DIALOG SERVER FOR HANDLING CONVERSATION IN VIRTUAL SPACE METHOD AND COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR HAVING CONVERSATION IN VIRTUAL SPACE

• US 20090210804A1
• Filed: 02/19/2009
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kurata, Gakuto, Nagano, Tohru, Tatsubori, Michiaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,156,184 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/757
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/157 defining a virtual conference space and using avatars or agents computer conference optimisation or adaptation H04L12/1827

Abstract

A dialog server which provides dialogs made by at least one user through their respective avatars in a virtual space. A method and a computer readable article of manufacture tangibly embodying computer readable instructions for executing the steps of the method are also provided. The dialog server includes: a position storage unit which stores positional information on the avatars; an utterance receiver which receives at least one utterance of avatars and utterance strength representing an importance or attention level of the utterance; an interest level calculator which calculates interest levels between avatars based on their positional information; a message processor which generates a message based on the utterance in accordance with a value calculated from the interest levels and the utterance strength; and a message transmitter which transmits the message to the avatars.

Claims

1. A dialog server which provides dialogs made by at least one user through at least one avatar in virtual space, comprising:

a position storage unit for storing at least one positional information on said at least one avatar;

an utterance receiver for receiving (i) at least one utterance from said at least one avatar, and (ii) at least one utterance strength representing an importance or attention level of said at least one utterance;

an interest level calculator for calculating at least one interest level between two of said at least one avatars to each other, based on said at least one positional information of said at least one avatar;

a message processor for generating a message from said at least one utterance in accordance with a value calculated from said at least one interest level and said at least one utterance strength; and

a message transmitter for transmitting at least one message to said at least one avatar.

2. The dialog server according to claim 1, wherein said message processor generates the message from said at least one utterance when a value calculated from said at least one interest level and said at least one utterance strength is not less than a predetermined value.

3. The dialog server according to claim 1, wherein:

said utterance receiver receives sound data of the utterance of said at least one avatar and said at least one utterance strength of said at least one utterance; and

said message transmitter transmits said sound data of said at least one message to another of said at least one avatar.

4. The dialog server according to claim 1, wherein:

said utterance receiver receives at least one text data of said at least one utterance of said at least one avatar, and said at least one utterance strength of said at least one utterance; and

said message transmitter transmits said at least one text data of said at least one message to another of said at least one avatar.

5. The dialog server according to claim 1, wherein said message processor generates at least one text data of said at least one message from said at least one utterance such that said at least one text data is displayed in a form varying in accordance with a value calculated from said at least one interest level and said at least one utterance strength.

6. The dialog server according to claim 1, wherein said interest level calculator calculates said at least one interest level from two of said at least one positional information on two of said at least one avatar, such that said at least one interest level becomes higher as the two of said at least one avatar become closer.

7. The dialog server according to claim 1, wherein said interest level calculator calculates said at least one interest level between two of said at least one avatar from said at least one positional information on two of said at least one avatar, such that the interest level becomes higher as the angle between a direction of one of said at least one avatar to a direction from another of said at least one avatar becomes smaller.

8. The dialog server according to claim 1, further comprising:

a position receiver for receiving said at least one positional information on said at least one avatar.

9. The dialog server according to claim 1, further comprising:

a position transmitter for transmitting said at least one positional information.

10. A method of providing dialogs made by at least one user through at least one avatar in a virtual space, comprising the steps of:

storing at least one positional information on said at least one avatar;

receiving (i) at least one utterance from said at least one avatar and (ii) at least one utterance strength representing an importance or attention level of said at least one utterance;

calculating at least one interest level between two of said at least one avatars based on said at least one positional information on said at least one avatar;

generating at least one message from said at least one utterance in accordance with a value calculated from said at least one interest level and said at least one utterance strength; and

transmitting said at least one message to said at least one avatar.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, in the step of generating said at least one message, the message is generated from said at least one utterance when a value calculated from said at least one interest level and said at least one utterance strength is not less than a predetermined value.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein:

in the step of receiving said at least one utterance and said at least one utterance strength of the utterance, sound data of said at least one utterance, and said at least one utterance strength are received; and

in the step of transmitting said at least one message, sound data of said at least one message is transmitted to said at least one avatar.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein:

in the step of receiving said at least one utterance and said at least one utterance strength, text data of said at least one utterance, and said at least one utterance strength are received; and

in the step of transmitting said at least one message, said text data of said at least one message is transmitted to said at least one avatar.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein, in the step of generating said at least one message, text data of said at least one message is generated from said at least one utterance such that said text data is displayed in a form varying in accordance with a value calculated from said at least one interest level and said at least one utterance strength.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein, in the step of calculating said at least one interest level, said at least one interest level is calculated from said at least one positional information on said at least one avatar such that said at least one interest level becomes higher as two of said at least one avatar become closer.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein, in the step of calculating said at least one interest level, said at least one interest level is calculated from the positional information on two of said at least one avatar such that the interest level becomes higher as the angle between a direction of one of said at least one avatar to a direction from another of said at least one avatar becomes smaller.

17. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

receiving said at least one positional information on said at least one avatar.

18. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting said at least one positional information.

19. A computer readable article of manufacture tangibly embodying computer readable instructions for executing a method of providing dialogs made by at least one user through at least one avatar in a virtual space, said method comprising the steps of:

storing at least one positional information on said at least one avatar;

receiving (i) at least one utterance of said at least one avatar and (ii) at least one utterance strength representing an importance or attention level of said at least one utterance;

calculating at least one interest level between two of said at least one avatars based on said at least one positional information on said at least one avatar;

generating at least one message from said at least one utterance in accordance with a value calculated from said at least one interest level and said at least one utterance strength; and

transmitting said at least one message to said at least one avatar.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising at least one step selected from the group consisting of:

receiving said at least one positional information on said at least one avatar; and

transmitting said at least one positional information.