Content-related wallpaper

• US 8,271,333 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2001
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Grigsby, David B., Rowlands, Karen R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Retta, Yehdega
• Application Number:
  US10/004,278
• Time in Patent Office: 3,976 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.4, 705/17.73
• US Class Current: 705/14.73
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/335 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles filtering in web context G06F16/9535, G06F16/9536
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/337 Profile generation, learning or modification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like

Abstract

A media player provides on-screen desktop imagery such as background wallpaper and/or interactive features, related to music or other content being played. The presentation of the content-related imagery and/or features is not limited to the area of the screen associated with the media player, but can extend to other areas of the screen as well. The content-related imagery and/or features may be displayed, for example, as desktop wallpaper, so that it appears as a background to other user interface elements such as icons and windows.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for displaying a content-related element, comprising:

receiving, in a media player having an interface displayed in a window in an onscreen display area, content containing at least one tag;

retrieving at least one element identified by the at least one tag;

playing, in the media player, the received content, the received content being content selected for play by the media player; and

issuing at least one resource call to display the retrieved at least one element in a display area that extends beyond the media player display area, such that the window containing the media player'"'"'s interface appears to be superimposed on the display area that displays the retrieved at least one element as wallpaper, the at least one element is displayed as wallpaper while the received content is the content selected for play by the media player, wherein the displayed at least one element comprises at least one interactive element.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein issuing at least one resource call comprises issuing at least one resource call to display the retrieved at least one element in a background area of a display screen.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one element comprises at least one image.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one element comprises at least one interactive interface screen.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one element comprises at least one web page.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving content containing at least one tag comprises retrieving the content from a first storage medium.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein retrieving at least one element identified by the at least one tag comprises retrieving the at least one element from the first storage medium.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein retrieving at least one element identified by the at least one tag comprises retrieving the at least one element from a second storage medium.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein retrieving at least one element identified by the at least one tag comprises receiving the at least one element across a network connection.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving content containing at least one tag comprises receiving the content across a network connection.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein retrieving at least one element identified by the at least one tag comprises retrieving the at least one element from a storage medium.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein retrieving at least one element identified by the at least one tag comprises receiving the at least one element across the network connection.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieved at least one element comprises at least one image.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieved at least one element is related to the received content.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the received content comprises music, and wherein playing the received content comprises outputting the music.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein issuing at least one resource call comprises issuing at least one resource call to display the retrieved at least one element as an active desktop element.

27. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving input indicating user interaction with the at least one interactive element.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein issuing at least one resource call comprises issuing at least one resource call to display the at least one element as a background image.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein issuing at least one resource call comprises issuing at least one resource call to display the at least one element as wallpaper for a virtual desktop.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein issuing at least one resource call comprises issuing at least one resource call to display the at least one element as a background for a user interface element.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the user interface element comprises an onscreen window.

32. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon completion of playing of the received content, issuing at least one resource call to remove the displayed at least one element from the display area.

33. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon completion of playing of the received content, issuing at least one resource call to cause the display area displaying the retrieved at least one element to revert to a previous state.

34. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input specifying at least one parameter for displaying a content-related element;

wherein issuing at least one resource call comprises issuing at least one resource call to display the retrieved at least one element according to the specified at least one parameter.

35. The method of claim 1, wherein the received content comprises at least a first section and a second section, further comprising:

retrieving at least a second element using the at least one tag contained in the content; and

responsive to the media player beginning to play the second section and the second section of the received content being the content selected for play by the media player, issuing at least one resource call to display the retrieved second element in the area that extends beyond the media player display area, such that the window containing the media player'"'"'s display interface appears to be superimposed on the display area that displays the retrieved second element as wallpaper, the retrieved second element is displayed as wallpaper while the second section of the received content is the content selected for play by the media player.

36. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, in the media player, additional content containing at least one tag;

retrieving at least a second element identified by the at least one tag contained in the additional content;

playing, in the media player, the received additional content, the received additional content being the content selected for play by the media player; and

issuing at least one resource call to display the retrieved second element in the display area that extends beyond the media player display area, such that the window containing the media player'"'"'s display interface appears to be superimposed on the display area that displays the retrieved second element as wallpaper, the retrieved second element is displayed as wallpaper while the received additional content is the content that is selected for play by the media player.

37. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

caching the retrieved at least one element; and

wherein retrieving at least one identified element comprises;

responsive to the at least one identified element having been previously cached, retrieving the at least one identified element from the cache.

38. The method of claim 1, wherein:

retrieving at least one element comprises retrieving at least a plurality of elements; and

issuing at least one resource call comprises;

selecting an element from the retrieved plurality of elements; and

issuing at least one resource call to display the selected element in the display area that extends beyond the media player display area, such that the window containing the media player'"'"'s display interface appears to be superimposed on the display area that displays the retrieved at least one element, the selected element is displayed as wallpaper while the received content is the content selected for play by the media player.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein selecting an element comprises selecting an element at random.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein the plurality of elements are organized in a sequence, and wherein selecting an element comprises selecting an element according to the sequence.

41. The method of claim 1, wherein issuing at least one resource call comprises issuing at least one resource call to display the retrieved at least one element in a portion of the display area of the media player.

42. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

issuing at least one resource call to display at least one user interface element according to a color scheme derived from the at least one retrieved element.

6. A system for displaying a content-related element, comprising:

a media player for receiving content containing at least one tag and for playing the received content, the media player having an interface displayed in a window in an onscreen display area, the received content being content selected for play by the media player;

an element retriever, coupled to the media player, for retrieving at least one element identified by the at least one tag;

an operating system interface, coupled to the element retriever, for issuing at least one resource call to display the retrieved at least one element in a display area that extends beyond the media player display area, such that the window containing the media player'"'"'s interface appears to be superimposed on the display area that displays the retrieved at least one element as wallpaper, the at least one element is displayed as wallpaper while the received content is the content selected for play by the media player, wherein the displayed at least one element comprises at least one interactive element.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the operating system interface issues at least one resource call to display the retrieved at least one element in a background area of a display screen.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one element comprises at least one image.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one element comprises at least one interactive interface screen.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one element comprises at least one web page.

43. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

a first storage medium, communicatively coupled to the media player, for storing the content;

wherein the media player receives the content from the first storage medium.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the element retriever retrieves the at least one element from the first storage medium.

45. The system of claim 43, wherein the element retriever comprises a network interface for receiving the at least one element across a network.

46. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

a network interface, coupled to the media player, for receiving the content across a network.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein the network interface receives the at least one element across the network.

48. The system of claim 6, wherein the retrieved at least one element comprises at least one image.

49. The system of claim 6, wherein the retrieved at least one element is related to the received content.

50. The system of claim 6, wherein the received content comprises music, and wherein playing the received content comprises outputting the music.

51. The system of claim 6, further comprising a display, coupled to the operating system interface, for displaying the retrieved at least one element in the display area that extends beyond the media player display area.

52. The system of claim 6, wherein operating system interface issues at least one resource call to display the retrieved at least one element as an active desktop element.

53. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

an input device, coupled to the operating system interface, for receiving input indicating user interaction with the at least one interactive element.

54. The system of claim 6, wherein the operating system interface issues at least one resource call to display the at least one element as a background image.

55. The system of claim 6, wherein the operating system interface issues at least one resource call to display the at least one element as wallpaper for a virtual desktop.

56. The system of claim 6, wherein the operating system interface issues at least one resource call to display the at least one element as a background for a user interface element.

57. The system of claim 56, wherein the user interface element comprises an onscreen window.

58. The system of claim 6, wherein, upon completion of the media player playing of the received content, the operating system interface issues at least one resource call to remove the displayed at least one element from the display area that extends beyond the media display area.

59. The system of claim 6, wherein, upon completion of the media player playing of the received content, the operating system interface issues at least one resource call to cause the display area that extends beyond the media display area to revert to a previous state.

60. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

a user input device, coupled to the operating system interface, for receiving user input specifying at least one parameter for displaying a content-related element;

wherein the operating system interface issues at least one resource call to display the retrieved at least one element according to the specified at least one parameter.

