(19) United States
`(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2006/0203758 A1
`Tee et al.
`(43) Pub. Date:
`Sep. 14, 2006
`
`US 20060203758Al
`
`(54) MOBILE TERMINAL FOR RELAYING
`MULTIMEDIA DATA TO AN EXTERNAL
`DISPLAY DEVICE
`
`(75) Inventors: Lai King Tee, Dallas, TX (US);
`Cornelius van Rensburg, Dallas, TX
`(US); Joseph R. Cleveland, Murphy,
`TX (Us)
`
`Correspondence Address:
`DOCKET CLERK
`P.O. DRAWER 800889
`DALLAS, Tx 75380 (US)
`
`(73) Assignee; SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS C0,,
`LTD" guwomcity (KR)
`
`(21) Appl, No.1
`
`11/237,357
`
`(22) Filed:
`
`Sep. 27, 2005
`
`Related US. Application Data
`
`(60) Provisional application No. 60/661,267, ?led on Mar.
`11, 2005.
`
`Pubhcatlon Classl?catlon
`
`(51) Int CL
`(2006.01)
`G06F 15/16
`(2006.01)
`H04] 3/08
`(2006.01)
`H04B 7/14
`(200601)
`H04] 1/10
`(52) us. Cl. .......................................... .. 370/315; 709/227
`
`ABSTRACT
`(57)
`A mobile terminal comprising a local display for displaying
`multimedia data. The mobile terminal receives multimedia
`data via a ?rst Wireless interface and transmits the received
`multimedia data to an external display via a second Wireless
`interface. The mobile terminal transmits the received mul
`timedia data to the external display if the mobile terminal
`determines the quality of the external display is superior to
`the quality of the local display.
`
`1 31
`
`‘*4
`
`L__—__.___Im
`
`l2?
`
`6 a
`O
`T \ n CHIC“:
`1 1 0
`% [ESE
`
`133
`
`: D C:
`:IDE
`
`IP NETWORK 140
`
`N150
`
`1 34
`ll
`
`:1
`
`Page 1 of 10
`
`

`
`Patent Application Publication Sep. 14, 2006 Sheet 1 0f 3
`
`US 2006/0203758 A1
`
`\
`
`Di
`
`=
`
`IP N@~140
`
`~150
`
`FIG. 1
`
`Page 2 of 10
`
`

`
`Patent Application Publication Sep. 14, 2006 Sheet 2 0f 3
`
`US 2006/0203758 A1
`
`11\()
`\ 7
`
`202
`
`WLAN
`X-CVR
`
`Y
`
`WAN
`201’ X-CVR
`
`Y
`
`PAN
`X-CVR “ 203
`
`22\5
`
`I
`
`240
`
`P230
`
`CONTROL
`PROCESSOR
`
`MICROPHONE w \
`
`I/o IF =
`
`210
`
`245
`
`\
`235
`
`MEMORY
`215 f
`
`‘
`
`250
`
`BASIC OS
`
`260 f DISPLAY SELECT
`
`261\/~ LOCAL DISPLAY
`
`262\/~ REMOTE DIsPLAY
`
`270 % vIDEo CONVERSION
`
`280
`
`VIDEO/MULTIMEDIA FILE
`
`VIDEO/MULTIMEDIA
`290 ’ APPLICATION
`
`FIG. 2
`
`Page 3 of 10
`
`

`
`Patent Application Publication Sep. 14, 2006 Sheet 3 0f 3
`
`US 2006/0203758 A1
`
`300
`
`START
`
`MT 110 ACCESSES BS 120 AND
`305 w
`INITIATES VIDEO DOWNLOAD
`
`310 w MT 110 DETECTS PRESENCE
`OF REMOTE DISPLAY DEVICE
`
`315 w MT ‘I10 COMPARES CAPABILITIES OF REMOTE
`DISPLAY DEVICE AND LOCAL DISPLAY DEVICE
`
`MT 110 PROMPTS OPERATOR TO
`320 v"
`SELECT REMOTE DISPLAY DEVICE
`
`325 v
`
`MT 110 TRANSMITS VIDEO STREAM
`TO REMOTE DISPLAY DEVICE
`
`OPTIONALLY, MT 110 MAY COMMUNICATE
`WITH REMOTE USER INPUT DEVICE
`
`OPTIONALLY, MT 110 MAY RECEIVE VIDEO
`
`TO BS 120 DURING VIDEO CONFERENCE
`
`CONTINUE
`
`FIG. 3
`
`Page 4 of 10
`
`

`
`US 2006/0203758 A1
`
`Sep. 14, 2006
`
`MOBILE TERMINAL FOR RELAYING
`MULTIMEDIA DATA TO AN EXTERNAL DISPLAY
`DEVICE
`
`CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED
`APPLICATION AND CLAIM OF PRIORITY
`
`[0001] The present application is related to US. Provi
`sional Patent No. 60/661,267, ?led Mar. 11, 2005, entitled
`“Mobile Device For Downloading, Relaying And Distrib
`uting Multimedia Applications”. US. Provisional Patent No.
