Method and system for rating exchangeable gestures via communications in virtual world applications

• US 8,185,829 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2009
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cannon, Ulysses L., Lyle, Ruthie D.
• Primary Examiner(s): PITARO, RYAN F
• Application Number:
  US12/349,586
• Publication Number:
  US 20100175002A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,231 Days
• Field of Search: 715/706, 715848-852
• US Class Current: 715/757
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A method, system and computer-readable medium are disclosed for rating exchangeable gestures in a virtual world application. The method includes making a gesture owned by a first user of the virtual world application available to a second user of the virtual world application; in response to the second user providing a rating of the gesture, storing the rating in a repository of the first user, determining a rating metric of the gesture using at least the rating received from the second user, and communicating the rating metric to a third user of the virtual world application.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method in a data processing system for rating exchangeable gestures in a virtual world application, said computer-implemented method comprising:

making a gesture owned by a first user of said virtual world application available to a second user of said virtual world application, wherein execution of the gesture triggers a specific type of animation of an avatar on a display;

in response to the avatar performing the specific type of animation, populating the display with a rating window, wherein the rating window prompts the second user to select and transmit a rating for the gesture;

responsive to said second user providing the rating of said gesture;

storing said rating in a repository of said first user;

determining a rating metric of said gesture using said rating received from said second user; and

communicating said rating metric to a third user of said virtual world application; and

in response to the third user selecting the gesture, transmitting the gesture to the third user, wherein the third user selects the gesture based on the rating metric;

identifying a keyword that is typed into the virtual world application, wherein identification of the keyword causes the avatar on the display to perform the specific type of animation; and

populating the rating window with the keyword in order to identify the gesture that is being rated.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said determining further includes calculating said rating metric according to a number of times said gesture has been saved by other users of said virtual world application.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said rating received from said second user comprises a feedback rating indicating a preference of said second user.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said rating metric is a content rating to inform said third user of the content of said gesture prior to exchanging said gesture.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a fee for exchanging said gesture is determined using said rating metric.

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

in response to the second user saving the gesture, storing said rating in the repository of said first user.

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

adjusting a price for using the gesture based on the rating of the gesture.

8. A data processing system for rating exchangeable gestures in a virtual world application comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to said processor;

a virtual world application populating said memory, wherein said virtual world application comprises computer-executable instructions for;

making a gesture owned by a first user of said virtual world application available to a second user of said virtual world application, wherein execution of the gesture triggers a specific type of animation of an avatar on a display;

in response to the avatar performing the specific type of animation, populating the display with a rating window, wherein the rating window prompts the second user to select and transmit a rating for the gesture;

responsive to said second user providing a rating of said gesture;

storing said rating in a repository of said first user;

determining a rating metric of said gesture using said rating received from said second user; and

communicating said rating metric to a third user of said virtual world application;

identifying a keyword that is typed into the virtual world application, wherein identification of the keyword causes the avatar on the display to perform the specific type of animation; and

populating the rating window with the keyword in order to identify the gesture that is being rated.

9. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein said computer-executable instructions for determining further include using said rating received from said second user and a rating previously stored in said repository.

10. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein said computer-executable instructions for determining further include calculating said rating metric according to a number of times said gesture has been saved by other users of said virtual world application.

11. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein said rating received from said second user comprises a feedback rating indicating a preference of said second user.

12. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein said rating metric is a content rating to inform said third user of the content of said gesture prior to exchanging said gesture.

13. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein said computer-executable instructions further comprise determining a fee for exchanging said gesture using said rating metric.

14. A tangible computer-readable storage medium encoded with a computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions for:

making a gesture owned by a first user of said virtual world application available to a second user of said virtual world application, wherein execution of the gesture triggers a specific type of animation of an avatar on a display;

in response to the avatar performing the specific type of animation, populating the display with a rating window, wherein the rating window prompts the second user to select and transmit a rating for the gesture;

responsive to said second user providing a rating of said gesture;

storing said rating in a repository of said first user;

determining a rating metric of said gesture using said rating received from said second user; and

communicating said rating metric to a third user of said virtual world application;

identifying a keyword that is typed into the virtual world application, wherein identification of the keyword causes the avatar on the display to perform the specific type of animation; and

populating the rating window with the keyword in order to identify the gesture that is being rated.

15. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein said determining further includes using said rating received from said second user and a rating previously stored in said repository.

16. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein said determining further includes calculating said rating metric according to a number of times said gesture has been saved by other users of said virtual world application.

17. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein said rating received from said second user comprises a feedback rating indicating a preference of said second user.

18. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein said rating metric is a content rating to inform said third user of the content of said gesture prior to exchanging said gesture.

19. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein a fee for exchanging said gesture is determined using said rating metric.