Systems and methods for indicating emotions through electronic self-portraits

{
  "publication_number": "US10708203B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Systems and methods for indicating emotions through electronic self-portraits",
  "abstract": "Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to systems and methods that allow a user of an electronic device, who is engaged in communicating with one or more other users, to convey an emotional context with that communication using an image created by the user.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A method comprising: receiving, at a computing device, an indication of a user's request to create a new set of electronic self-portraits for conveying emotion in an electronic message, the new set being separate and distinct from any existing, configured sets; generating, by the computing device, the new set of electronic self-portraits for conveying emotion in an electronic message, the new set being an empty set; receiving, at the computing device, a file selected by the user for adding to the new set; associating, by the computing device, the file to the new set to create an electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion in an electronic message; responsive to receiving, at the computing device, an indication of an emotion to be conveyed by the electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion in an electronic message, associating a pre-existing collection of text-based characters for conveying the emotion to the electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion in an electronic message; receiving, at the computing device, a received electronic message; receiving, at the computing device, an indication of a request (i) to create an electronic message responding to the received message and (ii) to include an electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion in the electronic message; outputting, by the computing device and for display to the user, the new set of electronic self-portraits for conveying emotion; responsive to receiving a selection of a particular electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion from the set of electronic self-portraits for conveying emotion, outputting, by the computing device and for display to the user, an option to update the particular electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion; responsive to receiving, at the computing device, an indication of a user confirmation to keep the particular electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion, outputting, by the computing device and for display to the user, the particular electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion; responsive to receiving an indication of a request to send the electronic message, sending the electronic message to a sender of the received message, the particular electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion positioned separate and apart from a textual message included in the electronic message; responsive to determining that the user responded to the received electronic message with the particular electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion, tagging, by the computing device, the received electronic message by assigning a number value to the received electronic message; pre-scanning, by the computing device, a subsequent received message and comparing the subsequent received message to the assigned number value; and predicting, by the computing device and based on comparing the subsequent received message to the assigned number value, if the user is likely to respond to the subsequent received message with the particular electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion.",
    "2. The method of claim 1, wherein the file selected by the user for adding to the new set is an image captured by a camera device associated with the computing device.",
    "3. The method of claim 1, wherein the file selected by the user for adding to the new set is a preexisting electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion in an electronic message.",
    "4. The method of claim 3, wherein the preexisting electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion in an electronic message comprises a portrait of a celebrity.",
    "5. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the particular electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion for display to the user includes embedding the particular electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion in the electronic message.",
    "6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a computing device to: responsive to receiving an indication of a user's request to create a new set of electronic self-portraits for conveying emotion in an electronic message to respond to a received electronic message, generate the new set of electronic self-portraits for conveying emotion in an electronic message; receive a file selected by the user for adding to the new set; associate the file to the new set to create an electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion in an electronic message; responsive to receiving an indication of an emotion to be conveyed by the electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion in an electronic message, associate a pre-existing collection of text-based characters for conveying the emotion to the electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion in an electronic message; receive an indication of a request (i) to create an electronic message and (ii) to include an electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion in the electronic message; output, for display to a user, the new set of electronic self-portraits for conveying emotion; responsive to receiving a selection of a particular electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion from the set of electronic self-portraits for conveying emotion, output, by the computing device and for display to the user, an option to update the particular electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion; responsive to receiving, at the computing device, an indication of a user confirmation to keep the particular electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion, output, for display to the user, the particular electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion; responsive to receiving, at the computing device, an update to the particular electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion, output, for display to the user, the updated electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion; responsive to receiving an indication of a request to send the electronic message, send the electronic message to a sender of the received message, the particular electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion or the updated electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion positioned separate and apart from a textual message included in the electronic message; responsive to determining that the user responded to the received electronic message with the particular electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion, tag the received electronic message by assigning a number value to the received electronic message; pre-scan a subsequent received message and compare the subsequent received message to the assigned number value; and predict, based on comparing the subsequent received message to the assigned number value, if the user is likely to respond to the subsequent received message with the particular electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion.",
    "7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the file selected by the user for adding to the new set is an image captured by a camera device associated with the computing device.",
    "8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the file selected by the user for adding to the new set is a preexisting electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion in an electronic message.",
    "9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the preexisting electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion in an electronic message comprises a portrait of a celebrity.",
    "10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein outputting the particular electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion for display to the user includes embedding the particular electronic self-portrait for conveying emotion in the electronic message."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present disclosure is in the technical field of electronic communication. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to the field of socially oriented electronic communication and conveying non-textual emotional context of an electronic communication.\n\nCertain technologies allow a user to capture images camera, including a camera incorporated into a mobile device. Various chat and messaging applications allow users to share such images with others. Such applications do not, however, provide any mechanism for including such images in the messages themselves or for replacing text-based representations of emotions (e.g., text-based emoticons) with the images captured by the camera.\n\nVarious other technologies allow users to create an image that indicates or represents an emotion, but the creation and management of such images occurs offline and generally is not integrated into the communication process. Still other technologies allow a user to include custom sets of icons or single images in a message. These applications are deficient, however, as they only allow use of images from a user's profile. Further, even when these technologies allow sets of icons, they do not integrate the ability to add custom images captured with a mobile device's camera. Additionally, while certain social networking applications make use of the embedded image associated with the “username,” such applications do not allow sets of images or ad hoc creation of new images.\n\nAspects of the present disclosure will address these and other limitations.",
  "cpc": [
    "H04L 51/046",
    "G06F 3/0219",
    "G06F 3/04817",
    "G06F 3/0482",
    "G06Q 10/40",
    "G06Q 50/01",
    "H04L 51/04",
    "H04L 51/08",
    "H04L 51/10",
    "H04L 51/16",
    "H04L 51/216",
    "H04L 51/32",
    "H04L 51/52"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "G06F 3/0484",
    "G06F 3/0482",
    "H04L 12/58",
    "G06F 3/0481",
    "G06Q 50/00"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Convergence Acceleration Solutions LLC"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Drewry Hampton Morris",
    "Jared Trotter"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2015-06-25",
  "publication_date": "2020-07-07",
  "grant_date": "2020-07-07",
  "priority_date": "2014-06-25",
  "application_number": "US-201514750348-A",
  "family_id": "54931783",
  "cited_by_count": 4,
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}