ENHANCED USER INTERFACE TO TRANSFER MEDIA CONTENT

• US 20120254793A1
• Filed: 03/29/2012
• Published: 10/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Sidhom, Gabriel, Nahon, Georges, Briand, Hyacinthe, So, Bosco, Vellaikal, Asha
• Granted Patent: US 9,632,688 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/800
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for sharing a media content displayed in a window of the touch input interface of a first electronic device with at least one second electronic device. The first electronic device includes a processor controlling the touch input interface. The method is carried out by the processor and includes the acts of enabling displacement of the window in response to capturing a first touch input indicative of an initiation of a transfer, capturing a continuous touch input across the interface from an initial position in the window, displacing the window with each additional touch input of the continuous touch input, sending an activation message that the media content is to be played on the second device when determining that the window is within a given distance of a virtual representation of the second electronic device on the interface.

Claims

1. A method for sharing a media content displayed in a window of a first graphical user interface (GUI) of an electronic device with at least one end point, said electronic device comprising a processor controlling said first GUI, the method being carried out by said processor and comprising:

capturing a user input within the window,

generating a free space between countours of the GUI and the window, and

displaying a virtual representation of the end point in the free space.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the act of generating a free space further comprises the act of:

generating a second GUI comprising;

the window in the same position as in the first GUI, and

a free space between the countours of the second GUI and the window,

rendering the second GUI in place of the first GUI.

3. A method according to the previous claim 1, the generating of a free space comprising:

shrinking of the window to a size at least smaller than the size of the first GUI.

4. A method according the claim 1, wherein the act of generating a free space is conditioned upon the determination that the received user input is of a predetermined type.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined type is a drag type part of a drag and drop operation, the method further comprising:

capturing further drag inputs on the window,

displacing the window with each additional captured drag input, and

sending an activation message that the media content is to be transferred to the end point for subsequent rendering when determining that the window is within a given distance of a virtual representation of the end point in the free space.

6. A method according to the previous claim 5, wherein the media content is stored on the first electronic device, the sending of an activation message comprising the push of the media content to the end point over a communication network.

7. A method according to the previous claim 5, wherein the media content is streamed from a media content server, the activation message comprising the redirecting of the streaming to the end point.

8. A method according to the previous claim 5, wherein the given distance is nil, the determining act triggered by the capture of a drop of the window on the virtual representation.

9. A method according to the previous claim 1, further comprising an act of:

receiving status information for the end point, the status information comprising an inactive or active status for rendering of the media content, and

displaying the virtual representation of the end point if its status is active.

10. A electronic device for sharing a media content displayed in a window of a first graphical user interface (GUI) of said electronic device with at least one end point, said electronic device comprising a processor controlling said graphical input interface, said processor being arranged to:

capture a user input within the window,

capture a free space between the countours of the GUI and the window, and

display a virtual representation of the end point in the free space.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, further arranged to:

generate a second GUI comprising;

the window in the same position as in the first GUI, and

a free space between the countours of the second GUI and the window, and

render the second GUI in place of the first GUI.

12. An application embodied on a computer readable medium and arranged to share a media content displayed in a window of a first graphical user interface of an electronic device with at least one end point, the application being carried out by a processor of the electronic device and controlling the graphical user interface, the application comprising instructions for:

capturing a user input within the window,

generating a free space between the countours of the GUI and the window, and

displaying a virtual representation of the end point in the free space.

13. The application of claim 12, further comprising instructions for:

generating a second GUI comprising;

the window in the same position as in the first GUI, and

a free space between the countours of the second GUI and the window, and

rendering the second GUI in place of the first GUI.