WO2014209271A1

WO2014209271A1 - Multidisciplinary nomad sub-screen system

Info

Publication number: WO2014209271A1
Application number: PCT/US2013/047466
Authority: WO
Inventors: Stephane Haziza
Original assignee: Thomson Licensing
Priority date: 2013-06-25
Filing date: 2013-06-25
Publication date: 2014-12-31

Abstract

ABSTRACT A multidisciplinary nomad sub-screen system is provided. The system includes a server, such as an audio/video server, in signal communication with a main display screen, a plurality of multimedia content sources in signal communication the server, and a user interface in signal communication with the server. The system is configured to enable a user interface device to determine at least one sub-section in the main display screen, assign at least one sub-screen within the at least one sub-section, size and locate the at least one sub-screen within a respective sub-section, and assign at least one content source of the plurality of content sources to the at least one sub-screen.

Description

f tULTlDISCIPUNARY NOMAD SUB-SCREEN SYSTEM

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Technical Field

The present principles relate to display devices and in particular to a main display screen being capable of displaying multiple different sub-screens within the main screen and enable individual sizing and placement of the sub-screens within the main display screen, Related Art

Multiscreen wall displays are known and generally do not allow for manipulation of the sub-displays known as nomad screens within the larger overall wall display. Generally speaking, smaller nomad screens within larger wall displays are not user controllable and do not allow for a wide variety of selection and/or manipulation by an end user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention address the deficiencies of the prior art by providing a method, apparatus and system for implementing multidisciplinary nomad sub-screens.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a system for providing sub-screens includes a server in signal communication with a main display screen, a plurality of multimedia content sources in signal communication the server, and a user interface in signal communication with the server. The system is configured to enable a user

I Interface device to determine at least one sub-section in the main display screen, assign at least one sub-screen within the at least one sub-section, size and locate the at least one sub-screen within a respective sub-section, and assign at least one content source of the plurality of content sources to the at least one sub-screen.

In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, a method includes determining at least one sub-section in the main display screen, assigning at least one sub-screen within the at least one sub-section, sizing and locating the at least one sub- screen within a respective sub-section and assigning at least one content source to the at least one sub-screen,

In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for providing sub-screens includes a memory for storing control programs and instructions and media content and a processor for executing the control programs and instructions. In the embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus is configured to determine at least one sub-section in the main display screen, assign at least one sub-screen within the at least one sub-section, size and locate the at least one sub-screen within a respective sub-section and assign at least one content source of the plurality of content sources to the at least one sub-screen,

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The teachings of the present invention can be readily understood by considering the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a high level block diagram of a multidiscipiinary nomad screen system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; FIG, 2 depicts a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of the multidisciplinary nomad screen system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of another exemplary implementation of the multidisciplinary nomad screen system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 depicts a flow diagram of a method for implementing the multidisciplinary nomad screen system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 depicts a block diagram showing the operation of the multidisciplinary nomad screen system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 depicts a block diagram showing the operation of the multidisciplinary nomad screen system in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG 7 depicts a high level block diagram of a user interface capable of being used in the system of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention advantageously provide a method, apparatus and system for implementing multidisciplinary nomad sub-screens. Although the present invention will be described primarily within the context of nomad screens on a wall display, the specific embodiments of the present invention should not be treated as limiting the scope of the invention. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art and informed by the teachings of the present invention that the concepts of the present invention can be advantageously applied to the subdivision of any display into nomad screens.

The functions of the various elements shown in the figures can be provided through the use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing software in association with appropriate software. When provided by a processor, the functions can be provided by a single dedicated processor, by a single shared processor, or by a plurality of individual processors, some of which can be shared.

Moreover, explicit use of the term "processor" or "controller" should not be construed to refer exclusively to hardware capable of executing software, and can implicitly include, without limitation, digital signal processor ("DSP") hardware, read-only memory ("ROM") for storing software, random access memory ("RAM"), and non-volatile storage.

Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the invention, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future (i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure).

Thus, for example, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the block diagrams presented herein represent conceptual views of illustrative system

components and/or circuitry embodying the principles of the invention. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudocode, and the like represent various processes which may be substantially represented in computer readable media and so executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown. Furthermore, because some of the constituent system components and methods depicted in the accompanying drawings can be implemented in software, the actual connections between the system components or the process function blocks may differ depending upon the manner in which the present principles are programmed. Given the teachings herein, one of ordinary skill in the pertinent art will be able to contemplate these and similar implementations or configurations of the present principles.

