WO2009113038A1

WO2009113038A1 - User interface and network data transfer system

Info

Publication number: WO2009113038A1
Application number: PCT/IB2009/051056
Authority: WO
Inventors: Zahra Tabaaloute
Original assignee: Nxp B.V.
Priority date: 2008-03-13
Filing date: 2009-03-13
Publication date: 2009-09-17

Abstract

A user interface and system for network data transfer. The network data transfer system includes a network, a first electronic device, and a second electronic device. The first electronic device is coupled to the network and includes a network sharing queue to store a data reference corresponding to a data object. The first electronic device also includes a first data storage device to store the data object corresponding to the data reference stored in the network sharing queue. The second electronic device is coupled to the network and includes a user interface to poll the network for available data objects and pull the data object based on the data reference from the network sharing queue of the first electronic device.

Description

USER INTERFACE AND NETWORK DATA TRANSFER SYSTEM

Networks are designed for data transfer among connected devices. Systems exist to facilitate network data transfer automatically or as dictated by a user. Data is transferred across the network from one device to another when the two devices involved in the transfer are connected to the network and are active. Networks can be incorporated in many environments including, but not limited to, public Wi-Fi hot spots, business settings, and personal home use.

Typically a network is designed to facilitate the transfer of specific types of data between specific devices. The transfer itself typically involves a series of steps that the user must complete before the data transfer is realized. From the sending device, the user locates and selects the data to be transferred, as well as the destination device on the network. The transfer is then initiated by the user at the source device and, typically, confirmed by a notification at the source device.

The transfer is implemented when both the sending and receiving devices are connected at the time that the data is selected for transfer. Since the transfer happens when it is initiated at the sending device, the receiving device is also active, connected to the network, and ready to accept the data transfer. Otherwise, the attempted data transfer will result in a failure to transfer the data.

Embodiments of a system are described. In one embodiment, the system is a network data transfer system. The network data transfer system includes a network, a first electronic device, and a second electronic device. The first electronic device is coupled to the network and includes a network sharing queue to store a data reference corresponding to a data object. The first electronic device also includes a first data storage device to store the data object corresponding to the data reference stored in the network sharing queue. The second electronic device is coupled to the network and includes a user interface to poll the network for available data objects and pull the data object based on the data reference from the network sharing queue of the first electronic device. Other embodiments of the system are also described. Embodiments of an apparatus are also described. In one embodiment, the apparatus is an apparatus to facilitate a transfer of data across a network. The apparatus includes a data storage device to store a data object, a network sharing queue to store a data reference corresponding to the data object selected for transfer to the network, and a network interface device to send the data object to a remote device on the network in response to a data transfer request from the remote device. Other embodiments of the apparatus are also described.

Embodiments of a method are also described. In one embodiment, the method is a method for transferring data between electronic devices coupled to a network. The method includes selecting data to be pushed from a first electronic device, storing a data reference in a queue by pushing the data object into the queue, using a second electronic device to poll the network, returning a list of data references from the first electronic device to the second electronic device, and pulling data from the first electronic device to the second electronic device. Other embodiments of the method are also described.

Other aspects and advantages of embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrated by way of example of the principles of the invention.

Fig. 1 depicts a schematic block diagram of one embodiment of a network data transfer system. Fig. 2 depicts a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the network data transfer system 100 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 depicts one embodiment of a process for transferring data over the network data transfer system of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 depicts an initial status of the network sharing queues within the network for alternative embodiments of a process for transferring data over the network data transfer system of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 illustrates a first embodiment of a process for transferring data over the network based on the initial status of the network sharing queues of Fig.

4. Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate a second embodiment of a process for transferring data over the network 1 10 based on the initial status of the network sharing queues of Fig. 4. Fig. 8 depicts a schematic flow chart diagram of one embodiment of a method for using the network data transfer system of Fig. 1. Throughout the description, similar reference numbers may be used to identify similar elements. Although many embodiments are described herein, some embodiments provide an intuitive user interface to transfer data between interconnected devices on a network. The data transfer may be facilitated by two actions— one action to push a selected data object from a source device onto a corresponding network sharing queue, and another action at a remote device to pull the selected data object from the source device to the remote device. The second action, to pull the selected data object from the source device to the remote device, maybe a simple gesture or button press, although other actions also may be used.

Thus, a user is able to transfer a data object between devices connected in the same network. Additionally, use of the network sharing queue at the source device enables the data transfer without specifying the remote device as a specific destination. In this way, any device on the network may become a destination device because the data object is made available to all devices on the network when the corresponding data reference is pushed to the network sharing queue. This allows, in some embodiments, self-selection of the destination devices, regardless of which device on the network is the source device. Moreover, a destination device may connect to the network after the source device makes the data object available over the network by placing the data reference in the corresponding network sharing queue. As an example, a user may operate a computer connected to a network and place a data file from the computer in a network sharing queue that is local to the computer. Another device, such as a mobile telephone or personal digital assistant (PDA), connected to the network then may poll the network for available data objects. In response to the polling request, the network sharing queue of the computer may respond with the data reference corresponding to the selected data file on the computer. The user then may operate, for example, the mobile telephone to pull the selected data object from the computer to the mobile telephone. Another embodiment of the network data transfer system includes filtering the data references in the network sharing queues for data references to data objects in formats which are supported by the polling device. Exemplary data types include, for example, JPEG, MP3, MPEG4, etc. Other filtering criteria may be implemented in other embodiments. In one embodiment, the polling device automatically filters the data references and ignores data references that are not supported by the polling device. An exemplary case includes a digital picture frame that pulls JPEG pictures and MPEG2 videos and ignores unsupported data types such as MP3 music files. In another embodiment, the polling device generates a list of available data references which includes those data types that are supported by the polling device. In another embodiment, the data objects are formatted to fit with the device requirements which include, for example, screen size, rendering capabilities etc. An exemplary case includes a high quality video stored on a Laptop PC that is compressed further before download on a mobile phone, and a JPEG picture stored on a digital picture frame that is resized for download on a mobile phone. Other filtering criteria and formatting schemes also may be implemented on each individual device.

Embodiments of the invention can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment containing both hardware and software elements. In one embodiment, the invention is implemented in software, which includes but is not limited to firmware, resident software, microcode, etc. Other embodiments may facilitate additional operations and functionality within the network sharing environment.

Fig. 1 depicts a schematic block drawing of one embodiment of a network data transfer system 100. The network data transfer system 100 includes a first electronic device 112 and a second electronic device 120, both of which are coupled to a network 110. In one embodiment the network 110 is a wireless network. Some examples of wireless networks include Wi-Fi, which implements the use of radio waves to transmit data, fixed wireless, or Bluetooth, which uses shortwave radio frequencies. The network 110 may be an open systems interconnection (OSI) or an internet protocol (IP) suite model. The first electronic device 112 includes a first data storage device 114, a queue 116, and a user interface 118. The first data storage device 114 contains data objects which may be transferred over the network 110. Examples of a data storage device include semiconductor or solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a readonly memory (ROM), a rigid magnetic disk, and an optical disk. Current examples of optical disks include a compact disk with read only memory (CD- ROM), a compact disk with read/write (CD-R/W), and a digital video disk (DVD). Other types of data storage devices also may be used. In one embodiment, the queue 116 of the first electronic device 112 stores a data reference when a user pushes a data object from the first data storage device 114 to the queue 116 for transfer. In some embodiments, the data reference is the actual data object (or a copy of the actual data object). Alternatively, with the data reference stored in the queue 116 as an indicator (e.g., a pointer), rather than the data object itself. For example, the data reference may be a directory path listing for the corresponding data object. Alternatively, if the data object is being streamed, for example, from a really simple syndication (RSS) feed, the data reference may be a uniform resource locator (URL) of the RSS feed. The user interface 118 of the first electronic device 112 enables the user to select data from the first data storage device 114 and push the corresponding data reference to the queue 116 for transfer of the data object over the network 110. Examples of a user interface 118 include, but are not limited to, a graphical user interface (GUI), a tactile interface such as a programmed remote control, a touchpad or screen. Other input/output (I/O) devices such as keyboards, displays, pointing devices, etc. can be coupled to the first electronic device 112, either directly or through intervening I/O controllers.

