Image display apparatus and method for operating the same

• US 8,621,509 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2010
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Jeong, Youngho, Ha, Eunhee, Suh, Myongwon, Park, Dohyung
• Primary Examiner(s): Chokshi, Pinkal R
• Application Number:
  US12/972,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20110265119A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• Field of Search: 725/38, 725/47, 725/54, 725/110, 725/112, 725/113, 725/118, 725/131, 725/139, 725/151, 725/114, 725/32, 725/51, 725/46, 715/769, 715/763, 382/305
• US Class Current: 725/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• 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 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4363 Adapting the video stream to a specific local network, e.g. a Bluetooth® network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44245 Monitoring the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. its availability, bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4621 Controlling the complexity of the content stream or additional data, e.g. lowering the resolution or bit-rate of the video stream for a mobile client with a small screen arrangements for using the results of monitoring on user's side in broadcast systems H04H60/65; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence

Abstract

A method for operating an image display apparatus is discussed. The method according to an embodiment includes reproducing content, storing at least part of the reproduced content, upon receipt of a content save command, displaying a content object representing the stored content, displaying objects representing other users or electronic devices of a connected network or a network linked to the connected network, and transmitting, when the content object is dragged and dropped on an object selected from among the objects representing other users or electronic devices, the stored content to a selected user or electronic device represented by the selected object. The content is at least one of a broadcast image, an external input image, an audio file, a still image, a connected Web page, or a text file.

Claims

1. A method for operating an image display apparatus configured to receive a television broadcast from one of a landline, a satellite and another connection, the method comprising:

reproducing content, the content being at least one of a television broadcast image, another broadcast image, a text, audio or image file stored within the image display apparatus, a text, audio or image file stored remotely from the image display apparatus, and a connected Web page;

displaying a content save object for storing the reproduced content with an image related to the reproduced content during content reproduction;

storing at least a part of the reproduced content as stored content upon selection of the content save object;

simultaneously displaying

     1) a content object representing the stored content, and

     2) an object representing one of a user and an electronic device connected to the image display apparatus via a wired or wireless network or from a network linked to the connected wired or wireless network;

receiving a move command to move the stored content to the one of the user and the electronic device; and

transmitting the stored content to the one of the user and the electronic device via the connected wired or wireless network,

wherein the step of receiving a move command comprises displaying an icon representing the stored content moving between the content object and the object representing one of the user and the electronic device,

wherein a shape of the icon is determined based on a type of the stored content, the type being one of a broadcast image type, an audio data type, a Web page type, and an e-book page type, and

wherein the object includes user objects corresponding to users connected to the network and network connection state information for the user objects, respectively;

displaying an object asking whether to change the size of the stored content to be transmitted according to a network connection state on the display; and

scaling down the stored content upon a selection for changing the size of the stored content to be transmitted,

wherein the transmitting step transmits the scaled down stored content to the selected user or electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving a move command comprises:

dragging the icon representing the stored content in response to a user input for moving the stored content; and

dropping the icon on the object representing one of the user and the electronic device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving a move command comprises:

recognizing that a remote controller is pointed toward the displayed content object;

recognizing that the remote controller is pointed toward the object representing one of the user and the electronic device; and

receiving a user input for transmitting the stored content to the one of the user and the electronic device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the content object representing the stored content comprises:

an object corresponding to content stored from a time of selection of the content save object to a time of receiving the move command or a content saving stop command; and

an object corresponding to a predetermined amount of the content stored before the content save commend is received.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user objects include at least one of an icon, nickname or name of each of the users connected to the network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of a color, brightness or outline of the content save object is changed according to a number of selections of the content save object.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting step includes:

transmitting a thumbnail image of the stored content to the selected user or the electronic device of the selected user over a network;

receiving a content send request signal from the selected user or the electronic device of the selected user over the network; and

transmitting the stored content to the selected user or electronic device in response to the content send request.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving movement information corresponding to movement of a remote controller from the remote controller; and

displaying a pointer representing movement of the remote controller based on the movement information.

