User interface for media thumbnails

摘要

Video thumbnails are presented on the web page of a video hosting site, or an embedded player, or a client device. Uploaded videos are examined by a thumbnail generator, which generates thumbnails from each. A presentation engine displays the generated thumbnails, which allows interaction by the user of the client. Thumbnails are displayed at rest, in horizontal or vertical alignment. Arrows or other selectors are displayed in one embodiment, and when selected cause the displayed thumbnails to appear to move in the appropriate direction, with new video thumbnails appearing on one end to replace those that travel off-screen. In one embodiment, video thumbnails appear to roll on to and off of the display using a perspective view. In one embodiment, moving a selecting device over one of the video thumbnails causes it to be accentuated, for example by appearing to move toward the viewer and appearing to increase in size.

主权项

1. A computer-implemented method for providing video thumbnails in a user interface, the method comprising:
receiving a plurality of video content items; determining related video content items for respective videos within the plurality of video content items; generating at least one thumbnail associated with respective ones of the plurality of video content items; displaying a first set of the generated thumbnails in a user interface, each displayed thumbnail having a first displayed size and a first position in the user interface along a linear rest line, the first positions of each thumbnail disposed along a corresponding linear path emanating from a common vanishing point located separate from the linear rest line; receiving a first selection of a thumbnail from within the first set of displayed thumbnails; responsive to the selection, displaying the first selected thumbnail at a second position and second displayed size in the user interface, the second position of the first selected thumbnail farther away from the common vanishing point than the first position and the first selected thumbnail scaled relative to the other displayed thumbnails to appear closer to a viewer of the user interface than the other displayed thumbnails, the other displayed thumbnails displayed at their first displayed sizes and their first displayed positions, wherein the first position and the second position of the first selected thumbnail are disposed along the corresponding linear path emanating from the common vanishing point and the first selected thumbnail is scaled relative to a distance traveled along the corresponding linear path from the first position on the corresponding linear path to the second position on the corresponding linear path; responsive to an indication that the first selected thumbnail is no longer selected, displaying the first selected thumbnail at the first position and first displayed size; receiving a second set of thumbnails, each thumbnail in the second set of thumbnails representing a video content item related to at least one video content item represented by the first set of thumbnails; and after a predetermined period of time, displaying each of the second set of thumbnails at the first displayed size and third positions along the linear rest line in the user interface, wherein the second set of thumbnails rise from a linear origin line while following corresponding linear paths emanating from the common vanishing point to the third positions along the linear rest line and scale proportionally larger to the first displayed sizes.