Method for sending multi-media messages using emoticons

• US 6,990,452 B1
• Filed: 11/02/2001
• Issued: 01/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Graf, Hans Peter, Cosatto, Eric, Civanlar, Mehmet Reha, Ostermann, Joern, LeCun, Yann Andre
• Primary Examiner(s): Young, W. R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rivero, Minerva
• Application Number:
  US10/003,350
• Time in Patent Office: 1,544 Days
• Field of Search: 704/260, 704/270, 704/275, 704/272, 345/473
• US Class Current: 704/260
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems

Abstract

A system and method of providing sender-customization of multi-media messages through the use of emoticons is disclosed. The sender inserts the emoticons into a text message. As an animated face audibly delivers the text, emoticons associated with the message are started a predetermined period of time or number of words prior to the position of the emoticon in the message text and completed a predetermined length of time or number of words following the location of the emoticon. The sender may insert emoticons through the use of emoticon buttons that are icons available for choosing. Upon sender selections of an emoticon, an icon representing the emoticon is inserted into the text at the position of the cursor. Once an emoticon is chosen, the sender may also choose the amplitude for the emoticon and increased or decreased amplitude will be displayed in the icon inserted into the message text.

Claims

1. A method of customizing a multi-media message with emoticons, the multi-media message being created by a sender for a recipient wherein the multi-media message comprises an animated entity audibly delivering a text message, the method comprising:

storing emoticons related to actions associated with the animated entity;

providing to a sender at least one button option for choosing emoticons to insert into the text message at a location of a cursor; and

upon the sender choosing an emoticon using one of the at least one button options, inserting an emoticon into the text message at the location of the cursor, wherein when the animated entity delivers the text message, the animated entity exhibits the actions associated with the inserted emoticons beginning at a point corresponding to a first predetermined number of words before a respective one of the emoticons and ending at a second point corresponding to a second predetermined number of words after the respective one of the emoticons, wherein

the first predetermined number of words and the second predetermined number of words are associated with respective word lengths of words before and after a position of the respective one of the emoticons within the text message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the emoticons comprise at least one of a wink, a smile, an affirmative animated entity motion, eyes opening and staring, eyes popping out, or a nose elongation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the emoticons comprise at least one of a surprise, a frown, eyes rolling, a shoulder shrug, a tongue motion, embarrassment, blushing, a scream, tears or a kiss.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the animated entity is a face.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after the sender chooses an emoticon using one of the at least one button options, presenting to the sender an amplitude option associated with the chosen emoticon; and

upon the sender selecting an amplitude associated with the chosen emoticon, applying the chosen amplitude to the chosen emoticon when the multi-media message is presented to the recipient.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the button options are icons representing an emoticon.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein inserting an emoticon into the text message at the location of the cursor further comprises inserting an icon representing the chosen emoticon into the text message at the position of the cursor.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein inserting an emoticon into the text message at the location of the cursor further comprises inserting an icon representing the chosen emoticon into the text message at the position of the cursor and wherein the inserted icon includes a visual representation of the chosen amplitude of the chosen emoticon.

9. A method of customizing a multi-media message by choosing emoticons from a group of stored emoticons, the multi-media message being created by a sender where text typed by the sender is presented to a recipient using an animated entity in the multi-media message, the method comprising:

providing to the sender at least one button option, each button option of the at least one button option associated with an emoticon is associated with an emotion displayed by the animated entity during delivery of the multi-media message; and

upon the sender choosing an emoticon using one of the at least one button options, inserting the emoticon into the text typed by the sender, wherein as the multi-media message is delivered to the recipient, the animated entity displays the associated emotion beginning at a point corresponding to a first predetermined number of words before the emoticon and ending at a second point corresponding to a second predetermined number of words after the emoticon, wherein

the first predetermined number of words and the second predetermined number of words are associated with respective word lengths of words before and after a position of the emoticon within the text message.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the animated entity is a face.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the animated entity is a human face.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein inserting the emoticon into the text typed by the sender further comprises inserting the emoticon into the text at a location of a cursor.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein each of the at least one button options is an icon representing an emoticon.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein inserting the emoticon into the text typed by the sender further comprises inserting an icon representing the chosen emoticon into the text of the message.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the icon is inserted at a location of a cursor in the text.

16. A method of presenting a multi-media message having an animated entity created by a sender including at least one chosen emoticon, the multi-media message being created by the sender where text typed by the sender is presented to a recipient using an animated entity in the multi-media message, the at least one emoticon being in a position associated with an ordering of the typed text, the method comprising:

beginning a presentation of the at least one chosen emoticon by the animated entity a first predefined number of words before the at least one emoticon position within the ordering of the typed text; and

ending the presentation of the at least one emoticon a second predefined number of words after the at least one emoticon position within the ordering of the typed text, wherein;

the first predefined number of words and the second predefined number of words are associated with the respective word lengths of words before and after the position of the at least one emoticon within the ordering of the typed text.