Emotional indicators for digital messaging

Abstract

The present disclosure provides computing systems and techniques for indicating a user's emotion and / or environmental state in a digital messaging application. A computing device may determine a first user's emotion and / or environmental state in response to reading and / or responding to a message, and may communicate the determined emotion and / or environmental state to a second computing device for instant presentation by the second computing device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Examples described herein relate generally to digital messaging, and particularly to conveying an emotional state along with a message or while composing a message. Background Art

[0002] Modern communication devices often include digital messaging capabilities. For example, computers, tablet computers, mobile phones, etc. all include the ability to execute digital messaging applications in which users can send messages and receive messages from other users of these devices. Some digital messaging applications provide an indicator (e.g., three dots) that another user is typing a message. However, such digital messaging applications currently do not provide the ability to indicate mood and / or environmental state. The present disclosure relates to providing an indication of mood and / or environmental state. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003] Figure 1A An example computing device is shown.

[0004] Figure 1B Shown in the display Figure 1A A first example user interface on a computing device.

[0005] Figure 2 A first example system is shown.

[0006] Figure 3 Example techniques for providing indications of mood and / or ambient status in a digital messaging application are shown.

[0007] Figure 4 A second example system is shown.

[0008] Figure 5 A third example system is shown.

[0009] Figure 6 A fourth example system is shown.

[0010] Figure 7 An example logic flow is shown.

[0011] Figure 8 A first example status indication is shown.

[0012] Fig. 9 A second example status indication is shown.

[0013] Fig.10 A third example status indication is shown.

[0014] Fig.11 A fourth example status indication is shown.

[0015] Fig.12A fifth example status indication is shown.

[0016] Fig.13 A sixth example status indication is shown.

[0017] Fig.14 Example storage media are shown.

[0018] Fig.15 Computer architecture is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] As contemplated in the present disclosure, an indication of a user's mood and / or environmental state may be provided to another user. Such an indication may, for example, be presented instantaneously to convey the user's mood and / or environmental state. Note that the present disclosure enables the indication of mood and / or environmental state to be provided more quickly than if the user manually conveyed the information. In addition, the present disclosure enables the indication of mood and / or environmental state to be provided in a manner that may be seamless to the end user.

[0020] More specifically, the present disclosure may be implemented to provide an indication of an emotional and / or environmental state during a messaging transaction. For example, an indication may be provided to a message sender in response to a message recipient receiving a message from the sender and within a brief period of time associated with the time at which the message recipient responds to and / or views the received message. Once a response message is sent by the recipient to the sender, the indication may be withdrawn, removed, or replaced, for example, with a response message.

[0021] In some examples, a first user interacting with a first computing device may receive a message from a second user interacting with a second computing device via the first computing device. The first computing device may determine the first user's emotion and / or environmental state in response to reading and / or responding to the message, and may communicate the determined emotion and / or environmental state to the second computing device for instant presentation by the second computing device.

[0022] In some embodiments, the emotional state can be determined based on biometric data, such as biometric data captured by a wearable device coupled to a computing device with which the first user interacts. In some embodiments, the emotional state can be determined based on one or more characteristics of how the first user interacts with the computing device (e.g., typing speed, typing pressure, etc.).

[0023] In some embodiments, the environmental state may be determined based on various factors, such as applications that are actively used by the first user (e.g., map applications, Internet browsing applications, office applications, phone applications, etc.). In some embodiments, the environmental state may be determined based on whether the computing device is in motion, whether the computing device is coupled to a vehicle, etc. Additionally, the environmental state may be determined based on location data of the computing device (e.g., at home, in bed, in the office, in a conference room at the office, etc.).

[0024] The computing device may generate an indicator of an emotional state, an environmental state, or a combination of an emotional and environmental state. In some embodiments, the indicator may be an emoticon, a combination of emoticons, punctuation, a combination of punctuation, or a coloring of emoticons and / or punctuation. This indicator may be communicated to a second computing device for presentation in a user interface to indicate the first user's emotional and / or environmental state to the second user.

[0025] Figure 1A and Figure 1B An example computing device 100 and a user interface (UI) 124 for a digital messaging application 122 are shown. More specifically, FIG. 1 depicts the device 100 and associated components of the device 100, while Figure 1B The UI 124 is depicted displayed on the display 130 of the device.

[0026] Computing device 100 may include, at least in part, processor 110, memory 120, display 130, interface 140, input / output (I / O) component(s) 150, sensor(s) 160, and radio 170. Memory 120 may store digital messaging application 122, UI 124, status indication 126, and status data 128. In general, in response to executing digital messaging application 122 on computing device 100; computing device 100 may send and receive messages with another computing device (see Figure 2 ), and may generate a UI 124 including indications of sent and received messages. Computing device 100, while executing digital messaging application 122, may capture state data 128 in response to a user receiving message(s), reading a message, or replying to a message; and may determine an emotional and / or environmental state of a user of computing device 100 based on state data 128. Computing device 100, while executing digital messaging application 122, may generate an indication of the determined emotional and / or environmental state (state indication 126), as further discussed herein. Additionally, computing device 100, while executing digital messaging application 122, may send state indication 126 to other computing devices, and may present state indication 126 in UI 124.

