Mobile terminal apparatus, method, and server for sharing contents

• US 8,160,607 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2008
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, Yoo-jin, Park, Hyun-cheol, Ko, Chang-seog, Kim, Young-sun, Hwang, Sang-woong
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wyche, Myron
• Application Number:
  US12/016,377
• Publication Number:
  US 20090011772A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,551 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/457
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A mobile terminal apparatus and method for sharing contents are provided. The mobile terminal apparatus includes a storage unit storing location information on an area; a location determination unit for determining a location of the mobile terminal apparatus; a network unit forming a network with one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses in the area; a control unit checking whether the mobile terminal apparatus has entered the area, based on the location information on the area and the determined location; and a screen configuration unit configuring a screen for providing information indicating locations of the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses; wherein the control unit controls the network unit whereby the network unit obtains contents contained in one of the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses, wherein the one mobile terminal apparatus is selected based on the information displayed on the screen and indicating the locations of the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses. According to the apparatus and method, it is possible for users to share and watch user-created private media in real-time using bidirectional networking. Therefore, efficiency of media usage is increased.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal apparatus for sharing contents, the mobile terminal apparatus comprising:

a storage unit which stores location information on an area;

a location determination unit which determines a location of the mobile terminal apparatus;

a network unit which forms a network with one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses in the area;

a control unit which checks whether the mobile terminal apparatus has entered the area, based on the location information on the area and the determined location; and

a screen configuration unit which configures a screen for providing information indicating locations of the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses;

wherein the control unit controls the network unit whereby the network unit obtains contents contained in one of the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses, wherein the one mobile terminal apparatus is selected based on the information displayed on the screen, and

wherein the control unit controls the network unit whereby the network unit obtains contents from the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses via a server connected with the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses existing in the area.

2. The mobile terminal apparatus of claim 1, wherein the location determination unit determines the location of the mobile terminal apparatus by using a Global Positioning System (GPS).

3. The mobile terminal apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network unit forms a wireless Ad-hoc network with the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses in the area.

4. The mobile terminal apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores map information showing the layout of the area, and the control unit controls the screen configuration unit whereby the screen configuration unit creates map information on which the locations of the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses are marked by using the location information on the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses received via the network unit.

5. The mobile terminal apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the screen configuration unit whereby the screen configuration unit creates map information indicating the locations of the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses by using the map information indicating the area and the location information on the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses received via the network unit.

6. The mobile terminal apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the network unit whereby the network unit obtains contents from the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses existing in the area using a Peer to Peer (P2P) method.

7. The mobile terminal apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a user input unit which receives a user input signal,

wherein, when the information indicating the locations of the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses is provided and a user input signal selecting one of the locations of the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses is received, the control unit controls the network unit whereby the network unit obtains contents from the mobile terminal apparatus at the selected location.

8. The mobile terminal apparatus of claim 1, wherein the contents are privately created media contents related to the area and created by respective mobile terminal apparatuses existing in the area.

9. A method of sharing contents between a mobile terminal apparatus and one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses, wherein the contents are stored in the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses, the method comprising:

determining whether the mobile terminal apparatus has entered an area;

forming a network between the mobile terminal apparatus and the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses existing in the area;

providing information indicating locations of the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses; and

obtaining contents from one of the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses, wherein the one mobile terminal apparatus is selected based on the information displayed on a screen and indicating the locations of the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses,

wherein the obtaining of the contents comprises obtaining the contents from the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses via a server connected with the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses existing in the area.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining of whether the mobile terminal apparatus has entered the area is performed by using a Global Positioning System (GPS).

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the forming of the network comprises forming a wireless Ad-hoc network between the mobile terminal apparatus and the one or more mobile terminal apparatuses existing in the area.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the providing of the information comprises:

receiving location information on the one or more mobile terminal apparatuses; and

creating and providing map information on which the locations of the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses are marked by using map information showing a layout of the area, wherein the map information is stored in the mobile terminal apparatus, and the location information on the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the providing of the information comprises:

receiving map information showing a layout of the area from a map information providing server, and receiving the respective location information from the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses; and

creating and providing map information on which the locations of the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses are marked by using the received map information and the received location information.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the obtaining of the contents comprises requesting the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses existing in the area for the contents by using a Peer to Peer (P2P) method and receiving the contents.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein, when the information indicating the locations of the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses is provided and a user input signal selecting one of the locations of the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses is received, the obtaining of the contents comprises obtaining the contents from the mobile terminal apparatus at the selected location.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the contents are privately created media contents related to the area and created by respective mobile terminal apparatuses existing in the area.

17. A server comprising:

a location management unit which determines locations of one or more mobile terminal apparatuses which have entered an area, and managing information on the determined locations;

a network management unit which forms a network with the one or more mobile terminal apparatuses;

a storage unit which stores location information and map information on the area; and

a control unit which controls the network unit whereby the network unit transmits location information on the one or more mobile terminal apparatuses in the area and the map information to a mobile terminal apparatus requesting sharing of contents created by another mobile terminal apparatus.

18. The server of claim 17, wherein the location management unit detects entrance of the one or more mobile terminal apparatuses into the area by recognizing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags of the one or more mobile terminal apparatuses, and manages information on the locations of the one or more mobile terminal apparatuses determined by using location information stored in the RFID tags.

19. The server of claim 17, wherein, when one of the one or more mobile terminal apparatuses requests sharing of the contents created by the other mobile terminal apparatus, the control unit receives the requested contents from the other mobile terminal apparatus and transmits the contents to the mobile terminal apparatus requesting sharing of the contents.

20. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having embodied thereon instructions that, when executed by a computer causes the computer to perform a method of sharing contents between a mobile terminal apparatus and one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses, wherein the contents are stored in the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses, the method comprising:

determining whether the mobile terminal apparatus has entered an area;

forming a network between the mobile terminal apparatus and the one or more mobile terminal apparatuses existing in the area;

providing information indicating locations of the one or more mobile terminal apparatuses; and

obtaining contents from one of the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses, wherein the one mobile terminal apparatus is selected based on the information indicating the locations of the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses,

wherein the obtaining of the contents comprises obtaining the contents from the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses via a server connected with the one or more other mobile terminal apparatuses existing in the area.