Translating paralinguisitic indicators

• US 8,010,474 B1
• Filed: 06/25/2007
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bill, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Holmes; Michael B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim; David H
• Application Number:
  US11/767,819
• Time in Patent Office: 1,527 Days
• Field of Search: 715/706, 715/757, 715/753, 715/758, 709/203, 709/204, 706/46
• US Class Current: 706/46
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/825 Fostering virtual characters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/85 Providing additional services to players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/58 Use of machine translation, e.g. for multi-lingual retrieval, for server-side translation for client devices or for real-time translation

Abstract

Paralinguistic indicators are translated at a paralinguistic translation server by receiving from a source a first set of data related to a first paralinguistic indicator that is configured to enable non-verbal communications between a source and a destination. The source is one of an instant messaging system and a virtual world system and the destination is one of the textual instant messaging system and a virtual world system but differs from the source. The first set of data related to the first paralinguistic indicator is translated into a second set of data related to a second paralinguistic indicator, such that the second paralinguistic indicator that is at least partially synonymous to the non-verbal communications associated with the first paralinguistic indicator. The second set of data related to the second paralinguistic indicator is transmitted to the destination.

Claims

1. A method for translating paralinguistic indicators at a paralinguistic translation server, the method comprising:

receiving, from a source, a first set of data related to a first paralinguistic indicator that is configured to enable non-verbal communications between a source and a destination, wherein the source is one of an instant messaging system and a virtual world system and the destination is one of the textual instant messaging system and the virtual world system but differs from the source;

translating the first set of data related to the first paralinguistic indicator into a second set of data related to a second paralinguistic indicator that is at least partially synonymous to the non-verbal communications associated with the first paralinguistic indicator; and

transmitting the second set of data related to the second paralinguistic indicator to the destination.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving from the source the first set of data related to the first paralinguistic indicator comprises receiving a set of data related to an emoticon.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving from the source the first set of data comprises receiving a set of XML data.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the virtual world system further includes a web camera system with face tracking software.

5. A system for translating between paralinguistic indicators of two communication systems, the system comprising:

a paralinguistic translation server structured and arranged to;

receive, from a source, a first set of data related to a first paralinguistic indicator that is configured to enable non-verbal communications between a source and a destination, wherein the source is one of a textual messaging system and a virtual world system, and the destination is one of the of the textual messaging system and the virtual world system but differs from the source,

translate the first set of data related to the first paralinguistic indicator into a second set of data related to a second paralinguistic indicator that is at least partially synonymous of the first paralinguistic indicator, and

transmit the second set of data related to the second paralinguistic indicator to the destination.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the textual messaging system comprises an instant messenger client.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the textual messaging system comprises an email client.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein the virtual world system comprises a virtual reality system.

9. The system of claim 5 wherein the virtual world system comprises a web camera system with face tracking software.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a computer system to translate between paralinguistic, non-verbal indicators of two communication systems, the instructions comprising:

instructions to receive from a source a first set of data related to a first paralinguistic indicator that is configured to enable non-verbal communications between a source and a destination, wherein the source is one of a textual messaging system and a virtual world system and the destination is one of the textual messaging system and the virtual world system but differs from the source,

instructions to translate the first set of data related to the first paralinguistic indicator into a second set of data related to a second paralinguistic indicator, such that the second paralinguistic indicator is at least partially synonymous of the first paralinguistic indicator, and

instructions to transmit the second set of data related to the second paralinguistic indicator to the destination.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the textual messaging system comprises an instant messenger client.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the textual messaging system comprises an email client.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the virtual world system system comprises a virtual reality system.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the virtual world system system comprises a web camera system with face tracking software.

15. A method for translating paralinguistic indicators at a paralinguistic translation server, the method comprising:

means for receiving, from a source, a first set of data related to a first paralinguistic indicator that is configured to enable non-verbal communications between a source and a destination, wherein the source is one of an instant messaging system and a virtual world system and the destination is one of the textual instant messaging system and the virtual world system but differs from the source;

means for translating the first set of data related to the first paralinguistic indicator into a second set of data related to a second paralinguistic indicator that is at least partially synonymous to the non-verbal communications associated with the first paralinguistic indicator; and

means for transmitting the second set of data related to the second paralinguistic indicator to the destination.