A portion of the disclosure of this patent document may contain material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. The following notice shall apply to this document: Copyright © 2005, Microsoft Corp.
The present invention relates to the field of computing, and more particularly, to gaming environments.
Gaming systems are prevalent in today's computing environments. On-line gaming, for example, has millions of users and is growing rapidly by the day. In gaming environments, identification of a user may be helpful in engaging the user with millions of other on-line users. One way to provide identification of such a user is via a visual identity, such as a digital image. This digital image, however, may be inappropriate or offensive in some contexts or gaming spaces. It would therefore be advantageous to provide mechanisms that allow for a visual identification of a gaming user in such a way as to assure that the identification of the user is appropriate to the context in which it appears.
Mechanisms are provided that allow for visual identification of gaming users in, for example, on-line gaming environments. A digital image is provided that is easily verifiable as an appropriate image in virtue of being obtainable from known digital image sources, such as hard disks, flash memories, gaming discs, game console related websites, or from an approved marketplace. Such digital images can be revoked upon requests of a user. A gaming authority can revoke images based on some established threshold. To ensure that such digital images are appropriate, the digital image may have a context-dependent appearance. Thus, for example, in one context it may have a standard appearance to general users of a computing system, and a particularized appearance to other users of the gaming environment. In one aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter, the particularized appearance may be associated with a friends list of a user that uses the digital image.
It should be noted, that this Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
The foregoing Summary, as well as the following Detailed Description, is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. In order to illustrate the present disclosure, various aspects of the disclosure are shown. However, the disclosure is not limited to the specific aspects discussed. The following figures are included:
Overview
Various aspects of visual identity mechanisms are disclosed. First, in
Technological Aspects of Visual Identity Mechanisms
The digital image 174 may subsist on the gamer card 178 to further more accurately identify a user (and to provide visual information about the user to other users in the gaming environment). Interestingly, and as will be discussed in more detail below, the digital image 174 may be easily verifiable as a gaming environment image by examining the source from which it originated. Thus, for example, by knowing that the digital image 174 came from the hard drive 162, the digital image 174 can be assumed to contain certain desired characteristics, such as being non-offensive, not immature, and so on. If, however, the digital image 174 is somehow considered offensive or undesirable, it can be revoked by a gaming authority that is providing for or allowing for the gaming environment.
The hard drive 162 source can be interfaced with a gaming console which may participate in the gaming environment. Similarly, the flash memory 164 source may be part of the internal memory of the gaming console. In other words, a gaming console can contain a plurality of digital images, such as the digital image 174 depicted in
At least two other sources for the digital image 174 may include the marketplace 168 and a website 170 associated with the gaming console. In the former case, a user may obtain the digital image 174 from some vendor on the internet. To assure quality control, the vendor may be pre-approved by the gaming authority that is providing the gaming environment. In the latter case, the game console can communicate via the internet with some website 170 that is associated with the game console. By example only and not limitation, the Microsoft's Xbox can communicate with the Xbox.com website to download the digital image 174.
One especially interesting aspect of the present disclosure is that the digital image 174 is obtained from a limited source pool. Thus, any random user 184 can be prevented as being a source of the digital image 174. By limiting the sources of the digital image 174, assurances can be made that the digital image 174 will not contain some undesirable content which may be immature, pornographic, or offensive in other ways. However, these sources can be dynamically updateable, thus they can vary over time and across sources.
Next,
Thus, in one aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter, to users in nodes A 302 and B 304, the digital image can be a standard image provided by any of the digital image sources discussed above with reference to
Yet, in another aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter, in addition to the mechanism described above, which allows each player to make a judgment about what is appropriate to be shared with players on a friends list, another mechanism can be used that allows friends of a player (or the friends' parents) to decide whether they want to “trust” that player's judgment. Specifically, it may be possible to change a privacy setting (or a family setting, if the action is executed by a parent on behalf of a child) so that the standard (not the particularized) digital image is always displayed for that player. This aspect minimizes the potential for exposure of offensive content to highly-sensitive people (even in a circle of friends).
