KR20020022719A - System and method for personalizing the operation of a television set - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatuses for modifying the behavior of a television set's user interface are disclosed for use in a television set. The apparatus comprises: 1) a memory capable of storing a first user interface (UI) parameter file and a user interface (UI) application program for controlling the operation of the user interface; 2) access to the memory, capable of executing the UI application program using the first parameter data to operate the user interface of the television set in accordance with first parameter data included in the first UI parameter file. A user interface (UI) controller; 3) an editing controller capable of receiving and modifying said first parameter data to create a second UI parameter file, wherein selection of said second UI parameter file by a user of said television set is dependent upon said second parameter data. Accordingly allowing the UI controller to execute the UI application program using the second parameter data to operate the user interface of the television set.

Description

System and method for personalizing the operation of a television set}

Modern digital television user interfaces have a wide range of features and capabilities designed to enhance viewers' entertainment experience. Hand-held remote control devices facilitate the viewer to change channels, increase or decrease the volume, turn the television on or off, or adjust the television to some other form. The on-screen display allows the viewer to scroll through the menu, from which the viewer enables sleep mode, sets the internal television clock, selects the signal source (cable or antenna), and “surf ring ) ", And so on. The surf ring is a subset of all available channels. The viewer can scroll (or “channel surf”) a short surf ring at a rate much faster than it can scroll all available channels.

The user interface of modern digital television sets is mostly the appearance of entities in an on-screen display (OSD), the relationships between entities in the OSD, the behavior of the OSD, the video output format, the size of the surf ring, The manner in which the television responds to remote control commands is predefined by the manufacturer. The user has virtually no control over the operating environment of the television set other than making selections from a predefined set of options. If a user owns televisions made by different manufacturers, there can be many differences in the way each television works, especially for remote control commands. The user must remember how each television operates and cannot sufficiently modify the operating mode of the televisions to eliminate or minimize the differences.

Therefore, there is a need for improvements to television systems and methods of using such television systems that allow the viewer to have more control over the operation of the television set. In particular, there is a need for an improved television system that allows a user to control the operation of various aspects of the user interface. In particular, there is a need for an improved television system that allows a user to control the operations of an on-screen display (OSD) system, audio system, and remote control device used by a viewer.

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates generally to television sets, and more particularly to a system for customizing or personalizing the operation of a television set to suit the preferences of individual viewers.

1 illustrates a television set, a set top box that may be associated with a system capable of personalizing the operation of an exemplary television set in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, and an optional personal computer (PC).

2 is an illustration of an example system for personalizing the operation of an example television set implemented within the example television set of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a more detailed illustration of an exemplary user profile in the memory of an exemplary television set in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a flow diagram illustrating an editing operation for modifying the operation of an exemplary television set in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

In order to deal with the above-mentioned conventional defects, the main object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for use in a television set to modify the operation of the user interface of the television set. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the apparatus comprises: 1) a memory capable of storing a first user interface (UI) parameter file and a user interface (UI) application program for controlling the operation of the user interface; 2) connected to the memory, capable of executing the UI application program using the first parameter data to operate the user interface of the television set in accordance with first parameter data included in the first UI parameter file. A user interface (UI) controller; 3) an editing controller capable of receiving and modifying said first parameter data to create a second UI parameter file, wherein selection of said second UI parameter file by a user of said television set is dependent upon said second parameter data. Accordingly allowing the UI controller to execute the UI application program using the second parameter data to operate the user interface of the television set.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the first U1 parameter file is a supplier default file and the first parameter data includes default parameter data supplied by a supplier of the television set.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the device is connected to the memory, the input / output (I / O) interface, which can receive the second UI parameter file from an external source connected to an I / O interface It is further provided.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the I / O interface has an RS-232 interface.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the I / O interface includes at least one of an IEEE-1394 interface and a USB interface.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, each of the first and second parameter data includes: 1) menu hierarchy data defining an order in which a plurality of menu screens are displayed by the user interface of the television set; 2) menu option data defining a plurality of selectable options associated with each of the plurality of menu screens; 3) at least one of screen graphic data defining an appearance of at least one of the plurality of menu screens.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, each of the first and second parameter data includes: 1) remote control button assignment data defining an operation of at least one button on a remote control device associated with the television set; 2) surf ring data defining the size of the surf ring associated with the television set; 3) video output format data defining a format of a video image displayed on the screen of the television set; 4) at least one of time out data defining at least one delay period associated with the user interface of the television set.

