Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110175801 | Directed Performance In Motion Capture System - Techniques for enhancing the use of a motion capture system are provided. A motion capture system tracks movement and audio inputs from a person in a physical space, and provides the inputs to an application, which displays a virtual space on a display. Bodily movements can be used to define traits of an avatar in the virtual space. The person can be directed to perform the movements by a coaching avatar, or visual or audio cues in the virtual space. The application can respond to the detected movements and voice commands or voice volume of the person to define avatar traits and initiate pre-scripted audio-visual events in the virtual space to provide an entertaining experience. A performance in the virtual space can be captured and played back with automatic modifications, such as alterations to the avatar's voice or appearance, or modifications made by another person. | 07-21-2011 |
20110175809 | Tracking Groups Of Users In Motion Capture System - In a motion capture system, a unitary input is provided to an application based on detected movement and/or location of a group of people. Audio information from the group can also be used as an input. The application can provide real-time feedback to the person or group via a display and audio output. The group can control the movement of an avatar in a virtual space based on the movement of each person in the group, such as in a steering or balancing game. To avoid a discontinuous or confusing output by the application, missing data can be generated for a person who is occluded or partially out of the field of view. A wait time can be set for activating a new person and deactivating a currently-active person. The wait time can be adaptive based on a first detected position or a last detected position of the person. | 07-21-2011 |
20110223995 | INTERACTING WITH A COMPUTER BASED APPLICATION - A computing system runs an application (e.g., video game) that interacts with one or more actively engaged users. One or more physical properties of a group are sensed. The group may include the one or more actively engaged users and/or one or more entities not actively engaged with the application. The computing system will determine that the group (or the one or more entities not actively engaged with the application) have performed a predetermined action. A runtime condition of the application is changed in response to determining that the group (or the one or more entities not actively engaged with the computer based application) have performed the predetermined action. Examples of changing a runtime condition include moving an object, changing a score or changing an environmental condition of a video game. | 09-15-2011 |
20120165096 | INTERACTING WITH A COMPUTER BASED APPLICATION - A computing system runs an application (e.g., video game) that interacts with one or more actively engaged users. One or more physical properties of a group are sensed. The group may include the one or more actively engaged users and/or one or more entities not actively engaged with the application. The computing system will determine that the group (or the one or more entities not actively engaged with the application) have performed a predetermined action. A runtime condition of the application is changed in response to determining that the group (or the one or more entities not actively engaged with the computer based application) have performed the predetermined action. Examples of changing a runtime condition include moving an object, changing a score or changing an environmental condition of a video game. | 06-28-2012 |
20120299827 | MULTI-PLATFORM MOTION-BASED COMPUTER INTERACTIONS - Systems and methods for multi-platform motion interactivity, is provided. The system includes a motion-sensing subsystem, a display subsystem including a display, a logic subsystem, and a data-holding subsystem containing instructions executable by the logic subsystem. The system configured to display a displayed scene on the display; receive a dynamically-changing motion input from the motion-sensing subsystem that is generated in response to movement of a tracked object; generate, in real time, a dynamically-changing 3D spatial model of the tracked object based on the motion input; control, based on the movement of the tracked object and using the 3D spatial model, motion within the displayed scene. The system further configured to receive, from a secondary computing system, a secondary input; and control the displayed scene in response to the secondary input to visually represent interaction between the motion input and the secondary input. | 11-29-2012 |
20120302350 | COMMUNICATION BETWEEN AVATARS IN DIFFERENT GAMES - Synchronous and asynchronous communications between avatars is allowed. For synchronous communications, when multiple users are playing different games of the same game title and when the avatars of the multiple users are at the same location in their respective games they can communicate with one another, thus allowing the users of those avatars to communicate with one another. For asynchronous communications, an avatar of a particular user is left behind at a particular location in a game along with a recorded communication. When other users of other games are at that particular location, the avatar of that particular user is displayed and the recorded communication is presented to the other users. | 11-29-2012 |
20120302351 | AVATARS OF FRIENDS AS NON-PLAYER-CHARACTERS - In accordance with one or more aspects, for a particular user one or more other users associated with that particular user are identified based on a social graph of that particular user. An avatar of at least one of the other users is obtained and included as a non-player-character in a game being played by that particular user. The particular user can provide requests to interact with the avatar of the second user (e.g., calling out the name of the second user, tapping the avatar of the second user on the shoulder, etc.), these requests being invitations for the second user to join in a game with the first user. An indication of such an invitation is presented to the second user, which can, for example, accept the invitation to join in a game with the first user. | 11-29-2012 |
20120306853 | ADDING ATTRIBUTES TO VIRTUAL REPRESENTATIONS OF REAL-WORLD OBJECTS - A method, medium, and virtual object for providing a virtual representation with an attribute are described. The virtual representation is generated based on a digitization of a real-world object. Properties of the virtual representation, such as colors, shape similarities, volume, surface area, and the like are identified and an amount or degree of exhibition of those properties by the virtual representation is determined. The properties are employed to identify attributes associated with the virtual representation, such as temperature, weight, or sharpness of an edge, among other attributes of the virtual object. A degree of exhibition of the attributes is also determined based on the properties and their degrees of exhibition. Thereby, the virtual representation is provided with one or more attributes that instruct presentation and interactions of the virtual representation in a virtual world. | 12-06-2012 |
20120309538 | PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS BASED USER IDENTIFICATION FOR MATCHMAKING - One or more physical characteristics of each of multiple users are detected. These physical characteristics of a user can include physical attributes of the user (e.g., the user's height, length of the user's legs) and/or physical skills of the user (e.g., how high the user can jump). Based on these detected one or more physical characteristics of the users, two or more of the multiple users to share an online experience (e.g., play a multi-player game) are identified. | 12-06-2012 |
20120311032 | EMOTION-BASED USER IDENTIFICATION FOR ONLINE EXPERIENCES - Emotional response data of a particular user, when the particular user is interacting with each of multiple other users, is collected. Using the emotional response data, an emotion of the particular user when interacting with each of multiple other users is determined. Based on the determined emotions, one or more of the multiple other users are identified to share an online experience with the particular user. | 12-06-2012 |
20120326976 | Directed Performance In Motion Capture System - Techniques for enhancing the use of a motion capture system are provided. A motion capture system tracks movement and audio inputs from a person in a physical space, and provides the inputs to an application, which displays a virtual space on a display. Bodily movements can be used to define traits of an avatar in the virtual space. The person can be directed to perform the movements by a coaching avatar, or visual or audio cues in the virtual space. The application can respond to the detected movements and voice commands or voice volume of the person to define avatar traits and initiate pre-scripted audio-visual events in the virtual space to provide an entertaining experience. A performance in the virtual space can be captured and played back with automatic modifications, such as alterations to the avatar's voice or appearance, or modifications made by another person. | 12-27-2012 |
20130013093 | PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS BASED USER IDENTIFICATION FOR MATCHMAKING - One or more physical characteristics of each of multiple users are detected. These physical characteristics of a user can include physical attributes of the user (e.g., the user's height, length of the user's legs) and/or physical skills of the user (e.g., how high the user can jump). Based on these detected one or more physical characteristics of the users, two or more of the multiple users to share an online experience (e.g., play a multi-player game) are identified. | 01-10-2013 |