further comprises:

programmatically modifying the finalized avatar upon detecting a change in the visual appearance of the user.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the virtual world application is configured to individually and programmatically define each first avatar aspect based individually on each retrieved data selected from:

(i) facial data obtained via facial recognition of the user;

(ii) location data of the user, wherein the location data is selected from global positioning system (GPS) data, network address data, and cell tower triangulation data;

(iii) trend data determined based on the location data;

(iv) music library data pertaining to a music library of the user;

(v) music genre data determined based on the music library data; and

(vi) audio data from an audio capture unit associated with the user;

wherein the requesting entity comprises the user, who is a user of the virtual world application, wherein the proposed avatar is generated to facilitate avatar personalization, such that the user does not need to specify any input for customizing the first avatar aspect, wherein the retrieved data does not pertain to the virtual environment, wherein the network address data comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the user.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the virtual world application is configured to individually and programmatically define each first avatar aspect based individually on each facial data selected from:

(i) a first facial data characterizing a facial geometry of the user;

(ii) a second facial data characterizing a skin color of the user;

(iii) a third facial data characterizing a hair color of the user;

(iv) a fourth facial data characterizing facial features of the user, the facial features including eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and chin, wherein each facial feature is determined based on a respective, distinct facial recognition rule;

(v) a fifth facial data characterizing an accessory worn by the user, wherein the accessory is selected from glasses, earrings, necklace, and hat; and

(vi) a sixth facial data characterizing clothing worn by the user.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the trend data characterizes the topic of interest pertaining to the geographic region of the user, wherein the geographic region is determined based on the location data, wherein the virtual world application is configured to individually and programmatically define each first avatar aspect based individually on each trending topic selected from:

(i) a trending point of interest in the geographic region, wherein the trending point of interest is selected from a trending town name, a trending street name, a trending location name, a trending store name, and a trending restaurant name; and

(ii) a trending subject of interest in the geographic region of the user, wherein the trending subject of interest is determined based on web trending data, wherein the trending subject of interest selected from a trending person name, a trending event name, a trending activity name, a trending product name, a trending service name, and a trending media content name.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the virtual world application comprises:

(i) a request processing module configured to process the received request and the second avatar aspect that is defined by the user;

(ii) a facial processing module configured to retrieve the facial data obtained via facial recognition of the user;

(iii) a location processing module configured to retrieve the location data;

(iv) a trend processing module configured to retrieve the trend data based on the location data;

(v) a music library module configured to retrieve the music library data and to determine the music genre data based on the music library data;

(vi) an avatar appearance generator configured to programmatically define the first avatar aspect of the avatar; and

(vii) an avatar name generator configured to generate a plurality of avatar names including the name of the avatar;

wherein the avatar appearance generator is configured to, in a given instance, generate the visual appearance of the proposed avatar without regard to any music preference of the user;

wherein the virtual world application is configured to generate a plurality of names for the proposed avatar, the plurality of names including the name, wherein each of the topic of interest, the geographic region, and the musical preference influences a respective one of the plurality of names.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the facial skin color constitutes an aspect pertaining to the user, wherein the aspect of the user is determined absent any user input explicitly specifying any aspect of the user.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the topic of interest pertaining to the geographic region of the user is determined without requiring any user input explicitly specifying any topic of interest.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the geographic region of the user without requiring any user input explicitly specifying any geographic region of the user.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a music preference of the user without requiring any user input explicitly specifying any music preference of the user, wherein at least one of the name of the proposed avatar and the visual appearance of the proposed avatar is further based on the determined music preference.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing a program, which when executed, is configured to perform an operation for avatar personalization in a virtual environment, based on user aspect, geographic region, and topic of interest, the operation comprising:

receiving a request to generate an avatar in the virtual environment to represent a user;

detecting a facial skin color of the user by analyzing an image depicting the user, wherein the image is analyzed based on one or more facial recognition rules;

determining a topic of interest pertaining to a geographic region of the user;

generating, by operation of one or more computer processors when executing the program, a proposed avatar having a visual appearance based on the detected facial skin color of the user and further having a name comprising a concatenation of;

(i) a desired name for the avatar and (ii) the topic of interest pertaining to the geographic region;

whereafter the proposed avatar is output to the user responsive to the received request; and

subsequent to finalizing the proposed avatar, controlling movement of the finalized avatar in the virtual environment in real-time based on input from the user.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the facial skin color constitutes an aspect pertaining to the user, wherein the aspect of the user is determined absent any user input explicitly specifying any aspect of the user.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the operation further comprises:

determining the geographic region of the user without requiring any user input explicitly specifying any geographic region of the user.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the operation further comprises:

determining a music preference of the user without requiring any user input explicitly specifying any music preference of the user, wherein at least one of the name of the proposed avatar and the visual appearance of the proposed avatar is further based on the determined music preference.

17. A system of avatar personalization in a virtual environment, based on user aspect, geographic region, and topic of interest, the system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

a memory containing a program, which when executed by the one or more computer processors is configured to perform an operation comprising;

receiving a request to generate an avatar in the virtual environment to represent a user;

detecting a facial skin color of the user by analyzing an image depicting the user, wherein the image is analyzed based on one or more facial recognition rules;

determining a topic of interest pertaining to a geographic region of the user;

generating a proposed avatar having a visual appearance based on the detected facial skin color of the user and further having a name comprising a concatenation of;

(i) a desired name for the avatar and (ii) the topic of interest pertaining to the geographic region;

whereafter the proposed avatar is output to the user responsive to the received request; and

subsequent to finalizing the proposed avatar, controlling movement of the finalized avatar in the virtual environment in real-time based on input from the user.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the facial skin color constitutes an aspect pertaining to the user, wherein the aspect of the user is determined absent any user input explicitly specifying any aspect of the user.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the operation further comprises:

determining the geographic region of the user without requiring any user input explicitly specifying any geographic region of the user.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the operation further comprises:

determining a music preference of the user without requiring any user input explicitly specifying any music preference of the user, wherein at least one of the name of the proposed avatar and the visual appearance of the proposed avatar is further based on the determined music preference.