Method and apparatus for providing flash-based avatars

• US 20050248574A1
• Filed: 01/31/2005
• Published: 11/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Patwardhan, Chintamani, Torgemane, Henri, Lim, Hanjoo, Ashtekar, Ashish
• Granted Patent: US 7,707,520 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings

Abstract

Method and apparatus for providing flash based online identities is disclosed. For example, the present invention applies a multimedia animation component such as a Flash component in the present avatars architecture. In one embodiment, each avatar is represented using a plurality of layers, where each layer employs at least two objects. Using two objects for each layer allows the present invention to minimize flicking when the avatar is animated.

Claims

1. A method for animating an online identity;

comprising;

representing the online identity with a plurality of layers;

assigning at least two objects to each of said plurality of layers; and

applying one of said at least two objects for holding an existing item, while the other one of said at least two objects is loading a new item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least two objects are Flash objects.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said Flash objects are MovieClip objects.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said online identity is applied in an instant messenger (IM) application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said online identity is applied in a mobile instant messenger (IM) application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said online identity is applied in an interactive game application.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said existing item or said new item comprises at least one of:

a clothing item, an accessory item and a background.

8. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions including instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of a method for animating an online identity, comprising of:

representing the online identity with a plurality of layers;

assigning at least two objects to each of said plurality of layers; and

applying one of said at least two objects for holding an existing item, while the other one of said at least two objects is loading a new item.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein said at least two objects are Flash objects.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein said Flash objects are MovieClip objects.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein said online identity is applied in an instant messenger (IM) application.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein said online identity is applied in a mobile instant messenger (IM) application.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein said online identity is applied in an interactive game application.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein said existing item or said new item comprises at least one of:

a clothing item, an accessory item and a background.

15. An apparatus for animating an online identity;

comprising;

means for representing the online identity with a plurality of layers;

means for assigning at least two objects to each of said plurality of layers; and

means for applying one of said at least two objects for holding an existing item, while the other one of said at least two objects is loading a new item.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said at least two objects are Flash objects.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said Flash objects are MovieClip objects.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said online identity is applied in an instant messenger (IM) application.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said online identity is applied in a mobile instant messenger (IM) application.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said online identity is applied in an interactive game application.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said existing item or said new item comprises at least one of:

a clothing item, an accessory item and a background.