System and Method for Providing Avatar with Variable Appearance

• US 20080195699A1
• Filed: 04/07/2006
• Published: 08/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NHN Corporation
• Original Assignee: NHN Corporation
• Inventors: Jung, Young Hoon, Min, Young Joo
• Granted Patent: US 9,313,045 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

The present invention relates a system and method for providing an avatar with variable appearance. When a user is connected through a network, information on the avatar provided to the user is collected. The avatar has at least two exposed units. The user'"'"'s location on the network is determined, at least one exposed unit is selected from among the plurality of exposed units according to the determined location, and an avatar for displaying the selected exposed unit is generated to the user. The exposed units configuring the avatar are respectively modified according to the user'"'"'s selection. Therefore, the avatar can be easily displayed on any place on the Internet by controlling the exposed units of the avatar depending on the user'"'"'s location on the network. Further, the user can combine and modify the avatar in various ways by respectively controlling the exposed units.

Claims

1. A method for providing an avatar by using an avatar providing server and a service providing server in a system connected to a user terminal through a network, the method comprising:

a) the avatar providing server providing an avatar to the user, who is connected through the network, according to the user'"'"'s requests and storing the provided history;

b) the service providing server, when the user is connected, receiving information on the avatar provided by the avatar providing server to the user, the information being information on a plurality of exposed units configuring the avatar;

c) the service providing server determining the user'"'"'s location on the network;

d) the service providing server selecting information on at least one exposed unit from among the information that is transmitted according to the determined location; and

e) the service providing server generating a service page on which the avatar having a controlled exposed unit is displayed based on the selected information, and transmitting the service page to the user terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the avatar includes a first exposed unit that corresponds to the head and a second exposed unit that has parts other than the head.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step e) includes:

transmitting the service page on which the first and second exposed units of the avatar are displayed to the user terminal when the user is located on the first page; and

transmitting the service page on which the first exposed unit of the avatar is displayed to the user terminal when the user is located on the second page.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the avatar providing server providing an avatar modifying means according to the user'"'"'s request; and

modifying and controlling a plurality of exposed units configuring the avatar according to the user'"'"'s operation of the avatar modifying means.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the avatar is displayed in cooperation with an ID code assigned to the user in the case of displaying the avatar.

14. A computer readable recording medium for storing a program for executing the method of claim 1.

6. A method for providing an avatar by using an avatar providing server and a service providing server in a system connected to a user terminal through a network, the method comprising:

a) the avatar providing server providing the avatar to the user, who is connected through the network, according to requests by the user and storing the provided history;

b) the service providing server requesting the user'"'"'s avatar information from the avatar providing server when the user is connected;

c) the avatar providing server determining the user'"'"'s location on the network;

d) the avatar providing server selecting at least one exposed unit from among the exposed units configuring the user'"'"'s avatar according to the determined location, and providing corresponding information to the service providing server; and

e) the service providing server generating a service page on which the avatar having a controlled exposed unit is displayed based on the transmitted information, and transmitting the service page to the user terminal.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the avatar includes a first exposed unit that corresponds to the head and a second exposed unit that has parts other than the head.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step e) includes:

transmitting the service page on which the first and second exposed units of the avatar are displayed to the user terminal when the user is located on the first page; and

transmitting the service page on which the first exposed unit of the avatar is displayed to the user terminal when the user is located on the second page.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

the avatar providing server providing an avatar modifying means according to the user'"'"'s request; and

modifying and controlling a plurality of exposed units configuring the avatar according to the user'"'"'s operation of the avatar modifying means.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the avatar is displayed in cooperation with an ID code assigned to the user in the case of displaying the avatar.

11. A method for providing an avatar for a system connected to a user terminal through a network, the method comprising:

a) the system displaying an avatar that is provided to the user, who is connected through the network, the avatar including a first exposed unit that corresponds to the head and a second exposed unit that has parts other than the head;

b) the system providing an avatar modifying means to the user terminal according to the user'"'"'s request;

c) the system determining the user'"'"'s operation state of the avatar modifying means;

d) the system respectively modifying and controlling the first exposed unit configuring the avatar based on a first modifying variable that is established according to the determined operation state of the avatar modifying means;

e) the system respectively modifying and controlling the second exposed unit configuring the avatar based on a second modifying variable that is established according to the determined operation state of the avatar modifying means; and

f) the system generating and displaying the avatar by combining the first exposed unit and the second exposed unit that are respectively modified and controlled.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first modifying variable includes at least one of viewing direction, facial expression, and color, and the second modifying variable includes at least one of pose and direction.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the avatar is displayed in cooperation with an ID code assigned to the user in the case of displaying the avatar.

15. A system for providing an avatar connected to a user terminal through a network, the system comprising:

a provision history database for storing information on avatars assigned to users;

an avatar display for collecting information on the avatar assigned to the user from the provision history database and displaying the information when the user is connected through the network; and

a user position determiner for determining the user'"'"'s location on the network,

wherein the avatar includes a plurality of exposed units, and

the avatar display selects at least one of the exposed units configuring the avatar according to the determined location and displays the exposed unit of the selected avatar.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a user selecting and determining unit for providing an avatar modifying means and determining the user'"'"'s operation state on the avatar modifying means; and

an avatar controller for respectively modifying and controlling the exposed units configuring the avatar according to the determined operation state.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising

an avatar database for storing files that correspond to the respective exposed units of the corresponding avatar in correspondence to an avatar ID code, the files including at least one sub file for displaying exposed units of the avatar to which modified items caused by a modifying variable are applied,

wherein the avatar controller selects a modifying variable for the exposed unit of the avatar according to the determined operation state, and modifies and controls the exposed unit of the avatar based on the file that corresponds to the modifying variable provided by the avatar.