U.S. patent application number 15/965594 was filed with the patent office on 2019-10-31 for copy and paste between devices.
This patent application is currently assigned to Apple Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is Apple Inc.. Invention is credited to Douglas R. Edmonson, John J. Iarocci, Marc Krochmal, Christopher S. Linn, Kevin S. Perry, David Rahardja, Keith Stattenfield.
Application Number | 20190335306 15/965594 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 59034897 |
Filed Date | 2019-10-31 |
United States Patent
Application |
20190335306 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Stattenfield; Keith ; et
al. |
October 31, 2019 |
Copy and Paste Between Devices
Abstract
A device may comprise at least one wireless transceiver, a
memory configured to store a local pasteboard, and a processor. The
processor may be configured to receive local selections of data to
be placed on a local pasteboard, broadcast advertisements
indicating that the local data is on the local pasteboard, and
wirelessly transmit the local data to remote device pasteboards.
The processor may also be configured to receive advertisements
indicating that remote data is available on remote pasteboards of
other devices, request the remote data in response to a paste
command, wirelessly receive the remote data, and paste the remote
data.
Inventors: |
Stattenfield; Keith;
(Cupertino, CA) ; Edmonson; Douglas R.;
(Cupertino, CA) ; Krochmal; Marc; (Cupertino,
CA) ; Iarocci; John J.; (Cupertino, CA) ;
Perry; Kevin S.; (Cupertino, CA) ; Rahardja;
David; (Cupertino, CA) ; Linn; Christopher S.;
(Cupertino, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Apple Inc. |
Cupertino |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Apple Inc.
Cupertino
CA
|
Family ID: |
59034897 |
Appl. No.: |
15/965594 |
Filed: |
April 27, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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15191165 |
Jun 23, 2016 |
9967697 |
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15965594 |
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15168183 |
May 30, 2016 |
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15191165 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 67/16 20130101;
H04W 48/10 20130101; H04W 48/16 20130101; G06F 3/0481 20130101;
H04W 76/14 20180201; H04L 67/306 20130101; H04W 4/80 20180201; G06F
9/543 20130101; H04W 84/12 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04W 4/80 20060101
H04W004/80; G06F 9/54 20060101 G06F009/54; H04L 29/08 20060101
H04L029/08; H04W 48/10 20060101 H04W048/10; G06F 3/0481 20060101
G06F003/0481; H04W 48/16 20060101 H04W048/16; H04W 76/14 20060101
H04W076/14 |
Claims
1. A method comprising: receiving, at a first device, a selection
of data to be placed on a first pasteboard of the first device;
wirelessly broadcasting, with the first device, an advertisement
comprising information indicative of the presence of the data on
the first pasteboard; wirelessly receiving, at the first device, a
request for the data on the first pasteboard from a second device;
and wirelessly transmitting, with the first device, the data on the
first pasteboard directly to a second pasteboard of the second
device.
Description
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE; DISCLAIMER
[0001] Each of the following applications are hereby incorporated
by reference: application Ser. No. 15/191,165 filed on Jun. 23,
2016; application Ser. No. 15/168,183 filed on May 30, 2016. The
Applicant hereby rescinds any disclaimer of claim scope in the
parent application(s) or the prosecution history thereof and
advises the USPTO that the claims in this application may be
broader than any claim in the parent application(s)
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The disclosure generally relates to data transfer between
devices.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Computing devices such as personal computers, smart phones,
tablets, and other devices are commonly available, and in many
cases, multiple computing devices may be in close proximity to one
another. Sometimes a single user may use multiple computing devices
in a short span of time. For example, the user may be using an
application on a laptop and may switch to a tablet or smart phone
to use a different application. In such cases, data transfer
between the devices may not be straightforward, and may often
require the user to perform tasks involving multiple steps and/or
multiple applications on each of the devices.
