APPLICATION MODIFICATION BASED ON FEED CONTENT

• US 20100138753A1
• Filed: 10/26/2009
• Published: 06/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Barberich, George Craig, Huff, Joel, Cooley, Daniel J., Riggs, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 8,671,351 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/745
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

A data format provides a mechanism to dynamically change the appearance of an application. During operation, the application obtains streaming feed data for presentation to a user. The feed data may be formatted according to a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) data format. The application detects, within the feed data, branding extensions that identify branding content to be displayed concurrently with channel data and content items when a user selects a channel defined by the feed data. The application detects a user selection of the channel defined by the feed data, and in response, references the branding extensions to obtain and display the branding content within a display region of the application that is separate from the content presentation region of the application for display of content items defined within the feed data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying, on a display screen, at least one portion of a graphical user interface (GUI) initially rendered with application content;

displaying a content presentation region in the GUI;

in response to a selection of a representation of a first streaming content channel, applying a first application skin to the at least one portion of the GUI, the first streaming content channel providing access to a first content item and a reference to the first application skin; and

based on the selection of the representation of the first streaming content channel, displaying a representation of the first content item in the content presentation region while the first application skin is applied to the at least one portion of the GUI.

2. The method as in claim 1, comprising:

displaying a content viewing region in the GUI, the content viewing region visually separate from the at least one portion of the GUI and the content presentation region; and

in response to a selection of the representation of the first content item, presenting, in the content viewing region, content identified by the representation of the first content item.

3. The method as in claim 1, comprising:

in response to a selection of a representation of a second streaming content channel;

terminating display of the first application skin;

applying a second application skin to the at least one portion of the GUI, the second streaming content channel providing access to a second content item and a reference to the second application skin; and

terminating display of the representation of the first content item in the content presentation region.

4. The method as in claim 3, comprising:

displaying a content viewing region in the GUI, the content viewing region visually separate from the at least one portion of the GUI and the content presentation region; and

in response to a selection of the representation of the second content item, presenting, in the content viewing region, content identified by the representation of the second content item.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein applying the first application skin to the at least one portion of the GUI includes:

utilizing the reference to the first application skin to identify a remote location of at least one background image, the reference to the first application skin comprising a tag embedded in the first streaming content channel.

6. The method as in claim 5, comprising:

obtaining the at least one background image from the remote location; and

modifying at least one GUI property visible in the at least one portion of the GUI according to at least one visual characteristic of the at least one background image.

7. The method as in claim 6, wherein modifying the at least one GUI property visible in the at least one portion of the GUI according to the at least one visual characteristic of the at least one background image includes:

displaying a modified GUI property in the at least one portion of the GUI, wherein the modified GUI property portrays a visual similarity to the at least one background image.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein applying the first application skin to the at least one portion of the GUI includes:

utilizing the reference to the first application skin to identify a remote location of at least one graphical modification associated with the first application skin, the reference to the first application skin comprising a tag embedded in the first streaming content channel; and

obtaining the at least one graphical modification from the remote location; and

modifying at least one pull-down menu, accessible via the at least one portion of the GUI, according to the at least one graphical modification.

9. The method as in claim 8, wherein modifying at least one pull-down menu, accessible via the at least one portion of the GUI includes:

upon detecting a request to present the at least one pull-down menu, displaying the at least one pull-down menu, wherein the at least one pull-down menu includes at least one visual characteristic modified according to the at least one graphical modification.

10. The method as in claim 1, wherein applying the first application skin to the at least one portion of the GUI includes:

modifying, according to at least one visual characteristic of the first application skin, the application content currently visible in the at least one portion of the GUI, the at least one portion of the GUI displayed as visually separate from the content presentation region.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 1, comprising:

wherein streaming the data feed includes;

streaming a first data feed and a second data feed;

wherein transmitting the application skin content includes;

upon detecting selection of the first data feed, transmitting the first application skin content to the client computer system, the first application skin content effecting a first modification of a visual appearance of the at least one GUI portion; and

upon detecting selection of the second data feed while the visual appearance of the at least one portion of the GUI displays the first modification, transmitting the second skin application content to the client computer system, the second application skin content for a second modification of the visual appearance of the at least one GUI portion, the selection of the second data feed negating the first modification of the visual appearance of the at least one GUI portion.

