System and method for downloading multimedia events scheduling information for display

• US 20080163047A1
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Wagner, Mark, Reiss, David Scott, Gossweiler, Richard Carl, Scott, Maricia, Tull, Alice, Heilman, Timothy Dharma, Zigmond, Daniel John, Bauer, Marisa, Patel, Manish Gordhan, Blackburn, John Wayne, Zhang, Lucy Congyun, Taylor, Thomas H., Brown, David A., Sahami, Mehran, Gupta, Neha
• Granted Patent: US 8,291,454 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/277
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70

Abstract

A system for displaying information may include memory, one or more processors, and one or more modules stored in memory. The one or more modules are configured for execution by the one or more processors and may include instructions for: presenting a subset of a collection of data on a first grid having a first axis corresponding to units of time and a second axis, the collection of data comprising data representing time-bounded events; presenting a second grid having, first and second axes corresponding to the first and second axes of the first grid, the second grid corresponding to a larger portion of the collection of data than the subset presented on the first grid; and presenting a user moveable window for selecting a portion of the second grid, and selecting the subset presented on the first grid in accordance with a current position of the window.

Claims

1. A method of retrieving and displaying information, comprising:

at a client device;

acquiring from a server a first portion of a collection of data, the collection of data comprising data representing time-bounded events;

presenting a subset of the first portion of the collection of data on a first grid having a first axis corresponding to units of time and a second axis;

prefetching from the server a second portion of the collection of data;

presenting at least a subset of the second portion of the collection of data when a user hovers a pointer over a respective time bounded event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second portion corresponds to the presented subset of the first portion.

3. The method of claim 1, further including, at the client device, presenting, when the user hovers the pointer over the respective time bounded event, a subset of the first portion and the second portion of the collection of data.

4. The method of claim 1, further including, at the client device, presenting, when the user selects the respective time bounded event, a subset of the first portion and the second portion of the collection of data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the collection of data includes data to be presented on the first grid in response to a user action.

6. The method of claim 1, further including

acquiring from the server a third portion of the collection of data;

and

presenting the third portion of the collection data when the user selects the respective time-bounded event.

7. The method of claim 1, further including

presenting a second grid having first and second axes corresponding to the first and second axes of the first grid, the second grid corresponding to a larger portion of the low resolution portion of the collection of data than the subset presented on the first grid.

8. A method of receiving and displaying information, comprising:

at a client device;

acquiring from a server a subset of a collection of data, wherein the collection of data represents time-bounded events and wherein the collection of data is divided into at least a first tier of information, a second tier of information and a third tier of information, including;

acquiring, in response to a first type of user action, a subset of the first tier information for presentation on a first grid having a first axis corresponding to units of time and a second axis;

prefetching a subset of the second tier information, wherein at least a portion of the second tier information that is prefetched corresponds to the acquired first tier information; and

acquiring, in response to a second type of user action, a subset of the third tier information, at least a subset of the third tier information for presentation in accordance with a respective user action.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second tier information with respect to a particular time-bounded event supplements the corresponding first tier information, and the third tier information with respect to the particular time-bounded event further supplements the corresponding first tier information.

10. The method of claim 8, further including:

storing the acquired subset of the collection of data in a local database within the client device; and

presenting, using information retrieved from the local database, at least a portion of the second tier information for a particular time-bounded event along with at least a portion of the first tier information for the particular time-bounded event.

11. The method of claim 10, further including:

presenting, using information retrieved from the local database, at least a portion of the third tier information for a particular time-bounded event along with at least a portion of the first tier information for the particular time-bounded event.

12. The method of claim 8, further including:

prefetching an additional subset of the first tier of information.

13. The method of claim 12, further including:

presenting in the first grid at least a portion of the additional subset of the first tier of information in accordance with a user action.

14. A system for displaying information, comprising:

memory;

one or more processors; and

one or more modules stored in memory and configured for execution by the one or more processors, the modules comprising;

instructions for acquiring from a server a first portion of a collection of data, the collection of data comprising data representing time-bounded events;

instructions for presenting a subset of the first portion of the collection of data on a first grid having a first axis corresponding to units of time and a second axis;

instructions for prefetching from the server a second portion of the collection of data;

instructions for presenting at least a subset of the second portion of the collection of data when a user hovers a pointer over a respective time bounded event.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the second portion corresponds to the presented subset of the first portion.

16. The system of claim 14, further including, at the client device, instructions for presenting, when the user hovers the pointer over the respective time bounded event, a subset of the first portion and the second portion of the collection of data.

17. The system of claim 14, further including, at the client device, instructions for presenting, when the user selects the respective time bounded event, a subset of the first portion and the second portion of the collection of data.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the first portion of the collection of data includes data to be presented on the first grid in response to a user action.

19. The system of claim 14, further including:

instructions for acquiring from the server a third portion of the collection of data; and

instructions for presenting the third portion of the collection data when the user selects the respective time-bounded event.

20. The system of claim 14, further including

presenting a second grid having first and second axes corresponding to the first and second axes of the first grid, the second grid corresponding to a larger portion of the low resolution portion of the collection of data than the subset presented on the first grid.

21. A system for displaying information, comprising:

memory;

one or more processors; and

one or more modules stored in memory and configured for execution by the one or more processors, the modules comprising;

instructions for acquiring from a server a subset of a collection of data, wherein the collection of data represents time-bounded events and wherein the collection of data is divided into at least a first tier of information, a second tier of information and a third tier of information, including instructions for;

acquiring, in response to a first type of user action, a subset of the first tier information for presentation on a first grid having a first axis corresponding to units of time and a second axis;

prefetching a subset of the second tier information, wherein at least a portion of the second tier information that is prefetched corresponds to the acquired first tier information; and

acquiring, in response to a second type of user action, a subset of the third tier information, at least a subset of the third tier information for presentation in accordance with a respective user action.

22. A computer program product for use in conjunction with a computer system, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium and a computer program mechanism embedded therein, the computer program mechanism comprising instructions for:

acquiring from a server a first portion of a collection of data, the collection of data comprising data representing time-bounded events;

presenting a subset of the first portion of the collection of data on a first grid having a first axis corresponding to units of time and a second axis;

prefetching from the server a second portion of the collection of data;

presenting at least a subset of the second portion of the collection of data when a user hovers a pointer over a respective time bounded event.

23. A computer program product for use in conjunction with a computer system, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium and a computer program mechanism embedded therein, the computer program mechanism comprising instructions for:

acquiring from a server a subset of a collection of data, wherein the collection of data represents time-bounded events and wherein the collection of data is divided into at least a first tier of information, a second tier of information and a third tier of information, including instructions for;

acquiring, in response to a first type of user action, a subset of the first tier information for presentation on a first grid having a first axis corresponding to units of time and a second axis;

prefetching a subset of the second tier information, wherein at least a portion of the second tier information that is prefetched corresponds to the acquired first tier information; and

acquiring, in response to a second type of user action, a subset of the third tier information, at least a subset of the third tier information for presentation in accordance with a respective user action.