Reference in the specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" of the present invention, as well as other variations thereof, means that a particular feature, structure, characteristic, and so forth described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment", as well any other variations, appearing in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

FIG. 1 depicts a high level block diagram of a multidisciplinary nomad screen system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As depicted in FIG. 1 a main wall screen or main display device 10 is in communication with a multiprocessor computer/controller 16 or the like, and includes multiple sub-screens 12 (referred to throughout this description as nomad screens) that are selectively positioned and sized on the main display device 10 by a user. In one embodiment of the present invention, the main wall screen of FIG. 1 can comprise a plurality of smaller display screens arranged in a matrix to form one large display screen.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1 , the multiprocessor computer/controller 16 is the receiver of all external multimedia content sources for display and operates as an audio/ video server for the multidisciplinary nomad screen system. Some examples of these sources may include, but are not limited to, a satellite/cable provider 18A, a game console 18B, a DVD/DVR player 18G, and a personal computer 18D. These sources 18 are shown for exemplary purposes and can include different content sources without departing from the intended scope of the present invention. Other examples of sources can include an internet connection for streaming content (e.g., NETFLIX®) or any other outside source for multimedia content.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a user control interface device 14 is in signal communication with the server/controller 16 and is configured to enable the selection of sources 18, and more specifically, allow a user to select one or more nomad screens to view a content source on the main display device 10, That is, the user control interface device 14 enables a user to re-size, move, add and/or delete nomad screens within the main screen. In one embodiment of the present invention, the user control interface device 14 comprises a touch screen (tactile) tablet device, or could also include a laptop or any other computing device that is capable of providing a user with an interface (e.g., touch screen, mouse, stylus, etc.) with which they can control the selection of sources and more specifically the display of the nomad screens within the larger main display device 10. It should be noted that in various

embodiments of the present invention, the signal communication between the user control interface device 14 and the server/controller 18 can include any suitable wireless connection, for example WiFi, LAN, or any other suitable wireless

communication protocol. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the main display device 10 can be a single large display such as a LCD/LED or Plasma display. Alternatively, the main display device 10 can be made up of a plurality of display devices arranged in a matrix form. In one embodiment of the present Invention, the functionality of the present invention is achieved using a Picture-in-Picture (PIP) functionality of a display screen, such as the main display device 10 of FIG. 1. More specifically, in embodiments of the present invention a user control of the present invention, such as the user control interface device 14 of FIG, 1 , communicates with a display screen having PIP functionality, for example using Linux (kernel 2,6.37-3.3 ), and thus the user control is able to resize the sub-screens associated with the PIP functionality of the display screen. In addition, in such embodiments, to freely position the sub-screens of the display screen simple Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART) commands can be used. It should be noted that although in the above described embodiments of the present invention, the application of an embodiment of the present invention is described as using an existing PIP functionality of a display screen, in alternate embodiments of the present invention, sub-screen functionality, such as PIP functionality, can be imparted to a display screen not already having such functionality to accomplish the functionality of the embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 depicts a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of the

multidiscip!inary nomad screen system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In the example of FIG. 2, the main display device 10 is illustratively partitioned info four (4) sections 20A-20D. Each of these four sections represents an area of the main display device 10 within which a nomad screen 12A-12D can be displayed. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, each screen section 20A-20D can be designated for a particular source 18. For example, screen section 20A of FIG. 1 can be designated for displaying content from the Satellite/Cable source 18A. In alternate embodiments of the present invention, each screen section 20A-20D can be designated to a specific user for displaying content associated with or intended for that user, That is, in such an embodiment, the user will select one or more content sources to be displayed in respectively designated screen sections 20. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, each of the nomad screens 12A-D illustratively comprise different sizes (based on a user's preference), however it should be noted that in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, the nomad screens 12A-D can be positioned anywhere within their respective designated section 20A-D.

F!G. 3 depicts a block diagram of another exemplary implementation of the multidisciplinary nomad screen system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, in the embodiment of FIG. 3, an upper section 30A is illustratively significantly larger than the other sections SOB - 30D. In such an embodiment of the present invention, the upper section 30A can be designated as a shared section, in which an administrator of the system is allowed to designate which source 18 shall be displayed in this section. In this example, one screen 12A is sized to take up most of the section 30A. Alternatively, this section could include multiple nomad screens for displaying different sources 18. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, section 30B

encompasses a screen 12B, which was previously smaller (as depicted by the smaller dotted rectangle) and has been enlarged by the user of that section SOB to encompass more of the section 30B in accordance with the present invention. Sections 30C and 30D of FIG. 3 depict an implementation of the present invention in which more than one nomad screen 12 are positioned within the designated sections and sized according to a user's preference. More specifically, in the embodiment of FIG. 3, section 30C depicts two nomad screens 12G_t and 12C₂ and section 30D depicts three (3) nomad screens 12D_{i s} 12D2 and 1 D₃. Although in FIG. 3 the screen sections are illustratively depicted as comprising a certain number of nomad screens, it should be noted, however, that in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, a user can decide to delete a nomad screen 1 which had been previously created and/or create another nomad screen and/or can choose to move or re-size a nomad screen.

