Application control using a gesture based trigger

Systems and methods for control of application actions using a modification trigger to visually modify an electronic document are disclosed. A computing device, such as a mobile computing device having a touchscreen display, can display an electronic document having a first portion and a second portion. Initially upon displaying the electronic document, the computing device displays the first portion and the second portion may lie out of view, not displayed. A user can swipe along a scroll direction, causing the second portion to be displayed. The second portion can include or otherwise be associated with a modification trigger. Upon receiving a gesture on the second portion, the modification trigger performs actions, including, for example, subscribing to a series of electronic documents and minimizing the visual display of the electronic document.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to control of an application through a display device and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to control of an application through a display device using gesture based triggers.

BACKGROUND

Users can interact with applications executing on mobile devices through touchscreen displays of the mobile devices. The touchscreen displays have limited screen size, and only a limited number of user interface objects, such as input and output elements (e.g., on-screen keyboard), menus, and other user interface objects (e.g., checkboxes, text entry fields), can be displayed on a given touchscreen display at any one time. These limitations make controlling applications through mobile devices difficult and can overall hamper user experience. Further, in some cases, some users may be limited to manipulating their respective mobile devices with only one available hand, which further worsens user experience.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide an understanding of various example embodiments of the present subject matter. It will be evident, however, to those skilled in the art, that the example embodiments of the present subject matter may be practiced without these specific details.

In various example embodiments, a computing device, such as a mobile computing device having a touchscreen display, can display an electronic document having a first portion and a second portion. The axis or direction of navigation of the electronic document corresponds to the orientation of the first and second portions; e.g., an electronic document having a first portion above a second portion defines a vertical axis of navigation (e.g., scroll direction), as according to an example embodiment. When the electronic document is initially displayed on the client device, the first portion may be displayed and the second portion may lie out of view, not displayed. As mentioned, a user may make a swipe gesture, e.g., swipe up, on the touchscreen along the axis of navigation, in a scroll direction, causing the second portion to be displayed (e.g., the first portion scrolls up and out of view, and the second portion scrolls into view from the bottom of the touchscreen display).

The second portion includes a gesture trigger, such as a modification trigger, that is configured to, upon execution of the trigger, minimize or otherwise remove the electronic document from the touchscreen display. The gesture trigger may further be configured to, upon execution of the trigger, perform further actions, such as subscribing to a series of electronic documents or submitting a transaction. In an example embodiment, the gesture trigger is triggered when a user swipes along a direction of navigation, on the second portion, through the touchscreen display.

With reference toFIG. 1, an example embodiment of a high-level client-server-based network architecture100is shown. A network-based publishing system104, in the example form of a post publication system, provides server-side functionality via a network102(e.g., the Internet or wide area network (WAN)) to one or more client devices106. In some implementations, a user (e.g., user199) interacts with the network-based publishing system104using the client device106.

FIG. 1illustrates, for example, client device106including a post series client application110through which user199may receive and view ephemeral posts and electronic documents, each of which may be part of a post series. A post series is a series of web posts generated by a third party server108or other users through their own respective client devices executing post series client applications. In some example embodiments, a post

series can be all posts from an individual user that user199can receive and display on client device106. The posts may be ephemeral and automatically be removed from display or deleted from client device106after a specified time. Similarly, electronic documents may also be part of a series in that the all come from the same source (e.g., same user, same publisher) or are otherwise identified as part of a specific series through a common identifier a company name, post series name).

In various implementations, the client device106includes a computing device that includes at least a display and communication capabilities that provide access to the network-based publishing system104via the network102. The client device106includes, but is not limited to, a remote device, work station, computer, general purpose computer, Internet appliance, hand-held device, wireless device, portable device, wearable computer, cellular or mobile phone, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), smart phone, tablet, ultrabook, netbook, laptop, desktop, multi-processor system, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronic, game consoles, set-top box, network Personal Computer (PC), mini-computer, and so forth. In an example embodiment, the client device106includes one or more of a touch screen, accelerometer, gyroscope, biometric sensor, camera, microphone, Global Positioning System (GPS) device, and the like.

The client device106communicates with the network102via a wired or wireless connection. For example, one or more portions of the network102includes an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a Virtual Private Network (VPN), a Local Area Network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), a portion of the Internet, a portion of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a cellular telephone network, a wireless network, a Wireless Fidelity (WI-FI®) network, a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax) network, another type of network, or any suitable combination thereof.

As discussed above, in some example embodiments, the client device106includes one or more of the applications such as post series client application110. In some implementations, the post series client application110includes various components operable to present information to the user199and communicate with network-based publishing system104as discussed in further detail below.

The post series client application110may be implemented as a stand-alone application executed on top of the operating system of client device106, as according to some example embodiments. In some example embodiments, the post series client application110runs within a web client (e.g., browser) on the client device106to access the various systems of the networked system.104via the web interface supported by a web server116. Similarly, according to some example embodiments, the post series client application110accesses the various services and functions provided by the network-based publishing system104via a programmatic interface provided by an Application Program Interface (API) server114.

