Abstract:
A content playback apparatus comprises a touch screen, a memory and a processor. The touch screen is configured to play back a plurality of contents and to detect a touch input for the contents. The memory is configured to store instructions to control a playback of the contents. The processor is configured to control the playback of the contents according to the instructions. The instructions include a display instruction for displaying playbacks of the plurality of contents in a predetermined size, a move instruction for moving, among the plurality of contents, a content according to the touch input, and a magnification instruction for, in response to said moving, magnifying a playback size of the moved content according to the touch input and displaying a playback of the content on the touch screen at the magnified playback size of the content.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    The present application is a continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/KR2014/007199, filed Aug. 5, 2014, which is based on, and claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2013-0103252, filed on Aug. 29, 2013. The disclosures of above-listed applications are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirely. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for playing back a plurality of contents. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    In general, mobile devices, such as smartphones and the like, play back one of contents, such as videos and the like, at a time due to limited performance. However, the recent change in decoding of contents such as videos not only from software but also from hardware allows a plurality of contents to be played back at a time in mobile devices. 
         [0004]    However, a user interface for playback of the plurality of contents is unavailable, which makes it difficult to playback the plurality of contents in a mobile device at a time. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    In some embodiments, a content playback apparatus comprises a touch screen, a memory and a processor. The touch screen is configured to play back a plurality of contents and to detect a touch input for the contents. The memory is configured to store instructions to control a playback of the contents. The processor is configured to control the playback of the contents according to the instructions. The instructions include a display instruction for displaying playbacks of the plurality of contents in a predetermined size, a move instruction for moving, among the plurality of contents, a content according to the touch input, and a magnification instruction for, in response to said moving, magnifying a playback size of the moved content according to the touch input and displaying a playback of the content on the touch screen at the magnified playback size of the content. 
         [0006]    In some embodiments, a method of playing back content, by a content playback apparatus comprising a processor and a touch screen, the method comprises displaying playbacks of a plurality of contents in a predetermined size, moving, among the plurality of contents, a content according to a touch input, magnifying a playback size of the moved content according to the touch input, and displaying a playback of the content on the touch screen at the magnified playback size of the content. 
         [0007]    In some embodiments, a method of playing back content, by a content playback apparatus comprising a processor and a touch screen comprising a first area and a second area, the method comprises displaying playbacks of a plurality of contents in a predetermined size on the first area of the touch screen, moving, among the plurality of contents, a content according to a touch input from the first area to the second area, and magnifying a playback size of the moved content according to the touch input, displaying a playback of the content on the second area of the touch screen at the magnified playback size of the content. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is an exemplary block diagram illustrating a content playback apparatus according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is an exemplary view showing a screen on which a plurality of contents is played back through a user interface by a content playback apparatus, in accordance with a first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is an exemplary view showing a screen on which a plurality of contents is played back through a user interface by a content playback apparatus, in accordance with a second embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is an exemplary flow chart illustrating a process of the content playback apparatus to play back the contents, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0012]    The present disclosure in some embodiments seeks to provide a content playback apparatus which is displaying a plurality of contents on a limited screen. 
         [0013]    The present disclosure can be modified in various ways and practiced with many embodiments. Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments and it is to be understood that modifications, equivalents and substitutes thereof may be made and fall within the scope of the invention set forth in the claims. 
         [0014]    In the present disclosure, the phase of “transmitting a signal from one element to another” refers to not only transmitting the signal through direction connection from the one element to the another element but also transmitting the signal via still another element between the one element and the another element, unless stated otherwise. 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is an exemplary block diagram illustrating a content playback apparatus according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         [0016]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a content playback apparatus includes a touch screen  110 , a memory  120 , a processor  130 , a communication unit  140  and a camera  150 . 
         [0017]    The touch screen  110  displays images received from the processor  130 . The touch screen  110  can receive a touch input from a user through a finger or pen which touches on the touch screen  110 , and can generate input information based on the received touch input. In this case, the touch input includes an input from the user which touches on the touch screen  110 , an input of release of the finger or pen from the touch screen, a dragging of movement of the finger or pen on the touch screen  110  in touch with touch screen  100 , and a touch pressure. The input information is information indicating the above-mentioned inputs. The touch screen  110  transmits the input information to the processor  130 . 
         [0018]    The memory  120  stores a plurality of contents and a program including a user interface and instructions for playbacks of the contents. 
