CONTENT PRESENTATION AND INTERACTION ACROSS MULTIPLE DISPLAYS

• US 20140068520A1
• Filed: 08/29/2012
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Missig, Julian K., Coelho, Marcelo H., Bernstein, Jeffrey T.
• Granted Patent: US 9,360,997 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/841
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1438 using more than one graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/04 Display device controller operating with a plurality of display units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/02 Networking aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/06 Consumer Electronics Control, i.e. control of another device by a display or vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/12 Synchronisation between the display unit and other units, e.g. other display units, video-disc players

Abstract

An application can generate multiple user interfaces for display across multiple electronic devices. After the electronic devices establish communication, an application running on at least one of the devices can present a first set of information items on a touch-enabled display of one of the electronic devices. The electronic device can receive a user selection of one of the first set of information items. In response to receiving the user selection, the application can generate a second set of information items for display on the other electronic device. The second set of information items can represent an additional level of information related to the selected information item.

Claims

1. A method of presenting information, the method comprising:

establishing a connection, by a first electronic device having a touch-enabled display, with a second electronic device having a second display;

presenting a first set of information items on the touch-enabled display of the first electronic device, the first set of information items being navigable and selectable by a user of the first electronic device;

receiving, from the user via the touch-enabled display of the first electronic device, a selection of one of the first set of information items; and

based at least in part on the selection, enabling a second set of information items associated with the selected information item to be presented on the second display of the second electronic device while the first set of information items is presented on the touch-enabled display of the first electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of information items and the second set of information items are associated with a single application program and the second set of information items represents an additional level of information related to the selected information item.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first electronic device is a tablet computing device and the second electronic device is a desktop computer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of information items includes a set of songs, the selected information item is one of the set of songs, and the second set of information items includes at least one of a duration of the song, a category to which the song belongs, or an item of artwork associated with the song.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second set of information items is stored locally on the first electronic device and transmitted from the first electronic device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of information items includes a set of controls capable of modifying the second set of information items presented on the second display of the second electronic device.

7. An electronic device, comprising:

a processor;

a touch-enabled display;

a memory device coupled to the processor, the memory device including instructions to be executed for presenting information, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

present a first set of information items on the touch-enabled display of the electronic device, the first set of information items being navigable and selectable by a user of the electronic device;

receive a selection of one of the first set of information items; and

in response to receiving the selection, cause a second set of information items associated with the selected information item to be presented on another display of another electronic device while the first set of information items is presented on the touch-enabled display of the electronic device, the second set of information items representing an additional level of information related to the selected information item.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the electronic device and the other electronic device are communicatively coupled via a wireless network.

9. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the first and second sets of information items are stored locally on the electronic device.

10. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the first set of information items includes a set of e-mail messages, the selected item is one of the set of e-mail messages, and the second set of information item includes content of the selected e-mail message.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

cause a portion of the selected message to be displayed on the other display of the other electronic device;

receive a user indication for composing a message;

display a virtual keyboard capable of receiving character input in a portion of the touch-enabled display;

receive user input including a set of characters; and

in response to receiving the user input, display the set of characters on the touch-enabled display of the electronic device.

12. A computer readable storage medium encoded with program instructions that, when executed, cause a processor in a first electronic device to execute a method for presenting information, the method comprising:

displaying a first set of information items on a touch-enabled display of the first electronic device, the first set of information items being navigable and selectable by a user of the first electronic device;

receiving user input associated with the first set of information items through the touch-enabled display of the first electronic device; and

in response to receiving the user input, causing a second set of information items to be displayed by a second electronic device, the second set of information items including an additional level of information associated with at least one of the first set of information items.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the user input is a selection of one of the first set of information items, wherein the additional level of information is associated with the selected information item.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the first set of information items includes a set of controls for an application, and, wherein the second set of information items includes a media presentation that is modified when a signal indicating user operation of a control in the set of controls is received.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the user input is a character input, wherein the second set of information items includes a display of the user input and a lower level of information associated with at least one of the first set of information items.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the first set of information items includes a first image of an object from a first perspective, wherein the user input indicates a desired second perspective for viewing the object or location, and wherein the second set of information items includes a second image of the object from the second perspective.

17. A computer readable storage medium encoded with program instructions that, when executed, cause a processor in a first electronic device to execute a method for presenting information, the method comprising:

sending a first set of information items to a second electronic device with a touch-enabled display;

receiving user interaction with the first set of information items from the second electronic device; and

in response to receiving the user interaction, displaying a second set of information items on a display of the first electronic device, the second set of information items representing an additional level of information associated with at least one of the first set of information items.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the first and second sets of information items are stored on the first electronic device.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the first set of information items includes a set of controls for manipulating the second set of information items.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the first set of information items includes an image of an object from a first perspective, and wherein the additional level of information includes an image of the object from a different perspective.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the first set of information items are interface elements defined by a video conferencing application, wherein the first set of information items includes a first set of images captured locally using a camera connected to at least one of the first or second electronic devices and the second set of information items includes a second set of images captured remotely by a third electronic device.

22. A method for displaying information, the method comprising:

sending, by a first electronic device, a first set of information items to a second electronic device with a touch-enabled display;

receiving, by the first electronic device, user interaction with the first set of information items from the second electronic device; and

in response to receiving the user interaction, displaying, by the first electronic device, a second set of information items on a display of the first electronic device, the second set of information items representing an additional level of information associated with at least one of the first set of information items.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the first electronic device and the second electronic device are communicatively coupled via a wired interface.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the user interaction with the first set of information items includes a selection of one of the first set of information items, wherein the second set of information items represent a lower level of information associated with the selected information item.

25. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

sending, by the first electronic device, a third set of information items to the second electronic device in response to receiving the user interaction.