Multi-sensory emoticons in a communication system

Abstract

Methods and systems for providing dynamic emoticons during chat sessions across game consoles are disclosed. A dynamic emoticon may include haptic, visual, and/or auditory components. Each component may have an associated intensity level, e.g., based on a pressure with which a user of the game console presses a controller button or actuates a control input. The emoticon's auditory component may include or identify a sound effects filter or a known audio file; the emoticon's visual component may include or identify a visual effects filter or a known video or graphic file; the emoticon's haptic component may cause vibration of or force feedback on the controller. Emoticons may be sent from one voice chat participant's game console to another voice chat participant's game console across a network such as the Internet.

1 . At least one data packet communicating an emoticon instruction message comprising a haptic component.  
   
   
       2 . The at least one data packet communicating an emoticon message of  claim 1 , further comprising an intensity level.  
   
   
       3 . The at least one data packet communicating an emoticon message of  claim 2 , wherein the intensity level is based on a button pressure.  
   
   
       4 . The at least one data packet communicating an emoticon message of  claim 1 , further comprising an auditory component.  
   
   
       5 . The at least one data packet communicating an emoticon message of  claim 4 , wherein the auditory component identifies a prerecorded file.  
   
   
       6 . The at least one data packet communicating an emoticon message of  claim 4 , wherein the auditory component identifies a sound effects filter.  
   
   
       7 . The at least one data packet communicating an emoticon message of  claim 4 , wherein the auditory component comprises an audio file for playback on a receiving game console, without permanently saving the audio file on the receiving game console.  
   
   
       8 . The at least one data packet communicating an emoticon message of  claim 1 , further comprising a visual component.  
   
   
       9 . The at least one data packet communicating an emoticon message of  claim 8 , wherein the visual component identifies a prerecorded file.  
   
   
       10 . The at least one data packet communicating an emoticon message of  claim 8 , wherein the visual component identifies a visual effects filter for modifying existing content displayed on a display device.  
   
   
       11 . The at least one data packet communicating an emoticon message of  claim 8 , wherein the visual component comprises a graphic file for display on a receiving game console, without permanently saving the graphic file on the receiving game console.  
   
   
       12 . The at least one data packet communicating an emoticon message of  claim 1 , further comprising a duration.  
   
   
       13 . At least one data packet communicating an emoticon message comprising an intensity level.  
   
   
       14 . The at least one data packet communicating an emoticon message of  claim 13 , wherein the intensity level is based on a button pressure.  
   
   
       15 . At least one data packet communicating an emoticon message comprising an emoticon script.  
   
   
       16 . The at least one data packet communicating an emoticon message of  claim 15 , wherein the emoticon script defines script elements and element actions.  
   
   
       17 . The at least one data packet communicating an emoticon message of  claim 16 , wherein the script elements comprise haptic, auditory and visual elements.  
   
   
       18 . At least one data packet communicating an emoticon message comprising an auditory component.  
   
   
       19 . The at least one data packet communicating an emoticon message of  claim 18 , wherein the auditory component identifies a prerecorded file.  
   
   
       20 . The at least one data packet communicating an emoticon message of  claim 18 , wherein the auditory component identifies a sound effects filter.  
   
   
       21 . The at least one data packet communicating an emoticon message of  claim 18 , wherein the auditory component comprises an audio file for playback on a receiving game console, without permanently saving the audio file on the receiving game console.  
   
   
       22 . At least one data packet communicating an emoticon message comprising a system component.  
   
   
       23 . The at least one data packet communicating an emoticon message of  claim 22 , wherein the system component alters an on/off state of a physical light element on a data processing system.  
   
   
       24 . The at least one data packet communicating an emoticon message of  claim 22 , wherein the system component ejects a drive tray on a data processing system.  
   
   
       25 . A gaming system, comprising: 
 a data processing unit for executing entertainment applications from a media drive, and for executing a voice chat application from a memory;    a controller connected to the data processing unit, the controller comprising a plurality of controls for providing input to the data processing unit;    a network port for communicating with other gaming systems over a network;    the memory storing the voice chat application as computer executable instructions, said instructions comprising generating an emoticon message based on user input received from the controller.    
   
