Presentation of an avatar in a media communication system

• US 8,869,197 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2008
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LYFT Incorporated
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schroeter, Horst Juergen, Roberts, Linda, Clayton, Darnell, Khandelwal, Madhur, Chang, E-Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry, Hunter B
• Assistant Examiner(s): KURIEN, CHRISTEN A
• Application Number:
  US12/243,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20100083308A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,211 Days
• Field of Search: 725/34, 725/37
• US Class Current: 725/37
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) system having a controller to retrieve a user profile associated with a user of the IPTV system, cause a set-top box (STB) operating in the IPTV system to present an avatar having characteristics that correlate to the user profile, receive from the STB one or more responses of the user, wherein the one or more responses are collected by the STB from a communication exchange between the avatar and the user, identify from the one or more responses a need to communicate with a content source, establish a communication session with the content source, receive from the content source an avatar profile, adapt the characteristics of the avatar to correlate at least in part to the avatar profile, and cause the STB to present the adapted avatar. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. An internet protocol television system, comprising

a memory storing computer instructions;

and

a controller device coupled to the memory, wherein the controller device when executing the computer instructions performs operations comprising;

retrieving a user profile associated with a user of the internet protocol television system;

causing a set-top box to present at a display an avatar having characteristics that correlate to the user profile;

receiving from the set-top box a response associated with the user, wherein the response is generated by the set-top box from an analysis of a user communication exchange with the avatar;

identifying from the response that a communication session should be initiated with a content source that provides the set-top box with access to media content;

initiating the communication session with the content source;

receiving from the content source an avatar profile comprising gesture information, wherein the gesture information is based on gestures utilized by a character supplied by the content source, wherein the user profile differs from the avatar profile;

generating an adapted avatar based on the avatar profile by adapting the characteristics of the avatar having characteristics that correlate to the user profile to duplicate the gestures of the character supplied by the content source; and

causing the set-top box to present at the display the adapted avatar.

2. The internet protocol television system of claim 1, wherein the controller device when executing the computer instructions performs operations comprising retaining a portion of the characteristics of the avatar having characteristics that correlate to the user profile, including user voice characteristics, while adapting the characteristics of the avatar to the avatar profile, wherein the controller receives images from a camera of the set-top box, wherein the images capture gestures of the user, wherein the identification that the communication session should be initiated with the content source is based on the images, and wherein the portion of the avatar characteristics retained is determined based on user preferences and behavior modeling of monitored media consumption.

3. The internet protocol television system of claim 1, wherein the character supplied by the content source is one of a singer or an actor, and wherein the controller device when executing the computer instructions performs operations comprising:

detecting a termination of the communication session with the content source; and

causing the set-top box to present at the display the avatar having characteristics that correlate to the user profile, responsive to said detection.

4. The internet protocol television system of claim 1, wherein the avatar profile comprises appearance aspects, a content search method and a content presentation method, wherein media content of the content source is broadcast to the set top box, and wherein the adapted avatar is generated based on the avatar profile without utilizing another avatar profile provided by a local content source.

5. The internet protocol television system of claim 1, wherein the user profile comprises demographic profiling information associated with the user, psychographic profiling information associated with the user and user preferences received from equipment of the user.

6. The internet protocol television system of claim 5, wherein the controller device when executing the computer instructions performs operations comprising determining the demographic profiling information associated with the user from a media consumption behavior associated with the user.

7. The internet protocol television system of claim 5, wherein the demographic profiling information associated with the user is based on age, gender, income, number of occupants in household, occupation, education, value of residential property, location of residential property, and fees paid for services rendered by the internet protocol television system.

8. The internet protocol television system of claim 5, wherein the psychographic profiling information associated with the user is determined from consumption behavior monitored by the internet protocol television system, and wherein the psychographic profiling information is based on user traits, user attitudes, user interests, and user lifestyles determined from the consumption behavior.

9. The internet protocol television system of claim 1, wherein the controller device when executing the computer instructions

retrieves an advertisement that is selected based on the user profile;

and

wherein the adapted avatar is presented with the advertisement.

10. The internet protocol television system of claim 9, wherein the advertisement is retrieved responsive to an authorization received from equipment of the user.

11. The internet protocol television system of claim 1, wherein the content source comprises one of a media on demand source, a digital media recorder source or both.

12. The internet protocol television system of claim 11, wherein each of the media on demand source and the digital media recorder source supplies a corresponding avatar profile.

13. The internet protocol television system of claim 12, wherein the avatar profile of each content source respectively comprises appearance aspects, a content search method, and a content presentation method associated with the source.

14. The internet protocol television system of claim 1, wherein the controller when executing the computer instructions generates an avatar engine for controlling the presentation of the adapted avatar.