Users (e.g., the user199) can include a person, a machine, or other means of interacting with the client device106. In some example embodiments, the user is not part of the network architecture100, but interacts with the network architecture100via the client device106or another means. For instance, the user provides input (e.g., touch screen input or alphanumeric input) to the client device106and the input is communicated to the network-based publishing system104via the network102. In this instance, the network-based publishing system104, in response to receiving the input from the user, communicates information to the client device106via the network102to be presented to the user. In this way, the user can interact with the network-based publishing system104using the client device106.

The API server114and the web server116are coupled to, and provide programmatic and web interfaces respectively to, one or more application server118. The application server118can host an electronic post publication system124that includes one or more modules or applications, each of which can be embodied as hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. The application server118is, in turn, shown to be coupled to one or more database servers120that facilitate access to one or more information storage repositories or database(s)122. In an example embodiment, the database(s)122are storage devices that store information to be posted (e.g., posts, electronic documents, series thereof) via the electronic post publication system124. The database(s)122store subscription information, payment information, inventory information, order information, and user information (e.g., user profile data, username/password, preferences of uses199) to perform the operations discussed below.

Additionally, a post series generator app128, executing on third party server108is shown as having programmatic access to the network-based publishing system104via the programmatic interface provided by the API server114. The post series generator app128is, according to some example embodiments, an application configured to publish posts (e.g., ephemeral posts) and electronic documents to the electronic post publication system124for publication to one or more post series client applications110of subscribing users.

Further, while the client-server-based network architecture100shown inFIG. 1employs a client-server architecture, the present subject matter is, of course, not limited to such an architecture, and can equally well find application in a distributed, or peer-to-peer, architecture system, for example. The various systems of the applications server(s)118(e.g., the electronic post publication system124) can also be implemented as standalone software programs, which do not necessarily have networking capabilities.

FIG. 2illustrates a block diagram showing components in the post series client application110, according to some example embodiments. The components themselves are communicatively coupled (e.g., via appropriate interfaces) to each other and to various data sources, so as to allow information to be passed between the applications or so as to allow the applications to share and access common data. Furthermore, the components access one or more database(s)122via the database server120. To this end, the post series client application110includes an interface engine200, a display engine205, post series engine210, trigger engine215, and an action engine220, as according to an example embodiment.

The interface engine200is configured (e.g., by software) to interface the post series client application110with the client device106. In some example embodiments, the client device106implements a native operating system having a library of interface objects and look-and-feel specifications. For example, the client device106may be a mobile phone or smartphone, and the native operating system may be a mobile native operating system that can download applications or “apps” from an app store for local execution.

Users, such as user199, may interact with the downloaded apps through a touchscreen display of the client device106. In some example embodiments, the operating system of the client device106includes native functionality to receive user input and interpret user interactions through the touchscreen display. The native operating system may forward the interpreted user interactions to interface engine200, for example, when the user interaction involves selection or manipulation of objects in a user interface of the post series client application110. The interface engine200may receive the interpreted user interactions and complete operations in concert with the other engines of the post series client application110. Still, in some example embodiments, the interface engine200is configured to natively receive and interpret user interactions as gestures in place of the client device106; such as, for example, in implementations where the client device106does not include such native functionality.

The display engine205is responsible for displaying the user interface elements in conjunction with the other engines in the post series client application110. For example, in response to a user selecting (e.g., clicking, tapping, or tapping-and-holding) an icon for an electronic document, the display engine205may receive a gesture notification from the interface engine200that the electronic document icon has been selected and, in response, the display engine205may generate a display of the selected elements on the display of the client device106.

The post series engine210is responsible for managing the posts, which may include electronic documents or other types of posts, such as ephemeral posts. In some example embodiments, ephemeral posts have a smaller file size than electronic documents, though both electronic documents and ephemeral posts may be only temporarily accessible through the client device106, as discussed in further detail below. The electronic documents may have one or more portions (e.g., top portion, middle portion, bottom portion) that a user can scroll or navigate to along a direction of navigation; for example, where the electronic document has a total display size (e.g., pixel size) that is larger than the available screen size (e.g., pixel screen size) of the display screen of the client device106. In those implementations, the display engine205may receive one or more navigation gestures from the interface engine200. The navigation gestures may include one or more of the following: swipes, drag-and-hold in a direction, double tap on edge of document to navigate in the direction of the edge, and other navigation interactions. Responsive to the received navigation gestures, the display engine205may scroll or navigate to a portion of the electronic document that is not currently viewable or displayed on the display screen of the client device106.

The trigger engine215is responsible for managing the trigger actions of the post series client application110. In some example embodiments, the trigger engine215activates a trigger (e.g., a modification trigger), in response to portions of an electronic document being displayed. The trigger engine215is further configured to execute the trigger. The trigger specifies a function for handling by the action engine220. The function specifies one or more actions to be performed.

