Patent Application
20160155254
When purchase decisions involve unique items (e.g., gemstones, antiques, used cars, art, clothing, and so on) with a large number of attributes that characterize an item, potential purchasers may want to focus on certain attributes over others. For example, in the case of gemstones, consumers may be more interested in purchasing gemstones with particular cuts. In another example, consumers may consider the attributes of “color” and “clarity” to be more important than other attributes such as “size” or “price”. Because some attributes play more important roles than others when consumers make purchase decisions, it is often difficult to predict which attributes are the most important to a consumer when making such a decision.
Many unique items have a seemingly unlimited number of possible combinations of attributes. In order to provide a large number of purchase options to consumers, sellers of unique items often consolidate the items in large inventories or databases. For a consumer who uses a mobile device as a means for accessing these unique items for potential purchase, it is extremely difficult and at times impossible to present all the combinations of attributes to the consumer at one time. The difficulty in presenting items is due in part to limitations such as the small size and/or resolution of mobile device displays. To date, however, retailers have struggled to create an interface that easily allows combinations of attributes to be displayed to consumers using mobile devices in order to facilitate their purchase decisions of unique items.
A system and method for generating an interface to enable mobile device users to more easily compare unique items having multiple attributes are disclosed. The generated interface can help mobile device users make purchase decisions of unique items by effectively presenting, in a meaningful way, a way for a user to selectively view certain unique items or attributes of unique items. Preferably, the interface is presented in the form of a grid. The displayed grid has a two-dimensional structure, with one axis reflecting various unique items and the second axis representing various attributes of unique items. The disclosed system allows a mobile device user to select specific potions of the grid to remain fixed on their mobile device, while other portions can be scrolled. For example, a mobile device user can select certain attributes that they are most interested in when making a purchase decision (e.g., selecting an attribute “price” when purchasing gemstones) and keep those attributes fixed on the screen. The interface described herein is especially advantageous for the reason that typical mobile devices have limited display area, which therefore puts a premium on screen real estate when displaying large data sets.
The system may further allow mobile device users to define multiple fixed regions on a display, so as to constantly display or present selected data (e.g., data related to the most-relevant attributes) in the fixed region(s). The display area that has not been designated as “fixed” is set as a “scrolling” region. The system allows mobile device users to view other data by scrolling, rotating, or refreshing that data into the scrolling region. By doing so, the mobile device users can easily compare the fixed data with other data entries by scrolling, rotating, or refreshing the other data so that the fixed data and the desired other data is displayed on the same display simultaneously. Additional details regarding fixed regions and scrolling regions will be discussed herein.
In some embodiments, the grid of unique items is a set of search results generated by applying a search query against a dataset of unique items. One axis of the grid corresponds to the unique items satisfying the search query, and the second axis of the grid corresponds to the attributes for each of the identified unique items. In many circumstances, the portion of the grid that can be displayed on a mobile device display is significantly less than the entirety of the grid. As a result, the system determines which unique items to initially be presented on the displayed portion of the grid as well as which of the attributes should be displayed. The number of unique items to display as well as the number of attributes to display may be determined based on a size and a resolution of the corresponding device display. For example, to be visually recognizable for average viewers, the number of unique items cannot exceed 10 and the number of attributes cannot exceed 8 for a 5″×4″ display, assuming the resolution of the display is 1680×1050. It will be appreciated, of course, that the number of unique items and number of attributes that are displayed can vary widely based on, for example, size of screen display, resolution of screen display, device operator preferences (e.g., font size), portion of the screen display being used for other applications, etc.
The following description provides specific details for a thorough understanding and enabling description of these embodiments. One skilled in the art will understand, however, that the present technology can be practiced without many of these details. Additionally, some well-known structures or functions are not shown or described in detail, so as to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the relevant description of the various embodiments.
The terminology used in the description presented below is intended to be interpreted in its broadest reasonable manner, even though it is used in conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific embodiments of the present technology. Certain terms may even be emphasized below; however, any terminology intended to be interpreted in any restricted manner will be overtly and specifically defined as such in this Detailed Description section.
The present technology can also be practiced in distributed computing environments, where tasks or modules are performed by remote processing devices, which are linked through a communications network, such as a Local Area Network (“LAN”), Wide Area Network (“WAN”) or the Internet. In a distributed computing environment, program modules or sub-routines may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices. Aspects of the present technology described below can be stored or distributed on computer-readable media, including magnetic and optically readable and removable computer discs, stored as firmware in chips (e.g., Electrically-Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory chips, EEPROM chips), as well as distributed electronically over the Internet or over other networks (including wireless networks). Those skilled in the relevant art will recognize that portions of the present technology can reside on a server computer, while corresponding portions reside on a mobile device. Data structures and transmission of data particular to aspects of the present technology are also encompassed within the scope of the present technology.
The input component 103 is configured to receive an input (e.g., an instruction or a command) from a mobile device user. The input component 103 can include a keyboard, a touch pad, a touchscreen, a microphone, a joystick, a pen, a game pad, a scanner, a camera, and/or the like. The data storage component 105 can include any type of computer-readable media that can store data accessible to the processor 101. In some embodiments, the data storage component 105 can include random-access memories (RAMs), read-only memories (ROMs), flash memory cards, magnetic hard drives, optical disc drives, digital video discs (DVDs), cartridges, smart cards, etc.
The display component 107 is configured to display information to the mobile device user. In some embodiments, the display component 107 can include flat panel displays such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs), light emission diode (LED) displays, plasma display panels (PDPs), electro-luminescence displays (ELDs), vacuum fluorescence displays (VPDs), field emission displays (FEDs), organic light emission diode (OLED) displays, surface conduction electron emitter displays (SEDs), or carbon nano-tube (CNT) displays.
The server computer 201 includes a query processing component 211, a website serving component 213, and a database management component 215. The query component 211 is configured to perform query processing and analysis. The website management component 213 is configured to handle creation, display and/or routing of suitable information in the form of web pages. The database management component 215 is configured to manage access to and maintenance of data stores 202. The server computer 201 can employ security measures (e.g., firewall systems, secure socket layers (SSL), password protection schemes, encryption, and/or the like) to inhibit malicious attacks and to preserve integrity of the information stored in the data stores 202.
The mobile device 100 may include one or more programs that submit queries to the server computers and receive responsive results. For example, a browser component 207 is configured to access and exchange data with the server computer 201 through the network 205. Results of data queries are displayed in a browser application (e.g., Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari, etc.) of the mobile device 100 for review by the mobile device user. As another example, an application component 209 is configured to display or present received information to a mobile device user via a dedicated application. Data may be received from the server computer 201 via an application programming interface (API), and the received data formatted for display by the application on the mobile device 100. The server computer 201 and the mobile device 100 can include other programs or modules such as an operating system, one or more application programs (e.g., word processing or spread sheet applications), and the like.
The interface 305 with the search results is presented in the form of a grid 307, with unique items displayed in each row of the grid, and attributes of the unique items displayed in columns of the grid. In the representative search results depicted in
While left-and-right horizontal scrolling have been discussed with respect to the depicted interface 305 in
One of the shortcomings in allowing a user to scroll within the interface 305 in this fashion, however, is that a user will sometimes want to compare material that has scrolled off the display 310 with material that remains on the display 310. In order to allow such comparison, a user is allowed to designate a fixed region on the grid 307 that is not subject to scrolling. In
As will be described in additional detail herein, the initial size of the displayed grid 307 is determined based on the size and the resolution (or other properties) of the display 310. In other embodiments, the size of the displayed grid 307 can be determined based on user preference. In some embodiments, the size of the displayed grid 307 may be impacted by the application in which it is implemented. For example, a mobile device application can be designed to display search results on an upper portion of a display and to display advertisements on a lower portion of the display. In such case, the grid 307 may be limited to the upper portion of the display in order to reserve room for the display of the advertisements.
While diamonds are displayed in the interface 305, it will be appreciated that other unique items are equally suitable for display in the grid 307. For example, the grid interface is equally useful for the display of gemstones, used automobiles, rare coins, art work, etc. By allowing a user to select both which unique items and which attributes to compare, a user may more quickly arrive at a purchase decision.
The method 400 starts at a block 401 by receiving a set of unique items for display. The set of unique items can be generated in response to a search query. Alternatively, the set of unique items may reflect all or portions of a catalog that has been sorted by category, subcategory, or other factor. Each unique item has associated attributes that characterize the unique item. For example, for unique items that are gemstones the characterizing attributes might correspond to a price, a shape, a cut, a color, clarity, a weight, a stock number, a polish condition, a symmetry condition, a depth percentage, a table percentage, a girdle description, a culet description, a fluorescence condition, measurements, a unit price, and/or a length/width ratio of a gemstone. For other unique items, such as artwork, used automobiles, antiques, etc., the attributes would correspond to the different attributes that a user might be interested in when comparing the unique items with each other. For example, the size, condition, color, age, composition, etc., of the unique items may all be characteristics that a potential consumer may be interested in viewing.
At block 403, the method 400 determines the size and resolution of the mobile device display on which the unique items are to be displayed. To determine the size and resolution of the mobile device display, the system may query the mobile device, may access stored information about the characteristics of the mobile device, or may receive information provided by the mobile device. Displays of mobile devices have relatively small sizes comparing to those of non-mobile devices. To ensure that mobile device users can read or visually recognize the data shown on the display, the resolution and size of the display should be taken into account when displaying data thereon. For example, in some embodiments, to be recognizable, an interface may present data entries in an 8×6 grid format. In other embodiments, the interface may have different grids with different dimensions, such as 4×3, 6×6, 10×10, etc.
