SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONDUCTING A COMMUNICATION EXCHANGE

• US 20100115422A1
• Filed: 11/05/2008
• Published: 05/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2008
• 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, Khandelwal, Madhur, Clayton, Darnell, SCHROETER, HORST
• Granted Patent: US 8,589,803 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, an avatar engine having a controller to retrieve a user profile associated with a user, present the user an avatar having characteristics that correlate to the user profile, detect one or more responses of the user during a communication exchange between the user and the avatar, identify from the one or more responses a need of the user, establish a communication session with a second avatar engine responsive to the identified need of the user, engage in a communication exchange with the second avatar engine in relation to the identified need of the user, and identify one or more results from the communication exchange. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. An avatar engine, comprising a controller to:

retrieve a user profile associated with a user;

present the user an avatar having characteristics that correlate to the user profile;

detect one or more responses of the user during a communication exchange between the user and the avatar;

identify from the one or more responses a need of the user;

establish a communication session with a second avatar engine responsive to the identified need of the user, wherein the second avatar engine presents to a second user when needed a second avatar to engage in a communication exchange therewith;

engage in a communication exchange with the second avatar engine in relation to the identified need of the user; and

identify one or more results from the communication exchange.

2. The avatar engine of claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to present the user by way of the avatar the identified one or more results.

3. The avatar engine of claim 1, wherein the identified need of the user corresponds to a search request initiated by the user, wherein the controller is adapted to:

inform the second avatar engine of the search request or a derivative thereof;

receive from the second avatar engine search results; and

present the user by way of the avatar the search results or a derivative thereof.

4. The avatar engine of claim 3, wherein the controller is adapted to negotiate with the second avatar engine with an objective to acquire the search results.

5. The avatar engine of claim 4, wherein the negotiation comprises the steps of

receiving from the second avatar engine a request for information associated with the user initiating the search request;

and

supplying the second avatar the requested information.

6. The avatar engine of claim 1, wherein the identified need of the user corresponds to a request directed to the second user, wherein the controller is adapted to:

inform the second avatar engine of the request or a derivative thereof;

receive from the second avatar engine a response to the request; and

present the user by way of the avatar the meeting request response or a derivative thereof.

7. The avatar engine of claim 6, wherein the controller is adapted to update a calendar of the user responsive to the response of the second user.

8. The avatar engine of claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to:

identify one or more goals of the user from the identified need of the user; and

negotiate with the second avatar engine with an objective to achieve said one or more goals.

9. The avatar engine of claim 1, wherein the first and second avatar engines correspond to web servers providing web services.

10. The avatar engine 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.

11. The avatar engine of claim 10, wherein the controller is adapted to determine the demographic profiling information of the user from at least one of a subscriber account of the user and media consumption behavior of the user.

12. The avatar engine of claim 10, 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 by the user for communication services rendered by one or more communication systems.

13. The avatar engine of claim 10, 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 avatar engine of claim 1, wherein the avatar engine operates in at least one of a set-top box, a computer, a gaming console, a mobile phone, a fixed-line phone, and a web server.

15. The avatar engine of claim 1, wherein the avatar engine operates as a system located outside of the premises of the user, wherein the system presents the avatar to one or more communication devices of the user, and wherein the system operates in at least one of an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) communication system, an interactive cable TV communication system, an interactive satellite TV communication system, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) communication system, an Internet Service Provider (ISP) network, and a cellular communication system.

16. The avatar engine of claim 15, wherein the one or more communication devices of the user correspond to at least one of a set-top box, a computer, a gaming console, a mobile phone, and a fixed-line phone.

17. A recipient avatar engine, comprising a controller to:

present a first user with an avatar having characteristics that correlate to a profile of the first user;

detect an initiating avatar engine establishing a communication session with the recipient avatar engine; and

engage with the initiating avatar engine in a communication exchange relating to an identified need of a second user of the initiating avatar engine.

18. The recipient avatar engine of claim 17, wherein the controller is adapted to:

identify one or more results from the communication exchange; and

present the first user by way of the avatar the identified one or more results.

19. The recipient avatar engine of claim 17, wherein the identified need of the second user corresponds to a search request initiated by the second user, and wherein the controller is adapted to:

generate search results responsive to the search request; and

transmit the search results to the initiating avatar engine.

20. The recipient avatar engine of claim 19, wherein the controller is adapted to transmit the search results to the initiating avatar engine conditioned on the initiating avatar engine satisfying a request made by the recipient avatar engine.

21. The recipient avatar engine of claim 17, wherein the identified need of the second user corresponds to a request directed to the first user, and wherein the controller is adapted to transmit to the initiating avatar engine a response to the request.

22. The recipient avatar engine of claim 21, wherein the controller is adapted to:

inform the first user of the request by way of the avatar; and

receive from the first user by way of the avatar the response to the request.

23. The recipient avatar engine of claim 22, wherein the controller is adapted to update a calendar of the first user according to the response of the first user.

24. A method, comprising a first avatar engine initiating a communication session with a second avatar engine responsive to a need of a first user of the first avatar engine, wherein the first avatar engine generates a first interactive avatar for engaging in communication exchanges with the first user, and wherein the second avatar engine generates a second interactive avatar for engaging in communication exchanges with a second user.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the first and second avatar engines operate in one of a set-top box, a computer, a gaming console, a mobile phone, a fixed-line phone, and a web server.