Interactive Casting Interface Reducing Bandwidth via Command Extraction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional 'mirroring' technologies for casting visual content from mobile devices to larger screens are bandwidth and resource intensive, leading to shortened battery life, poor responsiveness, and excessive heat generation in both mobile devices and TVs.

Innovation Solution

A bandwidth-efficient communication interface that sends visual content once from the mobile device to a multimedia device, which then receives interactive control commands to manipulate the content's display on the larger screen, reducing the need for continuous screen capture and decompression.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Area of stationary object

If conventional mirroring technology is used to continuously transfer screen captures from mobile device to TV, then the visual content can be displayed on the larger TV screen, but bandwidth consumption increases and resource usage intensifies

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisplay screen sizeVSAvoidbandwidth consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential control information (touch coordinates, zoom level, pan position) from the mobile device and transmits it to the TV, rather than transmitting the entire screen capture image. This extraction approach reduces bandwidth consumption while maintaining the ability to display visual content on the larger TV screen.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The TV device performs preliminary actions by maintaining a local buffer of screen captures and pre-processing visual content. When control commands are received, the TV can immediately manipulate the buffered content without waiting for new data transmissions, reducing the frequency and volume of data exchanges over the network.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If continuous screen capture and compression is performed on the mobile device, then visual content can be transmitted to the TV, but battery life is shortened and heat generation increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevisual content transmissionVSAvoidbattery life
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the minimal necessary control data (touch events, transformation parameters) from the mobile device instead of capturing and transmitting full screen images. This dramatically reduces the computational load for compression and transmission, thereby conserving battery life and reducing heat generation on the mobile device.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of performing complete screen capture and compression for every frame, the system performs partial action by only capturing and transmitting control event data when user interactions occur. This selective transmission approach reduces overall energy consumption while maintaining functional productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Speed

If the TV continuously receives and decompresses image data from the mobile device, then the displayed content can be updated in real-time, but resource consumption on the TV increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent update speedVSAvoidprocessing power
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and transmits only control commands (transformation parameters, pan/zoom values) rather than complete image data. The TV receives these compact commands and applies them to the buffered visual content, eliminating the need for continuous decompression operations and significantly reducing processing power consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary approach where the mobile device sends control commands that act as intermediaries between user interaction and TV display updates. These commands mediate the transformation of visual content on the TV without requiring the transmission and processing of large image datasets, thus reducing TV resource consumption while maintaining real-time responsiveness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP4160386A1Efficient communication interface for casting interactively controlled visual content
Publication Date: 2023.04.05 ROKU INC
  • EP4160386A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4160386A1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2C
  • EP4160386A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

System, method, and computer product embodiments for efficiently casting interactively-controlled visual content displayed on a first display screen to a second display screen. In an embodiment, the computing device sends the visual content displayed on the first display screen to a multimedia device for displaying on the second display screen. Upon receipt of an instruction that visually manipulates how the visual content is displayed on the first display screen, the computing device generates a command representative of the received instruction. The command may specify a positional relationship between the center of the first display screen and the visual content displayed on the first display screen. Then, the computing devices sends the command to the multimedia device that causes the second display screen to display the visual content according to the positional relationship.