Embedding a representation of an item in a host

• US 9,536,009 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2007
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Moore, Jason F., Citron, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Hillery, Nathan
• Application Number:
  US11/835,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20090043813A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,436 Days
• Field of Search: 715/255
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/14 Tree-structured documents parsing G06F40/205; validation G06F40/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

Functionality is described for creating objects that represent respective items provided in a store. The objects can be embedded in various hosts, such as network-accessible pages (e.g., web pages), network-accessible journals (e.g., blogs), messages (e.g., Emails), and so on. Consumers can activate the objects in the hosts to retrieve information associated with the corresponding items. According to one illustrative feature, the functionality provides a general interface for creating objects for different types of items stored in the store, including file items of various kinds (e.g., text files, image files, audio files, spreadsheet files, video files, etc.), list items, folder items, and so on. According to another illustrative feature, the functionality provides an interface for allowing users to customize various aspects of objects.

Claims

1. A method for creating a representation of an item and using the representation of the item to present the item, comprising:

employing a processor that executes instructions retained in a computer-memory, the instructions when executed by the processor implement at least the following operations;

storing a plurality of items, an individual item including a respective file-type of a plurality of file-types;

receiving, over a network and from a user device, an item selection indicative of a selected item from the plurality of items, the selected item including a file-type of the plurality of file-types;

providing, over the network and to the user device, a user interface for creating, based at least in part on the file-type, an object to represent the selected item, wherein the user interface includes a plurality of characteristics for creating the object and embedding information for embedding the object in a host;

receiving, over the network and from the user device, one or more selections received via the user interface, the one or more selections indicative of individual characteristics of the plurality of characteristics for creating the object that represents the selected item;

creating the object that represents the selected item based at least on the one or more selections;

providing the user device with the embedding information, the embedding information including instructions to display the object within the host;

receiving an activation of the object based at least in part on an appearance of the object within the host; and

presenting, in response to the activation of the object, the selected item using a player that is configured to present the file-type of the selected item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the file-type includes an image file, a text file, a spreadsheet file, an audio file, or a video file.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more characteristics of the plurality of characteristics allow customization of a collection of metadata that is provided by the object.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more characteristics of the plurality of characteristics allow specification of a plurality of formats of the object, wherein individual formats within the plurality of formats correspond to different display configurations of the object for different devices configured to receive and display the object.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the object that is created includes at least one interactive feature that is operative to solicit information from a consumer.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the interactive feature is operative to receive an evaluation of the object from the consumer.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the interactive feature is operative to receive a comment from the consumer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the object includes at least one dynamic field that changes in response to events that occur subsequent to the embedding of the object in the host.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the host is one of:

a network-accessible page;

a network-accessible journal;

a message;

a document;

or

a functional module.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the object includes two fields, wherein a first field is a control to present the selected item itself and a second field is a control to access supplemental information associated with the selected item.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, over the network and from the user device, one or more additional selections, the one or more additional selections indicative of individual characteristics of the plurality of characteristics for creating an additional object that represents the selected item; and

creating an additional object that represents the selected object.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing a plurality of players, an individual player of the plurality of players configured to present an individual file-type of the plurality of file-types.

3. The method 1, wherein one or more characteristics of the plurality of characteristics allow customization of visual characteristics of the object.

14. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage media in communication with the one or more processors, the one or more computer-readable storage media storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, perform operations comprising;

identifying an item previously uploaded to a store, wherein the item is selected from a plurality of items and includes an item type from a plurality of item types;

providing, over a network and to a user device, an embed interface, wherein the embed interface includes a plurality of options for creating a custom representation of the item in the form of an object;

receiving, over the network and from the user device, a selection from among the plurality of options to create the object;

creating, based at least in part on the selection, the object;

providing, over the network and to the user device, embedding information for embedding the object in a host, the embedding information including instructions to display the object within the host; and

presenting, using a player that is configured to present the item type of the item, the item in response to the object being activated within the host.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the embed interface further includes an item self page that presents information about the item, and wherein the information about the item includes at least one of the item type, a time at which the item was uploaded to the store, a size of the item, and a network address for the item.

16. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the embed interface further includes an image embed page that presents a plurality of appearance options for the object, and wherein each of the plurality of appearance options presents how the object will appear on the host.

17. The computing device of claim 14, the operations further comprising storing a plurality of players, an individual player of the plurality of players configured to present an individual item type of the plurality of item types.

18. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage media in communication with the one or more processors, the one or more computer-readable storage media storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, perform operations comprising;

storing a plurality of items uploaded into a store, wherein the plurality of items include different respective item types;

providing a user interface for creating customizable objects that represent at least a portion of the plurality of items, the user interface including characteristics for creating the customizable objects that represent the at least the portion of the plurality of items;

receiving one or more selections via the user interface, the one or more selections indicative of individual characteristics from the characteristics for creating the customizable objects that represent the at least the portion of the plurality of items;

creating the customizable objects that represent the at least the portion of the plurality of items based at least in part on the one or more selections, wherein the customizable objects serve as controls for retrieving the at least the portion of the plurality of items based at least in part on activation within hosts in which the customizable objects appear;

providing one or more user devices with embedding information for embedding the customizable objects in the hosts, the embedding information including instructions to display the customizable objects within the hosts; and

presenting the at least the portion of the plurality of items in response to the customizable objects associated with the at least the portion of the plurality of items being activated via the one or more user devices, wherein logic for presenting the at least the portion of the plurality of items applies different players for different respective item types associated with the customizable objects that are activated.

19. A method for creating a representation of an item and using the representation of the item to present the item, comprising:

employing a processor that executes instructions retained in a computer-memory, the instructions when executed by the processor implement at least the following operations;

receiving, over a network and from a user device, an item selection, the item selection indicative of a selected item uploaded to a store and stored therein, the store having a plurality of items with different respective item types stored therein;

providing, over the network and to the user device, a user interface for creating, based at least in part on an item type of the selected item, an object to represent the selected item, wherein the user interface includes a plurality of characteristics for creating the object;

receiving, over the network and from the user device, one or more selections received via the user interface, the one or more selections indicative of individual characteristics of the plurality of characteristics for creating the object that represents the selected item;

creating the object that represents the selected item based at least on the one or more selections, wherein the object includes a plurality of formats and individual formats within the plurality of formats correspond to different display configurations of the object for different devices configured to receive and display the object;

providing, over the network and to the user device, embedding information for embedding the object in a host, the embedding information including instructions to display the object within the host, wherein the embedding instructions are at least partially based on the plurality of formats associated with the object; and

presenting, in response to an activation of the object, the selected item using a player that is configured to present the file type of the selected item.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising storing a plurality of players, an individual player of the plurality of players configured to present an individual item type of the different respective item types.