초록 ▼

A method of provisioning avatars comprises receiving at a first computer system associated with a first user, a metadata file relating to an avatar of a second user. In particular, the metadata file comprises data for use with an avatar generator process that is in execution on the first computer sy

A method of provisioning avatars comprises receiving at a first computer system associated with a first user, a metadata file relating to an avatar of a second user. In particular, the metadata file comprises data for use with an avatar generator process that is in execution on the first computer system. Data is extracted from the metadata file, and is provided as input data to the avatar generator process, thereby generating locally to the first computer system the avatar of the second user. The avatar of the second user so generated is displayed to the first user within a virtual environment.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A method comprising: using an avatar generator process that is in execution on a first computer system associated with a first user, generating an avatar as a combination of at least two other avatars, the generated avatar having a simulated physical appearance that is defined in terms of a plura

1. A method comprising: using an avatar generator process that is in execution on a first computer system associated with a first user, generating an avatar as a combination of at least two other avatars, the generated avatar having a simulated physical appearance that is defined in terms of a plurality of predetermined inheritable characteristics, at least one of the plurality of predetermined inheritable characteristics having a user defined weighting value associated therewith;generating a metadata file relating to the generated avatar, the metadata file including at least a unique identifier of each of the at least two other avatars and the user defined weighting value associated with the at least one of the plurality of predetermined inheritable characteristics;transferring the metadata file via a network to a second computer system that is associated with a second user; and,generating in dependence upon metadata of the metadata file the avatar locally with respect to the second computer system using an avatar generator process that is in execution thereon. 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein generating the avatar locally with respect to the second computer system comprises: retrieving from a memory, data relating to the at least one of the plurality of predetermined characteristics of the at least two other avatars; and,determining the at least one of the plurality of predetermined characteristics of the generated avatar based on the retrieved data and the user defined weighting value extracted from the metadata file, the user defined weighting value for defining a contribution to the at least one of the plurality of predetermined characteristics of the generated avatar from each of the at least two other avatars. 3. A method according to claim 1, comprising at least one of storing data relating to a model of the generated avatar on a computer readable memory storage associated with the second computer system and displaying to the second user an aspect of the avatar. 4. A method according to claim 1, wherein generating the avatar locally with respect to the second computer system comprises: generating at least one aspect of the avatar in dependence upon a current state of a virtual environment, with respect to a point of view of the second user. 5. A method comprising: receiving at a first computer system associated with a first user, a metadata file relating to an avatar of a second user, the metadata file comprising data for use with an avatar generator process that is in execution on the first computer system;extracting data from the metadata file;providing the extracted data as input data to the avatar generator process that is in execution on the first computer system, thereby generating locally to the first computer system the avatar of the second user; and,displaying to the first user an aspect of the avatar of the second user within a virtual environment,wherein the metadata file comprises at least a first unique identifier of a first ancestor avatar, a second unique identifier of a second ancestor avatar, and a user defined weighting factor for defining a contribution from each of the first ancestor avatar and the second ancestor avatar to an inheritable characteristic of the avatar of the second user. 6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the avatar of the second user is generated in dependence upon a current state of the virtual environment from the point of view of the first user. 7. A method according to claim 5, wherein the avatar generator process comprises: retrieving data relating to each of the first ancestor avatar and the second ancestor avatar in dependence upon the first unique identifier and the second unique identifier, respectively; and,determining the inheritable characteristic of the avatar of the second user based on the data relating to the inheritable characteristic for each of the first ancestor avatar and the second ancestor avatar and the user defined weighting factor. 8. A method according to claim 5, comprising: providing a non-physical feature for being associated with the avatar of the second user; andmapping the non-physical feature onto the avatar of the second user. 9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the metadata file comprises a unique identifier of the non-physical feature. 10. A method according to claim 5, wherein the avatar generator process in execution on the first computer system is an inheritance-based three-generation avatar generator process. 11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the metadata file comprises: at least a first unique identifier of a first grandfather avatar, a second unique identifier of a first grandmother avatar, and a first weighting factor for defining a contribution from each of the first grandfather avatar and the first grandmother avatar to an inheritable characteristic of a first parent avatar;at least a third unique identifier of a second grandfather avatar, a fourth unique identifier of a second grandmother avatar, and a second weighting factor for defining a contribution from each of the second grandfather avatar and the second grandmother avatar to the inheritable characteristic of a second parent avatar;and a third weighting factor for defining a contribution from each of the first parent avatar and the second parent avatar to the inheritable characteristic of the avatar of the second user. 12. A method according to claim 10, comprising: providing a non-physical feature for being associated with the avatar of the second user; andmapping the non-physical feature onto the avatar of the second user. 13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the metadata file comprises a unique identifier of the non-physical feature. 