Patent ID: 12223612

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Overview of Avatar Editing Environment

FIGS.1A-1Eillustrate an exemplary avatar editing environment for creating custom avatars. In some implementations, a user of device100(e.g., a mobile device) can invoke an avatar editing application by selecting an icon on a homescreen or by selecting the application through a menu or other input mechanism. In some implementations, the avatar editing environment can be presented in a web page displayed in a browser of device100. The web page can be served my a network service (e.g., a mobile service).

Upon invocation of the avatar editing environment, a user interface104for the editing environment can be presented on a display102of device100. Display102can be a touch sensitive display or surface responsive to touch input and gestures. Although a mobile device is shown, device100can be a desktop computer, a handheld computer, a personal digital assistant, a cellular telephone, an electronic tablet, a network appliance, a camera, a smart phone, an enhanced general packet radio service (EGPRS) mobile phone, a network base station, a media player, a navigation device, an email device, a game console, or a combination of any two or more of these devices.

Referring toFIG.1A, in some implementations avatar106can be displayed on user interface104. Avatar106can be a 2D or 3D avatar model. Avatar106can also be full body avatar. When the editing environment is invoked or the user is creating a new avatar, a default avatar can be displayed on user interface104. In some implementations, the default avatar can have a blank face for receiving elements selected by the user in the editing environment. In other implementations, a default avatar having predefined elements can be displayed. The default avatar can be automatically created based on user preferences specified in a dialog. For example, when the user first invokes a game environment on device100, the user can be presented with a number of predefined avatars and the user can select one as a default avatar. In other implementations, a default avatar can be automatically created on-the-fly based on user preferences for physical characteristics, such as gender, age, hair color, eye color, etc. Starting with a blank face the user can add different elements on the blank face, including but not limited to different eyes, ears, mouth (including teeth and smile), nose, eyebrows, hair, beard, moustache, glasses, earrings, hats, and other elements that are associated with physical characteristics of humans and fashion. The user can also change the shape of the avatar's face, the avatar's skin color and the color of all the elements.

Exemplary Category Picker

In the example shown, the user selected an “Eyes” category from category picker110. Category picker110can be a bar with icons representing element categories. Text and other visual indicators of categories can also be used. The selected category can be the category having an icon in center position112of category picker110. The icon in center position112can be highlighted or otherwise visually enhanced to indicate its selected status. In some implementations, the user can make a swipe gesture on the bar to the left or right to move a different icon into center position112. In response to the swipe gesture, category picker110can be animated so that the category icons move like a wheel on a slot machine. Friction can also be simulated so that acceleration of the wheel can be controlled. For example, a faster gesture results in an increased acceleration of the icons passing through center position112.

In the example shown, the “Eyes” category is currently occupying middle position112and is therefore highlighted to indicate its selected status. An element picker represented by icon116was used to select eyes element120. Upon its selection, the eyes element120were added to the face of avatar106, which was originally blank. The operation of the element picker is further described in reference toFIG.2A.

Display102presents control region118. Control region118can include text describing the currently selected category. For example, the currently selected “Eyes” category is indicated by the text “Eyes” in control region118. Control region118can also include one or more controls (e.g., virtual buttons) for exiting the avatar editing environment. In the example shown, a first virtual button can cancel (e.g., exit) the avatar editing environment without saving changes to avatar106(e.g., “Cancel” button). Another button can be used to exit the avatar editing environment and save changes to avatar106(e.g., “Done” button).

A color picker represented by icon114can be selected to allow the user to select a color for the selected category. For example, if the “Eyes” category is selected, the color picker can be used to select a color for all the eyes elements that can be selected using element picker116. The operation of the color picker will be further described in reference toFIG.2B.

Referring toFIG.1B, the user has selected a “Nose” category using category picker110. The selection is indicated by an icon of a nose occupying center position112of category picker110. Control region118indicates that the category “Nose” has been selected by displaying the text “Nose.” The user selected nose element122from the element picker. Nose element122was automatically added to the face of avatar106. The selected element category can be used to determine a default region on the avatar face to add the selected element from the category. In this case, the “Nose” category selection determined the location of nose element122to be the center of the avatar face.

Referring toFIG.1C, the user has selected a “Hair” category using category picker110. The selection is indicated by an icon of hair occupying center position112of category picker110. Control region118indicates that the element category “Hair” has been selected by displaying the text “Hair.” The user selected hair element124from the element picker. Hair element124was automatically added to the avatar face. The “Hair” category selection determined the location of hair element124to be on top of the avatar head.

Referring toFIG.1D, the user has selected a “Mouth” category using category picker110. The selection is indicated by an image of a mouth occupying center position112of category picker110. Control region118indicates that the element category “Mouth” has been selected by displaying the text “Mouth.” The user selected mouth element126from the element picker. Mouth element126was automatically added to the avatar face. The “Mouth” category selection determined the location of mouth element126to be below nose element122on the avatar face.

Referring toFIG.1E, the user has selected a “Hat” category using category picker110. The selection is indicated by an image of a hat occupying center position112of category picker110. Control region118indicates that the category “Hat” has been selected by displaying the text “Hat.” The user selected a hat element128from the element picker. Hat element128was automatically added to the avatar head. The “Hat” category selection determined the location of hat element128to be on top of hair element124.

InFIGS.1A-1E, the user selected eyes, nose, hair, mouth and a hat for avatar106. In some implementations, the elements can be 2D textures, which are rendered onto a 3D model of the avatar head. In some implementations, the elements can be 3D objects that are rendered onto the 3D model of the avatar head. For example, a graphics engine can create “eye sockets” in the 3D model and insert 3D “eye” objects into the sockets. The 3D “eye” objects can be animated to create the illusion that the avatar is looking in a particular direction or tracking objects, as described in reference toFIGS.6A-6B.