         [0019]    The processor  130  generates an image such as a content to be played back through the user interface, according to an instruction stored in the memory  120 , and transmits it to the touch screen  110 . A process of the processor  130  to generate the image through the user interface and display the image on the touch screen  110  is obvious to those skilled in the art and, therefore, explanation of which is omitted for the purpose of brevity. The user interface includes a thumbnail image display area in which contents being played back are displayed as thumbnail images, and a main area in which contents are displayed at positions and sizes set by the user. For example, the main area is the entire area of the touch screen  110  including the thumbnail image display area. In this case, when the user touches one of the contents displayed as the thumbnail images, drags it into the main area, and holds the touching, the processor  130  magnifies the content depending on a touch hold time. Accordingly, the content playback apparatus makes it possible for a user to easily adjust a position and size at which a content is played back, through a touch input. A process of adjusting a position and size at which a content is played back through the user interface will be described in detail later with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 . 
         [0020]    The processor  130  also generates a transmission image to be transmitted to another device through the communication unit  140 . For example, the processor  130  can generate a transmission image (a first content) to be played back on the entire screen. The processor  130  transmits the transmission image to another device through the communication unit  140 . In this case, another device is a mobile device or a device such as a television which is connected to the communication unit  140  via a predetermined communication protocol and receives and displays the transmission image. 
         [0021]    The communication unit  140  is connected to another device and transmits a transmission image. In addition, the communication unit  140  receives a content from another device and transmit it to the processor  130 . In this case, the processor  130  stores the content in the memory  120  and displays it on the touch screen  110  directly according to a playback instruction through the user interface. In addition, the communication unit  140  includes a plurality of communication modules of schemes. 
         [0022]    The camera  150  takes an image of external environments to generate a content. The camera  150  transmits the generated content to the processor  130 . The processor  130  stores the content in the memory  120  and plays back it. In addition, the processor  130  displays the content generated by the camera  150  on the touch screen  110  directly through the user interface. 
         [0023]      FIG. 2  is an exemplary view showing a screen on which a plurality of contents is played back through a user interface by a content playback apparatus, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         [0024]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , the user interface includes a thumbnail image display area  203  and a main area  206 . In this case, the main area  206  becomes the entire area of the touch screen  110  including the thumbnail image display area  203 . That is, the entire thumbnail image display area  203  or a background area is used as the main area in which contents are displayed. 
         [0025]    At this time, a plurality of contents is played back as thumbnail images in the thumbnail image display area  203 . When the processor  130  receives an input of touching one of the contents and dragging it to a point in the main area  206  from a user, the processor  130  moves the content to the point. If the dragging by the user is finished (or stopped) but the touch input is maintained, i.e., a finger or pen with which the user performed the dragging, remains in touch with the content, the processor  130  magnifies the size of the content with a predetermined magnification in every predetermined unit time until the touch is ended. For example, after moving a content (e.g., a thumbnail image  210 ) to a point  220  according to an input from the user, the processor  130  magnifies the thumbnail image  210  to a size indicated by reference numeral  230  for a touch hold time. If the touch input from the user still remains maintained, the processor  130  magnifies the content  210  to a size indicated by reference numeral  240 . When the touch input from the user is terminated, the processor  130  ceases to change the size of the content  210 . Therefore, the content playback apparatus can set positions and sizes at which contents displayed as thumbnail images are played back, according to touch, drag and touch release inputs from a user. Therefore, even when it is a device, such as a mobile device, having a small screen, the content playback apparatus allows a user to set positions and sizes at which contents are played back, without a small button which is hard to be pressed. Thus, if the user wishes to display a plurality of contents on the main area  206 , the user can cause the content playback apparatus to play back and display the plurality of contents through user inputs including touch, drag and touch release for thumbnail images. 
         [0026]    Although it has been illustrated that the sizes at which the above-described contents are determined depending on the touch input hold time, the sizes are determined according to a touch pressure by a user depending on an implementation method. 
         [0027]    For example, the processor  130  magnifies a playback size at which a content is played back, with increase in a touch pressure. Therefore, a user adjusts the playback size without waiting magnification of the size after drag termination. In addition, if a pressure according to a touch pressure exceeds a predetermined value, the processor  130  gradually magnifies the playback size at which the content is played back. Therefore, even when the user stops the dragging for a minute in order to designate a position at which the content is played back, the size at which the content is played back, and further, even when the user stops the dragging for a minute in order to grasp a position at which the content is played back, it is possible to prevent the processor  130  from entering a process of adjusting the size at which the content is played back. 
         [0028]      FIG. 3  is an exemplary view showing a screen on which a plurality of contents is played back through a user interface by a content playback apparatus, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         [0029]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , the user interface includes a thumbnail image display area  203  and a main area  206 . 
         [0030]    In this case, a plurality of contents is played back as thumbnail images in the thumbnail image display area  203 . When the processor  130  receives an input of touching one  210  of the contents and dragging it into the main area  206  from a user, the processor  130  displays a path according to the dragging, as a line (hereinafter referred to as a path line). Thereafter, when path lines according to the dragging form a closed  FIG. 301 , the processor sets a playback size at which a content is played back, to a size of a rectangle  310  circumscribing the closed  FIG. 301  formed by the path lines, and displays the content at a position of the rectangle. 
