Device, system and method for selecting, sharing and displaying electronic content

• US 8,656,316 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2010
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Lazaridis, Mihal
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHUONG, TRUC T
• Application Number:
  US12/751,186
• Publication Number:
  US 20110113370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,420 Days
• Field of Search: 715/810, 715/962, 715863-864
• US Class Current: 715/864
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/64 file transfer between terminals download of applications H04M1/72406; transfer of messages, e.g. SMS, e-mail or MMS H04M1/7243
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels

Abstract

A device, system and method to present electronic content on a first mobile electronic device in communication and configured to receive electronic content from a second electronic device. In accordance with a system, a first mobile electronic device having a first processor, a first short-range communications subsystem coupled to the first processor, and a first display coupled to the first processor; and a second mobile electronic device having a second processor, a second short-range communications subsystem coupled to the processor, a long-range communications subsystem coupled to the processor and operable to couple to a content server via a communication network, and a second display coupled to the second processor, wherein a short-range wireless connection is established between the first and second short-range communications subsystems of the first and second mobile electronic devices.

Claims

1. A system for presenting electronic content, comprising:

a first mobile electronic device having a first processor, a first short-range communications subsystem coupled to the first processor, and a first display coupled to the first processor; and

a second mobile electronic device having a second processor, a second short-range communications subsystem coupled to the second processor, a long-range communications subsystem coupled to the second processor and operable to couple to a content server via a communication network, and a second display coupled to the second processor, wherein a short-range wireless connection is established between the first and second short-range communications subsystems of the first and second mobile electronic devices and wherein the coupling of the first and second short-range communications subsystems via the short-range wireless connection creates a personal area network (PAN) between the first and second mobile electronic devices and wherein the first mobile electronic device and the second mobile electronic device are configured to transmit between them one or more of the plurality of selectable electronic-content-items via the short-range wireless connection;

wherein, in response to a query received by the second mobile electronic device, the second mobile electronic device establishes a long-range wireless connection to the content server, queries the content server for a list of a plurality of selectable electronic-content-items available for downloading, and presents, via the short-range wireless connection with the first mobile electronic device, the list of the plurality of selectable electronic-content-items available for downloading to the first mobile electronic device,

wherein in response to a request for one or more selected electronic-content-items received by the second mobile electronic device from the first mobile electronic device, the second mobile electronic device re-establishes the long-range wireless connection to the content server and retrieves the one or more selected electronic-content-items from the content server, and the second short-range communications subsystem of the second mobile electronic device transmits the one or more selected electronic-content-items to the first mobile electronic device via the short-range wireless connection, and

wherein at least one of the first mobile electronic device and the second mobile electronic device comprises one or more navigation elements and the plurality of selectable electronic-content-items are navigable and selectable at the at least one of the first mobile electronic device and the second mobile electronic device using the one or more navigation elements.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the query is received by the second short-range communications subsystem and originates from the first mobile electronic device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the query is received at an input/output subsystem of the second mobile electronic device and originates from a user of the second mobile electronic device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the second mobile electronic device displays the list of the plurality of selectable electronic-content-items on the display element of the second mobile electronic device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the second mobile electronic device transmits the list of the plurality of selectable electronic-content-items to the first mobile electronic device via the short-range wireless connection between the first and second mobile electronic devices to present the list.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the second mobile electronic device displays the list of the plurality of selectable electronic-content-items on the display element of the second mobile electronic device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the second short-range communications subsystem of the second mobile electronic device transmits the list of the plurality of selectable electronic-content-items to the first short-range communications subsystem of the first mobile electronic device via short-range wireless connection and the first processor controls a display controller of the first mobile electronic device to display the list of the plurality of selectable electronic-content-items on the first display.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more selected electronic-content-items, after being retrieved from the content server, are stored in an electronic content repository of the second mobile electronic device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the request received by the second mobile electronic device originates when the first mobile electronic device receives at an input subsystem of the first mobile electronic device a selection of the one or more selected electronic-content-items, an output subsystem of the first mobile electronic device transmits the request for the one or more selected electronic-content-items to the second mobile electronic device via the short-range wireless connection between the first and second mobile electronic devices, and the short-range communications subsystem of the second mobile electronic device receives the request for the one or more selected electronic-content-items.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the second mobile electronic device further comprises an electronic content manager coupled to the second processor and an electronic content repository controlled by the electronic content manager and wherein the one or more selected electronic-content-items, after being retrieved from the content server, are stored in the electronic content repository of the second mobile electronic.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a content server coupled to the long-range communications subsystem of the second mobile electronic device via a communications network and a content repository coupled to the content server.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the second mobile electronic device further comprises an electronic content manager coupled to the second processor and an electronic content repository controlled by the electronic content manager, and wherein the electronic content manager of the second mobile electronic device stores the retrieved one or more selected electronic-content-items in the electronic content repository of the second mobile electronic device.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications network further comprises a wireless wide-area network to which the long-range communications subsystem of the second mobile electronic device is coupled via the long-range wireless connection.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the wireless wide-area network is a cellular network that comprises a plurality of base stations coupled to and controlled by a base station controller to which the second mobile electronic device is coupled via the long-range wireless connection.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the communications network further comprises a public or private network coupled to the wireless wide-area network and to which the content server is coupled.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the public or private network is the world wide web.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

the first mobile electronic device receives the transmitted one or more selected electronic-content-items and displays the one or more selected electronic-content-items on the first display of the first mobile electronic device.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

the first mobile electronic device stores in an electronic content repository of the first mobile electronic device the received one or more selected electronic-content-items.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the first mobile electronic device receives the transmitted one or more selected electronic-content-items and displays the one or more selected electronic-content-items on the first display of the first mobile electronic device.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

the first mobile electronic device stores in an electronic content repository of the first mobile electronic device the received one or more selected electronic-content-items.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the first mobile electronic device further comprises a memory that stores one or more subroutines executable by the first processor, the one or more subroutines being adapted to:

present the list of the plurality of selectable electronic-content-items available for downloading to the first mobile electronic device via the first display;

receive a selection of one or more of plurality of selectable electronic-content-items at an input subsystem of the first mobile electronic device; and

request the one or more selected electronic-content-items via the first short-range communications subsystem of the first mobile electronic device.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of selectable electronic-content-items comprise one or more of an electronic book, video, music, multimedia, and an e-mail attachment.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the first mobile electronic device is one or more of a personal digital assistant (PDA) and an electronic book.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the first mobile electronic device has a display large enough for visual viewing of the one or more selected electronic-content-items.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the second mobile electronic device is one or more of a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a computer.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the first mobile electronic device further comprises the one or more navigation elements

and selectable at the first mobile electronic device using the one or more navigation elements.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the first display is of a size for viewing and navigating through visual content played by a user on the first mobile electronic device.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the second mobile electronic device can navigate the plurality of navigable, selectable electronic-content-items on a server.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein further in response to a request for one or more selected electronic-content-items received by the second mobile electronic device, the one or more selected electronic-content-items if visual are playable or viewable on the first display of the first mobile electronic device, and the one or more navigation elements of the first mobile electronic device are operable to navigate through content of the one or more selected electronic-content-items.

30. The system of claim 26, wherein the first short-range communications subsystem of the first mobile electronic device is operable to transmit a first electronic content list to the second mobile electronic device via the short-range wireless connection, wherein the first electronic content list is an updated list of electronic content stored on the first mobile electronic device, and

wherein the second short-range communications subsystem of the second mobile electronic device transmits a second electronic content list to the first mobile electronic device via the short-range wireless connection, wherein the second electronic content list is an updated list of electronic content stored on the second mobile electronic device.