Translating paralinguistic indicators

• US 8,954,368 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2014
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• 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:
  US14/158,617
• Publication Number:
  US 20140136182A1
• Time in Patent Office: 389 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. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving data representing a paralinguistic indicator associated with a gaming platform, wherein the paralinguistic indicator is represented using a first data format associated with the gaming platform, and wherein the data representing the paralinguistic indicator comprises markup language data;

translating the paralinguistic indicator to a second data format which is different from the first data format, wherein the second data format is associated with a real time messaging platform; and

sending the translated paralinguistic indicator to the 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 computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the markup language data comprises eXtensible Markup Language (XML).

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the markup language data comprises one or more characteristics associated with an avatar associated with the gaming platform.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, 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.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the markup language data comprises at least one of:

a version associated with the markup language;

or

encoding format information associated with the markup language.

6. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving data representing a paralinguistic indicator associated with a gaming platform, wherein the paralinguistic indicator is described using a first data format associated with the gaming platform;

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

translating the paralinguistic indicator to a second data format which is different from the first data format, wherein the second data format is associated with a real time messaging platform; and

sending the translated paralinguistic indicator to the real time messaging platform,

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

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

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

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

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the analyzing further comprises analyzing at least one of:

the content of the at least some voice data; and

audio qualities associated with the at least some voice data.

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

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

converting the data describing the paralinguistic indicator from the real-time messaging platform to intermediate paralinguistic data;

translating the intermediate paralinguistic data into gaming platform paralinguistic data, wherein the gaming platform paralinguistic data comprises a data format associated with the gaming platform; and

forwarding the gaming platform paralinguistic data to the gaming platform.

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

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

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

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

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the translation of the text trigger comprises data configured to enable display of an emoticon at the gaming platform.

12. A system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

one or more computer-readable storage memories embodying processor-executable instructions which, responsive to execution by the one or more computer processors, are configured to;

receive, from a gaming platform, data representing a first paralinguistic indicator, the first paralinguistic indicator represented in a first data format associated with the gaming platform;

translate the first paralinguistic indicator to a second data format associated with a real time messaging platform;

send the translated first paralinguistic indicator to the real time messaging platform;

receive, from the real time messaging platform, data representing a second paralinguistic indicator, the second paralinguistic indicator represented in the second data format associated with the real time messaging platform;

translate the second paralinguistic indicator to the first data format associated with the gaming platform; and

send the translated second paralinguistic indicator to the gaming platform, wherein the gaming platform is a virtual world platform and the real time messaging platform is an instant messaging platform.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the data representing the first paralinguistic indicator or the data representing the second paralinguistic indicator comprises eXtensible Markup Language (XML) data.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the XML data comprises at least one simple emotional tag.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the XML data comprises at least one complex emotional tag.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the complex emotional tag comprises:

at least one intensity value;

at least one modality variable; and

at least one probability value.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the complex emotional tag further comprises at least one time duration value associated with at least one sub-emotion of the complex emotional tag.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the data representing the first paralinguistic indicator comprises a text trigger associated with an emoticon.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor-executable instructions are further configured to translate the first paralinguistic indicator or the second paralinguistic indicator utilizing at least one translation table.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor-executable instructions are further configured to translate the first paralinguistic indicator or the second paralinguistic indicator utilizing Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT).