Dynamically scaled navigation system for social network data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10437454-B2
Application number	US-201213544394-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2012
Priority date	Jul 9, 2012
Publication date	Oct 8, 2019
Grant date	Oct 8, 2019

Abstract

A user interface includes a tactile interface on a client device that allows users to interact with social networking system content in a manner that is optimized for touch screens and/or devices with limited display area. Stories associated with social networking system users and times are displayed in a scrollable list along with a timeline scrubber identifying different time periods. A position indicator is displayed proximate to the timeline scrubber to identify the time period including one or more times associated with displayed stories. Responsive to received input, details about time intervals included in a time period are displayed or the timeline scrubber appearance is modified to distinguish certain time periods.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
selecting a subset of stories associated with users of a social networking system, each story of the subset of stories associated with a time;
displaying on a touch screen display of a mobile device a timeline interface to a user of the social networking system, the timeline interface comprising:
a scrollable list including the subset of stories presented in a chronological order according to the time associated with each story of the subset of stories;
a timeline scrubber adjacent to the scrollable list, the timeline scrubber having a plurality of selectable time period divisions, each selectable time period division associated with a range of times; and
a position marker adjacent to a selectable time period division of the plurality of selectable time period divisions;

receiving, on a portion of the scrollable list including the subset of stories, an input via the touch screen to navigate through the scrollable list at a first scroll rate;
responsive to receiving the input:
modifying the subset of stories included in the scrollable list based on the first scroll rate so a modified scrollable list including stories associated with one or more different times is displayed;
expanding, based on a comparison of the first scroll rate to a predetermined value, a first selectable time period division of the plurality of selectable time period divisions corresponding to a first range of times associated with one or more of the modified subset of stories, wherein the expanding comprises:
displaying, based on the first scroll rate, a plurality of selectable time intervals within the first selectable time period division, each time interval associated with a narrower range of times within the first range of times; and
displaying the position marker adjacent to a selectable time interval corresponding to a time associated with one or more of the modified subset of stories;

wherein the time intervals of the plurality of selectable time intervals within the first selectable time period division adjacent to the displayed position marker are displayed at an increased size.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising adjusting a distance between time period divisions of the plurality of selectable time period divisions based on the first scroll rate, wherein the distance between the time period divisions of the plurality of selectable time period divisions is greater than zero.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising increasing a display size of time period divisions of the plurality of selectable time period divisions within a specified distance of the position marker.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising changing a display color of time period divisions of the plurality of selectable time period divisions within a specified distance of the position marker.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
displaying one or more time period indicators adjacent to one or more of the plurality of selectable time period divisions, the time period indicators of the one or more time period indicators comprising alphanumeric labels indicating time periods associated with the one or more time period divisions of the plurality of selectable time period divisions.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising changing a visual appearance of time period indicators of the one or more time period indicators for time period divisions of the plurality of selectable time period divisions within a specified distance of the position marker.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the input received via the touch screen is a gesture travelling along a vertical axis of the touch screen.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
responsive to receiving a timeline input to a portion of the touch screen corresponding to the timeline scrubber, displaying a detail time period viewer adjacent to one of the plurality of selectable time period divisions included in the timeline scrubber in the portion of the touch screen receiving the timeline input, the detail time period viewer separate from and non-overlapping with the timeline scrubber the detail time period viewer comprising:
a plurality of selectable time intervals of the selected time period division, each time interval associated with a narrower range of times within the range of times associated with the selectable time period division associated with the portion of the touch screen receiving the timeline input.

9. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing computer program code for performing the steps:
selecting a subset of stories associated with users of a social networking system, each story of the subset of stories associated with a time;
displaying on a touch screen display of a mobile device a timeline interface to a user of the social networking system, the timeline interface comprising:
a scrollable list including the subset of stories presented in a chronological order according to times associated with each story of the subset of stories;
a timeline scrubber adjacent to the scrollable list, the timeline scrubber having a plurality of selectable time period divisions, each selectable time period division associated with a range of times; and
a position marker adjacent to a selectable time period division of the plurality of selectable time period divisions;

receiving, on a portion of the scrollable list including the subset of stories, an input via the touch screen to navigate through the scrollable list at a first scroll rate;
responsive to receiving the input:
modifying the subset of stories included in the scrollable list based on the first scroll rate so a modified scrollable list including stories associated with one or more different times is displayed;
expanding, based on a comparison of the first scroll rate to a predetermined value, a first selectable time period division of the plurality of selectable time period divisions corresponding to a first range of times associated with one or more of the modified subset of stories where the expanding comprises:
displaying a plurality of selectable time intervals within the first selectable time period division, each time interval associated with a narrower range of times within the first range of times; and
displaying the position marker adjacent to a time interval corresponding to a time associated with one or more of the modified subset of stories;

wherein the time intervals of the plurality of selectable time intervals within the first selectable time period division adjacent to the displayed position marker are displayed at an increased size.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 , further comprising computer program code for:
displaying one or more time period indicators adjacent to one or more of the plurality of selectable time period divisions, the time period indicators of the one or more time period indicators comprising alphanumeric labels indicating time periods associated with the one or more time period divisions of the plurality of selectable time period divisions; and
changing a visual appearance of time period indicators of the one or more time period indicators for time period divisions of the plurality of selectable time period divisions within a specified distance of the position marker.

Assignees

• Flynn Iii William Joseph
• Johnson Michael Dudley
• Facebook Inc

Inventors

• Flynn Iii William Joseph
• Johnson Michael Dudley

Classifications

• G06F3/0488 Primary

  using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures · CPC title

• G06F16/447

  Temporal browsing, e.g. timeline · CPC title

• G06F3/04855

  Interaction with scrollbars · CPC title