Method for playing contents

• US 9,609,381 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2010
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Ahn, Eun Seon, Kim, Jae Uk
• Primary Examiner(s): Fibbi, Christopher J
• Application Number:
  US12/785,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20110119611A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,500 Days
• Field of Search: 715/769, 345/655
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4858 for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows

Abstract

A method for playing contents is provided. In the method, information corresponding, respectively, to a plurality of contents may be displayed, and a drag and drop operation related to first contents information and second contents information among the displayed contents information may be received. Thereafter, the first contents and the second contents may be played.

Claims

1. A method for displaying contents, the method comprising:

displaying, on a display of a user device, a plurality of contents information corresponding, respectively, to a plurality of playable contents, wherein the plurality of contents information is information to identify, respectively, the plurality of playable contents, and wherein the plurality of contents information includes a first content information to identify a first playable a content and a second content information to identify a second playable content;

receiving, on a touchscreen of the user device, a user input to drag and drop the first content information within a display region of the second content information, wherein the user input comprises;

dragging the first content information towards the display region of the second content information;

wherein the display region of the second content information is divided into a plurality of portions comprising;

a top left portion, a top right portion, a bottom left portion and a bottom right portion; and

dropping the first content information within a user selected one of the plurality portions of the display region of the second content information;

in response to the user dropping the first content information within one of the plurality of portions of the display region of the second content information, displaying simultaneously the second playable content corresponding to the second content information in a main screen and the first playable content corresponding to the first content information in a sub screen overlaying the main screen, wherein the displaying the first playable content and the second playable content includes starting to play the first playable content and the second playable content, wherein the main screen is displayed in an entire region of the display, wherein the sub screen is smaller than the main screen, wherein a location of the sub screen on the display directly corresponds to the user selected portion at which the dragged first content information was previously dropped within the display region of the second content information such that the corresponding location of the sub screen on the display matches at least one of;

top left of the display, top right of the display, bottom left of the display or bottom right of the display, and wherein the displayed size of the first playable content and the displayed size of the second playable content are simultaneously increased larger than the displayed size of the first content information and the displayed size of the second content information.

2. The method according to claim 1, further including:

selecting one of the first playable content or the second playable content; and

displaying the selected one of the first or second playable content in a full screen and stopping the display of the non-selected playable content.

3. The method according to claim 1, further including:

interchangeably displaying the displayed first playable content and the displayed second playable content, respectively, in the main screen and the sub screen.

4. The method according to claim 1, further including:

displaying a menu window that sets the sub screen; and

interchangeably displaying the playable content and the second playable content in the main screen and the sub screen or stopping the display of the sub screen, according to a user input for the displayed menu window.

5. The method according to claim 1, further including:

receiving a signal indicative of an operation for dragging the playable content displayed in the sub screen and to drop the dragged contents in a third region on the display, wherein the third region is a different location on the display than the current location of the sub screen; and

displaying the sub screen in the third region.

6. The method according to claim 1, further including;

dragging the first content information together with information associated with a third playable content and dropping both the first content information and the third content information in the display region of the second content information, and displaying the second playable content in the main screen and displayed the first playable content and the third playable content in sub screens.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the displaying the plurality of contents information corresponding to a plurality of playable contents includes displaying a plurality of videos corresponding, respectively, to the plurality of playable contents.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of playable contents includes a broadcast channel video.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program for executing the method of claim 1 in a computer.

10. A method for playing a plurality of broadcast channels, the method comprising:

displaying, on a display of a user device, a plurality of thumbnail images corresponding, respectively, to a plurality of broadcast channels, wherein the plurality of thumbnail images are images to identify, respectively, the plurality of broadcast channels, wherein the plurality of thumbnail images includes a first channel thumbnail image to identify a first broadcast channel and a second channel thumbnail image to identify a second broadcast channel;

receiving, on a touchscreen of the user device, a user input to drag and drop the first channel thumbnail image within a display region of the second channel thumbnail image, wherein the user input comprises;

dragging the first channel thumbnail image towards the display region of the second channel thumbnail image, wherein the display region of the second channel thumbnail image is divided into a plurality of portions comprising;

a top left portion, a top right portion, bottom left portion and a bottom right portion; and

dropping the first channel thumbnail image within a user selected one of the plurality of portions of the display region of the second channel thumbnail image;

in response to the user dropping the first channel thumbnail image within one of the plurality of portions of the display region of the second channel thumbnail image, displaying simultaneously a first playable content corresponding to the first broadcast channel and a second playable content corresponding to the second broadcast channel, wherein the second playable content is displayed in a main screen and the first playable content is displayed in a sub screen overlaying the main screen, wherein the displaying the first playable content and the second playable content includes starting to play the first playable content and the second playable content, wherein the main screen is displayed in an entire region of the display, wherein the sub screen is smaller than the main screen, wherein a location of the sub screen on the display directly corresponds to the user selected portion at which the dragged first channel thumbnail image was previously dropped within the display region of the second channel thumbnail image such that the corresponding location of the sub screen on the display matches at least one of;

top left of the display, top right of the display, bottom left of the display or bottom right of the display, and wherein the displayed size of the first playable content and the displayed size of the second playable content are simultaneously increased larger than the displayed size of the first channel thumbnail image and the displayed size of the second channel thumbnail image.

11. The method according to claim 10, further including:

interchangeably displaying the first and second playable contents corresponding to the first and second broadcast channels, respectively, in the main screen and the sub screen.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program for program for executing the method of claim 10 in a computer.