At a block 405, the system determines the size of the grid that can be displayed on the mobile device display. Several factors are used to determine the size of the grid. First, the system selects a desired font size for display on the mobile device. Font sizes that are too small are difficult for a user to see, whereas font sizes that are too large make poor use of the display area. Second, the system may assess the display size necessary to display the values associated with each attribute. Some attributes may require only a small amount of display space since the attribute value has limited characters, whereas other attributes may require a larger amount of display space since the attributes values have a large number of characters. As a simple example, an attribute having values of “Y” or “N” will generally need less space than an attribute that lists colors such as “orange,” “yellow,” or “turquoise.” Third, the system may assess an importance of the displayed attribute. For example, most consumers expect a “price” attribute to be displayed in search results but may have less concern about whether a “weight” attribute is initially displayed in the search results. The system may thus opt to include some attributes in an initial display while omitting other attributes. Other factors may also be taken into account by the system. Based on one or more of these factors, the system selects a grid size (N×M) to use for the particular mobile device. For example, for a smartphone the system may determine that the display area supports a 3×5 grid to display unique items. In contrast, for a tablet computer the system may determine that the display area supports an 8×10 grid to display unique items.
At a block 407, the system displays the selected grid size to the user. The grid is populated with data reflecting certain unique items and certain attributes of those unique items.
At a decision block 409, the system determines whether the user has elected to fix any of the columns and/or rows of the selected grid. As was previously described with respect to
At decision block 413, the system determines whether a user has entered a scrolling command associated with the displayed grid. As was previously described, a user may scroll along one axis to view additional unique items, and may scroll along the other axis to view additional attributes associated with the displayed unique items. In some embodiments, a horizontal scroll, such as a leftward swipe across the interface by the user, causes additional attributes to be displayed on the grid. In contrast, a vertical scroll, such as an upward swipe across the interface by the user, causes additional unique items to be displayed on the grid. If a scrolling command is received by the system at decision block 413, at a block 415 the system displays different unique items or different attributes, as appropriate. As part of displaying the different unique items or attributes, the system takes into account any columns and/or rows in the grid that are fixed by the user. As was described with respect to
If no vertical or horizontal scroll was detected by the system in decision bloc 413, or if a scroll was detected but the displayed data in the grid was updated at block 415, processing continues to a decision block 417. At decision block 417, the system determines whether the user is to view a different data set of unique items. A different set of unique items might be displayed to a user if, for example, the user enters a new search query, if the system determines that the composition of available items has changed due to sale or withdrawal, if the user selects a different catalog or sub-catalog of unique items to view, etc. If a different set of unique items is to be displayed to the user, processing returns to block 401 where the system receives a new data set and the method 400 repeats. If the same set of unique items is to be displayed to the user, processing returns to block 413 where the system waits to receive a horizontal or vertical scrolling command.
While the description above describes the entry of a scrolling action by the user as being a swipe in one direction or another, it will be appreciated that there exist many different potential commands that could be entered by the user to indication a scrolling motion to the system. For example, the user may use a mouse, trackpad, trackball, or other device to enter the command. As another example, the system may include a voice interface that allows a user to merely speak a command like “scroll up” or “scroll left” to effectuate scrolling. As yet another example, the interface may contain a scrollbar on the display that may be used to enter the command. One skilled in the art will recognize that many other equivalent commands might be used to instruct the system to scroll the displayed grid.
In some embodiments, it will be appreciated that the system may provide an interface to allow a user to customize the displayed grid. For example, the user may be allowed to specify a font type, font size, number of initial rows or columns, type of initial rows or columns, and size of initial rows and columns in the displayed grid. Such user-entered configuration parameters may overrule any system-set configuration parameters when the interface grid is first shown to a user.
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In general, the detailed description of embodiments of the present technology is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present technology to the precise form disclosed above. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the present technology are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the present technology, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. For example, while processes (or steps) or blocks are presented in a given order, alternative embodiments can perform routines having steps, or employ systems having blocks, in a different order, and some processes or blocks can be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/or modified. Each of these processes or blocks may be implemented in a variety of different ways. Also, while processes or blocks are at times shown as being performed in series, these processes or blocks may instead be performed in parallel, or can be performed at different times.
The teachings of the present technology provided herein can be applied to other systems, not necessarily the system described herein. For example, while the various embodiments are described above with respect to display of search results of gemstones, those embodiments can be implemented for display search results of other unique items such as used cars, art, as well as other less unique items, such as consumer electronics, clothing/shoes, etc. The elements and acts of the various embodiments described herein can be combined to provide further embodiments.
These and other changes can be made to the present technology in light of the above Detailed Description. While the above description describes certain embodiments of the present technology and describes the best mode contemplated, no matter how detailed the above appears in text, the present technology can be practiced in many ways. Details of the system can vary considerably in its implementation details, while still being encompassed by the present technology disclosed herein. As noted above, particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the present technology should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the present technology with which that terminology is associated. In general, the terms used in the following claims should not be construed to limit the present technology to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification, unless the above Detailed Description section explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope of the present technology encompasses not only the disclosed embodiments, but also all equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the present technology under the claims.
While certain aspects of the present technology are presented below in certain claim forms, the applicants contemplate the various aspects of the present technology in any number of claim forms. For example, while only one aspect of the present technology is recited as embodied in a computer-readable medium, other aspects can likewise be embodied in a computer-readable medium
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/086,395, entitled “MOBILE DEVICE INTERFACE FOR COMPARING UNIQUE ITEMS CHARACTERIZED BY A LARGE NUMBER OF ATTRIBUTES,” filed Dec. 2, 2014, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62086395 | Dec 2014 | US |