7. An image display apparatus configured to receive a television broadcast from one of a landline, a satellite and another connection, the image display apparatus comprising:

a network interface unit;

a display;

a memory; and

a controller operatively connected to the display and the memory, the controller configured to

reproduce content, the content being at least one of a television broadcast image, another broadcast image, a text, audio or image file stored within the image display apparatus, a text, audio or image file stored remotely from the image display apparatus, and a connected Web page,

display a content save object for storing the reproduced content with an image related to the reproduced content during content reproduction,

store at least a part of the reproduced content as stored content upon selection of the content save object,

simultaneously display

     1) a content object representing the stored content, and

     2) an object representing one of a user and an electronic device connected to the image display apparatus via a wired or wireless network or from a network linked to the connected wired or wireless network,

receive a move command to move the stored content to the one of the user and the electronic device, and

transmit the stored content to the one of the user and the electronic device via the connected wired or wireless network through the network interface unit,

wherein the controller is configured to display an icon representing the stored content moving between the content object and the object representing one of the user and the electronic device,

wherein a shape of the icon is determined based on a type of the stored content, the type being one of a broadcast image type, an audio data type, a Web page type, and an e-book page type, and

wherein the object includes user objects corresponding to users connected to the network and network connection state information for the user objects, respectively;

display an object asking whether to change the size of the stored content to be transmitted according to a network connection state on the display; and

scale down the stored content upon a selection for changing the size of the stored content to be transmitted,

wherein the transmit step transmits the scaled down stored content to the selected user or electronic device.

8. The image display apparatus of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to:

drag the icon representing the stored content in response to a user input for moving the stored content, and

drop the icon on the object representing one of the user and the electronic device.

9. The image display apparatus of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to:

recognize that a remote controller is pointed toward the displayed content object,

recognize that the remote controller is pointed toward the object representing one of the user and the electronic device, and

receive a user input for transmitting the stored content to the one of the user and the electronic device.

10. The image display apparatus of claim 7, wherein the content object representing the stored content, comprises:

an object corresponding to content stored from a time of selection of the content save object to a time of receiving the move command; and

an object corresponding to a predetermined amount of the content stored before the content save commend is received.

11. The image display apparatus of claim 7, wherein the user objects include at least one of an icon, nickname or name of each of the users connected to the network.

12. The image display apparatus of claim 7, wherein at least one of a color, brightness or outline of the content save object is changed according to a number of selections of the content save object.

16. The image display apparatus of claim 7, wherein the network interface unit is configured to:

transmit a thumbnail image of the stored content to the selected user or the electronic device of the selected user over a network,

receive a content send request signal from the selected user or the electronic device of the selected user over the network, and

transmit the stored content to the selected user or electronic device in response to the content send request.

17. The image display apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a user input interface unit to receive movement information corresponding to movement of a remote controller from the remote controller,

wherein the controller is configured to display a pointer representing movement of the remote controller based on the movement information.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium including instructions configured to cause an image display apparatus configured to receive a television broadcast from one of a landline, a satellite and another connection to perform the following steps:

reproducing content, the content being at least one of a television broadcast image, another broadcast image, a text, audio or image file stored within the image display apparatus, a text, audio or image file stored remotely from the image display apparatus, and a connected Web page;

displaying a content save object for storing the reproduced content with an image related to the reproduced content during content reproduction;

storing at least a part of the reproduced content as stored content upon selection of the content save object;

simultaneously displaying

     1) a content object representing the content, including the stored content, and

     2) an object representing one of a user and an electronic device connected to the image display apparatus via a wired or wireless network or from a network linked to the connected wired or wireless network;

receiving a move command to move the stored content to the one of the user and the electronic device; and

transmitting the stored content to the one of the user and the electronic device via the connected wired or wireless network,

wherein the step of receiving a move command comprises displaying an icon representing the stored content moving between the content object and the object representing one of the user and the electronic device,

wherein a shape of the icon is determined based on a type of the stored content, the type being one of a broadcast image type, an audio data type, a Web page type, and an e-book page type, and

wherein the object includes user objects corresponding to users connected to the network and network connection state information for the user objects, respectively,

displaying an object asking whether to change the size of the stored content to be transmitted according to a network connection state on the display; and

scaling down the stored content upon a selection for changing the size of the stored content to be transmitted,

wherein the transmitting step transmits the scaled down stored content to the selected user or electronic device.