An embodiment of the invention relates to a method for selecting content items, e.g. from an electronic storage. Further embodiments of the invention relate to a system for selecting content items and to a device for selecting content items.
Nowadays, electronic storage has become affordable, such that many consumers use mass storage devices for electronically saving content items, e.g. multimedia data including music, video, and image data. However, even though an electronic storage may easily be searched, it may be difficult to select and/or memorize a storing location of a content item. Thus, there is a need for a method for accessing an electronic storage, facilitating organization and retrieval of content.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an easy to use method for storing and/or accessing content items in an electronic storage.
This object is solved by a method, a system, and a device according to the independent claims.
Further details of the invention will become apparent from the consideration of the drawings and the ensuing description.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of embodiments and are incorporated in and constitute part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments, and together with the description serve to explain principles of embodiments. Other embodiments and many of the intended advantages of embodiments will be readily appreciated as they become better understood by reference to the following detailed description. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily to scale relative to each other. Like reference numerals designate corresponding similar parts.
a to 7c illustrate an embodiment of the method enabling a user to zoom out of and into a virtual scene for quickly changing a location and further for having access to multiple different locations.
In the following, embodiments of the invention are described. It is important to note that all described embodiments may be combined in any way, i.e. that there is no limitation that certain described embodiments may not be combined with others. Further, it should be noted that same reference signs throughout the Figures denote same or similar elements.
It is further to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.
It is to be understood that the features of the various embodiments described herein may be combined with each other, unless specifically noted otherwise.
In
At B102, a location is determined in a space. The location may depend on at least one of a position, an orientation or a movement of a selection device, the movement of the selection device taking place in a real world environment surrounding the selection device.
The space may be any kind of expanse, environment and/or area having for example two or three dimensions. Thus, the space may be defined by a two-dimensional map or by a three-dimensional surrounding. It may or may not correspond to the real world environment surrounding the selection device. If for example the selection device is being used in a real-world living room, the space may correspond to the living room, and the locations may correspond to corners, pieces of furniture, devices or any other real world object in this living room. Alternatively, the space may also be virtually defined and therefore not correspond to the real world environment, i.e. the living room. The space may be defined as e.g. a map or two-dimensional organization scheme, or as a three-dimensional virtual library including a number of bookshelves arranged within the virtual library at various positions, colors and/or labels.
The location in the space may correspond to any position or site in the space. It may therefore e.g. be defined by parameters in a coordinate system spanning the space. Further, the location may also be described by an object e.g. having a predefined position in the space. For example, if the space is a (real-world or virtual) living room, the location may be defined by a bookshelf or another piece of furniture of this living room.
The location in the space may depend on at least one of a position, an orientation, or a movement of the selection device in the real world environment. This holds true in both cases, e.g. if the space corresponds or does not correspond to the real world environment. Thus, even if the space is a virtual environment, the location may depend on the position, the orientation and/or the movement of the selection device in the real world environment.
The position, orientation or movement of the selection device may be determined by use of gyroscope, measuring acceleration in different directions of the real-world environment. Other more simple types of acceleration sensors, such as mechanical sensors, may also be used. Further, infrared transmitters and receivers and/or cameras may be used for orientation detection. Still further, also an input from external systems enabling position detection, such as GPS (global positioning system), may be used. The detected position, orientation and/or movement of the selection device in the real world environment may then be used for determining the location in the space.
If the space corresponds to the real world environment, the location may correspond to the position, orientation, and/or movement of the selection device. Alternatively, if the selection device is adapted to point at a position and/or an object, i.e. by use of a light beam, the location may also correspond to the position or object to which the selection device points. Still further, more sophisticated methods for determining the location are also possible. For example, an object may be defined at the location by drawing a circle with a selection device having a pointing facility around the object, or by highlighting and/or illuminating the object with a diffuse light beam.