The foregoing has described the features and technical advantages of the present invention more broadly, and thus those skilled in the art may better understand the detailed description of the present invention described below. Additional features and advantages of the present invention that form the subject matter of the present invention are described below. Those skilled in the art should understand that the concept and specific embodiment disclosed are readily available as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should also appreciate that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form.

Before entering the detailed description of the invention, it may be advantageous to describe the definitions of specific words and phrases used throughout this specification: the terms "comprises" and "compounds" and their derivatives are meant to include, without limitation, The term “or” means “and / or” and the expression “associated with, associated therewith” and its derivatives includes, is included, interconnected, accommodates, accommodates, is connected, or communicates. Mean, cooperate, interleave, side by side, adjacent, confined, have, or have characteristics, etc., the term "controller" means a device, system or component that controls at least one operation, Such a device may be implemented in hardware, firmware or software, or a combination of at least two of them. It should be noted that the functions associated with a particular controller may be centralized or distributed locally or remotely. Definitions of specific words and phrases are provided throughout this specification, and one of ordinary skill in the art should understand that such definitions apply to the prior art as well as to the future use of such defined words and phrases.

For a more complete understanding of the present invention and its advantages, reference is now made to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same parts.

1 to 4, and the various embodiments used to explain the principles of the invention in this patent document are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the principles of the present invention may be implemented in a properly arranged television set.

In the following description of the embodiments, the present invention is used integrated with or connected to a digital television set. However, this embodiment is merely an example and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention to a digital television set. Indeed, those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the present invention can be easily modified for use in analog television sets.

1, a set top box 150 that can be connected to a television set 105, a system capable of personalizing the operation of an exemplary television set 105 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, and an optional personal computer (PC). 170 is illustrated. As described in more detail below, the invention personalizes (or personalizes) the operation of the television set 105, including an on-screen display (OSD), an audio system, and remote control buttons according to the personal preference of one or more users. Provides a system to In one embodiment of the invention, the system for personalizing the operation of the television set 105 may be an embedded system integrated into the television set 105. In another embodiment of the present invention, a system for personalizing the operation of the television set 105 may be implemented in a separate PC 170. In such a PC embodiment, the system of personalizing the operation of the television set 105 is stored in a random access memory (RAM) (or hard disk drive) of the PC 170 and executed by a data processor in the PC 170. Include the program. Indeed, a program that personalizes the operation of television set 105 may be stored on removable storage medium 190, which may be, for example, a 3.5 inch floppy diskette, CD ROM, DVD or similar storage medium.

The digital cable set top box 150 also includes an infrared (IR) sensor 160. IR sensor 160 receives infrared (IR) control signals from a handheld remote controller operated by a cable subscriber. Preferably, the remote controller that controls the digital cable set top box 150 is the same remote controller that operates the television set 105. In general, the IR control signals detected by the IR sensor 160 change the channel sent to the television set 105 for viewing on the display screen 110, and the digital cable set-top box 150 and / or the television. It is processed within the digital cable set top box 150 to realize the set 105 on and off, and the like.

The television set 105 is a display for displaying cable television programs provided by a cable service provider (cable company), an infrared (IR) sensor 115, and a set of manual controllers 120, indicated by an enclosed dotted line. The screen 110 is provided. The manual controller 120 may include a power button, a volume control button, a vertical control button and a horizontal control button, a channel selection button, and the like. IR sensor 115 receives infrared (IR) control signals from a handheld remote controller operated by a television user. In general, the IR control signals detected by the IR sensor 115 are used to change channels viewed on the display screen 110, increase or decrease the volume, turn on and off the television set 105, and so forth. It is processed within the television set 105. Optionally, IR control signals detected by the IR sensor 115 may be communicated to the digital cable set top box 150 to control the operation of the digital cable set top box 150.

