In general, embodiments of the present invention provide an approach for providing a clothing system. Specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to an approach for providing a clothing system for creating a unified clothing file for actual clothing and virtual avatar clothing.
A virtual world is an online community that takes the form of a computer-based simulated environment through which users can interact with one another and use and create objects. Online, internet accessible virtual worlds have become increasingly popular, as personal computers have grown in power and become widely affordable, and high-speed internet access has become commonplace. The term “virtual world” has become largely synonymous with interactive three-dimensional (3D) virtual environments, where the users take the form of avatars visible to others.
In many virtual worlds, the avatars are able to mimic the actions of real people in many ways, such as by looking in different directions, moving to different locations, entering buildings, handling objects, and even interacting with other avatars. Interactions between avatars can include speaking, showing facial expressions, and using movements to display a range of feelings and emotions, for example by drooping over to indicate illness, shedding tears to show sadness, or jumping around to show joy or excitement. Generally, an avatar functions as an extension of its user, by going where the user directs, looking where the user wishes to look, and expressing emotions which reflect the emotions of the users. Typically, users are able to customize body shape, gender, facial features, hair style, and clothing. In some instances, a user may purchase one or more clothing items for an avatar from an avatar marketplace.
Similarly, a person may purchase one or more clothing items for himself/herself using an online marketplace. Convenience is a great advantage to online shopping. Shopping online is generally quite easy; a person can simply sit in front of the computer and click around, from one site to another. Also, online clothes shopping may provide the chance to browse for diverse items in different stores at the same time, with a wide range of clothing choices to select from.
However, there is no clothing system for creating a unified clothing file for actual clothing for a user and virtual avatar clothing. Heretofore, several unsuccessful attempts have been made to address these shortcomings.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,808,385 discloses an interactive clothing system which allows a user to interact with an article of clothing.
U.S. Patent Application 20080262944 discloses an online clothing display system including a dressed mannequin, a rotating platform, and image recorder, and a mainframe.
U.S. Patent Application 20090260123 discloses a clothing system having a plurality of different clothing articles that are designed to be used with interactive decorative elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,742,901 discloses a method and system for analyzing and/or generating object models, and in particular to generating object models of a second type using object models of the first type.
U.S. Patent Application 20070273711 discloses a unique 3D graphics system and method that allows participants to change their avatar's clothes by constructing a new avatar consisting of multiple models including the basic nude model and all of its parts, all the clothing models, and hair models and any other models that might be required.
U.S. Patent Application 20050137015 discloses a system and method for that allows for a role-playing game having a customizable avatar and differentiated instant message environment.
None of these references, however, teach a clothing system for creating a unified clothing file for actual clothing for a user and virtual avatar clothing.
In general, embodiments of the present invention provide an approach for providing a clothing system for creating a unified clothing file for actual clothing and virtual avatar clothing associated with a user. Specifically, in a typical embodiment, an avatar may be associated with the user. The user may select a real clothing item which can be worn by the user. Also, the user may select a virtual clothing item which may be worn or used by the user's avatar. The real clothing item and the virtual clothing item are encoded with the same identification code. A unified clothing file entry associated with the clothing items may be stored in the unified clothing file.
As used herein, the unified clothing file may be of any suitable format including XML documents, flat files, CSV files, SQL tables, relational database tables, and others. The unified clothing file entry may be any suitable entry in the unified clothing file.
In one example, the identification code may be a two-dimensional barcode that includes at least one of a PDF417 code, an Aztec code, a quick response (QR) code, a codablock code, a code 1, a code 16K, a code 49, a CP code, a data glyph code, a datastrip code, a dot code A, a maxicode code, a minicode code, a smartcode code, a supercode code, a snowflake code, an ultracode code, a paperdisk code, or a reduced space symbology code. In a second example, the identification code may be a serial number, such as a serial number that represents a specific clothing item from a specific brand. In other examples, the identification code may be another code or value.
A first aspect of the present invention provides a method for creating a unified clothing file, comprising: associating an avatar with a user; selecting a first clothing item associated with the user; selecting a second clothing item, wherein the second clothing item is a virtual clothing item; encoding the first clothing item and the second clothing item with an identification code; and storing a unified clothing file entry associated with the first clothing item and the second clothing item using the identification code.
A second aspect of the present invention provides a system for creating a unified clothing file, comprising: a memory medium comprising instructions; a bus coupled to the memory medium; and an unified clothing processing tool coupled to the bus that when executing the instructions causes the system to: associate an avatar with a user; select a first clothing item associated with the user; select a second clothing item, wherein the second clothing item is a virtual clothing item; encode the first clothing item and the second clothing item with an identification code; and store a unified clothing file entry associated with the first clothing item and the second clothing item using the identification code.