[0027] In some examples, processor 110 may include circuitry or processor logic, such as any of a variety of commercially available processors. In some examples, processor 110 may include multiple processors, multi-threaded processors, multi-core processors (whether multiple cores coexist on the same or separate dies), and / or some other kind of multi-processor architecture by which multiple physically separate processors are linked in some way. Additionally, in some examples, processor 110 may include a graphics processing portion, and may include dedicated memory, multi-threaded processing, and / or some other parallel processing capabilities.

[0028] The memory 120 may include logic (a portion of which includes an integrated circuit array) to form a non-volatile memory or a combination of non-volatile memory and volatile memory for permanent storage of data. It should be understood that the memory 120 may be based on any of a variety of technologies. In particular, the integrated circuit array included in the memory 120 may be arranged to form one or more types of memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), NAND memory, NOR memory, etc.

[0029] Display 130 may be based on any of a variety of display technologies, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display, a light emitting diode (LED) display, or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display. In some examples, display 130 may be a touch-sensitive display. Note that display 130 may be external to computing device 100, such as implemented as a computer monitor or a television and coupled to computing device 100 via any of a variety of display data interfaces.

[0030] The interface 140 may include logic and / or features that support a communication interface. For example, the interface 140 may include one or more interfaces that operate according to various communication protocols or standards to communicate through a direct or network communication link. Direct communication can be performed via the communication protocol or standard described in one or more industry standards (including progenies and variants). For example, the interface 140 can facilitate communication through a bus, such as peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe), non-volatile memory express (NVMe), universal serial bus (USB), system management bus (SMBus), SAS (e.g., serially attached small computer system interface (SCSI)) interface, serial AT attachment (SATA) interface, etc.

[0031] I / O component(s) 150 may include one or more components that provide input to or output from computing device 100. For example, I / O component(s) 150 may be a keyboard (hardware, virtual, etc.), a mouse, a joystick, a microphone, a track pad, buttons, a touch layer of a display, a haptic feedback device, a camera, a microphone, a speaker, etc.

[0032] Sensor(s) 160 may include any of a plurality of various sensors arranged to detect information (such as physical environment information, geographic information, biometric information, etc.). For example, sensor(s) 160 may include a radar sensor, an infrared sensor, a light sensor, an RFID sensor, a gyroscope, a global positioning sensor (GPS), a heart rate sensor, a temperature sensor, etc. Signals from sensor(s) 160 may be used to determine the mood and / or environmental state of a user of computing device 100, as discussed in more detail below. Note that some of sensor(s) 160 may be located external to computing device 100, such as on a wearable device (e.g., see Fig.11 ).

[0033] The radio 170 may include a device arranged to communicate with one or more other devices via any of a variety of communication protocols (see Figure 2) for data communications. Such communications may include communications over one or more networks, such as a wireless local area network (WLAN) or a cellular network. In some examples, radio 170 may be arranged to communicate via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, LTE, 5G, etc.

[0034] During operation of computing device 100, processor 110 may execute digital messaging application 122 to send, receive, or both send and receive a message 180 from another computing device. Typically, message 180 is relayed between computing devices via radio 170 and a network (e.g., a cellular network, the Internet, etc.). For example, computing device 100 may send and receive an information element including an indication of message 180 to another computing device.

[0035] Processor 110, when executing digital messaging application 122, may generate UI 124 to present messages to a user. For example, UI 124 may include message box 182 for presenting messages to a user. UI 124 is described as including message boxes 182-1, 182-2, and 182-3. Specifically, message boxes 182-1 and 182-2 are depicted as displaying messages 180-1 and 180-2. UI 124 may also include input box 184 that is arranged to receive input from a user. For example, a user may provide content for message 180 via input box 184.

[0036] It should be appreciated that there are various techniques for indicating the sender or recipient of message 180. For example, as depicted in UI 124, messages 180 received by a user of computing device 100 displayed thereon by UI 124 are aligned on the left side of the screen, while messages sent by the user via computing device 100 are aligned on the right side of the screen. Thus, messages 180-1 and 180-2 displayed in message boxes 182-1 and 182-2 are received by the user of computing device 100. Message box 182-3 corresponds to a message to be sent by the user via computing device 100.

[0037] Message box 182-3 is used to depict (usually momentarily) status indication 126. Status indication 126 can be determined by computing device 100 (as further discussed herein) and can be provided to indicate an emotional state of a user (e.g., a user of computing device 100), an environmental state of the user, or both an emotional state of the user and an environmental state. In general, status indication 126 can include any number of indicators (e.g., emoticons, colored emoticons, punctuation marks, colored punctuation marks, etc.). Figures 7 to 12 Several examples of status indications 126 are given in .

[0038] Figure 2 An example system 200 is shown that includes a computing device 201, another computing device 203, and a server 205. In general, computing devices 201 and 203 can be like Figure 1A and Figure 1B 1. However, for clarity of presentation, computing devices 201 and 203 are depicted as including only memory. Specifically, computing device 201 is depicted as including memory 220-1, and computing device 203 is depicted as including memory 220-2. However, computing devices 201 and 203 will typically also include Figure 1A Other components depicted in FIG. 1 , such as processor 110 , display 130 , radio device 170 , etc.

[0039] The server 205 may include, at least in part, a processor 211, a memory 221, and an interface 241. The memory 221 may store a state prediction application 223, a state prediction model 225, information element(s) 210, state data 128, and state indications 126.

