f13.net forums - Microsoft attempts to patent fat Miis

This is pretty ACK!

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AVATAR INDIVIDUALIZED BY PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTIC

Some highlights:

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An avatar generator for a virtual environment reflects a physical characteristic of the user, injecting a degree of reality into the attributes (e.g., capabilities or appearance). Thereby, many of the incentives and efficiencies of the real world are replicated in a virtual environment. Physical data that reflect a degree of health of the real person can be linked to rewards of capabilities of a gaming avatar, an amount of time budgeted to play, or a visible indication. Thereby, people are encouraged to exercise. Physical data that reflect the health, mood and other physical characteristics also improve social interaction in virtual environments. People seeking to meet and become acquainted with particular types of people are not thwarted by the artificiality of avatars. The ability to readily identify physical characteristics via an adjusted avatar can leverage the abilities of the virtual environment to go beyond what is learned in person. Hidden physical characteristics such as allergies, chronic conditions, etc., can assist in finding those who would understand someone with a like condition, or to exclude those with incompatible lifestyle limitations. The physical characteristics can be further extended to psychological traits associated with the physical person, including intelligence, religious beliefs, political affiliations, and hobbies that affect the rendering of an avatar. Providing such candid physical characteristics can be rewarded by gaining access to social virtual environments wherein such disclosure is required. The physical characteristic data can be gleaned from a third party health data collection repository, a healthcare smart card, a real-time physiological sensor (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, blood glucose, peak flow, pedometer, etc.) to make such disclosure more convenient and verifiable.

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In addition, the physical characteristics can include psychological and demographic information such as education level, geographic location, age, sex, intelligence quotient, socioeconomic class, occupation, marital/relationship status, religious belief, political affiliation, etc. Such information can be useful in enhancing social interaction as well as adjusting how an avatar performs in a competitive virtual environment.

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In block 624, the avatar is adjusted in appearance to reflect the health characteristic. For example, an undesirable body weight could be reflected in an overweight or underweight appearance for the avatar. An unhealthy condition could be reflected in an unhealthy pallor, posture, etc. In block 626, the performance parameters for the avatar are adjusted to reflect health, such as speed, strength, agility, visual acuity, etc. In block 628, these measures could be replicated on a health indicator gadget, such as a SPOT watch, so that the individual or others can gauge a health level. For example, a dedicated gamer could exercise for a period of time until his health indicator gadget shows a sufficiently high health/health credit in order to allow reentering the avatar environment.