System and method for switching between media items in a plurality of sequences of media items

• US 9,792,010 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2015
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spotify AB (Spotify Technology SA)
• Original Assignee: Spotify AB (Spotify Technology SA)
• Inventors: Hoffert, Eric, Berkley, Mike, Sormaz, Dejan, Schneider, Tobias, Conway, Frank, Faaborg, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Ulrich, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US14/743,702
• Publication Number:
  US 20150370466A1
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/743 a collection of video files or sequences
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/433 Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists

Abstract

An electronic device with one or more processors, memory, and a touchscreen plays a first media item in a full-screen mode on the touchscreen. In response to detecting a contact on the touchscreen, the first media item shrinks into a region of the touchscreen and continues to play in the region, while a new media item is displayed outside of the region. In response to detecting movement of the contact, the shrunken first media item moves away from the region and the new media item moves into the region.

Claims

1. A method of providing media content, comprising:

at an electronic device with one or more processors, memory, and a touchscreen;

playing a first media item in a full-screen mode on the touchscreen;

in response to detecting a contact on the touchscreen;

shrinking the first media item from the full-screen mode into a region of the touchscreen,

continuing to play the first media item in the region, and

displaying a second media item to the left of the first media item, a third media item to the right of the first media item, a fourth media item below the first media item, and a fifth media item above the first media item; and

in response to detecting movement of the contact;

moving the shrunken first media item away from the region, and

moving a new media item into the region, wherein the new media item is selected from the group consisting of the second media item, the third media item, the fourth media item, and the fifth media item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the region is a central region of the touchscreen.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to detecting liftoff of the contact, playing the new media item in a full-screen mode on the touchscreen.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

moving the shrunken first media item away from the region comprises moving the first media item in a direction of the movement of the contact; and

moving the new media item into the region comprises moving the new media item in the direction of the movement of the contact.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first media item and the new media item are from a same sequence of media items.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first media item is from a first sequence of media items and the new media item is from a second sequence of media items different from the first sequence of media items.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the second, third, fourth, and fifth media items comprises playing video content for the second, third, fourth, and fifth media items.

8. An electronic device, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing one or more programs configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

playing a first media item in a full-screen mode on the touchscreen;

in response to detecting a contact on the touchscreen;

shrinking the first media item from the full-screen mode into a region of the touchscreen,

continuing to play the first media item in the region, and

displaying a second media item to the left of the first media item, a third media item to the right of the first media item, a fourth media item below the first media item, and a fifth media item above the first media item; and

in response to detecting movement of the contact;

moving the shrunken first media item away from the region, and

moving a new media item into the region, wherein the new media item is selected from the group consisting of the second media item, the third media item, the fourth media item, and the fifth media item.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the region is a central region of the touchscreen.

10. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the one or more programs further include instructions for:

in response to detecting liftoff of the contact, playing the new media item in a full-screen mode on the touchscreen.

11. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein:

the instructions for moving the shrunken first media item away from the region comprise instructions for moving the first media item in a direction of the movement of the contact; and

the instructions for moving the new media item into the region comprise instructions for moving the new media item in the direction of the movement of the contact.

12. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the first media item is from a first sequence of media items and the new media item is from a second sequence of media items different from the first sequence of media items.

13. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the instructions for displaying the second, third, fourth, and fifth media items comprise instructions for playing video content for the second, third, fourth, and fifth media items.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by an electronic device, cause the electronic device to:

play a first media item in a full-screen mode on the touchscreen;

in response to detecting a contact on the touchscreen;

shrink the first media item from the full-screen mode into a region of the touchscreen,

continue to play the first media item in the region, and

display a second media item to the left of the first media item, a third media item to the right of the first media item, a fourth media item below the first media item, and a fifth media item above the first media item; and

in response to detecting movement of the contact;

move the shrunken first media item away from the region, and

move a new media item into the region, wherein the new media item is selected from the group consisting of the second media item, the third media item, the fourth media item, and the fifth media item.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the region is a central region of the touchscreen.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions, which when executed by the electronic device, cause the electronic device to:

in response to detecting liftoff of the contact, play the new media item in a full-screen mode on the touchscreen.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein:

the instructions that cause the electronic device to move the shrunken first media item away from the region comprise instructions that cause the electronic device to move the first media item in a direction of the movement of the contact; and

the instructions that cause the electronic device to move the new media item into the region comprise instructions that cause the electronic device to move the new media item in the direction of the movement of the contact.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the first media item is from a first sequence of media items and the new media item is from a second sequence of media items different from the first sequence of media items.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions that cause the electronic device to display the second, third, fourth, and fifth media items comprise instructions that cause the electronic device to play video content for the second, third, fourth, and fifth media items.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the first media item and the new media item are from a same sequence of media items.