System and Methods of Generating User Facial Expression Library for Messaging and Social Networking Applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016055370-A1
Application number	US-201414465603-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 21, 2014
Priority date	Aug 21, 2014
Publication date	Feb 25, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Embodiments are provided that utilize images of users to represent true or personalized emotions for the users in messaging or social networking applications. A library of user facial expression images is generated for this purpose, and made accessible to messaging or social networking applications, such as on a smartphone or other user devices. The images of facial expressions include face photographs of the user that convey emotions or expressions of the user, such as a happy face or a sad face. An embodiment method includes detecting an image accessible by an electronic device, determining whether the image shows a face of the user and whether the image shows a facial expression expressed by the face of the user, adding the image to a library of facial expressions of the user in accordance with the determining step, and sending a message including the image as an emoticon.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method performed by an electronic device associated with a user comprising:
detecting an image accessible by the electronic device; determining whether the image shows a face of the user and whether the image shows a facial expression expressed by the face of the user; adding the image to a library of facial expressions of the user in accordance with the determining step; and sending a message including, as an emoticon, the image from the library.

2 . The method of claim 1 further comprising:
providing an application access to the library; and
enabling the application to send the image from the library to a network or a recipient.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the application is one of a text messaging application that sends and receives messages between the user and one or more other users, an instant messaging application that exchanges real-time messages between the user and one or more other users, and a social networking application that posts messages of the user for one or more other users to view.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein providing the application access to the library includes adding to the application an option to display the image on the electronic device.

5 . The method of claim 4 further comprising:
displaying a view of user face images in the library when the user selects the option;
upon the user selecting one of the user face images, displaying the selected one of the user face images on the electronic device using the application;
sending the selected one of the user face images using the application.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the user face images portray various facial expressions of the user.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the image is detected upon downloading, displaying, or receiving the image on the electronic device.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the image is detected upon turning on the electronic device.

9 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the determining step includes:
analyzing the image using a face recognition algorithm including the determining whether the image shows the face of the user; and analyzing the image using a facial expression recognition algorithm including the determining whether the image shows the facial expression.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the face recognition algorithm, the facial expression recognition algorithm, the application, and the library of facial expressions is located on the electronic device.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the face recognition algorithm, the facial expression recognition algorithm, the application, and the library of facial expressions is accessed remotely by the electronic device.

12 . The method of claim 9 further comprising enabling, on the electronic device, the face recognition algorithm and the facial expression recognition algorithm upon turning on the electronic device.

13 . The method of claim 9 further comprising:
upon turning on the electronic device, prompting the user to enable the face recognition algorithm and the facial expression recognition algorithm; and
upon receiving approval by the user, enabling the face recognition algorithm and the facial expression recognition algorithm.

14 . A method performed by a network server comprising:
detecting a face of a user in a digital image and a facial expression expressed by the face of the user in the digital image; adding the digital image to a library of digital images portraying facial expressions of the user; and providing an application operated on an electronic device of the user access to the library, wherein the application includes an option to send, from the electronic device, the digital image as an emoticon.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the library is stored on at least one of the network server, the electronic device of the user, and a remote storage.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the application is one of a text messaging application that sends and receives messages between the user and one or more other users, an instant messaging application that exchanges real-time messages between the user and one or more other users, and a social networking application that posts messages of the user for one or more other users to view.

17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the application is executable on the electronic device of the user and communicates with the network server to access the library.

18 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the application is executable on the network server or a network associated with the network server.

19 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the application is provided access to the library upon receiving a request by the user for displaying or sending any one of the digital images of the library.

20 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the network server is a cloud based server with a connection to the electronic device of the user.

21 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the face of the user is detected in the digital image using a face recognition algorithm, and wherein the facial expression is further detected in the digital image using a facial expression recognition algorithm.

22 . The method of claim 21 further comprising analyzing the digital image using the facial expression recognition algorithm upon detecting the face of the user in the digital image using the face recognition algorithm.

23 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the digital image is added to the library upon detecting the facial expression in the digital image.

24 . The method of claim 21 , further comprising:
upon failure to detect, in the digital image, a facial expression, prompting the user to accept the digital image in the library; and upon approval of the user, performing the adding of the digital image to the library.

25 . An electronic device associated with a user comprising:
at least one processor; a display providing the user interface; and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing programming for execution by the at least one processor, the programming including instructions to: detect an image accessible by the electronic device; determine whether the image shows a face of a user and whether the image shows a facial expression expressed by the face of the user; add the image to a library of facial expressions of the user in accordance with the determining step; and send a message including, as an emoticon, the image from the library.

26 . The electronic device of claim 25 , wherein the programming includes further instructions to provide an application access to the library, wherein the application is one of a text messaging application that sends and receives messages between the user and one or more other users, an instant messaging application that exchanges real-time messages between the user and one or more other users, and a social networking application that posts messages of the user for one or more other users to view.

27 . The method of claim 26 , wherein the programming includes further instructions to:
analyze the image using a face recognition algorithm including the determining whether the image shows the face of the user; and analyze the image using a facial expression recognition algorithm including the determining whether the image shows the facial expression.

Assignees

• Futurewei Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Garcia Jose

Classifications

• H04W4/12 Primary

  Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements · CPC title

• H04M1/72552

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G06K9/00288 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06K9/00302

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06V40/172 Primary

  Classification, e.g. identification · CPC title