Digital cable set-top box 150 performs general tuning and demodulation of input RF signals received from a cable service provider, for example, to generate a stream of MPEG encoded digital data from which video signals can be derived. In addition, in some embodiments of the present invention, television set 105 may receive an input television signal directly from an external antenna. In such an embodiment, the television set 105 performs general tuning and demodulation of the input RF signals received from the antenna, for example, to produce a stream of MPEG encoded digital data from which video signals can be derived.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the digital cable set top box 150 may actually be integrated with the television set 105, particularly in the case of advanced digital television sets such as high definition television (HDTV) sets. Since the functions and operations of the digital cable set-top box 150 are publicly known and well known, television manufacturers may use the digital cable set-top box 150 to set up a television set to reduce the amount of device, wiring, and setup work required by the television user. It can be seen that it is advantageous to integrate within 105.

2, an exemplary system is shown that personalizes the operation of an exemplary television set 105 implemented within a television set 105 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The television set 105 includes a tuner 205, an intermediate frequency (IF) processor 210, a demodulation circuit 212, a demultiplexer 215, an MPEG decoder 220, a post processor 225, and a display screen. 110 is provided. Display screen 110 may be any type of device for displaying cathode ray tube or flat panel displays or video images.

Tuner 205 receives an input RF signal from a cable source or antenna source and filters a particular video signal from the RF signal according to a channel selected by the viewer (using a remote controller). Tuner 205 down converts the filtered RF signal to produce an intermediate frequency (IF) signal. The IF output of tuner 205 is also down converted by IF processor 210 to produce a modulated baseband signal. Demodulation circuit 212 demodulates the modulated baseband signal to produce a transport stream. Demultiplexer (DEMUX) 215 extracts at least one elementary stream, such as an MPEG encoded data stream, from the transport stream and sends the extracted elementary stream to MPEG decoder 20. MPEG decoder 220 converts an input encoding MPEG data stream and generates a standard video signal that can be displayed on display screen 110. The post processor 225 may be configured to include a number of algorithms including (a) adaptive noise level reduction algorithms, (b) level sharpness improvement, (c) luminance-chromatic separation, (d) motion detection, (e) motion estimation and compensation, and the like. There are several different forms of video signal processing that can be performed.

The television set 105 is also connected by a communication bus 245 together to a user interface (UI) controller 23, which communicates across the communication bus 245, an input / output (I / O) interface (IF). 235 and a memory 240. Memory 240 includes three exemplary users, each optionally labeled as UI control program 250, UI editing program 255, provider default profile 260, and User 1 Profile, User 2 Profile, and User 3 Profile. Store profiles 271,272,273. In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, memory 240 may include nonvolatile random access memory (RAM), such as flash memory.

The UI control program 250 includes a plurality of computer executable instructions that control the operation of the on-screen display and other visual or audio perceptible aspects of the operation of the television set 105. The UI control program 250 may, for example, measure the size of the surf ring, the video format (e.g., 1080 interlaced), the size and position of the Picture in Picture (PIP) window, the audio mute options, and the persistence of the objects on the screen. Value stored in the provider default profile 260, or one of the user modifiable user profiles 271-273, to determine one or more timeout values, and the like. The UI controller 230 executes the UI control program 250 and modifies the processed video signal in the post processor 225 to insert the on-screen display graphics into the main video picture, thereby operating the on-screen display, and the television set. Control other visual or audio perceptible aspects of the operation of 105.

The UI editing program 255 includes a plurality of computer executable instructions that can modify different aspects of the on-screen display and other visual or audio perceptible aspects of the operation of the television set 105. The operator of the television set 105 drives the UI editing program 255 to modify the values stored in the provider default profile 260 to create one or more user profiles 271-273. In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the UI editing program 255 can create and store several different user profiles, such that each member of the family, for example, personalizes (personalizes) at least one user profile to suit their tastes. )can do. Thus, one family member may select a first user profile from the on-screen menu with a short surf ring, which mainly includes news channels and sports channels, while the other family member may have a longer surf ring with more TV channels. A second user profile can be selected.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the operator of the television set 105 uses only the remote controller to select different options from a set of menus provided by the UI editing program 255 and enter parameter values to provide a supplier default profile ( 260). In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, a copy of the supplier default profile 260 may be stored on the hard disk drive of the PC 170, and the UI editing program 255 may be executed by the central processing unit of the PC 170. Can be. In such an embodiment, the operator of the television set 105 may be a user profile 271-273 that may be transferred to the memory 240 via the I / O IF 235 and the communication buses 245 and 280 within the PC 170. You can create one or more user profiles, such as). The communication bus 280 provides a standard external connection such as an RS-232 connection, an IEEE-1394 connection, or a universal serial bus (USB) connection to which the PC 170 can be connected. Indeed, the user may edit the UI control program 250 in the PC 170 and then download the edited version to the memory 240.

