AUTOMATED AVATAR CREATION AND INTERACTION IN A VIRTUAL WORLD

• US 20090259648A1
• Filed: 04/10/2008
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Smith, Andrew Bryan, Speicher, Steven Keith, Bokor, Brian Ronald
• Granted Patent: US 9,063,565 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00

Abstract

Automated avatar creation and interaction in a virtual world may include detecting if a user'"'"'s avatar has entered a predefined proximity area in the virtual world. An automated avatar may be presented an automated avatar in response to the user'"'"'s avatar entering the predetermined proximity area. The automated avatar is presented for autonomous interaction with the user'"'"'s avatar and presentation of the automated avatar is based on a specified criteria.

Claims

1. A method for automated avatar creation and interaction in a virtual world, comprising:

detecting if a user'"'"'s avatar has entered a predefined proximity area in the virtual world; and

presenting an automated avatar in response to the user'"'"'s avatar entering the predetermined proximity area, wherein the automated avatar is presented for autonomous interaction with the user'"'"'s avatar and presentation of the automated avatar is based on a specified criteria.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating an automated avatar based on the specified criteria.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein generating an automated avatar based on the specified criteria comprises selecting the automated avatar from an inventory of pre-established automated avatars based on the specified criteria.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an attribute associated with the user'"'"'s avatar in response to user'"'"'s avatar entering the predefined proximity area.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining an attribute associated with the user'"'"'s avatar, comprises determining at least one of a basic attribute, a demographic attribute and a situational attribute.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said demographic attribute comprises at least one of gender, age, and an occupation, and wherein situational attributes comprise at least one of a mood, a buying habit, and other virtual world locations visited.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein determining an attribute associated with the user'"'"'s avatar comprises automatically generating a query to determine said attribute associated with the user'"'"'s avatar in response to the user'"'"'s avatar entering the predefined proximity area.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

analyzing said attribute associated with the user'"'"'s avatar; and

controlling the automated avatar in response to the analysis of said attribute associated with the user'"'"'s avatar.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising matching said attribute associated with the user'"'"'s avatar to an inventory of automated avatars based on a response to a query to determine said attribute associated with the user'"'"'s avatar.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising selecting an automated avatar from the inventory of automated avatars based on matching the attribute of the user'"'"'s avatar to an automated avatar in the inventory of automated avatars.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising generating an automated avatar in response to the attribute associated with the user'"'"'s avatar not matching any automated avatars in the inventory of automated avatars, wherein the automated avatar is generated based on the attribute associated with the user'"'"'s avatar.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling the interaction of the automated avatar with the user'"'"'s avatar based on an attribute associated with the user'"'"'s avatar and in response to an action of the user'"'"'s avatar.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

allowing the automated avatar to observe the user'"'"'s avatar;

gathering data related to actions of the user'"'"'s avatar; and

determining a pre-programmed interaction for the automated avatar based on the data.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining an attribute of the automated avatar based on an attribute of the user'"'"'s avatar.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein defining an attribute of the automated avatar comprises defining an appearance of the automated avatar.

16. A method for automated avatar creation and interaction in a virtual world, comprising:

detecting if a user'"'"'s avatar has entered a predefined proximity area in the virtual world; and

generating an automated avatar based on a specified criteria; and

presenting the automated avatar to the user for autonomous interaction with the user'"'"'s avatar.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein generating an automated avatar based on a specified criteria comprises selecting the automated avatar from an inventory of automated avatars based on the specified criteria.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising matching said attribute of the user'"'"'s avatar to an attribute from the inventory of automated avatars based on a response to a query to determine said attribute associated with the user'"'"'s avatar;

wherein selecting the automated avatar from the inventory of automated avatars comprises;

selecting an automated avatar from the inventory of automated avatars based on matching said attribute associated with the user'"'"'s avatar to an attribute associated with at least one of the automated avatars in the inventory of automated avatars.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining an attribute associated with the user'"'"'s avatar in response to the user'"'"'s avatar entering the predefined proximity area.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein determining an attribute associated with the user'"'"'s avatar comprises determining at least one of gender, age, geographic location, mood, other locations visited, number of friends, friends visited, buying habits, occupation, and events attended.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

analyzing said attribute associated with the user'"'"'s avatar; and

controlling the automated avatar in response to the analysis of said attribute associated with the user'"'"'s avatar.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising controlling the interaction of the automated avatar with the user'"'"'s avatar based on said attribute associated with the user'"'"'s avatar and in response to an action of the user'"'"'s avatar.

23. A method for automated avatar creation and interaction in a virtual world, comprising:

detecting if a user'"'"'s avatar has entered a predefined proximity area in the virtual world;

determining an attribute associated with the user'"'"'s avatar in response to the user'"'"'s avatar entering the predefined proximity area; and

generating an automated avatar based on said attribute associated with the user'"'"'s avatar; and

presenting the automated avatar to the user for autonomous interaction with the user'"'"'s avatar.

24. A system for automated avatar creation and interaction in a virtual world, comprising:

a processor; and

a module for automated avatar creation and interaction in a virtual world operable on the processor, wherein the module detects if a user'"'"'s avatar has entered a predefined proximity area in the virtual world and presents an automated avatar in response to the user'"'"'s avatar entering the predetermined proximity area, wherein the automated avatar is presented for autonomous interaction with the user'"'"'s avatar and presentation of the automated avatar is based on a specified criteria.

25. A computer program product for automated avatar creation and interaction in a virtual world, comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer usable program code embodied therein, the computer usable medium comprising;

computer usable program code configured to detect if a user'"'"'s avatar has entered a predefined proximity area in the virtual world; and

computer usable program code configured to present an automated avatar in response to the user'"'"'s avatar entering the predetermined proximity area, wherein the automated avatar is presented for autonomous interaction with the user'"'"'s avatar and presentation of the automated avatar is based on a specified criteria.