`60/661,267 is assigned to the assignee of the present appli
`cation and is hereby incorporated by reference into the
`present disclosure as if fully set forth herein. The present
`application hereby claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e)
`to US. Provisional Patent No. 60/661,267.
`
`TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`
`[0002] The present application relates generally to Wire
`less communications and, more speci?cally, to a Wireless
`mobile terminal that relays video and other data to periph
`eral devices.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`[0003] Wireless mobile terminals are being used in an
`ever-increasing variety of applications. This is particularly
`true of hand-held devices, such as cell phones, personal
`digital assistant (PDA) devices With Wireless capability, and
`Wireless hand-held (or palm top) computers. More and more,
`these applications include video and/ or audio applications or
`multimedia applications that rely heavily on graphics. Pre
`vious generations of hand-held mobile terminals Were
`capable of supporting multimedia and video/audio applica
`tions, but this capability Was diminished by the relatively
`loW data rates that conventional Wireless netWorks could
`achieve. This problem is being addressed by neW Wireless
`communications standards and equipment that provide
`much higher data rates.
`
`[0004] HoWever, even if netWork bottlenecks are
`removed, the usefulness of small mobile terminals may be
`limited nonetheless by the human interface problems asso
`ciated With handheld devices. The small display screens of
`Wireless mobile terminals diminish the capabilities of some
`applications, particularly video applications. For example,
`the small screens of hand-held mobile terminals are a
`Well-knoWn hindrance to the display of Website information
`in Internet broWser applications. As a practical matter, the
`display of a mobile terminal (e.g., a cell phone or PDA)
`typically has siZe limitations imposed by form-factor, poWer
`consumption and cost. Thus, handheld mobile terminals may
`not be an attractive device for some video and multimedia
`applications.
`[0005] Therefore, there is a need in the art for small
`mobile terminals that are better suited to video applications
`and to multimedia applications. In particular, there is a need
`for a mobile terminal that can overcome the limitations of a
`small display screen to provide improved vieWing of video
`and multimedia applications.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`[0006] A mobile terminal is provided. According to an
`advantageous embodiment, the mobile terminal comprises a
`local display capable of displaying multimedia data, a con
`
`troller capable of transmitting the multimedia data to the
`local display, and a ?rst transceiver capable of communi
`cating With a remote display device. The controller is
`capable of comparing display parameter information asso
`ciated With the external display device to display parameter
`information associated With the local display and, in
`response to the comparison, transmitting the multimedia
`data to the external display device via the ?rst transceiver.
`[0007] A method of operating a remote terminal is also
`provided. The method comprises transmitting multimedia
`data to a local display of the remote terminal, detecting the
`presence of a remote display device, establishing a Wireless
`communication link With the remote display device, com
`paring display parameter information associated With the
`remote display device to display parameter information
`associated With the local display, and, in response to the
`comparison, transmitting the multimedia data to the remote
`display device.
