Dynamically manipulating an emoticon or avatar
US8620850B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 7, 2010 |
| Grant date | Dec 31, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 27, 2032 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04M2250/22
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Graphical user representations, such as emoticons or avatars, used to convey mood and emotion, can be dynamically modified and manipulated, e.g. by squeezing, rotating, distorting, coloring, etc. This enables a user to customize or tailor an existing emoticon to better reflect the user's current mood or emotion. For example, a user may insert a smiley face emoticon into a text message and then manipulate or distort the face or a component of the face (e.g. the smile) to broaden the smile into a grin, or twist the smile into an ironic smile, etc. This enables the user to personalize the emoticon rather than having to select the most appropriate emoticon from a palette of predefined emoticons. Another aspect is device hardware (e.g. dedicated or shared user interface elements or specific touchscreen gestures) for recognizing the squeezes or other gestures that are meant to modify or manipulate the emoticon.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.