Three-dimensional website visualization

• US 8,402,394 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Blake, Stephen, Lara, Ankarino, Morrison, Noel, Bedard, Scott, Shuman, Lucas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): ORR, HENRY W
• Application Number:
  US11/864,152
• Publication Number:
  US 20090089714A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,999 Days
• Field of Search: 715/848, 715/850
• US Class Current: 715/850
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatuses for visualizing content of one or more websites are provided. An amount of available content contained by at least one website is determined. A three-dimensional object is displayed having a surface. Each location of the surface of the three-dimensional object corresponds to a portion of the determined amount of available content contained by the website(s). A user is enabled to select a location of the surface of the three-dimensional object. The selected location is mapped to the corresponding portion of the determined amount of available content contained by the website(s). Content of the website(s) corresponding to the selected location, such as a web page, video, audio, an RSS feed, etc., can be accessed by selection of the location. Interaction of the user with the website(s) can be tracked, and the resulting tracking information can be displayed on the three-dimensional object.

Claims

1. A method of visualizing content of a website, comprising:

determining a scope of the website that includes one or more related web pages by determining an amount of content contained by the website, the determined amount of content indicating a number of content items contained by an entirety of the website;

displaying a three-dimensional object having a surface such that each location of the surface of the three-dimensional object corresponds to a portion of the determined amount of content contained by the website, wherein the displaying the three-dimensional object comprises

graphically overlaying a grid on an image that is segmented in a manner that corresponds to the number of content items contained by the entirety of the website; and

displaying the three-dimensional object with the graphically overlaid image as the surface of the three-dimensional object;

enabling the user to select a location of the surface of the three-dimensional object;

mapping the selected location to a corresponding portion of the determined amount of content contained by the website using at least one processor; and

displaying an indication at one or more locations on the surface of the three-dimensional object that the user has interacted with the portion of the determined amount of content of the website corresponding to the one or more locations.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling the user to interact with the portion of the content of the website corresponding to the selected location.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling a user to rotate the displayed three-dimensional object.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

re-determining the amount of content contained by the website after additional content is provided to the website; and

displaying the three-dimensional object such that each location of the surface of the second displayed three-dimensional object corresponds to a portion of the re-determined amount of content contained by the website after additional content is provided.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

tracking one or more interactions of a user with the content of the website.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

displaying an indication at one or more locations of the surface of the three-dimensional object of a popularity of the content of the website corresponding to the one or more locations.

7. A system for visualizing content of a website, comprising:

a computer; and

a website content tracker configured to determine a scope of the website that includes one or more related web pages by determining an amount of content contained by the website, the determined amount of content indicating a number of content items contained by an entirety of the website; and

a rendering module included in the computer that is configured to generate an object display signal containing information to enable display of a three-dimensional object having a surface, wherein each location of the surface of the displayed three-dimensional object corresponds to a portion of the determined amount of content contained by the website;

wherein the object display signal is generated by the rendering module to contain information to enable display of an indication at one or more locations on the surface of the three-dimensional object that the user has interacted with the portion of the determined amount of content of the website corresponding to the one or more locations;

wherein the rendering module is configured to graphically overlay a grid on an image that is segmented in a manner that corresponds to the number of content items contained by the entirety of the website, and to generate the object display signal to contain information to enable display of the three-dimensional object with the graphically overlaid image as the surface of the three-dimensional object.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

wherein the rendering module receives the determined amount of content contained by the website from the website content tracker.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein a display receives the object display signal and displays the three-dimensional object.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the object display signal is generated by the rendering module to contain information to enable display of an indication at one or more locations of the surface of the three-dimensional object of a popularity of the content of the website corresponding to the one or more locations.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

means for enabling a user to rotate the displayed three-dimensional object.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

means for enabling a user to select a location of the surface of the displayed three-dimensional object.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a mapper configured to map a selected location of the surface of the displayed three-dimensional object to the corresponding portion of the determined amount of content contained by the website.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

means for enabling the user to interact with the portion of the content of the website corresponding to the selected location.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a user interaction tracker configured to track one or more interactions of a user with the content of the website.

16. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied in said medium for visualizing content of a website, comprising:

a first computer readable program code means for enabling a processor to determine a scope of the website that includes one or more related web pages by determining an amount of content contained by the website, the determined amount of content indicating a number of content items contained by an entirety of the website;

a second computer readable program code means for enabling a processor to display a three-dimensional object having a surface such that each location of the surface of the three-dimensional object corresponds to a portion of the determined amount of content contained by the website;

a third computer readable program code means for enabling a processor to select a location of the surface of the three-dimensional object;

a fourth computer readable program code means for enabling a processor to map the selected location to a corresponding portion of the determined amount of content contained by the website; and

a fifth computer readable program code means for enabling a processor to display an indication at one or more locations on the surface of the three-dimensional object that the user has interacted with the portion of the determined amount of content of the website corresponding to the one or more locations;

wherein said second computer readable program code means comprises

a sixth computer readable program code means for enabling a processor to graphically overlay a grid on an image that is segmented in a manner that corresponds to the number of content items contained by the entirety of the website; and

a seventh computer readable program code means for enabling a processor to display the three-dimensional object with the graphically overlaid image as the surface of the three-dimensional object.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:

an eighth computer readable program code means for enabling a processor to enable the user to interact with the portion of the content of the website corresponding to the selected location.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:

an eighth computer readable program code means for enabling a processor to enable a user to rotate the displayed three-dimensional object.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:

an eighth computer readable program code means for enabling a processor to track one or more interactions of a user with the content of the website.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising:

a ninth computer readable program code means for enabling a processor to display an indication at one or more locations of the surface of the three-dimensional object of a popularity of the content of the website corresponding to the one or more locations.

21. A system for visualizing content of a website, comprising:

a server;

a website content tracker included in the server that is configured to determine a scope of the website that includes one or more related web pages by determining an amount of content contained by the website, the determined amount of content indicating a number of content items contained by an entirety of the website, and to provide the determined amount of content contained by the website to enable a three-dimensional object having a surface to be displayed based on the determined amount of content contained by the website, each location of the surface of the displayed three-dimensional object corresponding to a portion of a determined amount of content contained by the website, wherein the displayed three-dimensional object comprises a graphically overlaid image as the surface of the three-dimensional object, the image being segmented in a manner that corresponds to the number of content items contained by the entirety of the website; and

a user interaction tracker configured to track one or more interactions of the user with the content of the website.