Use of avatars with automatic gesturing and bounded interaction in on-line chat session

The invention in which an exclusive right is claimed is defined by the following:

1. A method for communicating a gesture by an avatar that represents a participant in an on-line graphic chat session, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing an animation in which the avatar appears to move in a defined manner that conveys the gesture, said gesture being determined by the participant to convey at least one of a pluarily of different personality traits and/or current emotions;

(b) during an idle period for the participant in the chat session, when the avatar is otherwise inactive, automatically initiating the animation without requiring any input by the participant; and

(c) during an active period for the participant in the chat session, when the avatar is performing a selected action, automatically initiating another animation in which the avatar appears to move in a defined manner that conveys another gesture, the other gesture being determined by the participant to convey at least one of a plurality of different personality traits and/or current emotions.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of providing the participant with a plurality of avatars; and enabling the participant to select the avatar that will represent the participant in the on-line chat session.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the animation comprises gestures that are indicative of a personality trait and/or an emotion.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of enabling the participant to select and initiate an animation employing the avatar, said animation conveying a desired emotion and/or state of mind to another participant in the chat session.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the animation selected by the participant to convey the desired emotion and/or state of mind is displayed simultaneously in combination with a textual message that is transmitted by the participant.

6. A method for enabling a plurality of different gestures to be implemented by a plurality of different avatars that represent participants in an on-line graphic chat session, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a different script for each of the gestures, each script being applicable to all of the plurality of avatars used in the chat session, each gesture comprising a sequence of visual frames, said visual frames portraying different views of an avatar to produce a visual impression of an animation of said avatar when rapidly displayed in the sequence;

(b) in the script for each gesture, indicating specific visual frames comprising the sequence and time intervals determining a duration for displaying each visual frame of the sequence; and

(c) causing the avatars representing participants in the chat session to automatically implement desired gestures by selectively executing the scripts for the desired gestures, any change to a script to modify a desired gesture causing a corresponding change in said gesture for all of the different avatars executing said gesture.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of avatars has at least one gesture associated with it that is automatically initiated from time to time when the avatar is otherwise inactive during the on-line chat session.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of enabling the participants in the chat session to select the gesture that is automatically initiated, each of said plurality of gestures indicating a different personality trait and/or emotion.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of enabling a participant to select a personality trait and/or emotion that will be indicated by one of the gestures to determine the gesture that will be implemented by the avatar representing the participant.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of enabling a participant to perceive communications from another participant in the chat session only if the other participant is represented by an avatar that is disposed within a defined distance of the participant's avatar.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of enabling the participant to visually perceive a gesture implemented by the avatar that represents the participant in the chat session.

12. A system for use in enabling a participant in an on-line chat session who is represented by an avatar to indicate at least one of a plurality of different personality traits and/or current emotions to others in the on-line chat session, comprising:

(a) an interface to a network on which the on-line chat session is being run, said interface enabling the participant to transmit and receive data over the network;

(b) a display for displaying a graphic representation of a virtual space in which the on-line chat session is occurring;

(c) a memory for storing machine instructions; and

(d) a central processor for executing the machine instructions, said machine instructions, when executed by the central processor, causing the central processor to control the interface and the display, so that;

(i) an animation is provided for the avatar in the virtual space, said animation comprising a plurality of frames played in sequence so that the avatar appears to move in a defined manner within said virtual space, said movement by the avatar representing a gesture when viewed by others participating in the on-line chat session that conveys at least one of the plurality of different personality traits and/or current emotions;

(ii) during an idle period for the participant in the chat session, when the avatar representing said participant is otherwise inactive, the animation is automatically initiated; and

(iii) during an active period for the participant in the chat session, when the avatar representing the participant is performing a selected action, automatically initiating another animation in which the avatar appears to move in a defined manner that conveys another gesture, the other gesture being determined by the participant to convey at least one of a plurality of different personality traits and/or current emotions.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the machine instructions executed by the central processor further provide the participant with a plurality of avatars; and enable the participant to select the avatar that will represent the participant in the on-line chat session.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the machine instructions executed by the central processor further enables the participant to select the animation that is initiated during the idle period from a plurality of different animations, each animation indicating a different personality trait and/or emotion.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the machine instructions executed by the central processor further enable the participant to selectively initiate an animation that conveys a desired emotion and/or state of mind of the participant to another participant in the chat session.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the animation selected by the participant to convey the desired emotion and/or state of mind of the participant is simultaneously activated in combination with a textual message that is transmitted by the participant.

