USER TERMINAL DEVICE AND CONTENT SHARING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20160309220A1
• Filed: 06/27/2016
• Published: 10/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: HONG, RAY, BAHN, SAHNG-HEE, HWANG, CHANG-HWAN
• Granted Patent: US 10,750,234 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/433 Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
• 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format

Abstract

A display device and a method are provided. The display device includes a network interface connected to a network; an internal storage configured to store at least one content; a display; and a processor configured to control the display to display, in a first area of a user interface (UI) screen, a category list, including a video category and a photo category, to enable selection of one category from the list, and control the display to display, in a second area of the UI screen, at least one thumbnail image corresponding to at least one content stored in at least one external device connected through the network interface and at least one thumbnail image corresponding to the at least one content stored in the internal storage.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a network interface connected to a network;

an internal storage configured to store at least one content;

a display; and

a processor configured to;

control the display to display, in a first area of a user interface (UI) screen, a category list, including a video category and a photo category, to enable selection of one category from the list, and

control the display to display, in a second area of the UI screen, at least one thumbnail image corresponding to at least one content stored in at least one external device connected through the network interface and at least one thumbnail image corresponding to the at least one content stored in the internal storage,

wherein the at least one thumbnail image corresponding to the at least one external device and the at least one thumbnail image corresponding to the at least one content stored in the internal storage are simultaneously displayable on the UI screen.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

control the display to display, if the video category is selected via the category list, in the second area, at least one thumbnail image corresponding to at least one video content stored in the at least one external device and at least one thumbnail image corresponding to at least one video content stored in the internal storage, and

control the display to display, if the photo category is selected via the category list, in the second area, at least one thumbnail image corresponding to at least one photo content stored in the at least one external device and at least one thumbnail image corresponding to at least one photo content stored in the internal storage.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one thumbnail image corresponding to the at least one content stored in the at least one external device is displayed with a respective icon indicating an external device in which the corresponding content is stored.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the category list includes a music category, and wherein the processor is configured to control the display to display, if the music category is selected via the category list, in the second area, a contents list including information corresponding to at least one music content.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine, after displaying the UI screen including the second area providing thumbnail images corresponding to contents stored in the at least one external device connected through the network interface, whether at least one additional new content is stored in the at least one external device, and

control, if the at least one additional new content is stored in the at least one external device, the display to display the UI screen to provide at least one thumbnail image corresponding to at least one additional new content.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to periodically determine whether the at least one additional new content is stored in the at least one external device.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to control the display to display the UI screen to provide at least one rendering device capable of one content in the second area being selected.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to control the network interface to transmit, if one of the at least one rendering devices is selected from the UI screen, the selected at least one content to the selected rendering device for reproduction of the selected at least one content.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to provide a control UI to control reproduction of the selected at least one content at the selected rendering device.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to request the external device storing the selected at least one content to transmit the selected content to the selected rendering device.

11. A content-sharing method of a user terminal device, the content-sharing method comprising:

connecting, by a network interface of the user terminal device, the user terminal to a network;

displaying, by a display of the user terminal device, in a first area of a user interface (UI) screen including a video category and a photo category, to enable selection of a category from the list; and

displaying, by the display, in a second area of the UI, at least one thumbnail image corresponding to content stored in at least one external device connected to the user terminal device through the network interface and at least one thumbnail image corresponding to at least one content stored in an internal storage of the user terminal device,

wherein the at least one thumbnail image corresponding to the external device and the at least one thumbnail image corresponding to the at least one content stored the internal storage are simultaneously displayable on the UI screen.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein displaying the second area of the UI comprises:

displaying, if the video category is selected via the category list, in the second area, at least one thumbnail image corresponding to at least one video content stored in the at least one external device and at least one thumbnail image corresponding to at least one video content stored in the internal storage, and

displaying, if the photo category is selected via the category list, in the second area, at least one thumbnail image corresponding to at least one photo content stored in the at least one external device and at least one thumbnail image corresponding to at least one photo content stored in the internal storage.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the at least one thumbnail image corresponding to the at least one content stored in the at least one external device is displayed with a respective icon indicating an external device in which the corresponding content is stored.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the category list includes a music category, and

wherein the method further comprises displaying, if the music category is selected via the category list, in the second area, a contents list including information corresponding to at least one music content.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining, after displaying the UI screen including the second area providing thumbnail images corresponding to contents stored in the at least one external device connected through the network interface, whether at least one additional new content is stored in the at least one external device; and

displaying, if the at least one additional new content is stored in the at least one external device, the UI screen to provide at least one thumbnail image corresponding to the at least one additional new content.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising periodically determining whether the at least one additional new content is stored in the at least one external device.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying the UI screen to provide at least one rendering device capable of one content in the second area being selected.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising controlling the network interface to transmit, if one of the at least one rendering devices is selected from the UI screen, the selected at least one content to the selected rendering device for reproduction of the selected at least one content.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising providing, a control UI to control reproduction of the selected at least one content at the selected rendering device.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising requesting the external device storing the selected at least one content to transmit the selected content to the selected rendering device.