Electronic displays having paired canvases

• US 8,878,997 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2013
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Clift, Graham, Candelore, Brant, Kondo, Kazumoto, Richman, Steven, Zustak, Fred
• Primary Examiner(s): Harold, Jefferey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rahman, Mustafizur
• Application Number:
  US13/794,392
• Publication Number:
  US 20140253802A1
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: 348/564, 348/565, 348/569, 348/580, 348/581, 348/585, 348/588, 348/598, 348/504, 348/509, 348/705, 348/716, 348/307, 348/423.1, 348/462, 345/660, 345/667, 715/716, 725/41, 725/43, 725/45, 725/46
• US Class Current: 348/564
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications

Abstract

A visual display includes at least a first canvas configured to display a first session on the display and a second canvas configured to display a second session on the display. The first session includes first content received from a first content source and the second session includes second content having subject matter associated with the first content. The display includes a user agent configured to determine that the first content of the first session is associated with the second content of the second session and to pair the first and second canvases such that the first content and the second content are synchronized to each other.

Claims

1. A visual display comprising:

a display screen including a plurality of canvases;

a first canvas configured to display a first session on the display screen, the first session including first content received from a first content source;

a second canvas configured to display a second session on the display screen, the second session including second content having subject matter associated with the first content, the first and second canvases being discrete and not overlaying one another on the display screen; and

a user agent configured to determine that the first content of the first session is associated with the second content of the second session and to pair the first and second canvases on the display screen such that the first content and the second content are synchronized to each other.

2. The display of claim 1, wherein the second content is received from the first content source.

3. The display of claim 1, wherein the second content is received from a second content source separate from the first content source.

4. The display of claim 1, wherein the first content is a program and the second content is an Internet website.

5. The display of claim 1, wherein the second content is provided to the second canvas in response to a user interaction with the first content.

6. The display of claim 5, wherein the second content is provided to the second canvas in response to a user selection of one of a hot spot and a link embedded in the first content.

7. The display of claim 1, wherein the second content is provided to the second canvas in response to recognition of a portion of the first content and association of the second content with the portion of the first content.

8. The display of claim 1, wherein the user agent is further configured to manage the first and second canvases according to the first and second canvases being paired to each other.

9. The display of claim 1, wherein the visual display is a television and the first and second content of the first and second paired canvases is transferred from the visual display to a screen of another electronic device in communication with the display, and displayed on the screen of the other electronic device in communication with the display.

10. The display of claim 1, wherein the user agent is configured to permit one of the first and second canvases to output audio through a first audio source and another of the first and second canvases for outputting audio through a second audio source.

11. The display of claim 10, wherein the user agent is configured to select audio of the first canvas as being dominant for the first audio source and audio of the second canvas as being dominant for the second audio source.

12. The display of claim 10, wherein the user agent permits the user to switch audio output of the first and second canvases between the first and second audio sources.

13. The display of claim 12, wherein the user agent permits the user to switch audio output of the first and second canvases between the first and second audio sources by positioning a cursor over one of the first and second canvases selected by the user for outputting audio through a user-selected one of the first and second audio sources.

14. The display of claim 10, wherein one of the first and second audio sources is speakers internal to the display and another of the first and second audio sources is wireless headphones.

15. The display of claim 1, wherein the user agent is configured to recognize one of the first and second sessions as a primary session and another one of the first and second sessions as a secondary session.

16. The display of claim 15, wherein the user agent is configured to direct the primary session to output audio through a primary audio source and direct the secondary session to output audio through a secondary audio source.

17. The display of claim 1, further comprising at least a third canvas discrete from the first and second canvases and non-overlaying relative to the first and second canvases and configured to display a third session including third content.

18. The display of claim 17, wherein the third canvas is not paired by the user agent to the first and second canvases based on recognition by the user agent that the third content is not associated with the first content or the second content.

19. The display of claim 18, wherein the first canvas is increased in size such that one of the second and third canvases no longer fits on the display screen, the user agent resizes the third canvas such that the third canvas is no longer visible on the display screen due to the third canvas not being paired to the first canvas and resizes the second canvas such that the second canvas remains visible on the display screen due to the second canvas being paired to the first canvas.

21. The display of claim 1, wherein the user agent is configured to automatically resize at least the second canvas in response to a determination by the user agent that a user resized the first canvas.

22. The display of claim 1, further comprising at least third and fourth canvases discrete from the first and second canvases and non-overlaying relative to the first and second canvases and configured to display third and fourth sessions including third and fourth content, respectively, wherein the user agent is configured to determine that the first content of the first session is associated with the second, third, and fourth content and to pair the first, second, third, and fourth canvases on the display screen such that the first, second, third, and fourth canvases show associated content on the display screen.

20. A method of linking at least two canvases on a display screen of a visual display, the method comprising:

providing a first canvas on the display screen, the first canvas configured to display a first session including first content received from a first content source;

providing a second canvas on the display screen, the second canvas configured to display a second session including second content, the second content having subject matter associated with the first content, the first and second canvases not overlaying one another on the display screen;

providing the visual display with a user agent configured to manage at least the first and second canvases;

determining, by the user agent, that the first content of the first session is associated with the second content of the second session; and

pairing, by the user agent, the first and second canvases on the display screen such that the first content and the second content are synchronized to each other.