Portable communication terminal and program

• US 20050190188A1
• Filed: 01/28/2005
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawabata, Kazuo, Kondo, Daisuke, Tsutsumi, Junya, Hamada, Tetsuya, Anzawa, Kazuya
• Application Number:
  US11/044,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20050190188A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/474
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72439 for image or video messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

A program includes a parts management module configured to manage parts images for display of parts in respective states constituting the avatar, an external event information generating module configured to generate external event information indicating a state of the avatar based on input information from a user, a state information generating module configured to generate state information providing an instruction to change at least one of the respective states of the parts based on the external event information, and an avatar image generating module configured to change the at least one of the respective states of the parts according to the state information, to generate an avatar image for display of the avatar based on parts images corresponding to the respective states of the parts after the change, and to output the generated avatar image to a drawing engine.

Claims

1. A program for controlling behavior of an avatar displayed on a display of a portable communication terminal, the program comprising:

a parts management module configured to manage parts images for display of parts in respective states constituting the avatar;

an external event information generating module configured to generate external event information indicating a state of the avatar, based on input information from a user;

an internal event information generating module configured to generate internal event information indicating a state of the avatar at predetermined timing, independently of the input information from the user;

a state information generating module configured to generate state information providing an instruction to change at least one of the respective states of the parts, based on priorities assigned to the external event information and the internal event information, when receiving the external event information and the internal event information at the same time; and

an avatar image generating module configured to change the at least one of the respective states of the parts according to the state information, to generate an avatar image for display of the avatar based on parts images corresponding to the respective states of the parts after the change, and to output the generated avatar image to a drawing engine.

2. The program as set forth in claim 1, wherein the avatar image generating module is configured to manage current states of the parts and target states of the parts, to change at least one of the target states of the parts according to the state information, and to change the current states of the parts to the target states of the parts, thereby changing the at least one of the respective states of the parts.

3. The program as set forth in claim 2, wherein the avatar image generating module is configured to change at least one of the current states of the parts according to the state information, thereby changing the at least one of the respective states of the parts.

4. The program as set forth in claim 2, wherein the avatar image generating module is configured to change the current states of the parts to the target states of the parts through an interpolation state.

5. The program as set forth in claim 1, wherein the state information generating module is configured to generate the state information providing an instruction to change at least one of the respective states of the parts, at predetermined timing.

6. The program as set forth in claim 1, wherein the avatar image generating module is configured to combine the change instructions provided by a plurality of state information generated with respect to the parts, based on predetermined weighting factors, so as to generate the avatar image.

7. The program as set forth in claim 1, wherein the avatar image generating module is configured to select one or more change instructions provided by a plurality of state information generated with respect to the parts, based on predetermined priorities, so as to generate the avatar image.

8. A portable communication terminal, comprising:

a parts management module configured to manage parts images for display of parts in respective states constituting an avatar;

an external event information generating module configured to generate external event information indicating a state of the avatar, based on input information from a user;

a state information generating module configured to generate state information providing an instruction to change at least one of the respective states of the parts, based on the external event information;

an avatar image generating module configured to change the at least one of the respective states of the parts according to the state information, and to display the avatar based on parts images corresponding to the respective states of the parts after the change; and

a communication module configured to transmit the avatar image to a terminal at the other end through a wireless network.

9. The portable communication terminal as set forth in claim 8, wherein the communication module is configured to transmit a composite image in which a user image for display of the user taken by an imaging device and the avatar image are combined, to the terminal at the other end through the wireless network.