System and method for facilitating presentations over a network

• US 8,316,084 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Lanahan, James W, Howard, Dane M, Williams, Brian F
• Primary Examiner(s): WASEL, MOHAMED A
• Application Number:
  US12/495,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20100005139A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,239 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/204
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3344 using natural language analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/43 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/438 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• 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: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/14 Tree-structured documents parsing G06F40/205; validation G06F40/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 : Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 : involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]

Abstract

A system and method for facilitating presentations over a network comprise a service component adapted to interface with a user over the network and one or more distribution channels over the network a create module adapted for creating a media presentation with one or more media resources based on user input, a collect module adapted for gathering media resources based on user input, and a style engine adapted for automatically loading the gathered media resources into the selected style.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating presentations over a network, the system comprising:

a service component adapted to interface with a user over the network and one or more distribution channels over the network; and

a create module adapted for creating a media presentation with one or more media resources based on user input, wherein creating the media presentation includes receiving a user-selected selected style, from a plurality of different predefined styles, for the media presentation;

a collect module adapted for gathering media resources based on user input; and

a style engine adapted for automatically loading the gathered media resources into the selected style.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein creating the media presentation includes:

customizing the style selected for the media presentation;

previewing the style selected for the media presentation; and

editing the style selected for the media presentation.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the service component is adapted to provide a style access window to the user for creating the media presentation, and wherein the style access window provides the user with a list of user selectable styles.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the list of selectable styles includes one or more selectable presentation styles including at least one of a slide show, a billboard, a kaleidoscope, a television, a street scene, a landscape, a room with different viewing areas, one or more picture frames, a photo slider, a cut-out feature, a page of postcards, a string of photos, and a media wall.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the list of selectable styles includes one or more selectable presentation themes including at least one of a graduation theme, a holiday, an event, and an achievement.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a publish module adapted for distributing the media presentation to the one or more distribution channels via the network,

wherein the publish module is adapted to directly email the media presentation to one or more other users via the network,

wherein the publish module is adapted to provide a link to one or more other users via the network for direct access to the media presentation, and

wherein the publish module is adapted to obtain and embed source code for the media presentation in a web page associated with one or more of the distribution channels via the network.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a database component adapted to store the media presentation and the media resources, wherein the media presentation comprises related identity information including at least one of a title, a storage location, and a description.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interfaces with a user device having a user component adapted to communicate with at least one of the service component and the create module via the network.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein a network server is associated with each of the one or more distribution channels, and wherein each network server comprises a database for storing at least the media presentation, and wherein each network server comprises a server adapted to communicate with the user and the service component via the network.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises a server having the service component adapted to communicate with the user and the one or more distribution channels via the network.

11. A method for facilitating presentations over a network, the method comprising:

communicating with a user and one or more distribution channels via the network;

gathering media resources based on user input;

creating a media presentation with the media resources based on user input;

receiving a user-selected style, from a plurality of predefined styles, for the media presentation;

automatically loading the gathered media resources into the selected style; and

publishing the media presentation by distributing the media presentation to the one or more distribution channels via the network.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

customizing the style selected for the media presentation;

previewing the style selected for the media presentation; and

editing the style selected for the media presentation.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing a style access window to the user for selecting the style for the media presentation, wherein the style access window provides the user with a list of user selectable styles.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the list of selectable styles includes one or more selectable presentation styles including at least one of a slide show, a billboard, a kaleidoscope, a television, a street scene, a landscape, a room with different viewing areas, one or more picture frames, a photo slider, a cut-out feature, a page of postcards, a string of photos, and a media wall.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the list of selectable styles includes one or more selectable presentation themes including at least one of a graduation theme, a holiday, an event, and an achievement.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein publishing comprises:

directly emailing the media presentation to one or more other users via the network;

providing a link to one or more other users via the network for direct access to the media presentation; and

obtaining and embedding source code for the media presentation in a web page associated with one or more of the distribution channels via the network.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing at least one of the media resources and the media presentation in a storage component, wherein the media presentation comprises related identity information including at least one of a title, a storage location, and description.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein communicating with the user comprises receiving user input from the user via the network.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein a network server is associated with each of the one or more distribution channels, and wherein each network server comprises a database for storing at least the media presentation.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein method is executed by a network server adapted to communicate with the user and the one or more distribution channels via the network.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium on which are stored computer readable instructions for execution and when executed operable to:

communicate with a user and one or more distribution channels via the network;

gather media resources based on user input;

create a media presentation with the media resources based on user input;

receive a user-selected style, from a plurality of predefined styles, for the media presentation;

automatically load the gathered media resources into the selected style a style for the media presentation; and

publish the media presentation by distributing the media presentation to the one or more distribution channels via the network.