SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENABLING MULTIPLE-STATE AVATARS

• US 20100013828A1
• Filed: 07/17/2008
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ritsko, John J., Castelli, Vittorio, Hamilton, Rick A. II, Pickover, Clifford A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,324,173 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/418
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings

Abstract

A method of rendering an electronic graphical representation of a user of a computerized system includes providing a plurality of states for the electronic graphical representation including first and second differing states, monitoring a measurable quantity to provide a monitored quantity, and changing a state of the graphical representation from the first state to the second state based upon the monitored quantity. The graphical representation is an avatar and the method includes defining a receptor point associated with the avatar and associating an object with the receptor point. The receptor point is located on the avatar. The plurality of states includes a non-hybrid state. The plurality of states includes a hybrid state. The hybrid state is a static image hybrid state and a video hybrid state. The video hybrid state is a live video hybrid state and a pre-recorded video hybrid state.

Claims

1. A method for rendering an electronic graphical representation of a user of a computerized system, comprising:

providing a plurality of states for said electronic graphical representation including first and second differing states;

monitoring a measurable quantity to provide a monitored quantity; and

changing a state of said graphical representation from said first state to said second state based upon said monitored quantity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said graphical representation is an avatar further comprising defining a receptor point associated with said avatar.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising associating an object with said receptor point.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said receptor point is located on said avatar.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of states comprises a non-hybrid state.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of states comprises a hybrid state.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said hybrid state comprises a static image hybrid state.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said hybrid state comprises a video hybrid state.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said video hybrid state comprises a live video hybrid state.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said video hybrid state comprises a pre-recorded video hybrid state.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said measurable quantity comprises a quantity representative of a movement of said user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said measurable quantity comprises a quantity representative of a movement of a facial feature.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said measurable quantity comprises a quantity representative of a movement of a hand.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said measurable quantity comprises a quantity representative of an audio signal.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said system includes a plurality of users and said changing of said state further comprises displaying said second state to a subset of users of said plurality of users.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said measurable quantity comprises a quantity representative of a computer system capability.

17. The method of claim 1, in a computer network further comprising changing said state based upon a measurement of a communication network performance.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising changing said state of said avatar based upon a user computer processing capability.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising limiting said changing of said state of said avatar to a subset of said plurality of states.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising limiting said changing of said state to a subset of permitted states in accordance with a service contract.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein said measurable quantity comprises a quantity representative of an actuation of a monitored device.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said monitored device comprises a keyboard.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein said monitored device comprises a joy stick.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein said monitored device comprises an audio detector.

25. The method of claim 1, including a system session for performing said method during said system session further comprising maintaining said second state of said graphical representation for a portion of said system session.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising maintaining said second state of said graphical representation for the entirety of said system session.

27. The method of claim 2, further comprising distributing avatar information to said user by way of a peer-to-peer system.