In some implementations, when adding both hair and hat elements to an avatar, the hair element can be modified so that when the hat element is added to the avatar the hair appears to be covered while still maintaining the selected hair style. For example, “spikey” hair with a baseball cap could result in hair sticking out through the top of the cap. To avoid this issue, the hair element is cut into two parts. The editing environment can determine if a hat and hair combination would result in hair sticking out through the top of the hat, and in those cases, only the bottom half of the hair is rendered on the avatar model.

Exemplary Avatar Element Picker

FIG.2Aillustrates an exemplary element picker for selecting avatar elements from a category of avatar elements. In the example shown, the user has touched or otherwise interacted with element picker icon116. Upon invocation of the element picker a grid view200is displayed. Grid view200can include a number of cells, where each cell displays an avatar in context with a different element selected from the category of elements. In this example, the “Hat” category was selected, resulting in each avatar displayed in a cell wearing a different hat.

In some implementations, one cell (e.g., top left corner cell inFIG.2A) can display avatar106without the element (e.g., without a hat) for comparison with other cells. Another cell (e.g., center cell) can display avatar106with the currently selected element (e.g., the currently selected hat). In some implementations, each cell can contain a snapshot image of a 3D avatar model to capture appropriate lighting and shadows to provide a 3D effect. In other implementations, each cell can contain a 2D image of the avatar (e.g., front facing view). The user can select an element by touching or otherwise interacting with the cell displaying the desired element. In this example, the user has touched the third cell in the middle row grid view200, where the avatar is shown wearing a “Canada” ski hat. The selected cell can be visually enhanced (e.g., highlighted, colored) to indicate its selected status. Touching the “Done” button can return the user to user interface104of the avatar editing environment.

The elements can be displayed in grid view200in a variety of ways. Avatars can be displayed in cells based on element type. For example, holiday hats can be displayed in the same row or column of grid view200. InFIG.2A, holiday hats for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Independence Day are displayed in the third row of grid view200. Grid view200can be paginated so that a swipe gesture or other gesture can be used to display a new page with a new grid view. In some implementations, grid view200can be updated with new elements in response to a motion gesture. For example, when the user shakes device100or other motion gesture, a new grid view can be displayed with different elements from the currently selected category. An accelerometer or other motion sensor onboard device100can be used to detect motion. The new elements displayed in cells of the new grid view can be randomly selected based on other elements of avatar106. For example, eye color, hair color and skin color can be used to select fashion elements having an appropriate color or color scheme, so that the resulting avatar106is color coordinated. The selection of colors can be based on known color heuristics.

Exemplary Avatar Color Picker

FIG.2Billustrates an exemplary color picker for selecting a color for a category of avatar elements. In the example shown, the user has touched or otherwise interacted with color picker icon114. Upon invocation of the color picker, a grid view204is displayed. Grid view204can include a number of cells, where each cell displays a different color. In this example, the color black was selected, resulting in each avatar displayed in cells of grid view200wearing a different black hat. The color selected in the color picker can be applied to all elements in the category selected by the category picker. In some implementations, the colors selected for display in grid view204can be limited based on the category selected. For example, if the “Nose” category is selected, then grid view204may display different skin tones. If the “Eyes” category is selected, then grid view204may display various shades of blue, green, brown and hazel, etc.

Exemplary Manual Editing of Avatar Elements

FIGS.3A-3Cillustrate exemplary processes for manually editing avatar elements. After the user has created a custom avatar by selecting and adding elements, the user can manually edit those elements in user interface104.

In some implementations, the user can apply touch input and gestures to resize, rotate and position the elements of avatar106. In the example shown, the user resized eyes element120by touching eyes element120at points indicated by arrows and making a pinching gesture in the direction of the arrows.FIG.3Bshows the result of the pinching gesture. In this example, eyes element120had a distance of d1between the eyes before pinching (FIG.3A) and a distance of d2between the eyes after pinching (FIG.3B), where d1>d2. For elements that have symmetry (e.g., eyes, ears), the symmetry can be maintained without user intervention during manual editing to assist the user in editing. In devices without a touch sensitive display, mouse controls can be used to resize, rotate and position elements on avatar106.

Referring toFIG.3C, the user can zoom on any of the elements of avatar106in user interface104for more refined manual editing. In some implementations, the element is automatically zoomed in response to a user touching the element. Multiple taps can change the zoom level increments where one zoom or magnification level change occurs for each tap. Alternatively, a reverse pinching gesture (spreading apart two fingers) can be used zoom elements of avatar106. In other implementations, the user can zoom on a particular element using zoom button300. Other zoom controls can also be used including, for example, a magnifying glass tool.

Exemplary Alternative Avatar Element Picker

FIGS.4A and4Billustrate an alternative element picker for selecting avatar elements from a category of avatar elements. In some implementations, an avatar is divided into editing zones400-406. In the example shown, zone400includes the hat, zone402includes the eyes, zone404includes the nose, zone406includes the mouth. Other zones are also possible. When a user wants to edit a particular element of the avatar, the user selects the corresponding zone containing the element. On a device with a touch sensitive display, the user can touch any portion of the zone to activate the zone. In the example shown, the user activated zone400containing the hat. Upon activation, buttons408a,408bcan be displayed for selecting different hats. When a left or right button408is touched, a new hat slides in from the left or right of the display, respectively. Implementations using other animations or no animations are also possible.FIG.4Bshows the avatar with a new hat after activation of button408.

Exemplary Manual Editing With Editing Regions

FIGS.5A-5Cillustrate editing regions for editing avatar elements in the avatar editing environment. In some implementation, manual edits made by a user to an element can restricted to defined editing regions. Using touch input or gestures, for example, the user can resize, stretch or move elements within the editing region. In some implementations, if the user resizes, stretches or moves an element out of the editing region, the element will “snap back” to the editing region. Alternatively, the element can bounce off a virtual wall or bumper defining the boundary of the editing region when the user attempts to resize, stretch or move the element outside the editing region. Restricting manual edits to defined editing regions can help a user in creating custom avatars.