SUMMARY
[0004] In some embodiments, computing devices may be configure to
share contents of their clipboard or pasteboard with other
computing devices. A user may select data in an application on a
first device, such as text or graphics, for example, and enter a
cut or copy command to place the data on the pasteboard. In
addition to placing the data on the local pasteboard, this action
may cause the first device to advertise the presence of the
pasteboard data to other devices. The user may enter a paste
command on a second device. This paste command may cause the second
device to obtain the pasteboard data from the first device and
paste the data into an application on the second device in much the
same way as if the data had been captured into the second device's
pasteboard from an application on the second device.
[0005] Particular implementations provide at least the following
advantages: Users may seamlessly cut or copy data on one device and
paste it on another device. Users may thereby transfer data between
devices in proximity to one another that share a user account, for
example. Transfers may occur transparently to the user. Transfers
may be performed using low energy communications techniques. In
cases where the data being transferred is large in size, transfers
may be performed using high speed communications techniques, and/or
a user interface indicating transfer progress and/or allowing user
cancellation of the transfer may be provided.
[0006] Details of one or more implementations are set forth in the
accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features,
aspects, and potential advantages will be apparent from the
description and drawings, and from the claims.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is an example system for copying and pasting between
devices.
[0008] FIG. 2 is an example graphical user interface for copying
and pasting between devices.
[0009] FIG. 3 is an example data transfer mechanism for copying and
pasting between devices.
[0010] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an example process for
advertising the availability of content for pasting from a first
device to a second device.
[0011] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an example process for
requesting data to be pasted from another device.
[0012] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of an example process for sending
cut or copied data to another device.
[0013] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an example process for sending
cut or copied data above a threshold size to another device.
[0014] FIG. 8 is an example device configured for copying and
pasting between devices.
[0015] Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like
elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Overview
[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates an example network 100 of computing
devices. A computing device may be one of a variety of electronic
devices including, but not limited to, laptop computers, desktop
computers, computer terminals, television systems, tablet
computers, e-book readers, smart phones, watches, and wearable
computers. Two or more computing devices, such as device 1 (e.g., a
laptop computer) 110, device 2 (e.g., a tablet) 120, device 3
(e.g., a smart phone) 130, and device N (e.g., a desktop computer)
may be in proximity with one another. Each device may include at
least one wireless transceiver 112/122/132/142, for example a
Bluetooth low energy (BTLE) transceiver or other transceiver.
Devices may be considered to be in proximity with one another when
they are in communication range of one another through their
respective BTLE transceivers. In addition to communicating with one
another using BTLE, devices 110/120/130/140 may optionally connect
with a local area network (LAN) using a wired or wireless router
150 or other networking device. For example, devices
110/120/130/140 may access the Internet or another wide area
network (WAN) using the router 150.
[0017] Each device 110/120/130/140 may include an operating system
114/124/134/144 configured to facilitate general device operation
and user interaction with the device. The operating system
114/124/134/144 may include a pasteboard 116/126/136/146. The
pasteboard 116/126/136/146 may be a portion of device
110/120/130/140 memory, a file in a file system of device
110/120/130/140, or some other data storage element, configured to
store data and facilitate cut, copy, and/or paste operations. In
some embodiments, the pasteboard 116/126/136/146 may be provided by
a separate application from the operating system itself. Each
device 110/120/130/140 may also run one or more applications 1
18/128/138/148. A user may cut and/or copy data from an
application, causing the data to appear on the pasteboard. The user
may paste the data in the pasteboard into the same application or a
different application from which the data originated.
[0018] FIG. 2 illustrates an example graphical user interface (GUI)
200 which may be displayed on a device (e.g., tablet 120 of network
100 or any other device). A user may interact with the tablet 120
to select data 210, for example an image or a portion of an image.
The selection may prompt the tablet 120 to present a menu 220
including cut, copy, and other options. When a user selects cut or
copy, the selected data 210 may be placed on the pasteboard 126. In
this example, the GUI 200 is an interface for an image viewing or
editing application 128, although a GUI providing similar
functionality may be provided for other applications as well.
