Content sharing interface for sharing content in social networks

• US 8,707,184 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2011
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Chen, Rita, Ben-Yair, Shimrit, Terleski, Jonathan, Smarr, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chung, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US13/164,636
• Publication Number:
  US 20120110464A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,037 Days
• Field of Search: 715733-747
• US Class Current: 715/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1044 Group management mechanisms management of multicast group membership H04L12/185; reconfiguring of node membership in a computing system to eliminate errors G06F11/1425
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for presenting, within a web page, a graphical representation of a content sharing interface including at least one button icon, receiving user input to the button icon, in response to the user input, expanding the content sharing interface to include an expanded content input area and a distribution interface, the expanded content input area displaying a graphical representation of digital content that is to be distributed, receiving user input to the distribution interface, the user input indicating contact(s) to which the digital content is to be distributed, in response to receiving the user input, displaying icon(s) within the distribution interface, the icon(s) being a graphical representation of the contact(s), and transmitting a post data set including digital content data and distribution data to a server computing system.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a server computing device; and

a computer-readable medium coupled to the server computing device and having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the server computing device, cause the server computing device to perform server-side operations for distributing digital content for display across a network, the server-side operations comprising;

serving at least one web page document to a client computing device operated by a user, the web page document containing instructions for a browser application to perform client-side operations, comprising;

presenting, within a web page that is external to a first social networking service, web page digital content;

presenting, within the web page, a graphical representation of a content sharing interface of the first social networking service, the graphical representation comprising at least one button icon that is responsive to user input, wherein activation of the button icon indicates that the web page digital content is to be distributed using the first social networking service;

receiving first user input to the button icon, the first user input indicating activation of the button icon;

in response to the first user input;

expanding the content sharing interface within the web page to include an expanded content input area and a distribution interface;

identifying a graphical representation of the web page digital content;

populating the expanded content input area with the graphical representation of the web page digital content;

receiving second user input to the distribution interface, the second user input indicating one or more contacts to which the web page digital content is to be distributed;

in response to receiving the second user input, displaying one or more icons within the distribution interface, each icon of the one or more icons being a graphical representation of the one or more contacts;

receiving third user input to the content sharing interface, the third user input comprising a user instruction to distribute the web page digital content; and

in response to the third user input, transmitting a post data set to the server computing system, the post data set comprising digital content data and distribution data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein an icon of the one or more icons corresponds to a social circle of the user within a social networking service, the social circle defining a subset of the one or more contacts.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein an icon of the one or more icons corresponds to a second social networking service that the user participates in.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the second social networking service comprises a micro-blogging social networking service.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the second social networking service comprises a blogging service.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein an icon of the one or more icons corresponds to at least one contact that is to receive the digital content via email.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein populating further comprises populating the expanded content input area with a summary of the web page digital content within the expanded content input area.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the client-side operations further comprise displaying one or more digital content selection icons within the expanded content selection area.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the client-side operations further comprise:

receiving fourth user input, the fourth user input indicating a selection of an icon of the one or more digital content selection icons; and

in response to receiving the fourth user input, displaying a digital content selection interface through which a user can select additional digital content for distribution.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more digital content selection icons comprise a digital image selection icon, a digital video selection icon, a link selection icon and a map selection icon.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more digital content selection icons are displayed in the content sharing interface prior to receiving the first user input.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the client-side operations further comprise:

receiving fourth user input, the fourth user input indicating a hover action over the button icon; and

in response to the fourth user input, displaying a dialog box, the dialog box displaying data corresponding to contacts that have shared the digital content.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first user input comprises user selection of the button icon.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the web page comprises a search results page and the button icon is associated with a search result displayed within the web page.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the web page comprises a mapping service web page and the digital content comprises a map.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the post data set further comprises map data comprising scroll data and zoom data corresponding to a map view of the map, the scroll data and the zoom data being usable by the mapping service web page to replicate the map view.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the server-side operations further comprise:

receiving the post data set;

generating an access control list (ACL) based on the distribution data, the distribution data corresponding to the one or more contacts; and

distributing the digital content based on the ACL.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the web page comprises a web page of the social networking service.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of web pages comprises a web page of the social networking service.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the web page comprises a web page of a website that is external to a domain of the social networking service.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the client-side operations further comprise:

receiving fourth user input, the fourth user input including textual comments to the expanded content input area associated with the graphical representation of the web page digital content,

wherein populating further comprises populating the expanded content input area prior to receiving the fourth user input.

21. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

presenting, within a web page that is external to a first social networking service, web page digital content;

presenting, within the web page, a graphical representation of a content sharing interface of the first social networking service, the graphical representation comprising at least one button icon that is responsive to user input, wherein activation of the button icon indicates that the web page digital content is to be distributed using the first social networking service;

receiving first user input to the button icon, the first user input indicating activation of the button icon;

in response to the first user input;

expanding the content sharing interface within the web page to include an expanded content input area and a distribution interface;

identifying a graphical representation of the web page digital content;

populating the expanded content input area with the graphical representation of the web page digital content;

receiving second user input to the distribution interface, the second user input indicating one or more contacts to which the web page digital content is to be distributed;

in response to receiving the second user input, displaying one or more icons within the distribution interface, each icon of the one or more icons being a graphical representation of the one or more contacts;

receiving third user input to the content sharing interface, the third user input comprising a user instruction to distribute the web page digital content; and

in response to the third user input, transmitting a post data set to the server computing system, the post data set comprising digital content data and distribution data.

22. A computer-implemented method comprising:

presenting, within a web page that is external to a first social networking service, web page digital content;

presenting, within the web page, a graphical representation of a content sharing interface of the first social networking service, the graphical representation comprising at least one button icon that is responsive to user input, wherein activation of the button icon indicates that the web page digital content is to be distributed using the first social networking service;

receiving first user input to the button icon, the first user input indicating activation of the button icon;

in response to the first user input;

expanding the content sharing interface within the web page to include an expanded content input area and a distribution interface;

identifying a graphical representation of the web page digital content;

populating the expanded content input area with the graphical representation of the web page digital content;

receiving second user input to the distribution interface, the second user input indicating one or more contacts to which the web page digital content is to be distributed;

in response to receiving the second user input, displaying one or more icons within the distribution interface, each icon of the one or more icons being a graphical representation of the one or more contacts;

receiving third user input to the content sharing interface, the third user input comprising a user instruction to distribute the web page digital content; and

in response to the third user input, transmitting a post data set to the server computing system, the post data set comprising digital content data and distribution data.

23. A system comprising:

a server computing device; and

a computer-readable medium coupled to the server computing device and having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the server computing device, cause the server computing device to perform server-side operations for distributing digital content for display across a network, the server-side operations comprising;

serving at least one web page document to a client computing device operated by a user, the web page document containing instructions for a browser application to perform client-side operations, comprising;

displaying, within a web page that is external to a social networking service, web page digital content;

displaying, within the web page, a graphical representation of a content sharing interface of the social networking service, the graphical representation comprising at least one button icon that is responsive to user input, wherein activation of the button icon indicates that the web page digital content is to be distributed using the social networking service;

receiving first user input to the button icon, the first user input indicating a user intent to distribute digital content associated with web page digital content using the social networking system;

in response to receiving the first user input;

expanding the content sharing interface within the web page to include an expanded content input area and a distribution interface;

identifying a graphical representation of the web page digital content;

populating the expanded content input area with the graphical representation of the web page digital content;

receiving second user input through the distribution interface, the second user input indicating one or more social circles, each social circle comprising one or more contacts to which the digital content is to be distributed;

in response to receiving the second user input, displaying one or more icons within the distribution interface, each icon of the one or more icons being a graphical representation of the one or more social circles;

receiving third user input to the content sharing interface, the third user input comprising a user instruction to distribute the digital content; and

in response to the third user input, transmitting a post data set to the server computing system, the post data set comprising digital content data and distribution data.