Method for controlling an electronic device to output electronic content, and electronic device for performing the method

• US 8,880,717 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2010
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jian-Meng Yang
• Original Assignee: Jian-Meng Yang
• Inventors: Yang, Jian-Meng
• Primary Examiner(s): Golabbakhsh, Ebrahim
• Application Number:
  US12/849,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20110035500A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,554 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 709/231, 709/239
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services independent of the application payload and not provided for in the other groups of this subclass networks security protocols H04L9/40; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/00 Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers subscriber services or facilities provided at exchanges H04M3/00; prepayment telephone coin boxes H04M17/00; current supply arrangements H04M19/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces

Abstract

In a method for controlling an electronic device to output electronic content stored in a storage medium thereof via an output module thereof, the electronic device is configured to: display a first object associated with the electronic content and a second object associated with the output module on an operation screen of the electronic device; receive a user input command for establishing an operational relationship between the first and second objects; and automatically retrieve the electronic content from the storage medium, and output the electronic content via the output module in response to the user input command. An electronic device to perform the method is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an electronic device to output electronic content stored in a storage medium thereof via content transmission hardware component thereof, the storage medium having contact information of an owner of an intended recipient device stored thereon, said method to be performed by the electronic device and comprising the steps of:

a) configuring the electronic device to display a first object associated with the electronic content and a second object that contains visible information associated with the content transmission hardware component on an operation screen of the electronic device;

b) configuring the electronic device to receive a user input command for establishing an operational relationship between the first and second objects;

c) configuring the electronic device to automatically retrieve the electronic content from the storage medium, and to output the electronic content via the content transmission hardware component in response to the user input command; and

d) configuring the electronic device to transmit the electronic content to the owner of the intended recipient device via one of an electronic mail service and a messaging service with reference to the contact information if a connection with the intended recipient device cannot be established via a wireless transmission module.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in step a), the electronic device is configured to show the second object on the operation screen in response to a command for bringing the second object from a hidden state into a non-hidden state.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the command for bringing the second object from the hidden state into the non-hidden state is one of a user click command generated as a result of clicking a point within a predetermined area of the operation screen, and a drag-and-drop command generated as a result of dragging the first object over the predetermined area of the operation screen.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in step b), the user input command is one of a user click command for selecting the first and second objects, and a user drag-and-drop command for dragging one of the first and second objects toward an other one of the first and second objects.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein, in step b), the user input command is the user click command for selecting the first and second objects, and in step c), the electronic device is configured to retrieve the electronic content from the storage medium and to output the electronic content via the content transmission hardware component if selection of the first and second objects is completed within a predetermined duration in step b).

6. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein, in step b), the user input command is the user drag-and-drop command for dragging one of the first and second objects toward the other one of the first and second objects, and in step c), the electronic device is configured to retrieve the electronic content from the storage medium and to output the electronic content via the content transmission hardware component if dragging and dropping of said one of the first and second objects toward the other one of the first and second objects is completed within a predetermined duration in step b).

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein step c) includes configuring the electronic device to determine whether the content transmission hardware component is to be switched from a non-active status to an active status for enabling outputting of the electronic content through the content transmission hardware component, and to switch the content transmission hardware component from the non-active status to the active status prior to outputting the electronic content through the content transmission hardware component if result of determination made thereby is affirmative.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein step c) further includes configuring the electronic device to switch the content transmission hardware component to the non-active status after outputting the electronic content through the content transmission hardware component.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, the content transmission hardware component being a wireless transmission module, wherein:

in step c), the wireless transmission module is enabled to establish a connection with an intended recipient device, and to transmit the electronic content to the intended recipient device when the wireless transmission module is switched to the active status.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

in step c), the wireless transmission module is enabled to establish the connection with the intended recipient device via a network device, and to transmit the electronic content to the intended recipient device via the network device when the wireless transmission module is switched to the active status.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, the content transmission hardware component being an image content transmission hardware component, wherein:

in step c), the electronic device is configured to execute an electronic content-specific application for rendering the electronic content, and to output an image signal representative of the electronic content, as rendered by the electronic content-specific application, via the image content transmission hardware component.

12. A method for controlling an electronic device to output electronic content stored in a storage medium thereof, the electronic device including a plurality of heterogeneous content transmission hardware components independently selected from wireless transmission modules, wired transmission modules, memory interface modules and image output modules, and the storage medium of the electronic device having contact information of an owner of an intended recipient device stored thereon, said method to be performed by the electronic device and comprising the steps of:

a) configuring the electronic device to display a first object associated with the electronic content and a plurality of second objects, each containing visible information indicating a respective one of the content transmission hardware components, on an operation screen of the electronic device;

b) configuring the electronic device to receive a user input command for establishing an operational relationship between the first object and a selected one of the second objects;

c) configuring the electronic device to automatically retrieve the electronic content from the storage medium, and to output the electronic content via the content transmission hardware component associated with the selected one of the second objects in response to the user input command; and

d) configuring the electronic device to transmit the electronic content to the owner of the intended recipient device via one of an electronic mail service and a messaging service with reference to the contact information if a connection with the intended recipient device cannot be established via the wireless transmission modules.