   
       26 . The gaming system of  claim 25 , wherein the emoticon message comprises a haptic component.  
   
   
       27 . The gaming system of  claim 25 , wherein the emoticon message comprises an intensity level.  
   
   
       28 . The gaming system of  claim 27 , wherein the intensity level is based on a button pressure component of the received user input.  
   
   
       29 . The gaming system of  claim 25 , wherein the emoticon message comprises an auditory component.  
   
   
       30 . The gaming system of  claim 29 , wherein the auditory component identifies a prerecorded file.  
   
   
       31 . The gaming system of  claim 29 , wherein the auditory component identifies a sound effects filter.  
   
   
       32 . The gaming system of  claim 29 , wherein the auditory component comprises an audio file for playback on a receiving game console, without permanently saving the audio file on the receiving game console.  
   
   
       33 . The gaming system of  claim 25 , wherein the emoticon message comprises a visual component.  
   
   
       34 . The gaming system of  claim 33 , wherein the visual component identifies a prerecorded file.  
   
   
       35 . The gaming system of  claim 33 , wherein the visual component identifies a visual effects filter.  
   
   
       36 . The gaming system of  claim 33 , wherein the visual component comprises a graphic file for display on a receiving game console, without permanently saving the graphic file on the receiving game console.  
   
   
       37 . The gaming system of  claim 25 , wherein the emoticon message comprises a duration.  
   
   
       38 . The gaming system of  claim 25 , wherein the emoticon message comprises an emoticon script.  
   
   
       39 . The gaming system of  claim 38 , wherein the emoticon script defines script elements and element actions.  
   
   
       40 . The gaming system of  claim 39 , wherein the script elements comprise haptic, auditory and visual elements.  
   
   
       41 . The gaming system of  claim 25 , wherein the emoticon message comprises a system component.  
   
   
       42 . The gaming system of  claim 41 , wherein the system component alters an on/off state of a physical light element on an emoticon recipient's game console.  
   
   
       43 . The gaming system of  claim 41 , wherein the system component ejects a drive tray on an emoticon recipient's game console.  
   
   
       44 . The gaming system of  claim 41 , wherein the memory comprises a resident memory of the gaming system.  
   
   
       45 . A method for sending a dynamic emoticon from a game console executing a chat application, comprising: 
 receiving first user input identifying the dynamic emoticon;    receiving second user input identifying a recipient of the dynamic emoticon;    composing an emoticon instruction message comprising sender data, recipient data based on first user input, and a emoticon data based on second user input;    sending the emoticon message to a second game console corresponding to the identified recipient for playback on the second game console based on the data in the emoticon instruction message    
   
   
       46 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein the emoticon instruction message comprises a haptic emoticon component.  
   
   
       47 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein the emoticon instruction message comprises an intensity level.  
   
   
       48 . The method of  claim 47 , wherein the intensity level is based on a button pressure with which the user provided the user input identifying the dynamic emoticon.  
   
   
       49 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein the emoticon instruction message comprises an auditory component.  
   
   
       50 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein emoticon instruction message further comprises an identifier identifying a file stored on the second game console.  
   
   
       51 . The method of  claim 50 , wherein the identifier identifies a prerecorded audio file stored on the second game console.  
   
   
       52 . The method of  claim 50 , wherein the identifier identifies an audio filter stored on the second game console.  
   
   
       53 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein the emoticon instruction message comprises a visual component.  
   
   
       54 . The method of  claim 50 , wherein the identifier identifies a visual effects filter for modifying existing content displayed by the second game cosnole.  
   
   
       55 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein the emoticon instruction message comprises a duration.  
   
   
       56 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein the emoticon instruction message comprises an emoticon script.  
   
   
       57 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein the emoticon script defines script elements and element actions.  
   
   
       58 . The method of  claim 57 , wherein the script elements comprise haptic, auditory and visual elements.  
   
   
       59 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein the emoticon instruction message comprises a system component.  
   
   
       60 . The method of  claim 59 , wherein the system component instructs the second game console to alter an on/off state of a physical light element on the second game console.