Electronic device and method of sharing contents thereof with other devices

• US 8,789,131 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2011
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Woocheul, Choi, Haengkeol
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Castro, Alfonso
• Application Number:
  US13/090,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20110283334A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,190 Days
• Field of Search: 725/148
• US Class Current: 725/148
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• 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 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

An electronic device includes a wireless communication unit wirelessly communicating with any of a plurality of external devices which each comprise a display, a display displaying content including specific content, an input unit receiving an input for selecting the specific content, and a controller. The controller searches for an external device that is available for communication with the electronic device, establishes communication via the wireless communication unit with a selected first external device, which is one of the plurality of external devices identified as a result of the search for an external device, receives content specification information from the first external device to determine the first external device'"'"'s capability to display the specific content, and causes displaying of the specific content on the display of the first external device upon determining that the first external device is capable of displaying the specific content based on the content specification information.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a wireless communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate with any of a plurality of external devices;

a display configured to display content including specific content;

an input unit configured to receive an input for selecting the specific content; and

a controller configured to;

search the plurality of external devices for a group of available external devices comprising at least one external device that is available for communication with the electronic device,

receive content specification information from each external device of the group of available external devices to determine each external device'"'"'s capability to display the specific content,

cause the wireless communication unit to establish communication with a selected first external device of the group of available external devices,

cause displaying of the specific content on a display of the selected first external device upon determining that the selected first external device is capable of displaying the specific content based on the received content specification information,

cause the wireless transmission unit to transmit the specific content to a selected second external device to display the specific content on a display of the selected second external device in response to a first input upon determining that the selected second external device is capable of displaying the specific content based on the received content specification information,

cause simultaneous displaying of a first portion of the specific content on the display of the selected first external device and a second portion of the specific content on the display of the selected second external device in response to the first input, and

cause simultaneously a display size of the first portion to be decreased and a display size of the second portion to be increased until an entire portion of the specific content is displayed on the display of the selected second external device only.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to select the selected first external device based on a relative distance between the electronic device and each of the group of available external devices if the group of available external devices comprises more than one external device, wherein the selected first external device is located closest to the electronic device among the group of available external devices.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display to display a list of the external devices of the group of available external devices if the group of available external devices comprises more than one external device, such that at least one external device is selectable from the list to display the specific content.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein:

the controller is further configured to select only external devices that have a capability to display the specific content from the group of available of external devices,

the list includes only external devices that are capable of displaying the specific content, and

the external devices included in the list are arranged in an order of their corresponding distances from the electronic device.

5. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein:

the external devices included in the list are arranged in an order of their corresponding distances from the electronic device, and

the list indicates whether each external device included in the list is capable of displaying the specific content.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the wireless transmission unit to transmit resource information to a selected external device of the group of available external devices if the selected external device does not have the capability to display the specific content due to a lack of a resource, wherein the resource information provides information necessary for the selected external device to acquire the resource to display the specific content.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to obtain position information for each of the group of available external devices and to select the selected first external device in response to an input comprising a user-oriented direction.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 further comprising a camera, wherein:

the controller is further configured to detect the user-oriented direction by performing image recognition on an image captured by the camera, and

the input comprises a captured image of the selected first external device.

9. The electronic device of claim 7 further comprising a sensing unit configured to detect an azimuth of a direction of orientation of the electronic device, wherein the input comprises pointing the sensing unit toward the selected first external device.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first input comprises:

pointing a specific portion of the electronic device substantially toward a first direction corresponding to a position of the selected first external device; and

moving the electronic device such that the specific portion is pointed substantially toward a second direction corresponding to a position of the selected second external device.

11. The electronic device of claim 7 further comprising a touch screen configured to receive touch inputs, wherein:

the controller is further configured to recognize the user-oriented direction based on a direction of a drag input received via the touch screen, and

the drag input is received in a direction substantially toward a direction corresponding to a position of the selected first external device.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein:

the controller is further configured to cause the display to display a rotatable control icon on the touch screen, and

the input comprises a rotation of the control icon according to the drag input to point the control icon substantially toward a direction corresponding to a position of the selected first external device.

13. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to:

cause the display to display a rotatable control icon on the touch screen, wherein the control icon is rotated according to the drag input;

cause the display to display a plurality of icons each corresponding to an external device of the group of available external devices, the plurality of icons arranged around the control icon based on a relative position of each of the group of available external devices with respect to the electronic device; and

select an external device to display the specific content, the selected external device corresponding to an icon of the plurality of icons towards which the control icon is pointed.

14. The electronic device of claim 1 further comprising a memory unit configured to store information, wherein the controller is further configured to:

register the selected first external device and the first specific location of the selected first external device,

cause the memory unit to store the registered selected first external device and the corresponding first specific location, and

cause the display to display the specific content on the registered selected first external device when the electronic device is positioned at the first specific location.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to cause a display of the selected second external device to display the specific content when the electronic device is moved from the registered first specific location to a registered second specific location, the selected second external device located at the registered second specific location and registered in association with the second specific location.

16. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the input unit is further configured to receive an input for searching for an external device to display the specific content, wherein the controller searches for the external device in response to the input.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein:

the input for searching comprises a drag input received via a touch screen of the electronic device while the display displays the specific content, and

the controller is further configured to move the displayed specific content in response to the drag input to indicate that the specific content is being transferred to the selected first external device to be displayed on the display of the selected first external device.

18. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

cause displaying of the specific content on the display of the selected first external device only when the selected first external device allows displaying of the specific content on the display of the selected first external device, and

output an alert via at least the display if the selected first external device does not allow displaying of the specific content.