61. The system of claim 6, wherein the received content comprises at least a first section and a second section, and wherein:

the element retriever retrieves at least a second element using the at least one tag contained in the content; and

responsive to the media player beginning to play the second section and the second section being the content selected for play by the media player, the operating system interface issues at least one resource call to display the retrieved second element in the area that extends beyond the media player display area, such that the window containing the media player'"'"'s display interface appears to be superimposed on the display area that displays the retrieved second element as wallpaper, the retrieved second element is displayed as wallpaper while the second section of the retrieved content is the content selected for play by the media player.

62. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the media player receives additional content containing at least one tag and plays the received additional content, the received additional content being the content selected for play by the media player;

the element retriever retrieves at least a second element identified by the at least one tag contained in the additional content; and

the operating system interface issues at least one resource call to display the retrieved second element in the display area that extends beyond the media player display area, such that the window containing the media player'"'"'s display interface appears to be superimposed on the display area that displays the retrieved second element as wallpaper, the retrieved second element is displayed as wallpaper while the received additional content is the content selected for play by the media player.

63. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

a cache, coupled to the element retriever, for caching the retrieved at least one element; and

wherein, responsive to the at least one identified element having been previously cached, the element retriever retrieves the at least one identified element from the cache.

64. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the element retriever retrieves at least one element comprises retrieving at least a plurality of elements; and

the media player selects an element from the retrieved plurality of elements; and

the operating system interface issues at least one resource call to display the selected element in the display area that extends beyond the media player display area, such that the window containing the media player'"'"'s display interface appears to be superimposed on the display area that displays the selected element, the selected element is displayed as wallpaper while the received content is the content selected for play by the media player.

65. The system of claim 64, wherein the media player selects the element at random.

66. The system of claim 64, wherein the plurality of elements are organized in a sequence, and wherein the media player selects the element according to the sequence.

67. The system of claim 6, wherein the operating system interface issues at least one resource call to display the retrieved at least one element in a portion of the onscreen display area of the media player.

68. The system of claim 6, wherein operating system interface issues at least one resource call to display at least one user interface element according to a color scheme derived from the at least one retrieved element.

11. A computer program product for displaying a content-related element, comprising:

a computer readable medium; and

computer program code, encoded on the medium, for controlling a processor to perform the operations of;

receiving, in a media player having an interface displayed in a window in an onscreen display area, content containing at least one tag;

retrieving at least one element identified by the at least one tag;

playing, in the media player, the received content, the received content being content selected for play by the media player; and

issuing at least one resource call to display the retrieved at least one element in a display area that extends beyond the media player display area, such that the window containing the media player'"'"'s interface appears to be superimposed on the display area that displays the retrieved at least one element as wallpaper, the at least one element is displayed as wallpaper while the received content is the content selected for play by the media player, wherein the displayed at least one element comprises at least one interactive element.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer-program code for controlling a processor to perform the operation of issuing at least one resource call comprises computer-program code for controlling a processor to perform the operation of issuing at least one resource call to display the retrieved at least one element in a background area of a display screen.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the at least one element comprises at least one image.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the at least one element comprises at least one interactive interface screen.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the at least one element comprises at least one web page.

69. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer program code for receiving content containing at least one tag comprises computer program code for retrieving the content from a first storage medium.

70. The computer program product of claim 69, wherein the computer program code for retrieving at least one element identified by the at least one tag comprises computer program code for retrieving the at least one element from the first storage medium.

71. The computer program product of claim 69, wherein computer program code for retrieving at least one element identified by the at least one tag comprises computer program code for retrieving the at least one element from a second storage medium.

72. The computer program product of claim 69, wherein the computer program code for retrieving at least one element identified by the at least one tag comprises computer program code for receiving the at least one element across a network connection.

73. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer program code for receiving content containing at least one tag comprises computer program code for receiving the content across a network connection.

74. The computer program product of claim 73, wherein the computer program code for retrieving at least one element identified by the at least one tag comprises computer program code for retrieving the at least one element from a storage medium.

75. The computer program product of claim 73, wherein the computer program code for retrieving at least one element identified by the at least one tag comprises computer program code for receiving the at least one element across the network connection.

76. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the retrieved at least one element comprises at least one image.

77. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the retrieved at least one element is related to the received content.

78. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the received content comprises music, and wherein the computer program code for playing the received content comprises computer program code for outputting the music.

79. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer program code for issuing at least one resource call comprises computer program code for issuing at least one resource call to display the retrieved at least one element as an active desktop element.

80. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising computer program code, encoded on the medium, for controlling a processor to perform the operation of:

receiving input indicating user interaction with the at least one interactive element.

81. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer program code for issuing at least one resource call comprises computer program code for issuing at least one resource call to display the at least one element as a background image.

82. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer program code for issuing at least one resource call comprises computer program code for issuing at least one resource call to display the at least one element as wallpaper for a virtual desktop.

83. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer program code for issuing at least one resource call comprises computer program code for issuing at least one resource call to display the at least one element as a background for a user interface element.

84. The computer program product of claim 83, wherein the user interface element comprises an onscreen window.

85. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising computer program code, encoded on the medium, for controlling a processor to perform the operation of:

upon completion of playing of the received content, issuing at least one resource call to remove the displayed at least one element from the display area that extends beyond the media player display area.

86. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising computer program code, encoded on the medium, for controlling a processor to perform the operation of:

upon completion of playing of the received content, issuing at least one resource call to cause the display area that extends beyond the media player display area to revert to a previous state.

87. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising computer program code, encoded on the medium, for controlling a processor to perform the operation of:

receiving user input specifying at least one parameter for displaying a content-related element; and

wherein the computer program code for issuing at least one resource call comprises computer program code for issuing at least one resource call to display the retrieved at least one element according to the specified at least one parameter.

88. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the received content comprises at least a first section and a second section, further comprising computer program code, encoded on the medium, for controlling a processor to perform the operations of:

retrieving at least a second element using the at least one tag contained in the content; and

responsive to the media player beginning to play the second section and the second section of the received content being the content selected for play by the media player, issuing at least one resource call to display the retrieved second element in the display area that extends beyond the media player display area, such that the window containing the media player'"'"'s display interface appears to be superimposed on the display area that displays the second element as wallpaper, the retrieved second element is displayed as wallpaper while the second section of the received content is the content selected for play by the media player.

89. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising computer program code, encoded on the medium, for controlling a processor to perform the operations of:

receiving, in the media player, additional content containing at least one tag;

retrieving at least a second element identified by the at least one tag contained in the additional content;

playing, in the media player, the received additional content, the received additional content being the content selected for play by the media player; and

issuing at least one resource call to display the retrieved second element in the display area that extends beyond the media player display area, such that the window containing the media player'"'"'s display interface appears to be superimposed on the display area that displays the retrieved second element as wallpaper, the retrieved second element is displayed as wallpaper while the received additional content is the content selected for play by the media player.

90. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising computer program code, encoded on the medium, for controlling a processor to perform the operation of:

caching the retrieved at least one element; and

wherein the computer program code for retrieving at least one identified element comprises;

computer program code for, responsive to the at least one identified element having been previously cached, retrieving the at least one identified element from the cache.

91. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein:

the computer program code for retrieving at least one element comprises computer program code for retrieving at least a plurality of elements; and

the computer program code for issuing at least one resource call comprises computer program code for;

selecting an element from the retrieved plurality of elements; and

issuing at least one resource call to display the selected element in the display area that extends beyond the media player display area, such that the window containing the media player'"'"'s display interface appears to be superimposed on the display area that displays the selected element, the selected element is displayed as wallpaper while the received content is the content selected for play by the media player.

92. The computer program product of claim 91, wherein the computer program code for selecting an element comprises computer program code for selecting an element at random.

93. The computer program product of claim 91, wherein the plurality of elements are organized in a sequence, and wherein the computer program code for selecting an element comprises computer program code for selecting an element according to the sequence.

94. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer program code for issuing at least one resource call comprises computer program code for issuing at least one resource call to display the retrieved at least one element in a portion of the display area of the media player.

95. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising computer program code, encoded on the medium, for controlling a processor to perform the operation of:

issuing at least one resource call to display at least one user interface element according to a color scheme derived from the at least one retrieved element.