SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INCORPORATING A CONTROL CONNECTED MEDIA FRAME

• US 20130042177A1
• Filed: 08/12/2011
• Published: 02/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Dunko, Gregory A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,473,614 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations

Abstract

Various embodiments are described for managing media content using a communications device. One embodiment is a method that comprises providing, by the communications device, a user interface for a user to access the media content. The method further comprises receiving a user input from the user via the user interface, searching a media content database for media content corresponding to the user input, and updating the user interface according to the media content corresponding to the user input and displaying in a specified order.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a communications device for managing media content, comprising:

providing, by the communications device, a user interface for a user to access the media content;

receiving a user input from the user via the user interface;

searching a media content database in at least one remote entity for media content corresponding to the user input; and

updating the user interface according to the media content corresponding to the user input and displaying the media content in a specified order.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the input from the user is performed by a touch screen on the communications device, and wherein the input comprises one of:

a dragging motion by the user relating to direction; and

a selection by the user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the direction of the dragging motion by the user corresponds to the specified order of media content displayed on the user interface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the user interface according to the media content corresponding to the user input comprises arranging the media content corresponding to the user input in clusters based on characteristics specified in the user input such that clusters of media content are arranged in the specified order.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating, by the communications device, the media content database.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein updating the media content database comprises:

accessing the at least one remote entity via a wireless communication network;

searching the at least one remote entity for media content according to characteristics of the media content; and

retrieving media content matching one or more target characteristics and storing the retrieve media content in the media content database.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the characteristics comprise metadata associated with the media content, wherein the metadata comprise one or more of:

location information, tag, time stamp, subject identity, and string identifier.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one remote entity comprises one or more of:

a social networking entity;

a digital content sharing entity; and

a computing device.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein updating the media content database is performed upon receiving of the user input.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications device is one of:

a smartphone, a tablet, and a computing device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one remote entity is specified by the user via the user interface.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a slider control for navigating through the media content corresponding to the user input in the specified order.

13. A system for managing media content, comprising:

a media content manager configured to update a media content database in at least one remote entity;

a user interface generator configured to provide a user interface for a user to access the media content; and

a touchscreen interface for receiving a user input from the user;

wherein the media content manager is further configured to search the media content database for media content corresponding to the user input through a communication network, and wherein the user interface generator updates the user interface according to the media content corresponding to the user input.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the media content manager searches the media content database according to one or more characteristics comprising:

time, subject identity, and event.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the user interface generator updates the user interface by clustering media content according to one or more characteristics and arranging the clustered media content in a specified order.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the media content manager updates the media content database by searching the at least one remote entity for media content, retrieves media content matching one or more target characteristics, and stores the retrieved media content in the media content database.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one remote entity comprises one or more of:

social networking entity, digital content sharing entity, and computing device;

where the at least one remote entity is specified by a user of the system.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying a program executable in a computing device, the program comprising:

logic for updating a media content database from one or more remote entities through a communication network;

logic for providing a user interface for a user to access the media content, wherein the user interface includes a slider control for navigating the media content;

a touchscreen interface for receiving a user input from the user;

logic for searching the media content database for media content corresponding to the user input, wherein the user input comprises a time input, a subject input, a location input or an event input; and

logic for updating the user interface according to the media content corresponding to the user input, wherein the media content corresponding to the user input is arranged in a specified order.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the logic for updating the media content database is configured to update the media content database by retrieving media content from the one or more remote entities according to metadata.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the one or more remote entities comprise one or more of:

a social networking entity, a digital content sharing entity, and a computing device;

wherein the one or more remote entities are specified by the user.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the metadata comprises one or more of:

location information, a string identifier, a subject identity, and a time stamp.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the computing device comprises one of:

a smartphone, a tablet, and a computing device.