File storage state management, battery capacity management, and file reproduction management for client devices

• US 9,606,600 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2009
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yang, Gyung Hye, Hwang, Sang Woong, Lim, Eun Young, Kwahk, Ji Young, Cho, Bong Hyun
• Primary Examiner(s): TAN, ALVIN H
• Application Number:
  US12/554,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20100077337A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,762 Days
• Field of Search: 715/771
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/168 Details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems, e.g. browsing and visualisation, 2d or 3d GUIs query results presentation G06F16/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2003/0697 device management, e.g. handlers, drivers, I/O schedulers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2206/1008 Graphical user interface [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0625 Power saving in storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0643 Management of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0671 In-line storage system
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded

Abstract

An electronic device managing method and system, and a host electronic device using the method are disclosed. A plurality of client electronic devices may be connected to the host electronic device. The host electronic device may perform file storage state management, remaining battery capacity management, and file reproduction management, thereby integrally and efficiently managing the plurality of client electronic devices. The file storage state management may include managing file storage states corresponding to the memories of the plurality of client electronic devices, respectively. The remaining battery capacity management may include managing the remaining capacity of the batteries of the plurality of client electronic devices. The file reproduction management may include reproducing at least one of the files stored in the plurality of client electronic devices.

Claims

1. An electronic device managing method, the method comprising:

receiving information regarding file storage states from a plurality of client electronic devices connected to a host electronic device, some of the file storage states corresponding to stored data and some of the file storage states corresponding to empty storage space;

displaying, on a display unit of the host electronic device, the received information as a plurality of graphic user interface objects corresponding to the received information;

wherein displaying the received information comprises displaying, on the display unit, geometric diagrams comprising a plurality of sections corresponding to the information regarding the file storage states received from the plurality of client electronic devices, and displaying, on the display unit, a file geometric diagram corresponding to a file stored in one of the plurality of client electronic devices;

wherein sizes of the plurality of sections are determined according to respective sizes of files corresponding to stored data and sizes of empty storage space identified based on the received information;

receiving, via an input unit or touch screen of the host electronic device, an input signal for selecting the file geometric diagram; and

moving or copying the file geometric diagram to an empty geometric diagram corresponding to a memory space in other memory spaces of another client electronic device connected to the host electronic device, a memory space corresponding to the file geometric diagram having the same or smaller size than the memory space corresponding to the empty geometric diagram.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the graphic user interface objects are associated with a shape, color, position, and/or direction; and

displaying the received information comprises displaying graphical representations corresponding to the respective client electronic devices in at least one of the shape, color, position, and/or direction associated with the graphic user interface object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the geometric diagrams are a two- or three-dimensional geometric diagram.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a movement input signal for moving the file geometric diagram to another geometric diagram corresponding to a memory space in other memory spaces of another client electronic device connected to the host electronic device, the memory space in the other memory spaces of the another client electronic device having a same or larger size as a memory space corresponding to the file geometric diagram; and

moving, if the file geometric diagram cannot be moved to the other geometric diagram, the file geometric diagram to an empty geometric diagram corresponding to a memory space in a client electronic device having a same or larger size as the memory space corresponding to the file geometrical diagram.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

deleting, if a memory of the other client electronic device does not have sufficient space to store the file geometric diagram, a geometric diagram corresponding to at least one file stored in the memory of the other client electronic device, according to a set condition; and

placing the file geometric diagram in a memory space corresponding to the deleted geometric diagram.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein deleting a geometric diagram further comprises at least one of the following steps of:

selecting and deleting an oldest geometric diagram of geometric diagrams corresponding to files stored in other memory spaces; and

selecting and deleting a geometric diagram having a lowest use frequency of geometric diagrams corresponding to files stored in other memory spaces.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein deleting a geometric diagram further comprises:

determining whether other memory spaces comprise a protection area from which files cannot be deleted and a non-protection area from which files can be deleted; and

deleting, if other memory spaces comprise the non-protection area, at least one geometrical diagram corresponding to at least one file stored in the non-protection area.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying detailed information regarding a selected geometric diagram;

or

displaying detailed information regarding all geometric diagrams stored in the respective client electronic device and/or other client device connected to the host electronic device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the received information comprises displaying, on the display unit, geometric diagrams corresponding to the one of the plurality of client electronic devices in a color and other geometric diagrams corresponding to the another client electronic device connected to the host electronic device in another color different than the color.

