Computer implemented methods and apparatus for presentation of feed items in an information feed to be displayed on a display device

• US 9,443,225 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2012
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Olsen, Joseph M., Dunn, Zachary J.
• Primary Examiner(s): BURGESS, BARBARA N
• Application Number:
  US13/649,975
• Publication Number:
  US 20130024788A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,433 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/204, 709/205, 709/206, 709/207, 709/224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/543 User-generated data transfer, e.g. clipboards, dynamic data exchange [DDE], object linking and embedding [OLE]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/548 Object oriented; Remote method invocation [RMI] non-remote method invocation G06F9/449
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, apparatus, systems, and computer-readable storage media for displaying a feed item of an information feed in a presentation on a display device. In some implementations, a feed item having one or more attributes is received. A filter including one or more parameters is applied to the one or more feed item attributes. The filter is capable of being stored on one or more storage mediums. When the one or more feed item attributes satisfies the one or more filter parameters, presentation information is generated. The presentation information includes at least one indicator configured to identify, in a user interface on the display device, the feed item as having the one or more attributes satisfying the one or more filter parameters. The presentation information can be stored on one or more storage mediums.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program code; and

one or more processors capable of executing the program code when retrieved from the non-transitory computer-readable medium for controlling a graphical presentation on a display device of feed items in a feed of a social networking system associated with a database system having one or more databases storing data objects, the program code comprising instructions configurable to;

cause a first graphical presentation of feed items stored as data objects in the one or more databases to be displayed in a user interface on the display device, the first graphical presentation comprising;

a first feed item being designated as a reference feed item and being centrally located in the first graphical presentation,

one or more second feed items shared in direct or indirect response to the first feed item, the one or more second feed items being graphically linked to the first feed item to visually represent in the first graphical presentation a first conversation thread stemming in a first direction from the first feed item, and

one or more third feed items shared in direct or indirect response to the first feed item, the one or more third feed items being graphically linked to the first feed item to visually represent in the first graphical presentation a second conversation thread stemming in a second direction from the first feed item, the second direction being different from the first direction to graphically differentiate the second conversation thread from the first conversation thread, at least one of the first direction or the second direction being non-vertical with respect to the first feed item in the first graphical presentation;

process user input data indicating a selection of a second feed item; and

cause, based on the user input data, a second graphical presentation of feed items to be displayed in the user interface on the display device with the selected second feed item being designated as the reference feed item and being centrally located in the second graphical presentation, the second graphical presentation comprising a third conversation thread stemming from the first feed item, the third conversation thread being different from the first and second conversation threads.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the first graphical presentation is displayed in a first graphical window of the user interface, and the second graphical presentation is displayed in a second graphical window of the user interface.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the user input data indicates the second feed item is selected for at least one of:

sharing, re-publishing, or inclusion in the second graphical window.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the first feed item is a post, and the selected second feed item is a comment on the post.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, the instructions further configurable to:

cause at least one of the first graphical presentation or the second graphical presentation to be displayed on a further display device.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the first feed item is designated as the reference feed item by being centrally located in the first graphical presentation.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the selected second feed item is designated as the reference feed item by being centrally located in the second graphical presentation.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, the instructions further configurable to:

determine an association between a second feed item and the first feed item; and

control a spatial relationship between the second feed item and the first feed item in accordance with the determined association.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the graphical linking is established by at least one of:

a graphical line between feed items, a spatial cluster of feed items, a shared color of feed items, and a shared highlight of feed items.

10. A system comprising:

one or more processors used in a server system implementing a database system, the database system configurable to;

cause a first graphical presentation of feed items stored as data objects in the database system to be displayed in a user interface on a display device, the first graphical presentation comprising;

a first feed item being designated as a reference feed item and being centrally located in the first graphical presentation,

one or more second feed items shared in direct or indirect response to the first feed item, the one or more second feed items being graphically linked to the first feed item to visually represent in the first graphical presentation a first conversation thread stemming in a first direction from the first feed item, and

one or more third feed items shared in direct or indirect response to the first feed item, the one or more third feed items being graphically linked to the first feed item to visually represent in the first graphical presentation a second conversation thread stemming in a second direction from the first feed item, the second direction being different from the first direction to graphically differentiate the second conversation thread from the first conversation thread, at least one of the first direction or the second direction being non-vertical with respect to the first feed item in the first graphical presentation;

cause, based on received user input data indicating a selection of a second feed item, a second graphical presentation of feed items to be displayed in the user interface on the display device with the selected second feed item being designated as the reference feed item and being centrally located in the second graphical presentation, the second graphical presentation comprising a third conversation thread stemming from the first feed item, the third conversation thread being different from the first and second conversation threads.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first graphical presentation is displayed in a first graphical window of the user interface, and the second graphical presentation is displayable in a second graphical window of the user interface.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the user input data indicates the second feed item is selected for at least one of:

sharing, re-publishing, or inclusion in the second graphical window.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the first feed item is a post, and the selected second feed item is a comment on the post.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the first feed item is designated as the reference feed item by being centrally located in the first graphical presentation.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the selected second feed item is designated as the reference feed item by being centrally located in the second graphical presentation.

16. A method for controlling a graphical presentation on a display device of feed items in a feed of a social networking system implemented using a database system, the method comprising:

causing a first graphical presentation of feed items stored as data objects in a database system implementing a social networking system to be displayed in a user interface on a display device, the first graphical presentation comprising;

a first feed item being designated as a reference feed item and being centrally located in the first graphical presentation,

one or more second feed items shared in direct or indirect response to the first feed item, the one or more second feed items being graphically linked to the first feed item to visually represent in the first graphical presentation a first conversation thread stemming in a first direction from the first feed item, and

one or more third feed items shared in direct or indirect response to the first feed item, the one or more third feed items being graphically linked to the first feed item to visually represent in the first graphical presentation a second conversation thread stemming in a second direction from the first feed item, the second direction being different from the first direction to graphically differentiate the second conversation thread from the first conversation thread, at least one of the first direction or the second direction being non-vertical with respect to the first feed item in the first graphical presentation;

receiving user input data indicating a selection of a second feed item; and

causing, based on the user input data, a second graphical presentation of feed items to be displayed in the user interface on the display device with the selected second feed item being designated as the reference feed item and being centrally located in the second graphical presentation, the second graphical presentation comprising a third conversation thread stemming from the first feed item, the third conversation thread being different from the first and second conversation threads.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first graphical presentation is displayed in a first graphical window of the user interface, and the second graphical presentation is displayable in a second graphical window of the user interface.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the user input data indicates the second feed item is selected for at least one of:

sharing, re-publishing, or inclusion in the second graphical window.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the first feed item is a post, and the selected second feed item is a comment on the post.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the first feed item is designated as the reference feed item by being centrally located in the first graphical presentation.