Web browser system

• US 20030067484A1
• Filed: 10/03/2002
• Published: 04/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pace Micro Technology Ltd. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Moir, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 7,251,682 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/747
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation

Abstract

A broadcast data receiver (BDR) is provided with a web browser system. A service provided by the web browser system si selectable by a user of the BDR and, when selected, is controllable by the user via a remote control handset, thereby allowing an Internet web site page for display on a display screen connected to or forming part of the BDR to be determined and one or more user options can be selected if required. One or more icons are generated on at least a portion of the display screen and each of the icons represents a button on the remote control handset. Each icon is mapped to a specific control function or option of the web browser, thereby allowing user selection of a web browser control function or option by selection of the appropriate button on the remote control handset.

Claims

1. A web browser system for a broadcast data receiver (BDR) to allow the generation of Internet site displays on a connected display screen, a service provided by the web browser system selectable by a user of the BDR and) when selected, controllable by the user via a remote control device so that a selected Internet web site page can be determined, said page including one or more user options to be selected if required, and characterised in that one or more icons are generated on the display screen, each of said icons representing a key on the remote control device and each icon being mapped to a specific control function of the web browser, actionable upon user selection of said user option by selection of the appropriate key on the remote control device matching the displayed icon for the required user option.

2. A web browser system according to claim 1 characterised in that the icon display is selectively shown on the display screen upon user selection of an appropriate icon display option via a display screen menu.

3. A web browser system according to claim 1 characterised in that the icon display is selectively shown on the display screen upon user selection of a pre-defined button on the remote control device.

4. A web browser system according to claim 1 characterised in that the icon is displayed next to the control function on the web page to which it is mapped.

5. A web browser system according to claim 1 characterised in that the icons represent one or more of the numbered keys on the remote control device.

6. A web browser system according to claim 5 characterised in that the icon is or includes the number of the key which it represents on the remote control device.

7. A web browser system according to claim 1 characterised in that the user can move one or more of the icons on the display screen from a control function to which it is mapped to a further control function on the display screen.

8. A web browser system according to claim 7 characterised in that the user can move an icon to be mapped to a further control function by selection of a pre-designated key on the remote control handset.

9. A web browser system according to claim 1 characterised in that the control functions to which the icons are mapped are spaced throughout a plurality of possible control functions available for selection on the web page.

10. A web browser system according to claim 7 characterised in that the one or more icons are moved to any of the next consecutive available control functions on the web page, the next available control functions on the web page linked to the relevancy of the previous mapped control functions, or the next available control functions which form a pre-specified set on the display screen.

11. A web browser system according to claim 10 characterised in that the next control functions to which the icons can be moved to can be calculated on any or any combination of a frame by frame basis, a table by table basis or a top-left to bottom-right basis on the display screen.

12. A web browser system according to claim 1 characterised in that once a control function is selected via selection of a mapped icon and a new web page is displayed, the icons are provided on the new web page.

13. A web browser system according to claim 1 characterised in that the icons are allocated to the most commonly selected control functions on the web page.

14. A web browser system according to claim 1 characterised in that the one or more icons can be mapped to specific control functions selected by the user.

15. A web browser system according to claim 14 characterised in that the icons are mapped to specific control functions via the introduction of HTML tags into the graphical interface associated with those control functions.

16. A web browser system according to claim 1 characterised in that the icons are provided as part of a graphics display layer, the graphics layer being substantially transparent apart from the icons.