Patent Publication Number: US-10762684-B2

Title: Animation sequence associated with content item

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation under 35 U.S.C. § 120 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/677,256, filed 14 Nov. 2012 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,235,321, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This disclosure generally relates to a user interface. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A user interface (UI), in the industrial design field of human-machine interaction, is the space where interactions between humans and machines occur. The goal of the interactions between a human, often referred to as a “user”, and a machine at the user interface is the user&#39;s control of the machine and its operations (e.g., through user input) and machine feedback (e.g., through program output). A graphical user interface (GUI) is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with software applications executing on electronic or computing devices through multimedia objects (e.g., images, videos, audios, etc.) rather than purely text commands. 
     SUMMARY OF PARTICULAR EMBODIMENTS 
     In particular embodiments, a user interface for presenting content to users may have a hierarchical structure. The user interface may have any number of content sections, and each content section may have any number of content items. The content items may be of any type or format. A user may consume or interact with some of the content items. In particular embodiments, each content item may correspond to a user-interface element. 
     In particular embodiments, in a hierarchical user interface, a content item may include any number of other content items. In such cases, within the hierarchical structure, the content item may be considered the parent of the other content items it includes, and conversely, the other content items may be considered the children of the content item to which they belong. 
     In particular embodiments, a first content item may include an icon, such as an image, that represents a second content item. In response to a first user interaction with the icon, the icon may open up to reveal the full content of the second content item. When this happens, with some implementations, the second content item replaces the first content item to be displayed on the screen of a computing device. The user may then view the content of the second content item. In response to a second user interaction with the second content item, the second content item may close down and return to the icon included in the first content item. When this happens, with some implementations, the second content item goes away and the first content item, including the icon representing the second content item, is again displayed on the screen of the computing device. 
     In particular embodiments, a first animation sequence is displayed when the icon opens up to reveal the second content item, depicting the opening up of the icon into the second content item. A second animation sequence is displayed when the second content item closes down to the icon, depicting the closing down of the second content item back to the icon. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an example network environment associated with a social-networking system. 
         FIGS. 2A and 2B  illustrate two example mobile electronic devices. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an example social graph. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an example object hierarchy. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an example content item. 
         FIGS. 6A-6C  illustrate an example animation sequence depicting opening up an icon to reveal a content item represented by the icon. 
         FIGS. 7A-7B  illustrates an example content item represented by an icon. 
         FIGS. 8A-8F  illustrate an example animation sequence depicting closing down a content item. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates example operations associated with a content item. 
         FIG. 10  illustrates an example computer system. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS 
     A user interface (UI) may be incorporated into any type of software applications, including, for example, desktop applications, mobile applications, or web-based applications, to enable users to interact with and control the applications. A graphical user interface (GUI) is a type of user interface that enables users to interact with software applications through multi-media objects, including, for example, icons, buttons, menus, images, video, or audios. 
     In particular embodiments, a software application may be associated with a social-networking system.  FIG. 1  illustrates an example network environment  100  associated with a social-networking system. Network environment  100  includes a user  101 , a client system  130 , a social-networking system  160 , and a third-party system  170  connected to each other by a network  110 . Although  FIG. 1  illustrates a particular arrangement of user  101 , client system  130 , social-networking system  160 , third-party system  170 , and network  110 , this disclosure contemplates any suitable arrangement of user  101 , client system  130 , social-networking system  160 , third-party system  170 , and network  110 . As an example and not by way of limitation, two or more of client system  130 , social-networking system  160 , and third-party system  170  may be connected to each other directly, bypassing network  110 . As another example, two or more of client system  130 , social-networking system  160 , and third-party system  170  may be physically or logically co-located with each other in whole or in part. Moreover, although  FIG. 1  illustrates a particular number of users  101 , client systems  130 , social-networking systems  160 , third-party systems  170 , and networks  110 , this disclosure contemplates any suitable number of users  101 , client systems  130 , social-networking systems  160 , third-party systems  170 , and networks  110 . As an example and not by way of limitation, network environment  100  may include multiple users  101 , client system  130 , social-networking systems  160 , third-party systems  170 , and networks  110 . 
     In particular embodiments, user  101  may be an individual (human user), an entity (e.g., an enterprise, business, or third-party application), or a group (e.g., of individuals or entities) that interacts or communicates with or over social-networking system  160 . In particular embodiments, social-networking system  160  may be a network-addressable computing system hosting an online social network. Social-networking system  160  may generate, store, receive, and transmit social-networking data, such as, for example, user-profile data, concept-profile data, social-graph information, or other suitable data related to the online social network. Social-networking system  160  may be accessed by the other components of network environment  100  either directly or via network  110 . In particular embodiments, social-networking system  160  may include an authorization server that allows users  101  to opt in or opt out of having their actions logged by social-networking system  160  or shared with other systems (e.g., third-party systems  170 ), such as, for example, by setting appropriate privacy settings. In particular embodiments, third-party system  170  may be a network-addressable computing system that can host various third-party software applications (e.g., web-based applications). Third-party system  170  may generate, store, receive, and transmit various types of data, such as, for example, texts, images, videos, or audios. Third-party system  170  may be accessed by the other components of network environment  100  either directly or via network  110 . In particular embodiments, one or more users  101  may use one or more client systems  130  to access, send data to, and receive data from social-networking system  160  or third-party system  170 . Client system  130  may access social-networking system  160  or third-party system  170  directly, via network  110 , or via a third-party system. As an example and not by way of limitation, client system  130  may access third-party system  170  via social-networking system  160 . Client system  130  may be any suitable computing device, such as, for example, a personal computer, a laptop computer, a cellular telephone, a smartphone, or a tablet computer. 
