FIELD

The described embodiments relate to systems and methods for multi-screen interaction, and in particular, for interacting with media objects and transferring media objects between a plurality of display devices.

BACKGROUND

Computing systems, including presentation and other systems having multiple screen and other output devices are well known. The arrangement of content between displays on different screens is generally cumbersome, time consuming and inconvenient. There is a need for convenient and intuitive methods for arranging content on different displays across multiple screens and other output devices coupled to a computing system.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect, some embodiments of the invention provide a method of multi-display interaction comprising: providing a plurality of display devices comprising: a display, an input device, a processor, and a memory; showing an object on a first display associated with a first display device; receiving an input gesture beginning at a first point on the object and finishing at a second point; determining a line between the first point and the second point; if a projection of the line intersects a first active region in a plurality of active regions, translating the object to the first active region and associating the object with a second display device corresponding to the first active region and showing the object on the second display; and otherwise, translating the object along the projection of the line.

In some embodiments, the method may further comprise: determining an input velocity vector between the first point and a second point and translating the object based on the input velocity vector.

In some embodiments, the method may further comprise: determining an input acceleration vector between the first point and a second point and translating the object based on the input acceleration vector.

In some embodiments, the method may further comprise: determining an object momentum at the second point based on an object mass and velocity; translating the object in a direction of the line at the object momentum and decreasing the object momentum as the object translates.

In some embodiments, the method wherein each display device may further comprise an audio device; the object may comprise an audio content and a video content; and the showing the object may further comprise showing the video content on the display device, and playing the audio content on the audio device.

In some embodiments, the method may further comprise modifying the object associated with a first display device.

In some embodiments, the method may further comprise modifying the object associated with a second display device; receiving an second input gesture beginning at a third point on the object and finishing at a fourth point; determining a second line between the third point and the fourth point; if a projection of the second line intersects a second active region in a plurality of active regions, translating the object to the second active region and associating the object with the first display device corresponding to the second active region and showing the object on the first display; and otherwise, translating the object in a direction of the second line.

In some embodiments, the method may further comprise an interaction field associated with the object comprising a plurality of options; receiving a second input gesture corresponding to a selection in the plurality of options; modifying the interaction field based on the selection; and associating the object with the first display device.

In some embodiments, the method wherein the first display device may comprise a first audience information, the second display device may comprise a second audience information, the object may comprise a first audience content and a second audience content, the showing the object may further comprise showing the first audience content on the first display based on the first audience information; showing the second audience content on the second display based on the second audience information.

In a second aspect, some embodiments of the invention provide a multi-screen interaction system comprising: an object; a plurality of display devices, each display device comprising: a memory storing the object, a display, a processor, and an input device that receives an input gesture; wherein a display of a first display device shows the object, the processor of a first display device is configured to: receive a plurality of points from the input device corresponding to gesture at a point on the display: a first point in the plurality of points corresponding to an initiation of a gesture, a second point in the plurality of points corresponding to an completion of a gesture, determine a line formed from the first point to the second point, determine a projection of the line, determine if the projection intersects a first active region in a plurality of active regions, translate the object to the first active region and send the object to a second display device corresponding to the first active region and otherwise, translate the object along the projection on the display of the first display device; the processor of a second display device is configured to: receive the object from the first display device; and store the object in the memory of the second display device; and instruct the display of the second display device to show the object.

In some embodiments, the system may further comprise: each of the plurality of display devices further comprising an audio device; the object further comprising a video content and an audio content; the processor of each of the plurality of display devices further configured to: show the video content on the display; play the audio content on the audio device.

In some embodiments, the system may further comprise: the processor of a first display device in the plurality of display devices further configured to: modify the object.

In some embodiments, the system may further comprise: the processor of a second display device in the plurality of display devices further configured to: modify the object.

In some embodiments, the system may further comprise: the processor of a second display device in the plurality of display devices further configured to: send the object to the first display device; the processor of a first display device in the plurality of display devices further configured to: receive the object from the second display device.

In a third aspect, some embodiments of the invention provide a method of transferring an object from a first display device to a second display device of a multi-screen interaction system comprising: providing a first display device and a second display device; showing an object on the first display device; receiving an input gesture comprising a translation vector at the object; determining a projection of the translation vector; translating the object on the first display device based on the translation vector; detecting an intersection of the object with a first active region on the first display device; transferring the object from the first display device to the second display device associated with the first active region.

In some embodiments, the translation vector may further comprise an input velocity vector and the determining a projection of the translation vector may further comprise determining a translation velocity vector.

In some embodiments, the translation vector may further comprise an input acceleration vector and the determining a projection of the translation vector may further comprise determining a translation acceleration vector.

In some embodiments, the method may further comprise: determining the momentum of the object; translating the object based on the momentum and decreasing the object momentum as the object translates.

In some embodiments, the method may further comprise: the object further comprising: an audio content and a video content; the first display device and the second display device further comprising an audio device; the showing the object further comprises showing the video content and playing the audio content on the audio device of the display device; the transferring the object from the first display device to the second display device further comprises transferring the playing of the audio content from the first display device to the second display device.

In some embodiments, the method may further comprise: the object further comprising a state.

In some embodiments, the method may further comprise: the first display device and the second display device in network communications and the transferring the object from the first display device to the second display device further comprises serializing the object, transferring the serialized object to the second display device using the network communication, and materializing the object into memory at the second display device.

In a fourth aspect, some embodiments of the invention provide a system of transferring an object from a first display device to a second display device of a multi-screen interaction system comprising: a first display device comprising: a display, a processor, a memory, a user input device; a second display device comprising a display, a processor, a memory, a user input device; wherein the memory of the first display device comprises an object; the first display device and the second display device are in network communication; the object is shown on the display of the first user device; the processor of the first display device is operable to: determine a line projection based on a user input from the user input device; detect an intersection between the line projection and an active region; translate the object being shown on the display; serialize the object; communicate the serialized object to the second display device using the network communication; the processor of the second display device is operable to: receive the serialized object using the network communication; materialize the object from the serialized object into memory.

In some embodiments, the processor of the first display device may be further operable to: determine an input velocity vector; determine a translation velocity vector; determine an input acceleration vector; determine a translation acceleration vector; determine an object momentum; translate the object based on the translation velocity vector, the translation acceleration vector, and the object momentum.

In some embodiments the system wherein the object may further comprise an audio content and a video content; the first display device and the second display device may further comprise an audio device; the object may be shown on the first display device based on the video content; the object may be played on the audio device of the first display device based on the audio content; the serializing the object may include serializing the audio content and the video content.

In some embodiments, the system wherein the object may further comprise a state.

