Graphical user interfaces for supporting collaborative generation of life stories

• US 8,793,579 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2006
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Halliday, Andrew, Lunt, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): RIEGLER, PATRICK F
• Application Number:
  US11/383,112
• Publication Number:
  US 20070250791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,000 Days
• Field of Search: 715/711, 715/751, 705/319
• US Class Current: 715/711
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2477 Temporal data queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/447 Temporal browsing, e.g. timeline
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/655 Combination of telephone service and social networking

Abstract

Graphical user interfaces (GUIs) support the collaborative generation of life stories by helping the user view the development of the life stories of other users and facilitating interaction with them through these GUIs. A GUI according to a first type helps the user keep track of recent life stories and comments posted by other users of the collaborative system, and a GUI according to a second type helps the user view life stories of any user in a chronological manner.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating a plurality of interactive regions, wherein one of the interactive regions displays an image associated with a biographical life story of a first user when a cursor of a pointing device is positioned outside the one of the interactive regions;

generating textual information associated with the biographical life story comprising an excerpt of the biographical life story when the cursor is positioned within the one of the interactive regions;

generating a display of a thread of the biographical life story when the pointing device is actuated while the cursor is positioned within the interactive region, wherein the thread is received from other users about the first user;

producing a first timeline graphic that is displayed with at least two dates to form a range of dates, the thread of the biographical life story posted along the first timeline graphic, wherein certain ones of the other users are permitted to post the thread of the biographical life story along the first timeline graphic within an account of the first user;

receiving a selection of an interactive region within the thread, the interactive region within the thread associated with a life story of one of the other users; and

producing a second timeline graphic along the life story of the one of the other users in response to receiving the selection of the interactive region within the thread,

wherein the method is executed by a processor.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising generating another plurality of interactive regions, wherein one of the interactive regions of said another plurality of interactive regions displays an image associated with a user comment regarding the biographical life story of the first user when the cursor is positioned outside the one of the interactive regions of said another plurality of interactive regions, displays the user comment when the cursor is positioned within the one of the interactive regions of said another plurality of interactive regions, and causes a display of an event of the biographical life story of the first user and the user comment when the cursor is positioned within the one of the interactive regions of said another plurality of interactive regions and the pointing device is actuated.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the images or the textual information associated with the biographical life story of the first user are displayed from left to right in the order of their posting dates, from the most recent post to the least recent post.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the interactive regions are displayed in a plurality of rows with a topmost row being the tallest and associated with a most recent event from the biographical life story of the first user.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the user comments are made by the other users to the biographical life story of the first user or are posted by the first user.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising generating controls for changing the at least two dates.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the interactive regions of the plurality of interactive regions include the images or textual information associated with the thread of the biographical life story of the first user, one or more events of the biographical life story of the first user occurring within the range of dates displayed with the first timeline graphic.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the one of the interactive regions of the plurality of interactive regions is positioned with respect to the first timeline graphic in accordance with a date of occurrence of one of the events of the biographical life story of the first user, the one of the events associated with the image or textual information displayed within the one of the interactive regions of the plurality of interactive regions.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the biographical life story of the first user corresponds to the life story of the one of the other users.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the textual information includes a title of the biographical life story of the first user and a name of a user who posted an event of the biographical life story of the first user.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first user comprises a group of people or a fictional character.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the images associated with the biographical life story of the first user are generated as an image gallery in an asynchronous manner.

22. The method according to claim 1, further comprising generating a scroll bar, wherein the date range changes when the scroll bar is moved.

23. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first timeline graphic includes a chronology bar.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the thread includes a post and a comment.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein data regarding the images is generated in the asynchronous manner independent of whether a request for a web page including the images is sent.

11. A method for generating a graphical user interface (GUI), comprising:

retrieving parameters for displaying a first timeline graphic, the parameters including a date range having at least two dates;

generating the first timeline graphic based on said date range;

retrieving a thread regarding one or more events of a biographical life story of a first user, the thread regarding the one or more events of the biographical life story associated with said date range and including textual narratives, the textual narratives posted by other users about the first user, the textual narratives posted along the first timeline graphic, wherein certain ones of the other users are permitted to post the thread regarding the one or more events of the biographical life story along the first timeline graphic within an account of the first user; and

generating data for displaying the GUI, the GUI including the first timeline graphic and interactive regions for the one or more events of the biographical life story;

receiving a selection of an interactive region within the thread, the interactive region within the thread associated with a life story of one of the other users; and

producing a second timeline graphic along the life story of the one of the other users in response to receiving the selection of the interactive region within the thread.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

receiving inputs that modify said date range; and

generating data for displaying an updated GUI that includes an updated timeline graphic with the modified date range, the updated GUI including interactive regions corresponding to one or more portions of the biographical life story of the first user, the one or more portions of the biographical life story of the first user associated with the modified date range, wherein;

the updated time graphic includes at least two dates and GUI controls used to enable the first user to select a range of dates displayed within the updated timeline graphic, and

one of the interactive regions of the updated GUI is positioned with respect to the updated timeline graphic in accordance with a date of occurrence of an event within the one or more portions of the biographical life story of the first user, the event of the one or more portions represented in the one of the interactive regions of the updated GUI.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

receiving dates of occurrence of the events of the biographical life story of the first user from the first user; and

assigning the dates to the events of the biographical life story of the first user; and

using the dates when determining display positions of the events of the biographical life story of the first user in relation to the first timeline graphic.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein one of the interactive regions of the GUI includes:

an image associated with one of the events of the biographical life story of the first user when a cursor of a pointing device is positioned outside the one of the interactive regions of the GUI; and

textual information associated with the one of the events when the cursor is positioned within the one of the interactive regions of the GUI.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the data for displaying the GUI is transmitted to the client computing device for display, the data for displaying the GUI further including images and textual information corresponding to a biographical life story of another user.

18. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

receiving questions from the other users to be posed to the first user about the biographical life story of the first user; and

receiving input from the first user in response to the questions.

19. The method according to claim 11, further comprising sorting the biographical life story of the first user by locations of the events occurring within the biographical life story of the first user.

20. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

receiving inputs relating to the biographical life story of the first user from the first user, the inputs specifying one of the events of the biographical life story of the first user with a missing date; and

assigning the missing date to the one of the events;

using the assigned date when determining a display position of the one of the events in relation to the first timeline graphic.

21. The method according to claim 11, wherein one of the interactive regions of the GUI includes textual information associated with the biographical life story of the first user and an image associated with the biographical life story of the first user when a cursor of a pointing device is positioned within the one of the interactive regions of the GUI.