     This disclosure contemplates any suitable network  110 . As an example and not by way of limitation, one or more portions of network  110  may include 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, or a combination of two or more of these. Network  110  may include one or more networks  110 . 
     Links  150  may connect client system  130 , social-networking system  160 , and third-party system  170  to communication network  110  or to each other. This disclosure contemplates any suitable links  150 . In particular embodiments, one or more links  150  include one or more wireline (such as for example Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOC SIS)), wireless (such as for example Wi-Fi or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), or optical (such as for example Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) or Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH)) links. In particular embodiments, one or more links  150  each include an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a VPN, a LAN, a WLAN, a WAN, a WWAN, a MAN, a portion of the Internet, a portion of the PSTN, a cellular technology-based network, a satellite communications technology-based network, another link  150 , or a combination of two or more such links  150 . Links  150  need not necessarily be the same throughout network environment  100 . One or more first links  150  may differ in one or more respects from one or more second links  150 . 
     In particular embodiments, data (e.g., data representing various types of information or content) may be sent between servers associated with social-networking system  160  and individual client systems  130  via network  110 . When two electronic devices (e.g., a server and a client) are connected to a network (e.g., a computer or communications network, such as network  110 ), data may be transmitted between the two devices over the network using one or more suitable network protocols. A network may include any number of sub-networks. By transmitting data between the two devices, the two devices may communicate with each other. 
     In network communications, there are two ways to send a communication (i.e., data) from one device to another device: push and pull. With push technology, the request for the communication transaction is initiated by the sending device. That is, the sending device “pushes” the communication, so to speak, to the receiving device. In this case, the sending device may be considered the active party and the receiving device may be considered the passive party in the transaction. In contrast, with pull technology, the request for the communication transaction is initiated by the receiving device. That is, the receiving device “pulls” the communication, so to speak, from the sending device. In this case, the sending device may be considered the passive party and the receiving device may be considered the active party in the transaction. In particular embodiments, a server associated with social-networking system  160  may push data to a client system  130 . A communication pushed from a server to a client may be referred to as a “push notification”. Similarly, a client system  130  may push data to a server associated with social-networking system  160 . 
     In particular embodiments, a client system  130  may be a mobile electronic or computing device. A mobile electronic device—such as a Smartphone, tablet computer, or laptop computer—may include functionality for determining its location, direction, or orientation, such as a GPS receiver, compass, or gyroscope. Such a mobile device may also include functionality for wireless communication, such as BLUETOOTH communication, near-field communication (NFC), or infrared (IR) communication or communication with a wireless local area networks (WLANs) or cellular-telephone network. Such a mobile device may also include one or more cameras, scanners, touchscreens, microphones, or speakers. Mobile electronic devices may also execute software applications, such as games, web browsers, or social-networking applications. With social-networking applications, users may connect, communicate, and share information with other users in their social networks. 
     In particular embodiments, a mobile electronic device (e.g., Smartphone or tablet computer) may include a touchscreen capable of receiving touch input.  FIG. 2A  illustrates an example mobile electronic device  210  (e.g., a Smartphone) having a touchscreen  215 . Touchscreen  215  may incorporate one or more touch sensors and a touch-sensor controller for detecting the presence and location of a touch (e.g., from a user&#39;s finger) or the proximity of an object (e.g., a stylus). In particular embodiments, a specific touch detected via touchscreen  215  may result in a touch input event. 
     Different mobile electronic devices may have different designs. As a result, the size, shape, or aspect ration of the touchscreens of different mobile devices may differ.  FIG. 2B  illustrates another example mobile electronic device  220  (e.g., a tablet computer) having a touchscreen  225 . Similarly, touchscreen  225  may incorporate one or more touch sensors and a touch-sensor controller for detecting the presence and location of a touch (e.g., from a user&#39;s finger) or the proximity of an object (e.g., a stylus). A specific touch detected via touchscreen  225  may result in a touch input event. However, since mobile electronic devices  210  and  220  are two different types of devices, their respective touchscreen  215  and  225  have different sizes and aspect ratios. 
     There may be various types of touches or gestures, such as single tap, double tap, short press, long press, slide, swipe, flip, pinch open, pinch close, pan, or drag, corresponding to various types of touch input events. Different touch input events may result in different responses and this disclosure contemplates any applicable gesture. 
     Social-networking system  160  may store various types of data including, for example, user data, application data, or social data. In particular embodiments, such data may be stored in a graph having any number of nodes and edges, where each edge connects two nodes. The graph is often referred to as a “social graph” or “open graph” as it contains, among others, social information. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates example social graph  300 . In particular embodiments, social-networking system  160  may store one or more social graphs  300  in one or more data stores. In particular embodiments, social graph  300  may include multiple nodes—which may include multiple user nodes  302  or multiple concept nodes  304 —and multiple edges  306  connecting the nodes. Example social graph  300  illustrated in  FIG. 3  is shown, for didactic purposes, in a two-dimensional visual map representation. In particular embodiments, a social-networking system  160 , client system  130 , or third-party system  170  may access social graph  300  and related social-graph information for suitable applications. The nodes and edges of social graph  300  may be stored as data objects, for example, in a data store (such as a social-graph database). Such a data store may include one or more searchable or queryable indexes of nodes or edges of social graph  300 . 
