NON-HIERARCHICAL INTERFACE SCREENS FOR USE IN A VIDEO RECORDER

• US 20040213557A1
• Filed: 07/29/2003
• Published: 10/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Digital Technologies, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Krakirian, Haig H., Bumgardner, Jim A.
• Application Number:
  US10/604,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20040213557A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/108
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/218 Write-once discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/455 said record carriers being in one device and being used as primary and secondary/backup media, e.g. HDD-DVD combo device, or as source and target media, e.g. PC and portable player
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/036 Insert-editing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• 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 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4424 Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the client device, e.g. CPU or memory load, processing speed, timer, counter or percentage of the hard disk space used error monitoring in general G06F11/30; arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/32; diagnosis, testing or measuring for television receivers H04N17/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape

Abstract

The present invention is directed to non-hierarchical interface screens for use with a video recorder. The present invention includes a set-top box having an internal storage device, such as a hard drive where broadcasts are transferred from a broadcast input source to the storage device and can later be retrieved from the storage device for viewing. The set-top box is connected to an output device such as a television, which displays a graphical user interface (GUI) and an interactive program guide (IPG). The GUI also allows the user to access several core interface screens that all correspond to specific buttons on an input device, such as a remote control. The user is able to access any of the core interface screens without navigating through a hierarchically arranged series of interface screens.

Claims

1. A method for accessing one or more interface screens associated with a video recorder, comprising:

providing one of said interface screens;

providing an input device having one or more input points;

associating each of said input points with each of said interface screens; and

accessing any of said one or more interface screens by actuating one of said input points with a single keystroke.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said input device is a remote control.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said input points are buttons on said remote control.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said input device is an interface connected to a set-top box.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said interface screens include a series manager screen, a recording schedule screen, and a saved shows screen.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said input points are associated with a color and said associated interface screens are also associated with said color.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said input points are associated with a shape and said associated interface screens display said shape.

8. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for enabling access to one or more interface screens associated with a video recorder, comprising;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to provide one of said interface screens;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to provide an input device having one or more input points;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to associate each of said input points with each of said interface screens; and

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to enable access to any of said one or more interface screens by actuating one of said input points with a single keystroke.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein said input device is a remote control.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein said input points are buttons on said remote control.

11. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein said input device is an interface connected to a set-top box.

12. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein said interface screens include a series manager screen, a recording schedule screen, and a saved shows screen.

13. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein said input points are associated with a color and said associated interface screens are also associated with said color.

14. The computer program product of claim 8 said input points are associated with a shape and said associated interface screens display said shape.

15. An arrangement of interface screens associated with a video recorder, comprising:

an input device having at least a first, a second, and a third input point;

a first interface screen associated with said first input point;

a second interface screen associated with said second input point; and

a third interface screen associated with said third input point, wherein a user is able to access any of said first, second, and third interface screens by actuating any one of said input points with a single keystroke.

16. The arrangement of claim 15 wherein said input device is a remote control.

17. The arrangement of claim 16, wherein said input points are buttons on said remote control.

18. The arrangement of claim 15 wherein said input device is an interface connected to a set-top box.

19. The arrangement of claim 15 wherein said interface screens include a series manager screen, a recording schedule screen, and a saved shows screen.

20. The arrangement of claim 15 wherein said input points are associated with a color and said associated interface screens are also associated with said color.

21. The arrangement of claim 15 wherein said input points are associated with a shape and said associated interface screens display said shape.

22. An apparatus comprising:

a user interface;

a saved show screen;

a recording schedule screen; and

a series manager screen, wherein said user interface is configured to display said saved show screen, said recording schedule screen, and series manager screen at a single level.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising a user input device configured so that a user moves between said screens using a single keystroke.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

a video recorder for recording one or more shows; and

a local storage configured to store one or more of said shows.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said saved show screen displays information on said recorded and stored shows.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said saved show screen displays a recording in progress icon.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said recording schedule screen displays information on shows to be recorded in the future.

28. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said series manager screen displays information on one or more shows that will be repeatedly transferred to said local storage under conditions.