Method and system for emotion tracking, tagging, and rating and communication

An apparatus for visually depicting an emotional state, the apparatus comprising:

• a memory storing a three-dimensional array of facial expression images, with each facial expression image in the array expressing an emotional state characterized by the values of first, second and third array index values, with the first array index value being a polarity value indicating whether the emotional state causes facial expression image depicting the emotional state to tend toward a smile or a frown, with the second array index value being an activity value indicating whether the emotional state causes the facial expression image depicting the emotional state to express an emotional state tending toward being either active or extroverted at one end of a continuum or passive or introverted at the other end of the continuum and with the third array index value being a receptivity value indicating whether the depiction of the emotional state in the facial expression image is harder or more pinched or softer and more open;
• a computing system including a processor coupled to a display screen, the memory and one more user input devices with the processor configured to:
• accept a first signal from the one or more user input devices to a select a value of one of said first, second or third array index values;
• displaying, in response to the first signal, a grid of facial expression image characterized by a selected value of an array index value and by a range of non-selected array index values;
• accepting second a signal to select a facial expression displayed in the grid to indicate an emotional state.

One or more server computers coupled by one or more communication links to at least one remote computing system with the one or more server computers comprising:

• a memory holding emotional-state-depicting program code for execution on a remote computing system, with the emotional-state-depicting program configured, when executed by one or more processors of the computing system, to cause the computing system to:
• display a facial expression image on a display screen of the computing, with the facial expression image in the form of a background shape having graphic indicia of facial features displayed within the background shape, where facial features indicated by the graphic indicia include at least a mouth, a pair of eyes and a pair of eyebrows;
• accept a first signal from the one or more of the user input devices of the computing system indicating a polarity value, selected from a plurality of polarity values, of an emotional state to be depicted by a facial expression image, with the polarity value controlling whether the emotional state causes the facial expression image depicting the emotional state to tend toward a smile or a frown;
• change the shape and position of the graphic indicia of the facial features on the facial expression image to express an emotional state characterized by a received polarity value;
• accept a second signal from the one or more of the user input devices indicating an activity value, selected from a plurality of activity values, of an emotional state to be depicted by a facial expression image, with the activity value controlling whether the emotional state causes the facial expression image depicting the emotional state to express an emotional state tending toward being either active or extroverted at one end of a continuum or passive or introverted at the other end of the continuum;
• change the shape and position of the graphic indicia of the facial features on the facial expression image to express an emotional state characterized by a received activity value;
• accept a first signal from the one or more of the user input devices indicating a receptivity value, selected from a plurality of receptivity values, of an emotional state to be depicted by a facial expression image, with the receptivity value controlling whether the facial expression image depicting the emotional state is harder and more pinched or softer and more open;
• and
• change the shape and position of the graphic indicia of the facial features on the facial expression image to express an emotional state characterized by a received receptivity value;
• a controller, coupled to the memory, configured receive a request from the remote computing system over a communication link requesting a transfer of the emotional-state-depicting program code and configured to respond the request to transfer the emotional-state-depicting program code to the remote system.

A method performed by one or more server computers coupled to a remote computing system by at least one communication link and with the one or more server computers having access to one or more computer readable storage devices and a controller, the method comprising:

• receiving, at the controller, a request from a remote computing system for emotional-state-depicting program code stored on the computer readable storage device;
• transferring, using the controller, emotional-state-depicting program code from the one or more computer readable storage device to the remote computing device over a communication link, with the emotional-state-depicting program code, when executed by the one or more processors of the remote computing system, to cause the remote computing system to:
• display an facial expression image on a display screen of the computing, with the facial expression image in the form of a background shape having graphic indicia of facial features displayed within the background shape, where facial features indicated by the graphic indicia include at least a mouth, a pair of eyes and a pair of eyebrows;
• accept a first signal from the one or more of the user input devices of the computing system indicating a polarity value, selected from a plurality of polarity values, of an emotional state to be depicted by a facial expression image, with the polarity value controlling whether the emotional state causes the facial expression image depicting the emotional state to tend toward a smile or a frown;
• change the shape and position of the graphic indicia of the facial features on the facial expression image to express an emotional state characterized by a received polarity value;
• accept a second signal from the one or more of the user input devices indicating an activity value, selected from a plurality of activity values, of an emotional state to be depicted by a facial expression image, with the activity value controlling whether the emotional state causes the facial expression image depicting the emotional state to express an emotional state tending toward being either active or extroverted at one end of a continuum or passive or introverted at the other end of the continuum;
• change the shape and position of the graphic indicia of the facial features on the facial expression image to express an emotional state characterized by a received activity value;
• accept a third signal from the one or more of the user input devices indicating a rceptivity value, selected from a plurality of receptivity values, of an emotional state to be depicted by a facial expression image, with the receptivity value controlling whether the facial expression image depicting the emotional state is harder and more pinched or softer and more open;
• and
• change the shape and position of the graphic indicia of the facial features on the facial expression image to express an emotional state characterized by a received receptivity value.

One or more server computers coupled by one or more communication links to at least one remote computing system with the one or more server computers comprising:

• one or more processors configured to receive a message from a remote computing system, with message including a polarity value, selected from a plurality of polarity values, of an emotional state to be depicted by a facial expression image, with the polarity value controlling whether the emotional state causes the facial expression image depicting the emotional state to tend toward a smile or a frown, an activity value, selected from a plurality of activity values, of an emotional state to be depicted by a facial expression image, with the activity value controlling whether the emotional state causes the facial expression image depicting the emotional state to express an emotional state tending toward being either active or extroverted at one end of a continuum or passive or introverted at the other end of the continuum, and a receptivity value, selected from a plurality of receptivity values, of an emotional state to be depicted by a facial expression image, with the receptivity value controlling whether the facial expression image depicting the emotional state is harder and more pinched or softer and more open, with received polarity, activity and receptivity values indicating an emotional state experience by a user in response to a stimulus;
• with the one or more processors further configured to process received polarity, activity and receptivity values from a plurality of received messages to quantify the emotional response of a group of users to the stimulus.