     In particular embodiments, a user node  302  may correspond to a user of social-networking system  160 . As an example and not by way of limitation, a user may be an individual (human user), an entity (e.g., an enterprise, business, or third-party application), or a group (e.g., of individuals or entities) that interacts or communicates with or over social-networking system  160 . In particular embodiments, when a user registers for an account with social-networking system  160 , social-networking system  160  may create a user node  302  corresponding to the user, and store the user node  302  in one or more data stores. Users and user nodes  302  described herein may, where appropriate, refer to registered users and user nodes  302  associated with registered users. In addition or as an alternative, users and user nodes  302  described herein may, where appropriate, refer to users that have not registered with social-networking system  160 . In particular embodiments, a user node  302  may be associated with information provided by a user or information gathered by various systems, including social-networking system  160 . As an example and not by way of limitation, a user may provide his or her name, profile picture, contact information, birth date, sex, marital status, family status, employment, education background, preferences, interests, or other demographic information. In particular embodiments, a user node  302  may be associated with one or more data objects corresponding to information associated with a user. In particular embodiments, a user node  302  may correspond to one or more webpages. 
     In particular embodiments, a concept node  304  may correspond to a concept. As an example and not by way of limitation, a concept may correspond to a place (such as, for example, a movie theater, restaurant, landmark, or city); a website (such as, for example, a website associated with social-network system  160  or a third-party website associated with a web-application server); an entity (such as, for example, a person, business, group, sports team, or celebrity); a resource (such as, for example, an audio file, video file, digital photo, text file, structured document, or application) which may be located within social-networking system  160  or on an external server, such as a web-application server; real or intellectual property (such as, for example, a sculpture, painting, movie, game, song, idea, photograph, or written work); a game; an activity; an idea or theory; another suitable concept; or two or more such concepts. A concept node  304  may be associated with information of a concept provided by a user or information gathered by various systems, including social-networking system  160 . As an example and not by way of limitation, information of a concept may include a name or a title; one or more images (e.g., an image of the cover page of a book); a location (e.g., an address or a geographical location); a website (which may be associated with a URL); contact information (e.g., a phone number or an email address); other suitable concept information; or any suitable combination of such information. In particular embodiments, a concept node  304  may be associated with one or more data objects corresponding to information associated with concept node  304 . In particular embodiments, a concept node  304  may correspond to one or more webpages. 
     In particular embodiments, a node in social graph  300  may represent or be represented by a webpage (which may be referred to as a “profile page”). Profile pages may be hosted by or accessible to social-networking system  160 . Profile pages may also be hosted on third-party websites associated with a third-party server  170 . As an example and not by way of limitation, a profile page corresponding to a particular external webpage may be the particular external webpage and the profile page may correspond to a particular concept node  304 . Profile pages may be viewable by all or a selected subset of other users. As an example and not by way of limitation, a user node  302  may have a corresponding user-profile page in which the corresponding user may add content, make declarations, or otherwise express himself or herself. As another example and not by way of limitation, a concept node  304  may have a corresponding concept-profile page in which one or more users may add content, make declarations, or express themselves, particularly in relation to the concept corresponding to concept node  304 . 
     In particular embodiments, a concept node  304  may represent a third-party webpage or resource hosted by a third-party system  170 . The third-party webpage or resource may include, among other elements, content, a selectable or other icon, or other inter-actable object (which may be implemented, for example, in JavaScript, AJAX, or PHP codes) representing an action or activity. As an example and not by way of limitation, a third-party webpage may include a selectable icon such as “like,” “check in,” “eat,” “recommend,” or another suitable action or activity. A user viewing the third-party webpage may perform an action by selecting one of the icons (e.g., “eat”), causing a client system  130  to transmit to social-networking system  160  a message indicating the user&#39;s action. In response to the message, social-networking system  160  may create an edge (e.g., an “eat” edge) between a user node  302  corresponding to the user and a concept node  304  corresponding to the third-party webpage or resource and store edge  306  in one or more data stores. 
     In particular embodiments, a pair of nodes in social graph  300  may be connected to each other by one or more edges  306 . An edge  306  connecting a pair of nodes may represent a relationship between the pair of nodes. In particular embodiments, an edge  306  may include or represent one or more data objects or attributes corresponding to the relationship between a pair of nodes. As an example and not by way of limitation, a first user may indicate that a second user is a “friend” of the first user. In response to this indication, social-networking system  160  may transmit a “friend request” to the second user. If the second user confirms the “friend request,” social-networking system  160  may create an edge  306  connecting the first user&#39;s user node  302  to the second user&#39;s user node  302  in social graph  300  and store edge  306  as social-graph information in one or more of data stores (e.g., data stores associated with social-networking system  160 ). In the example of  FIG. 3 , social graph  300  includes an edge  306  indicating a friend relation between user nodes  302  of user “A” and user “B” and an edge indicating a friend relation between user nodes  302  of user “C” and user “B.” Although this disclosure describes or illustrates particular edges  306  with particular attributes connecting particular user nodes  302 , this disclosure contemplates any suitable edges  306  with any suitable attributes connecting user nodes  302 . As an example and not by way of limitation, an edge  306  may represent a friendship, family relationship, business or employment relationship, fan relationship, follower relationship, visitor relationship, subscriber relationship, superior/subordinate relationship, reciprocal relationship, non-reciprocal relationship, another suitable type of relationship, or two or more such relationships. Moreover, although this disclosure generally describes nodes as being connected, this disclosure also describes users or concepts as being connected. Herein, references to users or concepts being connected may, where appropriate, refer to the nodes corresponding to those users or concepts being connected in social graph  300  by one or more edges  306 . 
