Translating paralinguistic indicators

• US 8,688,611 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2013
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bill, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, David H
• Application Number:
  US13/915,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20130274015A1
• Time in Patent Office: 294 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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. One or more computer-readable storage memories embodying processor-executable instructions which, responsive to execution by at least one processor, are configured to:

receive data representing a paralinguistic indicator associated with a gaming platform, wherein the paralinguistic indicator has a first appearance;

translate the paralinguistic indicator to have a second appearance which is different from the first appearance, wherein the translated paralinguistic indicator is associated with a real time messaging platform; and

send the translated paralinguistic indicator to a real time messaging platform,

wherein the gaming platform is a virtual world platform and the real time messaging platform is an instant messaging platform.

2. The one or more computer-readable storage memories of claim 1, wherein the first and second paralinguistic indicators represent emotions.

3. The one or more computer-readable storage memories of claim 1, wherein the first and second paralinguistic indicators represent actions.

4. The one or more computer-readable storage memories of claim 3, wherein the first paralinguistic indicator represents an avatar'"'"'s actions.

5. The one or more computer-readable storage memories of claim 1, wherein the received paralinguistic indicator comprises a non-verbal indicator.

6. The one or more computer-readable storage memories of claim 1, wherein at least one of the gaming platform and the real time messaging platform is a proprietary communications platform.

7. The one or more computer-readable storage memories of claim 1, the processor-executable instructions further configured to receive a plurality of types of data representing the paralinguistic indicator from the first user.

8. The one or more computer-readable storage memories of claim 7, wherein the second appearance is influenced by the plurality of types of data representing the paralinguistic indicator.

9. The one or more computer-readable storage memories of claim 8, wherein the second appearance comprises a complex emotional appearance based on the plurality of types of data representing the paralinguistic indicator.

10. One or more computer-readable storage memories embodying processor-executable instructions which, responsive to execution by at least one processor, are configured to:

receive data representing a paralinguistic indicator associated with a gaming platform, wherein the paralinguistic indicator has a first appearance and wherein the data representing the paralinguistic indicator comprises markup language data;

translate the paralinguistic indicator to have a second appearance which is different from the first appearance, wherein the translated paralinguistic indicator is associated with a real time messaging platform; and

send the translated paralinguistic indicator to a real time messaging platform,

wherein the gaming platform is a virtual world platform and the real time messaging platform is an instant messaging platform.

11. The one or more computer-readable storage memories of claim 10, wherein the markup language data comprises eXtensible Markup Language (XML).

12. The one or more computer-readable storage memories of claim 10, wherein the markup language data comprises one or more characteristics associated with an avatar associated with the gaming platform.

13. The one or more computer-readable storage memories of claim 12, the one or more characteristics associated with the avatar comprising at least:

a characteristic describing one or more body region descriptions;

a characteristic describing a mood;

or

a characteristic describing an expression.

14. The one or more computer-readable storage memories of claim 10, wherein the markup language data comprises at least:

a version associated with the markup language;

or

encoding format information associated with the markup language.

15. One or more computer-readable storage memories embodying processor-executable instructions which, responsive to execution by at least one processor, are configured to:

receive data representing a paralinguistic indicator associated with a gaming platform, wherein the paralinguistic indicator has a first appearance;

receive at least some voice data with the data representing the paralinguistic indicator;

translate the paralinguistic indicator to have a second appearance which is different from the first appearance, wherein the translated paralinguistic indicator is associated with a real time messaging platform; and

send the translated paralinguistic indicator to a real time messaging platform,

wherein the gaming platform is a virtual world platform and the real time messaging platform is an instant messaging platform.

16. The one or more computer-readable storage memories of claim 15, the processor-executable instructions further configured to:

analyze the at least some voice data effective to determine a mood or emotion associated with the at least some voice data; and

send an indication of the determined mood or emotion to the real time messaging platform.

17. The one or more computer-readable storage memories of claim 16, the processor-executable instructions to analyze the at least some voice data are further configured to analyze the content and audio qualities of the at least some voice data.

18. The one or more computer-readable storage memories of claim 15, the processor-executable instructions further configured to:

receive data describing a paralinguistic indicator from the real-time messaging platform;

convert the data describing the paralinguistic indicator from the real-time messaging platform to an intermediate paralinguistic description; and

translate the intermediate paralinguistic description of the data describing the paralinguistic indicator from the real-time messaging platform to a format associated with the gaming platform; and

forward said translated format associated with the gaming platform.

19. The one or more computer-readable storage memories of claim 15, the processor-executable instructions further configured to:

receive, from the real-time messaging platform, text-based message data;

identify a text trigger within the text-based message data; and

forward, to the gaming platform, a translation of the text trigger.

20. The one or more computer-readable storage memories of claim 19, wherein the translation of the text trigger comprises data configured to enable display of an emoticon at the gaming platform.