15. The internet protocol television system of claim 14, wherein the user profile comprises health characteristics associated with the user, and wherein the avatar engine is adapted to take into consideration the health characteristics associated with the user during a communication exchange between the adapted avatar and equipment of the user.

16. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions which when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

retrieving a user profile associated with a user of an interactive television system;

presenting at a display an avatar having characteristics that correlate to the user profile, to obtain a presentation of the avatar;

detecting a response of the user during a user communication exchange with the avatar;

initiating a communication session with a content source responsive to identifying from the response that the communication session should be initiated with the content source, wherein the content source provides access to media content including a character supplied by the content source;

generating an adapted avatar by adapting the characteristics of the avatar having characteristics that correlate to the user profile to include gestures associated with the character supplied by the content source, wherein the adapted avatar emulates the gestures; and

presenting at the display the adapted avatar.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, comprising computer instructions which when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

retaining in the adapted avatar a first portion of the characteristics of the avatar having characteristics that correlate to the user profile while adapting a second portion of the characteristics of the avatar to an avatar profile, wherein the first portion of the characteristics is determined based on behavior modeling of the user utilizing media consumption behavior of the user;

detecting a termination of the communication session with the content source; and

restoring at the display presentation of the avatar having characteristics that correlate to the user profile responsive to said detection.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the avatar profile comprises appearance aspects, a content search method, and a content presentation method associated with the character supplied by the content source, and wherein the user profile comprises demographic profiling information associated with the user, psychographic profiling information associated with the user, and user preferences received from equipment of the user.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, comprising computer instructions which when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform operations comprising determining the demographic profiling information associated with the user from a subscriber account associated with the user and a media consumption behavior associated with the user.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein demographic profiling information associated with the user is based on of age, gender, income, number of occupants in household, occupation, education, value of residential property, location of residential property, fees paid for services rendered by the interactive television system or combinations thereof, wherein the psychographic profiling information associated with the user is determined from consumption behavior monitored by the interactive television system, and wherein the psychographic profiling information is based on one of user traits, user attitudes, user interests, user lifestyle determined from the consumption behavior or combinations thereof.

21. A set-top box, comprising:

a memory storing computer instructions; and

a controller device coupled to the memory, wherein the controller device when executing the computer instructions performs operations comprising;

presenting on a media presentation device an avatar having characteristics that correlate to a user profile;

detecting a response of the user during a user communication exchange with the avatar having characteristics that correlate to the user profile;

initiating a communication session with a content source, responsive to identifying from the response that a communication session should be initiated with the content source, wherein the content source provides the controller device access to media content including a character supplied by the content source; and

generating an adapted avatar by adapting the avatar having characteristics that correlate to the user profile to correlate at least in part with a content source avatar profile, wherein the content source avatar profile comprises gesture information that is based on gestures utilized by the character supplied by the content source.

22. The set-top box of claim 21, wherein the controller device when executing the computer instructions presents on the media presentation device the adapted avatar, wherein the adapted avatar emulates the gestures of the character supplied by the content source.

23. The set-top box of claim 21, wherein the controller device when executing the computer instructions performs operations comprising:

retrieving the user profile associated with the user;

wherein generating the adapted avatar comprises retaining a first portion of the characteristics of the avatar having characteristics that correlate to the user profile while adapting a second portion of the characteristics of the avatar to the content source avatar profile, wherein the first portion of the characteristics is determined based on behavior modeling of the user utilizing media consumption behavior of the user;

detecting a termination of the communication session with the content source; and

restoring the second portion of the characteristics of the avatar having characteristics that correlate to the user profile and terminating the second portion of the characteristics of the avatar correlated to the content source avatar profile responsive to detecting the termination of the communication session with the content source.

24. The set-top box of claim 23, wherein the content source avatar profile comprises one of appearance aspects, a content search method, a content presentation method or combinations thereof, and wherein the user profile comprises one of demographic profiling information of the user, psychographic profiling information of the user, user preferences supplied by the user or combinations thereof, and wherein the controller device when executing the computer instructions performs the operations comprising monitoring the consumption behavior of the user and determining therefrom at least a portion of the user profile.

25. A method, comprising:

presenting on a media presentation device an avatar having characteristics that correlate to a user having a user profile;

detecting a response of the user during a user communication exchange with the avatar having characteristics that correlate to the user;

initiating a communication session with a content source responsive to identifying from the response that a communication session should be initiated with the content source, wherein the content source provides access to media content including a character supplied by the content source and described by an avatar profile, wherein the user profile differs from the avatar profile; and

generating an adapted avatar by adapting characteristics of the avatar having characteristics that correlate to the user to correlate at least in part with a content source avatar profile, wherein the content source avatar profile comprises gesture information that is based on gestures utilized by the character supplied by the content source, wherein the adapted avatar emulates the gestures of the character supplied by the content source.