     In particular embodiments, an edge  306  between a user node  302  and a concept node  304  may represent a particular action or activity performed by a user associated with user node  302  toward a concept associated with a concept node  304 . As an example and not by way of limitation, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , a user may “like,” “attended,” “played,” “listened,” “cooked,” “worked at,” or “watched” a concept, each of which may correspond to a edge type or subtype. A concept-profile page corresponding to a concept node  304  may include, for example, a selectable “check in” icon (such as, for example, a clickable “check in” icon) or a selectable “add to favorites” icon. Similarly, after a user clicks these icons, social-networking system  160  may create a “favorite” edge or a “check in” edge in response to a user&#39;s action corresponding to a respective action. As another example and not by way of limitation, a user (user “C”) may listen to a particular song (“Ramble On”) using a particular application (SPOTIFY, which is an online music application). In this case, social-networking system  160  may create a “listened” edge  306  and a “used” edge (as illustrated in  FIG. 3 ) between user nodes  302  corresponding to the user and concept nodes  304  corresponding to the song and application to indicate that the user listened to the song and used the application. Moreover, social-networking system  160  may create a “played” edge  306  (as illustrated in  FIG. 3 ) between concept nodes  304  corresponding to the song and the application to indicate that the particular song was played by the particular application. In this case, “played” edge  306  corresponds to an action performed by an external application (SPOTIFY) on an external audio file (the song “Imagine”). Although this disclosure describes particular edges  306  with particular attributes connecting user nodes  302  and concept nodes  304 , this disclosure contemplates any suitable edges  306  with any suitable attributes connecting user nodes  302  and concept nodes  304 . Moreover, although this disclosure describes edges between a user node  302  and a concept node  304  representing a single relationship, this disclosure contemplates edges between a user node  302  and a concept node  304  representing one or more relationships. As an example and not by way of limitation, an edge  306  may represent both that a user likes and has used at a particular concept. Alternatively, another edge  306  may represent each type of relationship (or multiples of a single relationship) between a user node  302  and a concept node  304  (as illustrated in  FIG. 3  between user node  302  for user “E” and concept node  304  for “SPOTIFY”). 
     In particular embodiments, social-networking system  160  may create an edge  306  between a user node  302  and a concept node  304  in social graph  300 . As an example and not by way of limitation, a user viewing a concept-profile page (such as, for example, by using a web browser or a special-purpose application hosted by the user&#39;s client system  130 ) may indicate that he or she likes the concept represented by the concept node  304  by clicking or selecting a “Like” icon, which may cause the user&#39;s client system  130  to transmit to social-networking system  160  a message indicating the user&#39;s liking of the concept associated with the concept-profile page. In response to the message, social-networking system  160  may create an edge  306  between user node  302  associated with the user and concept node  304 , as illustrated by “like” edge  306  between the user and concept node  304 . In particular embodiments, social-networking system  160  may store an edge  306  in one or more data stores. In particular embodiments, an edge  306  may be automatically formed by social-networking system  160  in response to a particular user action. As an example and not by way of limitation, if a first user uploads a picture, watches a movie, or listens to a song, an edge  306  may be formed between user node  302  corresponding to the first user and concept nodes  304  corresponding to those concepts. Although this disclosure describes forming particular edges  306  in particular manners, this disclosure contemplates forming any suitable edges  306  in any suitable manner. 
     In particular embodiments, a set of objects may be organized into a hierarchy based on, for example, how the individual objects are related to each other. An object hierarchy may have any number of levels, and at each level, there may be any number of objects. Parent-child or sibling relationships may exist between specific objects in the hierarchy. Within an object hierarchy, a parent object is one level above the level of its child objects. Two sibling objects are at the same level and share the same parent object. In addition, any portion of the hierarchy may also be considered a hierarchy in itself. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a portion of an example object hierarchy  400  that includes a number of objects  410 .  FIG. 4  is in fact a visual representation of an object hierarchy. Each node represents a specific object in the hierarchy, and each edge connecting two nodes represents a parent-child relationship between the two corresponding objects. 
     In particular embodiments, an object in a hierarchy may or may not have a parent. If an object does not have a parent, it may be referred to as a “root” object (e.g., object  410 A). Typically, the root object is positioned at the first or topmost level of the hierarchy. In particular embodiments, an object in a hierarchy may or may not have any children. If an object does not have any children, it may be referred to as a “leaf” or “terminal” object (e.g., object  410 B). If an object does have children (e.g., object  410 C), it may have any number of children. In addition, objects sharing the same parent may be referred to as each other&#39;s “siblings”. For example, in  FIG. 4 , object  410 C is the parent of objects  410 D and  410 B. Objects  410 D and  410 B are the children of object  410 C and are siblings to each other. Thus, a hierarchy of objects (e.g., object hierarchy  400 ) not only includes the individual objects (e.g., objects  410 ) themselves but also indicates the relationships among the specific objects. Moreover, the position of a specific object within the hierarchy may indicate its relationships with other objects in the hierarchy. 
     Objects  410  may be of various types, and this disclosure contemplates any applicable object types. For example and without limitation, the term “object” may refer to any type of content, including but not limited to images, videos, captions, text blocks or boxes, user-interface elements, clickable links, newsfeed stories, references to other objects, advertisements, calendar events, units for displaying open graph analysis that may be graphically rendered, applications, websites, web pages, books, chapters. In particular embodiments, given a hierarchy of objects, which may be a portion of another, larger hierarchy of objects, the hierarchical relationships (e.g., parent-child or sibling relationships, positions of the objects within the hierarchy) between specific objects may direct some aspects of how these objects behave in the context of a user interface or how the objects are presented to a user. 
