Systems and methods for determining a user interface attribute

• US 8,156,444 B1
• Filed: 12/31/2003
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Lawrence, Stephen R., Bhatla, Nikhil, Marmaros, David, Page, Lawrence
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Orr, Henry
• Application Number:
  US10/750,105
• Time in Patent Office: 3,023 Days
• Field of Search: 715/526, 715/788, 715/273
• US Class Current: 715/788
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/432 Content retrieval operation from a local storage medium, e.g. hard-disk details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing

Abstract

Systems and methods for determining a user interface attribute are described. In one method described, a display processor receives a request to display a content display in a user interface, detects an area of the user interface comprising non-primary content, and creates a content display having an attribute, the attribute associated with the area of the user interface comprising non-primary content. Such a method may also include modifying the attribute in response to changes in the area of the user interface comprising non-primary content.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method performed by computer-executable instructions executed by a processor, comprising:

the executed instructions detecting, within an existing application window displaying application-specific content on a display of a computer, an area of the window comprising non-primary content by locating, within a row of pixels in the window, a widest pixel region where a change in at least one of pixel color and pixel brightness is less than a predetermined threshold;

the executed instructions creating a content display comprising an attribute, the attribute associated with the area of the window comprising the non-primary content;

the executed instructions obtaining query search results in response to execution of a query;

the executed instructions causing the content display to be displayed; and

the executed instructions displaying the query search results within the content display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the area of the window comprising the non-primary content comprises examining a layout of the window.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-primary content comprises no content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-primary content comprises background content.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the area of the window comprising the non-primary content comprises determining whether the area has been used within a predetermined period of time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-primary content comprises an icon.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute comprises a size.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute comprises a position.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute comprises transparency.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a change in the area of the window comprising the non-primary content; and

modifying the attribute based at least in part on the change in the area of the comprising the non-primary content.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

locating, for each of a plurality of rows of pixels in the window, a widest pixel region where a change in at least one of pixel color and pixel brightness is less than a predetermined threshold; and

determining a size of the content display by analyzing the widest pixel regions from the plurality of rows.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the application-specific content comprises a set of graphical user interface elements, the method further comprising determining an outer perimeter of each of the elements by evaluating changes in at least one of pixel color and pixel brightness.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a resize of the application window causing a change in the area of the application window comprising the non-primary content;

altering a size of the content display; and

causing the content display to be redisplayed at the altered size.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a resize of the application window causing a change in an amount of available space within the application window;

responsive to detecting the resize, altering a transparency attribute of the content display; and

causing the content display to be redisplayed according to the altered transparency attribute.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium on which is encoded executable program code, the program code comprising:

program code for detecting, within an existing application window displaying application-specific content on a display of a computer, an area of the window comprising non-primary content by locating, within a row of pixels in the window, a widest pixel region where a change in at least one of pixel color and pixel brightness is less than a predetermined threshold;

program code for creating a content display comprising an attribute, the attribute associated with the area of the window comprising the non-primary content;

program code for obtaining query search results in response to execution of a query;

program code for causing the content display to be displayed; and

program code for displaying the query search results within the content display.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the program code for detecting the area of the window comprising the non-primary content comprises program code for examining a layout of the window.

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

program code for detecting a change in the area of the window comprising the non-primary content; and

program code for modifying the attribute based at least in part on the change in the area of the window comprising the non-primary content.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the non-primary content comprises no content.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the non-primary content comprises background content.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein detecting the area of the window comprising the non-primary content comprises determining whether the area has been used within a predetermined period of time.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the non-primary content comprises an icon.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the attribute comprises a size.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the attribute comprises a position.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the attribute comprises a transparency.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the program code further comprising:

program code for locating, for each of a plurality of rows of pixels in the window, a widest pixel region where a change in at least one of pixel color and pixel brightness is less than a predetermined threshold; and

program code for determining a size of the content display by analyzing the widest pixel regions from the plurality of rows.

26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the application- specific content comprises a set of graphical user interface elements, the program code further comprising program code for determining an outer perimeter of each of the elements by evaluating changes in at least one of pixel color and pixel brightness.

27. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the program code further comprising:

program code for detecting a resize of the application window causing a change in the area of the application window comprising the non-primary content;

program code for altering a size of the content display; and

program code for causing the content display to be redisplayed at the altered size.

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

program code for detecting a resize of the application window causing a change in an amount of available space within the application window;

program code for responsive to detecting the resize, altering a transparency attribute of the content display; and

program code for causing the content display to be redisplayed according to the altered transparency attribute.

29. A computer system comprising:

a computer processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by the processor perform actions comprising;

detecting, within an existing application window displaying application-specific content on a display of a computer, an area of the window comprising non-primary content by locating, within a row of pixels in the window, a widest pixel region where a change in at least one of pixel color and pixel brightness is less than a predetermined threshold, the non-primary content comprising at least one of a background, a title bar, a menu bar, a toolbar, and a task bar;

creating a content display containing search results; and

causing the content display to be displayed within the detected area.

30. A computer system comprising:

a computer processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by the processor perform actions comprising;

detecting, within an existing application window displaying application-specific content on a display of a computer, an area of the window comprising non-primary content by locating, within a row of pixels in the window, a widest pixel region where a change in at least one of pixel color and pixel brightness is less than a predetermined threshold;

creating a content display comprising an attribute, the attribute associated with the area of the window comprising the non-primary content;

obtaining query search results in response to execution of a query;

causing the content display to be displayed; and

displaying the query search results within the content display.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein detecting the area of the window comprising the non-primary content comprises examining a layout of the window.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the non-primary content comprises no content.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the non-primary content comprises background content.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein detecting the area of the window comprising the non-primary content comprises determining whether the area has been used within a predetermined period of time.

35. The system of claim 30, wherein the non-primary content comprises an icon.

36. The system of claim 30, wherein the attribute comprises a size.

37. The system of claim 30, wherein the attribute comprises a position.

38. The system of claim 30, wherein the attribute comprises a transparency.

39. The system of claim 30, the actions further comprising:

detecting a change in the area of the window comprising the non-primary content; and

modifying the attribute based at least in part on the change in the area of the window comprising the non-primary content.

40. The system of claim 30, the actions further comprising:

locating, for each of a plurality of rows of pixels in the window, a widest pixel region where a change in at least one of pixel color and pixel brightness is less than a predetermined threshold; and

determining a size of the content display by analyzing the widest pixel regions from the plurality of rows.

41. The system of claim 30, wherein the application-specific content comprises a set of graphical user interface elements, the actions further comprising determining an outer perimeter of each of the elements by evaluating changes in at least one of pixel color and pixel brightness.

42. The system of claim 30, the actions further comprising:

detecting a resize of the application window causing a change in the area of the application window comprising the non-primary content;

altering a size of the content display; and

causing the content display to be redisplayed at the altered size.

43. The system of claim 30, the actions further comprising:

detecting a resize of the application window causing a change in an amount of available space within the application window;

responsive to detecting the resize, altering a transparency attribute of the content display;

and causing the content display to be redisplayed according to the altered transparency attribute.