AVATARS IN SOCIAL INTERACTIVE TELEVISION
First Claim
1. A method of presenting avatars with a multimedia program, the method comprising:
- continually monitoring a viewer to result in animation input data;
displaying an avatar corresponding to the viewer in a virtual environment that includes further avatars corresponding to further viewers; and
continually updating the avatar in response to the animation input data.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Virtual environments are presented on displays along with multimedia programs to permit viewers to participate in a social interactive television environment. The virtual environments include avatars that are created and maintained in part using continually updated animation data that may be captured from cameras that monitor viewing areas in a plurality of sites. User input from the viewers may be processed in determining which viewers are presented in instances of the virtual environment. Continually updating the animation data results in avatars accurately depicting a viewer'"'"'s facial expressions and other characteristics. Presence data may be collected and used to determine when to capture background images from a viewing area that may later be subtracted during the capture of animation data. Speech recognition technology may be employed to provide callouts within a virtual environment.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method of presenting avatars with a multimedia program, the method comprising:
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continually monitoring a viewer to result in animation input data; displaying an avatar corresponding to the viewer in a virtual environment that includes further avatars corresponding to further viewers; and continually updating the avatar in response to the animation input data. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A computer program product stored on one or more computer readable media for simultaneously presenting avatars and a multimedia program, the computer program product having instructions operable for:
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during a viewing session, receiving animation input data harvested by monitoring a viewer; displaying an avatar corresponding to the viewer in a virtual environment that includes further avatars corresponding to further viewers; and during the animation session, continually updating the avatar in response to the animation input data. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A service for presenting a virtual environment containing a plurality of avatars with the presentation of a multimedia program, the service comprising:
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receiving from a plurality of viewers a plurality of requests to be presented with instances of a virtual environment that includes a plurality of avatars that correspond to the plurality of viewers; translating animation data generated from individual viewers of the plurality of viewers into a plurality of synthetic avatar actions taken by corresponding avatars of the plurality of avatars, wherein the synthetic avatar actions are intended to mimic actions by corresponding viewers of the plurality of viewers; and presenting the virtual environment for display, wherein the virtual environment includes the plurality of avatars that are animated with the synthetic avatar actions. - View Dependent Claims (24)
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Specification