Terminal device and method for controlling thereof

• US 9,900,477 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2013
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Park, Hyun-cheol, Park, Woo-jin, Ko, Jae-hoon, Yeon, Hun-je, Lee, Si-jun, Lee, Jin-wook
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Hung
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wendmagegn, Girumsew
• Application Number:
  US14/140,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20140178028A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,519 Days
• Field of Search: 386201
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/281 indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1093 by adding participants; by removing participants
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/04 Synchronising for television systems using pulse code modulation H04N7/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes a multimedia part configured to play back a content, a communicator configured to perform communication, a short-range wireless communication module configured to share communication connection information with an external device, and when tagged with the external device while a content is played back, a controller configured to control the communicator to be connected to the external device according to the communication connection information and transmit a synchronization signal and the played back content. Accordingly, the terminal device shares a synchronized content with an external device using a User Interface (UI) for controlling a plurality of external devices.

Claims

1. A terminal device comprising, the device comprising:

a communicator configured to perform communication;

a short-range wireless communication module configured to;

detect a tag of an external device, and

share communication connection information with the tagged external device using a first communication technology;

a display;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing one or more computer programs configured to be executed by the at least one processor, the one or more computer programs including instructions to, if the tagging of the external device is detected while a content is played back;

control the communicator to establish communication with the tagged external device based on the communication connection information,

control the display to display a screen comprising a plurality of groups generated based on each of a plurality of portions of the content if the content comprises a plurality of portions,

add the tagged external device to a group of the plurality of groups, and

control the communicator to transmit one of the plurality of portions of the content and a synchronization signal to the tagged external device based on a characteristic of the group of the plurality of groups to which the external device is added,

wherein the one of the plurality of portions of the content and the synchronization signal are transmitted to the tagged external device using a second communication technology different from the first communication technology.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the synchronization signal comprises a signal to synchronize the tagged external device and a content playback time on a real time basis.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more computer programs further include instructions to, if communication is established with the tagged external device while the content is played back in the multimedia part, control the communicator to transmit the one of the plurality of portions of the content by a streaming method.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more computer programs further include instructions to control to display a group control screen including a control menu to adjust an output state of the content on the display.

5. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the one or more computer programs further include instructions to:

if an adjustment command for one of the plurality of groups is input, transmit the adjustment command to each external device belonging to the one of the plurality of groups, and

simultaneously adjust a content output state of each external device belonging to the one of the plurality of groups.

6. A terminal device, the device comprising:

a communicator configured to perform communication;

a short-range wireless communication module configured to;

detect a tag of an external device, and

share communication connection information with the tagged external device using a first communication technology;

a display;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing one or more computer programs configured to be executed by the at least one processor, the one or more computer programs including instructions to;

if the tagging of the external device is detected while a content is played back, control the communicator to establish communication with the tagged external device using a second communication technology different from the first communication technology based on the communication connection information,

control the display to display a screen comprising a plurality of groups generated based on each of a plurality of channel sounds of the content if the content comprises a plurality of channel sounds,

add the tagged external device to a group of the plurality of groups,

process preset channel sound from among the plurality of channel sounds,

generate a synchronization signal and an audio signal of one of the plurality of channel sounds of the content based on the processed preset channel sound and a characteristic of the plurality of groups to which the external device is added, and

control the communicator to transmit the synchronization signal and the audio signal to the tagged external device using the second communication technology.

7. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the one or more computer programs further include instructions to:

control to classify the audio signal into the plurality of channel sounds, and

control the communicator to transmit the preset channel sound from among the classified plurality of channel sounds to the tagged external device.

8. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the plurality of channel sounds comprise at least one of a front left channel sound, a front right channel sound, a rear left channel sound, a rear right channel sound, a center channel sound, a low frequency effects channel sound.

9. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the one or more computer programs further include instructions to:

control the communicator to transmit channel sound information which designates channel sound to be output at the tagged external device, from among the plurality of channel sounds of the content, and

control the communicator to transmit the designate channel sound to the tagged external device,

wherein each of the plurality of channel sounds is output to a different external device of the plurality of external devices.

10. A method for controlling a terminal device, the method comprising:

playing back content including a plurality of portions;

if a tagging defined as movement of an external device to a communication allowable range is detected, sharing communication connection information and connecting with the tagged external device using a first communication technology;

displaying a screen comprising a plurality of groups generated based on each of a plurality of portions of the content if the content comprises a plurality of portions;

adding the tagged external device to a group of the plurality of groups; and

transmitting one of the plurality of portions of the content and a synchronization signal to the tagged external device based on a characteristic of the group of the plurality of groups to which the external device is added using a second communication technology different from the first communication technology.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the synchronization signal comprises a signal to synchronize the tagged external device and a content playback time on a real time basis.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the transmitting of the one of the plurality of portions of the content and the synchronization signal comprises, if communication is established with the tagged external device while the content is played back, transmitting the one of the plurality of portions of the content by a streaming method.

13. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

displaying a group control screen including a control menu to adjust an output state of the content.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

if an adjustment command for one of the plurality of groups is input, transmitting the adjustment command to each external device belonging to one of the plurality of groups and simultaneously adjusting a content output state of each external device belonging to the one of the plurality of groups.

15. A method for controlling of a terminal device, the method comprising;

playing back content including a plurality of channel sounds;

if a tagging defined as a movement of an external device to a communication allowable range is detected, sharing communication connection information and connecting with the tagged external device using a first communication technology;

displaying a screen comprising a plurality of groups generated based on each of a plurality of channel sounds of the content if the content comprises a plurality of portions;

adding the tagged external device to a group of the plurality of groups;

processing information associated with a preset channel sound from among the plurality of channel sounds;

generating a synchronization signal and an audio signal of one of the plurality of channel sounds of the content to be output at the tagged external device based on the information associated with the preset channel sound and a characteristic of the plurality of groups to which the external device is added; and

transmitting, using a second communication technology different from the first communication technology, the synchronization signal and the audio signal of the content to be output at the tagged external device.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15,

wherein the processing of the information associated with the preset channel sound comprises classifying the audio signal into the plurality of channel sounds, and

wherein the synchronization signal and the audio signal of one of the plurality of channel sounds of the content are generated for each of the classified channel sounds for each corresponding tagged external device.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the plurality of channel sounds comprise at least one of a front left channel sound, a front right channel sound, a rear left channel sound, a rear right channel sound, a center channel sound, a low frequency effects channel sound.

18. The method as claimed in claim 15,

wherein the processing of the information associated with the preset channel sound comprises identifying sound information which designates channel sound to be output at the tagged external device from among the plurality of channel sounds, and

wherein the audio signal comprises each of the plurality of channel sounds to be output at the tagged external device.