[0019] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of copying data on a first
device (e.g., tablet 120 of network 100) and pasting it on a second
device (e.g., smart phone 130 of network 100). As described with
respect to FIG. 2 a user may copy selected data 210 using a menu
220 of a GUI 200 of the first device 120. Then, the user may
interact with a GUI 300 of the second device 130 to enter a paste
command (e.g., through paste menu 320 or using some other command).
As described in greater detail below, the second device 130 may
learn of the data on the first device's pasteboard 126, receive the
data, and add the data to the second device's pasteboard 136. The
paste command may paste the data that originated on the first
device 120 into an application 128 of the second device 130. The
data that originated on the first device 120 may persist in the
second device's pasteboard 136 as if it had been originally cut or
copied using the second device 130. Issuing a paste command through
paste menu 320 is shown as an example, but a user may trigger the
remote paste in other ways. For example, after data is copied on
the first device, and the first device advertises the availability
of the data, the second device 130 may receive the advertisement
and generate a prompt asking the user whether the data should be
pasted onto the second device 130. In another example, a user may
issue a command using a keyboard of the second device 130 (e.g.,
command-c or control-c).
Example Processes
[0020] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an example copy and advertise
process 400 involving a first device 120. While this process 400 is
presented as being performed by the first device 120, any device in
network 100 may behave similarly when data is cut or copied on the
device. The process 400 may begin when data is added to the
device's pasteboard 402. For example, a user may select data within
an application and enter a cut or copy command (e.g., through
interaction with a GUI 200 as described above), causing device 120
to place the selected data on the pasteboard 126.
[0021] When data is added to the pasteboard 126, device 120 may
advertise the presence of such data 404. For example, the
advertisement may be inserted into BTLE beacon data also used by
other processes. Some devices in network 100 may periodically
transmit a handoff beacon payload. A handoff beacon may be, for
example, a BTLE advertising packet periodically transmitted by
device 120. The handoff beacon may include continuity data
facilitating transfer of application operational states between
devices. Other devices may likewise periodically transmit beacon
data for similar functions or other reasons. The packet may
include, for example, an activity identifier identifying a first
application and the activity performed in the first application, a
flag that is used to indicate when the activity identifier includes
a representation of domain name for an online resource related to
the activity, a timestamp for the activity/activity information,
and/or other data. The advertisement may be inserted into a
transmission including handoff beacon data or other beacon data.
For example, the advertisement may be encoded into a handoff beacon
advertising packet, and the same packet may be used to transmit
both activity continuity data and pasteboard availability data. In
some embodiments, the advertisement may be inserted into a
periodically transmitted activity advertisement message of the type
described in U.S. Publication No. 2015/0350355, entitled "Activity
Continuation Between Electronic Devices," and U.S. Publication No.
2015/0373084, entitled "Forwarding Activity-Related Information
From Source Electronic Devices to Companion Electronic Devices,"
the entirety of each of which is incorporated by reference
herein.
[0022] The advertisement may be inserted 404 into beacon payloads
sent by device 120 for a limited period of time. For example, after
a predefined amount of time elapses 406 (e.g, 2 minutes or some
other length of time), advertisement may no longer be added to
subsequent beacon payloads 410. In some embodiments, the length of
time may be a default length or may be a selectable length
specified by a user through interaction with a GUI. Beacon payloads
may be broadcast by device 120 without being intended for receipt
by any specific other device (i.e., they may be advertised to any
device that may happen to be listening).
[0023] In some cases, another device (e.g., second device 130) may
request to paste data from the first device 120 pasteboard 126, and
this request may be received 408 at first device 120. After the
request is received, advertisement may no longer be added to
subsequent beacon transmissions 410, and further processing
(described below) may be performed by first device 120 and/or
second device 130 to paste data on the second device 130. In other
embodiments, first device 120 may continue to advertise the
presence of pasteboard data for the remainder of the predetermined
time period even after a paste request is received. This may allow
additional devices (e.g., device 110 or device 140 of FIG. 1) to
paste data from first device 120 pasteboard 126 as well.