     As an example, in the context of the desktop of a computing device, the desktop may be a parent object, and sometimes the root object of a hierarchy, whose child objects are the individual software applications available on the desktop. A software application, while itself being one of the child objects of the desktop, is also the parent object of the individual components of that software application. Different software applications may include different components. For example, for a software application that manages digital books (e.g., a book reader application), its components may include the digital books available, the individual chapters of each book, the pages of each chapter, and the texts, images, videos, audios, or other content or media elements on each page. Each of these also corresponds to an object (e.g., user-interface component) in the hierarchy. More specifically, within the hierarchy, the digital book application may be the parent object of the digital books. A digital book may be the parent object of the individual chapters of that book. A chapter, while itself being one of the child objects of the book, is also the parent object of the pages in that chapter. A page is the parent object of the texts, images, videos, audios, or other content or media elements on that page. A text block, image, video, audio, or other content or media element is one of the child objects of the page to which it belongs. Similarly, for a software application that manages news feeds, its components may include the individual news channels and the news stories within each channel. Each of these may correspond to an object. Within the hierarchy, the news-feed application, while itself being one of the child objects of the desktop, is also the parent object of the news channels. A news channel in turn is the parent object of the news stories included in that channel. 
     As another example, in the context of the Internet or the World Wide Web, the Internet may be a parent object whose child objects are the individual websites. A website, while itself being one of the child objects of the Internet, is also the parent object of the individual web pages of that website. A web page, while itself being one of the child objects of the website to which it belongs, is the parent object of the texts, images, videos, audios, or links (e.g., Uniform Resource Locators (URLs)) included in the web page. Each text block, image, video, audio, or link may also correspond to a specific object in the hierarchy. 
     As a third example, a website, such as a social-networking website implemented by social-networking system  160 , may also be arranged in a hierarchical structure for navigating the content of the social-networking website. In this context, the social-networking website may be a parent object whose child objects are the components (e.g., photo albums, user profile pages, etc.) of the website. For example, a photo album, while itself being a child object of the social-networking website, may in turn be a parent object, and the individual photos within the album may be the child objects of the photo album. A user&#39;s profile page may be structured in such a hierarchical fashion as well. The profile page itself may be considered a parent object, and the individual objects on the profile page may be the child objects of the profile page. In particular embodiments, a profile page may be considered and rendered (e.g., for presentation to a user) as a linear timeline of objects, such as, for example and without limitation, photos, photo albums, check-ins, comments from other users, attended events, tags, applications the user has added to the profile page, stories, songs the user has listened to, playlists. These various types of objects may all be children of the profile page, or may be further arranged into multiple levels. With some implementations, a user&#39;s profile page may include any number of sections, such as the user&#39;s education and employment information, the user&#39;s public “wall”, or the user&#39;s social connections. Then the various types of objects above may be divided into specific sections. 
     In particular embodiments, an object  410  may be a component of a user interface. In this case, object hierarchy  400  may correspond to the user interface, and each object  410  may correspond to a specific component of the user-interface. A user interface may have various types of components, and this disclosure contemplates any applicable user-interface component types. For example, a user-interface component (i.e., an object  410 ) may be a window, a section, a tab, an image, a video, an audio, a text block, a menu, an icon, a button, a checkbox, a website, a web page, a frame, a clickable link, a message, a post, or an input field. In particular embodiments, an object  410  may be consumed by a user if the user is able to, for example and without limitation, interact with, view, read, listen to, manipulate, or handle the object  410 . For example, some user-consumable objects  410  may be texts, images, videos, audios, feeds, executables (e.g., application programs or games), websites, web pages, digital books, photo albums, posts, or messages. 
     In particular embodiments, when the user interface corresponding to object hierarchy  400  is displayed (e.g., on a client system  130 ), the structure of the corresponding object hierarchy  400  may reflect the structure of the user interface. The relationships among the individual components in the user interface, as reflected in object hierarchy  400 , may influence how these components are organized and presented to users. The user interface may have any number of layers, respectively corresponding to the individual levels of object hierarchy  400 . Objects  410  (e.g., user-interface components) at a specific level of object hierarchy  400  are displayed in the corresponding layer of the user interface. With some implementations, the lowest or bottommost layer of the user interface corresponds to the first or topmost level of object hierarchy  400 . Thus, root object  410 A is displayed in the lowest layer of the user interface. Furthermore, in the user interface, each object  410  (e.g., user-interface component) is displayed in a layer immediately above the layer where its parent, if one exists, is displayed and immediately below the layer where its children, if any, are displayed. Sibling objects  410  are displayed at the same layer. Thus, the position of a component in the user interface indicates its relationships (e.g., parent-child or sibling) with other components in the user interface. 
     In particular embodiments, a user-interface component (e.g., an image, a video, a folder, etc.) may be displayed in various display modes. As an example, the user-interface component may be displayed in a “full-screen” mode, where the user-interface component occupies the entire or nearly the entire display area (e.g., the screen of an electronic device). As another example, the user-interface component may be displayed in an “on-page” mode, where the user-interface component is included in another user-interface component and displayed as a part of that other user-interface component (e.g., an image is displayed as a part of a web page). As a third example, the user-interface component may be displayed in an “index” mode, where the user-interface component is a part of a series of user-interface components (e.g., an image is displayed together with other images from the same album, or a chapter of a book is displayed in the table of content of the book together with other chapters from the same book). 
     In particular embodiments, a hierarchical user interface may be used to present content to a user. Such a user interface may be referred to as a “content feed” or “news feed” user interface. The content may be of any type and format, such as, for example and without limitation, text, icon, image, video, audio, web page, post, or message. This disclosure contemplates any applicable content type and format. In particular embodiments, the individual content items (e.g., text, image, video, audio, web page, post, message, news piece, etc.) may be organized into various categories, referred to as content sections. For example, related content items may be categorized into the same content section. The user interface may include any number of content sections, and each content section may include any number of content items. Hierarchically, a content section may be the parent of the content items belonging to that section. For example, various photos taken during a holiday trip may be organized into the same album, and various photo albums may be organized into the photo section of the user interface. 