[0040] In some examples, processor 211 may include circuitry or processor logic, such as any of a variety of commercially available processors. In some examples, processor 211 may include multiple processors, multi-threaded processors, multi-core processors (whether multiple cores coexist on the same or separate dies), and / or some other kind of multi-processor architecture by which multiple physically separate processors are linked in some way. Additionally, in some examples, processor 211 may include a graphics processing portion, and may include dedicated memory, multi-threaded processing, and / or some other parallel processing capabilities.

[0041] The memory 221 may include logic (a portion of which includes an integrated circuit array) to form a non-volatile memory or a combination of non-volatile memory and volatile memory for permanent storage of data. It should be understood that the memory 221 may be based on any of a variety of technologies. In particular, the integrated circuit array included in the memory 221 may be arranged to form one or more types of memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), NAND memory, NOR memory, etc.

[0042] Interface 241 may include logic and / or features supporting a communication interface. For example, interface 241 may include one or more interfaces that operate according to various communication protocols or standards to communicate through a direct or network communication link. Direct communication may be performed via a communication protocol or standard described in one or more industry standards (including progeny and variants). For example, interface 241 may facilitate communication through a bus, such as peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe), non-volatile memory express (NVMe), universal serial bus (USB), system management bus (SMBus), SAS (e.g., serially attached small computer system interface (SCSI)) interface, serial AT attachment (SATA) interface, etc.

[0043] Computing device 201 may be communicatively coupled to both computing device 203 and server 205. For example, computing device 201 may be communicatively coupled to computing device 203 and server 205 via a network (e.g., cellular, Wi-Fi, the Internet, etc.). Figure 3 The technique 300 describes an example operation of the system 200. In general, Figure 3 Described are techniques for providing an indication of an emotional and / or environmental state in a digital messaging application (e.g., digital messaging application 122, etc.). Note that reference Figure 2 System 200 and Figure 1A and Figure 1B The technique 300 is described with reference to the computing device 100 and UI 124 of FIG. 1 . This is done for convenience and clarity and not for limitation. For example, the technique 300 may be implemented with different computing devices 100 and UI 124. Figure 2 The system 200 is implemented by an arrangement or an arrangement or an entity of a system. Additionally, note that although the server 205 and the operation of the server 205 are discussed separately and are different from the operation of the computing devices 201 and / or 203; in some embodiments, the features described for the server 205 can be implemented by either or both of the computing devices 201 and 203. For example, the computing devices 201 and 203 can include the state prediction application 223 and the state prediction model 225. The examples are not limited in this context.

[0044] Now go to Figure 3, technique 300 may begin at circle 3.1. At circle 3.1, computing device 203 may generate information element 201 including an indication of a message (or messages) for computing device 201. For example, a processor (e.g., processor 110, etc.) of computing device 203, while executing a digital messaging application (e.g., digital messaging application 122, etc.), may generate information element 210 including an indication of message 180 for a user associated with computing device 201. With some implementations, computing device 203 may generate the information element in response to receiving input from the user indicating the content of message 180.

[0045] Continuing with circle 3.2, computing device 203 may send information element 210 to computing device 201. For example, a processor of computing device 203, while executing a digital messaging application, may send information element 210 to computing device 201 (e.g., via radio 170, etc.) including an indication of message 180. At circle 3.3, computing device 201 may receive information element 210 including an indication of message 180. For example, a processor (e.g., processor 110, etc.) of computing device 201, while executing a digital messaging application (e.g., digital messaging application 122, etc.) may receive information element 210 including an indication of message 180 from a user associated with computing device 203 (e.g., via radio 170, etc.).

[0046] Continuing with circles 3.4 and 3.5, computing devices 201 and 203 may each present message 180 in a UI displayed on a display associated with the respective computing device. For example, the processor of computing device 201 may present message 180 (e.g., in message box 182, etc.) in a UI (e.g., UI 124, etc.) displayed on a display (e.g., display 130, etc.) of computing device 201 when executing a digital messaging application. Similarly, the processor of computing device 203 may present message 180 (e.g., in message box 182, etc.) in a UI (e.g., UI 124, etc.) displayed on a display (e.g., display 130, etc.) of computing device 203 when executing a digital messaging application.

[0047] Continue to circle 3.6. At circle 3.6, computing device 201 may capture, determine, or otherwise generate state data 128. In general, state data 128 may include an indication of characteristics of computing device 201 and / or characteristics of a user of computing device 201 in response to receiving message 180, reading message 180, or replying to message 180. In other words, at circle 3.6, computing device 201 may capture characteristics of computing device 201 and / or characteristics of a user of computing device 201 as the user interacts with message 180 (e.g., via a user interface, etc.). This will be described in more detail below, for example with reference to Figures 4 to 6 . However, in general, state data 128 may include characteristics of computing device 201, such as currently actively used applications, current mobility state (e.g., in motion, not in motion, velocity, etc.), connection state of accessories (e.g., vehicle, etc.), location data, etc. In addition, state data 128 may include biometric data of a device user, images captured by the user, or characteristics of how the user interacts with the computing device (e.g., typing speed, typing pressure, etc.). Furthermore, at circle 3.6, computing device 201 may generate information element 210 including an indication of state data 128.

[0048] Continuing with loop 3.7, computing device 201 may send information element 210 to server 205. For example, a processor of computing device 201, while executing a digital messaging application, may send information element 210 including an indication of state data 128 to server 205. At circle 3.8, server 205 may receive information element 210 including an indication of state data 128. For example, processor 211 of server 205, while executing state prediction application 223, may receive (e.g., via interface 241, etc.) information element 210 including an indication of state data 128 from computing device 201.