         [0031]    Depending on an implementation method, the processor  130  displays the content at a playback size and position according to a rectangle  320  inscribing the figure formed by the single closed curve. Alternatively, the processor  130  sets a playback size of the content and position according to a rectangle  330  formed by a set of points having the same distance from matched sides when sides of the rectangle  310  circumscribing the figure formed by the single closed curve match in one-to-one correspondence with sides of the rectangle  320  inscribing the figure formed by the single closed curve. For example, the processor  130  matches the upper side of the rectangle  310  circumscribing the figure with the upper side of the rectangle  320  inscribing the figure and calculate points having the same distance from the upper sides. In addition, the processor  130  calculates points having the same distance for left sides, right sides and lower sides of the rectangle  310  and rectangle  320 , according to the above-described process. The processor  130  sets playback sizes and positions of contents through the rectangle  330  formed by the same distance points. 
         [0032]    Accordingly, the content playback apparatus according to the at least one embodiment of the present disclosure sets playback sizes and positions at which contents are displayed, through a dragging from a user. 
         [0033]    The contents played back and displayed according to the above-described methods ( FIGS. 2 and 3 ) of the present disclosure are changed in playback size and position or changed in playback size at the same position through the user inputs including the touch, dragging and touch release, in the same way. 
         [0034]      FIG. 4  is an exemplary flow chart illustrating a process of the content playback apparatus to play back the contents, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The following process is a process performed by functional units included in the content playback apparatus. However, for the purpose of brevity of description, the description will be given with the content playback apparatus as a subject. 
         [0035]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , at Step  410 , the content playback apparatus displays a plurality of contents in the thumbnail image area  203 . For example, the contents are contents received from an external device through the communication unit  140 , contents generated by the camera  150 , and the like. 
         [0036]    At Step  420 , the contents playback apparatus senses a touch input on the touch screen  110  from a user. In this case, the touch input comprises inputs, such as touch, drag and touch release, from the user. 
         [0037]    At Step  430 , the content playback apparatus sets a position at which a content corresponding to a thumbnail image first touched by the user is played back. For example, the content playback apparatus moves the content positioned at the point first touched by the user, according to a dragging. When the dragging is stopped (i.e., a finger or pen that performed the dragging pauses while remaining in a touched state with the touch screen), the content playback apparatus sets the point at which the dragging is stopped, to a position at which the content is to be played back. 
         [0038]    At Step  440 , the content playback apparatus sets a playback size at which the content is to be played back, according to the touch input. For example, the content playback apparatus magnifies the playback size of the content for a touch hold time after the dragging is stopped, ceases to magnify the content size if the touch release occurs during the magnification of the content size, and sets the magnified size of the thumbnail image to a size at which the content is to be played back. 
         [0039]    Although it has been illustrated that the size at which the content is to be played back is set depending on a touch hold time at Step  440 , conditions of setting the playback size at which the content is to be displayed may be changed depending on an implementation method. 
         [0040]    For example, the content playback apparatus changes the playback size of the content in proportion to a pressure according to the touch input at Step  440 . Alternatively, if the touch pressure exceeds a predetermined value, the content playback apparatus sequentially changes the size at which the content is to be displayed, by a predetermined magnification in a predetermined unit of time. 
         [0041]    In addition, Step  440  is changed to a step in which the content playback apparatus sets a size and position at which the content is to be played back using a path line formed by the user dragging, as described above with reference to  FIG. 3 . 
         [0042]    When the touch input is completed at Step  450 , the content playback apparatus completes the control for playback of the content and plays back the contents according to the control. 
         [0043]    If the plurality of contents are already being played back in the main area, only Steps  420 ,  430 ,  440  and  450  except Step  410  in the flow chart of  FIG. 4  are performed in order to change the sizes and positions at which the contents are being played back. That is, the contents being already played back are changed in position and size by sensing a touch input to select a content to be changed in position and playback size, among the contents being already played back, at Step  420 , setting a playback position at Step  430 , setting a playback size at Step  440 , and completing the touch input at Step  450 . In addition, if only the playback sizes of the contents being already played back are intended to be adjusted, the contents can be changed in a playback size by sensing a touch input to select a content to be changed in a playback size, among the contents being already played back, at Step  420 , setting a playback size at Step  440  in the above-described way if a touch input for playback size setting is sensed without a position change input for Step  430 , for example, if a touch lasts for a certain time or a touch pressure is sensed to exceed a predetermined value without any dragging after the touch input at Step  420 , and completing the touch input at Step  450 . 
         [0044]    While the present disclosure has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof. 
         [0045]    As described above, the present disclosure provides a device including a touch screen, which is capable of allowing a user to easily arrange and display a plurality of contents on a screen according to intention of the user. 
         [0046]    In addition, the present disclosure controls playback of contents shared by means of a content playback apparatus through an external device.