19. The electronic device of claim 1 further comprising a memory unit configured to store the specific content, wherein the controller is further configured to:

retrieve the specific content from the memory unit to be displayed on the display of the selected first external device;

output an alert that the selected first external device is not capable of displaying the specific content due to a lack of a resource required to display the specific content; and

output a prompt whether to transmit resource information to the selected first external device, wherein the resource information provides information necessary for the selected first external device to acquire the resource, and

cause the display of the selected first external device to display the specific content after the resource is acquired by the selected first external device.

20. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the wireless communication unit to transfer the specific content from an external storage device to the selected first external device if the specific content is stored in the external storage device and cause the display of the selected first external device to display the specific content.

21. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the content specification information includes at least a resolution, a codec, or a content playback program that is supported by the first external device.

22. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine a first distance between the electronic device and the selected first external device displaying the specific content; and

control a display property of the specific content displayed on the display of the selected first external device upon determining that the first distance has changed.

23. The electronic device of claim 22, wherein the display property includes a display size and the controller is further configured to cause the display size of the specific content displayed on the display of the selected first external device to be increased or decreased according to the change of the first distance upon determining that the first distance is greater than a preset value of a reference distance.

24. The electronic device of claim 22, wherein the controller is further configured to:

cause displaying of the specific content on the display of the selected second external device when the first distance is greater than a preset value of a reference distance and a second distance between the electronic device and the selected second external device is equal to or less than the preset value of the reference distance, and

cause the display of the selected first external device to no longer display the specific content after the specific content is caused to be displayed on the display of the selected second external device.

25. The electronic device of claim 24, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display to display the specific content when both the first and second distances are greater than the preset value of the reference distance and no external device is present within the reference distance from the electronic device.

26. The electronic device of claim, 24, wherein the controller is further configured to output a prompt whether to select the selected second external device to display the specific content on the display of the selected second external device.

27. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

cause the display to continue displaying the specific content while the specific content is displayed on the display of the selected first external device; and

cause the display to stop displaying the specific content in response to an input received while the specific content is displayed on the display of the selected first external device.

28. A method of sharing content between an electronic device and an external device, the method comprising:

selecting specific content to be displayed on a display of the external device or displaying the specific content on a display of the electronic device;

searching for a group of available external devices comprising at least one external device that is capable of communicating with the electronic device;

receiving content specification information from each external device of the group of available external devices to determine each external device'"'"'s capability to display the specific content;

establishing wireless communication between the electronic device and a selected first external device of the group of available external devices

determining that the selected first external device is capable of displaying the specific content based on the received content specification information;

causing displaying of the specific content on a display of the selected first external device;

determining that a selected second external device is capable of displaying the specific information based on the received content specification information;

transmitting the specific content to the selected second external device to be displayed on a display of the selected second external device in response to an input;

causing simultaneous displaying of a first portion of the specific content on the display of the first external device and a second portion of the specific content on the display of the second external device in response to the input; and

simultaneously causing a decrease of a display size of the first portion and an increase of a size of the second portion until an entire portion of the specific content including the first portion and the second portion is displayed on the display of the selected second external device.

29. A method of sharing content between an electronic device and an external device, the method comprising:

selecting specific content to be displayed on a display of the external device or displaying the specific content on a display of the electronic device;

searching for a group of available external devices comprising at least one external device that is capable of communicating with the electronic device;

receiving content specification information from each external device of the group of available external devices to determine each external device'"'"'s capability to display the specific content;

determining a relative distance between the electronic device and each electronic device of the group of available external devices when the group of available external devices comprises at least two external devices;

selecting a first external device of the group of available external devices that is positioned closest to the electronic device based on the corresponding determined relative distance of the first external device;

causing displaying of the specific content on the selected first external device,

changing a display property of the displayed specific content according to a change in the determined relative distance between the electronic device and the selected first external device when the distance is greater than a preset value of a reference distance;

displaying a list of the external devices of the group of available external devices, each external device represented by an icon of a plurality of icons arranged in an order of a corresponding determined relative distance of each external device;

displaying the corresponding received content specification information of each external device, the corresponding determined relative distance of each external device, or a control icon for selecting the corresponding external device with each displayed icon;

selecting one external device of the group of available external devices in response to an input for selecting an icon corresponding to the selected external device

selecting a second external device of the group of available external devices to display the specific content, wherein the second external device is selected;

in response to an input comprising a user-oriented direction generated by pointing a specific portion of the electronic device substantially toward a direction of the location of the second external device;

or

in response to the electronic device being positioned in proximity to a specific location, wherein the second external device is registered in the electronic device to be associated with the specific location to cause displaying of the specific content.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein selecting the second external device in response to the electronic device being positioned in proximity to the specific location further comprises:

determining a first distance between the electronic device and the selected first external device periodically at preset intervals;

searching for the second external device while the specific content is displayed on the selected first external device;

causing changing of a display property of the specific content displayed on the selected first external device upon determining that the first distance is greater than a preset value of a first reference distance;

causing displaying of the specific content on a display of the second external device upon determining that a second distance between the electronic device and the second external device is less than the first distance, or upon determining that the first distance is greater than the preset value of the first reference distance and the second distance is less than the preset value of the first reference distance; and

displaying the specific content on the display of the electronic device when the first and second distances are greater than a preset vale of a second reference distance that is greater than the preset value of the first reference distance, and no other external device is present within the first or second reference distances, and

concurrently displaying the specific content on the display of the electronic device while causing the specific content to be displayed on the display of the selected first external device or the second external device until;

an input is received for stopping the display of the specific content on the display of the electronic device is received, or

the specific content is no longer displayed on the display of the electronic device while the specific content is still caused to be displayed on the selected first external device or the second external device.