SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DISTRIBUTING AN AVATAR

• US 20100100828A1
• Filed: 10/16/2008
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: KHANDELWAL, MADHUR, Schroeter, Horst, Chang, E-Lee, Roberts, Linda, Clayton, Darnell
• Granted Patent: US 8,683,354 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/757
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/50 Controlling the output signals based on the game progress
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a first computing device having a controller to present an avatar having characteristics that correlate to a user profile and that conform to operating characteristics of the first computing device, and transmit to a second computing device operational information associated with the avatar for reproducing at least in part the avatar at said second computing device. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium operating in a first computing device, comprising computer instructions for:

identifying a user profile;

determining operating characteristics of the first computing device;

presenting an avatar having characteristics that correlate to the user profile and conform to the operating characteristics of the first computing device;

detecting a request to transition the avatar to a second computing device; and

transmitting to the second computing device information associated with the avatar for reproducing at least in part the avatar at said second computing device.

2. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the first and second computing devices correspond to at least one of a computer, a cellular phone, a set-top box, a cordless phone, and an appliance device.

3. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for terminating the presentation of the avatar.

4. The storage medium of claim 3, comprising computer instructions for:

receiving from the second computing device an acknowledgment; and

terminating the presentation of the avatar responsive to receiving the acknowledgment.

5. The storage medium or claim 1, wherein the information associated with the avatar comprises at least one of computer instructions and data for reproducing at least in part the avatar at the second computing device.

6. The storage medium of claim 5, wherein the computer instructions correspond to artificial intelligence instructions for reproducing at least in part the characteristics of the avatar, and wherein the data corresponds to information associated with the user profile.

7. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the second computing device comprises an avatar engine, and wherein the avatar engine presents a second avatar correlated to a second user profile and conforming to the operating characteristics of the second computing device.

8. The storage medium of claim 7, wherein the avatar engine adapts characteristics of the second avatar at least in part to the information of the first avatar supplied by the first computing device.

9. The storage medium of claim 8, wherein the avatar engine records at least a portion of the information of the first avatar in the second user profile.

10. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the first or the second computing devices operate in at least one of an interactive television communication system, a cellular communication system, and an internet service provider communication system.

11. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the characteristics of the avatar correspond to at least one of characteristics associated with physiological appearance, clothing style, speech, gestures, maturity, and knowledge.

12. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the user profile comprises at least one of demographic profiling information of the user, psychographic profiling information of the user, and user preferences supplied by the user.

13. The storage medium of claim 12, comprising computer instructions for determining the demographic or psychographic profiling information of the user from at least one of a subscriber account of the user and a media consumption behavior of the user, wherein demographic profiling information of the user is based on at least one of age, gender, income, number of occupants in household, occupation, education, value of residential property, location of residential property, and fees paid for services rendered by a media communication system, and wherein the psychographic profiling information is based on at least one of user traits, user attitudes, user interests, and user lifestyles determined from the consumption behavior.

14. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operating characteristics of the first computing device correspond to at least one of audio presentation resources, display presentation resources, tactile presentation resources, visual detection resources, audio detection resources, and tactile detection resources.

15. A computer-readable storage medium operating in a first computing device, comprising computer instructions for:

detecting a second computing device presenting a second avatar having characteristics that correlate to a second user profile and that conform to the operating characteristics of the second computing device;

receiving from the second computing device operational information associated with the second avatar; and

presenting according to the operational information of the second avatar a first avatar having at least in part characteristics of the second avatar.

16. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein the characteristics of the first avatar conform to operating characteristics of the first computing device, and wherein the operating characteristics of the first and second computing devices differ.

17. The storage medium of claim 15, comprising computer instructions for:

identifying a first user profile; and

correlating the first avatar to a first user profile.

18. The storage medium of claim 15, comprising computer instructions for:

establishing a communication session with the second computing device; and

detecting a need to transfer the operational information of the second avatar to the first avatar from a communication exchange with the second computing device.

19. The storage medium of claim 18, comprising computer instructions for:

presenting a user of the first computing device a query to accept or reject a transfer of the second avatar to the first computing device;

detecting an acceptance of the transfer; and

communicating the acceptance to the second computing device, thereby causing the second computing device to transmit the operational information of the second avatar to the first computing device.

20. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein the first and second computing devices correspond to at least one of a computer, a cellular phone, a set-top box, a cordless phone, and an appliance device, and wherein the first or the second computing devices operate in at least one of an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) communication system, an interactive TV (iTV) cable communication system, an iTV satellite communication system, a cellular communication system, and an internet service provider communication system.

21. The storage medium or claim 15, wherein the operational information associated with the second avatar comprises at least one of computer instructions and data for reproducing at least in part the second avatar at the first computing device.

22. A first computing device, comprising a controller to:

present an avatar having characteristics that correlate to a user profile and that conform to operating characteristics of the first computing device; and

transmit to a second computing device operational information associated with the avatar for reproducing at least in part the avatar at said second computing device.

23. The first computing device of claim 22, wherein the first and second computing devices correspond to at least one of a computer, a cellular phone, a set-top box, a cordless phone, and an appliance device, and wherein the first or the second computing devices operate in at least one of an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) communication system, an interactive TV (iTV) cable communication system, an iTV satellite communication system, a cellular communication system, and an internet service provider communication system.

24. A method, comprising transferring operational characteristics of a first avatar presented by a first computing device to a second computing device responsive to the first computing device detecting a transitional event, wherein the second computing device presents a second avatar having characteristics that correlate at least in part to the operational characteristics of the first avatar.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the transitional event corresponds to at least one of a detection by the first computing device of a request to transfer at least a portion of the first avatar to the second computing device, a detection by the first computing device of a presence of the second computing device, or a detection of a user of the first computing device transitioning to the second computing device, wherein the characteristics of the first avatar correspond to at least one of characteristics associated with physiological appearance, clothing style, speech, gestures, maturity, and knowledge, wherein the first and second computing devices correspond to at least one of a computer, a cellular phone, a set-top box, a cordless phone, and an appliance device, and wherein the first or the second computing devices operate in at least one of an interactive television communication system, a cellular communication system, and an internet service provider communication system.