Virtual character with realtime content input
First Claim
1. In an interactive system of the type including an input device for accepting input command data from a user and a display screen for producing a graphical image representing a real or imagined human or animal whose displayed behavior varies in response said input command data, the improvement comprising:
- a data transmission network for repetitively broadcasting update messages that contain the current values of one or more variable quantities, said update messages being broadcast to a plurality of different wireless data receivers each of which is located remotely from said information server and each of which includes a data receiver including a decoder for receiving said update messages and for extracting selected ones of said current values from said update messages, a cache memory coupled to said input device and to said decoder in one of said data recievers for storing said input command data and said selected ones of said current values extracted form said update messages, and a processor coupled to said cache memory and to said display screen for controlling the perceptible attributes of said graphical image in response to changes in the data stored in said cache memory.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An interactive virtual character which represents a real or imagined human or animal having perceptible attributes that are interactively varied by a processor in response data acquired from command accepted from a user as well as by data received from a remote source that is broadcast via a wireless data network. In the preferred embodiment, commands from the user select articles of clothing to be worn by the virtual character and the processor causes the virtual character to smile if the user-selected clothing is suitable for the weather specified by the data received from the remot source, and to frown if the selections are not suitable.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. In an interactive system of the type including an input device for accepting input command data from a user and a display screen for producing a graphical image representing a real or imagined human or animal whose displayed behavior varies in response said input command data, the improvement comprising:
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a data transmission network for repetitively broadcasting update messages that contain the current values of one or more variable quantities, said update messages being broadcast to a plurality of different wireless data receivers each of which is located remotely from said information server and each of which includes a data receiver including a decoder for receiving said update messages and for extracting selected ones of said current values from said update messages, a cache memory coupled to said input device and to said decoder in one of said data recievers for storing said input command data and said selected ones of said current values extracted form said update messages, and a processor coupled to said cache memory and to said display screen for controlling the perceptible attributes of said graphical image in response to changes in the data stored in said cache memory. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An interactive system for controlling a virtual character that represents the attributes of a real or imagined human or animal comprising, in combination:
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a receiver for receiving an information bearing signal broadcast from a remotely located information source via a wireless data transmission network, a decoder for extracting variable data from said information bearing signal, one or more input devices for accepting command data from said user, a rendering device for presenting said attributes of said real or imagined human or animal in a form perceptible to said user, and a processor coupled to said wireless receiver and to said decoder for controlling said rendering device to vary said attributes in response to changes in said command data from said user and in response to changes in said variable data from said decoder. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An interactive system for presenting a virtual human or animal character to a user whose behavior is dependent on information received from a remote source comprising:
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an information source for supplying digital data in a predetermined format representative of one or more current values of one or more corresponding variable quantities, a wireless data transmission network for repetitively simulcasting said current values in one or more update messages to a plurality of different wireless data receivers each of which is located remotely from said information server, at least one of said wireless data receivers including a decoder for receiving said update messages and for extracting said one or more current values from said update messages, an input device for accepting one or more selection values from said user, a display unit comprising a controllable representation of said human or animal character and a controller coupled to said decoder and responsive to said one or more current values and to said one or more selection values for varying perceptable attributes of said representation in response changes in said one or more current values and said one or more selection values. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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Specification