The second electronic device 120 includes a second data storage device 122, a queue 124, and a user interface 126. These components of the second electronic device 120 are substantially similar in function to the first data storage device 114, the queue 116, and the user interface 118 of the first electronic device 112.

In some embodiments, the user interface 118 is also configured to poll other devices on the network 110 for available data objects. For example, a user interface 1 18 of the first electronic device 1 12 may facilitate a polling request to determine if any data objects are available on the second electronic device 120. Similarly, the user interface 126 of the second electronic device 120 may facilitate a polling request to determine if any data objects are available on the first electronic device 112.

Fig. 2 depicts a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the network data transfer system 100 of Fig. 1. The illustrated network data transfer system 100 includes a laptop 130 with corresponding queue 132, a set top box 134 with corresponding queue 136, a mobile phone 138 with corresponding queue 140, a digital picture frame 142 with corresponding queue 144, and a home device 146 with corresponding queue 148. These devices 130, 134, 138, 142, and 146 are all connected to the network 1 10 through one or more types of wired and/or wireless connections. In the illustrated embodiment, the queue 132 coupled to the laptop 130 contains a data reference 150 to a data object which is stored on a laptop 130. As an example, the data object may be a digital photograph, as depicted on the screen of the laptop 130, although any type of data object stored on the laptop 130 may be referenced by the data reference 150 in the queue 132.

In one embodiment, a user interface on the laptop 130 is used to place a data reference 150 in the queue 132. The queue 132 is local to the laptop 130 and may be referred to as a network sharing queue because, by placing the data reference 150 in the queue 132, the corresponding data object stored on the laptop 130 becomes available to the other devices on the network. In other words, the data object is available for access over the network because data reference 150 is available for access over the network 110. Fig. 3 depicts one embodiment of a process for transferring data over the network data transfer system 100 of Fig. 2. In particular, a user interface, for example, with a digital picture frame 142 connected to the network 1 10. The user initiates a polling request from the digital picture frame 142 to the other devices on the network 1 10. The polling request may be broadcast to all of the other devices on the network 1 10, at the same time, to determine if there are any data objects available from the other devices on the network 110. Alternatively, the polling request may be individually sent to each of the other devices on the network 110 in a random or sequential order. In response to the polling request from the digital picture frame 142, the set top box 134, the mobile phone 138, and the home device 146 each respond to the digital picture frame 142 to indicate that no data objects are available on the corresponding devices. The absence of available data objects on the set top box 134, the mobile phone 138, and the home device 146 is evident from the lack of queue entries in the corresponding network sharing queues 136, 140, and 148. Also in response to the polling request from the digital picture frame 142, a laptop 130 transfers the data object, corresponding to the data reference 150 and network sharing queue 132, from the laptop 130 to the digital picture frame 142. The transfer of the corresponding data object is indicated in Fig. 3 by the circled "1" shown in the arrow from the laptop 130 to the digital picture frame 142. The digital picture frame 142 subsequently may display the data object (e.g., a digital picture) for viewing at the digital picture frame 142.