`[0008] Another mobile terminal is provided comprising a
`local display capable of displaying multimedia data. The
`mobile terminal is capable of receiving multimedia data via
`a ?rst Wireless interface and transmitting the received mul
`timedia data to an external display via a second Wireless
`interface. The mobile terminal transmits the received mul
`timedia data to the external display if the mobile terminal
`determines the quality of the external display is superior to
`the quality of the local display.
`[0009] Before undertaking the DETAILED DESCRIP
`TION OF THE INVENTION beloW, it may be advantageous
`to set forth de?nitions of certain Words and phrases used
`throughout this patent document: the terms “include” and
`“comprise,” as Well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion
`Without limitation; the term “or,” is inclusive, meaning
`and/or; the phrases “associated With” and “associated there
`With,” as Well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include,
`be included Within, interconnect With, contain, be contained
`Within, connect to or With, couple to or With, be communi
`cable With, cooperate With, interleave, juxtapose, be proxi
`mate to, be bound to or With, have, have a property of, or the
`like; and the term “controller” means any device, system or
`part thereof that controls at least one operation, such a
`device may be implemented in hardWare, ?r'mWare or soft
`Ware, or some combination of at least tWo of the same. It
`should be noted that the functionality associated With any
`particular controller may be centraliZed or distributed,
`Whether locally or remotely. De?nitions for certain Words
`and phrases are provided throughout this patent document,
`those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that in
`many, if not most instances, such de?nitions apply to prior,
`as Well as future uses of such de?ned Words and phrases.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`[0010] For a more complete understanding of the present
`disclosure and its advantages, reference is noW made to the
`folloWing description taken in conjunction With the accom
`panying draWings, in Which like reference numerals repre
`sent like parts:
`[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary mobile terminal
`operating in a netWork environment according to one
`embodiment of the disclosure;
`[0012] FIG. 2 illustrates the exemplary mobile terminal in
`FIG. 1 in greater detail according to one embodiment of the
`disclosure; and
`
`Page 5 of 10
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`

`
`US 2006/0203758 A1
`
`Sep. 14, 2006
`
`[0013] FIG. 3 is a How diagram illustrating the operation
`of the exemplary mobile terminal and a remote display
`device according to one embodiment of the disclosure.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`INVENTION
`
`[0014] FIGS. 1 through 3, discussed beloW, and the
`exemplary embodiments described in the disclosure are by
`Way of illustration only and should not be construed in any
`Way to limit the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the
`art Will understand that the principles of the present disclo
`sure may be implemented in any suitably arranged Wireless
`mobile terminal.
`
`[0015] The mobile terminal disclosed herein overcomes
`the limitations of a small display screen by receiving video
`data (i.e., display data) over a ?rst Wireless interface and
`transmitting (or relaying) the video data over a second
`Wireless interface to an external (or remote) device having a
`better (bigger) display, such as a television, a computer
`monitor, a laptop computer, the dashboard display of a car,
`a video projection device, and the like. For the purposes of
`this disclosure and the claims herein, the video data, Which
`may also be referred to as multimedia data, is de?ned to
`include not only the video data itself, but may also include
`the audio data, text data, and control data that may accom
`pany the video data.
`
`[0016] In some instances, the determination of Whether the
`remote device has a better display may depend on the
`requirements of the video application executed by the
`mobile terminal. For many applications, it may be assumed
`that displays that are larger and have higher resolutions are
`better displays. The mobile terminal user may also make the
`decision as to Which display to use.
`[0017] Generally, the ?rst Wireless interface supports
`mobile Wireless communications, including, but not limited
`to IS-2000, lxEV-DO, lxEV-DV, GSM/GPRS/EDGE,
`3GPP UTRAN, HSDPA/HSUPA, 3GPP EUTRAN, TD
`CDMA, WiBro, WiMAX, IEEE-802.l6x, IEEE-802.20, and
`IEEE-802.llx (e.g., WiFi) in a hotspot environment. The
`second Wireless interface typically supports shorter range
`Wireless communications, including, but not limited to
`IEEE-802.l5.3x, MB-OFDM, UWB, Wireless USB, IEEE
`802.1lx (or WiFi), and a Bluetooth standard that supports
`high throughput applications.
`[0018] An exemplary mobile terminal may be used for
`mobile communications and as a gateWay for a short-range
`Wireless netWork, also called a personal area netWork (PAN).
`The mobile terminal may support a variety of mobile
`applications, including voice, multimedia (i.e., video, graph
`ics, text, and audio doWnloads), video conferencing, Web
`broWsing, ?le doWnload, VPN and Internet gaming. Advan
`tageously, When the mobile terminal is near a higher quality
`display (e.g., a TV screen), the mobile terminal relays its
`video data to the external display device as Well as to its
`internal display. This enables the operator of the mobile
`terminal to vieW the information on the higher quality
`display device, and to share the displayed information With
`other people at the same location, e. g., in a video conference
`call, or Watching the latest broadcasting and streaming of
`NeWs or events of common interests. Note that in the latter
`example, the source of information could be a remote
`Internet Web server instead of a conventional TV broadcast
`
`ing station. A remote Internet Web server does not have the
`same geographical coverage limit as a conventional TV
`broadcasting station. In the case of group video conferenc
`ing using, for example, a digital camera phone, it Would be
`more practical and ergonomically correct to have the
`received video data displayed on an external screen, While
`the phone camera captures and transmits the local user
`images.
`[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates exemplary mobile terminal 110
`operating in a netWork environment according to an exem
`plary embodiment of the disclosure. Mobile terminal 110 is
`depicted in FIG. 1 as a PDA type device. HoWever, this
`depiction is by Way of illustration only and should not be
`construed so as to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
`In fact, mobile terminal (MT) 110 may be any type of mobile
`Wireless device that uses a display, including a cellular
`phone, a PDA, a handheld computer (e.g., Pocket PCTM),
`and even a laptop computer. As an alternative, this mobile
`terminal may not need to have a high resolution, high quality
`display, as it could make use of external display device.
`
`[0020] Mobile terminal 110 is capable of communicating
`With one or more types of Wireless Wide-area netWorks
`(WANs), including conventional cellular netWorks and Wire
`less local area netWorks (WLANs). By Way of example,
`mobile terminal 110 may communicate With base station
`(BS) 120, Which may be associated With a CDMA2000/
`lxEV-DO/lxEV-DV netWork, a GSM/GPRS/EDGE net
`Work, an IEEE-802.l6x netWork, or the like. In other
`embodiments, base station 120 may communicate according
`to such Wireless interface standards, or their evolutions, as
`lxEV-DO, lxEV-DV, GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 3GPP UTRAN,
`HSDPA/HSUPA, 3GPP EUTRAN, TD-CDMA, WiBro,
`WiMAX, IEEE-802.20, or IEEE-802.llx, among others.
`Base station 120 provides mobile terminal 110 With access
`to voice netWorks, such as the public sWitched telephone
`netWork (PSTN), and to data netWorks, including, for
`example, the Internet or proprietary Internet protocol (IP)
`netWorks. In the illustrated embodiment, BS 120 provides
`mobile terminal 110 With access to server 150 via IP netWork
`140.
