Patent ID: 8555164
Filing Date: 2013-10-08
Classification: A63F,G06Q,G06T

Abstract:
1. A computerized method for customizing an avatar to communicate information about a user represented by the avatar, comprising: providing said user with a default avatar with a face having a default facial expression; including in said default avatar at least one set of elements defining a surface area of the face of the avatar; providing at least one rational curve near the surface area of the face of the avatar based on the topography of said surface and positioning control points of the rational curve so as to form simulated muscles, said curve being linked with said set of elements by a computer so that said curve controls movement of said elements such that modification of at least a section of said curve has an effect on the topography of the surface that is geometrically analogous to the effect of movement that an underlying muscle mechanism of deformation has on the topography of the surface of a real face; enabling the user to customize the avatar by dynamically modifying through the computer a default animation of the default facial expression of the avatar by changing said section of said at least one curve so that the location of said surface is dynamically changed to simulate the effect of the movement of the underlying muscle mechanism of deformation on the topography of the surface of the face to communicate information about the user, wherein said modifying of said curves is integral to simulating movement in the surface equivalent to movement due to the underlying muscle mechanism of deformation of said face; and displaying the customized avatar to another user such that the other user can perceive the information about the user represented by the avatar,