Display management during a multi-party conversation

• US 20060098085A1
• Filed: 11/05/2004
• Published: 05/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 1, LLC
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nichols, Paul Henry, Moulton, Carey Lloyd, Rice, Myra Louise
• Granted Patent: US 7,492,386 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.07
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/62 user interface aspects of conference calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing a display during a teleconference between a primary participant and one or more secondary participants is described herein. According to the present invention, a primary image corresponding to the primary participant and a subset of secondary images that correspond to secondary participants are displayed on first and second sections of the display, respectively. By scrolling through the secondary images during the teleconference, different subsets of the secondary images may be displayed. Another exemplary embodiment of the present invention comprises superimposing an image over another image. By adjusting the opacity of at least one of the images, the user may view and/or access both images during the teleconference. According to another exemplary embodiment, a user may interchange the primary image with a selected one of the secondary images, responsive to user input, to focus on the selected image.

Claims

5-1. The communication device of claim 9 wherein the display is further configured to superimpose the primary image over at least a portion of a third image.

9. A communication device configured to facilitate a teleconference between a primary participant and one or more secondary participants comprising:

a display configured to display a primary image corresponding to the primary participant in a first section of the display and to display a subset of a series of secondary images in a second section of the display, wherein each secondary image corresponds to one of the secondary participants; and

a controller configured to scroll through the secondary images to display different subsets of the secondary images during the teleconference.

1. A method of managing a display during a teleconference between a primary participant and one or more secondary participants comprising:

displaying a primary image corresponding to the primary participant in a first section of the display;

displaying a subset of a series of secondary images in a second section of the display, wherein each secondary image corresponds to one of the secondary participants; and

scrolling through the secondary images and displaying different subsets of the secondary images during the teleconference.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein scrolling through the secondary images comprises automatically scrolling through the secondary images during the teleconference.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein scrolling through the secondary images comprises manually scrolling through the secondary images responsive to user input.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the user input comprises activating a control button or providing one or more body gestures detected by a motion sensor.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising interchanging the primary image with a selected one of the secondary images based on user input.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

superimposing the primary image over at least a portion of a third image; and

adjusting an opacity of at least one of the primary and third images to provide simultaneous access to the primary and third images during the teleconference.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising accessing and launching an application associated with the third image during the teleconference.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting one or more of the secondary images for a sidebar communication;

inviting the secondary participants corresponding to the selected images to participate in the sidebar communication; and

establishing the sidebar communication with each of the invited secondary participants that accept the invitation.

10. The communication device of claim 9 wherein the controller is configured to automatically scroll through the secondary images.

11. The communication device of claim 9 further comprising one or more control buttons, wherein the controller is configured to scroll through the secondary images responsive to user activation of the one or more control buttons.

12. The communication device of claim 11 wherein the one or more control buttons comprises one or more softkey control buttons displayed on a third section of the display.

13. The communication device of claim 9 further comprising a motion sensor, wherein the controller is configured to manually scroll through the secondary images responsive to one or more user gestures detected by the motion sensor.

14. The communication device of claim 9 further comprising a focus processor configured to interchange the primary image with a selected one of the secondary images based on user input.

17. The communication device of claim 9 wherein the primary and secondary images each comprise at least one of a photograph, caricature, video image, and icon.

18. The communication device of claim 9 wherein the first section of the display is larger than the second section of the display.

19. The communication device of claim 9 wherein the display comprises at least one of a holographic display, a flat panel display, and a multi-layer display.

16. The communication device of claim 15 further comprising an opacity processor configured to adjust the opacity of at least one of the third arid primary images to provide simultaneous access to the third and primary images during the teleconference.

20. A method of managing a display of a communication device during a teleconference comprising:

displaying a first image on a first layer of the display;

displaying a second image on a second layer of the display; and

adjusting an opacity of at least one of the first and second layers to provide simultaneous access to the images displayed on the first and second layers during the teleconference.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising accessing and launching an application associated with the first image during the teleconference.

22. The method of claim 20 including automatically adjusting the opacity of at least one of the first and second layers.

23. The method of claim 20 including manually adjusting the opacity of at least one of the first and second layers responsive to user input.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein the first image comprises an application image and wherein the second image comprises a primary image corresponding to a primary participant of the teleconference.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the application image comprises one of an application icon and a file image.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the second image further comprises one or more secondary images corresponding to one or more secondary participants of the teleconference.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising interchanging a selected one of the secondary images with the primary image responsive to user input.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein the primary image is displayed in a first section of the display and wherein a subset of a series of the secondary images is displayed in a second section of the display, the method further comprising scrolling through the secondary images to display different subsets of the secondary images in the second section of the display during the teleconference.

29. The method of claim 20 wherein adjusting the opacity comprises reducing the opacity of at least one of the first and second layers.

