Method and apparatus for user interface in home network and electronic device and storage medium therefor

• US 7,774,733 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2006
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Hwang, Sang-woong, Seo, Joon-kyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Levin; Naum B
• Application Number:
  US11/600,194
• Publication Number:
  US 20070261008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,363 Days
• Field of Search: 716 8- 11, 715848-852
• US Class Current: 716/119
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]

Abstract

A user interface method and apparatus which allow a user to intuitively control electronic devices connected to a home network by using a virtual 3D space layout diagram, and electronic devices and storage media therefor are provided. The user interface method includes: generating a virtual 3D space layout diagram based on 3D position information regarding at least one electronic device connected to a home network; displaying the generated virtual 3D space layout diagram; receiving an input signal based on the displayed virtual 3D space layout diagram; and performing a user interface function corresponding to the received input signal.

Claims

1. A user interface method comprising:

generating, by a user interface apparatus, a virtual 3-dimensional (3D) space layout diagram, including at least one electronic device connected to a home network, with respect to a 3D space present in a predetermined location using 3D position information regarding the at least one electronic device;

displaying, on a display unit, the generated virtual 3D space layout diagram;

receiving an input signal relating to the displayed virtual 3D space layout diagram; and

performing a user interface function corresponding to the received input signal,

wherein if the input signal includes information regarding a type of contents provided by the at least one electronic device, content type information of the at least one electronic device is further displayed in the generated virtual 3D space layout diagram.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual 3D space layout diagram comprises information regarding at least one electronic device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the information comprises 3D rendering-based information of the at least one electronic device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein if the received input signal comprises a request to change a 3D position of the at least one electronic device, a virtual 3D space layout diagram is displayed in which the 3D position of the at least one electronic device has been changed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual 3D space layout diagram is formed using one or more 3D space layout diagrams that exist in a house.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein if the received input signal comprises a request to change a displayed virtual 3D space layout diagram of the house into another virtual 3D space layout diagram of the house, then the displayed virtual 3D space layout diagram is changed into the other virtual 3D space layout diagram.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein if the received input signal comprises a selection of content type information, then at least one electronic device providing the selected content type information among electronic devices included in the displayed 3D space layout diagram is displayed with highlights.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein if the received input signal comprises a selection of one of the included electronic devices, then one of a list and an icon of contents included in the selected content type information is displayed.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual 3D space layout diagram further comprises identification (ID) information which is assigned to the electronic device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein if the received input signal comprises ID information, then one of a list and an icon of contents that can be provided by an electronic device corresponding to the ID information is displayed.

11. A user interface apparatus comprising:

a display unit which displays a virtual 3D space layout diagram comprising at least one electronic device connected to a home network;

an input signal reception unit which receives an input signal relating to the virtual 3D space layout diagram; and

a user interface processing unit which generates the virtual 3D space layout diagram with respect to a 3D space present in a predetermined location using 3D position information of the at least one electronic device and which performs a user interface function corresponding to an input signal received by the input signal reception unit;

wherein the display unit displays the generated virtual 3D space layout diagram, and if the input signal includes information regarding a type of contents provided by the at least one electronic device, the display unit further displays content type information of the at least one electronic device in the generated virtual 3D space layout diagram.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein if a request to change a 3D position of the at least one electronic device is received, the user interface processing unit displays a virtual 3D space layout diagram in which the 3D position of the at least one electronic device has been changed.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the virtual 3D space layout diagram comprises information regarding the at least one electronic device,

wherein the information comprises 3D rendering-based information of the at least one electronic device, and

wherein whenever an electronic device is connected to the home network, the user interface unit updates the virtual 3D space layout diagram using 3D position information and 3D rendering-based information regarding the connected electronic device.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the virtual 3D space layout diagram is formed using one or more 3D space layout diagrams that exist in a house.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the user interface processing unit manages link information between the content type information and the at least one electronic device.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the user interface processing unit comprises:

a generation unit which generates the virtual 3D space layout diagram;

a storage unit which stores the link information; and

a display processing unit which displays the virtual 3D space layout diagram on the display unit according to an input signal received by the input signal reception unit and the link information that is stored in the storage unit.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the virtual 3D space layout diagram further comprises identification (ID) information which is assigned to the electronic device.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the user interface processing unit comprises:

a generation unit which generates the virtual 3D space layout diagram; and

a display processing unit which displays the virtual 3D space layout diagram on the display unit according to an input signal received by the input signal reception unit.

19. An electronic device comprising:

a network interface unit which communicates data with electronic devices through a home network;

a storage unit which stores information required for generating at least one virtual 3D space layout diagram comprising at least one electronic device connected to the home network;

a user interface apparatus which generates the virtual 3D space layout diagram with respect to a 3D space present in a predetermined location using 3D position information regarding the at least one electronic device, and displays the virtual 3D space layout diagram and which performs a user interface function according to an input signal relating to the displayed virtual 3D space layout diagram; and

a control unit which, whenever connection of at least one electronic device is detected through the network interface unit, provides to the user interface apparatus at least one of information received from the network interface unit and information that is stored in the storage unit,

wherein if the input signal includes information regarding a type of contents provided by the at least one electronic device, the user interface apparatus further displays content type information of the at least one electronic device in the generated virtual 3D space layout diagram.

20. A tangible computer readable recording medium having recorded thereon a computer executable program for performing a user interface method, the method comprising:

generating a virtual 3-dimensional (3D) space layout diagram, including at least one electronic device connected to a home network, with respect to a 3D space present in a predetermined location using 3D position information regarding the at least one electronic device;

displaying the generated virtual 3D space layout diagram;

receiving an input signal relating to the displayed virtual 3D space layout diagram; and

performing a user interface function corresponding to the received input signal,

wherein if the input signal includes information regarding a type of contents provided by the at least one electronic device, content type information of the at least one electronic device is further displayed in the generated virtual 3D space layout diagram.