If the space however corresponds to a virtual environment, the information concerning the position, orientation and/or movement of the selection device in the real world environment may be used for determining the location in the virtual environment. For example, the information may be interpreted in the virtual environment. Thus, a coordinate based description of the position, orientation or movement may e.g. be transformed to a coordinate system spanning the virtual environment. The position, orientation or movement of the selection device in the real world environment may therefore be interpreted in terms of a position, orientation or movement within the virtual environment, and may thus be used for defining the location in the virtual environment, e.g. in an analogue manner as pointed out for the real world environment. Thus, the location may be determined by the position of the selection device within the real world environment, which has been transformed into coordinates of the space. Further, the selection device may also be interpreted as a pointing device for pointing to the (virtual) location within the (virtual) space, and the location may thus be defined by interpreting the pointing direction of the selection device within the space. Also within the virtual space, the more sophisticated for location identifying methods may be applied, i.e. it is possible to encircle a (virtual) object in the (virtual) space by real world positioning or movement of the selection device.
At B104, a virtual tag included in a set of virtual tags is determined as a selected virtual tag, the selected virtual tag being associated with the determined location. Thus, it may be assumed that a set of virtual tags exist, which virtual tags may be associated with the locations. These tags may be virtually defined within an electronic storage, e.g. by variables being defined in the electronic storage.
It should be noted that these virtual tags are not physically associated with, e.g. physically applied to, the determined location. They further do not appear within the space, neither if corresponding to the real world environment, nor if corresponding to the virtual environment. Thus, only a virtual association is realized, e.g. by a variable in an electronic storage.
The set of virtual tags may be stored within the electronic storage, and associated with the determined location within the electronic storage, e.g. by a variable realizing the virtual tag and including an electronic description of the determined location. In an alternative embodiment, the electronic storage may include an electronic representation of each of the virtual tags of the set and further electronic representations of the locations. In this case, a virtual tag may be associated with a location e.g. by means of a pointer, the pointers being organized e.g. in a relational database. Thus, no physical tag assignment in the real world environment or visualized tag assignment in the virtual space is needed.
At B106, a subset of a set of content items may be selected, the subset of content items being associated with the selected virtual tag. It may thus be assumed that a set of content items is accessible. It may further be assumed that with respective virtual tags, respective subsets of the set of content items may be associated. The subset of content items associated with the selected virtual tag may thus be selected by means of evaluating respective associations.
The content items may include any items including content. For example, the content may include any kind of multimedia data, e.g. videos, music pieces, photos, electronic books, internet links, phonebook entries and/or working files or folders. These items may be stored in a content storage, e.g. an electronic storage.
The association between a respective virtual tag and a respective subset of content items may be realized electronically. For example, with each virtual tag, a set of pointers pointing to each of the content items of the subset may be stored. For example, the association may be stored within tables of the relational database.
At B108, the embodiment of the method may terminate, e.g. while waiting for further commands to be entered.
Summarizing blocks B102 to B106, it should be noted that departing from a position, orientation, and/or movement of the selection device in the real world environment, the location in the space, for example the real world environment or virtual environment may be selected. Based on the location, the virtual tag virtually associated with the determined location may be determined. It should be noted that the determining of the virtual tag may be performed without any knowledge of the user, e.g. on the fly after the movement of the selection device within the real world environment. Based on virtual tag, the subset of content items associated with the virtual tag may be selected. The selected subset may be presented to the user e.g. on a display for a further selection e.g. for consumption. For example, the user may select a film, a collection of photos, a playlist or the like from the subset of content items for consumption, e.g. playback. Alternatively, if the subset of the content items includes only one single content item, the single content item may be instantly presented to the user, i.e. played to the user.
In an alternative embodiment, the content items may also include commands to be executed by electronic devices. For example, if the user points to the sofa in his living room environment, the set of content items may include a command directed to a lightning system for switching on a homely light, and further a command directed to an audio device for playing back a playlist of relaxing music. Further, also more sophisticated actions may be performed, e.g. when the user points to a picture on the wall including his photo, the content item selected may include an enrollment command for a home entertainment system, enabling the home entertainment system to load, from the storage, the user's personal profile, the user's preferred music, the user's preferred videos or the like. It is thus possible that with a simple real world movement of the selection device, complex actions may be requested and carried out.