17. A system for enabling a plurality of different gestures to be implemented by a plurality of different avatars that represent participants in an on-line graphic chat session, comprising:

(a) an interface to a network on which the chat session is being run, said interface enabling a participant to transmit and receive data over the network;

(b) a display for displaying a graphic representation of a virtual space in which the chat session is occurring;

(c) a memory for storing machine instructions; and

(d) a central processor for executing the machine instructions, said machine instructions, when executed by the central processor, causing the central processor to control the interface and the display, so that:

(i) a different script is provided for each of the gestures, each script being applicable to all of the plurality of avatars used in the chat session, each gesture comprising a sequence of visual frames, said visual frames portraying different views of an avatar to produce a visual impression of an animation of said avatar when rapidly displayed on the display in the sequence;

(ii) in the script for each gesture, specific visual frames comprising the sequence and time intervals determining a duration for displaying each visual frame of the sequence are indicated; and

(iii) the avatars representing participants in the chat session are caused to automatically implement desired gestures by selectively executing the scripts for the desired gestures, any change to a script to modify a desired gesture causing a corresponding change in said gesture for all of the different avatars executing said gesture.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the avatar has associated with it a script that determines a sequence of the visual frames employed to produce a gesture that is automatically initiated when the avatar is otherwise idle.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein each avatar is associated with a graphic file comprising a predefined number of visual frames, said script referencing specific frames in the graphic file so that different views of the avatar indicated by the script are displayed when the script is executed to implement a gesture.

20. A method for enabling a participant in a graphic on-line chat session who is represented by an avatar to restrict communication with others participating in the on-line chat session, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing the participant with an identification of other persons currently participating in the on-line chat session;

(b) enabling the participant to select specific persons that are currently participating in the on-line chat session from whom the participant will perceive communications during the on-line chat session; and

(c) precluding the participant from perceiving communications from other than the selected specific persons, during the on-line chat session.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of enabling the participant to select the specific persons comprising the step of providing a user interface tool that enables the participant to indicate a defined space adjacent to the avatar that represents the participant, so that only communications from any of the other persons participating in the on-line chat session who are represented by an avatar disposed within said defined space will be perceived by the participant.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the participant is provided with a graphic control to set a radius around the avatar representing the participant to define said space.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of enabling the participant to select specific persons that are currently participating in the on-line chat session comprises the step of enabling the participant to select the avatars representing any of the other persons who are participating in the on-line chat session, using a graphic pointing device.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of enabling the participant to select specific persons that are currently participating in the on-line chat session comprises the step of enabling the participant to select the specific persons from a list of participants in the on-line chat session.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the participant selects the specific persons by using a pointing device to trace a path defining a perimeter of a defined space in which the avatars representing the specific persons are disposed.

26. A method for enabling a participant in a graphic on-line chat session who is represented by an avatar to restrict communication with others participating in the on-line chat session, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing the participant with an identification of other persons participating in the on-line chat session;

(b) enabling the participant to select specific persons from whom the participant will perceive communications during the on-line chat session, the participant employing a graphic control to set a radius around the avatar representing the participant to indicate a defined space adjacent to the avatar, so that only communications from any of the other persons participating in the on-line chat session who are represented by an avatar disposed within said defined space will be perceived by the participant; and

(c) precluding the participant from perceiving communications from other than said specific persons, during the on-line chat session.

27. A method for enabling a participant in a graphic on-line chat session who is represented by an avatar to restrict communication with others participating in the on-line chat session, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing the participant with an identification of other persons participating in the on-line chat session;

(b) enabling the participant to select specific persons from whom the participant will perceive communications during the on-line chat session, the participant using a pointing device to trace a path defining a perimeter of a defined space in which the avatars representing the specific persons are disposed; and

(c) precluding the participant from perceiving communications from any person represented by an avatar that is disposed outside said perimeter, during the on-line chat session.