[0024] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an example paste request process
500 involving a second device 130. While this process 500 is
presented as being performed by the second device 130, any device
in network 100 may behave similarly when a paste command is
received on the device and another device in network 100 is
broadcasting a beacon transmission including an advertisement.
Second device 130 may receive the beacon transmission including the
advertisement 502. In some embodiments, second device 130 may only
process the advertisement and/or perform the following actions
504-512 when the second device 130 is associated with the same user
account or other common identifier as the first device 120. For
example, a user may have previously logged into a user account on
both devices 120/130 (e.g., an Apple ID or other user account). In
some embodiments, devices 120/130 may encrypt data exchanged
between one another so that only devices associated with the same
user account or other common identifier may decrypt and use the
data. In some embodiments, second device 130 may only process the
advertisement and/or perform the following actions 504-512 when
shared copy and paste functionality is enabled in a user account
setting and/or device setting. Such settings may be user-selectable
through interaction with a GUI or may be default settings, for
example.
[0025] Second device 130 may receive a paste command (e.g., through
interaction with GUI 300 as described above) 504 during the time
period in which the advertisement is being broadcast by first
device 120 and received by second device 130. Given that the two
devices 120/130 are associated with the same user account, and
given that the paste command is received shortly after the data is
added to the first device 120 pasteboard 126 (e.g., during the time
period in which the advertisement is being broadcast by first
device 120 and received by second device 130), it may be assumed
that the user intends to transfer pasteboard 126 content to second
device 130 pasteboard 136 and paste it. Second device 130 may send
a request for more information to first device 120 with BTLE or
other connection 506. For example, second device 130 may request a
type list for the data on first device 120 pasteboard 126. The type
list may include information about the type of data available on
pasteboard 126 and/or information about the size of the data. For
example, if text was cut or copied onto pasteboard 126, the type
list may include plain text and rich text entries for the text
data. If an image was cut or copied onto pasteboard 126, the type
list may include a variety of image formats (e.g, .gif, .jpg, .png,
etc.) for the image data. Allowing the second device 130 to request
type data, rather than including it in the advertisement, may
reduce advertisement bit size requirements in some embodiments.
However, in some embodiments, the advertisement may include type
data, allowing actions related to requesting and receiving type
data described herein to be omitted.
[0026] In some embodiments, more than one device associated with
the user account (e.g. first device 120 and a third device 110) may
broadcast advertisements during the same time period in which the
paste command is received 504. In this situation, second device 130
may send the request 506 to whichever device 110/120 sent an
advertisement that was first detected by second device 130 most
recently. That is, whichever device 110/120 started broadcasting
the advertisement last. This may provide a user experience
consistent with copying and pasting on a single device as is known
in the art, wherein if a user copies first data, and then copies
second data without pasting first data, the second data is the data
that is eventually pasted. In some embodiments, the advertisements
may include time stamps indicating when the data was initially cut
or copied which may be used by second device 130 to select the
newest data.
[0027] First device 120 may receive the request for the type list
and send the type list in response (see FIG. 6). Second device 130
may receive the type list through BTLE or other connection 508.
Second device 130 may examine the type list to determine which
type(s) of data to request 510. For example, some devices and/or
applications may only be able to use a subset of the available data
(e.g., only text and no graphics, only plain text and not rich
text, only certain graphic or video or other file type formats,
etc.). In these cases, second device 130 may determine that only a
subset of the available types is to be requested. In other cases,
second device 130 may determine that all types of available data
are to be requested. Second device 130 may send a request for the
determined data to first device 120 with BTLE or other connection
512.
[0028] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of an example data transfer process
600 involving a first device 120. While this process 600 is
presented as being performed by the first device 120, any device in
network 100 may behave similarly when requests for type lists
and/or data transfers are received. First device 120 may receive a
request for type list from another device (e.g., second device 130
as described above) through BTLE or other connection 602. First
device 120 may send the type list for the pasteboard 126 using BTLE
or other connection in response 604. The requesting device (e.g.,
second device 130) may send a request for pasteboard data of a
specified type, as described above, and first device 120 may
receive this request through BTLE or other connection 606. In
response to this request, first device 120 may initiate transfer of
the requested data from pasteboard 126.
