Microsoft Files Patent to Serve Ads Based on Mood, Body Language

Microsoft has filed for a patent for technology to target ads to consumers based on their emotional states, taking the notion of "tracking" to a literal level.

In an application filed in December 2010 but just made public last week, Microsoft sought to patent an advertising engine that gauges people's emotional states based on their search queries, emails, instant messages and use of online games, as well as facial expressions, speech patterns and body movements. The ad engine is device-agnostic; as Microsoft noted in its application, "client devices" could include personal digital assistants, smart phones, laptops, PCs and gaming devices. The patent seems to cover many bases, but the Microsoft product that appears ready-made to deliver emotionally targeted ads is Kinect, the motion-sensing input device that was released for Xbox but now also has a version for Windows. The application states that a user who screams or paces back and forth, when observed by Kinect, could be assigned a negative emotional state by a currently hypothetical advertising engine.