Patent Application
20080136819
1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to communication devices, and more particularly, to the operation of a screen scaling system for communication devices.
2. Background
The demand for information services has led to the development of an ever-increasing number of communication devices with varying screen dimensions and resolutions. Basic Data Communication Devices (BDCDs) have a small-sized screen (typically between 120×120 or 240×240 pixels), menu or icon-based navigation via a thumb-wheel or cursor, and typically offer access to e-mail, address book, SMS, games and a basic web browser. Enhanced Data Communication Devices (EDCDs) have medium-sized to large-sized screens (normally greater than 240×240 pixels), and typically offer the same features as the BDCDs plus stylus-based navigation and the ability to run native applications such as communication versions of MS Office (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and custom corporate applications such as mobilized versions of SAP, intranet portals, etc. Typical EDCDs include those running an operating system such as, for example, Windows Communication, PalmOS, and Symbian. Laptops, PCs, and all other communication devices capable of rendering images in high resolution (typically, above 640×480), offer the same display features as those contained in the BDCDs and EDCDs, however, this relationship is not reciprocated.
Although a high-resolution screen is capable of displaying any image that was created at a lower resolution, a low-resolution screen is incapable of displaying an image that was created on a high-resolution screen without severe degradation of picture quality or otherwise presenting a distorted image.
In general, a communication device capable of receiving display data may render the display data differently depending on the capabilities of the receiving device's screen. This is due, in part, to each communication device's physical display limitations. By way of example, a communication device user may initiate the transmission of display data on its screen. A receiving peer communication device, of differing screen dimension and/or resolution, receives and renders the transmitted display data onto its local screen. Because of the mismatch in screen resolution, the image is likely to be distorted in shape and/or color. Additionally, the rendered image will not be as sharp in quality as originally intended by the user of the transmitting communication device. This creates a problem when users are attempting to exchange images that are sensitive to quality and exact representation as originally intended by the transmitting user. Thus, there is a need for a system that ensures the accurate depiction of a graphic between devices of dissimilar resolutions upon transmission.
One aspect of a communication device is disclosed. A communications device includes a physical display configured to display graphics having a physical display resolution, a communications interface configured to provide an interface with a peer communications device for graphics having a predetermined resolution different from the physical display resolution, and a processor configured to scale graphics between the physical display resolution required by the physical display and the predetermined resolution for the communications interface.
One aspect of a method for scaling graphics on a communications device with a physical display is also disclosed. The method includes displaying graphics having a physical display resolution on the physical display, providing an interface with a peer communications device for graphics having a predetermined resolution different from the physical display resolution, and scaling graphics between the resolution of the physical display and the predetermined resolution.
One aspect of a method for scaling graphics between a plurality of communication devices with physical displays is also disclosed. The method includes displaying graphics on a transmitting communication device's physical display, scaling graphics from the resolution of the transmitting communication device's physical display to a virtual display resolution, transmitting the scaled graphics having the virtual display resolution to a receiving communication device, receiving the scaled graphics on the receiving communication device, scaling the previously received graphics from the virtual display resolution to the receiving communication device's physical display resolution, and displaying graphics on the receiving communication device's physical display.
Another aspect of a communication device is disclosed. The communications device includes a means for displaying graphics having a physical display resolution on the physical display, means for providing an interface for graphics having a predetermined resolution different from the physical display resolution with a peer communications device, and means for scaling the graphics between the resolution of the physical display and the predetermined resolution.
An aspect of a computer readable medium is disclosed. A computer readable medium embodying a program of instructions executable by a processor in a communications device including a physical display configured to display graphics having a physical display resolution and a communications interface configured to provide an interface for the graphics having a predetermined resolution different from the physical display resolution with a peer communications device, the program of instructions comprising code to scale the graphics between the resolution of the physical display and the predetermined resolution.
Aspects of the present invention are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the accompanying drawings wherein:
The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings are intended as a description of various embodiments of the invention and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the invention.
In the following detailed description, various concepts will be described in the context of a physical display or screen for communication devices. These communication devices may include BDCDs, EDCDs, and other similar technologies embodied in mobile telephones, personal digital assistants (PDA), laptop computers, personal computers (PC), game consoles, or other suitable devices capable of transmitting and/or receiving graphics. As used herein, a “graphic” means any visual representation such as an illustration, drawing, design, diagram, figure, picture, photo, pattern, text, or any other image capable of being presented to a physical display or screen on a communications device. These graphics may be transmitted between communication devices having different screen resolutions in a way that is transparent to the users.
