METHOD, APPARATUS, AND SOFTWARE FOR ANIMATED SELF-PORTRAITS
First Claim
1. A system for generating an animated self-portrait of a user, the system comprising:
- a camera to capture a plurality of self-portrait photos of a user, each of the plurality of self-portrait photos depicting the user in one a plurality of different facial poses, the plurality of different facial poses including a plurality of different facial angles, eye-gaze directions, and facial expressions of the user;
an image database for storing the plurality of self-portrait photos of the user, wherein each of the self-portrait photos is indexed with respect to at least one of a designated facial angle, a designated eye gaze direction, and a designated facial expression depicted in the self-portrait photo;
a processor to implement software routines todetect an event within a computer environment;
select a simulated facial behavior in response to the detected event;
determine an image sequence in to be displayed in accordance with the selected simulated facial behavior;
access a particular plurality of self-portrait photos from the image database in accordance with the determined image sequence, the accessing being performed based at least in part on index information associated with each of the particular plurality of self-portrait photos, the index information indicating at least one of the designated facial angle, the designated eye gaze direction, and the designated facial expression; and
display the particular plurality of self-portrait photos in rapid succession and in accordance with the determined image sequence so as to produce an animated depiction of the user'"'"'s face performing the selected simulated facial behavior.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system is provided for generating animated self-portraits of a user that depict lifelike simulated behaviors under computer control. A processor controlled camera captures a plurality of self-portrait photographs of a user, each photograph depicting the user in one a plurality of different facial poses, for example different facial angles, eye-gaze directions, and facial expressions. An image database stores the photographs indexed with respect to the particular facial pose depicted. Processor implemented software routines access the image database such that a plurality of particular sequences of indexed photographs is selected and displayed in rapid succession. An animated self-portrait is therefore displayed that depicts a particular simulated facial behavior associated with each particular sequence. By sequencing the images appropriately, the animated self-portrait of a user is made to appear to look around in various directions, nod, yawn, speak or sing along with computer generated vocalizations, wink, blink, and vary facial expressions.
103 Citations
31 Claims
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1. A system for generating an animated self-portrait of a user, the system comprising:
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a camera to capture a plurality of self-portrait photos of a user, each of the plurality of self-portrait photos depicting the user in one a plurality of different facial poses, the plurality of different facial poses including a plurality of different facial angles, eye-gaze directions, and facial expressions of the user; an image database for storing the plurality of self-portrait photos of the user, wherein each of the self-portrait photos is indexed with respect to at least one of a designated facial angle, a designated eye gaze direction, and a designated facial expression depicted in the self-portrait photo; a processor to implement software routines to detect an event within a computer environment; select a simulated facial behavior in response to the detected event; determine an image sequence in to be displayed in accordance with the selected simulated facial behavior; access a particular plurality of self-portrait photos from the image database in accordance with the determined image sequence, the accessing being performed based at least in part on index information associated with each of the particular plurality of self-portrait photos, the index information indicating at least one of the designated facial angle, the designated eye gaze direction, and the designated facial expression; and display the particular plurality of self-portrait photos in rapid succession and in accordance with the determined image sequence so as to produce an animated depiction of the user'"'"'s face performing the selected simulated facial behavior. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An automated method for capturing and indexing facial images in a facial image database, the method comprising
prompting a user to execute a specific facial pose; -
assisting the user in achieving the prompted pose in a spatially registered manner; enabling the user to provide a user input indicating that the prompted pose has been achieved; capturing the facial image of the use in response to the user input; storing the facial image in the facial image database; and indexing the stored facial image such that the stored facial image is relationally associated with a specific prompted pose that the user was instructed to perform. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of generating an animated self-portrait from self-portrait photographs stored in a facial image database, the method comprising:
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detecting an event within a computer environment; selecting a simulated facial behavior in response to the detected event; determining an image sequence in to be displayed accordance with the selected simulated facial behavior; accessing a particular plurality of self-portrait photographs from the image database in accordance with the determined image sequence, the accessing being performed based at least in part on index information associated with each of the particular plurality of self-portrait photographs, the index information indicating at least one of a designated facial angle, a designated eye gaze direction, a designated eye condition, a designated mouth condition, a designated phonic condition, and a designated facial expression; and displaying the particular plurality of self-portrait photographs in rapid succession and in accordance with the determined image sequence so as to produce an animated depiction of the user'"'"'s face performing the selected simulated facial behavior. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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Specification