As becomes clear from this example, the assignment of content items with locations may help the user to easily memorize, request and/or access e.g. complex commands. It is thus possible to provide a sophisticated user interface based on associations which are easy to memorize within the human cognitive structures. For this, a spatial orientation is used for which the human mind is particularly disposed.
For enabling the user to personally associate tags with locations, the embodiment of the method depicted in
The further virtual tag may be included in the set of virtual tags, as illustrated at B112. The user may thus define locations in the space to be associated with further virtual tags for later retrieval of content items. For example, the user may determine locations which are of particular interest to him, as will be pointed out in more detail below. For example in a real world or virtual environment, the user may associate tags to characteristic objects helping him or her to memorize associations at a later point in time.
In the embodiment, the user may further optionally be enabled to select a further subset of the set of content items, as illustrated at B114. For example, when browsing the content of the content storage e.g. at a display, the user may highlight and/or select the further subset of the set of content items. For this, the selection and/or another input device may be used.
At B116, the selected further subset of the set of content items, which have e.g. been highlighted at the display at B114, may be associated with a further one of the set of virtual tags, e.g. with one of the tags that have been newly defined at B110, B112.
If the further one of the set of the virtual tags has been assigned with a location, the association of the further subset of the set of content items may be particularly easy for the user. For example, after having selected the further subset of the set of content items, the user may determine the location as described at B102. Then, the virtual tag assigned to the location may be used for associating the selected further subset of the set of content items. Using the selection device, this may correspond to a “drag and drop” of the e.g. highlighted further subset of content items to the location using the selection device. Thus, the association of content items to locations becomes particularly easy.
It should be noted that branch B102 to B106 describes a “selection mode” for selecting content items on the basis of a location in the space selected by the movement of the selection device in the real world environment. Further, branch B110, B112 describes a “tag association mode” which may be optionally included in the embodiment of the method, allowing the user to personally associate virtual tags with locations. Still further, branch B114, B116, which is further optional in the embodiment of the method, describes a “content association mode”, in which a user is enabled to associate content, i.e. a subset of the set of content items, with one of the tags which may have been formerly associated with the location.
These modes may for example selected e.g. by using a key at the selection device. For example the selection mode may be normal mode used when a selection button is pressed after a movement of the selection device. Further, the tag association mode may be used when an association button is pressed after a movement of the selection device. The content association mode may be used when the selection button is pressed after a subset of the set of content items has been selected and the selection device has been moved to indicate a location.
Further, tag association as described at B110, B112 may also be performed implicitly whenever the user associates a selected further subset of the set of content items and then determines the location in the space to which no virtual tag has been associated so far. Thus, tag association may be performed implicitly, i.e. without being noted by the user.
For a example, a user being fond of Japanese culture, may select at a television set having access to a content storage including a large collection of videos, a set of films produced by Akira Kurosawa, and drag them with his selection device to a Japanese sword attached at his chimney. Thus, when desiring to select one of his Kurosawa films at a later point in time, the user may only select the Japanese sword with his selection device, upon which the titles of the films are being displayed at this television set, ready for consumption. Alternatively in this use case, the Japanese sword may also be included in a virtual environment, including objects that may help to memorize the scenes of films, such as the Japanese sword, a Snoopy poster and/or a model of a space craft.
In
Further, a collection 210 of content items organized in a folder structure is given. In the case depicted, single content items and subsets of collection 210 have been associated with tags 1 to 4 e.g. in the “content association mode” (B114, B116) of
Within the “selection mode” of
Supposing that picture 302 shows the London skyline, the selecting of picture 302, e.g. according to the selection mode (B102 to B108) from
Further, the selection of dinner table 306 within the (real world or virtual) space may indicate a request for the playback of a dinner music collection, the selection of Christmas tree 308, the selection of a collection of Christmas carols. Dragging and dropping from Christmas tree 308 to loudspeaker 310 may indicate the request to playback the Christmas carols, while dragging and dropping from Christmas tree 308 to television set 304 may indicate the playback of Christmas videos.
