Overlaying photographs with text on a social networking system

• US 9,361,278 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Marra, Gregory Matthew, Struhar, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Dyer, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US13/842,301
• Publication Number:
  US 20140281847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 715/201, 715/202, 715/230, 715/232, 715/243, 715/246, 715/247, 715/253
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

When a social networking system receives an image and associated text for presentation to one or more users, the social networking system determines how to present the text and the image. For example, the social networking system determines if to overlay the text onto an area of the image. A readability score indicating the readability of the text if overlaid onto an area of the image is determined based on attributes of the image and of the text. Using the readability score, the social networking system overlays the text onto an area of the image when presented to other users or presents the text adjacent to the image when presented to other users.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving information about a story in a social networking system, the story comprising a plurality of images and text associated with the plurality of images, wherein the plurality of images are part of a photographic album;

determining a plurality of configurations, wherein each configuration of the plurality of configurations comprises the plurality of images arranged in a different order;

combining the text with each configuration of the plurality of configurations and computing a respective readability score for that combination, the readability score indicating a measure of a likelihood of a user of the social networking system is able to read the text when overlaid onto the respective configuration and the readability score is based at least in part on one or more attributes of the plurality of images, one or more attributes of the text, or any combination thereof;

comparing the readability scores with a threshold value;

selecting the configuration having the highest readability score;

generating the story including the text and the selected configuration based on the comparison, wherein if the readability score for the selected configuration of the plurality of images equals or exceeds the threshold value, the text is overlaid onto an area of the selected configuration, and if the readability score for the selected configuration is less than the threshold value, the text is positioned adjacent to the selected configuration of the plurality of images; and

sending the story for display to a client device associated with the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more attributes of the plurality of images, the one or more attributes of the text, or any combination thereof is selected from a group consisting of:

a likelihood of obscuring faces in a first image of the group of images by overlaying the first image with the text, metadata associated with the first image indicating that the first image has been digitally altered, homogeneity of one or more areas of the first image, a number of characters included in the text, a size of the text, an indication the first image includes existing text, location tags associated with the first image, a resolution of the image, dimensions of the image, and any combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the homogeneity of one or more areas of the first image is based on one or more of a group consisting of:

a size of the one or more areas, a color distribution in the one or more areas, a magnitude of color contrast in the one or more areas, a magnitude of color contrast between the one or more areas and the text, and any combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein computing the respective readability score for a combination of the text and each of the different configurations of the group of images comprises:

truncating the text; and

computing the readability score based on one or more attributes of the plurality of images, one or more attributes of the truncated text, or any combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

cropping an image of the plurality of images; and

wherein computing the readability score is further based one or more attributes of the truncated text.

6. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of images and text associated with the plurality of images, in a social networking system, wherein the plurality of images are part of a photographic album;

determining a plurality of configurations, wherein each configuration of the plurality of configurations comprises the plurality of images arranged in a different order;

determining whether to overlay the text onto the plurality of images in a particular configuration based at least in part on one or more attributes of one of the plurality of images, one or more attributes of the text, and any combination of attributes of the text and attributes of the plurality of images, the determining comprising;

combining the text with each configuration of the plurality of configurations and computing a respective readability score for that combination, the readability score indicating measure of a likelihood of a user of the social networking system is able to read the text when overlaid onto the group of images in the respective configuration,

comparing the readability scores with a threshold value to determine whether to overlay the text onto the group of images in the particular configuration; and

selecting the configuration having the highest readability score;

generating a story including the selected configuration and the text, based on the comparing, wherein if the readability score the selected configuration of the plurality of images equals or exceeds the threshold value, the text is overlaid onto an area of the selected configuration, and if the readability score for the selected configuration is less than the threshold value, the text is positioned adjacent to the selected configuration of the plurality of images; and

providing the story to a client device associated with the user the story including the text and the selected configuration of the plurality of images in a format based on the comparison.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein providing the story to the client device associated with the user the story including the text and the selected configuration of the plurality of images in the format based on the comparison comprises:

providing the story to the user with the text overlaid onto an area of the selected configuration of the plurality of images.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein providing the story to the client device associated with the user the story including the text and the selected configuration of the plurality of images in the format based on the comparison comprises:

providing the story to the user with the text adjacent to the selected configuration of the plurality of images.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more attributes of one of the plurality images, the one or more attributes of the text, and any combination of attributes of the text and attributes of the plurality of images are selected from a group consisting of:

a likelihood of obscuring faces in a first image of the plurality of images by overlaying the first image with the text, metadata associated with the first image indicating that the first image has been digitally altered, homogeneity of one or more areas of the first image, a number of characters included in the text, a size of the text, an indication the image includes existing text, location tags associated with the image, a resolution of the image, dimensions of the image, and any combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the homogeneity of one or more areas of the first image is based on one or more of a group consisting of:

a size of the one or more areas, a color distribution in the one or more areas, a magnitude of color contrast in the one or more areas, a magnitude of color contrast between the one or more areas and the text, and any combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein computing the readability score for the combination of the text and each of the different configurations of the plurality of images comprises:

computing a plurality of area readability scores for areas of the plurality of images, each area readability score corresponding to the likelihood of the user reading the text when overlaid onto an area of the plurality of images.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining whether the readability score equals or exceeds a threshold value comprises:

identifying candidate areas of the plurality of images associated with an area readability score equaling or exceeding the threshold value; and

selecting an area associated with a candidate area having a highest readability score.