SYSTEM FOR EDITING AN AVATAR

• US 20120246585A9
• Filed: 07/23/2008
• Published: 09/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Reville, Brendan K., Law, Stacey, Smith, Derek, Kroymann, Dan B.
• Application Number:
  US12/178,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20100023885A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/63 by the player, e.g. authoring using a level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/535 for monitoring, e.g. of user parameters, terminal parameters, application parameters, network parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6018 where the game content is authored by the player, e.g. level editor or by game device at runtime, e.g. level is created from music data on CD

Abstract

Systems, methods and computer readable media are disclosed for updating the appearance of an avatar that exists across an online multi-player gaming system, including an executing video game. In addition to the general system, systems, methods and computer readable media for updating the avatar, techniques are disclosed for prompting networked video games to update an avatar that has been modified while the video game has been executing.

Claims

1. A method for updating the appearance of an avatar stored on a console and used in a plurality of video games executed on the console, while the console is executing a video game, comprising:

receiving, by the console, while executing the game, an instruction from a user to update the appearance of the avatar;

updating the appearance of the avatar;

storing the updated avatar on the console; and

instructing the game to load and display the updated avatar.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the appearance of the avatar includes:

overlaying on top of the game an editor window; and

receiving at least one instruction from the user on how to update the appearance of the avatar.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said updating comprises updating one from the set of:

a hair color, a hair length, a hair style, a facial hair color, a facial hair length, a facial hair style, a facial hair position, an eye color, an eye style, an eye position, a nose style, a nose position, a mouth style, a mouth color, a mouth position, an ear style, an ear position, a skin color, a height, a weight, and a body build.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the video game is an online-multi-player video game comprising a session and a plurality of other users participating in said session, and said instructing the game to load and display the updated avatar includes instructing each other user'"'"'s video game to load and display the updated avatar.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the video game is an online-multi-player video game comprising a session and a plurality of other users participating in said session, and said instructing the game to load and display the updated avatar includes instructing each other user'"'"'s video game to load the updated avatar after play has been suspended for all other users of the session.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said instructing each other user'"'"'s video game to load the updated avatar includes notifying each other user that the user'"'"'s avatar has been updated.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the console is connected to an online multi-player gaming server comprising a message board and said updating includes updating the user'"'"'s icon on the message board.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the console is connected to an online multi-player gaming server comprising profiles, each user has a profile, and said updating includes updating the user'"'"'s profile.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the console is connected to an online multi-player gaming server comprising credentials, the user has at least one credential, and instructing the server to store the updated avatar includes instructing the server to validate each credential.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, while executing the game, an instruction from a user to update the appearance of the avatar includes suspending active play of the game.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein instructing the game to load and display the updated avatar further comprises receiving an indication that the console stored the updated avatar.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the updated avatar on the console includes displaying an error message when an indication that the updated avatar was stored is not received within a period of time.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the console is connected to an online multi-player gaming server, and storing the updated avatar on the console includes storing the updated avatar on the server.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein instructing the game to load and display the updated avatar includes instructing the game to receive the updated avatar from the server.

15. A system for updating the appearance of an avatar across an online video game service, wherein said service comprises a server and an executing video game, comprising:

a processor;

a module to receive an instruction from a user to update the appearance of the avatar;

a module to update the appearance of the avatar;

a module to store the updated avatar; and

a module to instruct the user'"'"'s game to load and display the updated avatar.

16. The system of claim 16, wherein the online video game service includes at least one from a multi-player video game server, a chat room, a message board, an e-commerce marketplace, and a multi-player video game match-maker.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the video game is an online-multi-player video game comprising a session and a plurality of other users participating in said session, and said module to instruct the user'"'"'s game to load and display the updated avatar includes a module to instruct each other user'"'"'s video game to load the updated avatar after play has been suspended for all other users of the session.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said module to instruct each other user'"'"'s video game to load the updated avatar includes a module to notify each other user that the user'"'"'s avatar has been updated.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the user has at least one credential, and the module to receive an instruction from a user to update the appearance of the avatar includes a module to validate each credential.

20. A computer readable storage medium for updating the appearance of an avatar across an online video game service, wherein said service comprises a server and an executing video game, wherein the executing video game is an online multi-player video game, the computer readable storage medium including computer executable instructions that when executed perform the method comprising:

receiving, while executing the game, an instruction from a user to update the appearance of the avatar;

overlaying on top of the game an editor window;

receiving at least one instruction from the user on how to update the appearance of the avatar.

updating the appearance of the avatar;

instructing the game to load the updated avatar from the server and display the updated avatar; and

instructing the server to store the updated avatar.