Embedded streams user interface

• US 8,935,422 B1
• Filed: 10/11/2011
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Terleski, Jonathan, Evans, Brynn
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan, Hua
• Application Number:
  US13/271,046
• Time in Patent Office: 1,190 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A system and method for providing or presenting secondary or embedded streams includes a primary stream generator, a secondary stream generator and a user interface engine. The primary stream generator generates the primary stream for the user and is coupled to a content source to extract data and coupled to provide the primary stream. The secondary stream generator generates a secondary stream for the user, is coupled to the content source to retrieve data and is coupled to provide the secondary stream. The user interface engine produces a user interface including a primary stream of content with an embedded secondary stream. The user interface engine is coupled to receive the primary stream from the primary stream generator and the secondary stream from the secondary stream generator. The present disclosure also includes a method for generating a user interface with an embedded stream.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for generating a user interface with an embedded stream, the method comprising:

determining, by one or more hardware-processors, a context of a first user'"'"'s interaction with a stream of content;

determining, by the one or more hardware-processors, content for a primary stream of content associated with the first user;

determining, by the one or more hardware-processors, content for a secondary stream of content associated with the first user, the secondary stream including additional information about a content item in the primary stream of content associated with the first user, the additional information being derived from a primary stream of content associated with a second user who is connected to the first user on a social graph;

embedding, by the one or more-hardware-processors, the secondary stream into the primary stream associated with the first user; and

providing, by the one or more hardware-processors, a user interface including the secondary stream embedded into the primary stream associated with the first user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining context of the first user'"'"'s interaction with the stream includes receiving a request for the stream of content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining content for the primary stream associated with the first user is performed by a scoring engine.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining content for the secondary stream associated with the first user includes retrieving content items that are socially relevant to the user from one or more connections in a social network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining content for the secondary stream of content associated with the first user includes determining content for a plurality of secondary streams, and the step of embedding embeds the plurality of secondary streams into the primary stream associated with the first user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving input from the first user;

determining whether the received first user input relates to the secondary stream associated with the first user;

modifying the embedded secondary stream of the user interface; and

providing the modified user interface for display to the first user.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the received first user input is a request for more information than previously determined for the secondary stream of content associated with the first user, and the method further comprises:

determining an additional content item based upon the received first user input;

retrieving the determined additional content item; and

updating the user interface to include the additional content item.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the received first user input is a cursor over a button for a next or a previous content item of the secondary stream.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the received first user input is a request for less information than previously determined for the secondary stream, and the method further comprises:

removing a secondary stream content item from the user interface;

updating the user interface to include a marker representing the secondary stream, the marker including a title rail and a bottom rail.

10. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

determine a context of a first user'"'"'s interaction with a stream of content;

determine content for a primary stream of content associated with the first user;

determine content for a secondary stream of content the secondary stream associated with the first user, the secondary stream including additional information about a content item in the primary stream of content associated with the first user, the additional information being derived from a primary stream of content associated with a second user who is connected to the first user on a social graph;

embed the secondary stream into the primary stream associated with the first user; and

provide a user interface including the secondary stream embedded into the primary stream associated with the first user for display to the first user.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer readable program when executed on the computer causes the computer to also receive a request for the stream of content.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein a scoring engine determines the content for the primary stream of content associated with the first user.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer readable program when executed on the computer causes the computer to also retrieve content items that are socially relevant to the user from one or more connections in a social network.

14. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer readable program when executed on the computer causes the computer to also determines content for a plurality of secondary streams, and embed the plurality of secondary streams into the primary stream associated with the first user.

15. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer readable program when executed on the computer causes the computer to also:

receive input from the first user;

determine whether the received first user input relates to the secondary stream associated with the first user;

modify the embedded secondary stream of the user interface; and

provide the modified user interface for display to the first user.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the received first user input is a request for more information than previously determined for the secondary stream of content associated with the first user and the computer readable program when executed on the computer causes the computer to also:

determine an additional content item based upon the received first user input;

retrieve the determined additional content item; and

update the user interface to include the additional content item.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the received first user input is a cursor over a button for a next or a previous content item of the secondary stream.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the received first user input is a request for less information than previously determined for the secondary stream, and the computer readable program when executed on the computer causes the computer to also:

remove a secondary stream content item from the user interface;

update the user interface to include a marker representing the secondary stream, the marker including a title rail and a bottom rail.

19. A system for providing a user interface with a secondary stream of content embedded into a primary stream of content, the system comprising:

one or more hardware processors;

a contextual module stored on a memory and executable by the one or more hardware processors for determining a context of a first user'"'"'s interaction with a stream of content;

a primary stream generator stored on a memory and executable by the one or more hardware processors for generating the primary stream of content for the first user, the primary stream generator coupled to a content source to extract data and coupled to provide the primary stream of content associated with the first user;

a secondary stream generator stored on the memory and executable by the one or more hardware processors for generating the secondary stream of content for the first user, the secondary stream generator coupled to the content source to retrieve data and coupled to provide the secondary stream of content associated with the first user, the secondary stream including additional information about a content item in the primary stream of content associated with the first user, the additional information being derived from a primary stream of content associated with a second user who is connected to the first user on a social graph;

a user interface engine stored on the memory and executable by the one or more hardware processors for producing a user interface including the secondary stream embedded into the primary stream of content associated with the first user, the user interface engine coupled to receive the primary stream associated with the first user from the primary stream generator and the secondary stream associated with the first user from the secondary stream generator.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising a scoring engine for providing content from a social network, the scoring engine coupled to provide content to the primary stream generator and the secondary stream generator.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the secondary stream generator generates the secondary stream based upon a content item in the primary stream of content associated with the first user.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein secondary stream generator generates a plurality of secondary streams for the primary stream associated with the first user, and the user interface engine embeds the plurality of secondary streams at different positions in the primary stream associated with the first user.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the user interface engine is coupled to receive input from the first user, determines whether input from the first user relates to the secondary stream and in response modifies the user interface and provides the modified user interface for display.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein user interface engine determines and retrieves an additional content item based upon input from the first user and updates the user interface to include the additional content item.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the user interface includes a button for a next or a previous content item of the secondary stream.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein the user interface includes a collapse button and in response to selection of the collapse button, he user interface engine replaces the secondary stream content item with a marker.