System and method for displaying a television picture within another displayed image

• US 20030117527A1
• Filed: 02/07/2003
• Published: 06/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kim C. Smith
• Original Assignee: Kim C. Smith
• Inventors: Smith, Kim C.
• Application Number:
  US10/360,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20030117527A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/565
• 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 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen

Abstract

A television screen (24) is displayed as a window (25) within a larger displayed image (21), also referred to as a “picture-in-picture.” A control program associated with the window (25) provides additional functions to the window, including the ability to view the time, title, and other information about future programs, in the window (25). A user can switch between various preset lists of channels, and can dynamically edit such lists to add or delete channels. The control program senses the location of a cursor (37) relative to the window (25) and a control region, as defined therein. Depending upon the location of the cursor (37), the window (25) is either in a reduced-size state with fewer controls visible, or in an expanded-size state with greater controls visible.

Claims

1. A system comprising a display having a picture-in-picture capability, in which a first region of the display is capable of displaying a first selected program from available audiovisual sources, and a second region of the display, which is larger than the first region, is capable of displaying a second selected program, the system further comprising:

means for displaying indicia in the first region corresponding to the first selected program;

means for changing the display of the first region from a first audiovisual source to a second audiovisual source;

graphical objects corresponding to the source changing means;

means for displaying the graphical objects in the first region; and

means for selecting one of the graphical objects to activate the source changing means.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for establishing at least one preset list comprising a subset of the available audiovisual sources;

means for switching between the audiovisual sources of the preset list;

graphical objects corresponding to the establishing means and the switching means;

means for displaying the graphical objects in the first region; and

the selecting means being capable of selecting one of the graphical objects to activate one of the establishing means or switching means.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for displaying indicia in the first region corresponding to a future event on the first audiovisual source.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the establishing means includes means to add individual audiovisual sources to the subset and to delete individual audiovisual sources from the subset.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein

the establishing means further comprises means for establishing a first preset list corresponding to a first user'"'"'s audiovisual source preferences, and a second preset list different from the first preset list;

the selecting means further being capable of selecting between the first preset list and the second preset list; and

graphical objects corresponding to a selection of the first preset list and the

second preset list capable of being displayed in the first region.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising means to reposition the location of the first region within the second region.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising user-activatable means for swapping the display of the first selected program in the first region with the display of the second selected program in the second region.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for displaying indicia corresponding to the first selected program comprise means for determining and displaying a title of the first selected program and a source of the first selected program.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a tool area defined in the first region;

means for displaying a first subset of the graphical objects in the tool area;

an image area defined in the first region;

means for displaying the first selected program in the image area of the first region; and

the selecting means further comprising a cursor movable into, out of, and within the first region.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

means for detecting a location of the cursor;

means responsive to detection of the cursor within the image area for expanding the size of the tool area and displaying a second subset of the graphical objects therein; and

means responsive to movement of the cursor from within the image area to without the image area for hiding the second subset of graphical objects and reducing the size of the tool area by an amount corresponding to the increase in size of the tool area for displaying the second subset of graphical objects.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

means for changing the size of the image area in response to the hiding or displaying of the second subset of graphical objects; and

means for resealing an image displayed in the image area to proportionally fill the image area in response to the changing of the size of the image area.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

means for detecting a location of the cursor;

means responsive to detection of the cursor within the first region for expanding the size of the tool area and displaying a second subset of the graphical objects therein; and

means responsive to movement of the cursor from within the first region to without the first region for hiding the second subset of graphical objects and reducing the size of the tool area by an amount corresponding to the increase in size of the tool area for displaying the second subset of graphical objects.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

means for changing the size of the first region in response to the hiding or displaying of the second subset of graphical objects; and

means for rescaling an image displayed in the image area to proportionally fill the image area in response to the changing of the size of the first region.

14. The system of claim 3, wherein the means for displaying indicia corresponding to a future event on the first audiovisual source further comprises:

means for displaying a time and a title of the future event selected from a group consisting of;

an immediately following future event from the first audiovisual source and one of the future events thereafter from the first audiovisual source; and

means for selectively displaying in succession the indicia for the immediately following future event and the one of the future events thereafter.

15. A control program for an audiovisual signal appearing as a window within a displayed image, the audiovisual signal corresponding to an audiovisual program selected from available audiovisual programs, the control program comprising:

means for selectively invoking the audiovisual signal to appear within at least a portion of the displayed image;

means for selecting the audiovisual program from the available audiovisual programs and displaying the audiovisual program via the audiovisual signal;

means for displaying indicia in the window corresponding to the audiovisual program therein;

a data structure comprising information about current and future audiovisual programs;

means for accessing the data structure;

user-activatable means for selectively displaying information about any one of the future audiovisual programs as indicia in the window;

graphical objects corresponding to the selecting means; and

means for displaying the graphical objects within the window.

16. The control program of claim 15, further comprising:

means for establishing at least one preset list comprising a subset of the available audiovisual programs;

means for switching between the audiovisual programs of the preset list;

graphical objects corresponding to the establishing means and the switching means;

means for displaying the graphical objects within the television picture;

means for displaying the graphical objects in the window; and

the selecting means being capable of selecting one of the graphical objects to activate one of the establishing means or switching means.

17. The control program of claim 15, further comprising means for displaying the audiovisual signal as a window within a display generated by an information handling system.

18. The control program of claim 15, further comprising:

means for displaying a first subset of the graphical objects in a tool area defined in the window and for displaying the audiovisual program in an image area defined in the window; and

means for selecting the graphical objects via a cursor movable into, out of, and within the window.

19. The control program of claim 18, further comprising:

means for detecting a location of the cursor;

means responsive to detection of the cursor within the window for expanding the size of the tool area and displaying a second subset of the graphical objects therein; and

means responsive to movement of the cursor from within to without of the window for hiding the second subset of graphical objects and reducing the size of the tool area by an amount corresponding to the increase in size of the tool area displaying the second subset.

20. The control program of claim 19, further comprising:

means for changing the size of the image area in response to the displaying and the hiding of the second subset of graphical objects; and

means for rescaling an image displayed in the image area to proportionally fill the image area in response to the changing of the size of the image area.

21. A method for providing a picture within a picture on a display system, the method comprising the following steps:

displaying a first audiovisual signal in a window within a display of a second audiovisual signal;

displaying indicia in the window corresponding to the first audiovisual signal;

displaying a first graphical object in the window capable of changing an audiovisual source from available audiovisual sources for the first audiovisual signal being displayed on the window; and

selecting and activating the first graphical object to change a first audiovisual source for displaying the first audiovisual signal in the window to a different audiovisual source for displaying a different audiovisual signal in the window.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of:

establishing at least one preset list comprising a subset of the available audiovisual sources; and

switching between the audiovisual sources of the preset list.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of:

displaying indicia in the window corresponding to a future event on the first audiovisual source.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of:

adding individual audiovisual sources to the subset and deleting individual audiovisual sources from the subset.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of:

establishing a first preset list corresponding to a first user'"'"'s audiovisual source preferences, and a second preset list different from the first preset list; and

selecting between the first preset list and the second preset list.