PORTABLE TERMINAL AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING EXTERNAL APPARATUS THEREOF

• US 20150026599A1
• Filed: 07/09/2014
• Published: 01/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Jee-hyeok, KIM, Young-jin
• Granted Patent: US 10,177,927 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1836 with heterogeneous network architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails

Abstract

A portable terminal and a method for controlling an external apparatus thereof are provided. The method for controlling an external apparatus of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes display, when an application to perform chatting with a user of another portable terminal is executed, a chatting screen including at least one icon corresponding to an external apparatus, obtaining, when one of the at least one icon is selected, information regarding an external apparatus corresponding to the selected one icon, and transmitting the information regarding the external apparatus to the other portable terminal.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an external apparatus of a portable terminal, the method comprising:

displaying, when an application to perform chatting with a user of another portable terminal is executed, a chatting screen including at least one icon corresponding to an external apparatus;

obtaining, when one of the at least one icon is selected, information regarding an external apparatus corresponding to the selected one icon; and

transmitting the information regarding the external apparatus to the other portable terminal.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the displaying of the chatting screen including the at least one icon corresponding to the external apparatus comprises:

receiving, when the application to perform chatting with the user of the other portable terminal is executed, a list of external apparatuses controllable by the other portable terminal from the other portable terminal;

determining an external apparatus controllable by both the other portable terminal and the portable terminal using the list of external apparatuses; and

displaying an icon corresponding to the determined external apparatus on the chatting screen.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, comprising:

recommending, when there is a first external apparatus which is controllable by the other portable terminal but not controllable by the portable terminal, a service regarding the first external apparatus.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

displaying, when information regarding a second external apparatus is received from the other portable terminal, an icon corresponding to the second external apparatus on the chatting screen.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, comprising:

transmitting, when the icon corresponding to the second external apparatus is selected, the information regarding the second external apparatus received from the other portable terminal and a control command to the second external apparatus.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, further comprising:

transmitting, when communication between the portable terminal and the second external apparatus is not established, a signal to request communication to the second external apparatus.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the obtaining comprises:

obtaining, when an external apparatus corresponding to the selected one icon is a television, information regarding a currently-displayed channel from the television.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the displaying comprises:

recommending, while chatting is performed with users of a plurality of other portable terminals and when the portable terminal does not control a third external apparatus which is controllable by more than a predetermined number of portable terminals from among the plurality of other portable terminals, a service regarding the third external apparatus.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform the method of claim 1.

9. A portable terminal comprising:

a display;

an input unit configured to receive a user command;

a communication unit configured to perform communication with outside; and

a controller configured to, when an application to perform chatting with a user of another portable terminal is executed, control the display to display a chatting screen including at least one icon corresponding to an external apparatus, and, when a user command to select one of the at least one icon is input through the input unit, control the communication unit to obtain information regarding an external apparatus corresponding to the selected one icon and transmit the information regarding the external apparatus to the other portable terminal.

10. The portable terminal as claimed in claim 9, wherein the controller, when the application to perform chatting with a user of the other portable terminal is executed, controls the communication unit to receive a list of external apparatuses controllable by the other portable terminal from the other portable terminal, and controls the display to determine an external apparatus controllable by both the other portable terminal and the portable terminal using the list of external apparatuses and display an icon corresponding to the determined external apparatus on the chatting screen.

11. The portable terminal as claimed in claim 10, wherein the controller, when there is a first external apparatus which is controllable by the other portable terminal but not controllable by the portable terminal, recommends a service regarding the first external apparatus.

12. The portable terminal as claimed in claim 9, wherein the controller, when information regarding a second external apparatus is received from the other portable terminal, controls the display to display an icon corresponding to the second external apparatus on the chatting screen.

13. The portable terminal as claimed in claim 12, wherein the controller, when the icon corresponding to the second external apparatus is selected, controls the communication unit to transmit the information regarding the second external apparatus received from the other portable terminal and a control command to the second external apparatus.

14. The portable terminal as claimed in claim 13, wherein the controller, when communication between the portable terminal and the second external apparatus is not established, controls the communication unit to transmit a signal to request communication to the second external apparatus.

15. The portable terminal as claimed in claim 9, wherein the controller, when an external apparatus corresponding to the selected one icon is a television, controls the communication unit to obtain information regarding a currently-displayed channel from the television.

16. The portable terminal as claimed in claim 9, wherein the controller, while chatting is performed with users of a plurality of other portable terminals, when the portable terminal does not control a third external apparatus which is controllable by more than a predetermined number of portable terminals from among the plurality of other portable terminals, recommends a service regarding the third external apparatus.

17. A method for controlling an external apparatus of a portable terminal, the method comprising:

displaying, when an application to perform chatting with a user of another portable terminal is executed, a chatting screen including at least one icon corresponding to an external apparatus;

displaying, when information regarding an external apparatus is received from the other portable terminal, an icon corresponding to the received external apparatus on the chatting screen; and

transmitting, when an icon corresponding to the received external apparatus is selected, the information regarding the external apparatus and a control command to an external apparatus corresponding to the selected icon.

18. A portable terminal comprising:

a display;

an input unit configured to receive a user command;

a communication unit configured to perform communication with outside; and

a controller configured to, when an application to perform chatting with a user of another portable terminal is executed, control the display to display a chatting screen including at least one icon corresponding to an external apparatus, when information regarding an external apparatus is received from the other portable terminal, control the display to display an icon corresponding to the received external apparatus on the chatting screen, and, when an icon corresponding to the received external apparatus is selected through the input unit, control the controller to transmit the information regarding the external apparatus and a control command to an external apparatus corresponding to the selected icon.

19. The portable terminal of claim 18, wherein each of the portable terminal and the other portable terminal receive a list of external apparatuses of a corresponding portable terminal via a server.