[0049] Continue to circle 3.9. At circle 3.9, server 205 can generate state indication 126 based in part on state data 128. For example, server 205 can generate state indication 126 based on state data 128 and state prediction model 225. In other words, processor 211 can generate state indication 126 by providing at least state data 128 as input to state prediction model 225 when executing state prediction application 223. In some examples, state prediction model 225 can be a machine learning model (e.g., a neural network, etc.). Server 205 (or processor 211 when executing state prediction application 223) can use state prediction model 225 to generate an indication of the emotion and / or environmental state of the user of computing device 201 based on state data 128. Moreover, at circle 3.9, server 205 can generate information element 210 including an indication of state indication 126.

[0050] Continuing with circle 3.10, server 205 may send information element 210 to computing device 201. For example, a processor of server 205, while executing a state prediction application, may send information element 210 including an indication of state indication 126 to computing device 201. At circle 3.11, computing device 201 may receive information element 210 including an indication of state indication 126. For example, a processor of computing device 201, while executing a digital messaging application, may receive (e.g., via radio 170, etc.) information element 210 including an indication of state indication 126 from server 205.

[0051] Continuing with circle 3.12, computing device 201 can send information element 210 including an indication of status indication 126 to computing device 203. In some examples, computing device 201 relays information element 210 received from server 205. In other examples, computing device 201 generates a new information element 210 including an indication of status data 126 and sends the information element 210 to computing device 203. In some examples, computing device 201 generates a customized status indication 126 based on user preferences associated with a digital messaging application executed on computing device 201. This will be described below, for example, with reference to Figures 7 to 12 Describe in more detail.

[0052] At circle 3.13, computing device 203 may receive information element 210 including an indication of status indication 126. For example, a processor of computing device 203, while executing a digital messaging application, may receive information element 210 including an indication of status indication 126 from computing device 201 (e.g., via radio 170, etc.).

[0053] Continuing with circles 3.14 and 3.15, computing devices 201 and 203 can each present status indication 126 in a UI displayed on a display associated with the respective computing device. For example, the processor of computing device 201 can present status indication 126 in a UI (e.g., UI 124, etc.) displayed on a display (e.g., display 130, etc.) of computing device 201 while executing a digital messaging application (e.g., in a message box 182, etc.). Similarly, the processor of computing device 203 can present status indication 126 in a UI (e.g., UI 124, etc.) displayed on a display (e.g., display 130, etc.) of computing device 203 while executing a digital messaging application (e.g., in a message box 182, etc.). In some examples, computing devices 201 and 203 can present status indication 126 momentarily. In some examples, only computing device 203 can present status indication 126.

[0054] Technique 300 may optionally include circles 3.16 to 3.19. At circle 3.16, computing device 201 may generate feedback corresponding to state indication 126. For example, a user of computing device 201 may select an alternative state indication to be presented and sent to computing device 201. The alternative state indication may be sent to server 205 in information element 210 at circle 3.17 as state indication feedback. At circle 3.18, server 205 may receive the information element with the state indication feedback, and at circle 3.19, server 205 may update state prediction model 225 based on the state indication feedback. For example, processor 211 may use the state indication feedback to further train state prediction model 225 when executing state prediction application 223.

[0055] Note that the above examples discuss providing indications of emotional and / or environmental states between two users (e.g., users of computing devices 201 and 203). However, in practice, the present disclosure may be implemented to provide indications of emotional and / or environmental states of multiple users (e.g., users participating in a meeting, group discussion, etc.). Figure 4 An example system 400 is shown that includes multiple computing devices 100 coupled via a network 401. The network 401 may be, for example, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or a cellular network (e.g., LTE, 3GPP, etc.). In some embodiments, the network 401 may include the Internet.

[0056] System 400 is depicted as including computing devices 100-1, 100-2, 100-3, 100-4, and 100-5. Note that the number of computing devices is given for the purpose of presenting clarity and is not restrictive. Embodiments may be provided with more or fewer computing devices than depicted in this figure. During operation, one of computing devices 100 may provide a status indication to another in computing device 100. For example, during a group discussion, a single user may be presenting, speaking, or otherwise communicating with the group or audience. A computing device associated with a member of the audience group may provide a status indication 126 to a computing device associated with a user presenting, speaking, or otherwise communicating. For example, computing devices 100-2 to 100-5 are depicted as having memories 220-2 to 220-5 and status indications 126-2 to 126-5, respectively.

[0057] During operation, computing devices 100-2 through 100-5 may determine status indications 126 as described herein. In addition, computing devices 100-2 through 100-5 may provide corresponding status indications 126 to computing device 100-1. Computing device 100-1 is depicted as including memory 220-1 and status indications 126-2 through 126-5 (corresponding to the emotions and / or environmental states determined by the corresponding computing devices 100-2 through 100-5). Computing device 100-1 may be configured to present status indications 126-2 through 126-5 as described herein to convey an indication of the emotions and / or environmental states of the “audience” with which the user of computing device 100 is communicating. In this way, the “presenter” can gauge the audience’s response to recent communications and can adapt or adjust the message accordingly.

[0058] Figure 5 An example system 500 is shown that includes the computing device 100 of FIG. 1 coupled to a wearable device 501. The wearable device 501 may include, at least in part, a biometric sensor 480 and a radio 470.

