Apparatus and method for interacting with handheld carrier hosting media content

• US 9,224,364 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2013
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Weber, Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): YI, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US13/858,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20130293492A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/12 Synchronisation between the display unit and other units, e.g. other display units, video-disc players
• 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 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

Improved techniques for interacting with one or more handheld carriers hosting media content are disclosed. The handheld carrier hosting media content may be sensed, and at least a portion of the media content may be integrated into operation of a media activity provided by a computing device, upon recognizing the media activity and the media content. The media activity provided by the computing device may involve creating or editing an electronic document. The integration of the media content into operation of the media activity may involve insertion or importation of the media content into the electronic document.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program code that, when executed by a processor of a recipient computing device, causes the recipient computing device to:

present an electronic document comprising an active media window on a display device associated with the recipient computing device;

control an editing operation of the electronic document;

detect that a handheld electronic device is proximate to the active media window presented on the display device associated with the recipient computing device;

receive, via a direct wireless transfer from the handheld electronic device, identified content that is selected by highlighting on the handheld electronic device a portion of media content displayed on the handheld electronic device, when the handheld electronic device is detected proximate to the active media window presented on the display device; and

upon recognizing the identified content and an import position for the identified content, insert the identified content at the recognized import position, wherein the import position represents a position, location, or area within the electronic document at which to insert the identified content.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the display device comprises a touch screen.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the identified content comprises an image.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the recipient computing device detects that the handheld electronic device is proximate to the display device associated with the recipient computing device by at least detecting when the handheld electronic device physically contacts the display device associated with the recipient computing device.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the recipient computing device detects that the handheld electronic device is proximate to the display device associated with the recipient computing device by at least detecting when the handheld electronic device is within a predetermined distance of the display device associated with the recipient computing device.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein execution of the program code further causes the recipient computing device to capture the identified content that is displayed on the handheld electronic device by the recipient computing device, wherein the identified content is selected by the recipient computing device by encircling a portion of media content that is displayed on the handheld electronic device.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the recipient computing device inserts the identified content into the electronic document is configured to execute without requiring user input after direct wireless transfer of the identified content to the recipient computing device.

8. A method for transferring content between a first electronic device and a second electronic device, the method comprising:

presenting an electronic document comprising an active media window on a display device associated with the second electronic device;

controlling an editing operation of the electronic document;

detecting a proximity of the first electronic device relative to the second electronic device;

receiving, via a direct wireless transfer from the first electronic device, identified content that is selected by highlighting on the first electronic device a portion of media content displayed on the first electronic device, when the first electronic device is detected proximate to the active media window presented on the display device; and

upon recognizing the identified content and import position for the identified content, inserting the identified content at the recognized import position, wherein the import position represents a position, location, or area within an electronic document at which to insert the identified content.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the identified content comprises an image.

10. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the proximity of the first electronic device relative to the second electronic device is detected via a near field communication (NFC) interface.

11. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the first electronic device displays a first active media window which highlights a particular media content, and the second electronic device displays a second active media window that includes at least a portion of the electronic document.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein detecting the proximity of the first electronic device to the second electronic device comprises detecting proximity of the first electronic device relative to the second active media window displayed on the second electronic device.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein detecting the proximity of the first electronic device to the second electronic device comprises detecting proximity of the particular media content in the first active media window displayed on the first electronic device relative to the second active media window displayed on the second electronic device.

14. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

presenting the electronic document on a display associated with the second electronic device before importing the identified content into the electronic document;

determining the import position for the identified content; and

displaying the electronic document on the display associated with the second electronic device with the identified content at the determined import position.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the second electronic device imports the identified content into the electronic document at the determined import position.

16. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the first electronic device comprises a handheld carrier hosting media content and the second electronic device comprises a non-handheld base unit that includes one or more sensors.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the second electronic device detects proximity of the first electronic device using the one or more sensors.

18. A computer implemented apparatus comprising:

at least one sensor configured to sense proximity of a handheld electronic device hosting media content to the computer implemented apparatus;

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computer implemented apparatus to;

present an electronic document comprising an active media window on a display device associated with the computer implemented apparatus that is to receive a wireless content transfer;

control an editing operation of the electronic document;

detect that the handheld electronic device is proximate to the active media window presented on the display device associated with the computer implemented apparatus;

receive, via a direct wireless transfer from the handheld electronic device, identified content that is selected by highlighting on the handheld electronic device a portion of media content displayed on the handheld electronic device, when the handheld electronic device is detected proximate to the active media window presented on the display device; and

upon recognizing the identified content and an import position for the identified content, insert the identified content at the recognized import position, wherein the import position represents a position, location, or area within the electronic document at which to insert the identified content.

19. The computer implemented apparatus of claim 18, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the computer implemented apparatus to:

capture the identified content that is displayed on the handheld electronic device by the computer implemented apparatus, wherein the identified content is selected by the computer implemented apparatus by encircling a portion of media content that is displayed on the handheld electronic device.

20. The computer implemented apparatus of claim 18, wherein the electronic document comprises an active media window and the computer implemented apparatus detects that the handheld electronic device is proximate to the display device associated with the computer implemented apparatus by detecting proximity of the handheld electronic device relative to the active media window presented on the display device.