`
`[0021] Mobile terminal 110 is also capable of communi
`cating With one or more types of external (or remote) devices
`via a short-range Wireless interface standard, such as IEEE
`802.1lx,
`ultra-Wideband
`(UWB),
`IEEE-802.l5.3x,
`MB-OFDM, Wireless USB, or a Bluetooth standard that
`supports high throughput applications, among others. It is
`assumed for the purposes of this disclosure that any such
`remote device comprises a Wireless transceiver that can
`communicate With mobile terminal 110 in order to establish
`a personal area netWork (PAN) connection. By Way of
`example, mobile terminal 110 may communicate With tele
`vision 131 (or computer monitor 131), projector 132, key
`board 133, and laptop (or handheld) personal computer (PC)
`134. If the remote device is capable of displaying video (e. g.,
`television 131), it is assumed that the Wireless transceiver of
`the remote device supports a relatively high data rate that is
`suitable for video applications and/or multimedia applica
`tions.
`
`[0022] According to an advantageous embodiment,
`mobile terminal 110 may relay a video stream to a remote
`device in order to alloW the operator of mobile terminal 110
`to vieW the video on a better display. By Way of example,
`
`Page 6 of 10
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`

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`US 2006/0203758 A1
`
`Sep. 14, 2006
`
`mobile terminal 110 may be receiving streaming video data
`from server 150 via IP network 140 and base station 120.
`The streaming video is displayed on the display of mobile
`terminal 110. At some point, mobile terminal 110 may be
`located near to television 131 and establish a Wireless
`communication link via the short-range Wireless protocol
`(e.g., IEEE-802.llx/802.l5.3x) With television 131. Mobile
`terminal 110 may then request information from television
`131 regarding the capabilities of the display screen of
`television 131.
`
`[0023] Assuming television 131 is a more desirable dis
`play than mobile terminal 110, mobile terminal 110 may
`relay the streaming video signal to television 131 via the
`short-range (or PAN) Wireless communication link. This
`may be done automatically, or mobile terminal 110 may
`prompt the operator of mobile terminal 110 to select tele
`vision 131 before relaying the video signal. Similarly,
`mobile terminal 110 may transmit a video signal over the
`short-range PAN connection to computer 134, projector 132,
`or any other remote device that has a display screen.
`
`[0024] It is not required that mobile terminal 110 receive
`an incoming video stream from base station 120. In an
`alternate scenario, mobile terminal 110 may execute a video
`application and/or a multimedia application that plays back
`a video ?le and/or multimedia ?le stored in memory in
`mobile terminal 110. Mobile terminal 110 then transmits the
`video (or multimedia) stream from the stored ?le to televi
`sion 131 (or another device) for vieWing. Advantageously,
`mobile terminal 110 is also capable of establishing a com
`munication link With keyboard 133 (or another input device
`such as an electronic notepad) via the short-range PAN
`connection in order to alloW the operator of mobile terminal
`110 to use keyboard 133 (or the other input device) in lieu
`of the keyboard or other control buttons on mobile terminal
`110. By Way of example, mobile terminal 110 may establish
`a Bluetooth connection to keyboard 133 in order to alloW the
`operator to use keyboard 133 to control mobile terminal 110.
`In this scenario, the external keyboard, external display and
`the mobile terminal are connected in the form of a conven
`tional computer, With air interface 1 connecting the com
`puter (With the MT playing the role of the computing unit)
`to the Internet, and air interface 2 or 3 connecting the
`computer to the external keyboard and display. If air inter
`face 2 can support both connections betWeen the MT and
`keyboard or display simultaneously, it is not necessary to
`have air interface 3.
`
`[0025] FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary mobile terminal 110
`in greater detail according to an exemplary embodiment of
`the disclosure. Mobile terminal 110 comprises Wide-area
`netWork (WAN) transceiver Qi-CVR) 201, Wireless local
`area netWork (WLAN) transceiver Qi-CVR) 202, and per
`sonal area netWork (PAN) transceiver (X-CVR) 203. In an
`embodiment, only one of WLAN transceiver 202 and PAN
`transceiver 203 may be employed. Mobile terminal 110 also
`comprises control processor 210, memory 215, speaker 225,
`microphone 230, input/output interface (I/O IF) 235, keypad
`240 and display 245. Memory 215 stores basic operating
`system (OS) program 250, display select program 260, video
`conversion program 270, video/multimedia ?le 280, and one
`or more video application programs 290. Display select
`program 260 comprises local display parameters ?le 261 and
`remote display parameters ?le 262.