A third aspect of the present invention provides a computer program product for creating a unified clothing file, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium, and program instructions stored on the computer readable storage medium, to: associate an avatar with a user; select a first clothing item associated with the user; select a second clothing item, wherein the second clothing item is a virtual clothing item; encode the first clothing item and the second clothing item with an identification code; and store a unified clothing file entry associated with the first clothing item and the second clothing item using the identification code.
A fourth aspect of the present invention provides a method for deploying a system for creating a unified clothing file, comprising: providing a computer infrastructure being operable to: associate an avatar with a user; select a first clothing item associated with the user; select a second clothing item, wherein the second clothing item is a virtual clothing item; encode the first clothing item and the second clothing item with an identification code; and store a unified clothing file entry associated with the first clothing item and the second clothing item using the identification code.
These and other features of this invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description of the various aspects of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
The drawings are not necessarily to scale. The drawings are merely schematic representations, not intended to portray specific parameters of the invention. The drawings are intended to depict only typical embodiments of the invention, and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention. In the drawings, like numbering represents like elements.
Embodiments of the present invention provide an approach for providing a clothing system for creating a unified clothing file for actual clothing and virtual avatar clothing associated with a user. Specifically, in a typical embodiment, an avatar may be associated with the user. The user may select a real clothing item which can be worn by the user. Also, the user may select a virtual clothing item which may be worn or used by the user's avatar. The real clothing item and the virtual clothing item are encoded with the same identification code. A unified clothing file entry associated with the clothing items may be stored in the unified clothing file.
Computer system 104 is intended to represent any type of computer system that may be implemented in deploying/realizing the teachings recited herein. In this particular example, computer system 104 represents an illustrative system for creating a unified clothing file. It should be understood that any other computers implemented under the present invention may have different components/software, but will perform similar functions. As shown, computer system 104 includes a processing unit 106, memory 108 for storing an unified clothing processing tool 153, a bus 110, and device interfaces 112.
Processing unit 106 collects and routes signals representing outputs from external devices 115 (e.g., a keyboard, a pointing device, a display, a graphical user interface, etc.) to unified clothing processing tool 153. The signals can be transmitted over a LAN and/or a WAN (e.g., T1, T3, 56 kb, X.25), broadband connections (ISDN, Frame Relay, ATM), wireless links (802.11, Bluetooth, etc.), and so on. In some embodiments, the signals may be encrypted using, for example, trusted key-pair encryption. Different external devices may transmit information using different communication pathways, such as Ethernet or wireless networks, direct serial or parallel connections, USB, Firewire®, Bluetooth®, or other proprietary interfaces. (Firewire is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Bluetooth is a registered trademark of Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG)).
In general, processing unit 106 executes computer program code, such as program code for operating unified clothing processing tool 153, which is stored in memory 108 and/or unified clothing storage system 116. While executing computer program code, processing unit 106 can read and/or write data to/from memory 108. Unified clothing storage system 116 can include VCRs, DVRs, RAID arrays, USB hard drives, optical disk recorders, flash storage devices, or any other similar storage device. Although not shown, computer system 104 could also include I/O interfaces that communicate with one or more external devices 115 that enable a user to interact with computer system 104.
Avatar associating component 170 may associate an avatar with a user. Clothing selecting component 172 may select a first clothing item associated with the user and a second clothing item associated with the avatar. Identification encoding component 174 may encode the first clothing item and the second clothing item with an identification code. The clothing record storing component 176 may store a unified clothing file entry associated with the first clothing item and the second clothing item using the identification code.
Further, it can be appreciated that the methodologies disclosed herein can be used within a computer system to provide a unified clothing service, as shown in
The exemplary computer system 104 may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a computer. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, people, components, logic, data structures, and so on that perform particular tasks or implements particular abstract data types. Exemplary computer system 104 may be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote computer storage medium including memory storage devices.
Furthermore, an implementation of exemplary computer system 104 may be stored on or transmitted across some form of computer readable media. Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprise “computer storage medium” and “communications media.”
“Computer storage medium” include volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Computer storage medium includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by a computer.
“Communication media” typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal, such as carrier wave or other transport mechanism. Communication media also includes any information delivery media.
The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared, and other wireless media. Combinations of any of the above are also included within the scope of computer readable media.
It is apparent that there has been provided with this invention an approach for estimating the accuracy of a transcription of a voice recording. While the invention has been particularly shown and described in conjunction with a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be appreciated that variations and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes that fall within the true spirit of the invention.