Graphic user interface for digital networks

• US 20030107605A1
• Filed: 09/25/2002
• Published: 06/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Iwamura, Ryuichi
• Granted Patent: US 6,957,396 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/810
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42228 the reprogrammable keys being displayed on a display screen in order to reduce the number of keys on the remote control device itself
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• 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 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71

Abstract

A graphical user interface for a network of content devices that includes two or more graphical representations of two or more respective content devices that are coupled to a content device network. Graphical representations of two or more content streams between the graphical representations of content devices have graphical indicia, and two or more content display windows are provided to display content. Displayed content is associated with respective graphical indicia of the content streams so as to inform a user viewing the graphical representation of the content streams that the content streams carry the displayed content. In variations, the graphical user interface includes a master menu box that includes a content source selection menu for selecting a source content device, a content directory displaying content available from the source content device and a destination menu for selecting a destination content device.

Claims

1. A method for displaying a graphical user interface comprising the steps of:

displaying a plurality of graphical representations of a plurality of respective content devices coupled to a content device network;

providing a graphical representation of a first content stream between a first set of the plurality of graphical representations of content devices wherein the graphical representation of the first content stream includes a first graphical indicia;

generating a first content display window for providing displayed content wherein the displayed content is associated with the first graphical indicia so as to inform a user viewing the graphical representation of the first content stream that the first content stream carries the displayed content;

providing a graphical representation of a second content stream between a second set of the plurality of graphical representations of content devices wherein the graphical representation of the second content stream includes a second graphical indicia; and

generating a second content display window for providing another displayed content wherein the other displayed content is associated with the second graphical indicia so as to inform the user viewing the graphical representation of the second content stream that the second content stream carries the other displayed content.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing a graphical representation of the content stream between the second set includes providing a graphical representation of the content stream between the second set wherein at least one of the second set is part of the first set.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

displaying a master menu box wherein the master menu box comprises;

a content source selection menu for selecting a source content device from a listing of at least a portion of the plurality of content devices;

a content directory menu for displaying content available from the source content device; and

a destination menu for selecting a destination content device from another listing of at least another portion of the plurality of content devices.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

displaying a content device menu box for a particular content device wherein the content device menu box comprises;

a content directory for displaying content available from the particular content device; and

a destination menu for selecting a destination content device from a listing of at least a portion of the plurality of content devices.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

displaying an audio selection icon wherein the audio selection icon is positioned in close proximity with the graphical representation of the first content stream between the first one of the plurality of graphical representations of content devices and the second one of the plurality of graphical representations of content devices so as to indicate to the user that audio of the first content stream is being played.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of displaying a plurality of graphical representations includes displaying a plurality of device icons wherein the plurality of device icons are representations of a plurality of respective content devices wherein the content devices are selected from the group consisting of hard drives, compact disk players, DVD players, digital video recorders and digital video cameras.

7. A computer readable medium encoded with program instructions for generating a graphical user interface, the computer readable medium comprising:

program instructions for displaying a plurality of graphical representations of a plurality of respective content devices coupled to a content device network;

program instructions for providing a graphical representation of a first content stream between a first set of the plurality of graphical representations of content devices wherein the graphical representation of the first content stream includes a first graphical indicia;

program instructions for generating a first content display window for providing displayed content wherein the displayed content is associated with the first graphical indicia so as to inform a user viewing the graphical representation of the first content stream that the first content stream carries the displayed content;

program instructions for providing a graphical representation of a second content stream between a second set of the plurality of graphical representations of content devices wherein the graphical representation of the second content stream includes a second graphical indicia; and

program instructions for generating a second content display window for providing another displayed content wherein the other displayed content is associated with the second graphical indicia so as to inform the user viewing the graphical representation of the second content stream that the second content stream carries the other displayed content.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 7 wherein the program instructions for providing a graphical representation of the content stream between the second set include program instructions for providing a graphical representation of the content stream between the second set wherein at least one of the second set is part of the first set.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 7 further comprising:

program instructions for displaying a master menu box wherein the master menu box comprises;

a content source selection menu for selecting a source content device from a listing of at least a portion of the plurality of content devices;

a content directory for displaying content available from the source content device; and

a destination menu for selecting a destination content device from another listing of at least another portion of the plurality of content devices.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 7 further comprising:

program instructions for displaying a content device menu box for a particular content device wherein the content device menu box comprises;

a content directory menu for displaying content available from the particular content device; and

a destination menu for selecting a destination content device from a listing of at least a portion of the plurality of content devices.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 7 further comprising:

program instructions for displaying an audio selection icon wherein the audio selection icon is positioned in close proximity with the graphical representation of the first content stream between the first one of the plurality of graphical representations of content devices and the second one of the plurality of graphical representations of content devices so as to indicate to the user that audio of the first content stream is being played.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 7 wherein the program instructions for displaying a plurality of graphical representations includes program instructions for displaying a plurality of device icons wherein the plurality of device icons are representations of a plurality of respective content devices wherein the content devices are selected from the group consisting of hard drives, compact disk players, DVD players, digital video recorders and digital video cameras.

13. A graphical user interface for a network of content devices comprising:

a plurality of graphical representations of a plurality of respective content devices coupled to a content device network;

a graphical representation of a first content stream between a first set of the plurality of graphical representations of content devices wherein the graphical representation of the first content stream includes a first graphical indicia;

a first content display window for providing displayed content wherein the displayed content is associated with the first graphical indicia so as to inform a user viewing the graphical representation of the first content stream that the first content stream carries the displayed content;

a graphical representation of a second content stream between a second set of the plurality of graphical representations of content devices wherein the graphical representation of the second content stream includes a second graphical indicia; and

a second content display window for providing another displayed content wherein the other displayed content is associated with the second graphical indicia so as to inform the user viewing the graphical representation of the second content stream that the second content stream carries the other displayed content.

14. The graphical user interface of claim 13 wherein one of the first set of the plurality of graphical representations of content devices is one of the second set of the plurality of graphical representations of content devices wherein both the first set and the second set consist of a quantity of two graphical representations of content devices.

15. The graphical user interface of claim 13 further comprising a master menu box wherein the master menu box comprises:

a content source selection menu for selecting a source content device from a listing of at least a portion of the plurality of content devices;

a content directory displaying content available from the source content device; and

a destination menu for selecting a destination content device from another listing of at least another portion of the plurality of content devices.

16. The graphical user interface of claim 15 further comprising a host icon 406 wherein the master menu box is displayed in response to the user clicking the host icon 406.

17. The graphical user interface of claim 13 further comprising a content device menu box for a particular content device wherein the content device menu box comprises:

a content directory menu for displaying content available from the particular content device; and

a destination menu for selecting a destination content device from a listing of at least a portion of the plurality of content devices.

18. The graphical user interface of claim 17 wherein the content device menu box is displayed in response to the user clicking on a graphical representation of the particular content device.

19. The graphical user interface of claim 13 further comprising an audio selection icon wherein the audio selection icon is positioned in close proximity with the graphical representation of the first content stream so as to indicate to the user that audio of the first content stream is being played.

20. The graphical user interface of claim 13 wherein the plurality of graphical representations of the plurality of respective content devices are a plurality of content device icons.

21. The graphical user interface of claim 13 wherein the first graphical indicia includes a first color and the second graphical indicia includes a second color, wherein a frame of the first content display window includes the first color thereby associating the first color with the displayed content, wherein a frame of the second content display window includes the second color thereby associating the other displayed content with the second color.

22. The graphical user interface of claim 13 further comprising:

a graphical representation of a third content stream between the first set of the plurality of graphical representations of content devices wherein the graphical representation of the third content stream includes a third graphical indicia.

23. The graphical user interface of claim 22 further comprising a screen switch button including the third graphical indicia wherein a third content display window is displayed in response to the user clicking on the screen switch button wherein the third content display window includes the third graphical indicia.