Further, the selection may also initiate more complex commands. The selection of a sofa 312 may indicate a request to dim down the light and to playback relaxing music. Further, the selection of a particular chair 306-1 may initiate an enrolment procedure of the person who is normally seated at this place. Still further, dragging and dropping content to a lock 314 or a safe may activate a parental control function for this content.
The tags associated with the locations or the content items associated with the tags may further depend on information related to the user and/or the real world environment surrounding the user. Thus, different virtual tags may be assigned with one single location, the virtual tag being selected depending on the further information. The association may thus be defined within different tag maps, each of which may be selected depending on the information related to the user and/or to the real world environment. The tag map may also be manually selected by the user, e.g. by pressing a corresponding button of the selection device.
For example, the virtual tags or content items associated with the locations may depend on the apparatuses switched on in the real world environment of the user. For example, if television set 304 is switched on, but the HiFi system is switched off, the selection of picture 302 showing the London skyline may initiate a playback of the photos taken at London, while when the TV set is switched off and the HiFi system is switched on, the selection of picture 302 may initiate the playback of a particular playlist of songs that the user has heard at his or her last London trip.
Further, the tags or content items associated with the locations (tag map) may also depend on a position of the user. For example, when the user is seated at sofa 312, the selection of the Christmas tree 308 may initiate the playback of a Christmas film, while when seated at diner table 306, the playback of Christmas music may be initiated upon such a request.
Further, the tags or content items associated with the locations (tag map) may also be dependent on the user's mood. Thus, if the selection device is aware of the user's mood, a more happy or more calm playlist of dinner music may be played back upon selection of dinner table 306.
In
In this embodiment, selection device 300 includes a light beam generator for illuminating the selected location in the pointing and/or focusing direction. For example, the selection device may include a laser beam generator for tagging, i.e. for associating virtual tags to locations e.g. within the “tag association mode” (B110, B112) of
For further enhancing usability, selection device 300 may output an optic, acoustic and/or haptic notification when a location associated with a respective virtual tag is identified by the position, the orientation and/or the movement of selection device 300. Thus, the user is made aware of the fact that he or she is now pointing to a tagged location to which content items may be associated.
As an optical indicator, selection device 300 may switch on one of the light beams, e.g. the laser light beam or the diffuse light beam. Alternatively or additionally, a sound indicator such as a short or low beep may be issued. Further additionally or alternatively, a tactile feedback signal may be issued, e.g. by a short vibration of selection device 300. The tactile feedback signal may be particularly helpful for closely interrelating real world environment and virtually assigned content items within the user's mind.
For further increasing usability, a selection display 500 may further be provided for displaying at least a part of the space, and for marking a selected location, e.g making the selected location visible to the user. The displayed part of the space and the marked location may depend on a movement, a tilt and/or a rotation of selection device 300.
If the space corresponds to the real-world environment of the user, as in
If however the space does not correspond to the real-world environment, but to a virtual environment, the displayed part of this virtual environment and the location may also be determined based on a movement, a tilt and/or a rotation of selection device 300, and may also be displayed at display 500.
This is further illustrated in
For changing the displayed part of the space, i.e. for virtually moving through the virtual environment, the displayed part of the space may depend on a movement, tilt, and/or rotation of the selection device, i.e. of mobile device 600. Thus, the user is enabled to easily navigate and move through the virtual environment by changing a position, an orientation and/or by moving the mobile device 600. The location may then be determined depending on a pointing direction and/or a focusing direction of the selection device within the real world environment, but interpreted with respect to the displayed part of the virtual environment, and may be selected e.g. by pressing a select button 606.
The location that may be marked by pressing select button 606 may be visualized, e.g. highlighted by a porthole 608 or a target superimposed on selection display 602. In the example depicted, porthole 608 marks a sofa in a virtual living room scene, e.g. for selecting the playlist of relaxing music. Thus, the user may issue complex selection commands associated with virtual locations in a virtual environment just by simple movements of the mobile device 600.
