Sharing images and image albums over a communication network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10476827-B2
Application number	US-201615277927-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 27, 2016
Priority date	Sep 28, 2015
Publication date	Nov 12, 2019
Grant date	Nov 12, 2019

Abstract

Implementations relate to sharing images and image albums over a communication network. In some implementations, a computer-implemented method includes determining that a shared album data structure is accessible by a device and includes references to album images. The device determines one or more suggested images from a collection of stored images associated with a user, based on determining sharing scores for the stored images. The sharing scores are based on comparing one or more characteristics of the stored images to one or more corresponding characteristics of the album images. The method includes causing display of the one or more suggested images by the device, receiving a selection of at least one selected image of the suggested images based on received user input, and causing an update of the shared album data structure with the at least one selected image to be accessible over a communication network by recipient users.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method to share images over a communication network, the method comprising:
determining that a shared album data structure representing a shared album is accessible by a device, wherein the shared album data structure includes references to one or more album images included in the shared album;
in response to determining that the shared album data structure is accessible by the device, determining, by the device, one or more suggested images from a collection of stored images associated with a particular user, wherein determining the one or more suggested images is based on:
determining sharing scores by the device for the stored images, wherein the sharing scores are based on, at least in part, comparing one or more characteristics of the stored images to one or more corresponding characteristics of the one or more album images;

causing display of the one or more suggested images by the device;
receiving a selection of at least one selected image of the one or more suggested images based on user input received by the device from the particular user;
receiving a plurality of recipient users for the shared album data structure;
adding the at least one selected image to the shared album by causing an update of the shared album data structure to reference the at least one selected image, such that the at least one selected image is accessible via the shared album data structure over a communication network by the plurality of recipient users;
determining that a first recipient user of the plurality of recipient users is associated with a first communication channel and a second recipient user of the plurality of recipient users is associated with a second communication channel;
determining a type of the first communication channel, wherein the type of the first communication channel is a first type of communication channel;
determining a type of the second communication channel, wherein the type of the second communication channel is a second type of communication channel different from the first type of communication channel;
in response to determining that the first recipient user is associated with the first type of communication channel, providing in a first message a first link to the shared album data structure and first information having a first information type associated with the first type of communication channel;
in response to determining that the second recipient user is associated with the second type of communication channel, providing in a second message a second link to the shared album data structure and second information having a second information type associated with the second type of communication channel, the second information type different than the first information type;
receiving a share command applicable to the shared album data structure;
in response to receiving the share command, causing the first message to be sent to a first recipient device of the first recipient user using the first communication channel; and
in response to receiving the share command, causing the second message to be sent to a second recipient device of the second recipient user using the second communication channel.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the device, one or more suggested recipient users for the at least one selected image, wherein the one or more suggested recipient users are determined based on recipient scores determined by the device for a plurality of users stored in a contact list associated with the particular user, wherein the recipient scores are based on, at least in part, comparing one or more determined content features of the at least one selected image to one or more content features of images previously shared by the particular user to one or more of the plurality of the users;
causing display of the one or more suggested recipient users by the device;
receiving a second selection of at least one selected recipient user of the one or more suggested recipient users,
wherein the at least one selected recipient user is included in the plurality of recipient users to which the at least one selected image is accessible;
in response to receiving the second selection of the at least one selected recipient user, determining one or more additional suggested recipient users based on the at least one selected recipient user;
causing display of the one or more additional suggested recipient users by the device; and
receiving a third selection of at least one additional selected recipient user of the one or more additional suggested recipient users, wherein the at least one additional selected recipient user is included in the plurality of recipient users to which the at least one selected image is accessible.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sharing scores are based on:
general user sharing data describing historical sharing activities of multiple users, wherein the historical sharing activities include sharing of shared images associated with the multiple users with one or more other users over the communication network, and
particular user sharing data describing historical sharing activities of the particular user of the device including sharing of shared images associated with the particular user with at least one other user over the communication network,
wherein the particular user sharing data is weighted higher than the general user sharing data in determining the sharing scores.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein determining the one or more suggested images further includes determining one or more patterns in the historical sharing activities of the multiple users, wherein the one or more patterns include one or more correlations between the historical sharing activities and at least one of:
types of image features depicted in the shared images associated with the multiple users; and
types of events depicted in the shared images associated with the multiple users.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving the shared album data structure by the device;
causing display on the device of at least one of the one or more album images of the shared album data structure; and
causing display of identifications of the plurality of recipient users, wherein the plurality of recipient users are associated with the shared album.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first type of communication channel includes an image management application executing on the device and on the first recipient device,
wherein the first link is associated with the image management application, and
wherein the first information includes notification data usable by the image management application to cause a notification to be output on the first recipient device.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the second type of communication channel includes a network account of the second recipient user and the image management application is not executing on the second recipient device, wherein the
second link is configured to cause a web page to be displayed on the second recipient device in response to user input selecting the second link, and
wherein the second information includes one or more pointers to one or more stored preview images corresponding to at least one of the one or more album images in the shared album, wherein the one or more stored preview images are accessible via the one or more pointers by the second recipient device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first type of communication channel includes an email communication channel, wherein the first link includes
a web link configured to cause a web page to be displayed on the first recipient device in response to user input selecting the web link, and
wherein t

Assignees

• Google Inc
• Google Llc

Inventors

• Lieb David
• Gallagher James
• KANITKAR Kedar Jayant
• Ko Teresa
• PUCHALLA FIORE Loren
• Chang Jason
• Wang Nan
• Cui Jingyu
• Dai Shengyang

Classifications

• G06F16/50 Primary

  of still image data · CPC title

• G06T3/40

  Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting · CPC title

• H04L51/18 Primary

  Commands or executable codes · CPC title

• G06F16/58

  Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually · CPC title

• H04L67/22

  Electricity · mapped topic