Some applications for the multidisciplinary nomad screen system of the various embodiments of the present invention include a home environment in which each registered user (e.g., family member) can have simultaneous access to all the input sources and even the entire main screen. Other applications can include security camera applications, which can reduce a number of dedicated screens needed per video input (e.g., matrix of video can be re-formed).

In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, a

server/controiSer of the present invention, such as the server/controller 16 of FIG. 1 , can be a cloud-based server that is in signal communication with the main display device 10 via a wireless gateway/set-top-box, router or the like, and the user control interface device 14 can run an application corresponding to the Multidisciplinary nomad screen system of the embodiments of present invention as described above, in such embodiments, the user is able to assign both streaming sources and cloud based sources to nomad screens on the main display device 10. As such, a user can store personal pictures, videos, music, etc. in a cloud based storage system which can be assigned as one or more sources 18 when establishing the multidisciplinary nomad screen system of the present invention.

FIG. 4 depicts a flow diagram of a method for implementing the muitidiscip!inary nomad screen system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The method 400 of FIG, 4 illustratively begins at step 402 in which at least one sub-section is determined in a main display screen. The method 400 then proceeds to step 404.

At step 404, at least one sub-screen is assigned for the at least one sub-section. The method 400 then proceeds to step 406.

At step 406, the at least one sub-screen is sized and located within a respective sub-section. The method 400 then proceeds to step 408.

At step 408, at least one content source is assigned to the at least one sub- screen. The method 400 can then be exited.

In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, a multidisciplinary nomad screen system of the present invention further includes a registration procedure. For example, in such an embodiment of the present invention, a user will login to, for example, a user control, such as the user control interface device 14 of FIG. 1. A determination is then made if the user is registered. If the user is registered, the system load a user profile associated with the registered user, which contains respective rights and permissions for the user, which can include user preferences such as, the number of nomad screens allowed for this user, each and every nomad screen preferred display positions and preferred sizes for the same, favorite channels and/or sources, etc. Once a registered user is authorized, the user's nomad screen control is enabled, and the control of the location and size of each nomad screen within a larger display screen is enabled. When a registered user is finished using the multidisciplinary nomad screen system, and logout, their preferences from their last viewing can be saved. In the event a user is not registered a new user registration process can be started.

FIG. 5 depicts a block diagram showing the operation of the multidisciplinary nomad screen system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Thai is FIG. 5 shows an example of when a registered user has logged in and is using the user control interface device (e.g.. tablet) 14 to communicate with and configure a main dsspiay device 10. In the embodiment of FIG. 5 the user has complete access to the entire main display device 10. In alternative implementations, each registered user can be allotted only a portion of the main display device 10 within which they can control the display of their nomad screens. In the embodiment of FIG. 5 the user has opened five (5) nomad screens 52A-52E and has positioned them throughout the main display device 10. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the user control interface device 14 is in wireless communication with the server/controller 18 which, in response to the user's designation on the the user control interface device 14, causes the display of the nomad screens 52, having selected sources 18 assigned to each, on the main display device 10.

Thus, it will become apparent from the foregoing, that a user can manipulate the size, position and source for each of the nomad screens open at any given time, in this implementation, no direct connectivity between the user control interface device 14 and main display device 10 and/or the server/controller 18 is required, and the same can be achieved by WiFi, WLAN, Bluetooth or any other wireless connection and

communication protocols between the user control interface device 14 and the server/controller 16.

FIG. 6 depicts a block diagram showing the operation of the muitidiscip!inary nomad screen system in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present invention. That is, FIG. 8 shows an implementation of the muitidisciplinary nomad screen system of the present invention as implemented in a cloud computing

environment. As depicted in FIG. 6, the server/controller 66 is a cloud based server with cloud based storage capabilities. The sources 68 of FIG. 6 can be co-located or can be independent of each other and are in wireless communication with the cloud based server 66.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the user, via the user control interface device 14, has all the same controls as described above with respect to the display, positioning, re-sizing, etc, of the nomad screens 52 on the main display. However, in this

alternative embodiment, the user via the user control interface device 14 can instruct the server 66 to share one or more of their nomad screens with another user having a main screen or wail screen 64 online. In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the user executes a share command from the user control interface device 14 and selects the nomad screen 52c to be shared, and also selects the one or more other users in a network with which the user wants to share. Once selected, the server 66 transmits the shared nomad screen 62c to the shared users main display screen 64.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the server 66 only transmits the shared nomad screen if the display screen 64 of the selected shared user is active (i.e., on). Alternatively, the sharing system can configure server 66 to monitor the activation of the shared user's main display screen 64 and offer the shared nomad screen once the screen has been activated by the shared user. In an alternate embodiment, when the shared user's main display screen is inactive (i.e. off) at the time of the initial attempt to share the nomad screen 62c, the server 66 can be configured to upload the shared nomad screen 62 and corresponding content to the shared user's

