Image scaling arrangement

• US 7,881,564 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2009
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Boettcher, Jesse, Miller, Jeff, Heller, David, Marriott, Greg, Dowdy, Thomas, Robbin, Jeffrey L.
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, KANJIBHAI B
• Application Number:
  US12/577,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20100054715A1
• Time in Patent Office: 477 Days
• Field of Search: 382/305, 382/312, 707/1, 707/10, 707/101, 707/104.1, 709/213, 709/219, 709/227, 709/231, 711/133, 717/109, 713/300, 715/500.1, 370/310, 345/762, 700/1
• US Class Current: 382/305
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00129 with a display device, e.g. CRT or LCD monitor with a television apparatus H04N1/00283; arrangements for control of display devices G09G
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00198 Creation of a soft photo presentation, e.g. digital slide-show
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00291 with receiver circuitry television receiver circuitry per se H04N5/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25825 involving client display capabilities, e.g. screen resolution of a mobile phone optimising the visualisation of content during browsing in the Internet G06F16/9577; processing of terminal status or physical abilities in wireless networks H04W8/22; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25833 involving client hardware characteristics, e.g. manufacturer, processing or storage capabilities allocation of resources considering hardware capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5044; allocation of resources considering software capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5055
• 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 21/44231 Monitoring of peripheral device or external card, e.g. to detect processing problems in a handheld device or the failure of an external recording device configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network H04L12/2823; monitoring the status of connected device in data switched networks H04L43/0817
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0065 Converting image data to a format usable by the connected apparatus or vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0086 Image transceiver H04N2201/0093 and H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0087 Image storage device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0089 : Image display device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/325 : Modified version of the image, e.g. part of the image, image reduced in size or resolution, thumbnail or screennail
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3277 : The additional information being stored in the same storage device as the image data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 : Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 : Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 : Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

Methods and system for transferring images between devices are disclosed. For example, differently scaled images by a host device may automatically and/or selectively be transferred to a media player for display. In turn, appropriately scaled images may be transferred automatically and/or selectively to another display device for example a TV, camera or printer. The selectivity may occur either at the host level or at the player level.

Claims

1. A method for utilizing a portable media device as a media server, the media device including a data storage device, the data storage device arranged to store a set of files, wherein the set of files include a plurality of files being the same media converted into different formats, wherein at least some of the formats represent a format that cannot be natively displayed by the portable media device but can be natively displayed by a device communicatively coupled via a wireless communications protocol to the portable media device, the method comprising:

receiving a command to display the media in a first selected format that can be natively displayed by a first device connected to the portable media device;

retrieving a file, from the set of files, that corresponds to the first selected format; and

transmitting the file corresponding to the first determined format to the first device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first selected format is a format that cannot be natively displayed by the portable media device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device is a television.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting includes playing the media on the portable media device for display on the first device.

5. A portable media server, comprising:

a data storage device arranged to store at least one media item at a native format;

a wireless transmission interface; and

a processor coupled to the data storage device and the wireless transmission interface, the processor adapted to receive a command to display the at least one media item at a native format that cannot be natively displayed on the portable media server, and instruct the wireless transmission interface to wirelessly transmit the selected video data at the native format;

wherein the processor is further adapted to;

receive a command to display the media in a second selected format that cannot be natively displayed on the portable media server;

retrieve a file, from the data storage device, that corresponds to the second selected format; and

instruct the wireless transmission interface to wireless transmit the selected media item at the second selected format.

6. A method for utilizing a portable media device as a media server, the method comprising:

receiving, at a portable media device, a set of files, wherein the set of files include a plurality of files being the same media converted into different versions, wherein at least some of the versions represent versions that are not optimized for being natively played by the portable media device are optimized for being natively played by a device connected to the portable media device;

storing the set of files;

receiving a command to play the media by a first device connected to the portable media device;

retrieving a file, from the set of files, that corresponds to a version optimized for being natively played by the first device; and

transmitting the file corresponding to the versions optimized for being natively played by the first device to the first device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first device is a television.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the transmitting includes playing the media on the portable media device for display on the first device.

9. A system comprising:

a personal media device;

a first display device; and

a second display device;

wherein the personal media device is configured to;

receive, at a portable media device, a set of files, wherein the set of files include a plurality of files being the same media converted into different versions, wherein at least some of the versions represent versions that are not optimized for being natively played by the portable media device are optimized for being natively played by a device connected to the portable media device;

store the set of files;

receive a command to play the media by a first device connected to the portable media device;

retrieve a file, from the set of files, that corresponds to a version optimized for being natively played by the first device; and

transmit the file corresponding to the versions optimized for being natively played by the first device to the first device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first device is connected to the portable media device via a wireless communications medium.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the personal media device is further configured to:

receive a command to play the media in a second selected format that is optimized to be played by a second device connected to the portable media device retrieve a file, from the set of files, that corresponds to the second selected format; and

transmit the file corresponding to the second determined format to the second device.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the media is a video and the set of files additionally includes a file representing a clip of the video.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the media is an image and the set of files additionally includes a file representing a thumbnail of the image.