The action engine220is configured to perform one or more actions in response to the trigger engine215executing the trigger. In particular, according to at least one example embodiment, in executing the trigger, the trigger engine215specifies a function configured to perform different actions, such as terminating, closing, or minimizing the displayed electronic documented, creating a subscription request, and transmitting the subscription request. In some example embodiments, the trigger is configured to direct or redirect the client device106to a website upon the trigger being executed. In some example embodiments, the trigger is configured to, upon the trigger being executed, retrieve content (e.g., electronic documents) that is similar to the current electronic document. The similar content may be retrieved from the c-post publication system124. Further, in some example embodiments, the similar content is retrieved from third party servers, such as third party server108. The similar content may then be stored by the post series client application110for later display, or may automatically be displayed upon being retrieved.

In some example embodiments, the trigger is configured to, upon the trigger being executed, start a communication with a chat-bot or human agent of the provider of the electronic document or the series. In some example embodiments, the trigger is configured via the executable code to, upon the trigger being executed, submit a search to a search engine and display results. In those example embodiments, the executable code may specify a search string and a search engine server to perform the search upon the trigger being executed. The search string may include or otherwise specify keywords that are in the electronic document. For example, the electronic document may discuss ideas for things to do in a given city, e.g., New York City, and the trigger may be configured to search for flights to New York City, upon the user199swiping up. Once the gesture is received, the action engine220causes the client device HO to transmit the search string to a search engine or flight website, and the results are returned for display on client device110, as according to some example embodiments. Accordingly, the trigger can be configured to perform other client device or network communication operations in a similar manner (e.g., configuring the executable code to perform the desired operation).

FIG. 3illustrates a flowchart for a method300of performing a subscription request using a modification trigger, as according to some example embodiments. At operation305, the display engine205displays a first portion of an electronic document on the client device106. At operation310, a first gesture is received by the client device106. In some example embodiments, the first gesture is received directly on the first portion of the electronic document, through the touchscreen display of the client device110.

At operation315, in response to receiving the first gesture on the first portion of the electronic document, the display engine205displays a second portion of the electronic document. In some example embodiments, the display engine205displays the second portion of the electronic document using a scrolling transition (e.g., sliding the first portion off display while sliding the second portion onto the display). Other transitions, such as panning, sliding, fading in/out, may be similarly implemented to display the second portion of the electronic document.

At operation320, the interface engine200receives an indication that a second gesture was made on a second portion of the electronic document, in some example embodiments, the information is generated from the native operating system of the client device106.

As illustrated, operations330,335, and340may be included as part of a trigger operation325. In some example embodiments, the trigger operation325is executed when the second portion of the electronic document is displayed and a swipe up gesture is received on the second portion. The direction “up” may be relative to the orientation of the client device106or the orientation of the displayed application, where for example, the application display has been rotated 180 degrees responsive to the client device106being rotated.

Continuing at operation330, in response to receiving the second gesture on the second portion, the display engine205collapses (e.g., minimizes) the interface of the electronic document. In some example embodiments, the collapse of the interface of the electronic document includes removing from display the first portion, the second portion, and any other portions included within the body of the electronic document. Further, in some example embodiments, the collapsing of the interface of the electronic document includes removing from display the one or more portions and minimizing the electronic document to an icon within a primary application display area of the post series client application110.

At operation335, the action engine220generates a subscription request. In some example embodiments, the subscription request includes information such as the time at which the second gesture was received (e.g., operating system time of client device106, time of receipt of the gesture information by interface engine200), user data (e.g., username/password), verification tokens, client ID, network ID, payment information that may be included along with the subscription request. At operation340, the action engine220transmits the subscription request to the interface engine200, which transmits the subscription request through network102to API server114to application server118and finally to the destination, the electronic post publication system124. As described in further detail below, the electronic post publication system124may use the data in the subscription request to update information (e.g., subscription information) for user199in database122via database server120.

At operation345, the display engine205may automatically display future posts or electronic documents received from the electronic post publication system124. In some example embodiments, the posts received at operation345are posts or electronic documents published after the point in time in which the second gesture was received at operation320. The display operations of operation345may be automatically configured so that the client/server exchange patterns are reversed. For example, the one or more servers118may initiate communications with the post series client application110by pushing future posts or electronic documents to the client device106for automatic download and/or display.

FIG. 4illustrates a flow chart for a method400for trigger execution, as according to some example embodiments. The operations of method400may be a sub-routine between the operation320(in which the second gesture is received) and operation345(which is an operation occurring in response to the trigger being executed) ofFIG. 3.

As discussed, at operation320, the interface engine200receives an indication that a gesture has been received through the display screen of the client device106. The gesture may be in any direction, e.g., up/down, right/left with respect to the orientation of the client device106or displayed application.

At operation410, the trigger engine215determines whether the second portion of the electronic document is currently being displayed on the client device106. If the second portion of the electronic document is not displayed (e.g., the first portion of the electronic document is being displayed), then at operation415, the trigger is not executed. Alternately, going back to operation410, if it is determined that the second portion of the electronic is being displayed, then at operation325, the trigger is executed by the trigger engine215, thereby causing operations330,335, and340to be performed, as discussed above.