The communication device may include a user interface that is menu driven by on-screen or keypad options. From the options available, the user can select to input graphic features (i.e. lines, circles, colors, etc.) in order to compose a graphic rendered on the local physical display or screen. Once the graphic is displayed to the user, various selections may be presented to the user in a sub-menu or prompt format. By way of example, a user can choose to add additional graphic features, delete varying graphic features, access various tools, and perform many other similar functions. The communication device may be configured such that the user can make a menu selection to transmit or otherwise communicate the graphic to a peer communication device. Prior to transmission, the resolution of the graphic is scaled to a predetermined resolution. The predetermined resolution is generally compatible with a virtual display. A “virtual display” is a conceptual display that is common to multiple communication devices in a network. It is a specification that requires all communication devices in the network to exchange graphics at a predetermined common resolution. This predetermined common resolution is sparingly referred to herein as the “virtual display resolution.” As long as the virtual display resolution is equal or greater than the resolution of the physical display for communications device with the highest resolution, the graphics may be exchanged between all communication devices within the network and displayed on different screen sizes with minimum distortion. Each communication device handles the conversion between the physical display resolution and the virtual display resolution internally.
The communications network 104 represents any suitable means for connecting the communication devices 102a-102d. By way of example, the communications network 104 may be implemented using infrared, Bluetooth, Ultra Wide-Band (UWB), or other similar type of wireless connectivity. Alternatively, the communications network 104 may be a GPRS connection which is common among GPS mobile telephones, or a packet-based or circuit switched network with a wired or wireless connection. The wired connection may be PSTN, DSL, cable modem, fiber optic, Ethernet, or the like. The wireless connection may be 3G, Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, or any other suitable wireless interface. The packet-based network may be a Internet, an intranet, a private Internet Protocol (IP) network, or the like.
Due to low-bandwidth limitations typically found in some communication networks, the amount of data transmitted may be minimized by compressing the graphics before transmission. By way of example, compressed graphics may comprise geometrical primitive graphics (i.e. vector graphics or similarly size efficient graphical data), or any other graphic representations in a vector space. Geometrical primitives specify the coordinates of shapes, as well as the color of each shape. Because these coordinates are relatively small in comparison to a pixel-by-pixel representation of the graphic, it allows for ease of transmission over low-bandwidth restrictions. In addition, geometrical primitives allow graphics to be scalable due to their vector composition, however, one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that the scalability of graphics is not contingent on the graphics being previously compressed. Due to the scale processing system, a graphic displayed on physical display 108, 112, 114, 116 will be rendered on physical display 108, 112, 114, 116 with unprecedented precision and accuracy. Further, a color-averaging algorithm may be used to create a more aesthetically pleasing image when reducing the resolution of the graphics. The color-averaging algorithm may be implemented by using cubic interpolation, linear interpolation, or any other suitable method known in the art.
The communications device 102 also includes a computer-readable medium 206. The computer-readable medium 206 may include one or more storage devices coupled to the bus 214 accessible by the processor 208. The storage devices may include RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, DVD, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Alternatively, the computer-readable medium 206 may be, in whole or part, integral to the processor 208. Computer-readable medium 206 may also encompass a carrier wave that encodes a data signal.
The communications device 102 may also include a communications interface 212 connected to the bus 214. The communications interface 212 is shown in
The processor 208 may be coupled through the bus 214 to a user interface 202. The user interface 202 may also include a number of input devices, such as a keypad, touchpad, stylus, touch screen, and a cursor control for communicating with the processor 208 and controlling cursor movement on a physical display 204. The physical display 204 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD) or any other suitable display.
The graphics from the transmitting communication device 102 are received by the receiving communication device 102 in step 310. In step 312, the processor 208 determines whether the local physical display 204 is capable of rendering an image equal to the size of the virtual display 210. The process enters step 316 in situations where dissimilar resolutions between the physical display 204 and the virtual display 210 exist. In step 316, the graphics received from the transmitting communications device 102 will be scaled to match the resolution capability of the local physical display 204. Step 316 is bypassed if the physical display 204 is capable of displaying graphics with the resolution equal to the resolution of the virtual display 210. In step 314, the graphics, either scaled pursuant to step 316 or not, are replicated onto the receiving communication device's 102 physical display 204.
The functionality of two communication devices is described with reference to
The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various embodiments described herein. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of the claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.” All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various embodiments described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for.”