3 illustrates an exemplary user profile 271 in memory 240 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. User profile 271 (ie, User 1 profile) includes on-screen display structure parameter 310 and television operating parameter 320. The OSD structure parameter 310 includes a menu hierarchy field 311, a menu option field 312, and a screen graphic 313. The television operating parameters 320 are in particular remote control button assignment field 321, surf ring field 322, audio mute field 323, timeout filter 324, video output format field 325, and volume rate field. 326. It should be noted that the exemplary fields of the OSD structure parameter 310 and television operating parameter 320 listed above are examples only and are not a complete list of all possible OSD structure parameters and television operating parameters. The television operating parameter 320 and the OSD structure parameter 310 include a number of other data that control the impact of the visual and audio perceptible aspects of the operation of the television set 105, including local keyboard options and other input device controls. May contain fields. All fields in the user profile 271 are modifiable by the UI editing program 255.

The menu hierarchy field 311 defines a user modifiable hierarchy of screen menus provided to television users. By editing the menu hierarchy field 311, the user can change the order in which screen menus appear to the user and even add new menus. The menu option field 312 defines user modifiable options that appear on each menu screen in the menu hierarchy. By editing the menu option field 312, the user can change the destination menu screens the user can branch to or the television functions the user can select from each screen menu. Screen graphics field 313 defines a user modifiable screen graphic that controls the appearance of entities that appear as part of the on-screen display. These entities include alphanumeric characters, background color (s), physical appearance of screen icons / symbols, relative sizes of icons, alphanumeric font type and size, colors of screen icons, and the like.

The “look and feel” of the graphical user interface of the television set 105 may be changed by editing the television operating parameters 320. Remote control button assignment field 321 defines the user modifiable function of each button on the handheld remote controller. By editing the remote control button assignment field 321, the user can modify the manner in which the UI controller 30 interprets and responds to commands and data sent by the remote controller.

Surf ring field 322 defines the magnitude of the user modifiable risk of the preferred channels the user can scroll instead of scrolling through all available channels. The audio mute field 323 controls the pressing of the MUTE button on the remote control panel or the remote control panel on the front of the television set 105. Depending on the type of audio system the television set 105 has, the MUTE button can only partially mute the sound output of the television set 105. For example, if the television set 105 has a headphone output jack, the user may prefer not to mute the audio signal sent to the headphones. Also, if the television set 105 has an SPDIF output connected to a tape device or other recording system, the user may prefer not to mute the audio signal transmitted to the recording apparatus.

Timeout field 324 includes one or more user modifiable duration values that determine the length of delays before certain events occur. For example, as the user adjusts the volume, the volume scale simply appears on the display screen 110. The duration of the volume scale on the display screen 110 is controlled by one of the selectable values in the time out field 324. Similarly, when a user presses a PROGRAM information button that causes a text box containing a program summary to appear on display screen 110, the persistence of the text box may be controlled by another of the selectable values in timeout field 324. Can be.

The video output format field 325 defines the format of the picture displayed on the display screen 110. The user can select a preferred video format (eg, 1080 interlaced) from a menu of available video format options. The volume rate field 326 provides a user modifiable rate at which the volume of the television set 105 increases or decreases when the user presses or repeatedly presses the volume control button on the remote control.

4 is a flow diagram 400 illustrating an editing operation that modifies the operation of an exemplary television set 105 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Initially, the user starts the UI editing program 255 by selecting an editing option from the on-screen display menu on the television set 105. The user may also start the UI editing program 255 in the PC 170 (process step 405). The UI controller 230 may be configured with OSD settings and other settings that affect the initial and auditory perceptible aspects of the television set 105 in one or more of the supplier default profile 260 and the user profile 271-273. Display various editing options to the user that allow the user to change the value (process step 410).

