ON-LINE INTERACTION SYSTEM

• US 20080030496A1
• Filed: 08/27/2007
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Social Concepts Incorporated (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Original Assignee: Social Concepts Incorporated (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Inventors: Lee, Joseph, Grendler, Peter, Hedlund, Michael
• Application Number:
  US11/845,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20080030496A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/418
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/33 using certificates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users

Abstract

An avatar display system monitors the activities or status of different members on a network site. Avatars representing the different members are displayed in conjunction with an on-line application according to the different identified member activities or status. Different avatar display techniques and filtering schemes are used to both promote and improve interactions between different members of the on-line application or website.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

monitoring the activities or status of different members on a network site;

identifying avatars representing the different members that may include any combination of image, video, or sounds; and

displaying the avatars on a display page according to the different activities or status of the members on the network site.

2. The method according to claim 1 including scrolling the avatars across, down, or around the display as a human ticker.

3. The method according to claim 1 including fading images or sounds in and out of the avatars.

4. The method according to claim 1 including:

displaying a first image in one of the avatars representing one of the members; and

fading the first image out of the avatar while fading in a second image in to the avatar representing a second member.

5. The method according to claim 1 including playing out audio clips associated with the members while displaying still or moving images in the avatars associated with the same members.

6. The method according to claim 1 including displaying different avatar colors, highlighting, or shapes according to the member status or activities.

7. The method according to claim 1 including:

identifying membership levels assigned to the members according to types of interactions performed by the members on the network site; and

varying how the avatars are displayed for the members according to their assigned member ship levels.

8. The method according to claim 1 including displaying only the avatars for members that are currently logged onto the network site.

9. The method according to claim 1 including displaying the avatars for new members or new users of the network site differently than the avatars for other members.

10. The method according to claim 1 displaying the avatars for members that have paid an associated avatar fee differently than the avatars for other members.

15. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the computing device:

searches log files to determine what areas of the on-line application are currently being browsed by the users; and

displays the images of users that are currently browsing the same areas of the on-line application.

16. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the computing device:

determines what activities are currently being performed on the on-line application by the users; and

displays the images of other users that are currently performing the same activities.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a computing device displaying images across one or more display pages of an on-line application representing different users of the on-line application, the computing device varying how the images are displayed for the different users according to activities performed by the users on the on-line application or according to profile information associated with the different users.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the computing device varies the color or shape of the displayed images according to a number of pictures uploaded by the users to the on-line application.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the computing device varies the color or shape of the displayed images according how long the users have been logged into the on-line application.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the computing device varies the color or shape of the displayed images according to a number of blog postings by the users on the on-line application.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the one or more processors comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors operable when executing the instructions to;

identify avatars representing users for a network site, the avatars including any combination of images and/or sounds;

display the identified avatars;

monitor activities, profiles, or contacts for the users of the network site;

identify users having related activities, profiles, and/or contacts; and

displaying the avatars for the identified users differently than the avatars for other users.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17 wherein the one or more processors scroll the avatars across or around a webpage as a human ticker.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17 wherein the one or more processors:

identify geographic location information for the users; and

display the avatars for the users having related geographic location information differently than the avatars for other users.

20. The apparatus according to claim 17 wherein the one or more processors:

identify sex, age, or personal interest information for the users; and

display the avatars for the users having related sex, age, or personal interest information differently than the avatars for other users.

21. The apparatus according to claim 17 wherein the one or more processors:

identify avatar preferences in the user profiles; and

display the avatars for users associated with the avatar preferences and filter the remaining avatars for other users.

22. The apparatus according to claim 17 wherein the one or more processors:

search user contact lists to identify known users; and

only display the avatars for the identified known users or display the avatars for the identified known users differently than the avatars displayed for other users.

23. A computer, comprising:

one or more processors to identify members of an associated on-line application or communication group and display images representing the identified members of the associated on-line application or communication group, the one or more processors monitoring activities or status of the identified members with the on-line application or communication group and varying how their images are displayed according to the monitored activities or status.

24. The computer according to claim 23 wherein the one or more processors only display the images of the members that are currently logged into the on-line application or communication group.

25. The computer according to claim 23 wherein the one or more processors scroll the images of the identified members across or around an electronic mail (email) page.

26. The computer according to claim 23 wherein the one or more processors:

detect selection of any of the displayed images; and

automatically open a new email containing an email address of the member associated with the selected image.

27. The computer according to claim 23 wherein the one or more processors:

identify how many unread email messages are associated with the members; and

display the images for the members having the most unread email messages or display the identified number of unread email messages next to the displayed images of the associated members.

28. The computer according to claim 23 wherein the one or more processors:

identify how long email messages associated with the members have gone unread; and

display the images for the members having the oldest unread email messages or display unread email message times next to the displayed images of the associated members.

29. The computer according to claim 23 wherein the one or more processors:

identify in office and out of office status for the members; and

either display images or vary a color or other features of the displayed images according to the in office or out of office status of the associated members.

30. The computer according to claim 29 wherein the one or more processors gray or dim out displayed images for members that are identified with out of office status or not currently logged into the on-line application or communication group.

31. The computer according to claim 23 wherein the one or more processors:

identify the contacts for the members; and

display the images or modify the displayed images for the members associated with the identified contacts.

32. The computer according to claim 23 wherein the one or more processors detect members that have purchased a particular status level with the on-line application or communication group and vary how the images for the detected members are displayed according to the purchased status level.

33. A method comprising:

identifying avatars for members of a website or on-line application;

searching contact information for the members;

identifying the members having at least some common contact information; and

only displaying the avatars for the identified members or varying how the avatars are displayed for the identified members.

34. The method according to claim 33 including displaying a contact tree along with the avatars showing a relationship between the common contact information of different members.

37. The method according to claim 33 including:

detecting selection by a first member of the avatar associated with a second member;

identifying any relationships between the members known by the first member and the members known by the second member; and

displaying the identified relationships to the first member.

38. The method according to claim 33 including:

detecting a first member selecting or hovering a cursor over the avatar of a second member; and

notifying the second member that the first member selected or hovered the cursor over the image of the second member.

35. The method according to clam 33 including:

searching through the contact information to identify a first list of known members;

searching through the contacts for the first list of members to identify a second list of members; and

displaying avatars for at least some of the first and second list of members.

36. The method according to 35 including displaying a contact tree identifying a relationship between the members in the first and second list.

39. A computer readable medium including instructions that when executed comprise:

identifying filter parameters from a user profile;

calculating avatar filters according to the identified filter parameters;

filtering avatars received from others or filtering avatars sent to others according to the calculated avatar filters.

40. The computer readable medium according to claim 39 further comprising:

identifying outgoing filter parameters;

deriving outgoing avatar filters according to the identified outgoing filter parameters; and

filtering the avatars sent to others according to the derived outgoing filters.

41. The computer readable medium according to claim 39 further comprising:

identifying incoming filter parameters;

deriving incoming filters according to the identified incoming filter parameters; and

filtering avatars received by the user according to the derived incoming filters.

42. The computer readable medium according to claim 39 further comprising:

identifying a user activity or status; and

filtering the avatars sent to others or filtering the avatars received from others according to the identified user activity or status.

43. The computer readable medium according to claim 39 further comprising:

identifying a paid for filtering status; and

filtering different types of avatars according to the paid for filtering status.

44. The computer readable medium according to claim 39 further comprising:

identifying a user activity or status that match an activity or status of others; and

displaying avatars to the others associated with the matching activities or status.