[0029] In some embodiments, mode of data transfer from pasteboard
126 of first device 120 to pasteboard 136 of second device 130 may
depend on the size of the data being transferred. For example, a
threshold data size may be established (e.g., 10 kB or some other
size). In some embodiments, the threshold data size may be a
default size or may be a selectable size specified by a user
through interaction with a GUI. First device 120 may determine
whether the requested pasteboard data to be sent is below the
threshold size 608. If so, the requested pasteboard data may be
sent using BTLE (or another low energy connection, e.g., the
connection used to send advertisements) 610. If not, first device
120 may use a different (e.g., higher energy) connection to send
the data.
[0030] For example, first device 120 and second device 130 may
establish a direct WiFi connection between one another to transfer
larger amounts of data. First device 120 may make available a WiFi
service connection and broadcast a WiFi service availability
advertisement using BTLE or other connection 612. Second device 130
may connect to the WiFi service provided by first device 120 (see
FIG. 7), and the connection between the two devices may be
established 614. Once the connection is established, first device
120 may send pasteboard contents to second device 130 using the
WiFi connection 616. In some embodiments, the WiFi service
established between the devices 120/130 may coexist with network
100 WiFi through the use of time division or other multiplexing
techniques, for example allowing devices 120/130 to continue to
communicate with router 150 during the data transfer.
[0031] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an example data transfer process
700 involving a second device 130. While this process 600 is
presented as being performed by the second device 130, any device
in network 100 may behave similarly to receive pasteboard data from
another device (e.g., first device 120 as described above with
respect to FIG. 6). Second device 130 may request data (e.g., as
described above with respect to FIG. 5) 512. If second device 130
does not detect a WiFi service advertisement 704, it may instead
receive pasteboard data from first device 120 sent in response to
the request 706.
[0032] However, if second device 130 detects a WiFi service
advertisement 704, it may connect to first device 120 through the
advertised WiFi service 708. As discussed above with respect to
FIG. 6, once the connection is established, first device 120 may
send pasteboard data through the connection, and second device 130
may receive the data 710. In some embodiments, second device 130
may display a GUI 712 while the pasteboard data is being
transferred. The GUI may include an indication of data transfer
progress (e.g., a percentage complete and/or progress bar) and/or
an option to cancel the transfer (e.g., a "cancel" button). If the
cancel button is selected by a user 714, second device 130 may stop
the data transfer 716 and, in some embodiments, break the WiFi
service connection 718. Otherwise, second device 130 may receive
the pasteboard data through WiFi 720 and, in some embodiments,
break the WiFi service connection after the transfer is complete
722. In some embodiments, the WiFi service connection need not be
broken 718/722 and may remain open for some predetermined period of
time, may be used to facilitate future pasteboard data exchanges,
and/or may be used for other functions.
[0033] Whether the pasteboard data is received through BTLE or
WiFi, after the transfer is complete, second device 130 may save
the data in its own pasteboard 724 and paste it into an application
in response to the user's original paste command. The data may
remain in the second device pasteboard 136 as if it had been
originally cut or copied locally on second device 130.
Graphical User Interfaces
[0034] This disclosure above describes various Graphical User
Interfaces (GUis) for implementing various features, processes or
workflows. These GUis can be presented on a variety of electronic
devices including but not limited to laptop computers, desktop
computers, computer terminals, television systems, tablet
computers, e-book readers and smart phones. One or more of these
electronic devices can include a touch-sensitive surface. The
touch-sensitive surface can process multiple simultaneous points of
input, including processing data related to the pressure, degree or
position of each point of input. Such processing can facilitate
gestures with multiple fingers, including pinching and swiping.
