WO2003021414A1 - System and method for focused navigation within an interactive television user interface - Google Patents
System and method for focused navigation within an interactive television user interface Download PDFInfo
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- WO2003021414A1 WO2003021414A1 PCT/US2002/027381 US0227381W WO03021414A1 WO 2003021414 A1 WO2003021414 A1 WO 2003021414A1 US 0227381 W US0227381 W US 0227381W WO 03021414 A1 WO03021414 A1 WO 03021414A1
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- Prior art keywords
- visual
- user
- card
- cards
- visual card
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Classifications
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
- G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
- G06F3/048—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
- G06F3/0481—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
- G06F3/0482—Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
- H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
- H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
- H04N21/431—Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
- H04N21/4312—Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
- H04N21/4316—Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
- H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
- H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
- H04N21/443—OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
- H04N21/4438—Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
- H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
- H04N21/47—End-user applications
- H04N21/482—End-user interface for program selection
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
- H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
- H04N21/47—End-user applications
Definitions
- ITV Internet
- the present invention relates to a system and method for focused navigation within a user interface of an ITV system.
- a "channel" refers to any capability of the ITV system that a user may selectively activate.
- one type of channel may be a broadcast channel, such as NBC ® , HBO ® , ESPN ® , etc.
- Another type of channel may be an interactive channel, such as a World Wide Web browser, an e-mail program, a videophone, a personal video recorder, a directory of contacts, various search functions or filters, and so forth.
- Many ITV systems now offer hundreds of broadcast channels and a variety of interactive channels.
- FIG. 1 is an illustration of an ITV system
- FIGS. 2-3 are illustrations of a method for focused navigation of a plurality of channels within an ITV user interface
- FIGS. 4-6 are timing diagrams for a successive display of visual cards representing channels available on the ITV system
- FIG. 7 is a block diagram of physical components of a set-top box (STB);
- FIG. 8 is a block diagram of logical components of a system for focused navigation of a plurality of channels within an ITV user interface.
- FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method for focused navigation of a plurality of channels within an ITV user interface.
- an ITV system may include a television (TV) having a display screen, a set-top box (STB), and a remote control.
- a graphical user interface (GUI) for the ITV system may be displayed on the display screen.
- the ITV system may provide access to a plurality of "channels."
- a channel may refer to any capability of the ITV system or entertainment device that a user may selectively activate, such as a television broadcast channel, a Pay-Per-View (PPV) channel, or an Interactive Television (ITV) channel.
- a channel may refer to other selectable options, such as databases, application programs, digital photographs, video clips, audio clips, MP3 files, and programs recorded by a Personal Video Recorder (PVR).
- a visual card is created to represent each channel that is available through the ITV system. Each visual card may include a graphical representation of the represented channel.
- the graphical representation may take the form of an icon (e.g., a drawing), an image (e.g., a photograph or video frame), a symbol, or the like. In certain configurations, the graphical representation may be combined with text for increased clarity.
- the visual cards may be linked together or grouped in one or more sequences. In response to a single user action, the visual cards within a particular sequence may be successively displayed within a focus area of the GUI.
- a "focus area" is a single location of the GUI at which the visual cards are displayed one at a time in sequence. The focus area may be located at a central or visually dominant location of the user interface, although the invention is not limited in this respect.
- the single user action to initiate the successive display of visual cards may take many forms, such as pressing (or pressing and holding down) a button on a remote control. Once all of the visual cards within a particular sequence are displayed, the cycle may be repeated any number of times until halted by the user.
- the visual cards may be successively displayed at a high rate of speed, preferably within the user's image recognition threshold.
- the graphical representations may be shown at a rate between about six and eight per second (360-420 per minute).
- the visual cards When displayed within the focus area, the visual cards are preferably large enough to permit user recognition from a comfortable viewing distance. For instance, in one embodiment, a visual card occupies between about one-fifth and about one-fourth of the display screen.
- the user may take some additional action and the successive display of visual cards is discontinued.
- the additional action may be releasing the button on the remote control or pressing the same or a different button.
- a first sequence may include visual cards that represent broadcast channels
- a second sequence may include visual cards that represent interactive channels.
