Reactive Avatars

• US 20130290446A1
• Filed: 03/18/2013
• Published: 10/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Blattner, Patrick D., Robinson, John D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,483,859 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services

Abstract

Avatars are used to graphically represent users in a communications session, and the avatars are capable of being animated. An indication of an animation of one of the avatars is received. Another avatar that represents another of the users is animated in response to, and based on, the animation of the avatar in the same communications session.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving an indication of an animation of a first avatar representing a first user with respect to communications between the first user and a second user;

identifying based on the indication, a responsive animation that matches the animation of the first avatar to use for animation of a second avatar representing the second user with respect to the communications between the first user and the second user; and

automatically configuring the second avatar for animation using the responsive animation in connection with a communication between the first user and the second user.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the responsive animation of the second avatar expresses an emotion in reaction to the animation of the first avatar.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the responsive animation is configured to indicate weather conditions.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the communications between the first user and the second user comprise an instant messaging session.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the responsive animation is identified based at least in part upon animation triggers detected within content of a communication message communicated between the first user and the second user.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying the responsive animation further comprises:

accessing an animation model repository having information that matches animations to use for the second avatar in response to different animations of other avatars; and

ascertaining the responsive animation as matching the indicated animation of the first avatar from the information in the animation model repository.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein ascertaining the responsive animation as matching the indicated animation comprises detecting a pair of animation identifiers associated one to another in the animation model repository, the pair of animation identifiers including a first identifier of the indicated animation of the first avatar and a second identifier for the responsive animation for the second avatar that is associated with the first identifier.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the animation of the first avatar comprises a type of animation for the animation of the first avatar.

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

identifying based on the indication, a wallpaper animation that matches the animation of the first avatar; and

animating objects within a user interface for the communications between the first user and the second user according to the wallpaper animation that is identified.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first animation is configured to send an out-of-band communication from the first user to the second user.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first animation or the responsive animation is configure to represent audio content.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the animation of the first avatar representing the first user comprises and animation trigger contained within a message sent by the first user to the second user.

13. A computing device comprising:

a processing device;

one or more computer-readable media storing instructions that when executed via the processing device implement a communication application operable to perform operations including;

establishing a communication session for communications between a first user of the computing device and an second user of a different computing device;

detecting a trigger in a message from the second user that is indicative of an animation of an avatar representing a second user with respect to the communications;

responsive to detecting the trigger, referencing an animation model repository to select a responsive animation that matches the animation of the avatar representing the second user to use for animation of an avatar representing the first user with respect to the communications; and

including an indication of the responsive animation in a message sent from the first user to the second user to initiate animation of the avatar representing the first user using the responsive animation.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein animation of the avatar representing the second user is configured to provide an out-of band communication to the first user and the responsive animation is selected as a response to the out-of band communication.

15. The computing device of claim 13, wherein animation model repository includes avatar expression files for the avatar representing the first user that include pairs of animation identifiers that define animations to use for the avatar representing the first user in response to animations of other avatars.

16. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the communications between the first user and the second user comprise an instant messaging session.

17. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving by a communication client operated by a recipient an instant message sent by a sender over a network;

animating by the communication client an avatar of the sender with an animation indicated by the instant message that is received;

determining by the communication client an animation identifier corresponding to the animation indicated by the instant message that is received;

selecting by the communication client a responsive animation for animation of an avatar of the recipient in response to the animation indicated by the instant message that is received, the responsive animation being selected based on an association of the responsive animation with the animation identifier that is determined; and

communicating by the communication client an instant message to the sender over the network, the instant message that is communicated configured to include an indication of the responsive animation to enable another communication client operated by the sender to animate the avatar of the recipient with the responsive animation.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the responsive animation of the avatar of the recipient is configured to express at least one of a setting, environment, activity, characteristic, emotion, or mood corresponding to the recipient in reaction to the animation of the avatar of the sender indicated by the instant message.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein:

the association of the responsive animation with the animation identifier comprises a pairing of the animation identifier of the animation indicated by the instant message that is received with an animation identifier of the responsive animation in a data repository; and

selecting the responsive animation by the communication client comprises referencing the pairing of said animation identifiers from the data repository to identify the responsive animation.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the indication of the responsive animation included in the instant message that is communicated comprises the animation identifier of the responsive animation from the pairing.