11. A computer-readable medium having instructions, when processed by at least one server computer system, enable the server computer system to perform the operations of:

streaming a data feed to at least one client computer system, the data feed including a reference to a content item and a reference to application skin content;

upon detecting a selection of a representation of the data feed, transmitting the application skin content to the client computer system, the application skin content for modification of at least one graphical user interface (GUI) portion initially rendered with application content from at least one application interacting with the client computer system, the at least one GUI portion visually separate from at least one content presentation region of the GUI; and

transmitting the content item to the client computer system upon detecting selection of a representation of the content item, the representation of the content item presented in the content presentation region.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein transmitting the application skin content to the client computer system upon detecting a selection of a representation of the data feed includes:

receiving a request for the application skin content from the client computer system, the application skin content comprising branding content, the branding content associated with a commercial identity of a publisher of the content item; and

transmitting the branding content to the client computer system, the branding content for modification of at least one graphical user interface (GUI) portion.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein streaming the reference to the application skin content in the data feed includes:

providing a tag associated with the application skin content, the tag providing an identification of at least one display region of the GUI to which the application skin content is to be applied.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein streaming the reference to the application skin content in the data feed includes:

providing at least one branding extension, encoded within the streaming data feed, that identifies branding content to be displayed in a display region of the GUI, the display region including at least one of;

i) an application window border display region that surrounds the application;

ii) a channel presentation display region of the application in which the streaming data feed may be selected as a channel from a plurality of streaming data feeds;

iii) a background image display region in which the application can display a background image identified by the branding content.

iv) a content item selection display region of the application that indicates content items associated with a selected channel for a streaming data feed selectable for viewing; and

v) an application control display region that displays controls operable to control the application.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein streaming the reference to the application skin content in the data feed includes:

providing at least one branding extension, encoded within the streaming data feed, that identifies branding content to be applied to a rendered control displayed by the GUI.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein streaming the data feed includes:

streaming a set of data feeds, each data feed in the set of data feeds arranged according to a syndicated markup language format that identifies content items available for selection and viewing, wherein a first data feed provides a reference to first application skin content, wherein a second data feed provides a reference to second application skin content, the first application skin content different than the second application skin content.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 11, comprising

wherein streaming the data feed includes:

streaming multiple data feeds, each data feed providing access to;

(i) a plurality of content item references corresponding to a respective channel of content and (ii) a reference to application skin content associated with the respective channel of content;

wherein each streaming data feed further provides one of;

(i) first embedded modification information defined to disable at least one application control upon receiving a selection to view a content item from one of the streaming data feeds and (ii) second embedded modification information defined to enable the application control upon receiving the selection to view the content item from one of the streaming data feeds.

19. A computerized device comprising:

a processor;

a communications interface;

a display;

a memory that stores instructions associated with a rendering application executed by the processor; and

an interconnect coupling the processor, the memory unit, the display and the communications interface, enabling the processor in the computerized device to execute an application that renders a graphical user interface (GUI), wherein the application performs the operations of;

receiving a data feed, the data feed including a reference to a content item and a reference to application skin content;

displaying a representation of the data feed within the GUI;

upon receiving a selection of the representation of the data feed;

(i) requesting the application skin content;

(ii) receiving the application skin content;

(iii) modifying at least one portion of the GUI according to the application skin content, the at least one portion of the GUI initially rendered with content provided by the application; and

(iv) displaying a representation of the content item in a content presentation region of the GUI.

20. The computerized device of claim 19, comprising:

upon receiving a selection of the representation of the content item;

(i) requesting the content item;

(ii) receiving the content item;

(iii) presenting the content item within a content viewing region of the GUI.