Figs. 4-7 depict alternative embodiments of processes for transferring data over the network data transfer system 100 of Fig. 2. In particular, Fig. 4 illustrates an initial status of the network sharing queues 132, 136, 140, 144, and 148 within the network 110. As shown, the laptop 130 pushes one data reference 150 onto the network sharing queue 132. The set top box 134 does not push any data reference onto the network sharing queue 136. The mobile phone 138 pushes two data references 152 and 154 onto the network sharing queue 140. The digital picture frame 142 pushes one data reference 156 onto the network sharing queue 144. The home device 146 does not push any data references onto the network sharing queue 148.

Fig. 5 illustrates a first embodiment of a process for transferring data over the network 110 based on the initial status of the network sharing queues 132, 136, 140, 144, and 148 of Fig. 4. In the depicted process, a user initiates a polling request at the home device 146. In response to the polling request, the other devices connected to the network 110 automatically transfer the data objects, corresponding to the data references 150, 152, 154, and 156, from the laptop 130, the mobile phone 138, and the digital picture frame 142. In this way, the home device 146 pulls the corresponding data objects from the laptop 130, the mobile phone 138, and the digital picture frame 142. In one embodiment, using the process shown in Fig. 5 allows a user to individually interact with the laptop 130, the mobile telephone 138, and the digital picture frame 142 to push the data references 150, 152, 154, and 156 for specific data objects onto the corresponding network sharing queues 132, 140, and 144. The actions of pushing the data references 150, 152, 154, and 156 may be completed independently and at different times.

Separately, the user may interface with the home device 146 to poll the other devices on the network 110 for available data objects, and to pull the available data objects corresponding to the data references 150, 152, 154, and 156 to the home device 146. The data transfer of the data object from the laptop 130 is indicated by circled "1" shown in the arrow from the laptop 130 to the home device 146. Similarly, the data transfer of the two data objects from the mobile phone 138 is indicated by the circled "2" shown in the arrow from the mobile phone 138 to the home device 146. Also, a data transfer of the data object from the digital picture frame 142 is indicated by the circled "1" shown in the arrow from the digital picture frame 142 to the home device 146. In this way, the user may separately interact with each of the devices on the network 110, allowing the user to locally push data references on each device and to initiate a data transfer, at a later time, at the destination device.

Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate a second embodiment of a process for transferring data over the network 110 based on the initial status of the network sharing queues 132, 136, 140, 144, and 148 of Fig. 4. In particular, Fig. 6 depicts a polling request over the network data transfer system 100. In response to the polling request by the home device 146, the other devices on the network 110 each respond to indicate the number of available data objects at the corresponding device. In some embodiments, all of the devices on the network 110 respond to the polling request, even if less than all of the devices have available data objects. Alternatively, only the devices with available data objects respond to the polling request. As shown, the laptop 130 responds to the polling request by sending the data reference 150, rather than the actual data object, to the home device 146. The communication of the data reference 150 from the laptop 130 is indicated by the circled "IR" as shown in the arrow from the laptop 130 to the home device 146. Similarly, the mobile phone 138 responds to the polling request by sending the two data references 152 and 154 from the mobile phone 138 to the home device 146, as indicated by the circled "2R" shown in the arrow from the mobile phone 138 to the home device 146. Also, the digital picture frame 142 responds to the polling request by sending the data reference 156 from the digital picture frame 142 to the home device 146, as indicated by the circled "IR" shown in the arrow from the digital picture frame 142 to the home device 146. In some embodiments, the devices respond to the polling request by sending the actual data references 150, 152, 154, and 156. In some embodiments, the devices respond to the polling request by sending indicators (e.g., thumbnail pictures, file names, etc.) representative of the data references 150, 152, 154, and 156 and/or the actual data objects.

By obtaining the data references 150, 152, 154, and 156, or another type of indicator of the data objects, the polling device may select some or all or none of the data objects for transfer over the network 110. In other words, as an example, the home device 146 may select which data objects to pull from the laptop 130, the mobile telephone 138, and the digital picture frame 142 based on the data references 150, 152, 154, and 156 stored in the corresponding network to share in queues 132, 140, and 144.