[0059] In some example cases, the biometric sensor 480 may include circuitry or processor logic arranged to capture any one of a plurality of biometric indicators. For example, the biometric sensor 480 may be a heart rate sensor, a skin temperature sensor, a blood oxygen sensor, etc.

[0060] Radio 470 may include circuitry arranged to communicate data with one or more other devices, such as computing device 100, via any of a variety of communication protocols. Such communications may include communication over one or more networks, such as a wireless local area network (WLAN) or a cellular network. In some examples, radio 470 may be arranged to communicate via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, LTE, 5G, etc.

[0061] During operation, wearable device 501 can capture an indication of a biometric characteristic (e.g., heart rate) of a user or wearer of wearable device 501. Processor 110 of computing device 100 can receive the indication of the biometric characteristic from wearable device 501 while executing digital messaging application 122. In particular, computing device 100 can receive the indication of the biometric characteristic at a time or period that coincides with presenting message 180 via UI 124, or with receiving a response (or partial response) to message 180 or another message 180 from a user of computing device 100. State data 128 can include the indication of the biometric characteristic received from wearable device 501.

[0062] Figure 6An example system 600 is shown that includes the computing device 100 of FIG. 1 and a user 601 of the computing device 100. During operation, the processor 110 of the computing device 100, while executing the digital messaging application 122, may cause an image of the user 601 to be captured via the camera 151. In particular, the computing device 100 may capture an image of the user 601 via the camera 151 at a time or period that coincides with presenting a message 180 via the UI 124, or with receiving a response (or partial response) to the message 180 or another message 180 from the user of the computing device 100. The state data 128 may include an indication of the image of the user captured by the camera 151.

[0063] Figure 7 Logic flow 700 for generating state data is shown. A computing device executing a digital messaging application can use logic flow 700 to generate state data. For example, Figure 1A The computing device 100 of the technique 300 can use the logic flow 700 to generate the state data 128. In some implementations, a computing device (eg, computing device 201) that is part of the technique 300 can use the logic flow 700 to generate the state data 128.

[0064] Logic flow 700 may begin at block 710. At block 710, “RECEIVE AN INDICATOR OF A USER READING A MESSAGE, RESPONDING TO A MESSAGE, OR SHOWING A MESSAGE VIA A DIGITAL MESSAGING APPLICATION,” computing device 100 may receive an indication that a user is reading and / or responding to a message. For example, processor 110, while executing digital messaging application 122, may receive an indication that a user has read message 180-2 presented in message box 182-2. As another example, processor 110, while executing digital messaging application 122, may receive an indication that a user is responding to or sending a message. More specifically, processor 110, while executing digital messaging application 122, may receive input via input box 184.

[0065] Continuing to block 720, “CAPTURE DEVICE CHARACTERISTICS CONSISTENT WITH THE INDICATION VIA SENSOR,” computing device 100 may capture device characteristics consistent with the indication from block 710 via sensor(s) 180. For example, processor 110, while executing the digital messaging application, may capture velocity and location information of computing device 100 via sensor(s) 180 (e.g., GPS sensor, etc.) at a time or period associated with the time of receiving the indication at block 710.

[0066] Continuing to block 730, “CAPTURE USER CHARACTERISTICS CONSISTENT WITH THE INDICATION,” computing device 100 may capture user characteristics consistent with the indication from block 710. For example, processor 110, while executing a digital messaging application, may capture (e.g., via connected wearable device 501, etc.) a biometric characteristic of a user of computing device 100 at a time or period associated with the time of receiving the indication at block 710. As another example, processor 110, while executing a digital messaging application, may capture an image of the user of computing device 100 (e.g., via camera 151, etc.) at a time or period associated with the time of receiving the indication at block 710. As another example, processor 110, while executing a digital messaging application, may capture characteristics of the user of computing device 100, such as typing speed, typing pressure, etc., at a time or period associated with the time of receiving the indication at block 710.

[0067] It is important to note that logic flow 700 may include one or both of blocks 720 and 730. For example, logic flow 700 may include only block 720 or block 730. Continuing to block 740, “GENERATING STATE DATA INDICATING EMOTION AND / OR ENVIRONMENTAL STATE BASED ON THE CAPTURED DEVICE AND USER CHARACTERISTICS,” computing device 100 may generate state data 128 indicative of an emotion and / or environmental state of a user of computing device 100 based on the captured device and user characteristics. For example, processor 110 may generate state data 128 based on the device characteristics captured at block 720 while executing a digital messaging application. As another example, processor 110 may generate state data 128 based on the user characteristics captured at block 730 while executing a digital messaging application. In yet another example, processor 110 may generate state data 128 based on the device characteristics captured at block 720 and based on the user characteristics captured at block 730 while executing a digital messaging application.

[0068] Figures 7 to 12 Example status indications are shown. Such example status indications can be presented in the UI of a digital messaging application to provide an indication of the user's emotional and / or environmental state. In some embodiments, Figure 2 Elements of system 200 may generate and present status indications 126 using technique 300 .

[0069] More specifically, turn to Figure 8, depicting status indication 800. Status indication 800 may include emoticons 801. For example, a smiling face emoticon is depicted as emoticon 801. It should be understood that various emoticons indicating emotions and circumstances may be selected, for example, based on status data 128. As a specific example, a smiling face emoticon may be selected as emoticon 801 based on status data 128 indicating a happy emotion. As another example, a car emoticon may be selected as emoticon 801 based on status data 128 indicating that the user is in a vehicle. As another example, an angry face emoticon may be selected as emoticon 801 based on status data 128 indicating that the user is angry or irritated.

