System and method for transmitting multimedia contents

• US 8,055,640 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2007
• Issued: 11/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Taeyong, Kim, Young Hun, Park, Sun Woo, Kang, In-Won, Byun, Sungtack
• Primary Examiner(s): DANG, THANH HA T
• Application Number:
  US11/946,545
• Publication Number:
  US 20090013001A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,441 Days
• Field of Search: 707/706, 707/770, 707/771, 707/899, 707/913, 707/915, 707/920, 707/922
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/913 Multimedia
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/915 Image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/92 Navigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/922 Communications

Abstract

A method of communicating on a mobile communication terminal. The method includes inputting category information identifying a category of contents, providing a list of content information on a server corresponding to the input category information, wherein a content information indicates a portion of a content that the mobile communication terminal can connect to, selecting at least one of the list of content information, and connecting to the content corresponding to said at least one of the selected content information.

Claims

1. A method of communicating on a mobile communication terminal, the method comprising:

receiving category information identifying a category of multimedia contents;

setting specific searching conditions identifying physical, reception, and transmission characteristics of the multimedia contents;

searching the multimedia contents based on the received category information and the setting specific searching conditions;

providing a list of content information of the searched multimedia contents on a server based on search results, wherein the content information is created by the server from the searched multimedia contents and the content information includes one of a segment of a multimedia content and a plurality of segments of the multimedia content corresponding to different sections of the multimedia content;

displaying the list of content information on the mobile communication terminal;

receiving a selection signal indicating a selection of at least one content information of the list of content information;

connecting to the multimedia content corresponding to said at least one of the selected content information,

wherein the content information includes an identification of a user indicating the multimedia contents that have been connected to by the identification of the user and that are available to be connected to by the mobile communication terminal;

displaying, on a screen image, one or more user identifications with the list of content information;

displaying specific content information corresponding to a specific user identification which is selected among the one or more user identifications; and

receiving the multimedia content provided by the user corresponding to the selected user identification.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

connecting the mobile communication terminal to at least one other mobile communication terminal; and

transferring the multimedia contents corresponding to said at least one of the selected content information to said at least one other mobile communication terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the setting step includes:

setting a resolution value for the multimedia contents to be searched.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the setting step includes:

setting a transmission rate value for the multimedia contents to be searched.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the setting step includes:

setting a file size value for downloading the multimedia contents to be searched.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the setting step includes:

setting a number of mobile communication terminals that can simultaneously connect to each other to receive selected multimedia content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the setting step includes:

setting a reservation value corresponding to when the multimedia content corresponding to at least one selected multimedia content information is connected to.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the received category information and the setting specific searching conditions; and

notifying the mobile communication terminal when any updated multimedia contents related to the stored category information and the setting specific searching conditions are available.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the content information includes one of a single still image thumbnail, a moving picture thumbnail, and a plurality of image thumbnails corresponding to different sections of the multimedia content.

10. A mobile communication terminal, comprising:

an input unit configured to receive category information identifying a category of multimedia contents and to set specific searching conditions identifying physical, reception, and transmission characteristics of the multimedia contents;

a transmitting unit configured to transmit the received category information and the set specific searching conditions to a server, wherein the server searches the multimedia contents corresponding to the received category information and the set specific searching conditions;

a receiving unit configured to receive a list of content information of the searched multimedia contents on the server based on searched results, wherein the content information is created by the server and the content information includes one of a segment of a multimedia content and a plurality of segments of the multimedia content corresponding to different sections of the multimedia content that the mobile communication terminal can connect to;

a display unit configured to display the list of the content information, one or more user identifications with the list of content information on a screen image, and specific content information corresponding to a user identification which is selected among the one or more user identifications; and

an output unit configured to output multimedia content corresponding to a selected one of the content information from the displayed list,

wherein the content information includes an identification of a user indicating the multimedia contents that have been connected to by the identification of the user and that are available to be connected to by the mobile communication terminal, and

the receiving unit is further configured to receive the multimedia content provided by a user corresponding to the selected user identification.

11. The mobile communication terminal of claim 10, wherein the output unit is further configured to transfer the multimedia contents corresponding to said one of the selected content information to at least one other mobile communication terminal.

12. The mobile communication terminal of claim 10, wherein the set specific searching conditions include setting a resolution value for the multimedia contents to be searched.

13. The mobile communication terminal of claim 10, wherein the set specific searching conditions include setting a transmission rate value for the multimedia contents to be searched.

14. The mobile communication terminal of claim 10, wherein the set specific searching conditions include setting a file size value for downloading the multimedia content to be searched.

15. The mobile communication terminal of claim 10, wherein the set specific searching conditions include setting a number of mobile communication terminals that can simultaneously connect to each other to receive selected multimedia contents.

16. The mobile communication terminal of claim 10, wherein the set specific searching conditions include setting a reservation value corresponding to when selected multimedia content is connected to.

17. The mobile communication terminal of claim 10, further comprising:

a memory unit configured to store the received category information and the set specific searching conditions; and

a notifying unit configured to notify the mobile communication terminal when any updated multimedia contents related to the stored category information and the set specific searching conditions are available.

18. The mobile communication terminal of claim 10, wherein the content information includes one of a single still image thumbnail, a moving picture thumbnail, and a plurality of image thumbnails corresponding to different sections of the multimedia content.

19. A mobile communication system, comprising:

a communication network;

at least one mobile communication terminal connected to the communication network; and

a multimedia content server connected to the communication network,

wherein the at least one mobile communication terminal includes an input unit configured to receive category information identifying a category of contents and to set specific searching conditions identifying physical, reception, and transmission characteristics of contents, a transmitting unit configured to transmit the received category information and the set specific searching conditions to a server, wherein the server searches the contents corresponding to the received category information and the set specific searching conditions, a receiving unit configured to receive a list of content information on the multimedia content server corresponding to the received category information and the set specific searching conditions, wherein the content information is created by the multimedia content server and the content information includes at least one of a segment of a content and a plurality of segments of the content corresponding to different sections of the content that the mobile communication terminal can connect to, a display unit configured to display the list of the content information, one or more user identifications with the list of content information on a screen image, and specific content information corresponding to a user identification which is selected among the one or more user identifications, and an output unit configured to output content corresponding to a selected one of the content information from the displayed list, and

wherein the content information includes an identification of a user indicating multimedia contents that have been connected to by the identification of the user and that are available to be connected to by the mobile communication terminal, and

the receiving unit is further configured to receive the multimedia contents provided by a user corresponding to the selected user identification.

20. The mobile communication system of claim 19, wherein the output unit is further configured to transfer the contents corresponding to said one of the selected content information to at least one other mobile communication terminal.

21. The mobile communication system of claim 19, wherein the set specific searching conditions include setting a resolution value for the content to be searched, a transmission rate value for the content to be searched, a file size value for downloading the content to be searched, a number of mobile communication terminals that can simultaneously connect to each other to receive the selected content information, and a reservation value corresponding to when the content corresponding to said one of the selected content information is connected to.

22. The mobile communication system of claim 19, wherein the multimedia content server notifies the at least one mobile communication terminal when any updated contents related to stored category information and the set specific searching conditions are available.

23. The mobile communication system of claim 19, wherein the content information includes one of a single still image thumbnail, a moving picture thumbnail, a plurality of image thumbnails corresponding to different sections of the content.