Referring toFIGS.5A-5C, editing regions500a,500bcontain the left and right eyes of the avatar. The user can move, rotate or resize the eyes anywhere within their respective editing regions500a,500b. In this example, the editing regions500a,500bare circular regions. Editing regions500a,500b, however, can be any closed polygon, including but not limited to circles, squares, rectangles and triangles.FIG.5Billustrates a rectangular editing region500cfor the nose of the avatar. The user can move, rotate, or resize the nose anywhere within the editing region500c.FIG.5Cillustrates a rectangular editing region500dfor the mouth of the avatar. The user can move, rotate or resize the mouth anywhere within the editing region500d.

Exemplary Avatar Animation

FIGS.6A-6Billustrate animating avatar elements to track objects in a user interface. In some implementations, elements added to an avatar can be animated. For example, elements (e.g., eyes, mouths, ears, eyebrows) can be animated to simulate human facial expressions, such as happy, sad, angry, surprise, boredom contemplation or any other human facial expression. Animations can also be applied to avatar body parts (e.g., legs, arms, head) to allow the avatar to express itself through fully body movements (e.g., a dancing avatar).

In some implementations, animations for elements can be selected and previewed in the avatar editing environment. In some implementations, the user can select (e.g., select from a menu) a particular animation for a particular element. In other implementations, the use can set the animations to trigger in response to various trigger events. Some examples of trigger events can be user actions or context. In an email or text messaging application, if the user is waiting for a response from another user, their avatar can be animated to appear to be waiting or sleeping. For example, the avatar's eyes can be closed and the chest animated to contract and expand to simulate slow, deep breathing associated with sleeping. With a full body avatar, the avatar can be animated to tap its foot (perhaps with its arms crossed as well) simulate waiting or impatience.

Referring toFIGS.6A and6B, the eyes of avatar602can be animated to track a cursor606in a user interface600. In user interface600a, avatar602is looking down at cursor606a. In interface600b, avatar602is looking up and to the right at cursor606b. The eyes of avatar602can be animated independently of each other and other elements, such as eyebrows. In some implementations, an avatar animation engine (e.g.,712) can register with an operation system (e.g., OS708) to receive trigger events or position information, such as cursor coordinates. In some implementations, a line-of-sight vector from the eyes to the cursor can be computed in display coordinates using vector algebra. The line of sight vector can then be used by animation engine712to animate the eyes of avatar602to create the illusion that avatar602is tracking cursor606with its eyes as cursor606moves about user interface600.

Avatar animations can be used in variety of applications, including but not limited to address books, chat sessions, video conferencing, email, games or any other application that can support an animated avatar. In an address book application, when a user receives an avatar with a video card (Vcard) from another individual, the avatar can “come alive” and follow the movement of a cursor with its eyes, head and/or body when the Vcard is opened. In a video chat environment, each party can be represented by an avatar rather than a digital image. Each party can use the avatar to track the other party's movement by controlling their respective avatar's eyes, head and body to follow the other party's avatar in a video chat room. In some implementations, an avatar viewing angle can mimic camera position.

Exemplary Software Architecture

FIG.7Ais an exemplary software architecture for implementing the avatar editing environment and animation described in reference toFIGS.1-6. In some implementations, the avatar editing environment can be part of a framework in a software architecture or stack. An exemplary software stack700can include an applications layer702, framework layer704, services layer706, OS layer708and hardware layer710. Applications (e.g., email, text messaging, games) can incorporate the avatar editing environment through the use of an Application Programming Interfaces (API). Framework layer704can include avatar animation engine712and avatar editing environment714. Avatar animation engine712can handle animation of avatar elements, such as the animations described in reference toFIGS.6A and6B. Animation engine712can make API calls to graphics and animations services or libraries in services layer706or OS layer708to perform all or some of its tasks. Avatar editing environment714can provide the user interfaces and features described in reference toFIGS.1-5. Avatar editing environment714can make API calls to services or libraries in services layer706or OS layer708to perform all or some of its tasks.

Services layer706can provide various graphics, animations and UI services to support animation engine712, avatar editing environment714and applications in applications layer702. In some implementations, services layer706includes touch model716for interpreting and mapping raw touch data from a touch sensitive device to touch events (e.g., gestures, rotations), which can be accessed by applications and by avatar editing environment714using call conventions defined in a touch model API. Services layer706can also include communications software stacks for wireless communications.

OS layer708can be a complete operating system (e.g., MAC OS) or a kernel (e.g., UNIX kernel). Hardware layer710includes hardware necessary to perform the tasks described in reference toFIGS.1-6, including but not limited to: processors or processing cores (including application and communication baseband processors), dedicated signal/image processors, ASICs, graphics processors (e.g., GNUs), memory and storage devices, communication ports and devices, peripherals, etc.

Software stack700can be included on a mobile device capable of executing software applications. An API specification describing call conventions for accessing API functions can be used by application developers to incorporate avatar editing and animation in applications.

One or more Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) may be used in some embodiments. An API is an interface implemented by a program code component or hardware component (hereinafter “API-implementing component”) that allows a different program code component or hardware component (hereinafter “API-calling component”) to access and use one or more functions, methods, procedures, data structures, classes, and/or other services provided by the API-implementing component. An API can define one or more parameters that are passed between the API-calling component and the API-implementing component.

An API allows a developer of an API-calling component (which may be a third party developer) to leverage specified features provided by an API-implementing component. There may be one API-calling component or there may be more than one such component. An API can be a source code interface that a computer system or program library provides in order to support requests for services from an application. An operating system (OS) can have multiple APIs to allow applications running on the OS to call one or more of those APIs, and a service (such as a program library) can have multiple APIs to allow an application that uses the service to call one or more of those APIs. An API can be specified in terms of a programming language that can be interpreted or compiled when an application is built.

In some embodiments, the API-implementing component may provide more than one API, each providing a different view of or with different aspects that access different aspects of the functionality implemented by the API-implementing component. For example, one API of an API-implementing component can provide a first set of functions and can be exposed to third party developers, and another API of the API-implementing component can be hidden (not exposed) and provide a subset of the first set of functions and also provide another set of functions, such as testing or debugging functions which are not in the first set of functions. In other embodiments, the API-implementing component may itself call one or more other components via an underlying API and thus be both an API-calling component and an API-implementing component.

