Display service method, network device capable of performing the method, and storage medium storing the method

• US 9,270,779 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2006
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Na, Kee-wook
• Primary Examiner(s): Serrao, Ranodhi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fiorillo, James
• Application Number:
  US11/606,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20080016539A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,372 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• 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 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA

Abstract

Provided are a display service method for automatically displaying the same screen image on a plurality of network devices at the same time based on pre-set schedule information in a network based on a plurality of network devices, a network device capable of performing the method, and a storage medium thereof. The method includes capturing a screen image of a first network device based on pre-set schedule information, and transmitting the captured screen image to at least one second network device. Accordingly, screen images displayed on a network device can be displayed on different network devices regardless of a format of the screen images.

Claims

1. A network device capable of providing a display service between the network device and a second network device, the network device comprising:

a display operational to display a screen image;

a processor providing the operational capabilities for;

a scheduler configured to store, in response to a command input at a first time, pre-set schedule information comprising screen information of a screen image to be captured that indicates a portion of the display on which the screen image is displayed to be captured, the screen information comprising coordinate positions identifying at least one of the portion on the display, an entire portion of the display, or an application displayed on the display, screen image time information comprising a second time occurring after the first time at which the portion of the display is to be captured, and destination information that identifies the second network device to which the captured portion of the display is to be transmitted and a program identifies that identifies a specific program executed by the first network device, the scheduler further monitoring the pre-set schedule information for occurrence of the second time, and determining upon the occurrence of the second time, based on the screen information of the stored pre-set schedule information, whether the specific program is executed on the first network device; and

a screen capture module configured to capture the portion of the screen image displayed on the display unit at the second time, based on the screen information and the screen image time information of stored pre-set schedule information, in response to determining that the specific program is executed by the first network device at the second time; and

a transmission module which is operational to transmit the captured portion of the screen image to the second network device based on the destination information of the pre-set schedule information, in response to the screen capture module capturing the portion of the display at the second time.

2. The network device of claim 1, wherein the coordinate positions indicate a portion that is less than an entire screen image and the application is displayed in an area in which a specific program is executed by the network device.

3. The network device of claim 2, wherein the area of the specific program is a virtual display environment.

4. The network device of claim 2, wherein the screen capture module is further configured to determine, upon the occurrence of the second time, that the specific program is not being executed by the network device, execute the specific program in response to determining that the specific program is not being executed, and capture the area in which the specific program is displayed on the display.

5. The network device of claim 1, further comprising a content storage module configured to output a content file to the transmission module,

wherein the transmission module is further configured to transmit the at least one content file and the captured screen image to the second network device.

6. The network device of claim 5, wherein the content file comprises at least one of a music content file, a still image content file, a moving picture content file, and a composite content file in which music content and image content are mixed.

7. The network device of claim 1, further comprising a buffer which stores information on the screen image displayed on the display.

8. The network device of claim 1, wherein the second network device comprises N different network devices,

wherein the screen capture module is further configured to capture N screen images, and

wherein the transmission module is further configured to transmit the portion of the captured N screen images to the N network devices, respectively.

9. A display service method in a network, the method comprising:

storing, in response to a command input at a first time, pre-set schedule information comprising screen information of a screen image to be captured that indicates a portion of a first display of a first network device on which a screen image is displayed to be captured, the screen information comprising coordinate positions identifying at least one of the portion on the first display, an entire portion of the first display, or an application displayed on the first display, screen image time information comprising a second time occurring after the first time at which the portion of the first display is to be captured, and destination information that identifies a second network device to which the captured portion of the first display is to be transmitted and a program identifier that identifies a specific program executed by the first network device;

monitoring the pre-set schedule information for occurrence of the second time;

determining upon the occurrence of the second time, based on the screen information of the stored pre-set schedule information, whether the specific program is executed on the first network device;

capturing the portion of the screen image displayed on the first display of the first network device at the second time based on screen information and the screen image time information of the stored pre-set schedule information, in response to determining that the specific program is executed by the first network device at the second time; and

in response to capturing the portion of the first display at the second time, transmitting the captured portion of the first display to the second network device based on the destination information of the pre-set schedule information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the coordinate positions indicate a portion that is less than an entire screen image and the application is displayed in an area in which a specific program is executed by the first network device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining, upon the occurrence of the second time, that the specific program is not executed by the first network device; and

executing the specific program in response to determining that the specific program is not being executed by the first network device,

wherein the capturing of the screen image comprises capturing the area in which the specific program is displayed on the first display.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting the captured portion of the screen image to the second device and transmitting a content file stored in the first network device to the second device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the content file comprises at least one of a music content file, a still image content file, a moving picture content file, and a composite content file in which music content and image content are mixed.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the second network device comprises N number of second network devices,

wherein the capturing of the screen image comprises capturing N screen images, and

wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting the portion of the captured N screen images to the N second network devices, respectively.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the first network device is a server and the second network device is a client.

16. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing a computer readable program for executing a display service method, the method comprising:

storing, in response to a command input at a first time, pre-set schedule information comprising screen information of a screen image to be captured that indicates a portion of a first display of a first network device on which a screen image is displayed to be captured, the screen information comprising coordinate positions identifying at least one of the portion on the first display, an entire portion of the first display, or an application displayed on the first display, screen image time information comprising a second time occurring after the first time at which the portion of the first display is to be captured, and destination information that identifies a second network device to which the captured portion of the first display is to be transmitted and a program identifier that identifies a specific program executed by the first network device;

monitoring the pre-set schedule information for occurrence of the second time;

determining upon the occurrence of the second time, based on the screen information of the stored pre-set schedule information, whether the specific program is executed on the first network device;

capturing the portion of the screen image displayed on the first display of the first network device at the second time based on screen information and the screen image time information of the stored pre-set schedule information in response to determining that the specific program is executed by the first network device at the second time; and

in response to capturing the portion of the first display at the second time, transmitting the captured portion of the first display to the second network device based on the destination information of the pre-set schedule information.