14. A method according to claim 5, comprising providing the metadata file to the first computer system in dependence upon at least one of the first user initiating an action within the virtual environment and the first user being presented with a choice between a plurality of different actions within the virtual environment. 15. A method according to claim 5, wherein the data file comprises at least one of a physical characteristic of a plurality of physical characteristics, a non-physical feature of a plurality of non-physical features, a unique identifier of the avatar of the second user, an identifier relating to a membership of the virtual environment, a preference of the second user, a restriction established by the second user, a restriction established in dependence of the virtual environment, and an identifier related to the second user. 16. A method according to claim 5, wherein the data file has been generated by the second user with at least one of the virtual environment, an application associated with the virtual environment, in a second virtual environment, and an application associated with the second virtual environment. 17. A method according to claim 5, wherein the metadata file comprises a language identifier determining an aspect of communications between the second user and the first user. 18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the aspect of communications is at least one of a format to present the communications in, the language of text presented to the second user, the language of audio-visual content presented to the second user, and an accepted language for the first user to communicate with the second user. 19. A method according to claim 5, wherein the metadata file is provided from at least one of a second computer system associated with the second user and a server associated with the virtual environment. 20. A method according to claim 5, wherein a first predetermined portion of the metadata file is provided to the first computer system from a first other computer system and a second predetermined portion of the metadata file is provided to the first computer system from a second other computer system, the first other computer system and the second other computer system being selected from the group consisting of a server associated with hosting the virtual environment, an electronic device associated with the second user, and a server not hosting the virtual environment. 21. A method according to claim 20 wherein, the first predetermined portion of the metadata file relates to the generation of physical characteristics of the avatar of the second user; and,the second predetermined portion of the metadata files relates to the generation of non-physical features of the avatar of the second user. 22. A method according to claim 21, wherein the non-physical feature of the avatar is selected from a group consisting of: clothing, tattoos, body jewelry, body piercing, scars, body hair, body augmentation, and surgical scars. 23. A method according to claim 21, wherein the second predetermined portion of the metadata file is at least one of dynamically updated in dependence upon actions performed within the virtual environment and initiated by the second user and selected from a plurality of possible second predetermined portions of the data file in dependence upon at least one of an identity of the first user, a characteristic of an avatar associated with the first user, and pseudo-randomly. 24. A method comprising: receiving at a first computer system associated with a first user a metadata file relating to an avatar of a second other user, the metadata file for supporting the generation of the avatar of the second user upon the first computer system, the metadata file being other than the generated avatar of the second user;retrieving at least two avatars from a pool of avatars, each avatar retrieved in dependence upon a predetermined metadatum of the metadata file and having a different simulated physical appearance that is defined in terms of a plurality of inheritable characteristics;retrieving a weighting factor for defining a relative contribution of each of the at least two avatars to at least one of the plurality of inheritable characteristics of the avatar of the second user, the weighting factor being a predetermined metadatum of the metadata file; and,generating locally to the first computer system the avatar of the second user, based on the plurality of inheritable characteristics of the at least two avatars and the weighting factor. 25. A method according to claim 24, comprising: providing a non-physical feature for being associated with the avatar of the second user, the non-physical feature being identified by a unique identifier, and the unique identifier being a metadatum of the metadata file;modifying the avatar of the second user so as to form a new avatar, the new avatar formed by mapping the non-physical feature onto the avatar of the second user; andstoring the new avatar on a computer readable storage medium. 26. A method according to claim 24 wherein, a first predetermined portion of the metadata file is provided to the first computer system from a first other computer system, and a second predetermined portion of the metadata file is provided to the first computer system from a second other computer system, each of the first other computer system and second other computer system being selected from the group consisting of: a server associated with hosting the virtual environment, an electronic device associated with the user, and a server not hosting the virtual environment. 27. A method according to claim 26, wherein the second predetermined portion of the metadata file is at least one of dynamically updated in dependence upon actions performed within the virtual environment and initiated by the second user, and selected from a plurality of possible second predetermined portions of the data file in dependence upon at least one of an identity of the first user, a characteristic of an avatar associated with the first user, and pseudo-randomly.