CONTENTS PLAYING APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20100077009A1
• Filed: 06/24/2009
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: PARK, Won-gyu
• Application Number:
  US12/490,475
• Publication Number:
  US 20100077009A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/802
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70

Abstract

Provided are a contents playing apparatus and a control method thereof, in which the contents playing apparatus includes: a connection unit to which an external device is connected; a storage unit; and a controller which, if the external device is connected through the connection unit, automatically searches for contents stored in the external device in a search, and stores each of the found contents in the storage unit. With this, it is convenient for a user to store the contents in the contents playing apparatus from the external device.

Claims

1. A contents playing apparatus, comprising:

a connection unit to which an external device is connected;

a storage unit; and

a controller which, if the external device is connected through the connection unit, automatically searches for contents stored in the external device in a search, and stores contents found from the search in the storage unit.

2. The contents playing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller generates at least one folder in the storage unit to store the found contents therein if the external device is connected.

3. The contents playing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller generates each folder of the at least one folder according to a generation date of the found contents.

4. The contents playing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the controller generates a name of each folder of the at least one folder with the generation date of the found contents stored therein.

5. The contents playing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each folder of the at least one folder is generated by using additional information stored together with the found contents if the contents stored therein comprise image data.

6. The contents playing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the controller generates a name of each folder of the at least one folder according to the additional information used for generating the folder.

7. The contents playing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller generates each folder of the at least one folder according to a type of contents stored therein and generates a name of each folder of the at least one folder with the type of contents stored therein.

8. The contents playing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller generates each folder of the at least one folder according to a storing date of the found contents stored therein.

9. The contents playing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the controller generates a name of each folder of the at least one folder with a storing date of the found contents stored therein.

10. The contents playing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit which displays an image thereon, wherein:

if the found contents comprise image data, the controller adjusts a resolution of the found contents based on a resolution of the display unit, and stores the found contents whose resolution is adjusted in the storage unit.

11. The contents playing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the controller displays a remaining capacity of the storage unit on the display unit after the found contents are stored in the storage unit.

12. The contents playing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the controller displays a current contents storage capacity versus a total capacity of the storage unit on the display unit after the found contents are stored in the storage unit.

13. A control method of a contents playing apparatus which includes a storage unit, the control method comprising:

automatically searching for contents which are stored in an external device in a search if the external device is connected to the contents playing apparatus; and

automatically storing the contents found in the search in the storage unit.

14. The control method according to claim 13, further comprising generating at least one folder to store the found contents in the storage unit.

15. The control method according to claim 14, wherein the generating the at least one folder comprises generating the at least one folder by at least one of a generation date of the found contents, a connection date of the external device, a type of the found contents, and additional information stored together with the found contents.

16. The control method according to claim 15, wherein the at least one of the generation date of the found contents, the connection date of the external device, the type of the found contents, and the additional information stored together with the found contents is used to generate a name of the at least one folder.

17. The control method according to claim 13, wherein the contents playing apparatus further comprises a display unit, and the method further comprises:

displaying the found contents on the display unit if the found contents comprise image data, and wherein the automatically storing the found contents comprises adjusting a resolution of the found contents based on a resolution of the display unit, and storing the found contents whose resolution is adjusted in the storage unit.

18. The control method according to claim 17, further comprising displaying a remaining capacity of the storage unit on the display unit after the found contents are stored in the storage unit.

19. The control method according to claim 17, further comprising displaying a current contents storage capacity versus a total capacity of the storage unit on the display unit after the found contents are stored in the storage unit.

20. An electronic frame which plays contents, the electronic frame comprising:

a display;

a connection unit to which an external device is connected;

a storage unit; and

a controller which, if the external device is connected through the connection unit, automatically searches for contents stored in the external device, stores the contents found from the search in the storage unit, and controls the display to display the contents found from the search and stored in the storage unit.