- a subset of visual cards from different sequences may be displayed in different directions across the GUI. For example, in one embodiment, a first subset including three visual cards from a first sequence may be displayed horizontally across the GUI, and a second subset including three visual cards from a second sequence may be displayed vertically across the GUI. These two subsets may intersect to define the focus area. As before, a single visual card may be displayed within the focus area. Regardless of the number of visual cards displayed within the GUI at any given time, a particular visual card representing a desired channel may be displayed within the focus area once navigation has been discontinued. This remaining visual card may be enhanced to further distinguish it from previously displayed visual cards, and/or to provide the user with additional information about the represented channel.
- the remaining visual card may be enhanced in a variety of ways.
- the visual card may be enhanced by displaying information within the GUI that is descriptive of the represented channel.
- the visual card may be enhanced by displaying a reduced-size presentation of the broadcast channel in the focus area in place of the visual card.
- the visual card may be enhanced by animating the graphical representation on the visual card.
- the visual card may be enhanced by enlarging it with respect to other visual cards within the GUI and/or with respect to its original size.
- the user may select the channel associated with the displayed visual card by taking a selection action.
- the selection action may be, for instance, activating a selection control on the remote control.
- the desired channel may be displayed in place of the GUI on the display screen. If the user's reaction time is fast enough, the visual card representing the desired channel remains displayed in the focus area once navigation is discontinued. If not, one or more visual cards may be subsequently displayed. In such a case, the user may manually backtrack to the desired visual card by, for example, repeatedly activating a suitable control on a remote control. In an alternative embodiment, the user's delayed response may be automatically compensated for by reverting to a previously displayed visual card once the user halts the successive display.
- the rate at which the visual cards are successively displayed may be increased in response to the user taking a suitable action.
- the rate at which visual cards are successively displayed may increase gradually or according to a stepwise function.
- the user action to increase the display rate may take many forms, such as holding down a button on the remote control for a set amount of time or by repeatedly pressing a button on the remote control.
- the ITV system 10 includes, in one embodiment, a television (TV)
- the STB 16 is a consumer electronics device that serves as a gateway between the TV 12 and a broadband network (not shown), such as a cable or satellite network.
- the STB 16 receives TV signals and other information from the broadband network and processes the same for display on the display screen 14.
- the STB 16 may also be responsible for displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) 20 on the display screen 14.
- GUI graphical user interface
- the term "STB” may broadly encompass a personal computer (PC) that performs STB-like functions.
- a PC may be used to process TV signals and other data received from the broadband network.
- the PC may operate in the context of a home network to provide display signals to a variety of devices, including one or more television sets, computer monitors, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cellular phones, and the like.
- PDAs personal digital assistants
- a variety of home networking systems and protocols may be used, such as Ethernet, 802.11b, Bluetooth, etc.
- the remote control 18 is provided for convenient operation of the STB 16 and the TV 12.
- the remote control 18 may include a wireless transmitter 22 for transmitting control signals to a wireless receiver 24 within the STB 16.
- the remote control 18 may include a number of buttons or other similar controls to which force may be applied in order to issue a control command.
- the remote control 18 may include a "Channel-Up” button 26, a "Channel-Down” button 28, a "Channel-Left” button 30, a "Channel- Right” button 32, and a "Select” button 34.
- the remote control 18 may be embodied as a keyboard, mouse, or other input device.
- FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a method for focused navigation of a plurality of channels within an ITV user interface.
- a channel refers to any capability of the ITV system 10 that a user may selectively activate. Examples of channels include broadcast channels and interactive channels.
- a visual card 36 is created to represent each channel that is available through the ITV system 10.
- Each visual card 36 may be stored as a graphics file in any suitable format in a memory, disk drive, or the like, within the ITV system 10.
- Each visual card 36 may include a graphical representation 38 of the represented channel.
- the graphical representation 38 may take the form of an icon (e.g., a drawing), an image (e.g., a photograph or video frame), a symbol, or the like.
- the graphical representation 38 may represent the broadcast channel generally or the particular TV program being shown on the broadcast channel.
- each graphical representation 38 may take the form of a video frame taken from the current TV program being shown on the broadcast channel.
- video frames may be captured at periodic intervals by a broadcast center and downloaded by an STB 16 for use in one or more visual cards 36.
