Presentation of an avatar in a media communication system

• US 9,124,923 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2014
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LYFT Incorporated
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chang, E-Lee, Schroeter, Horst Juergen, Roberts, Linda, Clayton, Darnell, Khandelwal, Madhur
• Primary Examiner(s): Schnurr, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): KURIEN, CHRISTEN A
• Application Number:
  US14/485,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20150007229A1
• Time in Patent Office: 354 Days
• Field of Search: 725/37
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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, a system to receive a response generated by a media processor based on an analysis of a communication exchange between a user and an avatar having characteristics that correspond to a user profile. The system can identify from the response a requirement for initiation of a communication session with a content source. An avatar profile is received from the content source, including gesture information based on gestures utilized by a character supplied by the content source. An adapted avatar is generated based on the avatar profile by adapting in part the characteristics of the avatar to have a first characteristic that duplicates a gesture of the character supplied by the content source, while retaining a second characteristic corresponding to the user profile. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A system, comprising

a memory that stores executable instructions;

and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the executable instructions facilitates performance of operations comprising;

receiving from a media processor a response generated by the media processor based on an analysis of a communication exchange between equipment of a user and an avatar having characteristics comprising a plurality of characteristics that corresponds to a user profile of the user;

identifying from the response a requirement for initiation of a communication session with a content source that provides the media processor with access to media content;

receiving from the content source an avatar profile comprising a gesture profile of a character, wherein the gesture profile is based on gestures indicative of a behavior of the character, based on a characteristic of the character supplied by the content source; and

generating an adapted avatar based on the avatar profile by adapting in part the characteristics of the avatar to exhibit the behavior of the character based on the gesture profile of the character supplied by the content source while retaining a second characteristic of the plurality of characteristics that correspond to the user profile.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second characteristic comprises a user voice characteristic, wherein the processor receives images from a camera, wherein the images capture gestures of the user, wherein the identification of the requirement for the initiation of the communication session with the content source is based on the images, and wherein the second characteristic is determined based on user preferences and behavior modeling of monitored media consumption.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

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

adjusting the avatar to have the plurality of characteristics that correspond to the user profile of the user, responsive to the detecting of the termination of the communication session.

4. The 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 media processor, and wherein the generating of the adapted avatar is based on the avatar profile without utilizing another avatar profile provided by a local content source.

5. The 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 system of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise determining the demographic profiling information associated with the user from media consumption behavior associated with the user.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the demographic profiling information associated with the user is based on one of age, gender, income, number of occupants in household, occupation, education, value of residential property, location of residential property, fees paid for services rendered or a combination thereof.

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

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving an advertisement that is selected based on the user profile, wherein the adapted avatar is presented with the advertisement.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the content source comprises one of a media on demand source, a digital media recorder source or both, wherein the avatar profile is supplied by the one of the media on demand source, the digital media recorder source or both.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of characteristics that correspond to the user profile comprise health characteristics associated with the user, wherein the generating of the adapted avatar is based on the health characteristics associated with the user.

12. A machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions, which when executed by a processor cause the processor to facilitate performance of operations comprising:

detecting a response of a user during a communication exchange between equipment of the user and an avatar having a plurality of characteristics that correspond to a user profile of the user;

initiating a communication session with a content source responsive to identifying from the response, a requirement for initiation of the communication session with the content source, wherein the content source provides access to media content including a character supplied by the content source; and

generating an adapted avatar by adapting a gesture profile of the avatar to include gestures indicative of a behavior of the character, based on a characteristic of the character supplied by the content source, wherein the adapted avatar emulates the gestures.

13. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

retaining in the adapted avatar a first characteristic of the plurality of characteristics that correspond to the user profile, while adapting a second characteristic of the plurality of characteristics to an avatar profile received from the content source;

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

restoring the avatar, responsive to the detecting of the termination, based on the plurality of characteristics that correspond to the user profile.

14. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the user profile comprises one of demographic profiling information associated with the user, psychographic profiling information associated with the user, user preferences received from the equipment of the user, or a combination thereof, and wherein the adapting of the characteristic of the plurality of characteristics is based on an avatar profile received from the content source, 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.

15. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise 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.

16. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the demographic profiling information associated with the user is based on one 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 an interactive television system or combinations thereof, wherein the psychographic profiling information associated with the user is determined from consumption behavior, 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.

17. A method, comprising:

detecting, by a system comprising a processor, a user response during a communication exchange between equipment of a user and an avatar presentable on a media presentation device, wherein the avatar reflects a plurality of characteristics that correspond to a user profile of the user;

initiating, by the system, a communication session with a content source, responsive to identifying from the response, a requirement for initiation of the communication session with the content source, wherein the content source provides the processor with access to media content including a character supplied by the content source; and

generating, by the system, an adapted avatar for presentation on the media presentation device, wherein the adapted avatar has a first characteristic of the plurality of characteristics that correspond to the user profile and a second characteristic of the plurality of characteristics that corresponds to an avatar profile supplied by the content source, wherein the avatar profile comprises gesture information based on a gesture indicative of a behavior of the character, while retaining the first characteristic.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising presenting, by the system, on the media presentation device, by the system, the adapted avatar, wherein the adapted avatar emulates the gestures of the character supplied by the content source.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

retrieving, by the system, the user profile associated with the user, wherein the generating of the adapted avatar comprises retaining the first characteristic of the plurality of characteristics of the avatar that correspond to the user profile, while adapting another characteristic of the plurality of characteristics to comply with the second characteristic of the plurality of characteristics of the avatar to the avatar profile, wherein the first characteristic of the plurality of characteristics is determined based on behavior modeling of the user utilizing media consumption behavior of the user;

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

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

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the avatar profile provided by the content source 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 equipment of the user or combinations thereof, and wherein the method further comprises monitoring, by the system, the consumption behavior of the user and determining therefrom at least a portion of the user profile.