[0070] More specifically, turn to Fig. 9 , depicting a status indication 900. The status indication 900 may include a plurality of emoticons 901. For example, the status indication 900 includes emoticons 901-1 and 901-2. Specifically, the status indication 900 includes a smiling face emoticon as the emoticon 901-1 and a thumbs-up emoticon as the emoticon 901-2. It should be understood that various emoticons indicating emotions and circumstances may be selected, for example, based on the status data 128.

[0071] More specifically, turn to Fig.10 , depicting a status indication 1000. The status indication 1000 may include a plurality 1001 of selected colors or shades. For example, the status indication 1000 includes an emoji 1001 with a dark shade. In some examples, the color or shade of the status indication may be selected based on the status data 128. Coloring may be selected to further indicate an emotion or environmental state. As a specific example, red may be applied to an indicator of the status indication 1000 to indicate an angry emotion.

[0072] More specifically, turn to Fig.11 , depicting state indication 1100. State indication 1100 may include punctuation 1101. For example, an exclamation point punctuation is described as punctuation 1101. It should be understood that various punctuation marks indicating emotions and / or environments may be selected, for example, based on state data 128. As a specific example, an exclamation point punctuation may be selected as punctuation 1101 based on state data 128 indicating an excited emotion. As another example, a question mark punctuation may be selected as punctuation 1101 based on state data 128 indicating that the user is in a state of doubt or questioning.

[0073] More specifically, turn to Fig.12, depicting a state indication 1200. The state indication 1200 may include a plurality of punctuation marks 1201. For example, the state indication 1200 includes punctuation marks 1201-1 and 1201-2. Specifically, the state indication 1200 includes an exclamation point punctuation mark as the punctuation mark 1201-1 and a question mark punctuation mark as the punctuation mark 1201-2. It should be understood that various punctuation marks indicating emotions and / or environments may be selected, for example, based on the state data 128.

[0074] More specifically, turn to Fig.13 , depicting status indication 1300. Status indication 1300 may include one or more punctuation marks 1301. For example, status indication 1300 includes punctuation marks 1301-1, 1301-2, 1301-3, and 1301-4, all of which are periods. Note that punctuation marks 1301 may be any number or combination of punctuation marks, such as exclamation marks, question marks, pound signs, periods, etc. In addition, one of punctuation marks 1301 is colored. For example, punctuation marks 1301-4 are depicted as being colored or shaded. In some examples, the color or shade of the status indication may be selected based on status data 128. Coloring may be selected to further indicate an emotion or environmental state. As a specific example, red may be applied to the indicator of status indication 1300 to indicate an angry emotion.

[0075] Fig.14 An embodiment of a storage medium 2000 is shown. The storage medium 2000 may include any non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or machine-readable storage medium, such as an optical storage medium, a magnetic storage medium, or a semiconductor storage medium. In various embodiments, the storage medium 2000 may include an article of manufacture. In some embodiments, the storage medium 2000 may store computer-executable instructions, such as those for implementing the present invention (such as with respect to Figure 3 and / or Figure 7 The computer executable instructions of one or more of the logical flows or operations described in 300 and / or 700 of the present invention can be used. The storage medium 2000 can also store computer executable instructions for the digital messaging application 122, the state prediction application 223, and the state prediction model 225. Examples of computer-readable storage media or machine-readable storage media may include any tangible media capable of storing electronic data, including volatile memory or non-volatile memory, removable or non-removable memory, erasable or non-erasable memory, writable or rewritable memory, etc. Examples of computer executable instructions may include any suitable type of code, such as source code, compiled code, interpreted code, executable code, static code, dynamic code, object-oriented code, visual code, etc. The embodiments are not limited in this context.

[0076] Fig.15An embodiment of an exemplary computing architecture 3000 that may be suitable for implementing various embodiments as described above is shown. In various embodiments, the computing architecture 3000 may include or be implemented as part of an electronic device. In some embodiments, the computing architecture 3000 may represent, for example, a processor server that implements one or more components of the computing device 100, 201, 203 or server 205. The embodiments are not limited in this context.

[0077] As used in this application, the terms "system" and "component" and "module" are intended to refer to computer-related entities, hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution, examples of which are provided by the exemplary computing architecture 3000. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to, a process running on a processor, a processor, a hard drive, multiple storage drives (optical and / or magnetic storage media), an object, an executable file, a thread of execution, a program, and / or a computer. For example, both an application running on a server and a server can be a component. One or more components can reside in a process and / or a thread of execution, and a component can be located on a computer and / or distributed between two or more computers. Further, components can be communicatively coupled to each other through various types of communication media to coordinate operations. Coordination can include unidirectional or bidirectional information exchange. For example, a component can communicate information in the form of a signal transmitted through a communication medium. The information can be implemented as a signal assigned to various signal lines. In this assignment, each message is a signal. However, other embodiments can alternatively use data messages. Such data messages can be sent through various connections. Exemplary connections include parallel interfaces, serial interfaces, and bus interfaces.

[0078] The computing architecture 3000 includes various common computing elements, such as one or more processors, multi-core processors, coprocessors, memory units, chipsets, controllers, peripherals, interfaces, oscillators, timing devices, video cards, sound cards, multimedia input / output (I / O) components, power supplies, etc. However, the embodiments are not limited to implementation by the computing architecture 3000.