28. A method for communicating a gesture by an avatar that represents a participant in an on-line graphic chat session, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing an animation in which the avatar appears to move in a defined manner that conveys the gesture, said gesture being determined by the participant;

(b) during an idle period for the participant in the chat session, when the avatar is otherwise inactive, automatically initiating the animation without requiring any input by the participant; and

(c) enabling the participant to perceive communications from another participant in the chat session only if the other participant is represented by an avatar that is disposed within a defined distance of the participant's avatar.

29. A method for enabling a plurality of different gestures to be implemented by a plurality of different avatars that represent participants in an on-line graphic chat session, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a different script for each of the gestures, each script being applicable to all of the plurality of avatars used in the chat session, each gesture comprising a sequence of visual frames, said visual frames portraying different views of an avatar to produce a visual impression of an animation of said avatar when rapidly displayed in the sequence;

(b) in the script for each gesture, indicating specific visual frames comprising the sequence and time intervals determining a duration for displaying each visual frame of the sequence;

(c) causing the avatars representing participants in the chat session to implement desired gestures by selectively executing the scripts for the desired gestures; and

(d) enabling a participant to automatically perceive communications from another participant in the chat session only if the other participant is represented by an avatar that is disposed within a defined distance of the participant's avatar.

30. A system for use in enabling a participant in an on-line chat session who is represented by an avatar to indicate a personality trait and/or an emotion to others in the on-line chat session, comprising:

(a) an interface to a network on which the on-line cat session is being run, said interface enabling the participant to transmit and receive data over the network;

(b) a display for displaying a graphic representation of a virtual space in which the on-line chat session is occurring;

(c) a memory for storing machine instructions; and

(d) a central processor for executing the machine instructions, said machine instructions, when executed by the central processor, causing the central processor to control the interface and the display, so that;

(i) an animation is provided for the avatar in the virtual space, said animation comprising a plurality of frames played in sequence so that the avatar appears to move in a defined manner within said virtual space, said movement by the avatar representing a gesture when viewed by others participating in the on-line chat session;

(ii) during an idle period for the participant in the chat session, when the avatar representing said participant is otherwise inactive, the animation is automatically initiated; and

(iii) the participant is enabled to perceive communications from another participant in the chat session only if the other participant is represented by an avatar that is disposed within a defined distance of the participant's avatar.

31. A method for enabling a participant in a graphic on-line chat session who is represented by an avatar to restrict communication with others participating in the on-line chat session, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing the participant with an identification of other persons participating in the on-line chat session; and

(b) enabling the participant to select specific persons from whom the participant will perceive communications during the on-line chat session by employing a user interface tool to indicate a defined space adjacent to the avatar that represents the participant so that the participant only perceives communications from the specific persons participating in the on-line chat session who are represented by an avatar disposed within the defined space.

Description Submit all comments and votes

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to the use of graphic representations of participants in a chat session, who are communicating using linked computers, and more specifically, it relates to the animation and interaction of avatars (graphic icons) representing the participants.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Use of the computer for communicating on-line with others has recently become much more popular with the increased awareness by the public of the Internet and of services provided by commercial service networks. In addition to enabling access to information, exchange of e-mail messages, and downloading of files, a link to the Internet or to a commercial service network provides an individual with the opportunity to interact with others who are connected to the network.

One of the more common options for enabling several users of an on-line service to interact is through a chat session. A user joining a chat session is added to a list of participants and can then view comments transmitted by other participants and enter and transmit a response. In text only chat sessions, each user's screen is typically divided into two panes. Comments that have been transmitted by those participating in the chat session appear in one pane, and any message being entered by the user appears in the other pane on the user's computer display screen. For practical reasons, chat sessions are usually limited to a predefined number of participants. If any person attempts to join once the limit is reached, the person is typically notified that the chat session is full and precluded from joining. Alternatively, the person may be offered the opportunity to join another separate chat session on the same topic in which others are participating. In chat sessions involving a well known personality, hundreds of people may join the session, but only the host and the moderator are active in the chat session, and all others are simply observers. However, provision may be made to enable questions previously submitted by the observers to be displayed to solicit a response from the guest. The host controls the chat session. The virtual space in which each chat session occurs is sometimes referred to as a "room," since the participants interactively communicate just as if they were meeting in a room.

