Multimedia apparatus and method for providing content

• US 9,330,099 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2011
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Ko, Jae-woo, Sung, Yeul-tak
• Primary Examiner(s): Kujundzic, Dino
• Application Number:
  US13/228,176
• Publication Number:
  US 20120066595A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,699 Days
• Field of Search: 715/716, 715/762, 715/770, 715/847, 715/230, 715/233, 715/255, 715/273, 715/275
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9562 Bookmark management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop

Abstract

A multimedia apparatus and a method for providing content by generating at least one flag on a screen; designating categories with respect to the at least one flag; and if one of the at least one flags is moved to a particular content displayed on the screen, setting the particular content to the category corresponding to the one flag. Therefore, content is classified and managed according to categories by using a flag, and thus a user further intuitively manages and accesses content.

Claims

1. A method for providing content of a multimedia apparatus, the method comprising:

generating at least one UI element on a screen;

designating categories with respect to the at least one UI element;

moving one UI element to a particular area of the screen;

changing the size of the one UI element to a smaller UI element when in the particular area;

setting, by a user moving the one UI element from the particular area to a particular content displayed on the screen, the particular content to a category designated with respect to the one UI element; and

displaying an icon corresponding to the one UI element on or around the particular content to which the one UI element has been moved.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

editing, by the user, attributes of the at least one UI element.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the attributes of the at least one UI element includes at least one of names and colors of the at least one UI element corresponding to the categories corresponding to the at least one UI element.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

continuously displaying the smaller UI element in the particular area regardless of a screen change of the multimedia apparatus.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving user input selecting the smaller UI element; and

displaying a content list comprising content designated by the UI element in response to user input selecting the smaller UI element.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

dragging and dropping at least one content from the content list to a document file in order to paste the at least one content into the document file.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

uploading at least one content included in the content list through a network.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the user selects the smaller UI element by double-clicking the smaller UI element.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular content includes at least one of video content, image content, text content, and Internet content.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the particular content by the user before moving the one UI element to the particular content, wherein selecting the particular content is performed through the user'"'"'s dragging a cursor over the particular content.

11. The method of claim 1, the setting comprising:

setting, by the user moving the one UI element to a plurality of content displayed on the screen, the plurality of content as content designated by the one UI element.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a UI element generating icon on the screen; and

displaying a UI element registration menu when a user selects the UI element generating icon displayed on the screen.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the UI element generating icon is displayed as part of a window of an application.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular area comprises an edge of the screen.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular area comprises an edge of a window of an active application.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular area is configured to be easily accessible to the user via a cursor.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular area is configured to not substantially obscure the user'"'"'s view of content displayed on the screen.

18. A multimedia apparatus comprising:

a Graphic User Interface (GUI) generator configured to generate at least one UI element;

a display unit configured to display at least one UI element on a screen; and

a controller configured to;

designate categories with respect to at least one UI element according to a particular input of a user,

change the size of a UI element to a smaller UI element in response to a user moving the UI element to a particular area of the screen,

set, in response to a user moving one UI element from the particular area to a particular content displayed on the display unit, the particular content to a category designated with respect to the one UI element, and

display a icon corresponding to a UI element which has been moved to on or around particular content.

19. The multimedia apparatus of claim 18, wherein the controller edits attributes of at least one UI element according to user input.

20. The multimedia apparatus of claim 19, wherein the attributes of the at least one UI element editable by the user includes at least one of name and color of the at least one UI element.

21. The multimedia apparatus of claim 18, wherein the controller continuously displays the smaller UI element in the particular area regardless of a screen change of the multimedia apparatus.

22. The multimedia apparatus of claim 18, wherein the controller, in response to user input selecting the smaller UI element, displays a content list comprising content designated by the UI element.

23. The multimedia apparatus of claim 22, wherein the controller, in response to user input dragging and dropping at least one content from the content list to a document file, pastes the at least one content into the document file.

24. The multimedia apparatus of claim 22, wherein the controller uploads at least one content in the content list through a network.

25. The multimedia apparatus of claim 18, wherein the particular content includes at least one of video content, image content, text content, and Internet content.

26. The multimedia apparatus of claim 18, wherein the user, before moving the one UI element to the particular content, selects the particular content by dragging a cursor over the particular content.