Techniques for context sensitive overlays

Abstract

Techniques for context sensitive overlays, comprising a social networking application. The social networking application may include, among other components, a social networking overlay management component to receive a request from a mobile device to determine a list of aggregate overlay information and user context information, and providing the list of aggregate overlay information and user context information to the mobile device, a context determination component to determine the user context information representative of at least one user context based at least partially on user profile information, location information, calendar event information, and/or external event information, and an overlay selection component to generate the list of aggregate overlay information based at least partially on the user profile information, overlay promotion information, and user context information

1 . A computer implemented method, comprising:
 receiving a request from a mobile device to determine a list of aggregate overlay information and user context information;   determining the user context information representative of at least one user context based at least partially on user profile information, location information, calendar event information, and/or external event information;   generating the list of aggregate overlay information based at least partially on the user profile information, overlay promotion information, and/or the user context information; and   providing the list of aggregate overlay information and the user context information to the mobile device, each aggregate overlay information in the list of aggregate overlay information including at least one overlay UI element associated with the at least one user context.   
     
     
         2 . The computer implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of generating the list of aggregate overlay information further comprises:
 selecting at least one overlay UI element by searching third party overlay collection, social overlay collection, and/or user overlay collection stored in an overlay datastore for at least one overlay UI element that approximately matches at least one context indicated in the user context information.   
     
     
         3 . The computer implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of generating the list of aggregate overlay information further comprises:
 ranking the at least one selected overlay UI element based at least partially on user profile based overlay popularity information associated with each selected overlay UI element, wherein the user profile based overlay popularity information may identify a popularity value of a selected overlay UI element for a user having an associated user profile information.   
     
     
         4 . The computer implemented method of  claim 2 , wherein the step of generating the list of aggregate overlay information further comprises:
 biasing the selecting of the at least one overlay UI element by limiting the selection of overlay UI elements from the third party overlay collection to selecting exclusively one or more overlay UI elements having overlay source information and/or overlay context information identified in the overlay promotion information.   
     
     
         5 . The computer implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving a request from the mobile device for overlay element information representative of at least one overlay UI element, the request comprising overlay element identifier information representative of the at least one overlay UI element; and   providing the overlay element information representative of the at least one overlay UI element and identified by the overlay element identifier information to the mobile device for rendering and visual presentation on a display screen of the mobile device.   
     
     
         6 . The computer implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 providing promotional information to at least one recipient user via at least one social message, when commercialization information associated an overlay UI element indicates that the at least one recipient user has received the overlay UI element in a shareable composite overlay image.   
     
     
         7 . The computer implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein user context information comprises at least one of: user communication context information, user location context information, user event context information, user external event context information, user interest context information, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         8 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a processor circuit;   memory operatively coupled to the processor circuit, the memory to store a social application and/or a messaging application comprising a social networking overlay component for execution by the processor circuit, the social networking overlay component comprising:
 a social networking overlay management component to receive a request from a mobile device to determine a list of aggregate overlay information and user context information, and providing the list of aggregate overlay information and user context information to the mobile device, 
 a context determination component to determine the user context information representative of at least one user context based at least partially on user profile information, location information, calendar event information, and/or external event information, and 
 an overlay selection component to generate the list of aggregate overlay information based at least partially on the user profile information, overlay promotion information, and/or user context information. 
   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein user context information comprises at least one of: user communication context information, user location context information, user event context information, user external event context information, user interest context information, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein user communication context information identifies at least one current or recent user communication context, and the at least one current or recent user communication context includes at least one recent conversation topic between a user with one or more other users in the social networking system and the social relationship of the one or more other users. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein user location context information identifies at least one user location context, and the at least one user location context includes at least one approximate location of the mobile device associate with a user. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein user event context information identifies at least one current event that a user intends to participate, the location of the current event, and a number of other users who are socially connected to the user that are also intending to participate or is currently participating in the current event. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein user external event context information identifies at least one user external event context, the at least one user external event context includes one or more current external events in one or more regions associated with current location of a user, the current events includes at least one of: a weather event, sports event, a holiday event, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein user interest context information identifies at least one user interest context, and the at least one user interest context includes one or more current interests of a user, the one or more current interest including at least one of: favorite artists, favorite movies, favorite, music, favorite books, favorite sports, favorite locations, favorite food, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         15 . At least one computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a system to:
 receive a request from a mobile device to determine a list of aggregate overlay information and user context information;   determine the user context information representative of at least one user context based at least partially on user profile information, location information, calendar event information, and/or external event information;   generate the list of aggregate overlay information based at least partially on the user profile information, overlay promotion information, and/or the user context information; and   provide the list of aggregate overlay information and the user context information to the mobile device, each aggregate overlay information in the list of aggregate overlay information including at least one overlay UI element associated with the at least one user context.   
     
     
         16 . The at least one computer-readable storage medium of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions to generate the list of aggregate overlay information, when executed, further cause the system to:
 select at least one overlay UI element by searching third party overlay collection, social overlay collection, and/or user overlay collection stored in an overlay datastore for at least one overlay UI element that approximately matches at least one context indicated in the user context information.   
     
     
         17 . The at least one computer-readable storage medium of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions to generate the list of aggregate overlay information, when executed, further cause the system to:
 rank the at least one selected overlay UI element based at least partially on user profile based overlay popularity information associated with each selected overlay UI element, wherein the user profile based overlay popularity information may identify a popularity value of a selected overlay UI element for a user having an associated user profile information.   
     
     
         18 . The at least one computer-readable storage medium of  claim 16 , wherein the instructions to select the at least one overlay UI element, when executed, further cause the system to:
 bias the selecting of the at least one overlay UI element by limiting the selection of overlay UI elements from the third party overlay collection to selecting exclusively one or more overlay UI elements having overlay source information and/or overlay context information identified in the overlay promotion information.   
     
     
         19 . The at least one computer-readable storage medium of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the system to:
 receive a request from the mobile device for overlay element information representative of at least one overlay UI element, the request comprising overlay element identifier information representative of the at least one overlay UI element; and   provide the overlay element information representative of the at least one overlay UI element and identified by the overlay element identifier information to the mobile device for rendering and visual presentation on a display screen of the mobile device.   
     
     
         20 . The at least one computer-readable storage medium of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the system to:
 provide promotional information to at least one recipient user via at least one social message, when commercialization information associated an overlay UI element indicates that the at least one recipient user has received the overlay UI element in a shareable composite overlay image.