In
In
In a further embodiment enabling the user to user an “accelerated pan method”, the user may issue a speed adjustment request upon which a speed of movement of the pointing direction and/or the focusing direction within the virtual environment displayed in selection display 702 may be varied. For example, respective buttons for increasing and/or decreasing the speed of movement may be provided at further mobile device 700. Further, the user may also be enabled to issue a zoom angle adjustment request for varying a virtual zoom angle of the virtual environment and/or of the focusing direction displayed in selection display 702. The functionality of the zoom angle adjustment request may correspond to the one depicted in
In
In the example, sofa 312 is assumed to be associated with a set of containers 800. After sofa 312 has been focused by selection device 300 and displayed at selection display 500, set of containers 800 may be displayed e.g. in a spatially arranged manner. The containers may thus be selectable, e.g. by slightly amending the focusing direction or selection device 300. Alternatively or in addition, the containers may also be named for being addressable, e.g. upon entering a respective name via a keyboard or a microphone. In the example, the containers may be addressable by entering characters T, L, C, R, and/or B. After having selected one of the containers, its content may be displayed for example on selection display 500 or on separate display. Thus, one single location may give access to a plurality of containers, allowing access to a multitude of content items assorted within the containers.
In
In
In the embodiment of
Thus, within the embodiment, no dynamic tag association corresponding to the “tag association mode” (B110, B112) of
When the “selection mode” according to
In the example, a keyboard arrangement 1000 is used as the space (virtual scene). A (virtual) movement of a (virtual) stencil 1002 over keyboard arrangement 1000 may dynamically follow the movement of the selection device in the real world environment. This enables a rough selection of a keyboard region where a required character 1003 may be found, which keyboard region may be displayed at a display 1004. Afterwards, a screen supported refinement may take place, e.g. for searching and selecting required character 1003 e.g. by pushing a select button at the selection device.
Instead of showing a part of a keyboard on selection display 1202, only a currently selected character may be shown at the center of selection display 1202, possibly with its neighbors surrounding the key. When moving text input device 1200, the characters may not change their position, but the character itself may change. For example, the character may be blurred when a new character is focused, the new character being brightened. Thus, a soft character transition may be achieved. This avoids a fast moving keyboard annoying the user to be displayed at selection display 1202.
Instead of selecting single characters, text input device 1200 may be moved to all characters of a word e.g. while select button 1206 is pressed. In this case, the word entered may be guessed from the moving part of text input device 1200. This may render the corresponding text input even more fast and convenient for the user.
Even though text input device 1200 is illustrated as a mobile device, the corresponding method may also be embodied in a stationary device, e.g. having a movable selection device in form of a selection handpiece.
In
Further, system 1300 may include a tag storage unit 1304 adapted to store a set of virtual tags and information associating a respective one of the set of virtual tags with a respective subset of the set of content items. This information may for example be given in form of linking information, associating with the virtual tag for example with a set of retrieval addresses that can be used for retrieving the content items. Additionally, further information associating a respective one of the virtual tags with a respective location may be included in tag storage unit 1304. Tag storage unit 1304 may for example be organized in form of a relational database.
Additionally, system 1300 may include a location identifying unit 1306, which may be adapted to identify a location in a real world environment and/or in a virtual environment as already described in the above. The location may thus depend on at least one of a position, an orientation and a movement of a selection handpiece, the selection handpiece possibly including location identifying unit 1306.
Further, a content item determination unit 1308 may be provided within system 1300. Content item determination unit 1308 may be adapted to select a subset of content items e.g. from content storage unit 1302 depending on a location identified by location identifying unit 1306. The subset of content items to be selected may be the one associated with a virtual tag, the virtual tag being associated with the location identified by location identifying unit 1306.
Still further, system 1300 may include at least one rendering device 1310 adapted to render content items retrieved from content storage unit 1302.
In
It should be noted that within selection device 1500, all actions to be performed e.g. in the “selection mode” (B102 to B108) of
Thus, mobile device 1600 may include all components necessary for carrying out the embodiment of the method as illustrated in
In
Selection handpiece 1700 may thus form an independent pointing device which may be adapted to provide, e.g. via a wireless connection, information concerning an identified location, the location having been illuminated by light beam 1705.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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11001505.4 | Feb 2011 | EP | regional |