Avatar email and methods for communicating between real and virtual worlds

• US 8,502,825 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2007
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Zalewski, Gary, Gillo, Tomas, Goodwin, Mitchell, Waugaman, Scott, Vass, Attila
• Primary Examiner(s): McDowell, Jr., Maurice L
• Application Number:
  US11/682,299
• Publication Number:
  US 20080235582A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,346 Days
• Field of Search: 345/473, 715/706
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/31 Communication aspects specific to video games, e.g. between several handheld game devices at close range
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/34 using peer-to-peer connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5375 for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/75 Enforcing rules, e.g. detecting foul play or generating lists of cheating players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/792 for payment purposes, e.g. monthly subscriptions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/408 Peer to peer connection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/534 for network load management, e.g. bandwidth optimization, latency reduction
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality

Abstract

A method for and system for communicating using a virtual world are disclosed. In the method an avatar may be associated with a source of an email. An email may be generated within the virtual world and one or more images of an avatar may be associated with the email. The email may be sent to a real device and the one or more images may be presented at a destination of the email. The system may comprise one or more processors configured to generate a virtual world; associate an avatar with a source of an email; generate an email within the virtual world; associate one or more images of an avatar with the email; send the email to a real device; and present the one or more images at a destination of the email.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

associating an avatar with a source of an email;

generating an email within a virtual world;

generating the animation of an avatar, wherein generating the email comprises tracking an emotional state of a source of the email and mapping the emotional state to the animation;

associating the animation of the avatar with the email;

sending the email to a real device;

and presenting the animation at a destination of the email.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating recorded or synthesized speech with the email and presenting the speech with the one or more images at the destination.

3. The method claim 1, wherein associating the animation of the avatar further comprises mapping one or more gestures to the animation of the avatar.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein mapping one or more gestures comprises recording audio and/or video of a source of the email message and mapping one or more features of the audio and/or video to one or more features of the avatar in the animation.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating a theme with virtual camera movements in the animation.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the theme comprises a fixed position of a virtual camera.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the theme comprises movement of a virtual camera.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein generating an email comprises using a virtual communication device within the virtual world.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the virtual world comprises a simulated public space configured to facilitate interaction among a plurality of users and one or more private spaces, wherein each private space is associated with a particular user of the plurality of users.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the destination is a real communication device.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the real communication device is configured to communicate with other real communication devices via one or more communication channels that are independent of the virtual world.

12. A system, comprising:

one or more processors configured to;

generate a virtual world;

associate an avatar with a source of an email;

generate an email within the virtual world, wherein generating the email comprises tracking an emotional state of a source of the email and mapping the emotional state to the animation;

generate the animation of an avatar;

associate the animation of the avatar with the email;

send the email to a real device;

and present the animation at a destination of the email.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the virtual world comprises a simulated public space configured to facilitate interaction among a plurality of users and one or more private spaces, wherein each private space is associated with a particular user of the plurality of users.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are configured to generate associate recorded and/or synthesized speech with the email and present the speech with the one or more images at the destination.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are configured to map one or more gestures to the animation of the avatar.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors are configured to generate record audio and/or video of a source of the email message and map one or more features of the audio and/or video to one or more features of the avatar in the animation.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are configured to associate a theme with virtual camera movements in the animation.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the theme comprises a fixed position of a virtual camera.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein the theme comprises movement of a virtual camera.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are configured to track an emotional state of the source and map the theme to emotional state.

21. The system of claim 12 wherein the one or more processors are configured to generate a virtual communication device within the virtual world and allow a user to generate the email with the virtual communication device.

22. A method for communicating using a virtual world, comprising:

associating an avatar with a source of an email;

generating an email within the virtual world;

generating the animation of an avatar;

associating the animation of the avatar with the email, wherein associating the animation of the avatar with the email includes attaching the animation to the email as a self-extracting attachment;

sending the email to a real device;

and presenting the animation at a destination of the email.

23. A system, comprising:

one or more processors configured to;

generate a virtual world;

associate an avatar with a source of an email;

generate an email within the virtual world;

generate the animation of an avatar;

associate the animation of the avatar with the email wherein the one or more processors are configured to associate the animation of the avatar with the email by attaching the animation to the email as a self-extracting attachment;

send the email to a real device;

and present the animation at a destination of the email.