FIG. 5illustrates a flowchart for a method500of executing the trigger, as according to some example embodiments. The method500ofFIG. 5may be combined withFIG. 3, as illustrated, in particular, for example, the operation315involve displaying the second portion of the electronic document. When the second portion of the electronic document is displayed, at operation505the trigger is activated by the trigger engine215. The activation of the trigger at operation505occurs between operations315and320ofFIG. 3, according to some example embodiments.

In some example embodiments, the operation of activating the trigger at operation505is performed by loading executable code into a memory portion of the client device106in response to displaying the second portion. For example, the second portion can include embedded trigger code that activates the trigger when the second portion is displayed or rendered on the post series client application110. In some example embodiments, loading the second portion of the electronic document loads a control object into the memory of the client device106. The control object is managed by the client device110operating system, and is included natively as a feature that applications built for the client device110operation system can invoke, as according to some example embodiments. In those example embodiments, the control object activates and awaits receipt of gestures in a specified direction to execute the trigger. For example, the specified direction may be along the direction of navigation, e.g., an upward swipe.

At operation320, the interface engine200receives an indication from the client device106that the user of the client device106has made a gesture through the display screen. At operation515, the trigger engine215determines whether the received gesture is in the specified direction of navigation. If the gesture is not made in the direction of navigation, then at operation520, the trigger is not executed. If it is determined at operation515that the gesture received at operation510is in the direction specified, then the trigger engine215executes the trigger at operation525, thereby causing operations330,335, and340to be performed, as discussed above. After the trigger is executed, at operation345, the display engine205may automatically download and display future posts or electronic documents received from the electronic post publication system124.

FIG. 6illustrates an interaction diagram between the client device106and the application server118. AlthoughFIG. 6illustrates a client device106and application server118, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates the client device106may perform the operations inFIG. 6through the post series client application110, and the application server118may perform the operations inFIG. 6through the electronic post publication system124. The operations ofFIG. 6illustrate a method600for generating a subscription request in response to a modification trigger being executed.

At operation605, the action engine220identifies data for inclusion in the subscription request. The information may include a timestamp and client data. The timestamp is identified by looking up current client device106time or determining the time when the gesture was performed, or determining the time when an indication of the gesture being performed is received by interface engine200. The client data includes information needed to submit a subscription request, including one or more of the following: user identification, verification information (e.g., username, password, or authentication token), identification of the series of posts to subscribe to, and type of subscription (e.g., levels of service, frequency of publication, etc.), payment information for paid subscription, or other data needed to subscribe.

At operation610, the action engine220uses the information gathered at operation605and any network information (e.g., server address, requisite API data) needed to generate the subscription request. The generated subscription request is then transferred from the client device106to the application server118.

At operation615, the application server118receives the subscription request and uses the data in the subscription request to update a database, such as local database122, with the timestamp data and the client data of operation605. At operation620, application server118receives other series posts, such as additional electronic documents or other ephemeral posts for publication. In some example embodiments, the additional electronic documents or ephemeral posts may be received from third party server108through a post series generator app128. The electronic post publication system124receives the one or more additional series posts from third party server108and stores them in database122via database server120. A post may be identified via the post series engine210as belonging to a particular series via a series identifier tag or data value. Series from different third party servers may be stored by their respective identifiers in database122by the electronic post publication system124.

At operation625, the application server118transmits posts having newer timestamps for automatic download by client device106in response to a request checking for new posts from client device106or as part of a push operation.

At operation630, the client device106may automatically download the series posts. For example, the post series client application110may be configured to automatically download the newer posts without user interaction. In particular, when the post series client application110is initiated (e.g., starts-up) on client device106, the post series engine210may send a request to electronic post publication system124to check for any new posts published since the post series client application110was last closed. Further, in some example embodiments, the automatic download of operation630may be implemented as a push operation, where the client device106is configured to automatically download the pushed publications while the client device106is running. Further, in some example embodiments, when the post series client application110is closed or not running, the native operating system of the client device106may still receive notification of the push operation from application server118and create a push notification on the display of the client device106and/or download the new posts as a background process so that when the post series client application110is initiated, the newer posts may be retrieved from local memory of the client device106.

At operation635, the client device106may automatically display the newer series posts upon receipt. In some example embodiments, the client device106may download the newer posts and not display the content of the posts (e.g., first portion, second portion), but instead show an icon for the post (e.g., thumbnail) that indicates new posts have been downloaded. Example indications may include a visible modification of the default icon (e.g., read posts may be grayed out, but newer unread posts may be lighter or more vibrantly colored), animations, or visible overlay tags.

FIG. 7Aillustrates client device106implemented, as an example, as a smartphone having a touchscreen display700that allows a user199to interact with the post series client application110.