An API defines the language and parameters that API-calling components use when accessing and using specified features of the API-implementing component. For example, an API-calling component accesses the specified features of the API-implementing component through one or more API calls or invocations (embodied for example by function or method calls) exposed by the API and passes data and control information using parameters via the API calls or invocations. The API-implementing component may return a value through the API in response to an API call from an API-calling component. While the API defines the syntax and result of an API call (e.g., how to invoke the API call and what the API call does), the API may not reveal how the API call accomplishes the function specified by the API call. Various API calls are transferred via the one or more application programming interfaces between the calling (API-calling component) and an API-implementing component. Transferring the API calls may include issuing, initiating, invoking, calling, receiving, returning, or responding to the function calls or messages; in other words, transferring can describe actions by either of the API-calling component or the API-implementing component. The function calls or other invocations of the API may send or receive one or more parameters through a parameter list or other structure. A parameter can be a constant, key, data structure, object, object class, variable, data type, pointer, array, list or a pointer to a function or method or another way to reference a data or other item to be passed via the API.

Furthermore, data types or classes may be provided by the API and implemented by the API-implementing component. Thus, the API-calling component may declare variables, use pointers to, use or instantiate constant values of such types or classes by using definitions provided in the API.

Generally, an API can be used to access a service or data provided by the API-implementing component or to initiate performance of an operation or computation provided by the API-implementing component. By way of example, the API-implementing component and the API-calling component may each be any one of an operating system, a library, a device driver, an API, an application program, or other module (it should be understood that the API-implementing component and the API-calling component may be the same or different type of module from each other). API-implementing components may in some cases be embodied at least in part in firmware, microcode, or other hardware logic. In some embodiments, an API may allow a client program to use the services provided by a Software Development Kit (SDK) library. In other embodiments an application or other client program may use an API provided by an Application Framework. In these embodiments, the application or client program may incorporate calls to functions or methods provided by the SDK and provided by the API, or use data types or objects defined in the SDK and provided by the API. An Application Framework may, in these embodiments, provides a main event loop for a program that responds to various events defined by the Framework. The API allows the application to specify the events and the responses to the events using the Application Framework. In some implementations, an API call can report to an application the capabilities or state of a hardware device, including those related to aspects such as input capabilities and state, output capabilities and state, processing capability, power state, storage capacity and state, communications capability, etc., and the API may be implemented in part by firmware, microcode, or other low level logic that executes in part on the hardware component.

The API-calling component may be a local component (i.e., on the same data processing system as the API-implementing component) or a remote component (i.e., on a different data processing system from the API-implementing component) that communicates with the API-implementing component through the API over a network. It should be understood that an API-implementing component may also act as an API-calling component (i.e., it may make API calls to an API exposed by a different API-implementing component) and an API-calling component may also act as an API-implementing component by implementing an API that is exposed to a different API-calling component.

The API may allow multiple API-calling components written in different programming languages to communicate with the API-implementing component (thus the API may include features for translating calls and returns between the API-implementing component and the API-calling component); however the API may be implemented in terms of a specific programming language. An API-calling component can, in one embedment, call APIs from different providers such as a set of APIs from an OS provider and another set of APIs from a plug-in provider and another set of APIs from another provider (e.g. the provider of a software library) or creator of the another set of APIs.

FIG.7Bis a block diagram illustrating an exemplary API architecture, which may be used in some embodiments of the invention. As shown inFIG.7B, the API architecture720includes the API-implementing component722(e.g., an operating system, a library, a device driver, an API, an application program, software or other module) that implements the API724. The API724specifies one or more functions, methods, classes, objects, protocols, data structures, formats and/or other features of the API-implementing component that may be used by the API-calling component726. The API724can specify at least one calling convention that specifies how a function in the API-implementing component receives parameters from the API-calling component and how the function returns a result to the API-calling component. The API-calling component726(e.g., an operating system, a library, a device driver, an API, an application program, software or other module), makes API calls through the API724to access and use the features of the API-implementing component722that are specified by the API724. The API-implementing component722may return a value through the API724to the API-calling component726in response to an API call.

It will be appreciated that the API-implementing component722may include additional functions, methods, classes, data structures, and/or other features that are not specified through the API724and are not available to the API-calling component726. It should be understood that the API-calling component726may be on the same system as the API-implementing component722or may be located remotely and accesses the API-implementing component722using the API724over a network. WhileFIG.7Billustrates a single API-calling component726interacting with the API724, it should be understood that other API-calling components, which may be written in different languages (or the same language) than the API-calling component726, may use the API724.

The API-implementing component722, the API724, and the API-calling component726may be stored in a machine-readable medium, which includes any mechanism for storing information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer or other data processing system). For example, a machine-readable medium includes magnetic disks, optical disks, random access memory; read only memory, flash memory devices, etc.

InFIG.7C(“Software Stack”730), an exemplary embodiment, applications can make calls to Service A732or Service B734using several Service APIs (Service API A and Service API B) and to Operating System (OS)736using several OS APIs. Service A732and service B734can make calls to OS736using several OS APIs.

Note that the Service B734has two APIs, one of which (Service B API A738) receives calls from and returns values to Application A740and the other (Service B API B742) receives calls from and returns values to Application B744. Service A732(which can be, for example, a software library) makes calls to and receives returned values from OS API A746, and Service B734(which can be, for example, a software library) makes calls to and receives returned values from both OS API A746and OS API B748. Application B744makes calls to and receives returned values from OS API B748.

Exemplary Avatar Editing Process

FIG.8is a flow diagram of an exemplary process800for creating an avatar in an avatar editing environment. Process800can be described in reference to a system for implementing the process, such as the avatar editing environment described in reference toFIGS.1-7.

In some implementations, process800can begin by presenting an avatar editing environment on a display of a device (802) and displaying an avatar model in the environment (804). The avatar model can be a 2D or 3D model. The display can be a touch sensitive display. The avatar model can be displayed with a blank face or a default avatar with predefined elements can be displayed based on information previously gathered from the user.

