GESTURE EXCHANGE VIA COMMUNICATIONS IN VIRTUAL WORLD APPLICATIONS

• US 20100174617A1
• Filed: 01/07/2009
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: LYLE, RUTHIE D., CANNON, ULYSSES L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,103,959 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A method, system and computer-readable medium are disclosed for exchanging gestures in a virtual world application. In one embodiment, the virtual world application determines whether a first avatar has a gesture exchange function enabled. If so, the virtual world application displays words communicated by a first user to a second user during the communication session and identifies a keyword among the communicated words corresponding to a gesture in a user inventory of the first avatar.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method in a data processing system for exchanging gestures in a virtual world application between a first avatar corresponding to a first user of said virtual world application and a second avatar corresponding to a second user of said virtual world application, the computer-implemented method comprising:

determining whether said first avatar has a gesture exchange function enabled;

in response to a determination that said first avatar has a gesture exchange function enabled,

displaying a plurality of words communicated by said first user to said second user during said communication session;

identifying a keyword among said plurality of words corresponding to a gesture in a user inventory of said first avatar;

displaying a user-selectable indication to said second user to indicate that said gesture corresponding to said keyword is available for exchange;

in response to said second user selecting said user-selectable indication with an input device, determining whether said second user would like to see a demonstration of said gesture corresponding to said keyword;

in response to a determination that said second user would like to see said demonstration, demonstrating said gesture to said second user;

determining whether said second user would like receive a copy of said gesture from said first user;

in response to a determination that said second user would like to receive said copy of said gesture from said first user, saving said copy of said gesture in a user inventory of said second user; and

in response to a determination that said first avatar does not have said gesture exchange function enabled, displaying said plurality of words communicated by said first user to said second user during said communication session.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said demonstrating further comprises:

determining whether said second user would like to see said demonstration of said gesture performed by said second avatar; and

in response to a determination that said second user would like to see said demonstration performed by said second avatar, performing said gesture by said second avatar.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said demonstrating further comprises:

determining whether said second user would like to request that said first avatar perform said demonstration of said gesture; and

in response to a determination that said second user would like to request that said first avatar perform said demonstration of said gesture, sending a request to said first user to have said first avatar perform said demonstration of said gesture.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether said first user requires a payment to exchange said gesture with said second user;

in response to said first user requiring said payment to exchange said gesture with said second user;

making said payment;

in response to the completion of said payment, saving said copy of said gesture in said user inventory of said second user; and

in response to said first user not requiring said payment to exchange said gesture with said second user, saving said copy of said gesture in said user inventory of said second user.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said communication session in said virtual world application is a localized chat communication.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said communication session in said virtual world application is an instant messaging session.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said communication session in said virtual world application is a voice-over-internet-protocol session.

8. A data processing system comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to said processor;

a virtual world application stored on said memory, wherein said virtual world application comprises computer-executable instructions for;

providing a communication session in a virtual world application between a first avatar corresponding to a first user of said virtual world application and a second avatar corresponding to a second user of said virtual world application;

determining whether said first avatar has a gesture exchange function enabled;

in response to a determination that said first avatar has a gesture exchange function enabled,

displaying a plurality of words communicated by said first user to said second user during said communication session;

identifying a keyword among said plurality of words corresponding to a gesture in a user inventory of said first avatar;

displaying a user-selectable indication to said second user to indicate that said gesture corresponding to said keyword is available for exchange;

in response to said second user selecting said user-selectable indication with an input device, determining whether said second user would like to see a demonstration of said gesture corresponding to said keyword;

in response to a determination that said second user would like to see said demonstration, demonstrating said gesture to said second user;

determining whether said second user would like receive a copy of said gesture from said first user;

in response to a determination that said second user would like to receive said copy of said gesture from said first user, saving said copy of said gesture in a user inventory of said second user; and

in response to a determination that said first avatar does not have said gesture exchange function enabled, displaying said plurality of words communicated by said first user to said second user during said communication session.

9. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein said computer-executable instructions for demonstrating further comprise computer-executable instructions for:

determining whether said second user would like to see said demonstration of said gesture performed by said second avatar; and

in response to a determination that said second user would like to see said demonstration performed by said second avatar, performing said gesture by said second avatar.

10. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein said computer-executable instructions for demonstrating further comprise computer-executable instructions for:

determining whether said second user would like to request that said first avatar perform said demonstration of said gesture; and

in response to a determination that said second user would like to request that said first avatar perform said demonstration of said gesture, sending a request to said first user to have said first avatar perform said demonstration of said gesture.

11. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein said virtual world application further comprises computer-executable instructions for:

determining whether said first user requires a payment to exchange said gesture with said second user;

in response to said first user requiring said payment to exchange said gesture with said second user;

making said payment;

in response to the completion of said payment, saving said copy of said gesture in said user inventory of said second user; and

in response to said first user not requiring said payment to exchange said gesture with said second user, saving said copy of said gesture in said user inventory of said second user.

12. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein said communication session in said virtual world application is a localized chat communication.

13. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein said communication session in said virtual world application is an instant messaging session.

14. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein said communication session in said virtual world application is a voice-over-internet-protocol session.

15. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with a computer program product for exchanging gestures in a virtual world application between a first avatar corresponding to a first user of said virtual world application and a second avatar corresponding to a second user of said virtual world application that, when executed, causes control circuitry in a data processing system to perform the steps of:

determining whether said first avatar has a gesture exchange function enabled;

in response to a determination that said first avatar has a gesture exchange function enabled,

displaying a plurality of words communicated by said first user to said second user during said communication session;

identifying a keyword among said plurality of words corresponding to a gesture in a user inventory of said first avatar;

displaying a user-selectable indication to said second user to indicate that said gesture corresponding to said keyword is available for exchange;

in response to said second user selecting said user-selectable indication with an input device, determining whether said second user would like to see a demonstration of said gesture corresponding to said keyword;

in response to a determination that said second user would like to see said demonstration, demonstrating said gesture to said second user;

determining whether said second user would like receive a copy of said gesture from said first user;

in response to a determination that said second user would like to receive said copy of said gesture from said first user, saving said copy of said gesture in a user inventory of said second user; and

in response to a determination that said first avatar does not have said gesture exchange function enabled, displaying said plurality of words communicated by said first user to said second user during said communication session.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein said instructions for demonstrating further comprise instructions for:

determining whether said second user would like to see said demonstration of said gesture performed by said second avatar; and

in response to a determination that said user would like to see said demonstration performed by said second avatar, performing said gesture by said second avatar.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein said instructions for demonstrating further comprise instructions for:

determining whether said second user would like to request that said first avatar perform said demonstration of said gesture; and

in response to a determination that said second user would like to request that said first avatar perform said demonstration of said gesture, sending a request to said first user to have said first avatar perform said demonstration of said gesture.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein said computer-readable medium further comprise instructions for:

determining whether said first user requires a payment to exchange said gesture with said second user;

in response to said first user requiring said payment to exchange said gesture with said second user;

making said payment;

in response to the completion of said payment, saving said copy of said gesture in said user inventory of said second user; and

in response to said first user not requiring said payment to exchange said gesture with said second user, saving said copy of said gesture in said user inventory of said second user.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein said communication session in said virtual world application is a localized chat communication.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein said communication session in said virtual world application is a voice-over-internet-protocol session.