Method and device for establishing a content mirroring session

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9641884-B2
Application number	US-27185808-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2008
Priority date	Nov 15, 2008
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

Computer-based methods and devices for establishing a content mirroring session during which two devices concurrently present or display the same content are disclosed. Consistent with an embodiment of the invention, a first device displays a visual indicator when the first device is physically positioned and oriented to target a second device, with which the first device is authorized to establish a content mirroring session. The visual indicator, which may be a graphical user interface element such as a button or icon, identifies the device that is being targeted by the first device, and in some embodiments, indicates to a user that a content mirroring session can be established with the targeted device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
determining that a first device is targeting a second device based on a location and an orientation of the first device relative to the second device;
responsive to determining that the first device is targeting the second device, displaying a user interface element on a display of the first device, the user interface element identifying the second device and indicating that the first device is authorized to establish a content mirroring session with the second device, the content mirroring session involving the simultaneous presentation of content on the first device and on the second device; and
communicating a request from the first device to establish the content mirroring session with the second device.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting a user-input at the first device, the request to establish the content mirroring session with the second device being generated as a result of detecting the user-input.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining that the first device is targeting a second device comprises:
determining a location and orientation of the first device relative to a location of the second device.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining that the first device is targeting a second device comprises:
analyzing location information for the first device and location information for the second device to determine the location of the first device relative to the location of the second device; and
analyzing orientation information for the first device in combination with the location of the first device relative to the location of the second device to determine that the first device has a particular orientation with respect to the location of the second device.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the location information for the first device and the orientation information for the first device are generated by one or more sensors at the first device, and the location information for the second device is read from an environment model associated with a physical environment in which the second device is located.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
prior to determining that the first device is targeting the second device, communicating location information for the first device to a server and, in response, receiving the environment model from the server.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the environment model includes location information for a plurality of devices with which the first device has been authorized to establish a content mirroring session.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
prior to determining that the first device is targeting the second device, communicating location information for the first device to a server, and, in response, receiving information identifying devices i) within a predetermined proximity of the first device, and ii) with which the first device has been authorized to establish a content mirroring session.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining that the first device is targeting a second device comprises:
analyzing an image received from an image sensor of the first device and object recognition information for the second device to determine that the image sensor captured an image of the second device, or a portion thereof, and that the first device has a particular orientation with respect to the location of the second device.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
prior to determining the first device is targeting the second device, communicating location information for the first device to a server and, in response, receiving object recognition information for the second device from the server.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
prior to the determining that the first device is targeting the second device, communicating location information for the first device to a server and, in response, receiving from the server object recognition information for a plurality of devices with which the first device has been authorized to establish a content mirroring session.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first device is at least one of a mobile phone, smart phone, personal digital assistant, portable media player (PMP), handheld global positioning system (GPS) device, handheld game device, laptop computer, notebook computer, or netbook computer.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving content at the first device that is communicated responsive to the request to establish a content mirroring session with the second device; and
presenting the content using the first device as the content is simultaneously presented using the second device.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving content at the first device that is communicated responsive to the request to establish a content mirroring session with the second device;
presenting the content using the first device as the content is simultaneously presented using the second device; and
presenting additional content using the first device, the additional content being selected based upon the additional content having an association with the content being presented simultaneously by the first and second devices.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein an authorization permitting the first device to establish the content mirroring session with the second device is dependent upon the first device being within a predefined proximity of the second device.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the content is video content, textual content, graphical content, photographic content, or any combination thereof.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the simultaneous presentation of content on the first device and second device includes synchronizing respective views of separate instances of the content on the first device and second device.

18. A processor-implemented method comprising:
receiving, from a first device, location information for the first device;
analyzing the location information to determine that the first device is in a physical environment that includes a second device with which the first device has authority to establish a content mirroring session involving the simultaneous presentation of content on the first device and second device;
in response to determining that the first device is in the physical environment, causing display of a user interface element on a display of the first device, the user interface element identifying the second device and indicating that the first device is authorized to establish a content mirroring session with the second device;
receiving a request to establish a content mirroring session between the first device and the second device; and
initiating a content communication to the first device so as to enable the first and second devices to concurrently present content.

19. The processor-implemented method of claim 18 , further comprising:
communicating location information to the first device, the location information indicating the location of the second device within the physical environment.

20. The processor-implemented method of claim 18 , wherein the determining that the first device is in the physical environment comprises:
comparing the location information for the first device with location information of the second device to determine that the first device is in a determinable proximity of the second device; and
querying authorization information for the second device to determine th

Assignees

• Pimmel Kim P
• Weskamp Marcos
• Adobe Systems Inc

Inventors

• Pimmel Kim P
• Weskamp Marcos

Classifications

• H04N21/43615

  Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals (home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805) · CPC title

• H04N21/4508

  Management of client data or end-user data · CPC title

• H04N21/4524

  involving the geographical location of the client (retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00) · CPC title

• H04N21/4788

  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 title

• H04L67/1095

  Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes · CPC title