Patent Application
20130080560
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the sharing of digital data. More particularly, the present invention relates to presenting data contents from a presenter mobile device to a plurality of participant mobile devices.
2. Background Art
Presenting digital data from a presenter mobile device to a plurality of participant mobile devices, which are in close proximity to the presenter mobile device, can be accomplished with conventional methods. For example, a user desiring to present a number of digital vacation photographs onto the mobile devices of colleagues, who may be in the same conference room as the user, may do so by using electronic mail (e-mail) services. The user may send an e-mail to his colleagues with the digital vacation photographs attached. Another method of presenting the digital vacation photographs may involve uploading the photographs to an Internet web server so the colleagues may view the photographs through a web browser.
However, the above conventional methods of presenting digital data onto a plurality of mobile devices have certain drawbacks. One drawback is that the conventional methods do not allow the sharer to dictate how the data may be shared. Once the sharer sends the photographs through an e-mail or uploads the photographs onto a third-party web server, the sharer no longer controls the order in which the photographs are shown. Moreover, once the photographs are shared, the sharer cannot prevent others from copying and distributing the shared data even if the sharer prefers, for privacy or other reasons, to prevent such copying and distributing.
Moreover, conventional methods for sharing data may also potentially consume more time and bandwidth than the sharer may prefer. Uploading larger data files, such as video files, to an Internet web server or attaching them to an e-mail may require a long wait time. Some e-mail services may even forbid the attachment of data files that exceed a set size. Additionally, the consumption of network resources by upload operations may negatively impact network quality of service.
Accordingly, there is a need to overcome the drawbacks and deficiencies in the art by providing a method to share digital data easily from one mobile device to other mobile devices while allowing the sharer to maintain control over the shared data and while preserving network resources.
There is provided systems and methods for sharing a plurality of data contents on a presenter device to a plurality of participant devices, substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.
The features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, wherein:
a presents an illustration of one participant device receiving a share invitation from a presenter device, according to one embodiment of the present invention;
b presents an illustration of the participant device of
The present application is directed to a system and method for sharing a plurality of data contents on a presenter device to a plurality of participant devices. The following description contains specific information pertaining to the implementation of the present invention. One skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention may be implemented in a manner different from that specifically discussed in the present application. Moreover, some of the specific details of the invention are not discussed in order not to obscure the invention. The specific details not described in the present application are within the knowledge of a person of ordinary skill in the art. The drawings in the present application and their accompanying detailed description are directed to merely exemplary embodiments of the invention. To maintain brevity, other embodiments of the invention, which use the principles of the present invention, are not specifically described in the present application and are not specifically illustrated by the present drawings.
Presenter device 101 may be any type of mobile device, such as a smartphone, for example. Presenter device 101 may be connected to network 108 through network connection 107. Network 108 may be any type of network, such as the Internet, for example. Network connection 107 may be any type of wireless signal recognized by presenter device 101. Presenter device 101 may run a hotspot generation application to generate hotspot signal 102. Hotspot signal range 106 may be the physical range of hotspot signal 102. Hotspot generation application may be any kind of application that allows presenter device 101 to behave as a wireless router. Hotspot signal 102 may be any kind of wireless signal, such as a Wi-Fi signal, for example. Other mobile devices such as, for example, participant devices 103 and 104, within hotspot signal range 106 may be able to connect to network 108. As will be explained in further detail below, presenter device 101 may run data sharing application 206 of
Participant devices 103-105 may be various types of mobile devices, such as, for example, smartphones. In the embodiment shown in
Processor 202 may be any type of processing unit such as, for example, an Intel Core processor. Memory 203 may be any type of computer readable storage device, such as a hard drive with many gigabytes of memory, for example. Presenter server 204 may be any type of web server, which may be maintained and managed by processor 202. Data 205 may represent a collection of numerous data files such as, for example, image files, audio files, video files or any other type of digital data. Hotspot service 207 may be a hotspot generation application that may be stored into memory 203. Hotspot service 207, executed by processor 202, may allow presenter device 201 to behave as a wireless router. Data sharing application 206, a software application executed by processor 202, may allow presenter device 201 to select a plurality of data contents from data 205 to be presented on a plurality of participant devices in the signal frequency range created by hotspot service 207. In one embodiment, data 205 may comprise of numerous digital graphical images. In alternative embodiments, data 205 may comprise of type of data such as video files, software applications or audio files, for example. While data sharing application 206 of
Display screen 302 may be any type of display component such as, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen. In one embodiment, display screen 302 may be a touch sensitive LCD screen. Display screen 302 may display the graphical user interface (GUI) components available for use during the use of data sharing application 206 of
Browse button 305, which may be any type of graphical button, may function as a typical search button to browse for and select the plurality of data contents stored. Using browse button 305 to select data files causes data sharing application 206 to receive a selection of the plurality of data contents. The data path of the plurality of data contents may be displayed in path box 304, which may be any type of text box. Using select or notify button 306 may cause data sharing application 206 to connect to the plurality of participant devices using a hotspot service executing on presenter device 301. As explained earlier, presenter device 301 may choose to connect to a plurality of participant devices selected from among the participant devices physically present within the hotspot signal range. After connecting to the plurality of participant devices, text message field 311 may be used to send text messages to and receive text message from the plurality of participant devices. Moreover, in alternative embodiments, data sharing application 206 may even connect to another plurality of participant devices that may be outside the hotspot signal range by using conventional connection methods, such as using Internet based dynamic domain name system (DNS) servers, for example. After connecting to the plurality of participant devices, user of presenter device 301 may use start session button 307 to cause data sharing application 206 to establish a sharing session with the plurality of participant devices. As will be described in further detail below, a sharing session may give the plurality of participant devices temporary ability to view any presented data contents within presenter device 301. In alternative embodiments, establishing the sharing session with the plurality of devices may be automatically performed after presenter device 301 connects to the plurality of participant devices.
