Automatic layout of unpredictable content from multiple sources

• US 7,627,600 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2006
• Issued: 12/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ROVI Product Corporation (Xperi Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Stewart, David, Van Tilburg, Martin, Zearing, David, Constable, Ben, Anthony, Colin, Soegiono, Orry, Weir, Jeffrey J., Sierra, Giampiero M., Citron, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Vital; Pierre M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rostami; Mohammad S
• Application Number:
  US11/425,300
• Publication Number:
  US 20070294238A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,260 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for managing, compiling, and displaying unpredictable digital content received from a plurality of sources, such as news information transmitted in RSS feeds. A layout may be selected from multiple display templates, each having slots for the segments of media that are received. Selection of the templates may be based on the properties of the segments. Further systems and methods are directed to displaying at least a portion of non-textual digital content, such as video and pictures, in a nested view designated for the non-textual graphical content. In one example, the portion of non-textual digital content presented in the nested view is determined by the properties of the non-textual digital content. In other instances, the quantity of the non-textual data may determine what portion is displayed in the nested view.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable storage mediums having computer-executable instructions for performing the method of generating an automatic layout of unpredictable digital content from a plurality of sources comprising the steps of:

receiving a first digital content having non-textual data from a first source;

receiving a second digital content having non-textual data from a second source;

determining whether a display template is selected, wherein said determining comprises at least one of determining whether a fixed period of time has passed and determining whether a fixed amount of content has been received, wherein if a display template is not selected, the method further comprises receiving additional content;

if a display template is selected, selecting a display template based on properties of the first digital content and the second digital content;

generating a layout of the first and second digital content in the template selected, wherein at least a first portion of the non-textual data is presented in a nested view designated for non-textual graphical content for a first period of time, and at least a second portion of the non-textual data is presented in the nested view designated for the non-textual graphical content for a second period of time; and

wherein the portion of non-textual data presented in the nested view is determined by quality of the non-textual data; and

wherein once the layout of the first and second digital content is generated, the layout is preserved, despite receiving additional content; and

wherein after a layout has been generated, the method further comprises the steps of;

receiving additional digital content;

selecting a second display template based on properties of the additional digital content; and

generating a layout of the additional content in the second display template selected, wherein the layout comprising the first and second digital content is preserved.

2. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the properties of the first and second digital content that are used to select a display template comprises the quantity of digital information.

3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein at least one of the first or second digital content comprises individual media segments and the quantity of digital information is quantified by the number of media segments.

4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein a plurality of templates meet the criteria for selection and a second criteria is utilized for selecting a template.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the properties of the first and second digital content that are used to select a display template comprise the properties selected from the group consisting of:

the amount of space required to display at least a portion of the media segment, source of the media content, relevancy of the content, time of the digital content'"'"'s creation, quantity of digital content, quantity of specific media type within the media content, quality of media content, and combinations thereof.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the digital content is received from a news feed in a browser.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the first digital content includes textual data and non-textual data from a first source and the second digital content includes textual data and non-textual data from a second source.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting the layout to a user through a display device.

7. A method of generating an automatic layout of arbitrary content having a nested view comprising the steps of:

employing a processor coupled to a memory to execute the generation of the automatic layout of arbitrary content having a nested view, comprising;

receiving first digital content from a first source;

receiving second digital content from a second source;

determining that at least one of the first and the second digital content comprises non-textual digital content;

determining whether a display template is selected, wherein said determining comprises at least one of determining whether a fixed period of time has passed and determining whether a fixed amount of content has been received, wherein if a display template is not selected, the method further comprises receiving additional content;

if a display template is selected, selecting a display template based on properties of the first digital content and the second digital content;

generating a layout of the first and second digital content in the template selected, wherein at least a first portion of the non-textual digital content is present in a nested view designated for non-textual graphical content for a first period of time, and at least a second portion of the non-textual digital content is presented in the nested view designated for the non-textual graphical content for a second period of time; and

wherein the portion of non-textual digital content presented in the nested view is determined by quantity of the non-textual digital content which is quantified by the number of media segments comprising the non-textual digital content; and

wherein after a layout has been generated, the method further comprises the steps of;

receiving additional digital content; and

selecting a second display template based on properties of the additional digital content; and

generating a layout of the additional content in the second display template selected, wherein the layout comprising the first and second digital content is preserved.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the properties of the first and second digital content that are used to select a display template comprises the quantity of digital information and at least one of the first or second digital content comprises individual media segments and the quantity of digital information is quantified by the number of media segments.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the properties of the first and second digital content that are used to select a display template comprise the properties selected from the group consisting of:

the amount of space required to display at least a portion of the media segment, source of the media content, relevancy of the content, time of the digital content'"'"'s creation, quantity of digital content, quantity of specific media type within the media content, quality of media content, and combinations thereof

10. The method of claim 7, wherein at least a portion of the digital content is received from a news feed.

11. A method for generating automatic layouts of arbitrary unpredictable digital content from a plurality of sources comprising the steps of:

employing a processor coupled to a memory to execute the generation of the automatic layout of arbitrary unpredictable digital content from a plurality of sources, comprising;

receiving a first transmission of a plurality of digital content segments, the first transmission comprising a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed, wherein at least one of the plurality of digital content segments comprises a video;

determining whether to select a display template by determining whether a fixed number of digital content segments has been received during a fixed period of time, wherein upon determining not to select a display template, the method further includes receiving a second plurality of digital content segments;

selecting a display template based on properties of the digital content segments received;

generating a second layout of the digital content in the template selected, wherein at least a first portion of non-textual digital content is presented in a nested view designated for the non-textual graphical content;

receiving at least a third transmission of a plurality of digital content segment;

selecting a second display template based on properties of the digital content segments received in the third transmission; and

generating a second layout of the digital content received in the third transmission in the second template selected, wherein the arrangement of the first layout remains substantially unaltered for a first period of time, and at least a second portion of the non-textual digital content is presented in the nested view designated for the non-textual graphical content for a second period of time; and

wherein the portion of non-textual digital content presented in the nested view is determined by properties of the non-textual digital content.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second layout is displayed to a user in a substantially close proximity to the first layout.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the properties of the second digital content that are used to select a display template comprise the properties selected from the group consisting of:

the amount of space required to display at least a portion of the media segment, source of the media content, relevancy of the content, time of the digital content'"'"'s creation, quantity of the digital content, quantity of the specific media type within the media content, quality of media content, and combinations thereof.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the first transmission of a plurality of digital content segments includes textual data from a plurality of sources.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second plurality of digital content segments includes textual data.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the third transmission of a plurality of digital content segments includes textual data.