Skin button enhancements for remote control

• US 20040100490A1
• Filed: 11/21/2002
• Published: 05/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Paolini, Michael A., Boston, Stephen B.
• Application Number:
  US10/302,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20040100490A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/744
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/30 User interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• 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 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children

Abstract

Creating a skin for a client device, including creating, in dependence upon button attributes, one or more buttons for the skin, in which the skin includes one or more buttons for the skin and each button comprises graphics associated with a portion of a GUI on the client device, and downloading the one or more buttons for the skin from a source of skins to the client device. Embodiments include downloading only a subset of the buttons for a skin, including incrementally downloading two or more staggered subsets of the buttons for a skin to entice viewers to take one or more predetermined actions. Embodiments include programming triggers for date and time, wherein the triggers go off regardless whether the client device is presently available to receive downloaded buttons.

Claims

1. A method for creating a skin for a client device, the method comprising the steps of:

creating, in dependence upon button attributes, one or more buttons for the skin, wherein the skin comprises the one or more buttons for the skin and each button comprises graphics associated with a portion of a GUI on the client device; and

downloading the one or more buttons for the skin from a source of skins to the client device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein downloading the buttons for a skin from a source of skins to the client device further comprises downloading only a subset of the buttons for the skin.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein downloading the buttons for a skin further comprises incrementally downloading two or more staggered subsets of the buttons for a skin to entice viewers to take one or more predetermined actions.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising detecting a button creation trigger event, wherein creating buttons further comprises creating buttons in response to the button creation trigger event.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising programming triggers for date and time, wherein the triggers go off regardless whether the client device is presently available to receive downloaded buttons.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein downloading the buttons for a skin further comprises:

downloading the buttons from a source of skins to an intermediate appliance; and

further downloading the buttons from the intermediate appliance to the client device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the GUI on the client device is interactive, and the downloaded buttons affect interactive functions of the client device.

8. A system for creating a skin for a client device, the system comprising:

means for creating, in dependence upon button attributes, one or more buttons for the skin, wherein the skin comprises the one or more buttons for the skin and each button comprises graphics associated with a portion of a GUI on the client device; and

means for downloading the one or more buttons for the skin from a source of skins to the client device.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein means for downloading the buttons for a skin from a source of skins to the client device further comprises means for downloading only a subset of the buttons for the skin.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein means for downloading the buttons for a skin further comprises incrementally downloading two or more staggered subsets of the buttons for a skin to entice viewers to take one or more predetermined actions.

11. The system of claim 8 further comprising means for detecting a button creation trigger event, wherein means for creating buttons further comprises means for creating buttons in response to the button creation trigger event.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising means for programming triggers for date and time, wherein the triggers go off regardless whether the client device is presently available to receive downloaded buttons.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein means for downloading the buttons for a skin further comprises:

means for downloading the buttons from a source of skins to an intermediate appliance; and

means for further downloading the buttons from the intermediate appliance to the client device.

14. A computer program product for creating a skin for a client device, the computer program product comprising:

a recording medium;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for creating, in dependence upon button attributes, one or more buttons for the skin, wherein the skin comprises the one or more buttons for the skin and each button comprises graphics associated with a portion of a GUI on the client device; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for downloading the one or more buttons for the skin from a source of skins to the client device.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for downloading the buttons for a skin from a source of skins to the client device further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for downloading only a subset of the buttons for the skin.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for downloading the buttons for a skin further comprises incrementally downloading two or more staggered subsets of the buttons for a skin to entice viewers to take one or more predetermined actions.

17. The computer program product of claim 14 further comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for detecting a button creation trigger event, wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for creating buttons further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for creating buttons in response to the button creation trigger event.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for programming triggers for date and time, wherein the triggers go off regardless whether the client device is presently available to receive downloaded buttons.

19. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for downloading the buttons for a skin further comprises:

means, recorded on the recording medium, for downloading the buttons from a source of skins to an intermediate appliance; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for further downloading the buttons from the intermediate appliance to the client device.