As illustrated, the post series client application110includes a display of a plurality of electronic documents represented by icons777A-C in a electronic document display area707, as according to an example embodiment. The plurality of electronic documents may be populated within display area707according to usage data of user199. The usage data may be collected and stored by client device106as user199uses post series client application110. The usage data, for example, may include one or more of the following: most commonly accessed electronic documents, most commonly accessed ephemeral posts, the type of content in the accessed electronic documents or ephemeral posts, geographical location data collected from the GPS sensor of client device106(e.g., location data indicating that user199is near London. New York City, etc.), or past subscriptions to series posts. In some example embodiments, the user199may navigate an electronic document catalog from which the user199may browse through different electronic documents for selection and subscription.

It is appreciated that the actual content of the documents (e.g., first portion, second portion) may not be displayed in the electronic document display area but rather be linked to by a corresponding icon for each document or documents in the series. For example, “Cheshire Social” may correspond to a series of electronic documents that are represented by an icon777A; “The Treacle Well” may correspond to a series of electronic documents that are represented by an icon777B; and “Hatter & Hare” may correspond to a series of electronic documents represented by an icon777C. Though only three series and corresponding icons777A-C are depicted, it is appreciated that any number of series and icons may be displayed within display area707, for example, in an alternating manner (e.g., carousel scroll). When the user199selects one of the icons777A-C, the post series engine210retrieves the newest electronic document of the series from local memory of the client device106and loads it on the touchscreen display700. In some example embodiments, if the newest electronic document has not been downloaded to local memory of the client device106, the post series client application110may transmit a server request to electronic post publication system124requesting the latest electronic documents.

Further, according to some example embodiments, the post series client application110also displays a plurality of ephemeral posts in the ephemeral display area715. When user199selects one of the posts, the post series engine210may retrieve the latest post from local memory or electronic post publication system124and display it. The ephemeral posts may display an image, a video, and/or a text for a preconfigured duration of time before automatically being deleted or removed from the display interface of the touchscreen display700. The duration of time may be preconfigured by the creator of the post (e.g., another user), the post series client application110or the electronic post publication system124. As with the electronic documents, each ephemeral post may belong to a series from other users. For example, all posts from the user “Dromio” may be considered as part of the same series.

Continuing, assuming user199selects icon777A, the interface engine200will receive an indication from client device106that the user199has made a selection of the icon777A, which will trigger the post series engine210to retrieve the electronic document corresponding to icon777A and cause the display engine205to display the electronic document as illustrated inFIG. 7B.

FIG. 7Billustrates an electronic document corresponding to icon777A. In particular, a top portion710A0of the electronic document710A is initially displayed when the electronic document710A is selected by user199. Electronic document710A is a multipart document, some portions on-screen and some portions off-screen, as according to some example embodiments. InFIG. 7B, the top portion of710A is visible and on-screen, and other parts (e.g.,710A1, and710A2) of electronic document710A, are off-screen but are displayed in the following figures when navigated to, as according to some example embodiments.

In some example embodiments, each portion (e.g.,710A0,710A1, and710A2) of the electronic document710A fills the entire the area of a primary application interface area111(e.g., an area of the touchscreen display700where the running application is displayed, excluding the status bar along the top). The top portion710A0of the interface includes a title, descriptive text, and an action element720, according to an example embodiment. The action element720, in some example embodiments, is a non-active element of the multi-portion electronic document. The action element720may not be linked or associated with a control object but rather includes instructions that the user199may use to navigate through the multi-portion electronic document.

FIG. 7Cillustrates a user199making a swipe-up gesture through the touchscreen display700, as indicated by gesture indicator725. The gesture indicator725is illustrated to show that the direction of the gesture is not necessarily included or displayed on the touchscreen display700. In some example embodiments, the interface engine200or the client device106has configured logic to determine whether a display gesture is along the axis of navigation, e.g., whether the gesture is up, approximately up, or not up, based on an angle threshold. For example, a gesture beyond an angle threshold of 45 degrees may not be counted as being an up swipe or an up gesture.

FIG. 7Dshows the post series client application110navigating from the top portion710A0of the electronic document to the first portion710A1of the electronic document. The swipe received as indicated by gesture indicator725inFIG. 7Cwas along the axis of navigation713relative to the top portion710A0and the first portion710A1; that is, in the up-down or vertical axis. The axis of navigation is displayed as an upward arrow corresponding to an example embodiment where the reader swipes up, with respect to the primary application display area111, and the top portion710A0scrolls up out of view as the first portion710A1scrolls up into view, from the bottom of the primary application display area111.

FIG. 7Eillustrates the post series client application110displaying the first portion710A1of the electronic document corresponding to icon777A. Similar to the top portion710A0, the first portion710A1can also fill the entirety of the primary application display area111for client device106.FIG. 7Fshows user199performing a second gesture730on the first portion710A1of the electronic document.