Fig. 7 depicts one embodiment of a process for transferring selected data objects over the network data transfer system 100 after the destination device receives the data references corresponding to the available data objects. In the illustrated embodiment, the home device 146 selects and transfers only the data objects from the laptop 130 and the digital picture frame 142. In contrast, the data objects from the mobile phone 138 are not selected and were not transferred. In this way, the data transfer is subject to a user's selection, rather than automatically transferring all available data objects. In some embodiments, since the data objects corresponding to the data references 152 and 154 in the network sharing queue 140 at the mobile phone 138 are not pulled from the mobile phone 138 to the home device 146, the data references 152 and 154 remain in the network sharing queue 140 at the mobile phone 138. Fig. 8 depicts a schematic flow chart diagram of one embodiment of a method 160 for using the network data transfer system 100 of Fig. 1. Although the data transfer method 160 is described in conjunction with the network data transfer system 100 of Fig. 2, other embodiments of the data transfer method 160 may be implemented with other network data transfer systems.

At block 162, data is selected to be pushed from a first storage device. The user interface 118 enables a user to select a data object to be shared from a first data storage device 114 which is connected to the network 110. At block 164, a data reference corresponding to the data object to be shared is stored in the network sharing queue 116.

At block 166, a second electronic device 120 is used to poll the network 110 for available data references. The polling request may be initiated as the second electronic device 120 becomes active or enters the network. In other words, the polling request may be initiated in response to activation of the second electronic device 120 on the network 110. Alternatively, the polling request may be initiated by the user. At block 168, a list of data references available to the network is returned to the second electronic device 120 in response to the polling request. The second electronic device 120 may be calibrated to select all available data objects automatically. Alternatively, the user, through the user interface 126, may select the data reference(s) of one or more data objects to be pulled to the second electronic device 120. At block 170, the selected data objects are pulled from the first data storage device 114 to the second data storage device 122. Although specific devices are mentioned, the system is not limited to the aforementioned devices. It should also be noted that at least some of the operations for the methods may be implemented using software instructions stored on a computer useable storage medium for execution by a computer. As an example, an embodiment of a computer program product includes a computer useable storage medium to store a computer readable program that, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform operations. In some embodiments, the operations include operations to transfer data between data storage devices coupled to a network. More specifically, the operations may include an operation at an authorized remote device to pull the data object from the first data storage device for storage on a second data storage device at the remote device. Other embodiments may include instructions to facilitate additional operations.

An embodiment of a data processing system suitable for storing and/or executing program code includes at least one processor coupled directly or indirectly to memory elements through a system bus such as a data, address, and/or control bus. The memory elements can include local memory employed during actual execution of the program code, bulk storage, and cache memories which provide temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved from bulk storage during execution. Furthermore, embodiments of the invention can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment containing both hardware and software elements. In one embodiment, the invention is implemented in software, which includes but is not limited to firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.

Although the operations of the method(s) herein are shown and described in a particular order, the order of the operations of each method may be altered so that certain operations may be performed in an inverse order or so that certain operations may be performed, at least in part, concurrently with other operations. In another embodiment, instructions or sub-operations of distinct operations may be implemented in an intermittent and/or alternating manner. Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated, the invention is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangements of parts so described and illustrated. The scope of the invention is to be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A network data transfer system comprising: a network; a first electronic device coupled to the network, wherein the first electronic device comprises: a first data storage device to store a data object; a network sharing queue coupled to the first data storage device, the network sharing queue to store a data reference corresponding to the data object; and a second electronic device coupled to the network, the second electronic device comprising: a second data storage device coupled to the second electronic device; a user interface to poll the network sharing queue at the first electronic device for available data objects and to pull the corresponding data object from the first data storage device to the second data storage device.

2. The network data transfer system of claim 0, wherein the first electronic device is further configured to respond to the poll from the user interface at the second electronic device and to send the data reference to the second electronic device in response to the poll.

