Automated sensor driven friending

• US 9,025,832 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2011
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Latta, Stephen, Markovic, Relja, Geisner, Kevin, Vance, A. Dylan, Murphy, Brian Scott, Coohill, Matt
• Primary Examiner(s): Carter, Aaron W
• Application Number:
  US13/151,112
• Publication Number:
  US 20120311031A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,434 Days
• Field of Search: 348/51, 434/11, 709/204, 382/181, 382/312, 382/115, 463 40- 42
• US Class Current: 382/115
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A method of finding a new social network service friend for a player belonging to a social network service and having a friend group including one or more player-accepted friends includes recognizing the player, automatically identifying an observer within a threshold proximity to the player, and adding the observer to the friend group of the player in the social network service if the observer satisfies a friending criteria of the player.

Claims

1. A method of finding a new social network service friend for a player belonging to a social network service and having a friend group including one or more player-accepted friends, the method comprising:

recognizing the player;

visually identifying an observer within a threshold proximity to the player; and

identifying one or more candidates to play as a remote participant with the player in a multiplayer game based on an identity of the observer.

2. The method of claim 1, where visually identifying the observer includes matching an observed skeletal model to a profile skeletal model included as part of a user profile saved in a network accessible database, the observed skeletal model being derived from three dimensional depth information collected via a depth camera imaging the observer.

3. The method of claim 1, where visually identifying the observer further includes matching an observed voice pattern to a profile voice signature included as part of a user profile saved in a network accessible database, the observed voice pattern being derived from audio recordings collected via a microphone listening to the observer.

4. The method of claim 1, where visually identifying the observer includes matching an observed facial image to a profile face signature included as part of a user profile saved in a network accessible database, the observed facial image being derived from a digital image collected via a camera imaging the observer.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adding the observer to the friend group of the player in the social network service if the observer satisfies a friending criteria of the player, the friending criteria including the observer being visually identified in the threshold proximity to the player a threshold number of times that is greater than one.

6. The method of claim 5, where adding the observer to the friend group includes automatically adding the observer to the friend group without player confirmation if the observer satisfies an automatic friending criteria.

7. The method of claim 5, where adding the observer to the friend group includes adding the observer to the friend group upon receiving player confirmation if the observer does not satisfy an automatic friending criteria.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a candidate of the one or more candidates as a remote participant with the player in the multiplayer game if the candidate satisfies matching criteria.

8. A computing system comprising:

one or more sensor inputs operable to receive sensor information from one or more sensors including a depth camera that provides depth information;

a logic machine operatively connected to the one or more sensor inputs; and

a data-holding machine including instructions executable by the logic machine to;

recognize a player belonging to a social network service that includes a social network service friend group including one or more player-accepted friends;

visually identify an observer within a threshold proximity to the player based on the depth information; and

add the observer to the social network service friend group of the player if the observer satisfies a friending criteria of the player, the friending criteria including the observer having a mutual friend in the social network service friend group of the player.

9. The computing system of claim 8, where the one or more sensors includes a depth camera operable to image the observer to generate three dimensional depth information that is sent to the one or more sensor inputs;

and

the data-holding machine includes instructions executable by the logic machine to;

match an observed skeletal model derived from three dimensional depth information to a profile skeletal model included as part of a user profile of the observer saved in a network accessible database.

10. The computing system of claim 8, where the one or more sensors includes a microphone operable to listen to the observer to generate audio recordings that are sent to the one or more sensor inputs;

and

the data-holding machine includes instructions executable by the logic machine to;

match an observed voice pattern derived from the audio recordings to a profile voice signature included as part of a user profile of the observer saved in a network accessible database.

11. The computing system of claim 8, where the one or more sensors includes a camera operable to image the observer to generate a digital image that is sent to the one or more sensor inputs;

and

the data-holding machine includes instructions executable by the logic machine to;

match an observed facial image derived from the digital image to a profile face signature included as part of a user profile of the observer saved in a network accessible database.

12. The computing system of claim 8, where the data-holding machine includes instructions executable by the logic machine to:

automatically add the observer to the friend group without player confirmation if the observer satisfies an automatic friending criteria.

13. The computing system of claim 8, where the data-holding machine includes instructions executable by the logic machine to:

add the observer to the friend group upon receiving player confirmation if the observer does not satisfy an automatic friending criteria.

19. The computing system of claim 8, where the data-holding machine includes instructions executable by the logic machine to:

identify one or more candidates to play as a remote participant with the player in a multiplayer game based on an identity of the observer.

14. A computing system comprising:

a depth camera input operable to receive depth information from a depth camera;

a logic machine operatively connected to the depth camera input; and

a data-holding machine including instructions executable by the logic machine to;

translate the depth information into a skeletal model of a game player and a skeletal model of an observer;

recognize the player;

visually identify the observer within a threshold proximity to the player by matching an observed skeletal model of the observer to a profile skeletal model included as part of a user profile of the observer;

recognize visual characteristics of the player and the observer based on information from the depth camera; and

add the observer to a social network service friend group of the player if the observer satisfies a friending criteria of the player, the friending criteria including the observer and the player being visually recognized via the depth information as actively interacting with each other in a multiplayer game and the observer and the player having one or more visual characteristics in common.

15. The computing system of claim 14, where the data-holding machine includes instructions executable by the logic machine to:

automatically add the observer to the friend group without player confirmation if the observer satisfies an automatic friending criteria.

16. The computing system of claim 14, where the data-holding machine includes instructions executable by the logic machine to:

add the observer to the friend group upon receiving player confirmation if the observer does not satisfy an automatic friending criteria.

17. The computing system of claim 14, where the data-holding includes instructions executable by the logic machine to:

add the observer to the friend group upon receiving a parent of the player confirmation if the observer does not satisfy an automatic friending criteria.