Apple secures patent for curious avatar creation tool

by Milen Yanachkov / Feb 21, 2017, 5:32 AM

Example interface for an avatar creation tool

The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office has just granted Apple a patent for an advanced avatar creation and editing tool, that was filed for way back in 2011. The patent envisions of a software for creating virtual avatars which may be used across a variety of services, including, but not limited to, messaging apps, email clients, address books, and games.

The possible applications of the avatar platform are too many, but judging by the graphics included with the patent documentation, Apple may be going for a creation platform similar to Microsoft's Xbox Avatars and Nintendo's Miis. Further, one of the graphics shows an example screen for a Game Center-like service, displaying a user-created avatar alongside player stats.

Check out some of the graphics from the granted patent below, courtesy of Patently Apple:

Example interface showing player stats and user-created avatar

Example interfaces showing player stats and accessory customization screens

Example interface for an avatar creation tool for iPad

via: PatentlyApple

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9 Comments

1. ibend

Posts: 6747; Member since: Sep 30, 2014

they can patent something like this? there are (literally) thousand of games/apps/websites that allow user to make their own avatar, did every single of them also need to patent it? :-/

posted on Feb 21, 2017, 5:41 AM 7

2. notfair

Posts: 719; Member since: Jan 30, 2017

If they don't patent they can't charge royalties... Be smart man WTH!

posted on Feb 21, 2017, 6:18 AM 4

7. lyndon420

Posts: 6737; Member since: Jul 11, 2012

Apple has filed patents in 2014 and had them pushed through faster than this. Obviously this patent isn't important to them and likely forgotten about it until now.

posted on Feb 21, 2017, 7:33 AM 0

3. xondk

Posts: 1904; Member since: Mar 25, 2014

How the heck can they get a patent for this? this is plain and simple abuse of the system, it is broken and corrupt if they can get a patent for something that is THIS common.

posted on Feb 21, 2017, 6:23 AM 5

4. SIGPRO

Posts: 2815; Member since: Oct 03, 2012

This is why apple is crap!

posted on Feb 21, 2017, 6:30 AM 5

6. Andrewtst

Posts: 696; Member since: Jan 25, 2009

Is not Apple crap but smart! The crap is those stupid patent law.

posted on Feb 21, 2017, 7:21 AM 2

5. ShadowSnypa786

Posts: 554; Member since: Jan 06, 2017

WTH a nintendo Wii can do this maybe Nintendo should sue Apple.

posted on Feb 21, 2017, 6:58 AM 1

8. Soundjudgment

Posts: 370; Member since: Oct 10, 2016

They are not trying to 'Patent' all avatar-creation software... they are simply 'Patenting' their brand of tool-software used to create them on Apple iOS-devices.

posted on Feb 21, 2017, 9:29 AM 0

9. joey_sfb

Posts: 6794; Member since: Mar 29, 2012

Of course Apple is not going to sue Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft. Those blokes has the dough to nuke it out!! Wait till a small startup start to use such feature for their devices and get hit by such seemingly innocent patent royalty or lawsuit. So notfair is right!! Apple is smart to take advantage of their broken patent system.