14. A portable media device, comprising:

means for receiving, at a portable media device, a set of files, wherein the set of files include a plurality of files being the same media converted into different versions, wherein at least some of the versions represent versions that are not optimized for being natively played by the portable media device are optimized for being natively played by a device connected to the portable media device;

means for storing the set of files;

means for receiving a command to play the media by a first device connected to the portable media device;

means for retrieving a file, from the set of files, that corresponds to a version optimized for being natively played by the first device;

means for transmitting the file corresponding to the versions optimized for being natively played by the first device to the first device;

means for receiving a command to play the media in a format that is optimized for being natively played by the portable media device;

means for retrieving a file, from the set of files, that corresponds to the format that is optimized for being natively played by the portable media device; and

means for playing the file that corresponds to the format that can be that is optimized for being natively played by the portable media device on the portable media device, wherein the command to play the media in the first selected format is based upon the file played on the portable media device.

15. A portable media server comprising:

a memory for storing media items; and

a processor adapted to;

receive a set of files, wherein the set of files include a plurality of files being the same media converted into different formats, wherein at least some of the formats represent a format that cannot be natively displayed by the portable media server but can be natively displayed by a device connected to the portable media server;

store the set of files in the memory;

receive a command to display the media in a first selected format that can be natively displayed by a first device connected to the portable media server;

retrieving a file, from the set of files, that corresponds to the first selected format; and

transmitting the file corresponding to the first determined format to the first device.

16. The portable media server as recited in claim 15, wherein the first device is a television.

17. The portable media server as recited in claim 15, wherein the transmitting includes playing the media on the portable media device for display on the first device.

18. The portable media server as recited in claim 15, wherein the processor is further adapted to:

receive a command to display the media in a second selected format that can be natively displayed by a second device connected to the portable media device retrieve a file, from the set of files, that corresponds to the second selected format; and

transmit the file corresponding to the second determined format to the second device.

19. The portable media server as recited in claim 15, wherein the media is a video and the set of files additionally includes a file representing a clip of the video.

20. The portable media server as recited in claim 15, wherein the media is an image and the set of files additionally includes a file representing a thumbnail of the image.

21. The portable media server as recited in claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a command to display the media in a format that can be natively displayed by the portable media server;

retrieve a file, from the set of files, that corresponds to the format that can be natively displayed by the portable media server; and

display the file that corresponds to the format that can be natively displayed by the portable media device on the portable media server, wherein the command to display the media in the first selected format is based upon the file displayed on the portable media server.

22. The portable media server as recited in claim 15, wherein the first device is connected to the portable media server via a wireless communications medium.

23. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a non transitory computer readable medium storing a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for utilizing a portable media device as a media server, the method comprising:

receiving, at a portable media device, a set of files, wherein the set of files include a plurality of files being the same media converted into different formats, wherein at least some of the formats represent a format that cannot be natively displayed by the portable media device but can be natively displayed by a device connected to the portable media device;

storing the set of files;

receiving a command to display the media in a first selected format that can be natively displayed by a first device connected to the portable media device;

retrieving a file, from the set of files, that corresponds to the first selected format; and

transmitting the file corresponding to the first determined format to the first device.

24. The program storage device of claim 23, wherein the first device is a television.

25. The program storage device of claim 23, wherein the first device is connected to the portable media device via a wireless communications medium.

26. The program storage device of claim 23, wherein the media is a video and the set of files additionally includes a file representing a clip of the video.

27. The program storage device of claim 23, wherein the media is an image and the set of files additionally includes a file representing a thumbnail of the image.

28. A portable media device, comprising:

means for receiving, at a portable media device, a set of files, wherein the set of files include a plurality of files being the same media converted into different formats, wherein at least some of the formats represent a format that cannot be natively displayed by the portable media device but can be natively displayed by a device communicatively coupled via a wireless communications protocol to the portable media device;

means for storing the set of files;

means for receiving a command to display the media in a first selected format that can be natively displayed by a first device connected to the portable media device;

means for retrieving a file, from the set of files, that corresponds to the first selected format;

means for transmitting the file corresponding to the first determined format to the first device;

means for receiving a command to display the media in a format that can be natively displayed by the portable media device;

means for retrieving a file, from the set of files, that corresponds to the format that can be natively displayed by the portable media device; and

means for displaying the file that corresponds to the format that can be natively displayed by the portable media device on the portable media device, wherein the command to display the media in the first selected format is based upon the file displayed on the portable media device.