SMART VARIABLE EXPRESSIVE TEXT OR GRAPHICS FOR ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20170286366A1
• Filed: 05/16/2016
• Published: 10/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2016
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Chang, Mark, Austin, Matthew, Buyayo, James, Cornwell, Jason, Kim, Debbie, Lo, Richard, Schlemmer, Johnathon, Tompkins, Christopher, Torkildson, Megan, Barlow, Joy, Volkov, Anton
• Granted Patent: US 10,289,654 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/109 Font handling; Temporal or kinetic typography
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

A system and method for creating, sending, receiving, or displaying messages with smart variable expressive text or graphics is described. The method includes providing a user interface for inputting content and specifying an appearance of the content, receiving the content and an appearance control input via the user interface, responsive to the appearance control input, creating a message including the content and formatting information, and sending the message including the content and the formatting information.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

providing, using one or more computing devices, a user interface for inputting content and specifying an appearance of the content;

receiving, using the one or more computing devices, the content and an appearance control input via the user interface;

responsive to the appearance control input, creating, using the one or more computing devices, a message including the content and formatting information; and

sending, using the one or more computing devices, the message including the content and the formatting information.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes an expressiveness control indicator for specifying the appearance of the content, the expressiveness control indicator movable in the user interface to vary the appearance of the content.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a slider bar and an indicator that allows a user to control expressiveness of the appearance of the content along a range of values corresponding to positions of the indicator on the slider bar.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the user interface includes a visual cue indicating an amount of expressiveness that will be added to the appearance of the content based on a position of the indicator on the slider bar, the visual cue positioned proximate an end of the slider bar.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying, using the one or more computing devices, the appearance of the content responsive to the appearance control input; and

updating, using the one or more computing devices, the user interface to include the content with the modified appearance based on the appearance control input.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the formatting information is a visual effect.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, using one or more computing devices, whether the appearance control input satisfies a threshold;

responsive to the appearance control input satisfying the threshold, replacing the content with a substitute message.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the substitute message includes a graphic and animation.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising;

determining, using the one or more computing devices, a context for the content; and

selecting the substitute message and an appearance of the substitute message based on the determined context.

10. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to perform operations comprising:

providing a user interface for inputting content and specifying an appearance of the content;

receiving the content and an appearance control input via the user interface;

responsive to the appearance control input, creating a message including the content and formatting information; and

sending the message including the content and the formatting information.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the user interface includes an expressiveness control indicator for specifying the appearance of the content, the expressiveness control indicator movable in the user interface to vary the appearance of the content.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the user interface includes a slider bar and an indicator that allows a user to control expressiveness of the appearance of the content along a range of values corresponding to positions of the indicator on the slider bar.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the user interface includes a visual cue indicating an amount of expressiveness that will be added to the appearance of the content based on a position of the indicator on the slider bar, the visual cue positioned proximate an end of the slider bar.

14. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

modifying the appearance of the content responsive to the appearance control input; and

updating the user interface to include the content with the modified appearance based on the appearance control input.

15. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the formatting information is a visual effect.

16. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining whether the appearance control input satisfies a threshold;

responsive to the appearance control input satisfying the threshold, replacing the content with a substitute message.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the substitute message includes a graphic and animation.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a context for the content; and

selecting the substitute message and an appearance of the substitute message based on the determined context.

19. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the system to perform operations comprising;

providing a user interface for inputting content and specifying an appearance of the content;

receiving the content and an appearance control input via the user interface;

responsive to the appearance control input, creating a message including the content and formatting information; and

sending the message including the content and the formatting information.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the user interface includes an expressiveness control indicator for specifying the appearance of the content, the expressiveness control indicator movable in the user interface to vary the appearance of the content.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the user interface includes a slider bar and an indicator that allows a user to control expressiveness of the appearance of the content along a range of values corresponding to positions of the indicator on the slider bar.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the user interface includes a visual cue indicating an amount of expressiveness that will be added to the appearance of the content based on a position of the indicator on the slider bar, the visual cue positioned proximate an end of the slider bar.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

modifying the appearance of the content responsive to the appearance control input; and

updating the user interface to include the content with the modified appearance based on the appearance control input.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the formatting information is a visual effect.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining whether the appearance control input satisfies a threshold;

responsive to the appearance control input satisfying the threshold, replacing the content with a substitute message.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the substitute message includes a graphic and animation.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a context for the content; and

selecting the substitute message and an appearance of the substitute message based on the determined context.