- video frames may be captured by the STB 16, itself. In the embodiment depicted in FIG.
- a visual card 36a may include a chef icon 38a representing a broadcast channel related to cooking (e.g., the TV Food Network ® ); a visual card 36b may include a lion icon 38b representing a broadcast channel related to nature (e.g., The Discovery Channel ® ); a visual card 36c may include a football player icon 38c representing a broadcast channel related to sports (e.g., ESPN ® ); a visual card 36d may include a music icon 38d representing a broadcast channel related to music (e.g., MTV ® ); and a visual card 36e may include an airplane icon 38e representing a broadcast channel related to travel (e.g., The Travel Channel ® ).
- the visual cards 36 may also include other information (e.g., descriptive text, numerals, and so forth) in addition to the graphical representations 38.
- the visual cards 36 may be linked together or grouped in a sequence 40, such as the sequence 40a.
- the sequence 40 may take the form of a closed loop, as illustrated in FIG. 2. Alternatively, the sequence 40 may be linear.
- the ordering of the sequence 40 may be dictated, for example, by the numerical order of the represented channels, e.g., visual card 36a may correspond to channel 2, visual card 36b may correspond to channel 4, etc.
- the sequence 40 may be ordered in other ways or may be user-defined.
- one visual card 36 may be selected or active. As shown, the selected visual card 36 is displayed within a focus area
- a focus area 42 of the GUI 20 (e.g., brought into "focus”).
- a focus area 42 is a single location of the GUI 20 at which the visual cards 36 are successively displayed, e.g., displayed one at a time in sequence.
- the focus area 42 may be located at a central or visually dominant location of the user interface, although the invention is not limited in this respect.
- the focus area may be located at the center of the GUI 20 (and/or display screen 14).
- the visual cards 36 within a sequence 40 may be successively displayed within the focus area 42.
- the visual cards 36a-e within the sequence 40a may be successively displayed within the focus area 42.
- the successive display may continue indefinitely until halted by the user.
- the visual cards 36 may be successively displayed at a high rate of speed, preferably within the user's image recognition threshold.
- the image recognition threshold will vary somewhat from user to user depending on a number of factors, including age, eyesight, and so forth. Typically, however, the image recognition threshold for many users will range between 5 and 8 graphical representations per second.
- the display rate may be adjusted for users with unusually high or low image recognition thresholds. For instance, a user may cap the maximum display rate at a preferred value.
- the image recognition threshold may be determined or approximated by initially showing a user a test image and then displaying the test image at a point in a cycling sequence of graphical representations being displayed at a high rate of speed (e.g., > 10 representations per second). Thereafter, the display rate may be decreased in steps until the user recognizes the test image and presses a button, such as the "Select" button 36. The display rate at which the user first recognizes the test image may be deemed the user's image recognition threshold.
- the single user action to initiate navigation may be pressing (or pressing and holding down) a button on the remote control 18.
- the user may press the "Channel-Up” button 26 to initiate the successive display in a first direction 44 within the sequence 40, and press the "Channel- Down” button 28 to initiate navigation in the opposite direction 46.
- the user may speak a command into a microphone (either within the STB 16 or remote control 18) to initiate navigation.
- the user may initiate navigation in a variety of other ways within the scope of the invention.
- the visual cards 36 when displayed within the focus area 42, are sufficiently large to permit user recognition from a comfortable viewing distance for the particular display screen 14. For instance, as shown in FIG.
- the visual card 36 occupies between about one-fifth and about one- fourth of the display screen 14.
- the user may take some additional action and the successive display of visual cards 36 may be discontinued in order to distinguish the desired visual card.
- the successive display was initiated by pressing and holding down the "Channel-Up” button 26
- the user may release the "Channel-Up” button 26 to discontinue navigation.
- the successive display was initiated simply by pressing a button
- the user may press the same or a different button to halt the successive display.
- the user may discontinue navigation in a variety of other ways within the scope of the invention. Once navigation is discontinued, a visual card 36 representing a desired channel is displayed within the focus area 42.
- a subset 48 of the visual cards 36 may be displayed vertically across the GUI 20.
