Graphical user interface and system for viewing landing page content

Abstract

A web site publisher may improve user interaction with landing pages from third-party publishers by displaying landing page content in a navigation window offering users the ability to interact with one or more landing pages in formats including: carousel, multiple panes, stacks, tabs, and tiles. Pages may be displayed in focus, below or behind the active display area, in full size windows, in reduced windows, and so forth. Landing page content may be loaded in advance of a user focusing on a specific page. The navigation window offers users the ability to store preferences, to refresh landing pages, to save searches, to search in one landing page, and/or to have results propagate to other landing pages.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer implemented method comprising acts of:
 receiving a first content request;   identifying, responsive to the first content request, one or more third-party publishers from which to request landing page content;   requesting, responsive to the first content request, respective landing page content from each of the identified one or more third-party publishers;   receiving the respective landing page content from each of the identified one or more third-party publishers; and   displaying within a portion of at least one graphical user interface a presentation interface comprising a representation of the respective landing page content.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising an act of presenting, within the presentation interface, each of the respective landing page content arranged in one or more of the formats comprising the group of: horizontal tabs, vertical tabs, carousel, multi-pane, staggered, or stacked. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising an act of presenting, within the presentation interface, a representation of each respective landing page in one or more of the formats comprising the group of: landing page thumbnail, loaded landing page, landing page icon, or image representing the landing page. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one graphical user interface comprises a first content display area having an initial control that accepts the first content request, and the method further comprises acts of:
 receiving, from a user interacting with the initial control area of the first content display area, the first content request;   requesting, responsive to the first content request, content from a publisher associated with the first content display area;   receiving the content from the publisher associated with the first content display area; and   displaying, within the first content display area, the content.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the at least one graphical user interface displays the respective landing page content from each of the one or more third-party publishers in a second content display area. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the first content display area is a web page. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the first content display area is a web page. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising acts of:
 receiving a second content request; 
 identifying, responsive to the second content request, one or more third-party publishers from which to request landing page content; 
 requesting, responsive to the second content request, respective landing page content from each of the identified one or more third-party publishers; 
 receiving the respective landing page content from each of the identified one or more third-party publishers; and 
 displaying within a portion of at least one graphical user interface a presentation interface comprising a representation of the respective landing page content. 
 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 4  further comprising acts of:
 receiving, from a user interacting with the initial control area of the first content display area, a second content request; 
 requesting, responsive to the second content request, content from the publisher associated with the first content display area; 
 receiving content from the publisher associated with the first content display area; and 
 displaying, within the first content display area, the content. 
 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 5  further comprising acts of:
 receiving, from a user interacting with the initial control area of the first content display area, a second content request; 
 identifying, responsive to the second content request, one or more third-party publishers from which to request landing page content; 
 requesting, responsive to the second content request, respective landing page content from each of the identified one or more third-party publishers; 
 receiving the respective landing page content from each of the identified one or more third-party publishers; and 
 displaying within a portion of at least one graphical user interface a presentation interface comprising a representation of the respective landing page content. 
 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 5  further comprising acts of:
 receiving, from a user interacting with the initial control area of the first content display area, a second content request; 
 requesting, responsive to the second content request, content from the publisher associated with the first content display area; 
 receiving content from the publisher associated with the first content display area; 
 displaying, within the first content display area, the content; 
 identifying, responsive to the second content request, one or more third-party publishers from which to request landing page content; 
 requesting, responsive to the second content request, respective landing page content from each of the identified one or more third-party publishers; 
 receiving the respective landing page content from each of the identified one or more third-party publishers; and 
 displaying within a portion of at least one graphical user interface a presentation interface comprising a representation of the respective landing page content. 
 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein a landing page displayed in the second content display area includes at least one initial control capable of accepting a second content request, and the method further comprises acts of:
 receiving, from a user interacting with an initial control area of a landing page in the second content display area, a second content request;   requesting, responsive to the second content request, landing page content from the third-party publisher associated with the landing page;   receiving the landing page content from the third-party publisher; and   displaying within a portion of at least one graphical user interface a presentation interface comprising a representation of the respective landing page content.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the second content display area includes at least one initial control capable of accepting a second content request, and the method further comprises acts of:
 receiving, from a user interacting with the initial control area of the second content display area, a second content request;   requesting, responsive to the second content request, content from the publisher associated with the first content display area;   receiving content from the publisher associated with the first content display area; and   displaying, within the first content display area, the content.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the second content display area includes at least one initial control capable of accepting a second content request, and the method further comprises acts of:
 receiving, from a user interacting with the initial control area of the second content display area, a second content request;   identifying, responsive to the second content request, one or more third-party publishers from which to request landing page content;   requesting, responsive to the second content request, respective landing page content from each of the identified one or more third-party publishers;   receiving the respective landing page content from each of the identified one or more third-party publishers; and   displaying within a portion of at least one graphical user interface a presentation interface comprising a representation of the respective landing page content.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the second content display area includes at least one initial control capable of accepting a second content request, and the method further comprises acts of:
 receiving, from a user interacting with the initial control area of the second content display area, a second content request;   requesting, responsive to the second content request, content from the publisher associated with the first content display area;   receiving content from the publisher associated with the first content display area;   displaying, within the first content display area, the content;   identifying, responsive to the second content request, one or more third-party publishers from which to request landing page content;   requesting, responsive to the second content request, respective landing page content from each of the identified one or more third-party publishers;   receiving the respective landing page content from each of the identified one or more third-party publishers; and   displaying within a portion of at least one graphical user interface a presentation interface comprising a representation of the respective landing page content.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising acts of:
 observing user interactions in a distributed computer system; 
 deciding, responsive to at least one of the group comprising: the first content request and the observed user interactions, to update the presentation interface; 
 identifying, responsive to at least one of the group comprising: the first content request and the observed user interactions, one or more third-party publishers from which to request landing page content; 
 requesting, responsive to at least one of the group comprising: the first content request and the observed user interactions, respective landing page content from each of the identified one or more third-party publishers; 
 receiving the respective landing page content from each of the identified one or more third-party publishers; and 
 displaying within a portion of at least one graphical user interface a presentation interface comprising a representation of the respective landing page content. 
 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising acts of:
 storing the first content request as a stored content request; 
 terminating a session of the presentation interface displayed within the at least one graphical user interface; 
 deciding to initiate a new session of the presentation interface; 
 identifying, responsive to the stored content request, one or more third-party publishers from which to request landing page content; 
 requesting, responsive to at least one of the group comprising: the first content request and the observed user interactions, respective landing page content from each of the identified one or more third-party publishers; 
 receiving the respective landing page content from each of the identified one or more third-party publishers; and 
 displaying within a portion of at least one graphical user interface a presentation interface comprising a representation of the respective landing page content. 
 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising acts of:
 observing user interactions in a distributed computer system; 
 storing the first content request as a stored content request; 
 deciding, responsive to at least one of the group comprising: the stored content request and the observed user interactions, to update the presentation interface; 
 identifying, responsive to at least one of the group comprising: the stored content request and the observed user interactions, one or more third-party publishers from which to request landing page content; 
 requesting, responsive to at least one of the group comprising: the stored content request and the observed user interactions, respective landing page content from each of the identified one or more third-party publishers; 
 receiving the respective landing page content from each of the identified one or more third-party publishers; and 
 displaying within a portion of at least one graphical user interface a presentation interface comprising a representation of the respective landing page content.