INTEGRATED TOOLS FOR CREATING AND SHARING IMAGE STREAMS

• US 20130332841A1
• Filed: 09/29/2012
• Published: 12/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Dickens, Joshua B., Roman, Peter W., Gallet, Bernard
• Application Number:
  US13/631,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20130332841A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

Some embodiments provide tools that allow a user to share content on one device with multiple other users using different devices. The content sharing tools allow the user to (1) create a shared stream that represents a set of shared content and (2) invite one or more recipients to subscribe to the shared stream. When a recipient subscribes to the shared stream, the set of content is streamed across one or more of his or her devices. In some embodiments, the content sharing tools are integrated into an operating system of a device.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing sets of instructions that when executed by at least one processing unit of a device provides a user interface (UI), the UI comprising:

a first display area for displaying folders; and

a second display area for displaying (i) an invitation to subscribe to a shared stream associated with a set of images, (ii) a first selectable item to accept the shared stream invitation, and (iii) a second selectable item to decline the shared stream invitation, wherein a selection of the first selectable item causes a shared stream folder to be created and added to the first display area, and causes the set of images to be downloaded from an external data source and added to the shared stream folder.

2. The non-transitory machine readable medium storing of claim 1, wherein the set of images is a first set of images that is shared by a person, wherein a second set of images is automatically downloaded from the external data source and added to the shared stream folder upon the person sharing the second set of images.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first and second sets of images are displayed separately in a batch view, starting with the first or second set and ending with the remaining set.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein an image layout is selected for each set based on the number of images in the set and the orientation of the images in the set.

5. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing sets of instructions that when executed by at least one processing unit of a device provides a user interface (UI), the UI comprising:

a display area for displaying folders; and

a set of image sharing tools for (i) creating a shared stream associated with a set of images and (ii) inviting people to subscribe to the shared stream, wherein the creation of the shared stream causes a shared stream folder to be created and added to the display area with the set of images.

6. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 5, wherein the first display area is a part of a file browser of an operating system, wherein the set of image sharing tools is integrated into the operating system upon execution of an installer program.

7. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 6, wherein the operating system comprises a control panel, wherein a control panel item for turning on or off the set of image sharing tools is added to the control panel with the execution of the installer program.

8. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 5, wherein the set of image sharing tool comprises an input field for inputting a comment regarding an image associated with the shared stream.

9. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 8, wherein the comment field is automatically populated based on an analysis of a name of a file that contains the image.

10. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 5, wherein the UI further comprises a context menu item for associating a selected image with the shared stream and adding the selected image to the share stream folder.

11. A method of defining a user interface (UI) for a computing device, the method comprising:

defining a first display area for displaying folders; and

defining a second display area for displaying (i) an invitation to subscribe to a shared stream associated with a set of images, (ii) a first selectable item to accept the shared stream invitation, and (iii) a second selectable item to decline the shared stream invitation, wherein a selection of the first selectable item causes a shared stream folder to be created and added to the first display area, and causes the set of images to be downloaded from an external data source and added to the shared stream folder.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the set of images is a first set of images that is shared by a person, wherein a second set of images is automatically downloaded from the external data source and added to the shared stream folder upon the person sharing the second set of images.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first and second sets of images are displayed separately in a batch view, starting with the first or second set and ending with the remaining set.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein an image layout is selected for each set based on the number of images in the set and the orientation of the images in the set.

15. A method of defining a user interface (UI) for a computing device, the method comprising:

defining a display area for displaying folders; and

defining a set of image sharing tools for (i) creating a shared stream associated with a set of images and (ii) inviting people to subscribe to the shared stream, wherein the creation of the shared stream causes a shared stream folder to be created and added to the display area with the set of images.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first display area is a part of a file browser of an operating system, wherein the set of image sharing tools is integrated into the operating system upon execution of an installer program.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the operating system comprises a control panel, wherein a control panel item for turning on or off the set of image sharing tools is added to the control panel with the execution of the installer program.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the set of image sharing tool comprises an input field for inputting a comment regarding an image associated with the shared stream.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the comment field is automatically populated based on an analysis of a name of a file that contains the image.

20. The method of claim 15 further comprising defining a context menu item for associating a selected image with the shared stream and adding the selected image to the share stream folder.