- the subset 48a includes the visual cards 36c-e.
- a portion of the visual card 36c may be displayed above the focus area 42
- the entire visual card 36d may be displayed within the focus area 42
- a portion of the visual card 36e may be displayed below the focus area 42.
- the subset 48a may be displayed horizontally or in other locations of the GUI 20.
- an ITV system 10 in accordance with the invention may include different types of channels, such as broadcast channels and interactive channels.
- a first sequence 40a including visual cards 36a-e that represent broadcast channels.
- a second sequence 40b may be created including visual cards 36f-j that represent interactive channels.
- each visual card 36f-j in the second sequence 40b may include a graphical representation 38 of an available channel.
- the graphical representation 38 may take the form of an icon (e.g., a drawing), an image (e.g., a photograph or video frame), a symbol, or the like.
- the graphical representations 38 on the visual cards 36f-j take the form of icons 38.
- a visual card 36f may include a computer icon 38f representing a World Wide Web browser
- a visual card 36g may include an envelope icon 38g representing an e-mail program
- a visual card 36h may include a videophone icon 38h representing a videophone
- a visual card 36i may include a VCR icon 38i representing a personal video recorder (PVR)
- a visual card 36j may include a rotary file icon 38j representing a directory of contacts.
- the visual cards 36f-j representing interactive channels may further be thought of as effectors in the sense that selection of such a card 36f-j serves to activate a corresponding application (e.g., World Wide Web browser).
- a subset 48b of the second sequence 40b of visual cards 36 is displayed horizontally across the GUI 20.
- the subset 48b includes the visual cards 36g-h.
- a portion of the visual card 36g appears to the left of the focus area 42
- a portion of the visual card 36h appears to the right of the focus area 42.
- the subset 48b may be displayed vertically or in other locations of the GUI 20.
- the subset 48a of the first sequence 40a and the subset 48b of the second sequence 40b may intersect to define the focus area 42. Such an arrangement further enhances the visual dominance of the focus area 42 within the GUI 20, because visual cards 36 are directed into the focus area 42 from multiple directions.
- the area of intersection, and thus the focus area 42 may be located at a center portion of the GUI 20, although the invention is not limited in this respect. Navigation of the different sequences 40 may be accomplished by different user actions.
- the user may utilize a first set of controls (e.g., the "Channel-Up” and “Channel-Down” buttons 26, 28 on the remote control 18) to navigate the sequence 40a displayed vertically across the GUI 20, and a second set of controls (e.g., the "Channel-Left” and “Channel-Right” buttons 30, 32 on the remote control 18) to navigate the sequence 40b displayed horizontally across the GUI 20.
- a first set of controls e.g., the "Channel-Up” and “Channel-Down” buttons 26, 28 on the remote control 18
- a second set of controls e.g., the "Channel-Left” and “Channel-Right” buttons 30, 32 on the remote control 18
- a particular visual card 36 representing a desired channel may be displayed within the focus area 42 once navigation has been discontinued. This remaining visual card 36 may be enhanced to further distinguish it from previously displayed visual cards 36, and/or to provide the user with additional information about the represented channel.
- the visual card 36d may be enhanced by displaying information within the GUI 20 that is descriptive of the represented channel. This information may be displayed within "quadrants" that are formed by the intersection of the displayed subsets 48a-b.
- the quadrants may be used to display context-sensitive information about a visual card 36 in the focus area 42. Alternatively, or in addition, the quadrants may be used to display advertising, additional options, and the like.
- the size of the quadrants may vary depending, for instance, on the location of the intersection of the displayed subsets 48a-b. If the intersection is near the center of the GUI 20, the quadrants may be equal in size; otherwise, the relative sizes of the quadrants may vary.
- the information may include the name 50 of the broadcast channel, the channel number 52, the name 54 of the TV program currently being broadcast on the channel, and the program's start time 56 and end time 58, as well as other useful information.
- the remaining visual card 36 may be enhanced in a variety of other ways.
- the visual card 36 may be enhanced by displaying a reduced-size presentation of the broadcast channel in the focus area 42 in place of the visual card 36.
- Other visual cards 36 and/or information may remain displayed outside the focus area 42 during this reduced-size presentation.