30. The method of claim 20 wherein adjusting the opacity comprises adjusting the opacity of at least one of the first and second layers to between 20% and 80%.

31. The method of claim 20 wherein the second layer is superimposed over the first layer and wherein adjusting the opacity comprises reducing the opacity of the second layer.

32. A communication device configured to facilitate a teleconference comprising:

a display configured to display a first image on a first layer and a second image on a second layer; and

a controller configured to adjust an opacity of at least one of the first and second layers to provide simultaneous access to the images displayed on the first and second layers during the teleconference.

33. The communication device of claim 32 wherein the controller is further configured to launch an application corresponding to the first image responsive to a user accessing the first image.

34. The communication device of claim 32 wherein the controller is further configured to automatically adjust the opacity of at least one of the first and second layers.

35. The communication device of claim 32 wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the opacity of at least one of the first and second layers responsive to user input.

36. The communication device of claim 32 wherein the first image comprises an application image and wherein the second image comprises a primary image corresponding to a primary participant of the teleconference.

37. The communication device of claim 36 wherein the application image comprises one of an application icon and a file image.

38. The communication device of claim 36 further comprising a focus processor configured to interchange the primary image with a selected secondary image responsive to user input, wherein said selected secondary image corresponds to a secondary participant of the teleconference.

39. The communication device of claim 36 wherein the second image further comprises one or more secondary images corresponding to one or more secondary participants of the teleconference.

40. The communication device of claim 39 wherein the primary and secondary images each comprise one of a photograph, caricature, video image, and icon.

41. The communication device of claim 39 wherein the primary image is displayed in a first section of the display and wherein a subset of the secondary images is displayed in a second section of the display.

42. The communication device of claim 41 further comprising a scroll processor configured to scroll through the secondary images to display different subsets of the secondary images during the teleconference.

43. A method of managing a display of a communication device during a teleconference comprising:

displaying a first image on the display;

superimposing a second image over at least a portion of the first image; and

adjusting an opacity of at least one of the first and second images to provide simultaneous access to the displayed images during the teleconference.

44. The method of claim 43 further comprising accessing and launching an application associated with the first image during the teleconference.

45. The method of claim 43 wherein the first image comprises an application image and the second image comprises a primary image corresponding to a primary participant of the teleconference.

46. The method of claim 45 wherein the second image further comprises one or more secondary images corresponding to one or more secondary participants in the teleconference.

47. The method of claim 43 wherein adjusting the opacity comprises adjusting the opacity of the second image to a value between 20% and 80%.

48. The method of claim 43 wherein displaying the first image comprises displaying a first image with an opacity between 80% and 100%.

49. A method of managing a display during a teleconference between a primary participant and one or more secondary participants comprising:

displaying a primary image associated with the primary participant in a first section of the display;

displaying one or more secondary images in a second section of the display, wherein each secondary image corresponds to one of the secondary participants; and

interchanging the primary image with a selected one of the secondary images based on user input.

50. The method of claim 49 further comprising interchanging the primary image with a third image responsive to user input.

51. The method of claim 50 wherein the third image comprises an image associated with the primary participant.

52. The method of claim 49 further comprising scrolling through said secondary images and displaying different subsets of the secondary images during the teleconference.

53. The method of claim 49 further comprising:

superimposing a third image over at least a portion of at least one of the primary and secondary images; and

adjusting an opacity of the of the third image to provide simultaneous access to the primary image and the secondary images during the teleconference.

54. The method of claim 49 further comprising:

selecting one or more of the secondary images for a sidebar communication;

inviting the secondary participants corresponding to the selected images to participate in the sidebar communication; and

establishing the sidebar communication with each of the invited secondary participants that accept the invitation.

55. The method of claim 49 wherein the user input comprises activating a control button or providing one or more body gestures detected by a motion sensor.

56. A communication device configured to facilitate a teleconference between a primary participant and one or more secondary participants comprising:

a display configured to display a primary image corresponding to the primary participant in a first section of the display and to display one or more secondary images in a second section of the display, wherein each secondary image corresponds to one of the secondary participants; and

a controller configured to interchange the primary image with a selected one of the secondary images based on user input.

57. The communication device of claim 56 wherein the controller is further configured to interchange the primary image with a third image responsive to user input.

58. The communication device of claim 57 wherein the third image comprises an image associated with the primary participant.

59. The communication device of claim 56 wherein the display is further configured to superimpose the primary image over a third image, the communication device further comprising an opacity controller configured to adjust an opacity of at least one of the third and primary images to provide simultaneous access to the third and primary images during the teleconference.

60. The communication device of claim 56 wherein the primary and secondary images comprise at least one of a photograph, caricature, video image, and icon.

61. The communication device of claim 56 further comprising a scroll processor configured to scroll through the secondary images to display different subsets of the secondary images during the teleconference.