First input is received selecting an avatar element category (806). In some implementations, a category picker can be used such as the category picker described in reference toFIGS.1A-1E.

Second input is received selecting an element from the selected element category (808). In some implementations, an element picker can be used such as the element picker described in reference toFIGS.1A-1EandFIGS.4A and4B.

After an element is selected, the element can be automatically rendered on-the-fly on the avatar model (810). In some implementations, elements can be 2D textures that are rendered on a 3D avatar model.

A third input is received for manually editing an element of the avatar (812). The third input can be a touch input or gesture focused on the element to be edited. Manual editing can include resizing, rotating and positioning the element. Manual editing can be restricted to editing regions. Manual editing can include zooming or magnifying an element for more refined editing.

Exemplary Mobile Device Architecture

FIG.9is a block diagram of an exemplary hardware architecture for a device implementing the avatar editing environment and animation described in reference toFIGS.1-8. The device can include memory interface902, one or more data processors, image processors and/or processors904, and peripherals interface906. Memory interface902, one or more processors904and/or peripherals interface906can be separate components or can be integrated in one or more integrated circuits. The various components in the device, for example, can be coupled by one or more communication buses or signal lines.

Sensors, devices, and subsystems can be coupled to peripherals interface906to facilitate multiple functionalities. For example, motion sensor910, light sensor912, and proximity sensor914can be coupled to peripherals interface906to facilitate orientation, lighting, and proximity functions of the mobile device. Location processor915(e.g., GPS receiver) can be connected to peripherals interface906to provide geopositioning. Electronic magnetometer916(e.g., an integrated circuit chip) can also be connected to peripherals interface906to provide data that can be used to determine the direction of magnetic North. Thus, electronic magnetometer916can be used as an electronic compass. Accelerometer917can also be connected to peripherals interface906to provide data that can be used to determine change of speed and direction of movement of the mobile device.

Camera subsystem920and an optical sensor922, e.g., a charged coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) optical sensor, can be utilized to facilitate camera functions, such as recording photographs and video clips.

Communication functions can be facilitated through one or more wireless communication subsystems924, which can include radio frequency receivers and transmitters and/or optical (e.g., infrared) receivers and transmitters. The specific design and implementation of the communication subsystem924can depend on the communication network(s) over which a mobile device is intended to operate. For example, a mobile device can include communication subsystems924designed to operate over a GSM network, a GPRS network, an EDGE network, a Wi-Fi or WiMax network, and a Bluetooth network. In particular, the wireless communication subsystems924can include hosting protocols such that the mobile device can be configured as a base station for other wireless devices.

Audio subsystem926can be coupled to a speaker928and a microphone930to facilitate voice-enabled functions, such as voice recognition, voice replication, digital recording, and telephony functions.

I/O subsystem940can include touch screen controller942and/or other input controller(s)944. Touch-screen controller942can be coupled to a touch screen946or pad. Touch screen946and touch screen controller942can, for example, detect contact and movement or break thereof using any of a plurality of touch sensitivity technologies, including but not limited to capacitive, resistive, infrared, and surface acoustic wave technologies, as well as other proximity sensor arrays or other elements for determining one or more points of contact with touch screen946.

Other input controller(s)944can be coupled to other input/control devices948, such as one or more buttons, rocker switches, thumb-wheel, infrared port, USB port, and/or a pointer device such as a stylus. The one or more buttons (not shown) can include an up/down button for volume control of speaker928and/or microphone930.

In one implementation, a pressing of the button for a first duration may disengage a lock of the touch screen946; and a pressing of the button for a second duration that is longer than the first duration may turn power to the device on or off. The user may be able to customize a functionality of one or more of the buttons. The touch screen946can, for example, also be used to implement virtual or soft buttons and/or a keyboard.

In some implementations, the device can present recorded audio and/or video files, such as MP3, AAC, and MPEG files. In some implementations, the device can include the functionality of an MP3 player, such as an iPod™. The device may, therefore, include a pin connector that is compatible with the iPod. Other input/output and control devices can also be used.

Memory interface902can be coupled to memory950. Memory950can include high-speed random access memory and/or non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, one or more optical storage devices, and/or flash memory (e.g., NAND, NOR). Memory950can store operating system952, such as Darwin, RTXC, LINUX, UNIX, OS X, WINDOWS, or an embedded operating system such as VxWorks. Operating system952may include instructions for handling basic system services and for performing hardware dependent tasks. In some implementations, operating system952can include a kernel (e.g., UNIX kernel).

Memory950may also store communication instructions954to facilitate communicating with one or more additional devices, one or more computers and/or one or more servers. Memory950may include graphical user interface instructions956to facilitate graphic user interface processing; sensor processing instructions958to facilitate sensor-related processing and functions; phone instructions960to facilitate phone-related processes and functions; electronic messaging instructions962to facilitate electronic-messaging related processes and functions; web browsing instructions964to facilitate web browsing-related processes and functions; media processing instructions966to facilitate media processing-related processes and functions; GPS/Navigation instructions968to facilitate GPS and navigation-related processes and instructions; and camera instructions970to facilitate camera-related processes and functions. The memory950may also store other software instructions (not shown), such as security instructions, web video instructions to facilitate web video-related processes and functions, and/or web shopping instructions to facilitate web shopping-related processes and functions. In some implementations, the media processing instructions966are divided into audio processing instructions and video processing instructions to facilitate audio processing-related processes and functions and video processing-related processes and functions, respectively. An activation record and International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) or similar hardware identifier can also be stored in memory950.

Memory950can include instructions for avatar editing environment972and avatar animation engine974. Memory950can be a local cache for avatar data976that results from the avatar editing process.

Each of the above identified instructions and applications can correspond to a set of instructions for performing one or more functions described above. These instructions need not be implemented as separate software programs, procedures, or modules. Memory950can include additional instructions or fewer instructions. Furthermore, various functions of the mobile device may be implemented in hardware and/or in software, including in one or more signal processing and/or application specific integrated circuits.