3. The network data transfer system of claim 0, wherein the user interface is configured to automatically poll the network sharing queue for available data objects upon connection of the second electronic device to the network.

4. The network data transfer system of claim 0, wherein the user interface is configured to automatically pull the data object from the first data storage device based on the data reference stored in the network sharing queue.

5. The network data transfer system of claim 0, wherein the user interface is configured to automatically pull the data object from a first folder on the first data storage device and to store the data object in a second folder on the second data storage device, wherein the second folder on the second data storage device corresponds to the first folder on the first data storage device.

6. The network data transfer system of claim 0, wherein the second electronic device is configured to access network sharing queues of multiple devices connected to the network, wherein the second electronic device is further configured to pull data references from multiple devices connected to the network according to a pulling scheme, wherein the pulling scheme operates according to at least one of the following: automatically filtering a list of references on the polling device; pulling all available data objects; pulling filtered data objects; and generating a list of available data objects.

7. The network data transfer system of claim 0, wherein the user interface is configured to automatically pull the data object from the first data storage device and to store the data object in a default download folder on the second data storage device.

8. The network data transfer system of claim 0, wherein the user interface is configured to pull the data object from the first data storage device and to store the data object in the second data storage device in response to a user command.

9. The network data transfer system of claim 0, wherein the user interface is configured to display a list, at the second electronic device, of the plurality of data references, wherein the user command is indicative of a user selection to designate at least one corresponding data object for transfer over the network, wherein the user interface is further configured to pull at least one corresponding data object from the first data storage device to the second data storage device based on the user selection.

10. The network data transfer system of claim 0, wherein the data reference comprises a data object, and the network sharing queue is further configured to store the data object.

1 1. An apparatus to facilitate a transfer of data across a network, the apparatus comprising: a data storage device to store a data object; a network sharing queue coupled to the data storage device, the network sharing queue to store a data reference corresponding to the data object, wherein the data reference is stored in the network sharing queue to indicate that the data object is selected for transfer over the network; and a network interface device coupled to the data storage device and the network sharing queue, the network interface device to send the data object to a remote device on the network in response to a data transfer request from the remote device.

12. The apparatus of claim 0, further comprising a user interface coupled to the data storage device and the network sharing queue, the user interface to allow a user to designate the data object in the data storage device for sharing over a network.

13. The apparatus of claim 0, wherein the network interface device is further configured to send the data reference from the network sharing queue to the remote device on the network in response to a polling request from the remote device.

14. The apparatus of claim 0, wherein the user interface is further configured to allow a user to initiate another polling request to poll the remote device for another data object available at the remote device and to allow the user to initiate a pull request to pull the other data object from the remote device.

15. The apparatus of claim 0, wherein the user interface comprises a graphical user interface.

16. The apparatus of claim 0, wherein the user interface comprises a tactile user interface.

17. The apparatus of claim 0, wherein the user interface comprises a wireless user interface or a wired user interface, wherein the wireless user interface comprises a pointing device, a gesture device, or a near field communication device.

18. The apparatus of claim 0, wherein the data reference comprises a Universal resource locator (URL) reference corresponding to streaming data.

19. A method for transferring data between data storage devices coupled to a network, the method comprising: selecting a data object to be pushed from a first data storage device; storing a data reference in a network sharing queue which is local to the first data storage device, wherein the data reference corresponds to the selected data object; receiving a polling request from a remote device on the network; and authorizing the remote device to pull the data object from the first data storage device for storage on a second data storage device at the remote device.

20. The method of claim 0, further comprising at least one operation of the following operations: selecting the data object to be pushed from the first data storage device through a push command from a user via a user interface on the first data storage device; storing the data reference in the network sharing queue by pushing the data object to the network sharing queue; generating a list of available data objects on the first data storage device; and sending a plurality of data references corresponding to the available data objects to the remote device.