[0079] As shown in this figure, computing architecture 3000 includes processing unit 3004, system memory 3006, and system bus 3008. Processing unit 3004 can be any of a variety of commercially available processors, including but not limited to and processor; Application, embedded and security processors; and DragonBall and PowerPC processors; IBM and Cell processor; Core(2) and processor; and similar processors. Dual microprocessors, multi-core processors, and other multi-processor architectures may also be used as the processing unit 3004.

[0080] The system bus 3008 provides an interface for system components, including but not limited to the interface of the system memory 3006 to the processing unit 3004. The system bus 3008 can be any of several types of bus structures, which can also interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of commercially available bus architectures. Interface adapters can be connected to the system bus 3008 via a slot architecture. Example slot architectures can include but are not limited to Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP), Card Bus, (Extended) Industry Standard Architecture ((E)ISA), Micro Channel Architecture (MCA), NuBus, Peripheral Component Interconnect (Extended), PCI (X), PCI Express, Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA), etc.

[0081] The system memory 3006 may include various types of computer-readable storage media in the form of one or more high-speed memory units, such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), double-data-rate DRAM (DDRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), static RAM (SRAM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEROM), flash memory (e.g., one or more flash arrays), polymer memory such as ferroelectric polymer memory, bidirectional memory, phase change or ferroelectric memory, silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SONOS) memory, magnetic or optical card, device arrays such as Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) drives, solid-state memory devices (e.g., USB memory, solid-state drives, etc.), and memory cells. The system memory 3006 may include a non-volatile memory 3010 and / or a volatile memory 3012. The basic input / output system (BIOS) may be stored in the non-volatile memory 3010.

[0082] The computer 3002 may include various types of computer-readable storage media in the form of one or more low-speed storage units, including an internal (or external) hard disk drive (HDD) 3014, a magnetic floppy disk drive (FDD) 3016 that reads from or writes to a removable disk 3018, and an optical drive 3020 that reads from or writes to a removable optical disk 3022 (e.g., a CD-ROM or DVD). The HDD 3014, FDD 3016, and optical drive 3020 may be connected to the system bus 3008 via a HDD interface 3024, a FDD interface 3026, and an optical drive interface 3028, respectively. The HDD interface 3024 for external drive implementations may include at least one or both of Universal Serial Bus (USB) and IEEE interface technologies.

[0083] The drives and associated computer-readable media provide volatile and / or nonvolatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executable instructions, etc. For example, a number of program modules may be stored in the drives and memory units 3010, 3012, including an operating system 3030, one or more application programs 3032, other program modules 3034, and program data 3036. In one embodiment, the one or more application programs 3032, other program modules 3034, and program data 3036 may include, for example, various applications and / or components of the wireless charging system 100.

[0084] A user may enter commands and information into the computer 3002 through one or more wired / wireless input devices, such as a keyboard 3038 and a pointing device, such as a mouse 3040. Other input devices may include a microphone, an infrared (IR) remote control, a radio-frequency (RF) remote control, a game pad, a stylus, a card reader, a dongle, a fingerprint reader, a glove, a graphics tablet, a joystick, a keyboard, a retina reader, a touch screen (e.g., a capacitive touch screen, a resistive touch screen, etc.), a trackball, a trackpad, a sensor, a stylus, etc. These and other input devices are typically connected to the processing unit 3004 through an input device interface 3042 coupled to the system bus 3008, but may also be connected through other interfaces, such as a parallel port, an IEEE 994 serial port, a game port, a USB port, an IR port, etc.

[0085] A monitor 3044 or other type of display device is also connected to the system bus 3008 via an interface, such as a video adapter 3046. The monitor 3044 may be internal or external to the computer 3002. In addition to the monitor 3044, computers typically include other peripheral output devices, such as speakers, printers, and the like.

[0086] The computer 3002 can operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers (e.g., remote computer 3048) via wired and / or wireless communications. The remote computer 3048 can be a workstation, server computer, router, personal computer, portable computer, microprocessor-based entertainment appliance, peer device, or other public network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described relative to the computer 3002, although only a memory / storage device 3050 is shown for simplicity. The depicted logical connections include wired / wireless connectivity to a local area network (LAN) 3052 and / or a larger network (e.g., a wide area network (WAN) 3054). Such LAN and WAN networking environments are common in offices and companies and facilitate enterprise-wide computer networks, such as intranets, all of which can be connected to a global communication network, such as the Internet.

[0087] When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 3002 is connected to the LAN 3052 through a wired and / or wireless communication network interface or adapter 3056. The adapter 3056 can facilitate wired and / or wireless communication to the LAN 3052, which can also include a wireless access point disposed thereon for communicating with the wireless functionality of the adapter 3056.

[0088] When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 3002 may include a modem 3058, or be connected to a communications server on the WAN 3054, or have other means for establishing communications over the WAN 3054, such as through the Internet. The modem 3058 (which may be an internal or external and wired and / or wireless device) is connected to the system bus 3008 via the input device interface 3042. In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 3002, or portions thereof, may be stored in the remote memory / storage device 3050. It should be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers may be used.