13. An electronic device comprising:

a storage medium with electronic content stored therein;

a display interface for outputting an operation screen of the electronic device;

a content transmission hardware component; and

a control module coupled to said storage medium, said display interface and said content transmission hardware component, and including

an interface-content generator for generating a first object associated with the electronic content and a second object that contains visible information associated with said content transmission hardware component, the first and second objects to be displayed on said operation screen,

a command-processing unit for receiving a user input command for establishing an operational relationship between the first and second objects, and

an operation-processing unit for automatically retrieving the electronic content from said storage medium, and for outputting the electronic content via said content transmission hardware component in response to the user input command received by said command-processing unit, wherein said storage medium has contact information of an owner of an intended recipient device stored therein, and said operation-processing unit being configured to transmit the electronic content to the owner of the intended recipient device via one of an electronic mail service and a messaging service with reference to the contact information if a connection with the intended recipient device cannot be established.

14. The electronic device as claimed in claim 13, wherein said interface-content generator is configured to enable showing of the second object on said operation screen in response to a command for bringing the second object from a hidden state into a non-hidden state that is received by said command-processing unit.

15. The electronic device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the command for bringing the second object from the hidden state into the non-hidden state that is received by said command-processing unit is one of a user click command generated as a result of clicking a point within a predetermined area of said operation screen, and a drag-and-drop command generated as a result of dragging the first object over the predetermined area of said operation screen.

16. The electronic device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the user input command is one of a user click command for selecting the first and second objects, and a user drag-and-drop command for dragging one of the first and second objects toward an other one of the first and second objects.

17. The electronic device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the user input command is the user click command for selecting the first and second objects, and said operation -processing unit is configured to retrieve the electronic content from said storage medium and to output the electronic content via said content transmission hardware component if selection of the first and second objects is completed within a predetermined duration.

18. The electronic device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the user input command is the user drag-and-drop command for dragging one of the first and second objects toward the other one of the first and second objects, and said operation-processing unit is configured to retrieve the electronic content from said storage medium and to output the electronic content via said content transmission hardware component if dragging and dropping of said one of the first and second objects toward the other one of the first and second objects is completed within a predetermined duration.

19. The electronic device as claimed in claim 13, wherein said operation-processing unit is configured to determine whether said content transmission hardware component is to be switched from a non-active status to an active status for enabling outputting of the electronic content via said content transmission hardware component, and to switch said content transmission hardware component from the non-active status to the active status prior to outputting the electronic content via said content transmission hardware component if result of determination made thereby is affirmative.

20. The electronic device as claimed in claim 19, wherein said operation-processing unit is further configured to switch said content transmission hardware component to the non-active status after outputting the electronic content via said content transmission hardware component.

21. The electronic device as claimed in claim 19, wherein said content transmission hardware component is a wireless transmission module, said wireless transmission module being enabled to establish a connection with an intended recipient device and to transmit the electronic content to the intended recipient device when said wireless transmission module is switched to the active status.

22. The electronic device as claimed in claim 21, wherein said wireless transmission module is enabled to establish the connection with the intended recipient device via a network device, and to transmit the electronic content to the network device when said wireless transmission module is switched to the active status.

23. The electronic device as claimed in claim 21, wherein said wireless transmission module is one of a Bluetooth transmission module, a wireless local area network transmission module, an ultra-wideband transmission module, and a worldwide interoperability for microwave access transmission module.

24. The electronic device as claimed in claim 13, wherein said content transmission hardware component is an image output module, and said operation-processing unit is configured to execute an electronic content-specific application for rendering the electronic content, and to output an image signal representative of the electronic content, as rendered by the electronic content-specific application, via said image output module.

26. The electronic device as claimed in claim 13, wherein said control module further includes a status-detecting unit for detecting operational status of said content transmission hardware component, the second object displayed on said operation screen having a display attribute corresponding to the operational status of said content transmission hardware component as detected by said status-detecting unit.

25. An electronic device comprising:

a storage medium with electronic content stored therein;

a display interface for outputting an operation screen of the electronic device;

a plurality of heterogeneous content transmission hardware components independently selected from wireless transmission modules, wired transmission modules, memory interface modules, and image output modules; and

a control module coupled to said storage medium, said display interface and said content transmission hardware components, and including

an interface-content generator for generating a first object associated with the electronic content, and a plurality of second objects each containing visible information associated with a respective one of said content transmission hardware components, the first and second objects to be displayed on said operation screen,

a command-processing unit for receiving a user input command for establishing an operational relationship between the first object and a selected one of the second objects, and

an operation-processing unit for automatically retrieving the electronic content from said storage medium, and for outputting the electronic content via one of said content transmission hardware components that is associated with the selected one of the second objects in response to the user input command received by said command-processing unit,

wherein said storage medium has contact information of an owner of an intended recipient device stored therein, and said operation-processing unit being configured to transmit the electronic content to the owner of the intended recipient device via one of an electronic mail service and a messaging service with reference to the contact information if a connection with the intended recipient device cannot be established.