MODIFYING AVATAR BEHAVIOR BASED ON USER ACTION OR MOOD

• US 20110148916A1
• Filed: 02/25/2011
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: BLATTNER, Patrick D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,256,861 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

Techniques are described for enabling the selection of wallpaper to modify the mood projected by an avatar. The mood projected by an avatar may be modified, for example, by modifying behaviors and/or appearance of the avatar to characterize a mood to be projected. The mood projected by an avatar also may be modified based on user action, such as user input of a mood to be projected by the avatar.

Claims

1-22. -22. (canceled)

23. A computer-implemented method for modifying an avatar associated with an identity of a user of a communications application, the method comprising:

monitoring, by at least one processor, at least one additional application executing on a computing device associated with the user, the at least one additional application being distinct from the communications application;

inferring, based on the monitored at least one additional application, a mood of the user of the communications application; and

modifying the avatar based on the inferred mood of the user of the communications application.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising presenting the modified avatar to another user of the communications application with whom the user is communicating.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein inferring the mood of the user includes determining behavior of the user from the monitored application.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein determining the behavior of the user includes determining at least one of a duration of online presence of the user, an intensity of online activity of the user, or a type of online activity of the user from the monitored application.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein modifying the avatar comprises changing an appearance of the avatar in response to the inferred mood.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein modifying the avatar comprises playing an animation of the avatar in response to the inferred mood such that the played animation is different from an animation played for the avatar when unmodified.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein modifying the avatar comprises modifying a text trigger used to animate the avatar in response to the inferred mood such that the text trigger is different from a text trigger used to animate the avatar when unmodified, the text trigger including a character string in a message sent using the communication application.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein modifying the avatar comprises modifying a wallpaper that defines a visually perceivable background for the avatar.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein modifying the wallpaper comprises substituting a new wallpaper in place of the wallpaper.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein modifying the wallpaper comprises animating one or more wallpaper objects of the wallpaper.

33. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method modifying an avatar associated with an identity of a user of a communications application, the method comprising:

monitoring at least one additional application executing on a computing device associated with the user, the at least one additional application being distinct from the communications application;

inferring, based on the monitored at least one additional application, a mood of the user of the communications application; and

modifying the avatar based on the inferred mood of the user of the communications application.

34. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, the method further comprising presenting the modified avatar to another user of the communications application with whom the user is communicating.

35. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein inferring the mood of the user includes determining behavior of the user from the monitored application.

36. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein determining the behavior of the user includes determining at least one of a duration of online presence of the user, an intensity of online activity of the user, or a type of online activity of the user from the monitored application.

37. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein modifying the avatar comprises changing an appearance of the avatar in response to the inferred mood.

38. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein modifying the avatar comprises playing an animation of the avatar in response to the inferred mood such that the played animation is different from an animation played for the avatar when unmodified.

39. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein modifying the avatar comprises modifying a text trigger used to animate the avatar in response to the inferred mood such that the text trigger is different from a text trigger used to animate the avatar when unmodified, the text trigger including a character string in a message sent using the communication application.

40. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein modifying the avatar comprises modifying a wallpaper that defines a visually perceivable background for the avatar.

41. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 40, wherein modifying the wallpaper comprises substituting a new wallpaper in place of the wallpaper.

42. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 40, wherein modifying the wallpaper comprises animating one or more wallpaper objects of the wallpaper.

43. A computer-implemented method for modifying an avatar associated with an identity of a user of a communications application, the method comprising:

monitoring, by at least one processor, the user of the communications application with at least one sensor;

inferring, based on signals from the at least one sensor, a mood of the user of the communications application; and

modifying the avatar based on the inferred mood of the user of the communications application.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the at least one sensor is a camera focused on the user of the communications application.

45. The method of claim 46, further comprising:

locating points on the face of the user based on visual information taken from the camera; and

inferring the mood of the user based on the located points on the user'"'"'s face.

46. The method of claim 43, wherein the sensor is a heart rate monitor worn by the user and configured to detect the heart rate of the user, and the method further includes modifying the avatar based on the detected heart rate of the user.