FIG. 7Gillustrates the transition along the axis of navigation713relative to the first portion710A1and a second portion710A2of the electronic document.FIG. 7Hillustrates the post series client application110displaying the second portion710A2of the electronic document. As illustrated, the second portion710A2may also fill the entirety of the primary application display area111for the post series client application110. The second portion710A2includes an action element735. The action element735may be an indicator of interactions options that the user199can perform when the second portion710A2is displayed, though it is appreciated that the interaction options can be indicated from touching on any portion of the second portion710A2. For example, as explained with reference toFIG. 5, when the second portion710A2is displayed, a trigger is activated at operation505after which the trigger engine215may receive notification of any gesture anywhere in second portion710A2, not necessarily directly on the action element735.

FIG. 7Iillustrates the user199making an upward swipe display gesture740on the second portion710A2. As illustrated, the gesture740is along the axis of navigation713.FIG. 7Jdisplays the actions responsive to display gesture740. In particular, responsive to gesture740, the interface of the electronic document including the top portion710A0, first portion710A1, and second portion710A2is collapsed, fades-out, or otherwise returns to a display of the home screen of post series client application110.FIG. 7Kshows a return to the home screen of post series client application110.

The subscription operation is then sent out before, after, and/or during the transition from the second portion710A2to the home screen, as according to some example embodiments. As illustrated inFIG. 7K, a notification icon745may be overlaid on icon777A to indicate to user199that the subscription request has been submitted and the user199has subscribed to the series of documents identified as “Cheshire Social” or another identifier value that identifies “Cheshire Social series of posts. In some example embodiments, where network connectivity is low or zero, the notification icon745may still be displayed to show the user199the subscription request has been triggered. When client device106is able to connect to network102, the subscription request may be transmitted to application server118.

Further, responsive to the subscription request being received, the subscribed-to series may be placed in first (e.g., left most) among the plurality of electronic document icons777A-C in display area707. Further, responsive to the subscription request, the post series client application110may receive pushes from ephemeral posts of the series. For example, as illustrated, the “Cheshire Ephemeral Post”750is associated with the series posts and may be automatically displayed in the ephemeral display area715.

The modification trigger may also be used to collapse an electronic document and perform other actions via the action engine220, such as ordering a sample of an item discussed in an electronic document, as according to an example embodiment.FIG. 8shows a flowchart for a method800of performing a sample request for an item using a modification trigger, as according to some example embodiments. At operation805, the display engine205displays a first portion (e.g., the first portion710A1) of the electronic document. At operation810, the interface engine200receives an indication (e.g., via operating system of client device106) that a first gesture has been made on the first portion. At operation815, the display engine205displays the second portion (e.g., the second portion710A2) of the electronic document. At operation820, the interface engine200receives an indication that a second gesture on the second portion has been received. Operation825is a multi-part trigger operation including operations830,835, and840. Operation825may be performed using the methods ofFIG. 4orFIG. 5.

Continuing, at operation830, the display engine205collapses the interface of the electronic document, for example by removing from the touchscreen display700a viewing of the first, second or any other portion of the displayed electronic document. At operation835, the action engine220receives from the trigger engine215an indication that the trigger has been executed. For example, the trigger engine215references a specific function managed by the action engine220. Accordingly, at operation835, the action engine220executes the content of the function and generates a sample request for an item discussed in the electronic document. At operation840, the action engine220transmits, via the interface engine200, the sample request through the network102for fulfillment processing by the electronic post publication system124and/or the third party server108.

FIG. 9shows an interaction diagram of a method900for interactions between the client device106and the application server118. Although the client device106and application server118are illustrated inFIG. 9, it is appreciated that the client device106may perform its corresponding actions ofFIG. 9through post series client application110, and further that the application server118may perform its corresponding actions ofFIG. 9through the electronic post publication system124. Additionally, the operations ofFIG. 9may be initiated by the action engine220. For example, at operation905, the action engine220identifies the item requested or the sample requested from the electronic document. In some example embodiments, the action engine220may request item metadata from the displayed electronic document that identifies the item to be ordered. Further, the action engine220may also retrieve other information for completing the order, such as user information, payment information, shipping information.

At operation910, the action engine220generates an order or sample request. At operation915, the application server118receives the sample request for the item. At operation920, the application server118may transmit a sample request to an order completion system that clears the payment using user payment information and submits an item order. In some example embodiments, the clearing of the payment transaction is performed by the third party server108using payment information provided by the application server118. In some example embodiments, the application server118is configured to clear payments internally within the network-based publishing system104using payment information received from the client device106. For example, the client device106may be part of an application marketplace or app store. The application server118may have pre-approved authority from the user199to complete transactions using the payment information of user199. Once the order has been submitted by the application server118, the application server118generates a display notification at operation925. At operation935, the client device106receives the display notification and displays the notification on the display device, e.g., touchscreen display700, of the client device106.