[0035] When the disclosure refers to "select" or "selecting" user
interface elements in a GUI, these terms are understood to include
clicking or "hovering" with a mouse or other input device over a
user interface element, or touching, tapping or gesturing with one
or more fingers or stylus on a user interface element. User
interface elements can be virtual buttons, menus, selectors,
switches, sliders, scrubbers, knobs, thumbnails, links, icons,
radio buttons, checkboxes and any other mechanism for receiving
input from, or providing feedback to a user.
Example System Architecture
[0036] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an example computing device 800
that may implement the features and processes of FIGS. 1-7. For
example, computing device 800 may serve as one or more user devices
110-140 of network 100. The computing device 800 may include a
memory interface 802, one or more data processors, image
processors, and/or central processing units 804, and a peripherals
interface 806. The memory interface 802, the one or more processors
804, and/or the peripherals interface 806 may be separate
components or may be integrated in one or more integrated circuits.
The various components in the computing device 800 may be coupled
by one or more communication buses or signal lines.
[0037] Sensors, devices, and subsystems may be coupled to the
peripherals interface 806 to facilitate multiple functionalities.
For example, a motion sensor 810, a light sensor 812, and a
proximity sensor 814 may be coupled to the peripherals interface
806 to facilitate orientation, lighting, and proximity functions.
Other sensors 816 may also be connected to the peripherals
interface 806, such as a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)
(e.g., GPS receiver), a temperature sensor, a biometric sensor,
magnetometer, or other sensing device, to facilitate related
functionalities.
[0038] A camera subsystem 820 and an optical sensor 822, e.g., a
charged coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide
semiconductor (CMOS) optical sensor, may be utilized to facilitate
camera functions, such as recording photographs and video clips.
The camera subsystem 820 and the optical sensor 822 may be used to
collect images of a user to be used during authentication of a
user, e.g., by performing facial recognition analysis.
[0039] Communication functions may be facilitated through one or
more wireless communication subsystems 824, which can include radio
frequency receivers and transmitters and/or optical (e.g.,
infrared) receivers and transmitters. For example, the BTLE and/or
WiFi communications described above may be handled by wireless
communication subsystems 824. The specific design and
implementation of the communication subsystems 824 may depend on
the communication network(s) over which the computing device 800 is
intended to operate. For example, the computing device 800 may
include communication subsystems 824 designed to operate over a GSM
network, a GPRS network, an EDGE network, a WiFi or WiMax network,
and a Bluetooth.TM. network. In particular, the wireless
communication subsystems 824 may include hosting protocols such
that the device 100 can be configured as a base station for other
wireless devices and/or to provide a WiFi service as described
above.
[0040] An audio subsystem 826 may be coupled to a speaker 828 and a
microphone 830 to facilitate voice-enabled functions, such as
speaker recognition, voice replication, digital recording, and
telephony functions. The audio subsystem 826 may be configured to
facilitate processing voice commands, voiceprinting, and voice
authentication, for example.
[0041] The I/O subsystem 840 may include a touch-surface controller
842 and/or other input controller(s) 844. The touch-surface
controller 842 may be coupled to a touch surface 846. The touch
surface 846 and touch-surface controller 842 may, for example,
detect contact and movement or break thereof using any of a
plurality of touch sensitivity technologies, including but not
limited to capacitive, resistive, infrared, and surface acoustic
wave technologies, as well as other proximity sensor arrays or
other elements for determining one or more points of contact with
the touch surface 846.
[0042] The other input controller(s) 844 may be coupled to other
input/control devices 848, such as one or more buttons, rocker
switches, thumb-wheel, infrared port, USB port, and/or a pointer
device such as a stylus. The one or more buttons (not shown) may
include an up/down button for volume control of the speaker 828
and/or the microphone 830.
