Patents by Inventor Timothy C. Skelly

Timothy C. Skelly has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Method and system for selecting an emotional appearance and prosody for a graphical character
    Patent number: 6064383
    Abstract: A user interface element enables the user to select an appearance for a character that corresponds with an emotion and an emotional intensity. The user interface may more generally be utilized to select values for a first degree of freedom and a second degree of freedom. The user interface element may take the form of a symmetrical closed curve, such as a circle. The user interface element is logically partitioned into sub-regions. Each sub-region may additionally be partitioned into one or more sub-areas. Each sub-region is associated with a given value for a first degree of freedom, and each sub-area is associated with a value for the second degree of freedom. When the user interface element is utilized to select emotions and emotional intensity for a character, the user interface element may include a character preview area that displays a preview of a character's appearance given a current position of the position indicator within the user interface element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2000
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Timothy C. Skelly