Methods and systems for drag and drop content sharing in a multi-device environment

• US 10,104,135 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2015
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OpenTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Original Assignee: OpenTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Inventors: Chai, Crx K., Fishman, Alex
• Primary Examiner(s): Levy, Amy M
• Application Number:
  US14/798,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20150319202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,191 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

Methods and systems for interacting with graphical user interface elements to invoke commands and initiate requests in a multi-device environment are described.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting, by one or more processors of a machine, a drag-and-drop event that indicates a displayed first graphical element being moved from a group of displayed first graphical elements and positioned over a displayed second graphical element in a group of displayed second graphical elements that indicate available recipient users, the displayed first graphical element identifying selected content to be shared with a selected available recipient user indicated by the displayed second graphical element, the displayed second graphical element being associated with configuration settings that specify a media device among multiple media devices of the selected available recipient user, designate the media device to obtain shared content, and specify whether the designated media device is to obtain the shared content by retrieval of the shared content or by being provided the shared content;

responsive to the drag-and-drop event, by the one or more processors of the machine, generating and communicating a command via a network to the designated media device of the selected available recipient user, the command being generated based on the configuration settings and identifying the selected content to be shared and the associated selected available recipient user with whom the selected content is to be shared; and

wherein, based on the configuration settings specifying that the designated media device is to obtain the shared content by retrieval of the shared content, the communicated command is executed by the designated media device in accordance with the configuration settings to obtain the selected content by retrieval of the selected content; and

communicating a notification that indicates the generated command was executed by the designated media device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the notification indicates whether the generated command was successfully executed.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the media device specified in the configuration settings associated with the second graphical element includes a first media, device designated to access shared content;

the configuration settings associated with the second graphical element specify a second media device to receive notifications associated with shared content; and

the method further comprises;

causing the second media device to receive the notification based on the second media device being specified in the configuration settings.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the media device specified in the configuration settings associated with the second graphical element includes a first media device designated to access shared content; and

the communicating of the notification includes providing the notification to the machine that performed the generating and communicating of the command.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the media device specified in the configuration settings associated with the second graphical element includes a first media device designated to access shared content; and

the configuration settings of the second graphical element specify a second media device to receive a notification that the content has become accessible by the first media device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the configuration settings associated with the second graphical element specify that shared content is to be downloaded to the specified media device designated to access shared content; and

the communicating of the generated command causes the content to be downloaded to the media device specified in the configuration settings associated with the second graphical element.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the configuration settings associated with the second graphical element specify that a link to shared content is to be communicated to the specified media device designated access shared content; and

the communicating of the generated command causes a link to the content represented by the first graphical element to be communicated to the media device specified in the configuration settings associated with the second graphical element.

8. A device comprising:

a touch screen display;

one or more processors; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

via the touch screen display, detecting a drag-and-drop event that indicates a displayed first graphical element being moved from a group of displayed first graphical elements and positioned over a displayed second graphical element in a group of displayed second graphical elements that indicate available recipient users, the displayed first graphical element identifying selected content to be shared with a selected available recipient user indicated by the displayed second graphical element, the displayed second graphical element being associated with configuration settings that specify a media device among multiple media devices of the selected available recipient user, designate the media device to obtain shared content, and specify whether the designated media device is to obtain the shared content by retrieval of the shared content or by being provided the shared content;

responsive to the drag-and-drop event, generating and communicating a command via a network to the designated media device of the selected available recipient user, the command being generated based on the configuration settings and identifying the selected content to be shared and the associated selected available recipient user with whom the selected content is to be shared; and

wherein, based on the configuration settings specifying that the designated media device is to obtain the shared content by retrieval of the shared content, the communicated command is executed by the designated media device in accordance with the configuration settings to obtain the selected content by retrieval of the selected content; and

communicating a notification that indicates the generated command was executed by the designated media device.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein:

the notification indicates whether the generated command was successfully executed.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein:

the media device specified in the configuration settings associated with the second graphical element includes a first media device designated to access shared content;

the configuration settings associated with the second graphical element specify a media second device to receive notifications associated with shared content; and

the operations further comprise;

causing the second media device to receive the notification based on the second media device being specified in the configuration settings.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein:

the media device specified in the configuration settings associated with the second graphical element includes a first media device designated to access shared content; and

the communicating of the notification includes providing the notification to the device that performed the generating and communicating of the command.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein:

the media device specified in the configuration settings associated with the second graphical element includes a first media device designated to access shared content; and

the configuration settings associated with the second graphical element specify a second media device to receive a notification that the content has become accessible by the first media device.

13. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

detecting a drag-and-drop event that indicates a displayed first graphical element being moved from a group of displayed first graphical elements and positioned over a displayed second graphical element in a group of displayed second graphical elements that indicate available recipient users, the displayed first graphical element identifying selected content to be shared with a selected available recipient user indicated by the displayed second graphical element, the displayed second graphical element being associated with configuration settings that specify a media device among multiple media devices of the selected available recipient user, designate the media device to obtain shared content, and specify whether the designated media device is to obtain the shared content by retrieval of the shared content or by being provided the shared content; and

responsive to the drag-and-drop event, generating and communicating a command via a network to the designated media device of the selected available recipient user, the command being generated based on the configuration settings and identifying the selected content to be shared and the associated selected available recipient user with whom the selected content is to be shared; and

wherein, based on the configuration settings specifying that the designated media device is to obtain the shared content by retrieval of the shared content, the communicated command is executed by the designated media device in accordance with the configuration settings to obtain the selected content by retrieval of the selected content; and

communicating a notification that indicates the generated command was executed by the designated media device.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein:

the notification indicates whether the generated command was successfully executed.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein:

the communicated command causes the designated media device to present the obtained content.