Avatar audio communication systems and techniques

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016292903-A1
Application number	US-201414773933-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 24, 2014
Priority date	Sep 24, 2014
Publication date	Oct 6, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Examples of systems and methods for transmitting avatar sequencing data in an audio file are generally described herein. A method can include receiving, at a second device from a first device, an audio file comprising: facial motion data, the facial motion data derived from a series of facial images captured at the first device, an avatar sequencing data structure from the first device, the avatar sequencing data structure comprising an avatar identifier and a duration, and an audio stream. The method can include presenting an animation of an avatar, at the second device, using the facial motion data and the audio stream.

First claim

1 .- 25 . (canceled)

26 . An animation device comprising:
a communication module to receive, from an image capture device, an audio file comprising:
facial motion data, the facial motion data derived from a series of facial images captured at the image capture device;
an avatar sequencing data structure from the image capture device, the avatar sequencing data structure comprising an avatar identifier and a duration; and
an audio stream; and
a presentation module to present an animation of an avatar using the facial motion data and the audio stream.

27 . The animation device of claim 26 , wherein to present the animation of the avatar, the presentation module is to animate the avatar using the avatar identifier.

28 . The animation device of claim 26 , wherein to present the animation of the avatar, the presentation module is to animate the avatar for a period of time lasting for the duration.

29 . The animation device of claim 26 , wherein to present the animation of the avatar, the presentation module is to animate the avatar, not using the avatar identifier, for a period of time lasting for the duration.

30 . The animation device of claim 26 , wherein to present the animation of the avatar, the presentation module is to animate a locally-selected avatar that is selected locally at the second device.

31 . The animation device of claim 30 , wherein to present the animation of the avatar, the presentation module is to select the avatar from local memory of the animation device.

32 . The animation device of claim 26 , further comprising a download module to download the avatar from a server at the second device.

33 . The animation device of claim 26 , wherein the communication module receives either a proprietary avatar communication data structure or a Core Audio Format (CAF) communication data structure; and
wherein when the communication module receives the proprietary avatar communication data structure, the communication module extracts the avatar sequencing data structure using a Universal Resource Locator (URL) stored in metadata of the proprietary avatar communication data structure; and wherein when the communication module receives the CAF communication data structure, the communication module extracts the avatar sequencing data structure stored in reserved free chunk space in the CAF communication data structure.

34 . The animation device of claim 26 , wherein the audio file comprises a second avatar sequencing data structure, the second avatar sequencing data structure comprising a second avatar identifier and a second duration.

35 . The animation device of claim 34 , wherein to present the animation, the presentation module is to present a first animation of the avatar corresponding to the avatar identifier for a period of time lasting the duration and a second animation of a second avatar corresponding to the second avatar identifier a period of time lasting the second duration.

36 . The animation device of claim 26 , wherein to present the animation of the avatar, the presentation module is to use two avatars.

37 . The animation device of claim 36 , wherein the two avatars are selected locally at the image capture device.

38 . The animation device of claim 36 , wherein the two avatars are selected locally at the animation device.

39 . The animation device of claim 36 , wherein one of the two avatars is identified by the avatar identifier.

40 . The animation device of claim 26 , wherein the audio file further comprises a specified number of avatar sequencing data structures.

41 . The animation device of claim 40 , wherein to present the animation of the avatar, the presentation module is to use a different number of avatars than the specified number of avatar sequencing data structures.

42 . The animation device of claim 41 , wherein to present the animation of the avatar, the presentation module is to animate the avatar, using a locally-selected avatar that is selected locally at the animation device, for a period of time lasting for a sum of all durations in the avatar sequencing data structures.

43 . An image capture device comprising:
an image capture module to capture a series of images of a face; a facial recognition module to compute facial motion data for each of the images in the series of images; and a communication module to send to an animation device, an audio file comprising:
the facial motion data;
an avatar sequencing data structure, the avatar sequencing data structure comprising an avatar identifier and a duration; and
an audio stream; and
wherein the animation device is configured to use the facial motion data and the audio stream to animate an avatar on the animation device.

44 . The image capture device of claim 43 , wherein the facial recognition module is further configured to detect if the face is present in the series of images captured by the image capture device and wherein the image capture module operates at a normal frame rate if the facial recognition module detects that the face is present in the series of images and the image capture module operates at a reduced frame rate if the facial recognition module detects that the face is absent in the series of images.

45 . An avatar presentation method comprising:
receiving, at a second device from a first device, an audio file comprising:
facial motion data, the motion coordinate data derived from a series of facial images captured at the first device;
an avatar sequencing data structure from the first device, the avatar sequencing data structure comprising an avatar identifier and a duration; and
an audio stream; and
presenting an animation of an avatar, at the second device, using the facial motion data and the audio stream.

46 . A machine-readable medium including instructions for receiving information, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:
receive, at a second device from a first device, an audio file comprising:
facial motion data, the facial motion data derived from a series of facial images captured at the first device;
an avatar sequencing data structure from the first device, the avatar sequencing data structure comprising an avatar identifier and a duration; and
an audio stream; and
present an animation, at the second device, of an avatar using the facial motion data and the audio stream.

47 . The machine-readable medium of claim 46 , further comprising, selecting the avatar using the avatar identifier.

48 . The machine-readable medium of claim 46 , further comprising instructions for receiving information, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to: download the avatar from a server at the second device.

49 . The machine-readable medium of claim 46 , wherein to receive includes to receive either a proprietary avatar communication data structure or a Core Audio Format (CAF) communication data structure; and
wherein after receiving the proprietary avatar communication data structure, to extract the avatar sequencing data structure using a Universal Resource Locator (URL) stored in metadata of the proprietary avatar communication data structure; and wherein after receiving the CAF communication data structure, to extract the avatar sequencing data structure stored in reserved free chunk space in the CAF communication data structure.

50 . The machine-readable medium of claim 46 , wherein the audio file

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Li Wenlong
• Tong Xiaofeng
• Du Yangzhou
• Sachson Thomas

Classifications

• H04M1/72544

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G06K9/00268

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06T7/20

  Analysis of motion (motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51) · CPC title

• H04L67/02

  based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] · CPC title

• G10L19/167

  Audio streaming, i.e. formatting and decoding of an encoded audio signal representation into a data stream for transmission or storage purposes · CPC title