Using next image button 308 or previous image button 309 may cause data sharing application 206 to present, on the participant devices, the plurality of data contents. In the embodiment shown in
Sharing window 303 may be any dialog window or web browser. Sharing window may display the data contents that are being shown on the display screens of the plurality of participant devices. In
In one embodiment of the invention, presenting the plurality of data contents includes controlling and synchronizing the presentation of the plurality of data contents shown on the plurality of participant devices. Any data content shown in sharing window 303 for a particular duration may also be simultaneously shown in the plurality of participant devices during the same duration. Furthermore, data sharing application 206 may be configured to prevent users of the plurality of participant devices from copying or downloading the plurality of data contents from the plurality of participant devices.
In one embodiment, data sharing application 206 may also be configured to send a download invitation to the plurality of participant devices. The download invitation may be any type of dialog box or web browser presenting an opportunity for the plurality of participant devices to download the plurality of data contents being shared. Data sharing application 206 may be further configured to allow the plurality of participant devices to download the plurality of data contents in response to receiving an acceptance of the download invitation. In alternative embodiments, the data sharing application 206 may not be configured to send the download invitation. Select or notify button 306 may also be used to send the download invitation to the plurality of participant devices.
a presents an illustration of one participant device receiving a share invitation from a presenter device, according to one embodiment of the present invention. Participant device 401a of
Display screen 402a may be any type of display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor, for example. In one embodiment, display screen 402a may be a touch sensitive LCD monitor. Dialog 450 may be any dialog box such as a dialog window, a web browser, or any other type of graphical dialog box. In
As previously described, once data sharing application 206 of
b presents an illustration of participant device 401a of
Once web link 451 of
In one embodiment, participant device 401b may view graphical image 412, which has been converted into HTML presentable format and stored into the web server of presenter device, using sharing window 403. As previously described, sharing window 403 may be a web browser accessing the web server of presenter device at the IP address specified by web link 451 of
Text message box 491 may be used to communicate with the presenter device by sending text messages to and receiving text messages from the presenter device. User of participant device 401b may also exit the sharing session and stop further viewing of the plurality of data contents on the presenter device by using exit button 420. Accordingly,
In alternative embodiments of the invention, data sharing application 206 may be configured such that establishing a sharing session may include automatically directing all web accesses from the plurality of participant devices toward the web server in the presenter device. As previously explained, the plurality of data contents selected for presentation may be stored within the web server of presenter device. By directing all web access from the plurality of participant devices, including participant device 401a, to the web server, presenter device may automatically present the plurality of data contents on the plurality of participant devices once the plurality of participant devices launches any web browser.
Data sharing application 206 may be configured to automatically direct all web access towards the web server within presenter device by using a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server of the presenter device to set a domain name system (DNS) server address of the plurality of participant devices to the IP address of the presenter device. It is well known that conventional hotspot generation applications, such as hotspot service 207 of
In yet another alternative embodiment, data sharing application 206 may be configured such that establishing a sharing session includes connecting to a participant viewing application executing on the plurality of participant devices. The participant viewing application may be another application running on the plurality of participant devices. The plurality of participant devices may receive a participant viewing application from the presenter device or from another source, such as a third-party web server on the Internet, for example. The participant viewing application, when executing, may create an application dialog window on the participant device. Once the sharing session may be established, the application dialog window may display the plurality of data contents selected for presentation on the presenter device. Establishing a sharing session with the participant viewing application may obviate the need to store the plurality of data contents into a web server in presenter device. Accordingly, in this alternative embodiment, participant device 401a may not need to access that web server to view the data contents nor have all web access directed to the web server. In alternative embodiments, the presenter device may cause participant viewing application to execute on the plurality of participant devices.
Referring to step 510 of flowchart 500 in
Proceeding to step 520 of flowchart 500 of
Proceeding to step 530 of flowchart 500 of
Proceeding to step 540 of flowchart 500 of
Thus, a system and method for sharing a plurality of data contents from a presenter device to a plurality of participant devices has been disclosed. Accordingly, the presenter device, using data sharing application 206 of
From the above description of the invention it is manifest that various techniques can be used for implementing the concepts of the present invention without departing from its scope. Moreover, while the invention has been described with specific reference to certain embodiments, a person of ordinary skills in the art would recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. As such, the described embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. It should also be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein, but is capable of many rearrangement, modifications, and substitutions without departing from the scope of the invention.
