System and method for access and placement of media content information items on a screen display with a remote control device

• US 20020049978A1
• Filed: 06/14/2001
• Published: 04/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta LLC (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta LLC (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rodriguez, Arturo A., West, John Eric
• Application Number:
  US09/881,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20020049978A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/86
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A system and method for providing interactive media services in a subscriber network television system that, broadly summarized, receives a first user input from a remote control device indicating a user'"'"'s desire to select an item of media content information displayed in a user interface on a screen; and receives a second user input from the remote control device indicating a user'"'"'s desire to drag the item of media content information to a screen destination.

Claims

1. A method for providing interactive media services in a subscriber network television system, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a first user input from a remote control device indicating a user'"'"'s desire to select an item of displayed media content information; and

receiving a second user input from the remote control device indicating the user'"'"'s desire to drag the item of the media content information to a destination desired by a user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving a third user input corresponding to a change in direction of the displayed media content information item.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving a fourth and fifth user input corresponding to the cessation of the first user input and the second user input, respectively, to release the displayed media content information item at the destination desired by the user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying the movement of the displayed media content information item as the second user input is received.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving a second user input further includes the step of picking-up the selected media content information item.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving the second user input further includes the step of storing the coordinates of the original residence of the media content information item and the television screen coordinates of the media content information item as the item is dragged across the television screen in a memory in the client device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of defining the screen coordinates as absolute screen coordinates.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of defining the screen coordinates as a change in the x-axis and y-axis of the television screen relative to the coordinates of the original residence of the media content information item.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of retrieving a media content information item and its corresponding media content information from the original residence of the media content title.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of storing the retrieved media content information from the original residence and storing the media content information in memory in the client device.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of associating the original residence location of the media content information with a pointer and storing the pointer in a memory in the client device.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of storing at least one media graphical icon, representing the selected media content information item with a corresponding displayed media graphical icon, and storing the original residence coordinates and movement coordinates of the media graphical icon in a memory in the client device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of emulating the movement of the media graphical icon corresponding to the translated media content information item by updating the location of the media graphical icon on the television screen repeatedly.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of changing the features of the media graphical icon depending on the media content information item type and the media content information item location on the television screen.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of dropping off the dragged media content information item in at least one graphical container displayed in at least one television screen.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of browsing a list of media content information items located in the graphical container.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of activating an operation by dropping off the dragged media content information item into a graphical activation container.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the activating step further includes at least one of the following:

activating a reminder timer and activating a media recording.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying the media content information item.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the displaying step is configured by a local client device.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the displaying step is configured by a remote server.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing feedback to the user in response to at least one of the receiving steps.

23. A system for providing interactive media services in a subscriber network television system, the system comprising:

a memory for storing logic; and

a processor for executing the logic stored in memory, such that the logic is configured to generate a user interface on a screen, wherein the screen is responsive to user input, such that the logic is configured to cooperate with the remote control device to cause an item of media content information to be selected and translated across the screen 24. The system of claim 23, further comprising a media graphical icon that visually represents the media content information item on the display screen.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the media graphical icon includes changing features depending on the media content information item type and the media content information item location on the display screen.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the memory further comprises the coordinates of the original residence of a picked-up media content information item and a corresponding media graphical icon and the display screen coordinates of the media content information item and the media graphical icon the media content information item and the media graphical icon are moved across the display screen.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the screen coordinates are stored as at least one of the following:

absolute screen coordinates and coordinates relative to the original residence of the media graphical icon and the media content information item.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the memory further comprises a media content title and its corresponding media content title information.

29. The system of claim 23, further comprising at least one graphical container on the display screen, wherein the graphical containers represent destinations for at least one of the moved media content information items.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the graphical containers include browsable list entries for the media content information items.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the graphical containers have alterable features that provide feedback when the media content information item on the television screen is spatially close to the graphical container.

32. The system of claim 29, wherein at least one of the graphical containers include graphical activation containers for enabling operations on the media content information items.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the graphical activation containers include a reminder timer container and a media content recording container.

34. The system of claim 23, wherein the television screen comprises a displayed origin for at least one media content information item to enable the user to select the desired media content information item.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the displayed origin has alterable features that provide feedback when a media content information item on the television screen is selected.

36. The system of claim 34, wherein the displayed origin includes at least one of the following:

a table with entries and a graphical icon.

37. The system of claim 23, wherein the remote control device further comprises at least an activation button and at least one arrow key.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the logic is further configured to receive a signal from the remote control device corresponding to the concurrent pressing of the activation button and at least one of the arrow keys to cause a corresponding media content information item movement, wherein the logic is further configured to receive a signal from the remote control device corresponding to a subsequent deactivation of the activation button to cause a corresponding media content information item movement completion.

39. The system of claim 37, wherein the logic is further configured to receive a signal from the remote control device corresponding to quickly repeated pressing of the activation button and releasing the activation button to cause the commencement of a movement mode, wherein the logic is further configured to receive a signal from the remote control device after commencement of the movement mode, wherein the signal corresponds to a subsequent pressing of at least one of the arrow keys, wherein the logic responsively causes the media content information item movement, wherein the logic is further configured to receive a signal from the remote control device corresponding to the subsequent pressing of the activation button to cause the media content information item movement completion.

40. The system of claim 37, wherein the logic is further configured to receive a signal from the remote control device corresponding to an extended duration single pressing of the activation button and subsequent release of the activation button to cause the commencement of a movement mode, wherein the logic is further configured to receive a signal from the remote control device corresponding to the pressing of at least one of the arrow keys to cause the media content information item movement, wherein the logic is further configured to receive a signal from the remote control device corresponding to the subsequent pressing of the activation button to cause the media content information item movement completion.

41. The system of claim 37, wherein the remote control device further includes a movement mode button, wherein the logic is further configured to receive a signal from the remote control device corresponding to the pressing of the movement mode button to commence the movement mode, wherein the logic is further configured to receive a signal from the remote control device corresponding to the pressing of at least one of the arrow keys to cause the media content information item movement, wherein the logic is further configured to receive a signal from the remote control device corresponding to the pressing of the activation button to cause the media content information item movement completion.

42. The system of claim 37, wherein the remote control device further includes a second activation button configured by the logic to commence the media content information item movement, and a third activation button configured by the logic to complete the media content information item movement.

43. The system of claim 23, wherein the logic is implemented in a remote server.

44. The system of claim 23, wherein the logic is implemented in local client device.