     In particular embodiments, a user may consume or interact with a specific content item. For example, a user consumes a content item when the user scrolls, opens up, views, listens to, selects, reviews, or comments on the content item. A user interacts with a content item when the user selects, clicks on, taps, reviews, or comments on the content item. This disclosure contemplates any applicable means for a user to consume or interact with a content item. 
     As described above, in particular embodiments, in a hierarchical user interface, a content item may include any number of other content items.  FIG. 5  illustrates an example content item  510 . Here, content item  510  is associated with a newspaper (e.g., the New York Times). More specifically, content item  510  is an online publication of the newspaper. Content item  510  includes several other content items, such as a logo  531  and the name  532  of the newspaper and an introduction  533  (e.g., a text block) of an article. In addition, content item  510  includes an icon  520  (e.g., an image) that represents another content item (e.g., an article published by the New York Times as described by introduction text  533 ). Within the hierarchical structure, content item  510  is the parent of content items  531 ,  532 ,  533 , and  520 . Conversely, content items  531 ,  532 ,  533 , and  520  are the children of content item  510 . 
     In  FIG. 5 , content item  510  is displayed on the screen of an electronic device (e.g., a mobile device such as a Smartphone). Content item  510  currently occupies the entire screen of the mobile device on which it is displayed. Suppose that a user wishes to view the content of the other content item (e.g., the article) represented by icon  520 . In particular embodiments, the user may perform an action with respect to icon  520  that results in a user input to the mobile device. For example, if the mobile device has a touchscreen, the user may single or double tap on icon  520 , pinch open icon  520 , or swipe on icon  520  (e.g., swiping vertically in the upward direction). In particular embodiments, a user interaction with icon  520  may cause icon  520  to open up and reveal the content of the content item (e.g., the article) it represents. 
     In particular embodiments, in response to a user input resulted from a user interaction (e.g., upward swipe) with icon  520 , an animation sequence may be displayed on the screen of the mobile device. The animation sequence may depict that icon  520  opens up (e.g., unfolds) to reveal the content of the content item it represents. 
       FIGS. 6A-6C  illustrate an example animation sequence. Here, icon  520  appears as a piece of paper folded in half. On the outside of the folded paper is an image  610  representing the article (i.e., the content item represented by icon  520 ). On the inside of the folded paper is the article (i.e., content item  620 ) itself, which is represented by icon  520 . The animation sequence depicts that icon  520  gradually unfolds, similar to a piece of folded paper gradually unfolds. As this happens, image  610  on the outside of the paper gradually disappears out of sight while content item  620  on the inside of the paper is gradually revealed. In addition, the paper gradually increases in size to fill up the entire screen. 
     In  FIG. 7A , content item  620  (i.e., the article represented by icon  520 ) is now fully revealed. Note that content item  620  also includes several other content items (e.g., images, buttons, text blocks, etc.). In this example, content item  620  is a web page. The user may now view the content of content item  620  as desired. For example, the user may scroll up or down the web page. In  FIG. 7B , the user has scrolled to the bottom of the web page (i.e., content item  620 ). 
     In particular embodiments, when content item  620  is fully revealed at the end of the animation sequence depicting icon  520  opening up, content item  620  occupies the entire screen of the mobile device on which it is displayed, as illustrated in  FIG. 7A . Consequently, content item  510  is no longer visible at this point, as content item  510  has been covered up and replaced by content item  620 . In particular embodiments, in a hierarchical user interface, the content items are displayed in layers corresponding to the hierarchical structure of the user interface. For example, content item  510  may be displayed in a first layer, and content item  620  may be displayed in a second layer above the first layer. Thus, when content item  620  is displayed, it obscures content item  510  displayed in the layer below its own layer. 
     At any time, the user may close down content item  620  and return to content item  510  again. To do so, in particular embodiments, the user may perform an action with respect to content item  620  that results in another user input to the mobile device. For example, the user may pinch close content item  620 , or swipe on content item  620  (e.g., swiping vertically in the downward direction). In particular embodiments, a user interaction with content item  620  may cause content item  620  to close down and return to icon  520 , which represents content item  620 . 
     In particular embodiments, in response to a user input resulted from a user interaction (e.g., downward swipe) with content item  620 , an animation sequence may be displayed on the screen of the mobile device. The animation sequence may depict that content item  620  closes down, folds in half, and returns to icon  520  that represents content item  620 . 
       FIGS. 8A-8F  illustrate an example animation sequence. Here, content item  620  appears as a piece of paper. On the inside of the paper is the article (i.e., content item  620 ). On the outside of the paper is image  610  representing the article. The animation sequence depicts that content item  620  gradually folds in half, similar to a piece of paper gradually folds in half. As this happens, content item  620  on the inside of the paper gradually disappears (i.e., being covered up) while image  610  on the outside of the paper gradually appears. In addition, the paper gradually decreases in size and approaches the size of icon  520 , until at the end of the animation sequence, in  FIG. 8F , the display returns to content item  510 , which includes icon  520  representing content item  620 . 
     In particular embodiments, the speed at which icon  520  opens up may correspond to the speed of the user making the up swiping gesture. The faster the user swipes, the faster icon  520  opens up and vice versa. Similarly, the speed at which content item  620  folds down may also correspond to the speed of the user making the downward swiping gesture. The faster the user swipes, the faster content item  620  folds down and vice versa. With some implementations, the speed of the user&#39;s swiping gesture may be normalized by dividing the speed by a normalization factor. 
     In particular embodiments, in additional to scroll through a content item, the user may also share, save, unsubscribe, report, or perform other applicable actions with respect to the content item. For example, in  FIG. 9 , buttons  910 ,  920 ,  930 , and  940  enable the user to share (e.g., share a content item with other users such as social friends), save (e.g., save a copy of a content item), unsubscribe (e.g., unsubscribe a content item so that the user no longer receives the content item), or report (e.g., report a content item to its publisher or administrator due to inappropriate content or other reasons) content item  620 . The user may click or tap a specific button to perform the corresponding action. 
