System and method for enabling multiple-state avatars

• US 9,324,173 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2008
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Castelli, Vittorio, Hamilton, Rick A. II, Pickover, Clifford A., Ritsko, John J.
• Primary Examiner(s): HAJNIK, DANIEL F
• Application Number:
  US12/174,985
• Publication Number:
  US 20100013828A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,840 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings

Abstract

A method of rendering an electronic graphical representation of a user of a computerized system includes providing a plurality of states for the electronic graphical representation including first and second differing states, monitoring a measurable quantity to provide a monitored quantity, and changing a state of the graphical representation from the first state to the second state based upon the monitored quantity. The graphical representation is an avatar and the method includes defining a receptor point associated with the avatar and associating an object with the receptor point. The receptor point is located on the avatar. The plurality of states includes a non-hybrid state. The plurality of states includes a hybrid state. The hybrid state is a static image hybrid state and a video hybrid state. The video hybrid state is a live video hybrid state and a pre-recorded video hybrid state.

Claims

1. A method for rendering a virtual world avatar of a computerized system, comprising:

defining a plurality of receptor points located on the avatar, wherein each of the plurality of receptor points is associated with at least one object including a static image, a live video, and a pre-recorded video, wherein the at least one object moves from one of the plurality of receptor points to either another of the plurality of receptor points or to a vicinity near the avatar based upon at least one predetermined trigger;

providing a plurality of states for each of the plurality of receptor points;

changing a state of at least one of the plurality of receptor points from a first state to a second state based upon a measurable quantity and a configurable threshold to update the associated at least one object, wherein the changing of the state is limited to a predetermined subset of permitted states in accordance with a controller preference, wherein the measurable quantity includes physical movements of a controller of the avatar and parameters associated with other avatars of the virtual world; and

in response to the measurable quantity no longer satisfying the configurable threshold, reverting the state of the at least one of the plurality of receptor points from the second state back to the first state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of states comprises a non-hybrid state.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of states comprises a hybrid state.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the hybrid sate comprises a static image hybrid state.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the hybrid state comprises a video hybrid state.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the video hybrid state comprises a live video hybrid state.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the video hybrid state comprises a pre-recorded video hybrid state.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the measurable quantity comprises a quantity representative of a movement of a controller of the computerized system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the quantity representative of a movement of the controller comprises a quantity representative of a movement of a facial feature.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the quantity representative of a movement of the controller comprises a quantity representative of a movement of a hand.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

distributing avatar information to the controller by way of a peer-to-peer system.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the measurable quantity comprises a quantity representative of an audio signal.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the second state only to a subset of a plurality of controllers of the computerized system.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the measurable quantity comprises a quantity representative of a computer system capability.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

changing the state of the at least one of the plurality of receptor points based upon a measurement of a communication network performance.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

changing the state of the at least one of the plurality of receptor points based upon a controller computer processing capability.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

limiting the changing of the state of the at least one of the plurality of receptor points to a subset of the plurality of states.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the measurable quantity comprises a quantity representative of an actuation of a monitored device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the monitored device comprises any of a keyboard, a joy stick, and an audio detector.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining the second state of the at least one of the plurality of receptor points for a portion of a system session.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

maintaining the second state of the at least one of the plurality of receptor points for the entirety of the system session.