With the increasing use of modems operating at speeds of 28.8 Kbps on commercial networks, graphical chat sessions are becoming more practical. In a graphical chat session, all of the participants are represented by avatars or icons that are grouped in a graphic environment or "world." In addition to a graphic window showing the chat world, the display screen on each participant's computer typically still includes the chat pane and the message entry pane, as described above. When another user joins the chat session, the person's identifier, moniker, or name is added to a list of the participants, and an avatar for the new participant is added in the graphic chat world. The list normally appears in a third pane. When any participant leaves the chat session, the withdrawal is noted in the member pane, and the avatar representing the person is removed from the graphic chat world.

Although the graphic chat session provides visual information that improves a participant's knowledge of the other participants, the approach for displaying the participants in a conventional graphic chat world is somewhat stilted and artificial, because it fails to convey much information about the personality and emotional state of the participants as the chat session progresses. A graphic chat session of this type is implemented in the Worlds Chat paradigm, which was developed by World, Inc. In a Worlds Chat session, each avatar is associated with a plurality of bitmap sprites, each sprite representing the avatar from a different angle. The multiple views of each avatar do not provide any animation. A user can customize the sprites that represent him/her by modifying these bitmaps using a conventional paint program and a format conversion program that is provided by World, Inc.

In the ImagiNation Network (INN) developed by AT&T, users can customize their avatars by selecting various facial components such as the eyes, nose, and hair style from predefined options, in a manner much like that used in police identikits to create a likeness of a person. The avatars that are thus automatically produced blink their eyes at random times, but this limited animation fails to convey any emotion, action, or personality trait of the individual who is represented by the avatar.

Even though the particular avatar selected by a person and any customization applied with a paint program may reveal some of the individual's personality, such avatars are generally too static in nature and do not reflect the changing emotional state associated with the text messages transmitted by a participant in a graphic chat session. Ideally, a chat session in a virtual world should convey the same kinds of visual interaction that might occur in an actual face-to-face meeting of the people involved in a discussion, and the avatars representing the participants should thus clearly indicate the personalities of each individual and the emotions that are associated with the words communicated between the participants. Although present technology does not permit an ideal virtual world to be achieved during an on-line graphic chat session, it should be possible to animate the avatars sufficiently so that they can convey gestures that represent these traits. When people converse, gestures are an important facet of the communication, since they indicate the personality and emotional state of the speakers. In a graphic chat session, gestures can provide the same visual clues that they provide in a normal conversation. Although gestures are normally used in conversation without conscious thought, in a graphic chat session, it would be preferable for a participant to be able to select the gesture that will be used in combination with text that is transmitted to indicate the emotion or state of mind associated with the communication.

There are times when a participant in a chat session may wish to limit those with whom the person interacts. For example, if a discussion between two of the people involved in the chat session is of particular interest to a third party, the third person may not want to be distracted by communications transmitted from others in the chat session. In many cases, the participant may want to enable only selected persons in the chat session to view his/her avatar and the messages that are sent to those persons; however, this type of interactive control is currently not practical. Yet, it should be possible to selectively limit the group of participants with whom a person interacts so that only selected avatars in the chat session are seen by the person and so that only communications from the selected members of the group are observed by the person. Moreover, it would be preferable to select the members of the limited group that will be observed by the participant in a more graphical and natural manner. When two people want to speak privately in a room, they simply move away from the others in the room so that their private conversation is not audible beyond the range of the other person with whom they are conversing. A similar approach should be applicable to limit those with whom a person interacts in a graphic chat world. Currently, no conventional graphic chat session provides a technique to spatially select the avatars of others that the participant wants to observe and from whom communications will be received. Providing this feature will enable a participant to perceive the avatars of those selected and to receive communications only from those members of the chat session who have been selected. The participant will not perceive the avatars or communications from those who are in the chat room, but were not selected.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accord with the present invention, a method is defined for communicating a gesture by an avatar that represents a participant in an on-line graphic chat session. The method includes the step of providing an animation in which the avatar appears to move in a defined manner that conveys the gesture. During an idle period for the participant in the chat session, when the avatar is otherwise inactive, the animation is automatically initiated without requiring any input by the participant.