     The content-item presentation process and the animation sequences described above may be implemented as computer software and executed on a computer system.  FIG. 10  illustrates an example computer system  1000 . In particular embodiments, one or more computer systems  1000  perform one or more steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein. In particular embodiments, one or more computer systems  1000  provide functionality described or illustrated herein. In particular embodiments, software running on one or more computer systems  1000  performs one or more steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein or provides functionality described or illustrated herein. Particular embodiments include one or more portions of one or more computer systems  1000 . Herein, reference to a computer system may encompass a computing device, and vice versa, where appropriate. Moreover, reference to a computer system may encompass one or more computer systems, where appropriate. 
     This disclosure contemplates any suitable number of computer systems  1000 . This disclosure contemplates computer system  1000  taking any suitable physical form. As example and not by way of limitation, computer system  1000  may be an embedded computer system, a system-on-chip (SOC), a single-board computer system (SBC) (such as, for example, a computer-on-module (COM) or system-on-module (SOM)), a desktop computer system, a laptop or notebook computer system, an interactive kiosk, a mainframe, a mesh of computer systems, a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a server, a tablet computer system, or a combination of two or more of these. Where appropriate, computer system  1000  may include one or more computer systems  1000 ; be unitary or distributed; span multiple locations; span multiple machines; span multiple data centers; or reside in a cloud, which may include one or more cloud components in one or more networks. Where appropriate, one or more computer systems  1000  may perform without substantial spatial or temporal limitation one or more steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein. As an example and not by way of limitation, one or more computer systems  1000  may perform in real time or in batch mode one or more steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein. One or more computer systems  1000  may perform at different times or at different locations one or more steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein, where appropriate. 
     In particular embodiments, computer system  1000  includes a processor  1002 , memory  1004 , storage  1006 , an input/output (I/O) interface  1008 , a communication interface  1010 , and a bus  1012 . Although this disclosure describes and illustrates a particular computer system having a particular number of particular components in a particular arrangement, this disclosure contemplates any suitable computer system having any suitable number of any suitable components in any suitable arrangement. 
     In particular embodiments, processor  1002  includes hardware for executing instructions, such as those making up a computer program. As an example and not by way of limitation, to execute instructions, processor  1002  may retrieve (or fetch) the instructions from an internal register, an internal cache, memory  1004 , or storage  1006 ; decode and execute them; and then write one or more results to an internal register, an internal cache, memory  1004 , or storage  1006 . In particular embodiments, processor  1002  may include one or more internal caches for data, instructions, or addresses. This disclosure contemplates processor  1002  including any suitable number of any suitable internal caches, where appropriate. As an example and not by way of limitation, processor  1002  may include one or more instruction caches, one or more data caches, and one or more translation lookaside buffers (TLBs). Instructions in the instruction caches may be copies of instructions in memory  1004  or storage  1006 , and the instruction caches may speed up retrieval of those instructions by processor  1002 . Data in the data caches may be copies of data in memory  1004  or storage  1006  for instructions executing at processor  1002  to operate on; the results of previous instructions executed at processor  1002  for access by subsequent instructions executing at processor  1002  or for writing to memory  1004  or storage  1006 ; or other suitable data. The data caches may speed up read or write operations by processor  1002 . The TLBs may speed up virtual-address translation for processor  1002 . In particular embodiments, processor  1002  may include one or more internal registers for data, instructions, or addresses. This disclosure contemplates processor  1002  including any suitable number of any suitable internal registers, where appropriate. Where appropriate, processor  1002  may include one or more arithmetic logic units (ALUs); be a multi-core processor; or include one or more processors  1002 . Although this disclosure describes and illustrates a particular processor, this disclosure contemplates any suitable processor. 
     In particular embodiments, memory  1004  includes main memory for storing instructions for processor  1002  to execute or data for processor  1002  to operate on. As an example and not by way of limitation, computer system  1000  may load instructions from storage  1006  or another source (such as, for example, another computer system  1000 ) to memory  1004 . Processor  1002  may then load the instructions from memory  1004  to an internal register or internal cache. To execute the instructions, processor  1002  may retrieve the instructions from the internal register or internal cache and decode them. During or after execution of the instructions, processor  1002  may write one or more results (which may be intermediate or final results) to the internal register or internal cache. Processor  1002  may then write one or more of those results to memory  1004 . In particular embodiments, processor  1002  executes only instructions in one or more internal registers or internal caches or in memory  1004  (as opposed to storage  1006  or elsewhere) and operates only on data in one or more internal registers or internal caches or in memory  1004  (as opposed to storage  1006  or elsewhere). One or more memory buses (which may each include an address bus and a data bus) may couple processor  1002  to memory  1004 . Bus  1012  may include one or more memory buses, as described below. In particular embodiments, one or more memory management units (MMUs) reside between processor  1002  and memory  1004  and facilitate accesses to memory  1004  requested by processor  1002 . In particular embodiments, memory  1004  includes random access memory (RAM). This RAM may be volatile memory, where appropriate Where appropriate, this RAM may be dynamic RAM (DRAM) or static RAM (SRAM). Moreover, where appropriate, this RAM may be single-ported or multi-ported RAM. This disclosure contemplates any suitable RAM. Memory  1004  may include one or more memories  1004 , where appropriate. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates particular memory, this disclosure contemplates any suitable memory. 