10. The method of claim 9,

wherein the file corresponds to the file geometric diagram having the color, and wherein the file geometric diagram retains the color while moving to the memory of the another client electronic device;

and

changing, after moving the file geometric diagram, the color of the file geometric diagram to the other color associated with geometric diagrams of the another client electronic device.

11. A host electronic device, comprising:

a connecting interface configured to receive information regarding file storage states from a plurality of client electronic devices connected to the connecting interface;

a display unit configured to display the received information as a graphic user interface object corresponding to a file stored in the memory spaces;

an input unit configured to generate at least one of a first input signal to select a file geometric diagram, and a second input signal to move the selected file geometric diagram to another geometric diagram corresponding to a copy memory space having a same or larger size than a size of a file memory space corresponding to the selected file geometric diagram; and

a controller configured to;

control reception and display of the received information and to cause display of geometric diagrams comprising a plurality of sections corresponding to the information regarding the file storage states of the plurality of client electronic devices on the display unit, some of the file storage states corresponding to stored data and some of the file storage states corresponding to empty storage space;

move the selected file geometric diagram to an empty geometric diagram corresponding to the copy memory space, or to copy the selected file geometric diagram to an empty geometric diagram corresponding to the copy memory space, the file memory space being situated in a client electronic device of the client electronic devices, and the copy memory space being situated in another client electronic device of the client electronic devices; and

delete at least one geometric diagram corresponding to at least one file stored in the memory of the other client electronic device, according to a set condition, and the controller is configured to place the selected file geometric diagram in a memory space corresponding to the deleted geometric diagram,

wherein sizes of the plurality of sections are determined according to respective sizes of files corresponding to stored data and sizes of empty storage space identified based on the received information.

12. The host electronic device of claim 11, wherein the graphic user interface object is associated with a shape, color, position, and/or direction, and wherein the display unit is configured to display the received information by, at least, displaying a graphical representation corresponding to the client electronic devices in at least one of the same shape, color, position, and/or direction associated with the graphic user interface object.

13. The host electronic device of claim 11, wherein the geometric diagrams comprise a geometric diagram corresponding to the information regarding file storage state transmitted from the client electronic devices.

14. The host electronic device of claim 13, wherein the geometric diagram is a two- or three-dimensional geometric diagram.

15. The host electronic device of claim 13, wherein, the information regarding file storage states is received from the client electronic devices, the display unit being configured to display detailed information regarding a selected geometric diagram, or detailed information regarding all geometric diagrams stored in the client electronic devices.

16. The host electronic device of claim 15, wherein the display unit is configured to display the geometric diagrams corresponding to the client electronic device of the client electronic devices in a color and other geometric diagrams corresponding to the another client electronic device of the client electronic devices in another color different than the color.

17. The host electronic device of claim 15, wherein, if a file is moved from a memory of the client electronic device to a memory of the another client electronic device, the controller is configured to retain the color of moved geometric diagrams corresponding to the move file, and, after completing the move of the moved geometric diagrams, to change the color of the moved geometric diagrams to another color, according to a color setting input signal.

18. The host electronic device of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to select and delete an oldest geometric diagram of the geometric diagrams corresponding to files stored in the memory spaces of the another client electronic device, or a geometric diagram having a lowest use frequency of geometric diagrams corresponding to files stored in the memory space of the another client electronic device.

19. The host electronic device of claim 11, wherein, the memory of the another client electronic device comprises a protection area from which files cannot be deleted and a non-protection area from which files can be deleted, the controller being configured to delete the at least one geometric diagram corresponding to at least one file stored in the non-protection area.