AUTOMATICALLY MODIFYING COMMUNICATIONS IN A VIRTUAL UNIVERSE

• US 20090210803A1
• Filed: 02/15/2008
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brignull, Michele P., Hamilton, Rick A. II, Pickover, Clifford A., Sand, Anne R., Li, Jenny S., Seaman, James W.
• Application Number:
  US12/032,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20090210803A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/757
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities

Abstract

Described herein are processes and systems that automatically modify communications in a virtual universe. One of the systems described is a virtual communication modifier system. The virtual communication modifier system detects a communication intended for use in the virtual universe. The virtual communication has characteristics, such as language, format, sound quality, and text properties that can be modified automatically. The virtual communication modifier system determines whether a characteristic of the communication is different from a characteristic indicated within a user preference. If the characteristic of the communication is different from the indicated characteristic, then the virtual communication modifier system automatically modifies the communication characteristic to comport with the indicated characteristic (e.g., automatically converts the language of the communication from English to Spanish). The virtual communication modifier system then presents the modified communication.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining whether a first characteristic of a communication differs from a second characteristic specified as a preferred communication characteristic of an avatar, said communication to be presented to the avatar in a virtual universe;

automatically modifying the communication in accordance with the second characteristic resulting in a modified communication; and

presenting the modified communication to the avatar.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the modifying comprises converting the communication between an audio format and a text format.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication originates from an inanimate object in the virtual universe.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the communication is for presentation to a plurality of avatars including the avatar;

automatically determining a language most commonly indicated by the plurality of avatars as a preferred language; and

modifying the communication to be presented in the language that is most commonly indicated.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the modifying comprises modifying any one or more of a voice speed and a voice tone of the communication.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the modifying comprises translating from a first language to a second language.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the modifying comprises converting the communication between a natural language and an artificial language

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising making the first indicated characteristic accessible to one or more other avatars in the virtual universe.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying the communication for presentation outside of the virtual universe.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a second actual characteristic of the communication is different than a second indicated characteristic;

automatically modifying the communication in accordance with the second indicated characteristic; and

presenting the modified communication to the avatar with both the first indicated characteristic and second indicated characteristic.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a communication characteristic detector configured to detect a communication for presentation to an avatar in a virtual universe,

a characteristic comparator configured to determine that an actual characteristic of the communication is different than an indicated characteristic for communications to be presented to the avatar in the virtual universe;

a communication characteristic modifier configured to automatically modify the communication in accordance with the indicated characteristic to generate a modified communication; and

a communication content presenter configured to present the modified communication to the avatar.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a communication indication processor configured to analyze one or more communication indicators that indicate that the communication is directed to the avatar.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the communication characteristic modifier comprises a language converter configured to automatically modify a language characteristic of the communication to match a language value indicated in a user account.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the communication characteristic modifier comprises a format converter to convert the communication between an audio format and a text format.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the communication characteristic modifier comprises a sound modulator to modify any one or more of a voice speed or a voice tone of the communication.

16. One or more machine-readable media having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a set of one or more processors causes the set of one or more processors to perform operations that comprise:

detecting a communication for presentation to an avatar in a virtual universe;

determining that a first actual characteristic of the communication is different than a first indicated characteristic for communications to be presented to the avatar in the virtual universe;

automatically modifying the communication in accordance with the first indicated characteristic to generate a modified communication; and

presenting the modified communication to the avatar.

17. The machine-readable media of claim 16, wherein the operations for automatically modifying the communication comprise translating from a first language to a second language.

18. The machine-readable media of claim 16, wherein the operations for automatically modifying the communication comprise converting the communication between an audio format and a text format.

19. The machine-readable media of claim 16, wherein the characteristic comprises any one or more of a dialect, a format, a voice speed, a voice tone, a formality of language, a text font and a text size.

20. The machine-readable media of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise determining that the communication is for presentation to a plurality of avatars including the avatar, determining one or more communication characteristics indicated for the plurality of avatars, and modifying the communication for the plurality of avatars.