Multiple personalities in chat communications

• US 7,685,237 B1
• Filed: 10/19/2005
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wolf, Eric Jeffrey, Krantz, Kristine Amber, Mills, Julie, Weaver, Andrew, McCool, Julie, Heikes, Brian D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung; Zarni
• Application Number:
  US11/252,890
• Time in Patent Office: 1,616 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-205, 709216-218, 709249-250
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

The same user is able to project different personalities while visiting different chat rooms. The personalities are tailored to the chat room being visited. Different personalization items (e.g., an icon or avatar, wallpaper, sounds, a smiley set, and text style) are provided based upon the chat room that the user is visiting. The personalization items may be customized based upon the identity of the chat room (such as a particular chat room, the type of chat room, or the content of the chat room). The personalization items may be host based and may leverage instant messaging (“IM”) personalization items. The personalization items may be user selected or user provided.

Claims

1. A method, performed at least partially on a computer, for making a personalization item perceivable to an online identity, the method comprising:

accessing an indication of a chat room in which an online identity is configured to participate;

making one or more selected personalization items available for perception by a computer user corresponding to the online identity during their participation in the chat room; and

changing at least some of the personalization items being made available for perception by a computer user corresponding to the online identity based on triggers indicating changes to the chat room with which the online identity is configured to participate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the chat room in which an online identity is configured to participate is accessed prior to entry by the online identity into the chat room indicated.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the chat room in which an online identity is configured to participate is accessed after entry by the online identity into the chat room indicated.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein making selected personalization items available for perception by the online identity includes:

using the chat room in which the online identity is configured to participate as a basis upon which to select the personalization items to be made available;

selecting the personalization items to be presented to the online identity during participation by the online identity within the chat room; and

presenting the selected personalization items to the computer user corresponding to the online identity.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein selection of the personalization items includes indirect selection through a selection among more than one selectable online personas, wherein the selectable online personas are associated with different combinations of personalization items.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein selection among more than one selectable online personas includes selection among online personas associated with different sets of personalization items.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein selection among more than one selectable online personas includes selection among online personas associated with at least one different configuration for a common same set of personalization items.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the selection of at least one personalization item is made directly by comparing the chat room to an attribute of the personalization item that associates the personalization item itself to the chat room.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein selection of the personalization items includes selection among more than one selectable graphical personas corresponding to the online identity.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the graphical persona is animated.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein selection of the personalization items includes selection among more than one perceivable attribute of a graphical persona corresponding to the online identity.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the perceivable attributes include at least one of color, dimension, and type.

14. The method of claim 4, wherein selection of the personalization items includes selection among more than one perceivable accessory for a graphical persona corresponding to the online identity, where the accessory includes at least one of clothing or object displayed in association with the graphical persona.

15. The method of claim 4, wherein selection of the personalization items includes selection among more than one selectable sounds, emoticons, and text attributes to be presented to the online identity during participation by the online identity within the chat room.

16. The method of claim 4, wherein using the chat room in which the online identity is configured to participate as a basis upon which to select the personalization items to be made available comprises:

identifying an attribute of the chat room in which the online identity is configured to participate;

comparing the identified attribute with a collection of chat room attributes; and

selecting at least one personalization item based on results of comparison of the identified attribute with the collection of chat room attributes.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein identifying the attribute of the chat room includes identifying the chat room name.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein identifying the attribute of the chat room includes identifying the chat room subject matter.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein identifying the attribute of the chat room includes identifying a category of the chat room.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein identifying the attribute of the chat room includes analyzing chat room communications.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein identifying the attribute of the chat room includes analyzing attributes of participants of the chat room.

22. The method of claim 4, wherein using the chat room in which the online identity is configured to participate as a basis upon which to select the personalization items to be made available comprises:

identifying a state of activity within the chat room in which the online identity is configured to participate;

comparing the identified state of activity with a collection of potential chat room activity states; and

selecting at least one personalization item based on results of comparison of the identified state of activity with the collection of potential chat room activity states.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the state of activity is identified by determining that the state of activity within the chat room visited by the online identity has changed.

24. The method of claim 4, wherein using the chat room in which the online identity is configured to participate as a basis upon which to select the personalization items to be made available comprises:

identifying a transition by the online identity into or from a chat room;

comparing the identified transition with a collection of potential chat room transitions; and

selecting at least one personalization item based on results of comparison of the identified transition with the collection of potential chat room transitions.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the transition is identified by determining that the online identity enters or leaves a chat room.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the transition is identified by determining that the online identity has transitioned from one particular chat room to another particular chat room.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein making one or more selected personalization items available for perception by a computer user includes suppressing a personalization item.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein triggers indicating changes to the chat room with which the online identity is configured to participate include transitions in chat room.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein triggers indicating changes to the chat room with which the online identity is configured to participate include at least one of content, participants, and attributes of the chat room.

5. The method of 4, further comprising enabling selection, by the online identity, of the personalization items presented to the online identity.