In one aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter, the gaming authority 400 may only wish to remove digital images based on requests made from the general gaming environment 300 users in nodes A 302 and B 304, and not those in the friends list limited gaming environment 410—allowing users who are friends to self-regulate. Yet, a threshold for removal can be established even if friends are posting offensive content. Alternatively, friends can remove themselves from a friends list by unilateral action or, as mentioned above, they can preemptively protect themselves from offensive exposure to a particularized content by having a standard digital image appear for a particular player (who may also be on the friends list).
Visual Aspects of Identity Mechanisms
The visual aspects of the presently disclosed subject matter are a result of (and therefore tied to) the technological aspects discussed above. Thus,
Upon signing-in and selecting a player, another interface 600 provides a gamer profile 602.
Next,
Whether digital images are obtained locally from a hard drive, flash memory, or a game disc, or remotely from a vendor or a game console related website, numerous choices are available for new digital images. Thus,
Lastly,
The visual aspects of the presently disclosed subject matter are merely exemplary and not limiting. They are shown here merely for illustrative purposes, to suggest how the technological aspects discussed with reference to
Exemplary Computing Implementations and Environments
In any case, once the digital image is obtained, at block 1401 it can be provided to a storage server so that other users in the gaming environment have access to the digital image—in the sense that they can see that the user with the corresponding digital image is on-line or not. In an off-line scenario, this step could be omitted.
At block 1402, the digital image may be used in the gaming environment. As it is being used, it can be configured to identify a user in a variety of different gaming contexts. As discussed above already, the digital image can have one type of representation in the general gaming environment, so that it appears as a standard, non-offensive digital image, and it can have another type of representation in a more limited (or more extensive, for that matter) environment. This digital image in this latter type of environment may be configurable (personalizable) by the user to depict whatever content the user wants, as long as the user's circle of friends on the user's friends list is content with the content of the digital image.
As the digital image is being used, at block 1404, a gaming console may also provide the option of changing the digital image to another digital image. As was already discussed with reference to
Moreover, as the digital image is being used in the gaming environment, at block 1406, a gaming authority can monitor the content of the digital image by listening to any revocation or complaint requests that are made by the gaming environment users. A request can not only be made to revoke a digital image but to file a complaint about another user, which may in the future be used as a basis for revocation.
At step 1408, a gaming authority can make a determination of whether or not to revoke a user's digital image. Such as determination may be made based on some threshold standard, whether a ratings system or a standard established by the gaming authority itself. Also, the determination may vary, depending on whether the user making the request is a general gaming computing user or a friend on another user's friends list.
If a request for revocation is granted, then at block 1410, the gaming authority can notify the user that the user's digital image has been revoked—in case a user may be wondering why the user can't use that digital image anymore. Of course, various mechanisms can be set-up by the gaming authority for appeal by the revoked user. Also, perhaps the gaming authority may also provide information as to which user requested the revocation.
If, however, the revocation at block 1408 is not made, then the monitoring gaming authority can return back to the monitoring state at block 1406. The blocks illustrated in
Referring next to
A graphics processing unit (GPU) 108 and a video encoder/video codec (coder/decoder) 114 form a video processing pipeline for high speed and high resolution graphics processing. Data is carried from the graphics processing unit 108 to the video encoder/video codec 114 via a bus. The video processing pipeline outputs data to an A/V (audio/video) port 140 for transmission to a television or other display. A memory controller 110 is connected to the GPU 108 and CPU 101 to facilitate processor access to various types of memory 112, such as, but not limited to, a RAM (Random Access Memory).
