SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COMMERCIALIZING AVATARS

• US 20100114737A1
• Filed: 11/06/2008
• Published: 05/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2008
• 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: CHANG, E-LEE, ROBERTS, LINDA, CLAYTON, DARNELL, SCHROETER, HORST, KHANDELWAL, MADHUR
• Granted Patent: US 9,412,126 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2542 for selling goods, e.g. TV shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a system having a controller to offer for sale an avatar engine that generates a visual representation of an interactive avatar capable of engaging in a verbal communication exchange by way of an audio system of a computing device from which the avatar engine is adapted to operate, receive a purchase request from a communication device, transmit to the communication device a usage policy and a copy of the avatar engine responsive to determining that the purchase request involves a request for a reproduction of at least a portion of the avatar engine, and enable the communication device to access services of the avatar engine responsive to determining that the purchase request involves the request for services of the avatar engine. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A system, comprising a controller to:

offer for sale an avatar engine that generates a visual representation of an interactive avatar capable of engaging in a verbal communication exchange by way of an audio system of a computing device from which the avatar engine is adapted to operate;

receive a purchase request from a communication device;

transmit to the communication device a usage policy and a copy of the avatar engine responsive to determining that the purchase request involves a request for a reproduction of at least a portion of the avatar engine; and

enable the communication device to access services of the avatar engine responsive to determining that the purchase request involves the request for services of the avatar engine.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication device is adapted to:

retrieve a profile of a user of the communication device; and

present the user the interactive avatar correlated to the profile of the user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to stream the interactive avatar to the communication device when the purchase request involves the request for services of the avatar engine.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the system corresponds to one of a portal and the avatar engine.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the avatar engine comprises an educational skill for tutoring subjects by way of the interactive avatar.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the usage policy comprises a digital rights management (DRM) policy.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the DRM policy comprises at least one of a temporal usage policy and a distribution policy to be applied by the communication device on the copy of the avatar engine.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication device is adapted to manage the copy of the avatar engine according to the usage policy.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to:

present the communication device a list of characteristics of the interactive avatar;

detect one or more selections from the list of characteristics of the interactive avatar; and

construct a model of the avatar engine according to the one or more selections,

wherein the copy of the avatar engine transmitted to the communication device corresponds to the constructed model of the avatar engine, and

wherein the services made accessible to the communication device are generated by the model of the avatar engine.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication device comprises one of a mobile phone, a fixed-line phone, a computer, a set-top box, a computer, and a gaming console.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the services generated by the avatar engine emanate from one of an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) communication system, a cable TV communication system, a satellite TV communication system, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) communication system, a fixed-line circuit-switched communication system, a cellular communication system, and an Internet Service Provider (ISP) communication system.

12. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions for:

receiving from a communication device a purchase request for an avatar engine that generates an interactive avatar capable of engaging in a verbal communication exchange by way of an audio system of the communication device;

transmitting to the communication device a usage policy and a copy of the avatar engine responsive to determining that the purchase request involves a request for a reproduction of at least a portion the avatar engine; and

enabling the communication device to access services of the avatar engine responsive to determining that the purchase request involves the request for services of the avatar engine.

13. The storage medium of claim 12, wherein the computer-readable storage medium operates in a portal.

14. The storage medium of claim 12, comprising computer instructions for streaming the interactive avatar to the communication device when the purchase request involves the request for services of the avatar engine.

15. The storage medium of claim 12, wherein the usage policy comprises a digital rights management (DRM) policy.

16. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein the DRM policy comprises at least one of a temporal usage policy and a distribution policy to be applied by the communication device on the copy of the avatar engine.

17. The storage medium of claim 12, comprising computer instructions for:

presenting the communication device a list of characteristics of the interactive avatar;

detecting one or more selections from the list of characteristics of the interactive avatar; and

constructing a model of the avatar engine according to the one or more selections,

wherein the copy of the avatar engine transmitted to the communication device corresponds to the constructed model of the avatar engine, and

wherein the services made accessible to the communication device are generated by the model of the avatar engine.

18. The storage medium of claim 12, wherein the communication device comprises one of a mobile phone, a fixed-line phone, a computer, a set-top box, a computer, and a gaming console.

19. The storage medium of claim 12, wherein the services generated by the avatar engine emanate from one of an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) communication system, a cable TV communication system, a satellite TV communication system, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) communication system, a fixed-line circuit-switched communication system, a cellular communication system, and an Internet Service Provider (ISP) communication system.

20. A communication device, comprising a controller to:

transmit to a system a purchase request for an avatar engine that generates an interactive avatar capable of engaging in a verbal communication exchange by way of an audio system of the communication device;

receive from the system a usage policy and a copy of the avatar engine responsive to the purchase request involving a request for a reproduction of at least a portion of the avatar engine; and

receive a signal from the system indicating that services of the avatar engine are accessible to the communication device responsive to the purchase request involving a request for services of the avatar engine.

21. The communication device of claim 20, wherein the controller is adapted to:

receive from the system a list of characteristics of the interactive avatar;

present the list of characteristics; and

transmit to the system one or more selections from the list of characteristics of the interactive avatar,

wherein the copy of the avatar engine received from the system corresponds to a model of the avatar engine constructed by the system according to the one or more selections, and

wherein the services made accessible to the communication device are generated by the model of the avatar engine.

22. The communication device of claim 20, comprising computer instructions for:

receiving streaming data associated with the interactive avatar when the purchase request involves the request for services of the avatar engine; and

presenting the interactive avatar according to the streaming data.

23. The communication device of claim 20, wherein the communication device comprises one of a mobile phone, a fixed-line phone, a computer, a set-top box, a computer, and a gaming console, and wherein the services generated by the avatar engine emanate from one of an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) communication system, a cable TV communication system, a satellite TV communication system, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) communication system, a fixed-line circuit-switched communication system, a cellular communication system, and an Internet Service Provider (ISP) communication system.

24. The communication device of claim 20, wherein the usage policy comprises a digital rights management (DRM) policy.

25. The communication device of claim 24, wherein the DRM policy comprises at least one of a temporal usage policy and a distribution policy to be applied by the communication device on the copy of the avatar engine.