The user may use the remote controller or, if the present invention is implemented within the PC 170, by using a keyboard and / or mouse connected to the PC 170, the structural parameters of the on-screen display and the television set 105. Edit the operating parameters (process step 415). UI controller 230 receives the edited parameters and changes the corresponding fields in one of the user profiles 271-273 (process step 420). When the present invention is implemented in PC 170, UI controller 230 in PC 170 downloads the edited user profile of user profiles 271-273 to memory 240 in television set 105 ( Process step 425). If the user has finished editing the user profile, the television set 105 can drive the newly edited profile (process step 430).

While the invention has been described in detail, those skilled in the art should understand that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form.

Claims (9)

A device used for the television set 105, wherein the device for modifying the operation of the user interface of the television set 105, A memory 240 capable of storing a first user interface (UI) parameter file (260) and a user interface (UI) application program (250) for controlling the operation of the user interface; A user interface (UI) controller 230 connected to the memory 240 for operating the user interface of the television set 105 in accordance with first parameter data included in the first UI parameter file 260. The user interface (UI) controller 230 capable of executing the UI application 250 using the first parameter data; Edit controllers 230 and 255 for receiving and modifying the first parameter data to create a second UI parameter file 271, Selection of the second UI parameter file 271 by the user of the television set 105 causes the UI controller 230 to operate the user interface of the television set 105 in accordance with second parameter data. And execute the UI application (250) using the second parameter data. The method of claim 1, The first UI parameter file 260 is a provider default file 260, Wherein the first parameter data comprises default parameter data supplied by a provider of the television set (105). The method of claim 1, As an input / output (I / O) interface 235 connected to the memory 240, the second UI parameter file 271 may be received from an external source connected to the I / O interface 235. And an input / output (I / O) interface (235). The method of claim 1, Each of the first and second parameter data, Menu hierarchy data defining an order in which a plurality of menu screens are displayed by the television set 105; Menu option data defining a plurality of selectable options associated with each of the plurality of menu screens; And at least one of screen graphic data defining appearance of at least one menu screen of the plurality of menu screens. The method of claim 4, wherein Each of the first and second parameter data, Remote control button assignment data defining the operation of at least one button on a remote control device associated with the television set 105; Surf ring data defining the size of a surf ring associated with said television set 105; Video output format data defining a format of a video image displayed on the screen (110) of the television set (105); And at least one of time out data defining at least one delay period associated with the user interface of the television set (105). A method used for a television set 105, wherein the method for modifying a user interface (UI) associated with the television set 105, Storing a first user interface (UI) parameter file (260) and a user interface (UI) application (250) in memory (240) that can control the operation of the television set (105); The UI application at the user interface (UI) controller 230 using the first parameter data to operate the television set 105 in accordance with the first parameter data included in the first UI parameter file 260. Executing a program 250; Modifying the first parameter data to create a second UI parameter file 271; Selecting the second UI parameter file 271 by a user command, Selecting the second UI parameter file 271 may be performed by the UI controller 230 using the second parameter data to operate the television set 105 in accordance with second parameter data. 250). The method of claim 6, Each of the first and second parameter data, Menu hierarchy data defining an order in which a plurality of menu screens are displayed by the television set 105; Menu option data defining a plurality of selectable options associated with each of the plurality of menu screens; And at least one of screen graphic data defining an appearance of at least one menu screen of the plurality of menu screens. The method of claim 7, wherein Remote control button assignment data defining the operation of at least one button on a remote control device associated with the television set 105; Surf ring data defining a size of a surf ring associated with the television set 105; Video output format data defining a format of a video image displayed on the screen (110) of the television set (105); At least one of time out data defining at least one delay period associated with said television set (105). A computer readable storage medium 190 used in conjunction with a television set 105, the computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions steps capable of modifying a user interface associated with the television set 105. As (190), The computer executable instruction steps include: Storing a first user interface (UI) parameter file in memory (240); In order to operate the user interface of the television set 105 according to the first parameter data included in the first UI parameter file 260, the user interface (UI) controller 230 uses the first parameter data. Executing a user interface (UI) application 250; Modifying the first parameter data to create a second UI parameter file 271; Selecting the second UI parameter file 271 by a user command, The step of selecting the second UI parameter file 271 is characterized in that the UI controller 230 uses the second parameter data to operate the user interface of the television set 105 in accordance with second parameter data. A computer readable storage medium for executing an application (250).