The method preferably also includes the step of providing the participant with a plurality of avatars. The participant is enabled to select the avatar that will represent the participant in the chat session.

The animation comprises a gesture chosen from a plurality of gestures, at least some of which are indicative of a personality trait and/or an emotion. Furthermore, the participant is enabled to select and initiate an animation employing the avatar, where the animation conveys a desired emotion and/or state of mind to another participant in the chat session. The animation selected by the participant to convey the desired emotion and/or state of mind may selectively be displayed in combination with a textual message that is transmitted by the participant.

Another aspect of the present invention is directed to a method for enabling a plurality of different gestures to be implemented by a plurality of different avatars that represent participants in an on-line graphic chat session. This method includes the step of providing a different script for each of the gestures. Each script is applicable to all of the plurality of avatars used in the chat session, and each gesture comprises a sequence of visual frames. The visual frames portray different views of an avatar to produce a visual impression of an animation of the avatar when rapidly displayed in the sequence. In the script for each gesture, specific visual frames comprising the sequence and time intervals determining a duration for displaying each visual frame of the sequence are indicated. The avatars representing participants in the chat session are caused to implement desired gestures by selectively executing the scripts for the desired gestures.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is directed to a system for use in enabling a participant in an on-line chat session who is represented by an avatar to indicate a personality trait and/or an emotion to others in the on-line chat session. The system includes an interface to a network on which the on-line chat session is being run; the interface enables the participant to transmit and receive data over the network. A display is provided for displaying a graphic representation of a virtual space in which the on-line chat session is occurring. Also included in the system is a memory for storing machine instructions, and a central processor for executing the machine instructions. The machine instructions, when executed by the central processor, cause the central processor to control the interface and the display. The central processor thus causes an animation of the avatar in the virtual space. This animation comprises a plurality of frames that are played in sequence so that the avatar appears to move in a defined manner within the virtual space. Movement by the avatar represents a gesture when viewed by others participating in the on-line chat session. During an idle period for the participant in the chat session, when the avatar representing the participant is otherwise inactive, the animation is automatically initiated.

Functions performed by the system in connection with the present invention are generally consistent with the steps of the methods described above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a personal computer and modem suitable for use in implementing the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating components of the personal computer that are included within its processor chassis;

FIG. 3 is a character selection dialog box enabling a user to select an avatar to represent the user in an on-line graphic chat session;

FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C respectively illustrate frames showing different gestures that are selectively executed by an exemplary avatar in accord with the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a sequence of nineteen frames included in a bitmap file showing different views of an exemplary avatar;

FIG. 6 is a sequence of five frames that are played as defined by a script to produce a gesture animation of the exemplary avatar;

FIG. 7 is a dialog box illustrating a plurality of controls that can be selected by a user to control the animation of the avatar representing the user in an on-line chat session;

FIG. 8 is a text box in which the user enters a text message and defines the nature of the text message;

FIG. 9 is a flow chart that defines the logical steps implemented in displaying a gesture by executing an animation of an avatar;

FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the logical steps followed to create an animation by following a predefined script;

FIG. 11 is a flow chart that illustrates the logical steps followed in selecting the persons that can communicate with a participant in the on-line chat session;

FIG. 12 is a flow chart that shows the steps for determining whether a message from another person is displayed to a participant;

FIG. 13 is a screen showing an example of an introductory virtual world or room displayed when a user joins a chat session;

FIG. 14 is a host control dialog box that is used by a monitor of the chat session to determine those who are participants and those who are spectators of a chat session;

