Sony Corporation

So-net Entertainment Corporation

Kazuhiko Hachiya

Michio Kitamura

Takashi Koki

Namie Otaki

A method and apparatus for sending or receiving an E-mail using animated representation as if a pet were going out of or coming into a GUI picture simulating the insides of both a sender's room and a receiver's room for letter delivery and dispatch. Moreover, the pet, represented by animation, is virtually kept. Specifically, agent data updated responsive to experiences acquired by the pet is sent as annexed papers to the E-mail, while the receiver returns only pet data. Thus, animation represented on a GUI picture simulating the insides of both a sender's room and a receiver's room for imparting an impression as if a pet were going out of or coming into a GUI picture simulating the insides of both the sender's room and the receiver's room for letter delivery and dispatch. The agent data determining the behavior of the electronic pet are updated responsive to the mouse actuation by the user, such as caressing the pet or serving refreshments to the pet, for varying the behavior of the pet, represented by animation, depending on the maintenance environment. The operating states of the mouse are reflected on representation of a pointing cursor.

Method and apparatus for sending E-mail, method and apparatus for receiving E-mail, sending/receiving method and apparatus for E-mail, sending program supplying medium, receiving program supplying medium and sending/receiving program supplying medium

A method and apparatus for sending an E-mail, dispatching or delivering mail with an animated representation as if a pet were going in and out on a GUI picture simulating the inside of a room. In addition, the user can send an E-mail with a friendly feeling using an agent. By sending agent data which is updated responsive to experiences of an electronic pet as annexed papers to the E-mail, the animation appears as if an electronic pet were going in and out on a GUI picture simulating the inside of a room for dispatching or delivering a mail. The behavior of the animated pet is varied depending on the keeping environment. The electronic pet selects an illustrative sentence in keeping with the agent data from preset illustrative sentences for voluntary sending the sentence as an E-mail to a user who is a keeper or to a counterpart of past mailing of the user.

Method and apparatus for automatic sending of E-mail and automatic sending control program supplying medium

Method and apparatus for automatic sending of e-mail and automatic sending control program supplying medium

An E-mail can be sent easily with an animated representation as if a pet were going in and out on a GUI picture simulating the inside of a room for dispatching or delivering a mail. In addition, the user can send an E-mail with a friendly feeling for an agent. By sending agent data updated responsive to experiences of an electronic pet as annexed papers to the E-mail, the animation as if an electronic pet were going in and out on a GUI picture simulating the inside of a room for dispatching or delivering a mail is displayed. The behaviour of the pet displayed by animation is varied depending on the keeping environment. The electronic pet selects an illustrative sentence in keeping with the agent data from pre-set illustrative sentences for voluntarily sending the sentence as an E-mail to a user who is a keeper or to a counterpart of past mailing of the user.

A method and apparatus for processing attached E-mail data and storage medium for processing a program for attached data in which, in sending/receiving an E-mail using a virtual pet displayed on a real world oriented GUI screen as an agent, in which parameters controlling the behavior of the agent are processed on the side of a server and returned to the user to enable the user to change the agent behavior. A user appends agent parameters to an E-mail to send the resulting mail to a pre-set address. An Internet service provider receives the E-mail to judge whether the title (Subject:) of the mail header is (cocktail lounge). If the title is the cocktail lounge, the physical power parameter of the agent parameter is lowered to append it to the E-mail Magneto-optical disc to send the mail back to the user. On the user side, the tipsy behavior of the drunken pet is displayed on the basis of the agent parameters appended to the E-mail Magneto-optical disc.

Method and apparatus for processing attached E-mail data and storage medium for processing program for attached data

Animated virtual agent displaying apparatus, method for displaying a virtual agent, and medium for storing instructions for displaying a virtual agent

A method and apparatus for collecting data for automatically presenting the results to the user, and a storage medium for a data collection program. An agent parameter Pi appended to an i'th (i&equals;1&tilde;n) E-mail is stored in a memory to check to see whether or not the title (Subject:) is the 'race'. If the title is the 'race', the pet name and the physical parameter are stored in the memory. The counter is incremented by one (i&equals;i&plus;1) at step,. This processing is continued until i>n. This formulates a physical parameter table for the user-based mail addresses, pet names and physical power parameters. The ranks are set in the order of the decreasing magnitudes of the physical parameters.

Method and apparatus for collecting data and storage medium for data collection program

An E-mail is sent or received with animated representation as if a pet were going out of or coming into a GUI picture simulating the insides of both a sender's room and a receiver's room for letter delivery and dispatch. Moreover, the electronic pet, represented by animation, is virtually kept. Specifically, agent data updated responsive to experiences acquired by the pet is sent as annexed papers to the E-mail, while the receiver returns only pet data. Thus, an animation is represented on a GUI picture simulating the insides of both a sender's room and a receiver's room for imparting an impression as if a pet were going out of or coming into a GUI picture simulating the insides of both the sender's room and the receiver's room for letter delivery and dispatch. The agent data determining the behaviour of the electronic pet are updated responsive to the mouse actuation by the user, such as caressing the pet or serving refreshments to the pet, for varying the behaviour of the pet, represented by animation, depending on the keeping environment. The operating states of the mouse are reflected on representation of a pointing cursor.

A method and apparatus for collecting data for automatically presenting the results to the user, and a storage medium for a data collection program. An agent parameter Pi appended to an i'th (i&equals;1&tilde;n) E-mail is stored in a memory to check to see whether or not the title (Subject:) is the 'race'. If the title is the 'race', the pet name and the physical parameter are stored in the memory. The counter is incremented by one (i&equals;i&plus;1) at step 48. This processing is continued until i>n. This formulates a physical parameter table for the user-based mail addresses, pet names and physical power parameters. The ranks are set in the order of the decreasing magnitudes of the physical parameters.

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Tokyo, Japan

Kazuhiko Hachiya