FIGS. 10A-Iillustrate interfaces of post series client application110for performing a sample item request using a modification trigger, according to some example embodiments.FIG. 10Aillustrates a top portion710B0of the electronic document corresponding to icon777B being displayed on the touchscreen display700of client device106. Like the electronic document corresponding to icon777A, this electronic document includes multiple portions, including the top portion710B0, which is above a first portion710B1(seeFIG. 10C), which is above a second portion710B2(seeFIG. 10F). The top portion710B0may have an action element1000that indicates to the user199an available action that can be performed by selecting the top portion710B0and performing one or more gestures (e.g., swiping in an indicated direction) while viewing the top portion710B0.

FIG. 10Billustrates the user199performing a gesture1005in an upward direction.FIG. 10Cillustrates a transition between displaying the top portion710B0and the first portion710B1along the axis of navigation713.FIG. 10Dillustrates the first portion710B1occupying the entire screen area of the electronic document as displayed within post series client application110. Notably, although the middle portion or first portion710B1does not display an action element such as action element720or action element1000. One of ordinary skill in the art appreciates that such an action element could be placed within any portion of the electronic document to indicate to a user how to navigate through the document.

FIG. 10Eillustrates the user199executing a display gesture1010.FIG. 10Fillustrates the post series client application110transitioning between the first portion710131and second portion710B2along the axis of navigation713.FIG. 10Gillustrates the second portion710B2of the electronic document corresponding to icon777B. In contrast with the second portion710A2displayed inFIG. 7H, the action element1015in the second portion710B2indicates that user199will execute a modification trigger to automatically submit an order for the item mentioned in the electronic document (e.g., Dormouse Treacle, Sample Size 1 Oz).

FIG. 10Hillustrates the user199executing a display gesture1011to collapse the interface of the electronic document. As illustrated, in some example embodiments, collapsing the interface of the electronic document is completed by giving the appearance that the second portion710B2is scrolling midway upward through the primary application display area111of the post client series application110, then collapsing or minimizing the interface of the electronic document to its corresponding icon777B on the home screen of the post series client application110.

FIG. 10Iillustrates an example result of the collapse operation, as according to an example embodiment. As illustrated inFIG. 10I, the home screen of the post series client application110is displayed, and responsive to the modification trigger submitting the request for the sample, a overlay notification is displayed as notice1020. The notice1020corresponds to operation935ofFIG. 9. Further notifications may include confirmation emails being sent from the application server118to an email account of user199.

Though three example portions of an electronic document disclosed here for purposes of explanation, it is appreciated that an electronic document may include any number of portions (e.g., two, three, ten, etc.). In those embodiments, the terms “top,” “first,” and “second portions” may be referenced per the number and location within the electronic document. For example, a seven-portioned electronic document may have its portions referenced as first portion (top), a plurality of middle portions, the second to last portion may be the sixth portion, and the last portion may be the seventh portion. In those embodiments, the operations involving the discussed second portion (e.g., determination operation410inFIG. 4) may then reference the last portion or boundary portion for a given electronic document. Further, in some example embodiments, it is appreciated that the trigger may be activated in other ways. For example, the trigger may be activated by detection of a boundary or border of the electronic document, and the trigger may be executed upon detection that the boundary has been reached and a swipe in the direction of the boundary has been performed.

The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed among the processors, not only residing within a single machine, but deployed across a number of machines. In some example embodiments, the processors or processor-implemented modules can be located in a single geographic location (e.g., within a home environment, an office environment, or a server farm). In other example embodiments, the processors or processor-implemented modules are distributed across a number of geographic locations.

The modules, methods, applications and so forth described in conjunction withFIGS. 1-10Iare implemented in some example embodiments in the context of a machine and an associated software architecture. The sections below describe representative software architecture and machine (e.g., hardware) architecture that are suitable for use with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 11is a block diagram illustrating components of a machine1100, according to some example embodiments, able to read instructions from a machine-readable medium (e.g., a machine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. Specifically,FIG. 11shows a diagrammatic representation of the machine1100in the example form of a computer system, within which instructions1116(e.g., software, a program, an application, an applet, an app, or other executable code) for causing the machine1100to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein can be executed. For example, the instructions1116can cause the machine1100to execute the flow diagrams ofFIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9.

Additionally, or alternatively, the instruction1116can implement the interface engine200, display engine205, post series engine210, trigger engine215, and action engine220ofFIG. 2, and so forth. The instructions1116transform the general, non-programmed machine into a particular machine programmed to carry out the described and illustrated functions in the manner described. In alternative embodiments, the machine1100operates as a standalone device or can be coupled (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine1100may operate in the capacity of a server machine or a client machine in a server-client network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine1100can include, but not be limited to, a server computer, a client computer, a personal computer (PC), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), an entertainment media system, a cellular telephone, a smart phone, a mobile device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch), a smart home device (e.g., a smart appliance), other smart devices, a web appliance, a network router, a network switch, a network bridge, or any machine capable of executing the instructions1116, sequentially or otherwise, that specify actions to be taken by the machine1100. Further, while only a single machine1100is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include a collection of machines1100that individually or jointly execute the instructions1116to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

The machine1100can include processors1110, memory/storage1130, and I/O components1150, which can be configured to communicate with each other such as via a bus1102. In an example embodiment, the processors1110(e.g., a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) processor, a Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) processor, a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Radio-Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) can include, for example, processor1112and processor1114that may execute instructions1116. The term “processor” is intended to include multi-core processor that may include two or more independent processors (sometimes referred to as “cores”) that can execute instructions contemporaneously. AlthoughFIG. 11shows multiple processors1110, the machine1100may include a single processor with a single core, a single processor with multiple cores (e.g., a multi-core processor), multiple processors with a single core, multiple processors with multiples cores, or any combination thereof.