Exemplary Operating Environment

FIG.10is a block diagram of an exemplary network operating environment for a device employing the avatar editing environment and animation described in reference toFIGS.1-8. In this example, devices1002aand1002bcan, for example, communicate over one or more wired and/or wireless networks1010in data communication. For example, a wireless network1012, e.g., a cellular network, can communicate with a wide area network (WAN)1014, such as the Internet, by use of a gateway1016. Likewise, an access device1018, such as an 802.11g wireless access device, can provide communication access to the wide area network1014. Although this example illustrates an operating environment for mobile devices, the operating environment can also be applied to a device that is wired to a network (e.g., a desktop computer).

In some implementations, both voice and data communications can be established over wireless network1012and the access device1018. For example, mobile device1002acan place and receive phone calls (e.g., using voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) protocols), send and receive e-mail messages (e.g., using Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3)), and retrieve electronic documents and/or streams, such as web pages, photographs, and videos, over wireless network1012, gateway1016, and wide area network1014(e.g., using Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) or User Datagram Protocol (UDP)). Likewise, in some implementations, the mobile device1002bcan place and receive phone calls, send and receive e-mail messages, and retrieve electronic documents over the access device1018and the wide area network1014. In some implementations, device1002aor1002bcan be physically connected to the access device1018using one or more cables and the access device1018can be a personal computer. In this configuration, device1002aor1002bcan be referred to as a “tethered” device.

Devices1002aand1002bcan also establish communications by other means. For example, wireless device1002acan communicate with other wireless devices, e.g., other devices1002aor1002b, cell phones, etc., over the wireless network1012. Likewise, devices1002aand1002bcan establish peer-to-peer communications1020, e.g., a personal area network, by use of one or more communication subsystems, such as the Bluetooth™ communication devices. Other communication protocols and topologies can also be implemented.

Device1002aor1002bcan communicate with a variety of services over the one or more wired and/or wireless networks. In some implementations, services can include mobile device services1030, social network services1040, and game center services1042.

Mobile device services1030can provide a variety of services for device1002aor1002b, including but not limited to mail services, text messaging, chat sessions, videoconferencing, Internet services, location based services (e.g., map services), sync services, remote storage1044, downloading services, etc. Remote storage1046can be used to store avatar data, which can be used on multiple devices of the user or shared by multiple users. In some implementations, an avatar editing environment can be provided by one or more of the services1030,1040,1042, which can be accessed by a user of device1002aor1002bthrough, for example, web pages served by one or more servers operated by the services1030,1040,1042.

In some implementations, social networking services1040can provide a social networking website, where a user of device1002aor1002bcan set up a personal network and invite friends to contribute and share content, including avatars and avatar related items. A user can use their custom avatar made with an avatar editing environment in place of a digital photo to protect their privacy.

In some implementations, game center services1042can provide an online gaming environment, where users of device1002aor1002bcan participate in online interactive games with their avatars created using the avatar editing environment described in reference toFIGS.1-7. In some implementations, avatars and/or elements created by an avatar editing environment can be shared among users or sold to players of online games. For example, an avatar store can be provided by game center services1042for users to buy or exchange avatars and avatar related items (e.g., clothes, accessories).

Device1002aor1002bcan also access other data and content over the one or more wired and/or wireless networks. For example, content publishers, such as news sites, Rally Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds, web sites, blogs, social networking sites, developer networks, etc., can be accessed by device1002aor1002b. Such access can be provided by invocation of a web browsing function or application (e.g., a browser) in response to a user touching, for example, a Web object.

Described embodiments may include touch I/O device1101that can receive touch input for interacting with computing system1103(FIG.11) via wired or wireless communication channel1102. Touch I/O device1101may be used to provide user input to computing system1103in lieu of or in combination with other input devices such as a keyboard, mouse, etc. One or more touch I/O devices1101may be used for providing user input to computing system1103. Touch I/O device1101may be an integral part of computing system1103(e.g., touch screen on a laptop) or may be separate from computing system1103.

Touch I/O device1101may include a touch sensitive panel which is wholly or partially transparent, semitransparent, non-transparent, opaque or any combination thereof. Touch I/O device1101may be embodied as a touch screen, touch pad, a touch screen functioning as a touch pad (e.g., a touch screen replacing the touchpad of a laptop), a touch screen or touchpad combined or incorporated with any other input device (e.g., a touch screen or touchpad disposed on a keyboard) or any multi-dimensional object having a touch sensitive surface for receiving touch input.

In one example, touch I/O device1101embodied as a touch screen may include a transparent and/or semitransparent touch sensitive panel partially or wholly positioned over at least a portion of a display. According to this embodiment, touch I/O device1101functions to display graphical data transmitted from computing system1103(and/or another source) and also functions to receive user input. In other embodiments, touch I/O device1101may be embodied as an integrated touch screen where touch sensitive components/devices are integral with display components/devices. In still other embodiments, a touch screen may be used as a supplemental or additional display screen for displaying supplemental or the same graphical data as a primary display and to receive touch input.

Touch I/O device1101may be configured to detect the location of one or more touches or near touches on device1101based on capacitive, resistive, optical, acoustic, inductive, mechanical, chemical measurements, or any phenomena that can be measured with respect to the occurrences of the one or more touches or near touches in proximity to deice1101. Software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof may be used to process the measurements of the detected touches to identify and track one or more gestures. A gesture may correspond to stationary or non-stationary, single or multiple, touches or near touches on touch I/O device1101. A gesture may be performed by moving one or more fingers or other objects in a particular manner on touch I/O device1101such as tapping, pressing, rocking, scrubbing, twisting, changing orientation, pressing with varying pressure and the like at essentially the same time, contiguously, or consecutively. A gesture may be characterized by, but is not limited to a pinching, sliding, swiping, rotating, flexing, dragging, or tapping motion between or with any other finger or fingers. A single gesture may be performed with one or more hands, by one or more users, or any combination thereof.

