User interface for presenting heterogeneous content
View Patent ↗A user interface and methods are provided for presenting electronic content on a mobile device with a content-serving application. Heterogeneous content includes ‘internal’ and ‘external’ content. Internal content includes items served by a system hosting the application and/or other items to which the host has full access rights, while external content includes items to which the application host does not have full access rights (e.g., because they are served by a remote site). Placeholders representing content items are browsed using one input, and an item is opened by different input when its placeholder is displayed. External items may not be retrieved until they are opened. Gestures while an external item is open are communicated to its remote site, and when either type of item is fully panned left or right, the item begins to scroll out of view sideways and the placeholder of the next item scrolls into view.
1. A method of operating a mobile electronic device, the method comprising:
executing an application for displaying internal content and external content on a mobile electronic device operated by a user, wherein internal content is served from a host network domain of a host system of the application and external content is served from one or more external network domains other than the host network domain;
displaying on the device a portion of a first content item in response to a first user input;
determining whether the first content item is internal content or external content;
while the portion of the first content item is displayed, receiving a second user input having different significance depending on whether the first content item is internal content or external content;
when the first content item is internal content, applying the second user input to transition the display of the portion of the first content item to a display of a portion of a second content item; and
when the first content item is external content:
determining whether a side edge of the first content item is displayed, by:
communicating the second input to the external domain that served the first content item; and
receiving from the external domain an interpretation of the second input, the interpretation comprising one of:
information identifying a second portion of the first content item; and
an indication that the user has navigated to a side edge of the first content item; and
applying the second user input to update the display as directed by the external domain that served the first content item.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, prior to applying the second user input:
determining whether the user is navigating beyond a side edge of the first content item.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein determining whether the user is navigating beyond a side edge comprises:
determining that a side edge of the first content item is displayed; and
determining whether the second user input continues after the side edge is displayed.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first input and second input are gestures on a touch-screen display of the electronic device;
the first input is a swipe gesture in a first axis of motion; and
the second input is a swipe gesture in a second axis of motion.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, prior to displaying the first content item:
repeatedly receiving the second user input; and
during the repeated receipt of the second user input, displaying a sequence of placeholders representing content items;
wherein displaying a first content item in response to a first user input comprises:
upon cessation of the repeated second user inputs, displaying a first placeholder representing the first content item; and
receiving the first user input while the first placeholder is displayed.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein during the display of the sequence of placeholders, the second user input has only one significance, regardless of whether the content items represented by the placeholders are internal content or external content.
7. The method of claim 5 , wherein a given placeholder representing a given content item comprises:
an image associated with the given content item;
an identifier of a source of the given content item; and
an indication of a reason the given placeholder is displayed for the user.
8. The method of claim 5 , wherein:
a content item that is internal content is received at the electronic device prior to display of a placeholder representing the internal content item; and
a content item that is external content is received at the electronic device only after a placeholder representing the external content item is displayed.
9. A mobile apparatus, comprising:
one or more processors; and
memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to:
execute an application for displaying internal content and external content on a mobile electronic device operated by a user, wherein internal content is served from a host network domain of a host system of the application and external content is served from one or more external network domains other than the host network domain;
display on the device a portion of a first content item in response to a first user input;
determine whether the first content item is internal content or external content;
while the portion of the first content item is displayed, receive a second user input having different significance depending on whether the first content item is internal content or external content;
when the first content item is internal content, apply the second user input to transition the display of the portion of the first content item to a display of a portion of a second content item; and
when the first content item is external content:
determine whether a side edge of the first content item is displayed, by:
communicating the second input to the external domain that served the first content item; and
receiving from the external domain an interpretation of the second input, the interpretation comprising one of:
information identifying a second portion of the first content item; and
an indication that the user has navigated to a side edge of the first content item; and
apply the second user input to update the display as directed by the external domain that served the first content item.
10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to, prior to applying the second user input:
determine whether the user is navigating beyond a side edge of the first content item.
11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein determining whether the user is navigating beyond a side edge comprises:
determining that a side edge of the first content item is displayed; and
determining whether the second user input continues after the side edge is displayed.
12. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein:
the apparatus comprises a touch-screen display; and
the first input is a swipe gesture on the touch-screen display in a first axis of motion; and
the second input is a swipe gesture on the touch-screen display in a second axis of motion.
13. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to, prior to displaying the first content item:
repeatedly receive the second user input; and
during the repeated receipt of the second user input, display a sequence of placeholders representing content items;
wherein displaying a first content item in response to a first user input comprises:
upon cessation of the repeated second user inputs, displaying a first placeholder representing the first content item; and
receiving the first user input while the first placeholder is displayed.
14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein during the display of the sequence of placeholders, the second user input has only one significance, regardless of whether the content items represented by the placeholders are internal content or external content.
15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein a given placeholder representing a given content item comprises:
an image associated with the given content item;
an identifier of a source of the given content item; and
an indication of a reason the given placeholder is displayed for the user.
16. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein:
a content item that is internal content is received at the electronic device prior to display of a placeholder representing the internal content item; and
a content item that is external content is received at the electronic device only after a placeholder representing the external content item is displayed.
17. A method of operating a mobile electronic device having a display, the method comprising:
establishing a communication connection between the device and a computer system hosting an application executed on the device to display content on a display component;
receiving from a user of the device first input while a selected placeholder representing a selected content item is displayed;
in response to the first input, scrolling a first portion of the corresponding selected content item into view in the display component;
while the first portion of the selected content item is displayed:
receiving second user input;
communicating the second user input to a remote site from which the first portion of the selected content item was received, other than the host computer system; and
receiving from the remote site information for updating the view of the selected content item, including one of:
identification of a second portion of the selected content item to display in response to the second user input; and
an indication as to whether a side edge of the selected content item is in the view; and
upon receipt of the indication that a side edge of the selected content item is in the view while the second user input continues to be received:
scrolling out of the view the first portion of the selected content item; and
scrolling into the view a placeholder representing a different content item.
18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
retrieving the first portion of the selected content item from the remote site only after the selected placeholder is displayed.