Rendering Contiguous Image Elements

• US 20140168272A1
• Filed: 12/14/2012
• Published: 06/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chung, Andrew, Grewal, Emily B., Chedeau, Christopher Serge Benjamin
• Granted Patent: US 10,380,774 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/660
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• 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: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20072 Graph-based image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/20 Linear translation of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 9/40 Tree coding, e.g. quadtree, octree
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00196 Creation of a photo-montage, e.g. photoalbum H04N1/0019 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00453 arranged in a two dimensional array

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes determining a sequence of image elements. For each image element in the sequence, a position in an array of contiguous image elements is determined. The position may be based on several factors, including at least: a size of the image element (large or small), an order of the image element in the sequence, and dimensions of the display array. The array of image elements may be rendered for display to the user such that the layout of the image elements is contiguous. If the user provides input re-sizing an image element or re-ordering the sequence of image elements, the array may be re-rendered.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

by a computing device, determining a sequence of image elements;

by the computing device, determining, for each image element in the sequence, a position in an array of contiguous image elements, the position being based on a size of the image element, an order of the image element in the sequence, and dimensions of the display array; and

by the computing device, providing information to render the array of contiguous image elements.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein an image element comprises a picture, a map, a story block of text, a page of a document, an icon, or any thumbnail image, or any combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the array is constrained in a first dimension and varies in a second dimension.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein an image element is presented in one of two sizes, and wherein a larger of the two sizes is a two-dimensional multiple of the smaller of the two sizes.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input adjusting an order of the image elements in the sequence; and

determining, for one or more image elements in the sequence, a position in an array of contiguous image elements.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the order of the image elements in the sequence is based on a relevance of each of the image elements to a user of a social-networking system.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input changing a size of at least one image element in the sequence; and

determining, for one or more image elements in the sequence, a position in an array of contiguous image elements.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device is associated with a user, wherein the determining a sequence of image elements comprises:

sending a request to one or more computer servers for one or more image elements;

receiving the one or more image elements;

inserting the one or more image elements into the sequence; and

determining, for each of the one or more image elements, a respective position in the array of contiguous image elements.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the information to render the array of contiguous image elements comprises:

sending the information to a computing device associated with a user, wherein the information comprises layout information for each of the contiguous image elements in the array.

10. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:

by a computing device, determine a sequence of image elements;

by the computing device, determine, for each image element in the sequence, a position in an array of contiguous image elements, the position being based on a size of the image element, an order of the image element in the sequence, and dimensions of the display array; and

by the computing device, provide information to render the array of contiguous image elements.

11. The media of claim 10, wherein an image element comprises a picture, a map, a story block of text, a page of a document, an icon, or any thumbnail image, or any combination thereof.

12. The media of claim 10, wherein the array is constrained in a first dimension and varies in a second dimension.

13. The media of claim 10, wherein an image element is presented in one of two sizes, and wherein a larger of the two sizes is a two-dimensional multiple of the smaller of the two sizes.

14. The media of claim 10, wherein the order of the image elements in the sequence is based on a relevance of each of the image elements to a user of a social-networking system.

15. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the processors comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors being operable when executing the instructions to;

determine a sequence of image elements;

determine, for each image element in the sequence, a position in an array of contiguous image elements, the position being based on a size of the image element, an order of the image element in the sequence, and dimensions of the display array; and

provide information to render the array of contiguous image elements.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein an image element comprises a picture, a map, a story block of text, a page of a document, an icon, or any thumbnail image, or any combination thereof.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein an image element is presented in one of two sizes, and wherein a larger of the two sizes is a two-dimensional multiple of the smaller of the two sizes.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the order of the image elements in the sequence is based on a relevance of each of the image elements to a user of a social-networking system.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the computing device is associated with a user, and wherein the processors are further operable when executing the instructions to determine a sequence of image elements to:

send a request to one or more computer servers for one or more image elements;

receive the one or more image elements;

insert the one or more image elements into the sequence; and

determine, for each of the one or more image elements, a respective position in the array of contiguous image elements.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the processors are further operable when executing the instructions to provide the information to render the array of contiguous image elements to:

send the information to a computing device associated with a user, wherein the information comprises layout information for each of the contiguous image elements in the array.