`
`[0026] Control processor 210 and memory 215 function as
`a controller that controls the overall operation of mobile
`terminal 110. Control processor 210 executes basic OS
`program 250 in order to control, among other things, trans
`ceivers 201, 202 and 203. Control processor 210 receives
`operator inputs from keypad 240 or another user input
`device (not shoWn) and displays data on display 245. If
`mobile terminal 110 is, for example, a cell phone, control
`processor 210 can receive a voice signal from microphone
`230 and can send voice signals to speaker 225. I/O interface
`235 alloWs control processor 210 to be coupled to, and
`communicate With, another device, including, for example,
`a docking station, a data cord, an operator input device, or
`the like.
`
`[0027] In the exemplary embodiment, control processor
`210 uses WAN transceiver 201 to communicate over a Wide
`area netWork. For example, WAN transceiver 201 may be a
`GSM/GPRS/EDGE transceiver, a CDMA2000/lxEV-DO
`transceiver, or an IEEE-802.l6x transceiver that communi
`cates With base station 120 of a Wide-area netWork. Control
`processor 210 may use WLAN transceiver 202 to commu
`nicate in a Wireless local area netWork (WLAN) environ
`ment, such as an of?ce WLAN that may have a coverage
`area or range of several hundred feet. By Way of example,
`WLAN transceiver 202 may be an IEEE-802.l lx trans
`ceiver. Control processor 210 may use PAN transceiver 203
`to communicate in a personal area netWork (PAN) environ
`ment, such as a Bluetooth or IEEE-802.l5.3 communication
`link that may have a coverage area or range around 10-20
`meters.
`
`[0028] In the illustrated embodiment in FIG. 2, three
`distinct transceivers are shoWn. HoWever, this is by Way of
`example only. In an alternate embodiment, mobile terminal
`110 may communicate With BS 120 via a ?rst air interface
`(or Wireless interface) and With an external device that has
`a display screen via a second air interface (or Wireless
`interface). Thus, mobile terminal 110 may comprise only
`tWo transceivers. Advantageously, one or more of transceiv
`ers 201-203 may be based on softWare-de?ned radio (SDR)
`technology and therefore may be capable of communicating
`according to more than one Wireless interface standard.
`
`[0029] Additionally, depending on the distances involved,
`mobile terminal 110 may receive an incoming video and/or
`multimedia stream from any one of WAN transceiver 201,
`WLAN transceiver 202, and PAN transceiver 203 and may
`relay the video and/or multimedia stream to an external
`device using, for example, WLAN transceiver 202 or PAN
`transceiver 203. Essentially, this air interface functions
`similarly to I/O interface 235, but over the Wireless link.
`
`[0030] In one example, mobile terminal 201 may receive
`a video stream from BS 120 via WAN transceiver 201 and
`may relay the video stream over a short distance to a remote
`display device via WLAN transceiver 202 or PAN trans
`ceiver 203. This may occur When mobile terminal 201
`communicates With BS 120 in a cellular netWork and the
`remote display communicates With mobile terminal 110
`using, for example, an IEEE-802.llx transceiver (i.e., com
`municates With WLAN transceiver 202) or a Bluetooth or
`IEEE-802.l5.3x transceiver (i.e., communicates With PAN
`transceiver 203).
`[0031] In another example, mobile terminal 201 may
`receive a video stream from a base station or access point of
`
`Page 7 of 10
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`US 2006/0203758 A1
`
`Sep. 14, 2006
`
`a home or of?ce WLAN via WLAN transceiver 202 and may
`relay the video stream over a short distance to a remote
`display device via PAN transceiver 203. This may occur
`When the base station or access point in the of?ce WLAN
`communicates With mobile terminal 110 using, for example,
`an IEEE-802.llx transceiver and the remote display com
`municates With mobile terminal 110 using, for example, a
`high data rate Bluetooth transceiver that is capable of
`supporting the required video data throughput.
