Using video image analysis to automatically transmit gestures over a network in a chat or instant messaging session

A method for communicating between participants through a network of computers, comprising:

• analyzing images of at least one of the participants received as input for an actual physical gesture;
• associating each of a plurality of physical gestures to separate commands of an application program interface for communicating in real time between the participants;
• and
• transmitting an associated command associated with the actual physical gesture from the analyzed images to the application program interface to send a representation of the actual physical gesture within the real time communication for communicating between the participants.

A computer system having means for interacting between participants through a network of computers, comprising:

• means for analyzing successive video images received as input from a camera capturing video of at least one of the participants for an actual physical gesture made by the one participant;
• means for determining a state of the actual physical gesture made by the one participant;
• means for accessing an associative mapping for an action associated with the determined state of the actual physical gesture;
• and
• means for automatically generating a command for the action to a software program enabling a real time communication between the participants thereby sending a representation of the actual physical gesture within the real time communication.