- the visual card 36 may be enhanced by animating the graphical representation 38 on the visual card 36.
- the visual card 36 may be enhanced by enlarging it with respect to other visual cards 36 within the GUI 20 and/or with respect to its original size. The enlargement may be accomplished through pixel duplication and/or interpolation. Alternatively, a higher-resolution image may be used.
- the remaining visual card 36 may be enhanced in a number of other ways within the scope of the invention.
- the user may select the channel associated with the displayed visual card 36 by taking a selection action.
- the selection action may be activating a selection control on the remote control 18, such as the "Select" button 34.
- the selection action may simply be waiting a set amount of time without activating any controls on the remote control 18.
- the desired channel may be displayed in place of the GUI 20 on the display screen 14, e.g., "maximized” to fill the entire display screen 14.
- FIG. 4 there is shown a timing diagram illustrating the successive display of visual cards 36 in accordance with the invention. Each vertical line within the timing diagram represents a moment in time at which a particular visual card 36 is displayed.
- visual cards 36 are successively displayed at moments 60, 62, 64, and so on.
- the successive display of visual cards 36 is halted at moment 66.
- the visual card 36 representing the desired channel remains displayed in the focus area 42 once navigation is discontinued.
- the user's reaction time may not be fast enough and one or more visual cards 36 may be subsequently displayed.
- the user may manually backtrack to the desired visual card 36 by, for example, repeatedly activating a suitable control on the remote control 18. For example, briefly pressing the "Channel-Up” or “Channel-Down” buttons 26, 28 may result in the previous or next visual card 36, respectively, being displayed.
- the user's delayed response may be automatically compensated for by reverting to a previously displayed visual card 36 once the user halts the successive display. For example, if a visual card 36 representing a desired channel is displayed within the GUI 20 at moment 68, but the user takes the additional action to discontinue navigation at moment 66, the ITV system 10 may be configured to automatically revert to the visual card 36 displayed a set amount of time before the action was taken. The time difference 70 between moments 68 and 66 corresponds to an anticipated time delay between the user's recognition of a desired visual card 36 and the user's additional action.
- time difference 70 may vary depending on the rate at which the visual cards 36 are being displayed, e.g., a faster rate may require a greater time difference 70.
- the rate at which the visual cards 36 are successively displayed may be increased in response to the user taking a suitable action.
- the rate at which visual cards 36 are successively displayed may gradually increase from a minimum rate 72 to a maximum rate 74 (preferably at or below the user's recognition threshold).
- the display rate may increase from a minimum rate 76 to an intermediate rate 78 to a maximum rate 80 according to a stepwise function.
- the user action to increase the display rate may take many forms, such as holding down a button on the remote control 18 for a set amount of time. In such case, the rate may be increased based on how long the button is held down.
- the user may increase the display rate by repeatedly pressing a button on the remote control 18, in which case the rate may be increased each time the button is pressed.
- the STB 16 includes a wireless receiver 24 for receiving control signals sent by the wireless transmitter 22 in the remote control 18.
- the STB 16 may also include a network interface/tuner 82 for receiving an ITV signal (which may include both TV signals and other information) from a broadcast center (not shown) over a transmission medium, such as a broadband network.
- the interface/tuner 82 may include conventional tuning circuitry for receiving, demodulating, and demultiplexing the ITV signal, which may be encoded using MPEG or the like.
- the STB 16 may also include a codec (encoder/decoder) 84, which serves to decode a data stream received from the broadcast center over the transmission medium.
- the codec 84 may be implemented in hardware and/or software.
- the STB 16 includes a memory device 86.
- the memory device 86 may include a random access memory (RAM) for storing temporary data.
- the memory device 86 may include a read-only memory (ROM) for storing more permanent data, such as fixed code and configuration data.
- the memory device 86 may include an operating system (OS) for the STB 16, such as Linux ® or Windows CE ® or XP ® .
- OS operating system
- the memory device 86 may also be embodied as a magnetic storage device, such as a hard disk drive.
- An audio/video (AIM) controller 88 may be provided for converting digital audio/video signals into analog signals for playback/display on the TV 12.
- the A/V controller 88 may be implemented using one or more physical devices, such as separate graphics and sound controllers.