Computing system1103may drive a display with graphical data to display a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI may be configured to receive touch input via touch I/O device1101. Embodied as a touch screen, touch I/O device1101may display the GUI. Alternatively, the GUI may be displayed on a display separate from touch I/O device1101. The GUI may include graphical elements displayed at particular locations within the interface. Graphical elements may include but are not limited to a variety of displayed virtual input devices including virtual scroll wheels, a virtual keyboard, virtual knobs, virtual buttons, any virtual UI, and the like. A user may perform gestures at one or more particular locations on touch I/O device1101which may be associated with the graphical elements of the GUI. In other embodiments, the user may perform gestures at one or more locations that are independent of the locations of graphical elements of the GUI. Gestures performed on touch I/O device1101may directly or indirectly manipulate, control, modify, move, actuate, initiate or generally affect graphical elements such as cursors, icons, media files, lists, text, all or portions of images, or the like within the GUI. For instance, in the case of a touch screen, a user may directly interact with a graphical element by performing a gesture over the graphical element on the touch screen. Alternatively, a touch pad generally provides indirect interaction. Gestures may also affect non-displayed GUI elements (e.g., causing user interfaces to appear) or may affect other actions within computing system1103(e.g., affect a state or mode of a GUI, application, or operating system). Gestures may or may not be performed on touch I/O device1101in conjunction with a displayed cursor. For instance, in the case in which gestures are performed on a touchpad, a cursor (or pointer) may be displayed on a display screen or touch screen and the cursor may be controlled via touch input on the touchpad to interact with graphical objects on the display screen. In other embodiments in which gestures are performed directly on a touch screen, a user may interact directly with objects on the touch screen, with or without a cursor or pointer being displayed on the touch screen.

Feedback may be provided to the user via communication channel1102in response to or based on the touch or near touches on touch I/O device1101. Feedback may be transmitted optically, mechanically, electrically, olfactory, acoustically, or the like or any combination thereof and in a variable or non-variable manner.

The features described can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or in combinations of them. The features can be implemented in a computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier, e.g., in a machine-readable storage device, for execution by a programmable processor; and method steps can be performed by a programmable processor executing a program of instructions to perform functions of the described implementations by operating on input data and generating output. Alternatively or addition, the program instructions can be encoded on a propagated signal that is an artificially generated signal, e.g., a machine-generated electrical, optical, or electromagnetic signal, that is generated to encode information fro transmission to suitable receiver apparatus for execution by a programmable processor.

Attention is now directed towards embodiments of a system architecture that may be embodied within any portable or non-portable device including but not limited to a communication device (e.g. mobile phone, smart phone), a multi-media device (e.g., MP3 player, TV, radio), a portable or handheld computer (e.g., tablet, netbook, laptop), a desktop computer, an All-In-One desktop, a peripheral device, or any other system or device adaptable to the inclusion of system architecture1200, including combinations of two or more of these types of devices.FIG.12is a block diagram of one embodiment of system1200that generally includes one or more computer-readable mediums1201, processing system1204, Input/Output (I/O) subsystem1206, radio frequency (RF) circuitry1208and audio circuitry1210. These components may be coupled by one or more communication buses or signal lines1203.

It should be apparent that the architecture shown inFIG.12is only one example architecture of system1200, and that system1200could have more or fewer components than shown, or a different configuration of components. The various components shown inFIG.12can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware or any combination thereof, including one or more signal processing and/or application specific integrated circuits.

RF circuitry1208is used to send and receive information over a wireless link or network to one or more other devices and includes well-known circuitry for performing this function. RF circuitry1208and audio circuitry1210are coupled to processing system1204via peripherals interface1216. Interface1216includes various known components for establishing and maintaining communication between peripherals and processing system1204. Audio circuitry1210is coupled to audio speaker1250and microphone1252and includes known circuitry for processing voice signals received from interface1216to enable a user to communicate in real-time with other users. In some embodiments, audio circuitry1210includes a headphone jack (not shown).

Peripherals interface1216couples the input and output peripherals of the system to processor1218and computer-readable medium1201. One or more processors1218communicate with one or more computer-readable mediums1201via controller1220. Computer-readable medium1201can be any device or medium that can store code and/or data for use by one or more processors1218. Medium1201can include a memory hierarchy, including but not limited to cache, main memory and secondary memory. The memory hierarchy can be implemented using any combination of RAM (e.g., SRAM, DRAM, DDRAM), ROM, FLASH, magnetic and/or optical storage devices, such as disk drives, magnetic tape, CDs (compact disks) and DVDs (digital video discs). Medium1201may also include a transmission medium for carrying information-bearing signals indicative of computer instructions or data (with or without a carrier wave upon which the signals are modulated). For example, the transmission medium may include a communications network, including but not limited to the Internet (also referred to as the World Wide Web), intranet(s), Local Area Networks (LANs), Wide Local Area Networks (WLANs), Storage Area Networks (SANs), Metropolitan Area Networks (MAN) and the like.

One or more processors1218run various software components stored in medium1201to perform various functions for system1200. In some embodiments, the software components include operating system1222, communication module (or set of instructions)2024, touch processing module (or set of instructions)1226, graphics module (or set of instructions)1228, one or more applications (or set of instructions)1230, and avatar editing module1238. Each of these modules and above noted applications correspond to a set of instructions for performing one or more functions described above and the methods described in this application (e.g., the computer-implemented methods and other information processing methods described herein). These modules (i.e., sets of instructions) need not be implemented as separate software programs, procedures or modules, and thus various subsets of these modules may be combined or otherwise rearranged in various embodiments. In some embodiments, medium1201may store a subset of the modules and data structures identified above. Furthermore, medium1201may store additional modules and data structures not described above.

Operating system1222includes various procedures, sets of instructions, software components and/or drivers for controlling and managing general system tasks (e.g., memory management, storage device control, power management, etc.) and facilitates communication between various hardware and software components.

Communication module1224facilitates communication with other devices over one or more external ports1236or via RF circuitry1208and includes various software components for handling data received from RF circuitry1208and/or external port1236.

