Animated Messaging
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus that allows an animated interactive talking character to appear on a user'"'"'s screen when conducting an Instant Messaging (IM) session. The character which is displayed on the user'"'"'s screen is determined by a profile for the sender of the message. This allows a user to pre-select which character will be displayed on the screen of recipients of the instant messages.
22 Citations
112 Claims
-
1-80. -80. (canceled)
-
81. A method for instant messaging on a recipient'"'"'s computer system, including:
-
on the recipient'"'"'s computer system, receiving an instant message (IM) containing content from a sender, said IM addressed to the recipient by the sender; on the recipient'"'"'s computer system, determining an identification of said sender of said IM from said IM; on the recipient'"'"'s computer system, determining if an animated character associated with said sender is stored on the recipient'"'"'s computer system and if not, sending a request from the recipient'"'"'s computer system for an animated character associated with said sender to a character server with said identification of said sender, said character server having records of animated characters and senders, each sender associated with a specific animated character; receiving, in response to said request, in the recipient'"'"'s computer system from said character server the animated character associated with said sender; displaying said animated character associated with said sender at a location on the recipient'"'"'s computer system, the location selected by the recipient or the recipient'"'"'s computer system; and delivering said content on the recipient'"'"'s computer system through said animated character; wherein said IM is received at said recipient'"'"'s computer system without being relayed by said character server, and wherein said instant message when sent by the sender does not include said animated character associated with said sender and when received by the recipient and was addressed to the recipient by the sender. - View Dependent Claims (82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105)
-
-
88. A method for instant messaging on a recipient'"'"'s digital communication system, including:
-
receiving on the recipient'"'"'s digital communication system one or more instant messages (IM) containing content sent from at least one sender to said recipient, each at least one sender associated with a specific animated character; the or each instant message not including said specific animated character associated with the respective sender when sent by the sender and when received by the recipient; forming a queue by creating a dynamic array and inserting one or more of said instant messages into said queue; determining an identification of said at least one sender of one of said IMs from said IM; determining if an animated character associated with said sender is stored on the recipient'"'"'s digital communication system and if not, sending a request to a character server with said identification of said sender; receiving from said character server, in response to said request, an animated character associated with said sender; controlling the timing of operations of actions in the queue and when required displaying at least one animated character associated with a respective sender; and delivering said content on the recipient'"'"'s computer system by means of said at least one animated character displayed at a location on a display of the recipient'"'"'s computer system, the location selected by the recipient or the recipient'"'"'s computer system; wherein said IMs are received at said recipient'"'"'s computer system without being relayed by said character server, and wherein, when multiple instant messages are received, the contents of said instant messages are delivered sequentially to the recipient and not overlapping in time.
-
-
89. A method for managing an Instant Messaging system, including:
-
associating an animated character located on a character server with a sender; receiving a request in said character server from a computer system of a recipient of an Instant Message (IM) sent to the recipient by the sender, for an animated character, said request including an identification of the sender of the IM to said recipient'"'"'s computer system, said character server having records of animated characters and senders, each sender associated with a specific animated character; querying a database in said character server with said identification to identify the animated character associated with the sender; receiving said animated character associated with the sender from said database, and forwarding said animated character from said character server to said recipient'"'"'s computer system; wherein said IM is received at said recipient'"'"'s computer system without being relayed by said character server, and wherein said instant message when sent by the sender and when received by the recipient did not include said animated character associated with said sender.
-
-
90. An apparatus for instant messaging on a computer system, including:
-
an IM receiver for receiving at least one Instant Message (IM) from at least one sender, said at least one IM addressed to the recipient by the sender; a sender identification determiner coupled to said IM receiver, for determining the identity of the sender of a received IM; a checker for determining if an animated character associated with said sender is stored on the recipient'"'"'s digital communication system and if not, a server request sender responsive to said sender identification determiner for forwarding the identity of a sender of an IM to a character server, said character server having records of animated characters and senders, each sender associated with a specific animated character; an animated character receiver for receiving an animated character associated with the respective sender from said character server, and an animated character displayer coupled to said IM receiver and said animated character receiver; and an animated character content deliverer coupled to said animated character displayer, wherein said IM is received at said IM receiver without being relayed by said character server, and wherein said instant message when sent by the sender and when received by the recipient did not include said animated character associated with said sender. - View Dependent Claims (91, 92, 93)
-
-
94. An apparatus for managing an Instant Messaging system, including:
-
an animated character request receiver, for receiving from a computer system of a recipient of an Instant Message (IM) a request for an animated character, said request including data that identifies the sender of the IM message; a database query generator coupled to said animated character request receiver for generating a query; an animated character database information receiver for querying a database having records of animated characters and senders, each sender associated with a specific animated character and obtaining from said database the animated character associated with the sender; and an animated character database information forwarder coupled to said animated character database information receiver for forwarding said animated character to said recipient'"'"'s computer system; wherein said IM is received at said recipient'"'"'s computer system without being relayed by said animated character request receiver, and wherein said instant message when sent by the sender and when received by the recipient did not include said animated character associated with said sender, and wherein the association of said sender with said animated character was created before said instant message when sent by the sender.