- the A/V controller 88 may also include graphics hardware for performing bit-block transfers (bit-blits) and other graphical operations for displaying the visual cards 36 on the display screen 14.
- a CPU 90 is provided to control the operation of the STB 16, including the other components thereof, which are coupled to the CPU 90 via a bus 92.
- the CPU 90 may be embodied as a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor or other device known in the art.
- the CPU 90 may be embodied as an Intel ® x86 microprocessor.
- the CPU 90 performs logical and arithmetic operations based on program code stored within the memory device 86.
- FIG. 7 illustrates only one possible configuration of an
- FIG. 8 a block diagram of logical components within the STB 16 is shown.
- the depicted logical components may be implemented using one or more of the physical components shown in FIG. 7.
- various logical components may be implemented as software modules stored in the memory device 86 and executed by the CPU 90.
- Those skilled in the art will recognize that various illustrated components may be combined together or integrated with standard components in various configurations without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.
- An ITV signal 94 containing compressed TV signals and other information is received by a signal detector 96.
- the signal detector 96 decompresses the ITV signal 94 and separates the TV signals from the other information.
- the TV signals are then conveyed to a display unit 98, which performs further processing to convert the TV signals into a suitable format for the TV 12.
- the other information is routed to a storage device 100.
- the other information may include a channel database 102.
- the channel database 102 includes records 104 containing information about the various channels available within the ITV system 10. Each record 104 may be uniquely associated with a particular channel, and may include a visual card 36 representing that channel. Other information 106 about the channel may also be provided.
- a record 104 of a broadcast channel may include information 106 such as the channel number, the name of the program being (or to be) broadcast, the start time, the end time, and so forth.
- the information 106 may include a text description, memory location, and the like.
- Each record 104 within the database 102 may also include one or more pointers 108 to other records 104. This allows the records 104 to be grouped together into one or more sequences 40, such as the sequences 40a-b described previously. Of course, records 104 may be grouped in sequences 40 using other mechanisms within the scope of the invention.
- a user action to initiate and/or discontinue navigation causes a navigational control signal to be detected by a user input detector 110.
- the control signal may be delivered to a controller 112 which is driven by a clock signal 114 having a periodic clock cycle.
- the controller 112 may retrieve one or more records 104 from the channel database 102 and deliver them to the display unit 98 for processing. To implement the successive display of visual cards 36 described previously, this action may be repeated every N clock cycles (where ⁇ V is any integral value). Additionally, the records 104 may be retrieved in a particular sequence 40, as described previously.
- the display unit 98 may be configured to prepare data from the records 104, such as the visual cards 36, for display on the display screen 14 in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 2-3.
- the controller 112 may halt retrieval of the records 104 from the channel database 102.
- the rate at which the visual cards 36 are successively displayed may be increased. This may be accomplished by initiating a counter 116 when the control signal to initiate navigation is detected by the user input detector 110.
- the counter 116 may increment every M clock cycles (where M may be any integral value), for as long as the control signal is detected by the user input detector 110.
- the value of ⁇ V may be decreased, which has the effect of accelerating the rate of successive display of visual cards 36.
- the value of ⁇ 7 may not decrease below a certain value corresponding to a typical user's image recognition threshold.
- M and N may be adjusted to implement the gradual and stepwise acceleration discussed previously. For example, high values of M and N correspond to stepwise acceleration as illustrated in FIG. 6, whereas low values of M and N correspond to gradual acceleration as illustrated in FIG. 5.
- a wide variety of other techniques may be used to implement the successive display of visual cards 36.
- a user's delayed response may be automatically compensated for by reverting to a previously displayed visual card 36 once the user takes action to discontinue navigation.
- the controller 112 may retrieve the record 104 X positions behind the last-retrieved record 104 within a particular sequence 40 once navigation has been discontinued.
- the display unit 98 may include a memory for storing the X visual cards 36 most recently displayed within the focus area 42, and may be configured to display the visual card 36 in the Xth position once navigation is discontinued.
- the value of X (which may be any integral value) may correspond to an anticipated time delay between a user's recognition of a desired visual card 36 and the time that the user takes action to discontinue navigation.
