Enabling immersive, interactive desktop image presentation

• US 9,207,754 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2011
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Bennett, Eric Paul, Chand, Rajeev Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Lowenberger, Aaron
• Application Number:
  US13/277,648
• Publication Number:
  US 20130104059A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,510 Days
• Field of Search: 715/765, 715/804, 715/867
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• 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 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

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for enabling immersive, interactive desktop image presentation are provided. Upon receiving a request for presentation of a background image of a search engine home page as a desktop image, the background image is transmitted for presentation on a desktop associated with a computing device. In embodiments, the background image, and likewise the desktop image, permits user interaction therewith. For instance, a user may zoom into the image, pan around the image or otherwise interact with enabled regions of the background and/or desktop image that offer additional content and/or navigate the user to another location where additional information may be found. In this way, the user is provided an immersive, interactive experience with the image whether at the search engine home page, the desktop, or both.

Claims

1. One or more hardware memory devices storing computer-useable instructions that, when used by one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform a method for enabling immersive, interactive desktop image presentation, the method comprising:

in response to a request received from a toggle control that navigates a user between viewing a desktop associated with a computing device and viewing a search engine home page displayed via a browser, receiving a request for presentation of a background image of a search engine home page as a desktop image, wherein the background image includes at least one region for enabling user interaction;

transmitting the background image of the search engine home page for presentation as the desktop image on a desktop associated with a computing device; and

enabling user interaction with the desktop image, wherein the desktop image is presented as a background of the desktop such that the desktop image is presented behind desktop objects on a graphical user interface.

2. The one or more hardware memory devices of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a request for presentation of the desktop image as the background image of the search engine home page; and

transmitting the desktop image for presentation as the background image of the search engine home page.

3. The one or more hardware memory devices of claim 2,

wherein the method further comprises providing a toggle control configured to facilitate navigation between the desktop associated with the computing device and the search engine home page.

4. The one or more hardware memory devices of claim 1, wherein enabling user interaction with the desktop image comprises enabling at least one of panning around and zooming into the desktop image.

5. The one or more hardware memory devices of claim 1, wherein the desktop image includes at least one interactive region.

6. The one or more hardware memory devices of claim 5, wherein the at least one interactive region is anchored to a pixel location within the desktop image.

7. The one or more hardware memory devices of claim 5, wherein upon user engagement with the at least one interactive region, the method further comprises navigating the user away from the desktop and into a search experience.

8. The one or more hardware memory devices of claim 1, wherein the desktop image comprises one of a panoramic image and another explorable photo image.

9. A method for enabling immersive, interactive desktop image presentation, the method comprising:

receiving a request for presentation of a search engine home page on a display associated with a computing device;

transmitting an image for presentation on a first portion of the display that comprises less than the whole display, the image comprising a substantially centralized portion of a larger image;

transmitting a plurality of additional image portions for presentation on a second portion of the display that differs from the first portion, the image and the plurality of additional image portions collectively comprising the larger image;

in response to a request received from a toggle control that navigates a user between viewing a desktop associated with a computing device and viewing a search engine home page displayed via a browser, receiving a request for presentation of the larger image as a desktop image, wherein the larger image includes at least one region for enabling user interaction;

transmitting the larger image for presentation as a desktop image on a desktop associated with the computing device; and

enabling user interaction with the desktop image, wherein the desktop image is presented as a background of the desktop such that the desktop image is presented behind desktop objects on a graphical user interface.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one region for enabling user interaction provides additional content when engaged.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the desktop image includes at least one interactive region anchored to a pixel location within the desktop image, and wherein upon user engagement with the at least one interactive region, the method further comprises navigating away from the desktop and into a search experience.

12. A system for generating immersive, interactive desktop image presentation, the system comprising:

one or more hardware memory devices;

one or more executing instructions to;

A) receive, from a toggle control that navigates a user between viewing a desktop associated with a computing device and viewing a search engine home page displayed via a browser, a request for presentation of a background image of a search engine home page as a desktop image, wherein the background image includes at least one region for enabling user interaction;

B) retrieve and transmit the background image of the search engine home page for presentation as the desktop image on a desktop associated with a computing device; and

C) determine whether the browser associated with a computing device is capable of presenting an interactive image as at least a portion of the background image of a search engine home page.

13. The system of claim 12, the one or more processors further executing instructions to receive requests for presentation of search engine home pages.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one region for enabling user interaction, when engaged, provides additional content.

15. The system of claim 12, the one or more processors further executing instructions to transmit image data for presentation as a desktop image associated with the client computing device.

16. The system of claim 12, the one or more processors further executing instructions to determine whether applicable user-preference settings permit an interactive image presentation as at least a portion of the background of a search engine home page.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein when the one or more processors determine the browser associated with a computing device is not capable of presenting an interactive image as at least a portion of the background image of a search engine home page, the one or more processors further executing instructions to retrieve a static image for presentation on a portion of the available display that is less than the entire display and to transmit such image for presentation.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein when the one or more processors determine the browser associated with a computing device is capable of presenting an interactive image as at least a portion of the background image of a search engine home page, the one or more processors further executing instructions to transmit an interactive image for presentation as at least a portion of the background for search engine home pages.

19. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

an image data store storing searchable image data.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the image data includes interactive image data.