FIG. 15 is an options dialog box that enables a user to select various options for the graphic chat sessions; and

FIG. 16 is a dialog box showing the options available to the user to limit interaction with other participants in the chat session.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to FIG. 1, a personal computer 30 is illustrated as an example of the type of computer typically used by a participant in a chat session in connection with the present invention. Although the personal computer is of the type intended to run Windows 95.TM., it is contemplated that other types of personal computers, such as those made by Apple Computer Corporation, will also be usable in executing software to implement the present invention. Personal computer 30 includes a processor chassis 32 in which is mounted a floppy disk drive 34, which is suitable for reading and writing data from and to a floppy disk (not shown), and a hard drive 36 suitable for nonvolatile storage of data and executable programs. A monitor 38 is included for displaying graphics and text produced when an executable program is being run on the personal computer and for use in connection with the present invention, for displaying a graphic chat session to a user.

Input can be provided to personal computer 30 using either a mouse 40 for manipulating a cursor (not shown) on monitor 38, which is used for selecting menu items and graphic controls displayed on the monitor by pressing an appropriate selection button (not shown) on the mouse, or by input entered by the user on a keyboard 50. Optionally, processor chassis 32 includes a CD-ROM drive 47, which is suitable for reading programs and data from a CD-ROM. To enable personal computer 30 to communicate during an on-line chat session, an external modem 41 is coupled to a serial port on processor chassis 32. Optionally, a modem may be included internally within processor chassis 32. The modem also connects to a telephone line to convey signals bi-directionally between computer 30 and a server at a remote on-line service (not shown) to which other participants in a chat session are connected in a similar fashion.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram 31 in which components housed within processor chassis 32 are illustrated. A motherboard (not shown) includes a data bus 33, which provides bi-directional communication between these components and a CPU 53. The components include a display interface 35, which drives monitor 38, providing the video signals necessary to produce a graphic display during the chat session and when running other executable programs running on the personal computer. A hard drive and floppy drive interface 37 provides bi-directional communication between floppy drive 34 and hard drive 36, and data bus 33, enabling data and machine instructions comprising executable programs to be stored and later read into a memory 51. Memory 51 includes both a read only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM). The ROM is used for storing a basic input/output operating system (BIOS) used in booting up personal computer 30 and other instructions essential for its operation. Machine instructions comprising executable programs are loaded into the RAM via data bus 33 to control CPU 53.

A serial/mouse port 39 provides an interface for mouse 40 to data bus 33 so that signals indicative of movement of the mouse and actuation of the buttons on the mouse are input to CPU 53. An optional CD-ROM interface 59 couples optional CD-ROM drive 47 to data bus 33 and may comprise a small computer system interface (SCSI) or other appropriate type of interface designed to respond to the signals output from CD-ROM drive 47. Optionally, a sound card 43 is connected to data bus 33 and its output is coupled to an amplifier and speaker system 52 to provide a sound capability for personal computer 30. Output signals from keyboard 50 are connected to a keyboard interface 45, which conveys the signals from the keyboard to data bus 33. If external modem 41 is not used, an internal modem 54 can be provided, which is coupled directly to data bus 33. Alternatively, external modem 41 can be connected to the data bus through a serial port of personal computer 30.

It should be noted that instead of using a conventional modem, other types of digital adapters can be used to couple personal computer 30 to a telephone line. For example, an integrated services digital network (ISDN) would be a desirable alternative to the modem, since the ISDN interface can transfer data at a rate of 64 Kbps or more. At such a data transfer rate, there is very little delay in updating a screen on the monitor during a graphic chat session.

In connection with the present invention, it is contemplated that each participant in a graphic chat session will select a particular avatar to represent the person in the virtual world or room portrayed on monitor 38. Depending upon the subject matter of the chat session, a number of different, but appropriate, avatars will be provided from which a participant may make a selection. For example, if participating in a chat session involving gardening, a participant might select an avatar that appears as a gardener (male or female), a flower, a bee, a frog, a bird, or some other icon related to the subject. Moreover, as will be described below, a participant will have the opportunity to customize the avatar selected and alter the appearance of the avatar as used in