`[0032] In a third example, mobile terminal 201 may
`receive a video stream from a base station, an access point,
`or a video source device via PAN transceiver 203 and may
`relay the video stream over a short distance to a remote
`display device via WLAN transceiver 202. This may occur
`if the video source With Wireless capability transmits a video
`stream to mobile terminal 110 using, for example, a high
`data rate Bluetooth transceiver and the remote display
`communicates With mobile terminal 110 using, for example,
`an IEEE-802.llx transceiver.
`
`[0033] Control processor 210 executes video/multimedia
`application program 290 in order to display video data on
`display 245. Control processor 210 executes video conver
`sion program 270 in order to re-format (if necessary) the
`video data doWnloaded from server 150 through the one
`Wireless interface (e.g., WAN transceiver 201) to a suitable
`format for re-transmission via another Wireless interface
`(e.g., WLAN transceiver 202 or PAN transceiver 203).
`Additionally, video/multimedia application program 290
`may retrieve video/multimedia data from video/multimedia
`?le 280 and transmit a video stream to a remote device via
`a Wireless interface. Advantageously, the Wireless interface
`may have more than one connection at the same time. For
`example, PAN transceiver 203 may transmit video to tele
`vision 131 While simultaneously communicating With Wire
`less keyboard 240.
`[0034] Control processor 210 executes display select pro
`gram 260 in order to determine Whether the quality of the
`display of the remote device (e.g., television 131) is superior
`to the quality of display 245 in mobile terminal 110. Control
`processor 210 may execute display select program 260
`automatically in response to detection of Wireless signals
`transmitted by the remote device. For example, PAN trans
`ceiver 203 may detect a pilot (or similar beacon) signal
`transmitted by the Wireless transceiver associated With tele
`vision 131 and may send a noti?cation signal to control
`processor 210. The pilot/beacon signal may be a signal
`broadcast by a device, such as television 131, for example,
`to provide noti?cation of the presence and capabilities of the
`device and the services provided by the device. Upon receipt
`of the noti?cation signal, control processor 210 may launch
`display select application program 260. In another embodi
`ment, PAN transceiver 203 broadcasts a signal to discover
`and interrogate neighboring nodes that may have the ability
`to display the information. As an example, the Wireless
`transceiver associated With television 131 may acquire the
`transmission from PAN transceiver 203 and may transmit a
`signal in response to the inquiry, using the protocol sup
`ported by the air interface standard. Alternatively, control
`processor 210 may execute display select program 260 in
`response to manual inputs entered by the operator of mobile
`terminal 110.
`[0035] Under control of display select program 260, con
`trol processor 210 is capable of querying the remote device
`
`(e.g., television 131) to determine the quality of the display
`associated With the remote device, for example, by request
`ing the remote device to transmit parameters or attributes
`describing the capabilities of the remote device. If the
`attributes of the external display device are available, the
`data can be formatted accordingly before transmission
`through the second interface to the display device. HoWever,
`it is not alWays necessary for the remote device to have the
`capability to respond to such an inquiry. Any standard
`protocol that is supported by the air interface Would be
`sufficient for the mobile terminal to transmit the video data,
`and the similar air interface of the display device to receive,
`demodulate and decode the data. Nevertheless, it is assumed
`that the external display device has the capability to decode
`the received data and convert it to a signal/pixel format that
`is supported by the display mechanism, e.g., a MPEG4
`decoder, and/or a Digital-to-Analog converter. Control pro
`cessor 210 receives the display parameters associated With
`the remote device and stores these parameters in remote
`display parameters ?le 262. The parameters associated With
`display 245 are stored in local display parameters ?le 261.
`The parameter data may include, for example, display siZe,
`display type (CRT, LED, etc.), pixel siZe, refresh rate, and
`the like.
