CONTENTS MANAGEMENT METHOD AND APPARATUS

• US 20100077334A1
• Filed: 09/04/2009
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Sung, Ju Yun, Cho, Bong Hyun, Her, Jee Young, Yang, Gyung Hye, Kwahk, Ji Young, Lim, Eun Young
• Granted Patent: US 9,710,471 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A content management method and apparatus is provided for conveniently and efficiently classifying and filtering contents stored in at least one digital device. A contents management method may include displaying, when a digital device is connected, graphical user interface (GUI) objects representing the digital devices and contents stored in the digital devices, and setting keywords for classifying the contents in response to events triggered by user behaviors in association with at least one of the GUI objects. The method may also include displaying the GUI objects representative of the contents classified by using the keywords.

Claims

1. A contents management method for a media management apparatus, the method comprising:

displaying graphical user interface objects corresponding to a connected digital device and to contents stored in the digital device, the digital device being connected to the media management apparatus;

setting a keyword to classify and filter the stored contents in response to an event associated with at least one of the graphical user interface objects; and

displaying the graphical user interface objects corresponding to the classified and filtered contents.

2. The contents management method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises one of a selection of a keyword region mapped to the keyword, a selection and a drag of the digital device or the graphical user interface object corresponding to the digital device, a movement of a search object, and extraction of common metadata.

3. The contents management method of claim 2, wherein setting a keyword comprises detecting a touch on the keyword region.

4. The contents management method of claim 3, wherein setting a keyword further comprises calculating a strength of the touch.

5. The contents management method of claim 4, wherein displaying the graphical user interface objects comprises determining a number of the contents to display based on the strength of the touch.

6. The contents management method of claim 5, wherein determining a number of the contents comprises checking priorities of the classified and filtered contents and displaying contents having high priorities.

7. The contents management method of claim 2, wherein setting a keyword comprises:

detecting the selection and the drag of the digital device or the graphical user interface object corresponding to the digital device; and

setting the keyword indicative of a device type of the digital device and file formats supported by the digital device.

8. The contents management method of claim 7, wherein displaying the graphical user interface objects corresponding to the classified and filtered contents comprises detecting the drag in a specific direction of the graphical user interface object corresponding to the digital device, and displaying the graphical user interface objects corresponding to the contents in response to the drag.

9. The contents management method of claim 8, wherein displaying the graphical user interface objects corresponding to the classified and filtered contents further comprises, if a graphical user interface object corresponding to a specific content is dragged in a specific direction after contents are classified and filtered, reclassifying the classified and filtered contents using an attribute in the metadata of the dragged content.

10. The contents management method of claim 8, wherein displaying the graphical user interface objects corresponding to the classified and filtered contents further comprises, if the digital device or the graphical user interface object corresponding to the digital device is dragged in a specific direction after contents are classified and filtered, reclassifying the stored contents by using a keyword set to be changed in association with the drag direction.

11. The contents management method of claim 2, wherein setting a keyword comprises:

activating, if the event is the movement of the search object, a keyword input window of the search object; and

receiving the keyword using the keyword input window.

12. The contents management method of claim 11, wherein displaying the graphical user interface objects corresponding to the classified and filtered contents comprises:

detecting a drag of the search object having the received keyword to an area where the graphical user interface objects corresponding to the stored contents are located;

checking the common metadata of the stored contents displayed in proximity of the search object; and

sticking graphical user interface objects corresponding to the contents having metadata comprising the keyword, to the search object.

13. The contents management method of claim 12, wherein displaying the graphical user interface objects corresponding to the classified and filtered contents comprises separating, if a wag of the search object is detected, graphical user interface objects corresponding to contents having relatively low priorities among the graphical user interface objects stuck to the search object.

14. The contents management method of claim 11, wherein the search object is one of a physical object or a graphical user interface object displayed on a touch screen.

15. The contents management method of claim 2, wherein setting a keyword comprises:

extracting, if the event is the extraction of common metadata, the common metadata shared by the contents corresponding to graphical user interface objects selected by the user; and

setting the common metadata as the keyword.

