GENERATING AND DISPLAYING CUSTOMIZED AVATARS IN ELECTRONIC MESSAGES

• US 20180115503A1
• Filed: 11/30/2016
• Published: 04/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: David James Kennedy, Dorian Franklin Baldwin, Jacob Edward Blackstock, Shahan Panth
• Inventors: BALDWIN, DORIAN FRANKLIN, BLACKSTOCK, JACOB EDWARD, KENNEDY, DAVID JAMES, PANTH, SHAHAN
• Granted Patent: US 10,432,559 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/47 Detecting features for summarising video content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Among other things, embodiments of the present disclosure improve the functionality of electronic messaging software and systems by generating customized images with avatars of different users within electronic messages. For example, users of different mobile computing devices can exchange electronic communications with images generated to include avatars representing themselves as well as their friends, colleagues, and other acquaintances.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor;

a user interface coupled to the processor, the user interface comprising an input device and a display screen; and

memory coupled to the processor and storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform operations comprising;

retrieving communication data from the memory, the communication data associated with a communication between a first user of the system and a second user of a computing device;

determining, based on the communication data, a relationship between the first user and the second user;

generating avatar characteristics based on the relationship between the first user and the second user;

generating an image containing a first avatar representing the first user and a second avatar representing the second user, wherein the first and second avatars are generated based on the avatar characteristics; and

displaying the image on the display screen of the user interface.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication data includes a history of electronic communications between the first user and second user.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the communication data includes one or more of:

terms within the electronic communications used by the first user to address the second user, and terms within the electronic communications used by the second user to address the first user.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the relationship between the first user and the second user is determined to be one of:

a family relationship, a friendship, or a romantic relationship.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the relationship between the first user and the second user is further determined to be one or more of:

work colleagues, classmates, roommates, and acquaintances.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein generating the image includes:

retrieving location information for the system;

retrieving location information for the computing device;

identifying a common location for the system and computing device based on the location information for the system and the location information for the computing device; and

generating the image based on the common location.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein generating the image based on the common location includes one or more of:

modifying a setting of the image, modifying the first avatar, and modifying the second avatar.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein generating the image based on the common location includes:

identifying an event taking place at the common location; and

generating the image based on the identified event.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the event is one or more of:

a sporting event, a concert, a party, a business meeting, an educational event, and a pre-arranged meeting between the first user and the second user.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein generating the image includes:

retrieving information from an online social network in communication with the system regarding the event; and

modifying the image based on the information regarding the event.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein generating the image based on the common location further includes:

identifying a computing device of a third user at the common location based on location information received from the computing device of the third user;

generating the image to include a third avatar representing the third user; and

transmitting an electronic message containing the image to the computing device of the third user.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory further stores instructions for transmitting the electronic communication containing the image to the computing device of the second user.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory further stores instructions for causing the system to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from the computing device of the second user, an electronic communication containing an image including a first avatar representing the first user and a second avatar representing the second user;

analyzing the image contained in the electronic communication from the computing device of the second user to identify content in the image contained in the electronic communication from the computing device of the second user; and

generating a response image based on the identified content;

presenting the response image on the display screen of the user interface; and

in response to selection of the response image by the first user via the user interface, preparing an electronic communication containing the response image for transmittal to the computing device of the second user.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein generation of the response image is further based on a history of communications between the first user and the second user.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory further stores instructions for causing the system to perform operations comprising:

generating an event story comprising a series of electronic communications between the first user and the second user; and

providing access to the event story by the first user, through the user interface, for a predetermined period of time.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the system grants access by the first user to the image via the display screen for a predetermined period of time.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein generating the image includes generating the image within a video game accessed by the system and the computing device of the second user.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the avatar representing the first user and the avatar representing the second user are dynamically modified based on events occurring within the video game.

19. A computer-implemented method comprising:

retrieving, by a computer system, communication data from memory coupled to the computer system, the communication data associated with a communication between a first user of the computer system and a second user of a computing device;

determining, by the computer system and based on the communication data, a relationship between the first user and the second user;

generating, by the computer system, avatar characteristics based on the relationship between the first user and the second user;

generating, by the computer system, an image containing a first avatar representing the first user and a second avatar representing the second user, wherein the first and second avatars are generated based on the avatar characteristics; and

displaying the image on a display screen of a user interface coupled to the computer system.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform operations comprising:

retrieving communication data from a memory coupled to the computer system, the communication data associated with a communication between a first user of the computer system and a second user of a computing device;

determining, based on the communication data, a relationship between the first user and the second user;

generating avatar characteristics based on the relationship between the first user and the second user;

generating an image containing a first avatar representing the first user and a second avatar representing the second user, wherein the first and second avatars are generated based on the avatar characteristics; and

displaying the image on the display screen of the user interface.