`
`[0036] Under control of display select program 260, con
`trol processor 210 compares the parameters in remote dis
`play parameters ?le 262 to the parameters in local display
`parameters ?le 261 and selects the display best suited to
`video/multimedia application program 290. If the display of
`the external device is selected, control processor 210 trans
`fers the video/multimedia data to the appropriate one of
`transceivers 202 and 203. Control processor 210 may
`prompt the operator of mobile terminal 110 for permission
`to transmit video/multimedia data to the remote display
`device. Control processor 210 may also continue to send
`video/multimedia data to display 245 for simultaneous dis
`play. In an alternate embodiment, it may be assumed that the
`remote display is better than display 245. In such an embodi
`ment, control processor 210 may select the remote display
`(With or Without operator permission) Without comparing
`parameters associated With display 245 and the remote
`display.
`[0037] FIG. 3 depicts ?oW diagram 300, Which illustrates
`the operation of exemplary mobile terminal 110 and a
`remote display device according to one embodiment of the
`disclosure. Initially, mobile terminal 110 accesses base sta
`tion 120 via an air interface (e.g., transceiver 201 or 202) and
`initiates a video/multimedia doWnload from server 150
`(process step 305). Alternatively, mobile terminal 110 may
`play back video/multimedia data stored in video/multimedia
`?le 280. At some point, mobile terminal 110 detects the
`presence of a remote display device (e.g., television 131) via
`another air interface (e.g., transceiver 202 or 203) and
`establishes a Wireless link With the remote display device
`(process step 310), With the authorization of the mobile
`terminal user.
`
`[0038] Mobile terminal 110 then requests the capabilities
`of the remote display device and compares the capabilities
`of the remote display device and local display 245 (process
`step 315). Mobile terminal 110 may prompt the operator to
`select the remote display device (process step 320). Assum
`ing the remote display device is selected, mobile terminal
`110 then forWards (or relays or re-transmits) the video
`
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`US 2006/0203758 A1
`
`Sep. 14, 2006
`
`stream from base station 120 (or video/multimedia ?le 280)
`to the remote display device (process step 325). Optionally,
`mobile terminal 110 may Wirelessly communicate With a
`remote user input device, such as keyboard 133 process step
`330). Optionally, if video/multimedia application program
`290 is a video conferencing application, mobile terminal 110
`receives via the short-range air interface video/multimedia
`data from a remote video camera and relays the camera
`video data to base station 120 (process step 335).
`[0039] Although the present disclosure has been described
`With one or more exemplary embodiments, various changes
`and modi?cations may be suggested to one skilled in the art.
`It is intended that the present disclosure encompass such
`changes and modi?cations as fall Within the scope of the
`appended claims.
`
`What is claimed is:
`1. A mobile terminal comprising:
`a local display capable of displaying multimedia data;
`a controller capable of transmitting the multimedia data to
`the local display; and
`
`a ?rst transceiver capable of communicating With a
`remote display device,
`Wherein the controller is capable of comparing display
`parameter information associated With the remote dis
`play device to display parameter information associ
`ated With the local display and, in response to the
`comparison, transmitting the multimedia data to the
`remote display device via the ?rst transceiver.
`2. The mobile terminal as set forth in claim 1, Wherein the
`controller retrieves the multimedia data from a multimedia
`?le stored in a memory associated With the controller.
`3. The mobile terminal as set forth in claim 1, Wherein the
`controller compares the display parameter information asso
`ciated With the remote display device to the display param
`eter information associated With the local display in order to
`determine Which of the remote display device and the local
`display is better suited to a multimedia application executed
`by the mobile terminal.
`4. The mobile terminal as set forth in claim 3, Wherein the
`controller is capable of communicating With a remote user
`input device via the ?rst transceiver.
`5. The mobile terminal as set forth in claim 4, Wherein the
`remote user input device comprises a Wireless keyboard.
`6. The mobile terminal as set forth in claim 4, Wherein the
`controller is capable of prompting an operator