Graphic chatting with organizational avatars
First Claim
1. A method of communicating between users, the method comprising:
- contracting with an owner of an image for use of said image in a graphic environment approved by said owner, said image characterizing a source of a product or service offered by said owner;
displaying said image to a first user to represent a second user communicating with said first user in the graphic environment that is configured to allow various emotional expressions of said first and second users as well as physical interactions, if desired, between a representation of said first user and said image representing said second user to emulate an actual physical interaction between said first and second users;
end transferring a message between said first user and said second user over a network.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A new class of avatars (“organizational avatars”) created in accordance with the present invention holds a value or a significance independent from their use in a virtual environment, unlike the generic avatars whose value is limited to their being used in a chatroom. For example, an organizational avatar may be in the image of a trademark (which may be copyrighted), such as Mickey Mouse, Colonel Sanders, or Pikachu (a Pokemon character). The organizational avatars may represent certain organizations, typically the organizations that own trademark and/or copyright rights to the images used to form the avatars in virtual environments. Therefore, users of virtual environments can interface various companies by interacting with organizational avatars. Alternatively, organizational avatars may represent users independent of the organization, but under a contract with the organization that owns the image the avatars depict. By using organizational avatars, companies of all sizes can increase their interactivity with customers, advertise cost effectively, and promote a positive image for their products. Tiles are used to provide faster download of a chatroom'"'"'s background. Tiles also allow rapid generation of a chatroom'"'"'s background, eliminating the need to use a graphics editor.
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Citations
69 Claims
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1. A method of communicating between users, the method comprising:
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contracting with an owner of an image for use of said image in a graphic environment approved by said owner, said image characterizing a source of a product or service offered by said owner;
displaying said image to a first user to represent a second user communicating with said first user in the graphic environment that is configured to allow various emotional expressions of said first and second users as well as physical interactions, if desired, between a representation of said first user and said image representing said second user to emulate an actual physical interaction between said first and second users;
endtransferring a message between said first user and said second user over a network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. A computer system comprising:
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a first computer by a first user represented by a first image provided by an organization, said image characterizing a source of a product or service offered by said organization;
a second computer by a second user represented by a second image; and
wherein both of said first and second computers are configured to display a graphic environment acceptable to said organization, said first and second images are animated in said graphic environment that is configured to allow various emotional expressions of said first and second users as well as physical interactions, if desired, between said first and second images to emulate an actual physical interaction between said first and second users. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50)
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51. A method for users to interact with each other, the method comprising:
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an organization using a plurality of images to identify products or services of said organization, each image being owned by said organization;
a plurality of users contracting with the organization for use of said plurality of images, each of said images representing one of said users in a graphic environment that is configured to allow various emotional expressions of said users as wall as physical interactions, if desired, among said users by animating corresponding said images to emulate an actual physical interaction among said users;
a computer operated by each user displaying said plurality of images with each image representing one of said users in the graphic environment by moving one of said images towards another one of said images to emulate that one of said users walks towards another one of said users for talking; and
transferring at least one message between said users. - View Dependent Claims (52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62)
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63. A method for users to interact with each other, the method comprising:
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all users contracting with an organization for use of a plurality of characters having a common theme, each character being owned by said organization and used in a graphic environment in accordance with the common theme representing the organization;
a computer operated by each user displaying said plurality of characters with each character representing one of said users in said graphic environment that is configured to allow said users to express their respective emotional expressions or have physical interactions with each other, if desired, to emulate a real environment, said graphic environment being composed by graphic tiles;
one of said users conducting a conversation by moving a corresponding one of said images towards another one of said image representing an user; and
transferring at least one message between said users. - View Dependent Claims (64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69)
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Specification