REAL-TIME ANIMATIONS OF EMOTICONS USING FACIAL RECOGNITION DURING A VIDEO CHAT

• US 20120069028A1
• Filed: 09/20/2010
• Published: 03/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Oath Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bouguerra, Bassem
• Application Number:
  US12/886,482
• Publication Number:
  US 20120069028A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/157 defining a virtual conference space and using avatars or agents computer conference optimisation or adaptation H04L12/1827

Abstract

Embodiments are directed towards displaying an animated video emoticon by augmenting features identified in a video stream. Augmenting features identified in the video stream may include modifying, in whole or in part, some aspects of the identified features but not other aspects. For example, a user may select an animated video emoticon indicating surprise. Surprise may be conveyed by detecting the location of the user'"'"'s eyes in the video stream, enlarging a size aspect of the eyes so as to appear ‘wide-eyed’, but leaving other aspects such as color and shape unchanged. Then, the location and/or orientation of the eyes in the video stream are tracked, and the augmentation is applied to the eyes at each tracked location and/or orientation. In another embodiment, identified features may be removed from the video stream and replaced with images, graphics, video, and the like.

Claims

1. A client device, comprising:

a transceiver to send and receive data over a network; and

a processor that is operative on the received data to perform actions, including;

receiving a selection of an animated video emoticon, the animated video emoticon associated with a set of features within a video stream;

detecting a location of at least one feature in the set of features in a frame of the video stream;

tracking a change in location of the at least one feature across another frame of the video stream; and

augmenting at least one aspect of the at least one tracked feature in the other frame of the video stream.

2. The client device of claim 1, wherein augmenting includes removing the at least one tracked feature from the other frame and inserting a computer generated graphics content into the other frame at the location of the removed at least one tracked feature.

3. The client device of claim 1, wherein the animated video emoticon is selected by detecting a predefined set of features in the frame of the video stream.

4. The client device of claim 1, wherein the at least one feature is occluded in the other frame, and wherein detecting the location of the occluded at least one feature is based on a detected location of another feature that is visible in the other frame and a relative position of the at least one feature to the other feature.

5. The network device of claim 1, wherein the set of features include at least one of two eyes, a mouth, ears, a chin, or a nose.

6. The network device of claim 1, wherein tracking further comprises determining an orientation of the set of features based on the detected locations of the at least three features in the set of features.

7. The network device of claim 1, wherein tracking further comprises detecting the location of a feature that is occluded in the frame of the video but visible in the other frame of the video stream.

8. A system, comprising:

a computer-readable storage device storing instructions; and

a client device operable to execute the stored instructions to perform actions, comprising;

receiving a selection of an animated video emoticon, the animated video emoticon associated with a set of features within a video stream;

detecting a location of at least one feature in the set of features in a frame of the video stream;

tracking a change in location of the at least one feature across another frame of the video stream; and

augmenting at least one aspect of the at least one tracked feature in the other frame of the video stream.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein augmenting includes removing the at least one tracked feature from the other frame and inserting a computer generated graphics content into the other frame at the location of the removed at least one tracked feature.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the animated video emoticon is selected by detecting patterns of text in a chat message.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one feature is occluded in the other frame, and wherein detecting the location of the occluded at least one feature is based on a detected location of another feature that is visible in the other frame and a relative position of the at least one feature to the other feature.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the set of features include a leg, a torso, an arm, and a head.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein tracking further comprises determining an orientation of the set of features based on the detected locations of the at least three features in the set of features.

14. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions when installed onto a computing device enable the computing device to perform actions, comprising:

receiving a selection of an animated video emoticon, the animated video emoticon associated with a set of features within a video stream;

detecting a location of at least one feature in the set of features in a frame of the video stream;

tracking a change in location of the at least one feature across another frame of the video stream; and

altering at least one aspect of the at least one tracked feature in the other frame of the video stream.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein altering includes removing the at least one tracked feature from the other frame and inserting a computer generated graphics content into the other frame at the location of the removed at least one tracked feature.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the animated video emoticon is selected by a user from a menu of animated video emoticons.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the at least one feature is occluded in the other frame, and wherein detecting the location of the occluded at least one feature is based on a detected location of another feature that is visible in the other frame and a relative position of the at least one feature to the other feature.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the set of features include a middle finger, a thumb, a palm, or a wrist.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein tracking further comprises determining an orientation of the set of features based on the detected locations of the at least three features in the set of features.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein tracking further comprises detecting the location of a feature that is occluded in the frame of the video but visible in the other frame of the video stream.