storage/control box such as a set top box/ DVR system. In this manner, the shared content can be viewed by the shared user at any time. FIG 7 depicts a high level block diagram of a user control interface device 14 capable of being used in the system of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The user control interface device 14 of FIG. 7 comprises a processor 710 as well as a memory 720 for storing control programs, instructions, software, video content and the like. The processor 710 cooperates with conventional support circuitry 730 such as power supplies, clock circuits, cache memory and the like as well as circuits that assist in executing the software routines stored in the memory 720. As such, it is contemplated that some of the process steps discussed herein as software processes may be implemented within hardware, for example, as circuitry that cooperates with the processor 710 to perform various steps, The user control interface device 14 also contains input-output circuitry 740 that forms an interface between the various respective functional elements communicating with the user control interface device 14.

Although the user control interface device 14 of FIG. 7 is depicted as a general purpose computer that is programmed to perform various control functions in

accordance with the present invention, the invention can be implemented in hardware, for example, as an application specified integrated circuit (ASIC). As such, the process steps described herein are intended to be broadly interpreted as being equivalently performed by software, hardware, or a combination thereof.

Having described various embodiments of a method, apparatus and system for implementing multidisciplinary nomad screens (which are intended to be illustrative and not limiting), it is noted that modifications and variations can be made by persons skilled in the art in light of the above teachings, it is therefore to be understood that changes may be made in the particular embodiments of the invention disclosed which are within the scope and spirit of the invention. While the forgoing is directed to various embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A system for providing sub-screens, comprising:

a main display screen;

a server in signal communication with the main display screen;

a plurality of content sources in signal communication with the server; and a user interface in signal communication with the server;

wherein said main display screen and said server are configured to enable a user, via the user interface, to:

determine at least one sub-section in the main display screen;

assign at least one sub-screen within said at least one sub-section; size and locate the at least one sub-screen within a respective subsection; and

assign at least one content source of the plurality of content sources to the at least one sub-screen.

2, The nomad screen system according to claim 1 , wherein said main display screen and said server are further configured to enable the user, via the user interface, to perform at least one of the following:

activate at least one of said at least one sub-screens within the main display screen,

delete at least one of said at least one sub-screens within the main display screen; and move at least one of said at least one sub-screens to a different location within the main display screen.

3. The nomad screen system according to claim 1 , wherein said main display screen comprises partitioned areas for display of nomad screens, each of said partitioned areas being designated for a particular registered user of the system.

4. The nomad screen system according to claim 1 , wherein different ones of said at least one sub-sections are designated for one of said plurality of content sources.

5. The nomad screen system according to claim 1 , wherein the user interface comprises a tablet device in wireless communication with the server.

6. The nomad screen system according to claim 1 , wherein the user interface comprises a laptop in wireless communication with the server.

7. The nomad screen system according to claim 1 , wherein the server is a cloud based server, and the signal communication between the user interface and the server comprises a wireless communication protocol.

8. The nomad screen system according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of content sources are cloud based multimedia sources and are in signal communication with the cloud base server.

9. The nomad screen system according to claim 1 , wherein said main display screen comprises a plurality of smaller display screens arranged in a matrix to form one large display screen.

10. A method comprising the steps of:

determining at least one sub-section in the main display screen;

assigning at least one sub-screen within said at least one sub-section;

sizing and locating the at least one sub-screen within a respective sub-section; and

assigning at least one content source to the at least one sub-screen.

1 1. The method according to claim 10, comprising:

activating at least one of the sub-screens within the main display screen, deleting at least one of the sub-screens within the main display screen; and re-sizing at least one of the sub-screens to a different size within the main display screen.

12. The method according to claim 10, comprising:

authenticating a registered user.

13. The method according to claim 10, comprising assigning different sub-sections a respective user.

14. The method according to claim 10, comprising assigning different sub-screens a respective user.

15. An apparatus for providing sub-screens, comprising: a memory for storing control programs and instructions and media content; and a processor for executing the control programs and instructions, said apparatus configured to:

determine at least one sub-section in the main display screen; assign at least one sub-screen within said at least one sub-section; size and locate the at least one sub-screen within a respective subsection; and assign at least one content source of the plurality of content sources to the at least one sub-screen.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, comprising:

activating at least one of the sub-screens within the main display screen; deleting at least one of the sub-screens within the main display screen; and re-sizing at least one of the sub-screens to a different size within the main display screen,

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, comprising: authenticating a registered user.

18. The apparatus according to claim 15, comprising: assigning sub-sections a respective user.

9. The apparatus according to claim 15, comprising: assigning sub-screens a respective user.