Graphics module1228includes various known software components for rendering, animating and displaying graphical objects on a display surface. In embodiments in which touch I/O device1212is a touch sensitive display (e.g., touch screen), graphics module1228includes components for rendering, displaying, and animating objects on the touch sensitive display.

One or more applications1230can include any applications installed on system1200, including without limitation, a browser, address book, contact list, email, instant messaging, word processing, keyboard emulation, widgets, JAVA-enabled applications, encryption, digital rights management, voice recognition, voice replication, location determination capability (such as that provided by the global positioning system (GPS)), a music player, etc.

Touch processing module1226includes various software components for performing various tasks associated with touch I/O device1212including but not limited to receiving and processing touch input received from I/O device1212via touch I/O device controller1232.

System1200may further include avatar editing module1238for performing the method/functions as described herein in connection withFIGS.1-7. Avatar editing module1238may at least function to provide the avatar editing environment described with respect toFIGS.1-7. Avatar editing module1238may also interact with other elements of system1200to provide the avatar editing functions. Avatar editing module1238may be embodied as hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. Although module1238is shown to reside within medium1201, all or portions of module1238may be embodied within other components within system1200or may be wholly embodied as a separate component within system1200.

I/O subsystem1206is coupled to touch I/O device1212and one or more other I/O devices1214for controlling or performing various functions. Touch I/O device1212communicates with processing system1204via touch I/O device controller1232, which includes various components for processing user touch input (e.g., scanning hardware). One or more other input controllers1234receives/sends electrical signals from/to other I/O devices1214. Other I/O devices1214may include physical buttons, dials, slider switches, sticks, keyboards, touch pads, additional display screens, or any combination thereof.

If embodied as a touch screen, touch I/O device1212displays visual output to the user in a GUI. The visual output may include text, graphics, video, and any combination thereof. Some or all of the visual output may correspond to user-interface objects. Touch I/O device1212forms a touch-sensitive surface that accepts touch input from the user. Touch I/O device1212and touch screen controller1232(along with any associated modules and/or sets of instructions in medium1201) detects and tracks touches or near touches (and any movement or release of the touch) on touch I/O device1212and converts the detected touch input into interaction with graphical objects, such as one or more user-interface objects. In the case in which device1212is embodied as a touch screen, the user can directly interact with graphical objects that are displayed on the touch screen. Alternatively, in the case in which device1212is embodied as a touch device other than a touch screen (e.g., a touch pad), the user may indirectly interact with graphical objects that are displayed on a separate display screen embodied as I/O device1214.

Touch I/O device1212may be analogous to the multi-touch sensitive surface described in the following U.S. Pat. No. 6,323,846 (Westerman et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 6,570,557 (Westerman et al.), and/or U.S. Pat. No. 6,677,932 (Westerman), and/or U.S. Patent Publication 1202/0015024A1, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

Embodiments in which touch I/O device1212is a touch screen, the touch screen may use LCD (liquid crystal display) technology, LPD (light emitting polymer display) technology, OLED (organic LED), or OEL (organic electro luminescence), although other display technologies may be used in other embodiments.

Feedback may be provided by touch I/O device1212based on the user's touch input as well as a state or states of what is being displayed and/or of the computing system. Feedback may be transmitted optically (e.g., light signal or displayed image), mechanically (e.g., haptic feedback, touch feedback, force feedback, or the like), electrically (e.g., electrical stimulation), olfactory, acoustically (e.g., beep or the like), or the like or any combination thereof and in a variable or non-variable manner.

System1200also includes power system1244for powering the various hardware components and may include a power management system, one or more power sources, a recharging system, a power failure detection circuit, a power converter or inverter, a power status indicator and any other components typically associated with the generation, management and distribution of power in portable devices.

In some embodiments, peripherals interface1216, one or more processors1218, and memory controller1220may be implemented on a single chip, such as processing system1204. In some other embodiments, they may be implemented on separate chips.

The described features can be implemented advantageously in one or more computer programs that are executable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a data storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device. A computer program is a set of instructions that can be used, directly or indirectly, in a computer to perform a certain activity or bring about a certain result. A computer program can be written in any form of programming language (e.g., Objective-C, Java), including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment.

Suitable processors for the execution of a program of instructions include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and the sole processor or one of multiple processors or cores, of any kind of computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory or a random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more memories for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to communicate with, one or more mass storage devices for storing data files; such devices include magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and optical disks. Storage devices suitable for tangibly embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits).

To provide for interaction with a user, the features can be implemented on a computer having a display device such as a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device such as a mouse or a trackball by which the user can provide input to the computer.

The features can be implemented in a computer system that includes a back-end component, such as a data server, or that includes a middleware component, such as an application server or an Internet server, or that includes a front-end component, such as a client computer having a graphical user interface or an Internet browser, or any combination of them. The components of the system can be connected by any form or medium of digital data communication such as a communication network. Examples of communication networks include, e.g., a LAN, a WAN, and the computers and networks forming the Internet.

The computer system can include clients and servers. A client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a network. The relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other.

One or more features or steps of the disclosed embodiments can be implemented using an API. An API can define on or more parameters that are passed between a calling application and other software code (e.g., an operating system, library routine, function) that provides a service, that provides data, or that performs an operation or a computation.

The API can be implemented as one or more calls in program code that send or receive one or more parameters through a parameter list or other structure based on a call convention defined in an API specification document. A parameter can be a constant, a key, a data structure, an object, an object class, a variable, a data type, a pointer, an array, a list, or another call. API calls and parameters can be implemented in any programming language. The programming language can define the vocabulary and calling convention that a programmer will employ to access functions supporting the API.

In some implementations, an API call can report to an application the capabilities of a device running the application, such as input capability, output capability, processing capability, power capability, communications capability, etc.

A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made. For example, elements of one or more implementations may be combined, deleted, modified, or supplemented to form further implementations. As yet another example, the logic flows depicted in the figures do not require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. In addition, other steps may be provided, or steps may be eliminated, from the described flows, and other components may be added to, or removed from, the described systems. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.