Profile-driven avatar sessions
AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation
InventorsAnton Oguzhan Alford Andrews, Kenneth Marks, Frederick David Jones
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and software to enhance avatar technology. An avatar engine identifies a session profile to apply to an avatar session when evaluating user actions generated by a user for potential expression in avatar actions associated with an avatar. The engine evaluates the user actions to determine if the user actions agree with the session profile for the avatar session. When the user actions do agree, they may be expressed through the avatar. For at least a user action that does not agree with the session profile for the avatar session, the avatar is driven to express a modified version of the user action that does agree with the session profile.
Claims20
One or more computer readable storage media having program instructions stored thereon for enhancing avatar technology that, when executed by a processing system, direct the processing system to at least:
- identify a session profile for an avatar session to apply when evaluating user actions generated by a user for potential expression in avatar actions associated with an avatar;
- evaluate the user actions to determine if the user actions agree with the session profile for the avatar session;
- and
- for at least a user action of the user actions that does not agree with the session profile for the avatar session, express a modified version of the user action through the avatar actions that does agree with the session profile for the avatar session.
A method for enhancing avatar sessions comprising:
- identifying a session profile for an avatar session to apply when evaluating user actions generated by a user for potential expression in avatar actions associated with an avatar;
- evaluating the user actions to determine if the user actions agree with the session profile for the avatar session;
- and
- for at least a user action of the user actions that does not agree with the session profile for the avatar session, expressing a modified version of the user action through the avatar actions that does agree with the session profile for the avatar session.
An apparatus comprising:
- one or more computer readable storage media;
- program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media for enhancing avatar technology that, when executed by a processing system, direct the processing system to at least:
- identify a session profile for an avatar session to apply to interaction sequences that occur during the avatar session;
- capture user actions generated by a user during an interaction sequence between an avatar associated with the user and at least a participant in the avatar session;
- generate avatar actions for the interaction sequence comprising a blend of synthetic avatar actions and user-driven avatar actions corresponding to a subset of the user actions such that the avatar actions during the interaction sequence are in agreement with the session profile for the avatar session;
- and
- drive the avatar to surface the avatar actions, including the blend of the synthetic avatar actions and the user-driven avatar actions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.