[0043] In one implementation, a pressing of the button for a first
duration may disengage a lock of the touch surface 846; and a
pressing of the button for a second duration that is longer than
the first duration may turn power to the computing device 800 on or
off Pressing the button for a third duration may activate a voice
control, or voice command, module that enables the user to speak
commands into the microphone 830 to cause the device to execute the
spoken command. The user may customize a functionality of one or
more of the buttons. The touch surface 846 can, for example, also
be used to implement virtual or soft buttons and/or a keyboard.
[0044] In some implementations, the computing device 800 may
present recorded audio and/or video files, such as MP3, AAC, and
MPEG files. In some implementations, the computing device 800 may
include the functionality of an MP3 player, such as an iPod.TM..
The computing device 800 may, therefore, include a 36-pin connector
that is compatible with the iPod. Other input/output and control
devices may also be used.
[0045] The memory interface 802 may be coupled to memory 850. The
memory 850 may include high-speed random access memory and/or
non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage
devices, one or more optical storage devices, and/or flash memory
(e.g., NAND, NOR). The memory 850 may store an operating system
852, such as Darwin, RTXC, LINUX, UNIX, OS X, WINDOWS, or an
embedded operating system such as VxWorks.
[0046] The operating system 852 may include instructions for
handling basic system services and for performing hardware
dependent tasks. In some implementations, the operating system 852
may be a kernel (e.g., UNIX kernel). In some implementations, the
operating system 852 may include instructions for performing voice
authentication. For example, operating system 852 may implement the
copy and paste features as described with reference to FIGS.
1-7.
[0047] The memory 850 may also store communication instructions 854
to facilitate communicating with one or more additional devices,
one or more computers and/or one or more servers. The memory 850
may include graphical user interface instructions 856 to facilitate
graphic user interface processing; sensor processing instructions
858 to facilitate sensor-related processing and functions; phone
instructions 860 to facilitate phone-related processes and
functions; electronic messaging instructions 862 to facilitate
electronic-messaging related processes and functions; web browsing
instructions 864 to facilitate web browsing-related processes and
functions; media processing instructions 866 to facilitate media
processing-related processes and functions; GNSS/Navigation
instructions 868 to facilitate GNSS and navigation-related
processes and instructions; and/or camera instructions 870 to
facilitate camera-related processes and functions.
[0048] The memory 850 may store copy and paste instructions 872 to
facilitate other processes and functions, such as the copy and
paste processes and functions as described with reference to FIGS.
1-7.
[0049] The memory 850 may also store other software instructions
874, such as web video instructions to facilitate web video-related
processes and functions; and/or web shopping instructions to
facilitate web shopping-related processes and functions. In some
implementations, the media processing instructions 866 may be
divided into audio processing instructions and video processing
instructions to facilitate audio processing-related processes and
functions and video processing-related processes and functions,
respectively.
[0050] Each of the above identified instructions and applications
may correspond to a set of instructions for performing one or more
functions described above. These instructions need not be
implemented as separate software programs, procedures, or modules.
The memory 850 may include additional instructions or fewer
instructions. Furthermore, various functions of the computing
device 800 may be implemented in hardware and/or in software,
including in one or more signal processing and/or application
specific integrated circuits.
[0051] While various embodiments have been described above, it
should be understood that they have been presented by way of
example and not limitation. It will be apparent to persons skilled
in the relevant art(s) that various changes in form and detail can
be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope. In
fact, after reading the above description, it will be apparent to
one skilled in the relevant art(s) how to implement alternative
embodiments.
[0052] In addition, it should be understood that any figures which
highlight the functionality and advantages are presented for
example purposes only. The disclosed methodology and system are
each sufficiently flexible and configurable such that they may be
utilized in ways other than that shown.
[0053] Although the term "at least one" may often be used in the
specification, claims and drawings, the terms "a", "an", "the",
"said", etc. also signify "at least one" or "the at least one" in
the specification, claims and drawings.
[0054] Finally, it is the applicant's intent that only claims that
include the express language "means for" or "step for" be
interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(.+-.). Claims that do not expressly
include the phrase "means for" or "step for" are not to be
interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(.+-.).
* * * * *