Creation and context-aware presentation of customized emoticon item sets

• US 9,152,219 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2012
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Dai, Juan, Almog, Itai, Yoshida, Taketoshi, Chen, Liang
• Primary Examiner(s): DAO, TUAN C.
• Application Number:
  US13/525,360
• Publication Number:
  US 20130339983A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,205 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

Embodiments provide context-aware inclusion of emoticon item sets in applications and/or services. The emoticon item sets include a plurality of emoticon images or other emoticons. A computing device creates custom emoticon item sets for each of the applications. Based on a determined execution context, the computing device selects the emoticon item set and presents the selected emoticon item set for use within the execution context by a user of the computing device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a memory area associated with a mobile computing device, said memory area storing a centralized catalog of emoticon images for a plurality of applications associated with the mobile computing device, wherein a plurality of subsets of the emoticon images in the centralized catalog are associated with the plurality of applications; and

a processor programmed to;

populate, by an operating system executing on the mobile computing device, the centralized catalog with the emoticon images received from the plurality of applications;

detect, by the operating system, an execution context of a user of the mobile computing device;

select, by the operating system, one of the plurality of subsets of the emoticon images based at least on the detected execution context; and

present, by the operating system, the selected one of the plurality of subsets of the emoticon images to the user within the detected execution context in a user interface element, wherein the user interface element is modified for the plurality of applications based on the selected one of the plurality of subsets, wherein a popularity tab is created within the user interface element that displays, upon selection by the user, one or more emoticon images frequently selected by the user from the selected one of the plurality of subsets, wherein the one or more frequently selected emoticon images are arranged in the popularity tab based on a frequency of selection.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to detect the execution context by identifying at least one of the applications being executed by the mobile computing device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor is programmed to present the selected one of the plurality of subsets by providing the selected one of the plurality of subsets to the at least one of the applications being executed by the mobile computing device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to populate the centralized catalog by:

receiving identification of at least one category associated with the received emoticon images; and

storing the received emoticon images in the centralized catalog as part of the received identification of the at least one category.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to organize the centralized catalog stored in the memory area according to one or more categories.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to identify one or more categories of the emoticon images by representative text or a representative graphic.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for customization of the centralized catalog by the plurality of applications executing on the mobile computing device.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for integrating social network branded emoticon items with the user interface element associated with data entry on the mobile computing device.

9. A method comprising:

defining, by an operating system executing on a computing device, a plurality of emoticon item sets for a plurality of applications associated with the computing device;

detecting, by the operating system, an execution context of a user of the computing device;

selecting, by the operating system, one of the defined plurality of emoticon item sets based at least on the detected execution context, wherein a different one of the defined plurality of emoticon item sets is selected for a different detected execution context; and

presenting, by the operating system, the selected one of the defined plurality of emoticon item sets to the user during the detected execution context in a user interface element, the user interface element being modified for the plurality of applications based on the selected one of the defined plurality of emoticon item sets, wherein a first portion of the user interface element displays a list of emoticon items frequently selected, by a plurality of users, from the selected one of the defined plurality of emoticon item sets, a second portion of the user interface element displays a plurality of categories corresponding to the selected one of the defined plurality of emoticon item sets, and a third portion of the user interface element enables the user to enter text input.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein defining the plurality of emoticon item sets comprises customizing one or more of the following:

a quantity of categories for the emoticon items, and a quantity of the emoticon items allowable in one or more of a plurality of categories for the emoticon items.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein defining the plurality of emoticon item sets comprises downloading the plurality of emoticon item sets from one or more services associated with the plurality of applications.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein defining the plurality of emoticon item sets comprises defining the plurality of emoticon item sets including one or more of the following:

graphical emoticons, font emoticons, and text emoticons.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein detecting the execution context comprises identifying one of the plurality of applications being executed by the computing device, and further comprising downloading emoticon items associated with the selected one of the defined plurality of emoticon item sets from a server associated with the one of the plurality of applications.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving an updated emoticon item or association with at least one of the defined plurality of emoticon item sets.

15. One or more computer storage media embodying computer-executable components, said components comprising:

a customization component that on execution causes at least one processor of a computing device to create a centralized catalog for a plurality of applications by;

identifying the plurality of applications installed on the computing device,

obtaining emoticon item sets for the identified applications, and

storing the obtained emoticon item sets in the centralized catalog;

a run-time component that on execution causes at least one processor of the computing device to detect an execution context of a user of the computing device;

a filter component that on execution causes at least one processor of the computing device to select, based at least on the execution context detected by the run-time component, one of the emoticon item sets from the centralized catalog created by the customization component; and

a user interface component that on execution causes at least one processor of the computing device to present the one of the emoticon item sets selected by the filter component to the user within the execution context detected by the run-time component, wherein the user interface component presents the selected one of the emoticon item sets to the user in a user interface element modified for the identified a applications based on the selected one of the emoticon item sets within the detected execution context, the customization component creates a popularity tab within the user interface element, the popularity tab displaying, upon selection by the user, one or more emoticon items frequently selected by the user from the selected one of the emoticon item sets, wherein the one or more emoticon items frequently selected in the popularity tab are arranged based on a frequency of selection.

16. The computer storage media of claim 15, wherein the customization component obtains the emoticon item sets by downloading the emoticon item sets from web sites associated with the identified applications.

17. The computer storage media of claim 15, wherein a first portion of the user interface element displays, a list of emoticon items frequently selected by a plurality of users from the selected one of the emoticon item sets, a second portion of the user interface element displays a plurality of categories corresponding to the selected one of the emoticon item sets, and a third portion of the user interface element enables the user to enter text input.

18. The computer storage media of claim 15, wherein the customization component obtains the emoticon item sets by obtaining emoticon item sets branded by a social networking web site associated with one of the identified applications.

19. The computer storage media of claim 15, wherein the centralized catalog is organized according to one or more categories.

20. The computer storage media of claim 15, wherein the execution context of the user is detected by identifying at least one of the identified applications being executed by the computing device.