The multimedia console 100 includes an I/O controller 120, a system management controller 122, an audio processing unit 123, a network interface controller 124, a first USB host controller 126, a second USB controller 128 and a front panel I/O subassembly 130 that are preferably implemented on a module 118. The USB controllers 126 and 128 serve as hosts for peripheral controllers 142(1)-142(2), a wireless adapter 148, and an external memory unit 146 (e.g., flash memory, external CD/DVD ROM drive, removable media, etc.). The network interface 124 and/or wireless adapter 148 provide access to a network (e.g., the Internet, home network, etc.) and may be any of a wide variety of various wired or wireless interface components including an Ethernet card, a modem, a Bluetooth module, a cable modem, and the like.
System memory 143 is provided to store application data that is loaded during the boot process. A media drive 144 is provided and may comprise a DVD/CD drive, hard drive, or other removable media drive, etc. The media drive 144 may be internal or external to the multimedia console 100. Application data may be accessed via the media drive 144 for execution, playback, etc. by the multimedia console 100. The media drive 144 is connected to the I/O controller 120 via a bus, such as a Serial ATA bus or other high speed connection (e.g., IEEE 1394).
The system management controller 122 provides a variety of service functions related to assuring availability of the multimedia console 100. The audio processing unit 123 and an audio codec 132 form a corresponding audio processing pipeline with high fidelity, 3D, surround, and stereo audio processing according to aspects of the present invention described above. Audio data is carried between the audio processing unit 123 and the audio codec 126 via a communication link. The audio processing pipeline outputs data to the A/V port 140 for reproduction by an external audio player or device having audio capabilities.
The front panel I/O subassembly 130 supports the functionality of the power button 150 and the eject button 152, as well as any LEDs (light emitting diodes) or other indicators exposed on the outer surface of the multimedia console 100. A system power supply module 136 provides power to the components of the multimedia console 100. A fan 138 cools the circuitry within the multimedia console 100.
The CPU 101, GPU 108, memory controller 110, and various other components within the multimedia console 100 are interconnected via one or more buses, including serial and parallel buses, a memory bus, a peripheral bus, and a processor or local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures.
When the multimedia console 100 is powered on or rebooted, application data may be loaded from the system memory 143 into memory 112 and/or caches 102, 104 and executed on the CPU 101. The application may present a graphical user interface that provides a consistent user experience when navigating to different media types available on the multimedia console 100. In operation, applications and/or other media contained within the media drive 144 may be launched or played from the media drive 144 to provide additional functionalities to the multimedia console 100.
The multimedia console 100 may be operated as a standalone system by simply connecting the system to a television or other display. In this standalone mode, the multimedia console 100 may allow one or more users to interact with the system, watch movies, listen to music, and the like. However, with the integration of broadband connectivity made available through the network interface 124 or the wireless adapter 148, the multimedia console 100 may further be operated as a participant in a larger network community.
Finally, it should also be noted that the various techniques described herein may be implemented in connection with hardware or software or, where appropriate, with a combination of both. Thus, the methods and apparatus of the presently disclosed subject matter, or certain aspects or portions thereof, may take the form of program code (i.e., instructions) embodied in tangible media, such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, hard drives, or any other machine-readable storage medium, where, when the program code is loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the subject matter.
In the case of program code execution on programmable computers, the computing device may generally include a processor, a storage medium readable by the processor (including volatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage elements), at least one input device, and at least one output device. One or more programs that may utilize the creation and/or implementation of domain-specific programming models aspects of the present invention, e.g., through the use of a data processing API or the like, are preferably implemented in a high level procedural or object oriented programming language to communicate with a computer system. However, the program(s) can be implemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. In any case, the language may be a compiled or interpreted language, and combined with hardware implementations.
Lastly, while the present disclosure has been described in connection with the preferred aspects, as illustrated in the various figures, it is understood that other similar aspects may be used or modifications and additions may be made to the described aspects for performing the same function of the present disclosure without deviating therefrom. For example, in various aspects of the disclosure, a visual identity mechanism was disclosed. However, other equivalent mechanisms to these described aspects are also contemplated by the teachings herein. Therefore, the present disclosure should not be limited to any single aspect, but rather construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the appended claims.