The memory/storage1130can include a memory1132, such as a main memory, or other memory storage, and a storage unit1136, both accessible to the processors1110such as via the bus1102. The storage unit1136and memory1132store the instructions1116embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein. The instructions1116can also reside, completely or partially, within the memory1132, within the storage unit1136, within at least one of the processors1110(e.g., within the processor's cache memory), or any suitable combination thereof, during execution thereof by the machine1100. Accordingly, the memory1132, the storage unit1136, and the memory of the processors1110are examples of machine-readable media.

In further example embodiments, the I/O components1150can include biometric components1156, motion components1158, environmental components1160, or position components1162among a wide array of other components. For example, the biometric components1156can include components to detect expressions (e.g., hand expressions, facial expressions, vocal expressions, body gestures, or eye tracking), measure biosignals (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, perspiration, or brain waves), identify a person (e.g., voice identification, retinal identification, facial identification, fingerprint identification, or electroencephalogram based identification), and the like. The motion components1158can include acceleration sensor components (e.g., an accelerometer), gravitation sensor components, rotation sensor components (e.g., a gyroscope), and so forth. The environmental components1160can include, for example, illumination sensor components (e.g., a photometer), temperature sensor components (e.g., one or more thermometers that detect ambient temperature), humidity sensor components, pressure sensor components (e.g., a barometer), acoustic sensor components (e.g., one or more microphones that detect background noise), proximity sensor components (e.g., infrared sensors that detect nearby objects), gas sensor components (e.g., machine malfunction detection sensors, gas detection sensors to detect concentrations of hazardous gases for safety or to measure pollutants in the atmosphere), or other components that may provide indications, measurements, or signals corresponding to a surrounding physical environment. The position components1162can include location sensor components (e.g., a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver component), altitude sensor components (e.g., altimeters or barometers that detect air pressure from which altitude may be derived), orientation sensor components (e.g., magnetometers), and the like.

Communication can be implemented using a wide variety of technologies. The I/O components1150may include communication components1164operable to couple the machine1100to a network1180or devices1170via a coupling1182and a coupling1172, respectively. For example, the communication components1164include a network interface component or other suitable device to interface with the network1180. In further examples, communication components1164include wired communication components, wireless communication components, cellular communication components, Near Field Communication (NFC) components, BLUETOOTH® components (e.g., BLUETOOTH® Low Energy), WI-FI® components, and other communication components to provide communication via other modalities. The devices1170may be another machine or any of a wide variety of peripheral devices (e.g., a peripheral device coupled via a Universal Serial Bus (USB)).

For example, the communication components1164can include Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag reader components, NFC smart tag detection components, optical reader components (e.g., an optical sensor to detect one-dimensional bar codes such as a Universal Product Code (UPC) bar code, multi-dimensional bar codes such as a Quick Response (QR) code, Aztec Code, Data Matrix, DATAGLYPH®, MaxiCode, PDF417, Ultra Code, Uniform Commercial Code Reduced Space Symbology (UCC RSS)-2D bar codes, and other optical codes), acoustic detection components (e.g., microphones to identify tagged audio signals), or any suitable combination thereof.

The instructions1116can be transmitted or received over the network1180using a transmission medium via a network interface device (e.g., a network interface component included in the communication components1164) and utilizing any one of a number of well-known transfer protocols (e.g., Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)). Similarly, the instructions1116can be transmitted or received using a transmission medium via the coupling1172(e.g., a peer-to-peer coupling) to devices1170. The term “transmission medium” shall be taken to include any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying the instructions1116for execution by the machine1100, and includes digital or analog communications signals or other intangible medium to facilitate communication of such software.

Although an overview of the present subject matter has been described with reference to specific example embodiments, various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader scope of embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiments illustrated herein are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed. Other embodiments may be used and derived therefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. The Detailed Description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of various embodiments is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

As used herein, the term “or” is construed in the Boolean sense, e.g., “A or B” may include A, may include B, or may include A and B. Moreover, plural instances may be provided for resources, operations, or structures described herein as a single instance. Additionally, boundaries between various resources, operations, modules, engines, and data stores are somewhat arbitrary, and particular operations are illustrated in a context of specific illustrative configurations. Other allocations of functionality are envisioned and may fall within a scope of various embodiments of the present disclosure. In general, structures and functionality presented as separate resources in the example configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or resource. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single resource may be implemented as separate resources. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements fall within a scope of embodiments of the present disclosure as represented by the appended claims. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.