-
-
95. An apparatus for instant messaging on a computer system, including:
-
in a recipient'"'"'s computer system, means for receiving an instant message (IM) containing content from a sender addressed to the recipient by the sender; in the recipient'"'"'s computer system, means for determining an identification of said sender of said IM from said IM; in the recipient'"'"'s computer system, means for determining if an animated character associated with said sender is stored on the recipient'"'"'s digital communication system and if not, in the recipient'"'"'s computer system, means for sending a request from the recipient'"'"'s computer system for an animated character associated with said sender to a character server with said identification of said sender, said character server having records of animated characters and senders, each sender associated with a specific animated character; in the recipient'"'"'s computer system, means for receiving, in response to said request, from said character server said animated character associated only with said sender; in the recipient'"'"'s computer system, means for displaying said animated character associated with said sender; and means for delivering said content on the recipient'"'"'s computer system through said animated character, wherein said IM is received at said recipient'"'"'s computer system without being relayed by said character server, and wherein said instant message when sent by the sender and when received by the recipient did not include said animated character associated with said sender. - View Dependent Claims (96, 97, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110)
-
-
98. An apparatus for managing an Instant Messaging (IM) system, including:
-
association means for creating in a database, for at least one user, an association between said at least one user and one of a plurality of animated characters, said association means not requiring an instant message to create said association, whereby instant messages sent by a respective user after creation of said association are associated with the animated character associated with the respective user; means for receiving from a computer system of a recipient of an Instant Message (IM) a request for an animated character associated with the sender, said request including an identification of a sender of the IM; means for querying a database with said identification to identify said animated character associated with the sender; means for receiving said animated character associated with the sender from said database; and means for forwarding said animated character to said recipient'"'"'s computer system.
-
-
99. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for instant messaging on a computer system, the method including:
-
receiving on the machine an instant message (IM) containing content from a sender, wherein said IM was addressed to a recipient by the sender; determining an identification of said sender of said IM from said IM; determining if an animated character associated with said sender is stored on the recipient'"'"'s digital communication system and if not, sending a request from the machine to a character server with said identification of said sender, said character server having records of animated characters and senders, each sender associated with a specific animated character; receiving on the machine from said character server an animated character associated with said sender displaying at a location on the machine an animated character associated with said sender, the location selected by the recipient or the program; and delivering said content on the machine through said animated character; wherein said IM is received at said machine without being relayed by said character server, and wherein said instant message when sent by the sender and when received by the recipient did not include said animated character associated with said sender.
-
-
100. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for managing an Instant Messaging system, the method including:
-
association means for creating in a database, for at least one user, an association between said at least one user and one of a plurality of animated characters, said association means operating not requiring an instant message to create said association, whereby instant messages sent by a respective user after creation of said association are associated with the animated character associated with the respective user; receiving a request from a computer system of a recipient of an Instant Message (IM) for an animated character associated with a sender, said request including an identification of the sender of the IM to said recipient'"'"'s computer system; querying a database with said identification to identify an animated character associated with the sender, said database having records of animated characters and senders, each sender associated with a specific animated character; receiving said animated character associated with the sender from said database, and forwarding said animated character to said recipient'"'"'s computer system.
-
-
111. A method of instant messaging, including the steps of:
-
associating an animated character located on a character server with a first user; the first user creating an instant message containing content, said instant message not including said animated character associated with said sender; said first user sending said instant message to a an address of a recipient known to the first user; on the recipient'"'"'s computer system, receiving said instant message; on the recipient'"'"'s computer system, determining an identification of said first user of said instant message from said instant message; on the recipient'"'"'s computer system, determining if an animated character associated with said sender is stored on the recipient'"'"'s digital communication system and if not, sending a request from the recipient'"'"'s computer system to said character server for said animated character, said request including said identification of said first user; receiving, in response to said request, in the recipient'"'"'s computer system and from said character server, the animated character; displaying said animated character on the recipient'"'"'s computer system; and delivering said content on the recipient'"'"'s computer system through said animated character.
-
-
112. A method of instant messaging, including the steps of:
-
receiving instructions to associate an animated character located on a character server with a first user; after receiving said instructions, receiving from the first user at least one instant message containing content together with identifiers of at least one recipient, said instant message not including said animated character associated with said sender; forwarding said at least one instant message to said at least one recipient'"'"'s computer system without said animated character; receiving from at least one recipient'"'"'s computer system a request for said animated character, the or each said request including identification of said first user; forwarding the animated character, in response to the respective request, to the respective recipient'"'"'s computer system to enable the recipient'"'"'s computer system to display said animated character and deliver said content through said animated character.
-
Specification