16. The contents management method of claim 15, wherein displaying the graphical user interface objects comprises:

displaying one or more graphical user interface objects corresponding to the classified and filtered contents;

detecting a number of graphical user interface objects selected among the displayed graphical user interface objects;

calculating a ratio of a number of the selected graphical user interface objects to a number of the displayed graphical user interface objects;

determining, if the ratio is less than a threshold value, the common metadata of contents corresponding to the selected graphical user interface objects;

updating the keyword with the common metadata; and

reclassifying the stored contents by using the updated keyword.

17. The contents management method of claim 16, wherein displaying the graphical user interface objects further comprises displaying, if the ratio is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the graphical user interface objects corresponding to the classified and filtered contents.

18. The contents management method of claim 1, further comprising arranging, if the digital device is dragged on a touch screen of the media management apparatus, the graphical user interface objects corresponding to the stored contents according to an arrangement criterion corresponding to a drag direction of the drag of the digital device.

19. The contents management method of claim 18, wherein arranging the graphical user interface objects corresponding to the stored contents comprises:

aligning, if the digital device is dragged in a horizontal direction relative to the touch screen, the graphical user interface objects corresponding to the stored contents in the drag direction; and

aligning, if the digital device is moved in a vertical direction relative to the touch screen, the graphical user interface objects corresponding to the stored contents in an overlapped configuration.

20. The contents management method of claim 18, wherein arranging the graphical user interface objects corresponding to the stored contents further comprises displaying a guide object indicating a direction-specific arrangement criteria.

21. The contents management method of claim 20, wherein arranging the graphical user interface objects corresponding to the stored contents further comprises changing the direction-specific arrangement criteria in response to a rotation of the guide object in a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction.

22. The contents management method of claim 18, wherein arranging the graphical user interface objects corresponding to the stored contents comprises overlapping the graphical user interface objects corresponding to the stored contents by at least one of a genre, artist, place, file name, and date of the stored contents.

23. The contents management method of claim 1, wherein displaying graphical user interface objects corresponding to the digital device and contents stored in the digital device comprises displaying the graphical user interface objects corresponding to the stored contents in a distinct color, the distinct color being designated according to the digital device.

24. A contents management apparatus, comprising:

an interface unit to connect to at least one digital device;

a touch screen to display graphical user interface objects corresponding to the at least one digital device and to contents stored in the at least one digital device; and

a control unit to classify and filter the stored contents in response to an event detected on the touch screen, the event comprising a selection of a keyword region, a drag of the at least one digital device or the graphical user interface object corresponding to the at least one digital device, a movement of a search object, and an extraction of common metadata.

25. The contents management apparatus of claim 24, wherein the touch screen is adapted to sense a strength of a touch.

26. The contents management apparatus of claim 25, wherein the control unit is configured to determine, if the touch is detected on the keyword region of the touch screen, keywords mapped to the keyword region, to calculate the strength of the touch, to filter the contents having metadata comprising the keywords, and to display the filtered contents, a number of the displayed filtered contents being determined by the strength of the touch.

27. The contents management apparatus of claim 24, wherein the interface unit comprises at least one of a cable interface and a radio interface.

28. The contents management apparatus of claim 24, wherein the control unit requests, if the at least one digital device is connected, the at least one digital device to send device information comprising device type and file formats supported by the at least one digital device.

29. The contents management apparatus of claim 28, wherein the control unit determines, if the event of a selection and a drag of the at least one digital device or the graphical user interface objects corresponding to the at least one digital device is detected, the keywords according to the drag direction, and filters the contents having metadata comprising the keywords.

30. The contents management apparatus of claim 24, wherein the control unit determines, if the event of an extraction of common metadata is detected, the common metadata shared by user-selected contents of the stored contents, and sets the common metadata as the keywords.

31. The contents management apparatus of claim 24, wherein the control unit is configured to activate, if the event of a movement of the search object is detected, a keyword input window of the search object, to determine metadata of the stored contents in close proximity of the search object, and to stick the graphical user interface objects corresponding to the stored contents having metadata comprising the keyword, to the search object.

32. The contents management apparatus of claim 24, wherein the control unit, if the at least one digital device is contacted and dragged on the touch screen, arranges the graphical user interface objects corresponding to the stored contents according to an arrangement criterion based on a drag direction of the at least one digital device.