Gradual image display

• US 7,546,537 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2004
• Issued: 06/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Crawford, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Thanh T
• Application Number:
  US10/780,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20040201624A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,937 Days
• Field of Search: 715/752, 715/753, 715/758, 715/755, 715/734
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/42 Graphical user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/50 Telephonic communication in combination with video communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks

Abstract

Systems and techniques for displaying an image sent between subscribers of a communications system by receiving electronic data corresponding to the image; displaying a blurred view of the image; and gradually displaying a sharper version of the image in response to user input.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for displaying an image, the method comprising:

accessing an image, the image having a display size and a first display clarity;

obscuring the clarity of the image to create an obscured version of the image, wherein obscuring the clarity of the image to create the obscured version of the image comprises obscuring the clarity of the image to create the obscured version of the image without human intervention;

causing display of the obscured version of the image to a user, the displayed obscured version of the image having the same display size as the image and a second display clarity that is lower than the first display clarity of the image;

causing display of a message to the user indicating that the obscured version of the image is displayed to the user to enable the user to determine whether the image is objectionable without having to view the image at the first display clarity;

receiving, from the user, user input indicating a willingness to enhance the clarity of the obscured version of the image; and

in response to the user input, causing display of an enhanced version of the image to the user, the displayed enhanced version of the image having the same display size as the image and the obscured version of the image, and having a third display clarity that is higher than the second display clarity of the obscured version of the image.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein causing display of the message to the user indicating that the obscured version of the image is displayed to the user to enable the user to determine whether the image is objectionable without having to view the image at the first display clarity comprises causing display of the message to the user with the displayed obscured version of the image.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein causing display of the message to the user indicating that the obscured version of the image is displayed to the user to enable the user to determine whether the image is objectionable without having to view the image at the first display clarity comprises causing display of the message to the user in response to receiving image data.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the third display clarity is the same as the first display clarity.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the third display clarity is lower than the first display clarity.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the user input is first user input and the enhanced version of the image is a first enhanced version of the image, further comprising:

subsequent to causing display of the first enhanced version of the image to the user, receiving, from the user, second user input indicating a willingness to enhance the clarity of the first enhanced version of the image; and

in response to the second user input, causing display of a second enhanced version of the image to the user, the second enhanced version of the image having the same display size as the image, the obscured version of the image, and the first enhanced version of the image, and having a fourth display clarity that is higher than the second display clarity of the obscured version of the image and that is higher than the third display clarity of the first enhanced version of the image.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the fourth display clarity is lower than the first display clarity.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the fourth display clarity is the same as the first display clarity.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

enabling the user to provide a sharpen user input command to indicate a willingness to sharpen the obscured version of the image; and

enabling the user to provide an accept user input command to indicate a willingness to accept the image at the first display clarity,

wherein;

receiving, from the user, user in put indicating the willingness to enhance the clarity of the obscured version of the image comprises receiving the sharpen user input command or the accept user input command;

conditioned on the user input indicating the willingness to enhance the clarity of the obscured version of the image being the sharpen user input command, the enhanced version of the image is a second obscured version of the image having a third display clarity that is lower than the first display clarity of the image; and

conditioned on the user input indicating the willingness to enhance the clarity of the obscured version of the image being the accept user input command, the enhanced version of the image is a full version of the image having a third display clarity that is the same as the first display clarity.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, from the user, a reject user input command;

in response to receiving the reject user input command, preventing display of the image at the first display clarity.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, from the user, a warn user input command indicating that other users are to be warned that the image is objectionable.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein:

obscuring the clarity of the image to create the obscured version of the image comprises, in response to receiving image data, obscuring the clarity of the image to create the obscured version of the image based on the received image data.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein obscuring the clarity of the image and causing display of the obscured version of the image occur at a client computer system.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the user is a first user and the image is made available for display, using a host system, to the first user by a second user that is different than the first user.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the image is made available for display, using the host system, to the first user by receiving image data from the host system based on an electronic message sent from the second user to the first user.

16. At least one computer-readable storage medium storing at least one computer program, the at least one computer program having instructions for:

accessing an image, the image having a display size and a first display clarity;

obscuring the clarity of the image to create an obscured version of the image, wherein obscuring the clarity of the image to create the obscured version of the image comprises obscuring the clarity of the image to create the obscured version of the image without human intervention;

causing display of the obscured version of the image to a user, the displayed obscured version of the image having the same display size as the image and a second display clarity that is lower than the first display clarity of the image;

causing display of a message to the user indicating that the obscured version of the image is displayed to the user to enable the user to determine whether the image is objectionable without having to view the image at the first display clarity;

receiving, from the user, user input indicating a willingness to enhance the clarity of the obscured version of the image; and

in response to the user input, causing display of an enhanced version of the image to the user, the displayed enhanced version of the image having the same display size as the image and the obscured version of the image, and having a third display clarity that is higher than the second display clarity of the obscured version of the image.

17. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein causing display of the message to the user indicating that the obscured version of the image is displayed to the user to enable the user to determine whether the image is objectionable without having to view the image at the first display clarity comprises causing display of the message to the user with the displayed obscured version of the image.

18. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein causing display of the message to the user indicating that the obscured version of the image is displayed to the user to enable the user to determine whether the image is objectionable without having to view the image at the first display clarity comprises causing display of the message to the user in response to receiving image data.

19. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the third display clarity is the same as the first display clarity.

20. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the third display clarity is lower than the first display clarity.

21. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 20 wherein the user input is first user input and the enhanced version of the image is a first enhanced version of the image, further comprising instructions for:

subsequent to causing display of the first enhanced version of the image to the user, receiving, from the user, second user input indicating a willingness to enhance the clarity of the first enhanced version of the image; and

in response to the second user input, causing display of a second enhanced version of the image to the user, the second enhanced version of the image having the same display size as the image, the obscured version of the image, and the first enhanced version of the image, and having a fourth display clarity that is higher than the second display clarity of the obscured version of the image and that is higher than the third display clarity of the first enhanced version of the image.

22. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 further comprising:

enabling the user to provide a sharpen user input command to indicate a willingness to sharpen the obscured version of the image; and

enabling the user to provide an accept user input command to indicate a willingness to accept the image at the first display clarity,

wherein;

receiving, from the user, user input indicating the willingness to enhance the clarity of the obscured. version of the image comprises receiving the sharpen user input command or the accept user input command;

conditioned on the user input indicating the willingness to enhance the clarity of the obscured version of the image being the sharpen user input command, the enhanced version of the image is a second obscured version of the image having a third display clarity that is lower than the first display clarity of the image; and

conditioned on the user input indicating the willingness to enhance the clarity of the obscured version of the image being the accept user input command, the enhanced version of the image is a full version of the image having a third display clarity that is the same as the first display clarity.

23. A computer system comprising:

means for accessing an image, the image having a display size and a first display clarity;

means for obscuring the clarity of the image to create an obscured version of the image, wherein obscuring the clarity of the image to create the obscured version of the image comprises obscuring the clarity of the image to create the obscured version of the image without human intervention;

means for causing display of the obscured version of the image to a user, the displayed obscured version of the image having the same display size as the image and a second display clarity that is lower than the first display clarity of the image;

means for causing display of a message to the user indicating that the obscured version of the image is displayed to the user to enable the user to determine whether the image is objectionable without having to view the image at the first display clarity;

means for receiving, from the user, user input indicating a willingness to enhance the clarity of the obscured version of the image; and

means for, in response to the user input, causing display of an enhanced version of the image to the user, the displayed enhanced version of the image having the same display size as the image and the obscured version of the image, and having a third display clarity that is higher than the second display clarity of the obscured version of the image.

24. a computer-implemented method for displaying an image, the method comprising:

accessing an image, the image having a display size and a first display clarity;

obscuring the clarity of the image to create a first obscured version of the image, wherein obscuring the clarity of the image to create the first obscured version of the image comprises obscuring the clarity of the image to create the first obscured version of the image without human intervention;

causing display of the first obscured version of the image to a user, the first obscured version of the image having the same display size as the image and a second display clarity that is lower than the first display clarity of the image;

subsequent to causing display of the first obscured version of the image, receiving, from the user, first user input indicating a willingness to enhance the clarity of the first obscured version of the image;

in response to the first user input, causing display of a second obscured version of the image to the user, the second obscured version of the image having the same display size as the image and the first obscured version of the image, and having a third display clarity that is higher than the second display clarity of the first obscured version of the image and that is lower than the first display clarity of the image;

subsequent to causing display of the second obscured version of the image, receiving, from the user, second user input indicating a willingness to enhance the clarity of the second obscured version of the image; and

in response to the second user input, causing display of a third version of the image to the user, the third version of the image having the same display size as the image, the first obscured version of the image, and the second obscured version of the image, and having a fourth display clarity that is higher than the second display clarity of the first obscured version of the image and that is higher than the third display clarity of the second obscured version of the image.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the fourth display clarity is the same as the first display clarity.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the fourth display clarity is lower than the first display clarity.

27. The method of claim 24 further comprising:

causing display of a message to the user with the first obscured version of the image, the message indicating that the first obscured version of the image is displayed to the user to enable the user to determine whether the image is objectionable without having to view the image at the first display clarity.

28. The method of claim 24 further comprising:

causing display of a message to the user with the second obscured version of the image, the message indicating that the second obscured version of the image is displayed to the user to enable the user to determine whether the image is objectionable without having to view the image at the first display clarity.