Object based contextual menu controls

• US 10,152,199 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2014
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pinterest, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Pinterest, Inc.
• Inventors: Wilson, Jason Luke, Gavini, Naveen, Ramkumar, Steven, Falzone, Anthony T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chuang, Jung-Mu T
• Application Number:
  US14/331,837
• Publication Number:
  US 20150026642A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,610 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0383 Remote input, i.e. interface arrangements in which the signals generated by a pointing device are transmitted to a PC at a remote location, e.g. to a PC in a LAN
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

This disclosure describes systems and methods that enable users to easily take action on objects through use of a contextual menu. The contextual menu may be independent of the application and/or device through which the object is accessed and allows the user to perform actions with respect to an object. The selected action may be locally performed and/or performed at a location remote from the client device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

under control of one or more computing systems configured with executable instructions,

maintaining multiple sets of information for a user of an electronic device, wherein each set of information of the multiple sets of information includes images associated with objects;

receiving a long press input at a location on a display of the electronic device to invoke a contextual menu;

selecting an object corresponding to the location, wherein the selected object includes an image;

determining a plurality of actions that may be performed with respect to the selected object;

causing presentation, on the electronic device, of the contextual menu, wherein the contextual menu includes a plurality of action identifiers, each of the plurality of action identifiers representative of a respective one of the plurality of actions;

receiving a selection of an action identifier from the plurality of action identifiers, wherein the action identifier is representative of an action to add the selected object to a set;

processing the image of the selected object to generate features representative of the selected object; and

for each set of at least a portion of the multiple sets of information,

comparing the generated features representative of the selected object to features for each image associated with the set to generate a similarity score for each image of the set, and

determining an overall similarity score for the set based on an average of the similarity scores for the images of the set;

including, in a plurality of action options corresponding to the selected action, an action option representative of a set with a highest overall similarity score;

causing presentation, on the electronic device, of a plurality of action option identifiers corresponding to the plurality of action options;

receiving a selection of an action option identifier from the plurality of action option identifiers; and

in response to the selection of the action option identifier, causing performance of the action represented by the selected action identifier and corresponding to the selected action option identifier.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the selected action identifier represents a remote action; and

sending action information to a remote computing resource.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the action information includes one or more of the selected object, action commands, or user information.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending action information to a remote computing resource, the action information indicating an action command corresponding to the action identifier and the selected object.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the action identifier represents sending a message that includes the selected object;

and

the computer-implemented method further comprising;

sending action information to a remote computing resource, the action information indicating an action command corresponding to the selected action option identifier.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the image associated with the selected object is processed to generate features representative of the selected object subsequent to the contextual menu being presented to the user.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the overall similarity score for each set of the at least a portion of the multiple sets of information is further based at least in part on comparing metadata associated with the selected object with metadata associated with the images associated with the respective set of information.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the images are associated with the multiple sets of information.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein presenting the contextual menu to the user includes causing presentation, on the electronic device, an input identifier that identifies the location of the received input with the action identifiers each being displayed a defined distance from the input identifier in a radial pattern around the input identifier.

10. A computing system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing program instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to at least;

maintain multiple sets of information for a user of an electronic device, wherein each set of information of the multiple sets of information includes images associated with objects;

receive from the electronic device of the user an input at a location on a display of the electronic device, the input to invoke a contextual menu;

select an object corresponding to the location, wherein the selected object includes an image;

determine a weighting value for each action of a plurality of actions at least in part by applying a decaying weight function to an amount of time since the respective action was previously performed by the user;

determine a plurality of similar objects by comparing features depicted in images of previously selected objects with at least one feature depicted in the image of the selected object;

identify past actions that were previously performed by the user on the plurality of similar objects;

determine a subset of the plurality of actions that may be performed with respect to the selected object based at least in part on the weighting values of the plurality of actions and the past actions that were previously performed on the similar objects;

cause presentation, on the electronic device, of the contextual menu, wherein the contextual menu includes a plurality of action identifiers, each of the plurality of action identifiers representative of a respective one of the subset of the plurality of actions;

receive a selection of an action identifier representative of an action from the plurality of action identifiers;

process the image of the selected object and compare features of the image to features of other images associated with the multiple sets of information maintained for the user to determine a plurality of action options corresponding to the action represented by the selected action identifier;

cause presentation, on the electronic device, of a plurality of action option identifiers corresponding to the plurality of action options;

receive a selection of an action option identifier from the plurality of action option identifiers; and

in response to the selection of the action option identifier, cause performance of the action that is representative of the selected action identifier and corresponding to the selected action option identifier.

11. The computing system of claim 10, wherein the program instructions that when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more processors to at least:

determine a first action option corresponding to the selected action, wherein the first action option has a first probability of selection;

determine a second action option corresponding to the selected action, wherein the second action option has a second probability of selection; and

wherein the plurality of action options includes the first action option and the second action option.

12. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the program instructions that when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more processors to at least:

send for display a menu identifier enabling selection of at least one of the first action option or the second action option.

13. The computing system of claim 10, wherein the program instructions that when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more processors to at least:

determine that the selected object is selected as part of the invocation of the contextual menu.

14. The computing system of claim 10, wherein the program instructions that when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more processors to at least:

determine that the selected action identifier represents a remote action; and

send action information to a remote computing resource, wherein the action information includes the selected object and an identification of the remote action.

15. A computer-implemented method comprising:

under control of one or more computing systems configured with executable instructions,

maintaining multiple sets of information for a user of an electronic device, wherein a set of information for the user includes images associated with objects;

receiving an input at a location on a display of the electronic device, the input to invoke a contextual menu;

selecting an object corresponding to the location, wherein the selected object includes an image;

determining a weighting value for each action of a plurality of actions at least in part by applying a decaying weight function to an amount of time since the respective action was previously performed by the user;

determine a plurality of similar objects by comparing features depicted in images of previously selected objects with at least one feature depicted in the image of the selected object;

identify past actions that were previously performed by the user on the plurality of similar objects;

determining a subset of the plurality of actions that may be performed with respect to the selected object based at least in part on the weighting values of the plurality of actions and the past actions that were previously performed on the similar objects;

causing presentation, on the electronic device, of the contextual menu, wherein the contextual menu includes a plurality of action identifiers, each of the plurality of action identifiers representative of a respective one of the subset of the plurality of actions;

receive a selection of an action identifier representative of an action from the plurality of action identifiers;

processing the image of the selected object and comparing features of the image to features of other images associated with the multiple sets of information maintained for the user to determine a plurality of action options corresponding to the action represented by the selected action identifier;

causing presentation, on the electronic device, of a plurality of action option identifiers corresponding to the plurality of action options;

receiving a selection of an action option identifier of the plurality of action option identifiers; and

in response to the selection of the action option identifier, causing performance of the action represented by the selected action identifier and corresponding to the selected action option identifier.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the contextual menu includes:

presenting an input identifier at an approximate location of the input received to invoke the contextual menu; and

wherein plurality of action identifiers are presented in a radial pattern and at a first distance from the input identifier.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the input is a long press of an input device on a touch-based display of the electronic device.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining the selected object based at least in part on a location of the input with respect to the display of the electronic device.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the selected object corresponds to one of a plurality of objects presented on the display.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the action is performed with respect to the selected object and not with respect to other objects of the plurality of objects.