- a particular visual card 36 representing a desired channel may be displayed within the focus area 42 once navigation has been discontinued.
- This remaining visual card 36 may be enhanced to further distinguish it from previously displayed visual cards 36, and/or to provide the user with additional information about the represented channel.
- This, too, may be accomplished in a variety of ways.
- some or all of the information 106 within each database record 104 may be displayed within the GUI 20.
- the controller 112 may be configured to tune the signal detector 96 to the represented channel, and the display unit 98 may be configured to replace the remaining visual card 36 with a reduced- size presentation of the broadcast channel (while leaving the remainder of the GUI 20 in place).
- the graphical representation 38 included within the visual card 36 may be an animation file, and the storage device 100 may include software configured to animate the graphical representation 38.
- the user may select the channel associated with a displayed visual card 36 by taking a selection action.
- the corresponding channel may be executed by the controller 112. For instance, where a user selects a visual card 36 corresponding to a broadcast channel, the controller 112 may tune the signal detector 96 to the selected channel. Where a user selects a visual card 36 corresponding to an interactive channel, the controller 112 may execute an application within the storage device 100 corresponding to the selected channel.
- FIG. 8 illustrates only one implementation of the above-described techniques.
- Various other implementations, using various combinations of hardware and software, may be known to those skilled in the art based on the teachings contained herein.
- FIG. 9 there is shown a flowchart illustrating a method for focused navigation of a plurality of channels within an ITV user interface.
- a plurality of visual cards 36 representing channels available within the ITV system 10 is created and stored 118.
- the visual cards 36 may be linked together or grouped in one or more sequences 40.
- One or more visual cards 36 from one or more sequences 40 may be displayed across the GUI 20, with one visual card 36 being displayed within a focus area 42.
- the ITV system 10 waits 120 for user input.
- the visual cards 36 from a particular sequence are successively displayed 124 in a focus area 42 of the GUI 20. This successive display continues until an additional user action is detected 126, at which point the successive display is discontinued and a single visual card 36 is displayed within the focus area 42. As discussed previously, this remaining visual card 36 may be enhanced.
- the user may select the channel associated with the displayed visual card 36 by taking a selection action.
- visual cards representing channels available in an ITV system may be successively and rapidly displayed within a focus area.
- the visual cards are all displayed within a single area of the user interface (the focus area), the visual cards may be displayed at a relatively high rate of speed, while still being within the user's image recognition threshold.
- the focused navigation technique of the claimed invention allows a user to more quickly and efficiently locate and select a desired channel than conventional approaches.
Abstract
Description
Claims
Applications Claiming Priority (10)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US31573101P | 2001-08-29 | 2001-08-29 | |
US60/315,731 | 2001-08-29 | ||
US31761201P | 2001-09-06 | 2001-09-06 | |
US60/317,612 | 2001-09-06 | ||
US32499701P | 2001-09-26 | 2001-09-26 | |
US60/324,997 | 2001-09-26 | ||
US10/097,174 US20030046693A1 (en) | 2001-08-29 | 2002-03-12 | System and method for focused navigation within an interactive television user interface |
US10/097,174 | 2002-03-12 | ||
US18711802A | 2002-06-29 | 2002-06-29 | |
US10/187,118 | 2002-06-29 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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WO2003021414A1 true WO2003021414A1 (en) | 2003-03-13 |
Family
ID=27536820
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/US2002/027381 WO2003021414A1 (en) | 2001-08-29 | 2002-08-27 | System and method for focused navigation within an interactive television user interface |
Country Status (1)
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WO (1) | WO2003021414A1 (en) |
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CN105592341A (en) * | 2014-11-07 | 2016-05-18 | 三星电子株式会社 | Image Display Apparatus And Method Of Displaying Image |
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US6236395B1 (en) * | 1999-02-01 | 2001-05-22 | Sharp Laboratories Of America, Inc. | Audiovisual information management system |
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US5606374A (en) * | 1995-05-31 | 1997-02-25 | International Business Machines Corporation | Video receiver display of menu overlaying video |
US5812929A (en) * | 1995-06-30 | 1998-09-22 | Fujitsu Limited | Bidirectional cable television system, cable television distributing device and processing terminal device |
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