     In particular embodiments, storage  1006  includes mass storage for data or instructions. As an example and not by way of limitation, storage  1006  may include a hard disk drive (HDD), a floppy disk drive, flash memory, an optical disc, a magneto-optical disc, magnetic tape, or a Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive or a combination of two or more of these. Storage  1006  may include removable or non-removable (or fixed) media, where appropriate. Storage  1006  may be internal or external to computer system  1000 , where appropriate. In particular embodiments, storage  1006  is non-volatile, solid-state memory. In particular embodiments, storage  1006  includes read-only memory (ROM). Where appropriate, this ROM may be mask-programmed ROM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), electrically alterable ROM (EAROM), or flash memory or a combination of two or more of these. This disclosure contemplates mass storage  1006  taking any suitable physical form. Storage  1006  may include one or more storage control units facilitating communication between processor  1002  and storage  1006 , where appropriate. Where appropriate, storage  1006  may include one or more storages  1006 . Although this disclosure describes and illustrates particular storage, this disclosure contemplates any suitable storage. 
     In particular embodiments, I/O interface  1008  includes hardware, software, or both, providing one or more interfaces for communication between computer system  1000  and one or more I/O devices. Computer system  1000  may include one or more of these I/O devices, where appropriate. One or more of these I/O devices may enable communication between a person and computer system  1000 . As an example and not by way of limitation, an I/O device may include a keyboard, keypad, microphone, monitor, mouse, printer, scanner, speaker, still camera, stylus, tablet, touch screen, trackball, video camera, another suitable I/O device or a combination of two or more of these. An I/O device may include one or more sensors. This disclosure contemplates any suitable I/O devices and any suitable I/O interfaces  1008  for them. Where appropriate, I/O interface  1008  may include one or more device or software drivers enabling processor  1002  to drive one or more of these I/O devices. I/O interface  1008  may include one or more I/O interfaces  1008 , where appropriate. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates a particular I/O interface, this disclosure contemplates any suitable I/O interface. 
     In particular embodiments, communication interface  1010  includes hardware, software, or both providing one or more interfaces for communication (such as, for example, packet-based communication) between computer system  1000  and one or more other computer systems  1000  or one or more networks. As an example and not by way of limitation, communication interface  1010  may include a network interface controller (NIC) or network adapter for communicating with an Ethernet or other wire-based network or a wireless NIC (WNIC) or wireless adapter for communicating with a wireless network, such as a WI-FI network. This disclosure contemplates any suitable network and any suitable communication interface  1010  for it. As an example and not by way of limitation, computer system  1000  may communicate with an ad hoc network, a personal area network (PAN), a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), or one or more portions of the Internet or a combination of two or more of these. One or more portions of one or more of these networks may be wired or wireless. As an example, computer system  1000  may communicate with a wireless PAN (WPAN) (such as, for example, a BLUETOOTH WPAN), a WI-FI network, a WI-MAX network, a cellular telephone network (such as, for example, a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network), or other suitable wireless network or a combination of two or more of these. Computer system  1000  may include any suitable communication interface  1010  for any of these networks, where appropriate. Communication interface  1010  may include one or more communication interfaces  1010 , where appropriate. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates a particular communication interface, this disclosure contemplates any suitable communication interface. 
     In particular embodiments, bus  1012  includes hardware, software, or both coupling components of computer system  1000  to each other. As an example and not by way of limitation, bus  1012  may include an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) or other graphics bus, an Enhanced Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, a front-side bus (FSB), a HYPERTRANSPORT (HT) interconnect, an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, an INFINIBAND interconnect, a low-pin-count (LPC) bus, a memory bus, a Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, a PCI-Express (PCIe) bus, a serial advanced technology attachment (SATA) bus, a Video Electronics Standards Association local (VLB) bus, or another suitable bus or a combination of two or more of these. Bus  1012  may include one or more buses  1012 , where appropriate. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates a particular bus, this disclosure contemplates any suitable bus or interconnect. 
     Herein, a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium or media may include one or more semiconductor-based or other integrated circuits (ICs) (such, as for example, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or application-specific ICs (ASICs)), hard disk drives (HDDs), hybrid hard drives (HHDs), optical discs, optical disc drives (ODDs), magneto-optical discs, magneto-optical drives, floppy diskettes, floppy disk drives (FDDs), magnetic tapes, solid-state drives (SSDs), RAM-drives, SECURE DIGITAL cards or drives, any other suitable computer-readable non-transitory storage media, or any suitable combination of two or more of these, where appropriate. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium may be volatile, non-volatile, or a combination of volatile and non-volatile, where appropriate. 
     Herein, “or” is inclusive and not exclusive, unless expressly indicated otherwise or indicated otherwise by context. Therefore, herein, “A or B” means “A, B, or both,” unless expressly indicated otherwise or indicated otherwise by context. Moreover, “and” is both joint and several, unless expressly indicated otherwise or indicated otherwise by context. Therefore, herein, “A and B” means “A and B, jointly or severally,” unless expressly indicated otherwise or indicated otherwise by context. 
     The scope of this disclosure encompasses all changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications to the example embodiments described or illustrated herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend. The scope of this disclosure is not limited to the example embodiments described or illustrated herein. Moreover, although this disclosure describes and illustrates respective embodiments herein as including particular components, elements, functions, operations, or steps, any of these embodiments may include any combination or permutation of any of the components, elements, functions, operations, or steps described or illustrated anywhere herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend. Furthermore, reference in the appended claims to an apparatus or system or a component of an apparatus or system being adapted to, arranged to, capable of, configured to, enabled to, operable to, or operative to perform a particular function encompasses that apparatus, system, component, whether or not it or that particular function is activated, turned on, or unlocked, as long as that apparatus, system, or component is so adapted, arranged, capable, configured, enabled, operable, or operative.