Methods and Systems Providing an Interactive Social Ticker

• US 20100023871A1
• Filed: 07/25/2008
• Published: 01/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Zumobi Incorporated (Aclate, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dossick, Stephen E., Bederson, Benjamin B., SanGiovanni, John
• Application Number:
  US12/180,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20100023871A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/745
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A user interface for use in one or more processor-based devices comprising an interactive, social ticker shared among a plurality of users, the interactive social ticker including an animated flow of selectable content.

Claims

1. A user interface for use in one or more processor-based devices, said user interface comprising:

an interactive, social ticker shared among a plurality of users, said interactive social ticker including an animated flow of selectable content.

2. The user interface of claim 1 wherein said animated flow of selectable content comprises;

a first interactive flow; and

a second interactive flow, wherein said selectable content includes items moveable among said first and second interactive flows.

3. The user interface of claim 2 wherein said first interactive flow comprises general interest content, and wherein said second interactive flow includes socially filtered content shared among said plurality of users.

4. The user interface of claim 3 further comprising:

a third interactive flow including items filtered based at least in part on user preferences.

5. The user interface of claim 1, wherein said user interface is displayed upon a screen of a handheld device.

6. The user interface of claim 1, wherein said user interface is displayed upon a screen of a desktop device.

7. The user interface of claim 1, wherein said animated flow simulates water movement, and wherein said selectable content comprises items rendered to simulate floating on said water.

8. The user interface of claim 7 further comprising a beach area adjacent said water, said beach area including one or more selectable buttons.

9. The user interface of claim 1 wherein said user interface is displayed upon a screen of said processor-based device, and wherein control is provided by a directional input control adjacent to a display area.

10. The user interface of claim 1 wherein items of said selectable content are moved within a display space of said user interface using a drag and drop action.

11. The user interface of claim 1 wherein said interactive social ticker comprises an information flow that includes public content and content shared within a social group.

12. The user interface of claim 11 wherein said social ticker further comprises content provided based on personal interest information about a user.

13. The user interface of claim 1 wherein said selectable content is selected from the list consisting of:

widgets;

tiles;

icons;

text;

pictures; and

videos.

14. A user interface for use in one or more processor-based devices, said user interface comprising:

a social ticker that receives items of content, integrates the items of content into an animated flow, and shares the items of content among a plurality of animated flows on a plurality of devices.

15. The user interface of claim 14, wherein said user interface is displayed upon a screen of a handheld device.

16. The user interface of claim 14, wherein said social ticker further comprises a public information flow including items of general interest content.

17. The user interface of claim 14, wherein said social ticker further comprises a personal information flow including items filtered for personal interest.

18. The user interface of claim 14, wherein at least one of said items of content includes a preview mode wherein selection of said at least one item results in a truncated view of underlying content of said at least one item.

19. The user interface of claim 14, further comprising:

a dialog box for creating content and inserting said created content into said animated flow.

20. The user interface of claim 14, wherein said user interface is in communication with a database which provides said items of content to said user interface.

21. The user interface of claim 14, wherein said user interface is included in an application that is in communication with a web server for providing said items of content.

22. The user interface of claim 14 wherein said interactive social ticker comprises an information flow that includes public content and content shared within a social group.

23. The user interface of claim 14 wherein said social ticker further comprises content provided based on personal interest information about a user.

24. A user interface for use in one or more processor-based devices, said user interface comprising:

an animated flow of information items across a screen of a device, said animated flow providing for selection of said items, wherein selection of one of said items causes said item to expand and present information content within said screen.

25. The user interface of claim 24 wherein said items of information items in said flow are selected from the list consisting of:

widgets;

tiles;

icons;

text;

pictures; and

videos.

26. The user interface of claim 24, wherein said user interface is displayed upon a screen of a handheld device.

27. The user interface of claim 24, wherein said animated flow comprises:

a first interactive flow; and

a second interactive flow, wherein said information items are moveable among said first and second interactive flows.

28. The user interface of claim 27 wherein said first interactive flow comprises general interest content, and wherein said second interactive flow includes socially filtered content shared among a plurality of users.

29. The user interface of claim 24 wherein said animated flow comprises an interactive social flow shared among a plurality of users, wherein said users of said plurality of users create content in said interactive social flow.

30. The user interface of claim 24 wherein said animated flow includes public content and content shared within a social group.

31. The user interface of claim 24 wherein said animated flow further comprises content provided based on personal interest information about a user.

32. A method for operating a processor-based server computer, said method comprising:

receiving a communication from a first processor-based device, said communication providing an information item and indicating that said information item is to be placed in an interactive social ticker;

receiving a communication from a second processor-based device; and

in response to said communication from said second processor-based device, sending said informational item to said second processor-based device with an indication that said informational item is to be placed in an interactive social ticker on a screen of said second processor-based device.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein said communication from said second processor-based device comprises polling.

34. The method of claim 32 further comprising:

receiving information from said first processor-based device indicating one or more user preferences.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein said information item received from said first processor-based device comprises a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), said method further comprising:

comparing said URL against a blacklist database.

36. The method of claim 32 wherein said processor-based server computer sets communication intervals for said first processor-based device.

37. The method of claim 32 further comprising:

receiving from said first processor-based device a request for an advertisement sponsored by a third party.

38. The method of claim 37 further comprising:

receiving said advertisement from said third party; and

providing said advertisement to said first processor-based device in response to said request.

39. A computer program product having a computer readable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon for providing a user interface, said computer program product comprising:

code for rendering a social ticker on said user interface;

code for receiving items of content using said user interface;

code for integrating the items of content into an animated flow on said social ticker; and

code for sharing the items of content among a plurality of animated flows on a plurality of devices.