Layered visualization of content representations

• US 9,098,167 B1
• Filed: 02/26/2007
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qurio Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Qurio Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Issa, Alfredo C., Walsh, Richard J., Amidon, Christopher M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Thu
• Application Number:
  US11/678,798
• Time in Patent Office: 3,081 Days
• Field of Search: 345/419, 455/457, 379/201.01, 379/202.01, 715/200, 715/706, 715/733, 715/757, 715/764, 715/848, 463/42
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A system and method for representing content available from a hosting user are provided. In general, content representations that are descriptive of content made accessible by the hosting user are presented in association with a content representation host representing the hosting user according to a layering scheme. The content representation host may be, for example, an avatar in a virtual environment, a custom webpage of the hosting user, an identifier of the hosting user in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, an identifier of the hosting user in a mobile network, or the like. Based on the content representations, other users are enabled to quickly and easily determine whether content of interest is accessible from the hosting user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining metadata describing content made accessible by a hosting user;

identifying applicable content representations that are descriptive of the content from a plurality of defined content representations based on the metadata;

generating a plurality of content representation (CR) layers between the hosting user and a viewing user, each of the plurality of CR layers associated with at least one of the applicable content representations and having an associated distance threshold where each of the plurality of CR layers has a different content representation based on the associated distance threshold such that the at least one of the applicable content representations is based on the associated distance threshold;

obtaining distance indicia providing one of a group consisting of;

a distance between an avatar representing the hosting user and an avatar representing the viewing user and a distance between the hosting user and the viewing user;

selecting a CR layer from the plurality of CR layers based on the distance indicia and the distance threshold of at least one of the plurality of CR layers; and

effecting presentation to the viewing user of the at least one of the applicable content representations associated with the CR layer in association with the content representation host representing the hosting user, wherein the at least one of the applicable content representations presented to the viewing user is presented based on the distance between the avatar representing the hosting user and the avatar representing the viewing user or the distance between the hosting user and the viewing user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein, effecting presentation of the at least one of the applicable content representations comprises effecting presentation of the at least one of the applicable content representations associated with the CR layer in association with the avatar representing the hosting user within a view of the virtual environment presented to the viewing user.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one of the applicable content representations is a visual element presented alongside the avatar representing the hosting user within the view of the virtual environment presented to the viewing user.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one of the applicable content representations is a modification to at least one of a group consisting of:

clothes, hairstyle, and accessories of the avatar representing the hosting user within the view of the virtual environment presented to the viewing user.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the hosting user and the viewing user are users of a peer-to-peer (P2P) content sharing network, the distance indicia includes distance between the hosting user and the viewing user, and the avatar representing the hosting user is an identifier of the hosting user in the P2P content sharing network.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the distance between the hosting user and the viewing user is a physical distance between the hosting user and the viewing user.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the distance between the hosting user and the viewing user is a number of hops between a client device of the hosting user and a client device of the viewing user in the P2P content sharing network.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the hosting user and the viewing user are users of a mobile network, the distance indicia includes a distance between the hosting user and the viewing user, and the content representation host representing the hosting user is an identifier of the hosting user in the mobile network.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the distance between the hosting user and the viewing user is a physical distance between the hosting user and the viewing user.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the plurality of CR layers between the hosting user and the viewing user comprises selecting a number of CR layers to form based on at least one of a group consisting of:

preferences of the hosting user, information descriptive of an associated environment, preferences of the viewing user, and volume of content representations presented to the viewing user.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving new distance indicia;

selecting a new CR layer from the plurality of CR layers by comparing the new distance indicia to the distance threshold of at least one of the plurality of CR layers; and

effecting presentation to the viewing user of the at least one of the applicable content representations associated with the new CR layer in association with the content representation host representing the hosting user.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of defined content representations corresponds to a plurality of content descriptors, and identifying the applicable content representations comprises identifying at least one of the plurality of content descriptors that is applicable to the content based on the metadata describing the content.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the plurality of content descriptors comprises at least one of a group consisting of:

genres, time periods, and artists.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising filtering the applicable content representations based on user preferences of the viewing user to provided filtered content representations, wherein each of the plurality of CR layers is associated with at least one of the filtered content representations.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting the CR layer comprises selecting the CR layer from the plurality of CR layers based on a comparison of the distance indicia and the distance threshold of at least one of the plurality of CR layers.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting the CR layer comprises selecting the CR layer from the plurality of CR layers based on comparisons of the distance indicia and the distance thresholds of multiple ones of the plurality of CR layers.

17. A method comprising:

obtaining metadata describing content made accessible by a group of hosting users;

identifying applicable content representations that are descriptive of the content from a plurality of defined content representations based on the metadata;

generating a plurality of content representation (CR) layers between the group of hosting users and a viewing user, each of the plurality of CR layers associated with at least one of the applicable content representations and having an associated distance threshold where each of the plurality of CR layers has a different content representation based on the associated distance threshold such that the at least one of the applicable content representations is based on the associated distance threshold;

obtaining distance indicia providing one of a group consisting of;

a distance between avatars representing the group of hosting users and an avatar representing the viewing user and a distance between the group of hosting users and the viewing user;

selecting a CR layer from the plurality of CR layers based on the distance indicia and the distance threshold of at least one of the plurality of CR layers; and

effecting presentation to the viewing user of the at least one of the applicable content representations associated with the CR layer in association with the at least one content representation host representing the group of hosting users, wherein the at least one of the applicable content representations presented to the viewing user is presented based on the distance between the avatar representing the hosting user and the avatar representing the viewing user or the distance between the hosting user and the viewing user.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein, effecting presentation of the at least one of the applicable content representations comprises effecting presentation of the at least one of the applicable content representations associated with the CR layer in association with the avatars within a view of the virtual environment presented to the viewing user.

19. A hardware server comprising:

a communication interface communicatively coupling the server to a first client device associated with a hosting user and a second client device associated with a viewing user; and

a control system associated with the communication interface and adapted to;

obtain metadata describing content made available by the hosting user;

identify applicable content representations that are descriptive of the content from a plurality of defined content representations based on the metadata;

generate a plurality of content representation (CR) layers between the hosting user and the viewing user, each of the plurality of CR layers associated with at least one of the applicable content representations and having an associated distance threshold where each of the plurality of CR layers has a different content representation based on the associated distance threshold such that the at least one of the applicable content representations is based on the associated distance threshold;

obtain distance indicia providing one of a group consisting of;

a distance between an avatar representing the hosting user and an avatar representing the viewing user and a distance between the hosting user and the viewing user;

select a CR layer from the plurality of CR layers based on the distance indicia and the distance threshold of at least one of the plurality of CR layers; and

effecting presentation of the at least one of the applicable content representations associated with the CR layer to the viewing user at the second client device in association with a content representation host representing the hosting user, wherein the at least one of the applicable content representations presented to the viewing user is presented based on the distance between the avatar representing the hosting user and the avatar representing the viewing user or the distance between the hosting user and the viewing user.