[0089] The computer 3002 is operable to communicate with wired and wireless devices or entities using the IEEE 802 family of standards, such as wireless devices that are operatively configured to be in wireless communication (e.g., IEEE 802.16 over-the-air modulation technology). This includes at least Wi-Fi (or Wireless Fidelity), WiMax, and Bluetooth wireless technologies, among others. Thus, the communication may be a predefined structure like a conventional network, or simply a point-to-point communication between at least two devices. Wi-Fi networks use radio technology known as IEEE 802.11x (a, b, g, n, etc.) to provide secure, reliable, and fast wireless connectivity. Wi-Fi networks can be used to connect computers to each other, to the Internet, and to wired networks (which use media and functionality associated with IEEE 802.3).

Claims

1. A device comprising: processor; as well as A memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: receiving, from a message transmitting device, a first information element including an indication of message content; capturing, via one or more sensors, characteristics consistent with an indication of the message content, wherein the characteristics are characteristics of the device and characteristics of a user of the device; generating state data indicative of an emotional state and an environmental state based on the characteristics; determining, in part in response to receiving a message including the message content, an indication of an emotional state, wherein the indication of the emotional state is generated by a state prediction model based on the state data; determining, in part in response to receiving a message including the message content, an indication of an environmental state, wherein the indication of the environmental state is generated by a state prediction model based on the state data; generating a second information element comprising an indication of the determined emotional state, an indication of the determined environmental state, and an indication for transiently presenting the indication of the determined emotional state and environmental state; sending the second information element to the messaging device; determining feedback associated with the emotional state and the indication of the environmental state; as well as The state prediction model is updated based on the feedback.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the memory further comprises instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: receiving an indication of a biometric status of a recipient of the message from a biometric sensor; and The emotional state is determined based at least in part on an indication of the biometric state.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the memory further comprises instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: determining current usage of the device; and The emotional state is determined based at least in part on a current use of the device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the memory further comprises instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: receiving an image of a recipient of the message from a camera; and The emotional state is determined based at least in part on the image.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a sensor, the memory further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: receiving, from the sensor, an environmental characteristic associated with the device; and The environmental state is determined based at least in part on the environmental characteristic. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the environmental characteristic comprises at least one of a speed, a location, or a currently used application. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the determined indication of the emotional state comprises at least one emoticon.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the determined indications of emotional states and environmental states include multiple emoticons, a first emoticon of the multiple emoticons indicating a first emotional state or environmental state, and a second emoticon of the multiple emoticons indicating a different second emotional state or environmental state.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the determined indication of the emotional state comprises a plurality of punctuation marks.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the plurality of punctuation marks are periods, and wherein the second information element comprises an indication of a color for presenting at least one of the punctuation marks.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, the second information element further comprising an indication that a recipient of the message is in the process of responding to the message.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory further comprises instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: generating a third information element comprising an indication of a response message; and The third information element is sent to the messaging device along with an indication to replace the momentary presentation of the determined emotional state and environmental state with the response message.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the emotional state of the user is determined based in part on at least one actively used application executed by the device or a connection state of at least one accessory with the device.

14. An apparatus comprising: processor; as well as A memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: receiving an input signal including an indication of a message from an input device; generating a first information element comprising an indication of the message; sending the first information element to a message transmitting device; capturing, via one or more sensors, characteristics consistent with an indication of the message, wherein the characteristics are characteristics of the device and characteristics of a user of the device; generating state data indicative of an emotional state based on the characteristic; receiving from the messaging device a second information element including an indication of an emotional state; sending a control signal to a display to cause the display to momentarily present an indication of the emotional state, wherein the indication of the emotional state is generated by a state prediction model based on the state data; determining feedback associated with the indication of the emotional state; as well as The state prediction model is updated based on the feedback.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising the display, and The memory also includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to send a control signal to the display to cause the display to present the message.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the memory further comprises instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: Generate user interface; presenting the message in the user interface; and An indication of the emotional state is transiently presented in the user interface.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the memory further comprises instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: receiving from the message transmitting device a third information element including an indication of a response message; and The response message is presented in the user interface, wherein the response message replaces a momentarily presented indication of the emotional state.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the indication of the emotional state comprises at least one emoticon.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the indication of the emotional state comprises a plurality of punctuation marks.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the plurality of punctuation marks are periods, and wherein the second information element comprises an indication of a color for presenting the punctuation marks.

21. At least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor at a computing platform, cause the processor to: receiving, from a message transmitting device, a first information element including an indication of a message; capturing, via one or more sensors, characteristics consistent with an indication of the message, wherein the characteristics are characteristics of the computing platform and characteristics of a user of the computing platform; generating state data indicative of an emotional state based on the characteristic; determining an indication of an emotional state of a user in response to the message, wherein the indication of the emotional state is generated by a state prediction model based on the state data; generating a second information element comprising an indication of the determined emotional state and an indication to momentarily present the indication of the determined emotional state; sending the second information element to the messaging device; determining feedback associated with the indication of the emotional state; as well as The state prediction model is updated based on the feedback.

22. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 21, comprising instructions further causing the processor to: Determining a plurality of possible emotional states of the user based on a machine learning model; and A request is generated to select one of the plurality of possible emotional states to be designated as the emotional state.

23. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 22, comprising instructions further causing the processor to: receiving a response including an indication of one of the plurality of possible emotional states to be designated as the emotional state; and The machine learning model is updated based on the response.

24. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 22, comprising instructions further causing the processor to: receiving an indication of a biometric characteristic of the user; and The emotional state is determined based on the machine learning model and an indication of the biometric characteristic.

25. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein the biometric characteristic is a ratio of a current heart rate to a resting heart rate or a variability of a current heart rate.

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