Method and apparatus for organizing, sorting and navigating multimedia content
First Claim
1. A method of organizing, sorting, displaying for navigation, and navigating for finding and selecting one or more multimedia content items available from one or more various types of multimedia content sources using a multimedia terminal based on profile, preference and entitlement information pertinent to at least one viewer, and identifying, describing, locating and characterizing information pertinent to the one or more multimedia content items, and identifying, describing, locating and characterizing information pertinent to the one or more various types of multimedia content sources, comprising:
- (a) organizing the identifying, describing, locating and characterizing information pertinent to the one or more multimedia content items, the one or more multimedia content sources, and the at least one viewer using a hierarchial information structure including one or more parameter sets, whereby said one or more parameter sets include identifying, describing, locating and characterizing information;
(b) sorting the information pertinent to the one or more multimedia content items, the one or more multimedia content sources, and the at least one viewer by performing at least one sorting operation on said identifying, describing, locating and characterizing information for applying a defined sorting criteria to identify at least one multimedia content item compliant with said defined sorting criteria, thereby identifying said compliant at least one multimedia content as suitable for the at least one viewer, whereby the at least one sorting operation performed is based on the complexity of the required sort and may occur as a pre processing sorting operation at any time prior to the time the at least one viewer navigates multimedia content, as a real time processing sorting operation at the time the at least one viewer navigates multimedia content, and any combination of both said at least one pre processing sorting operation and said at least one real time processing sorting operation;
(c) displaying a navigation graphical user interface on a television, computer, video, or other visual screen connected to a multimedia terminal, said graphical user interface including at least one first window as a diagonal window displaying an enumeration of the at least one multimedia content item suitable for the at least one viewer, at least one second window as an active diagonal information window displaying information pertinent to the at least one suitable multimedia content item, at least one third window as an active content item window displaying a visual still or moving image visual depiction of a multimedia content item selected by the at least one viewer, at least one fourth window as a selected item information window displaying information pertinent to the selected multimedia content item depicted by the still or moving image; and
(d) navigating through the display in the at least one first window as a diagonal window to select the at least one suitable multimedia content item using at least one of a plurality of on screen navigation functions including a diagonal forward function, a diagonal reverse function, a diagonal rotation counterclockwise function, a diagonal rotation clockwise function, a diagonal forward view function, a diagonal reverse view function, a select function, and a guide on and off function, each function invoked by depressing at least one button on a remote control device, or at least one key on a keyboard, or by clicking on at least one on screen icon connected to a multimedia terminal.
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Abstract
An improved method and apparatus for organizing, sorting, navigating and selecting for use, one or more multimedia content items available from one or more varied types of multimedia content sources, based on a multimedia content user'"'"'s characteristics, preferences and entitlements, and multimedia content item attributes and characteristics. In a first aspect of the invention, a method and architecture (FIG. 11) are disclosed which uses an information structure hierarchy of parameter sets and included parameters and their associated information fields contained therein to facilitate identification, description, location and characterization of multimedia content items, multimedia content sources, and user characterizing information. In a second aspect of the invention, a method and architecture are disclosed for sorting multimedia content items by applying sorting criteria expressed in the type and format of the multimedia content item, multimedia content source and user identification, description, location and characteristics information (FIGS. 9, 10), at the time of content creation, distribution and delivery through a multimedia content source and at the time multimedia content is selected by a multimedia content user (FIG. 8), for the purposes of identifying and presenting those items appropriate for a particular multimedia content user. In a third aspect of the invention, a method and architecture are disclosed for displaying on a television or computer screen connected to a multimedia terminal, a plurality of video windows containing a menu and visual rendering (FIG. 12) of only those multimedia content items identified as appropriate for the particular multimedia content user, based on the sorting criteria. In a fourth aspect of the invention, a method and architecture are disclosed for navigating the plurality of display windows (FIGS. 14 through 19) for the purposes of selecting a multimedia content for use by the particular multimedia content user.
449 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A method of organizing, sorting, displaying for navigation, and navigating for finding and selecting one or more multimedia content items available from one or more various types of multimedia content sources using a multimedia terminal based on profile, preference and entitlement information pertinent to at least one viewer, and identifying, describing, locating and characterizing information pertinent to the one or more multimedia content items, and identifying, describing, locating and characterizing information pertinent to the one or more various types of multimedia content sources, comprising:
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(a) organizing the identifying, describing, locating and characterizing information pertinent to the one or more multimedia content items, the one or more multimedia content sources, and the at least one viewer using a hierarchial information structure including one or more parameter sets, whereby said one or more parameter sets include identifying, describing, locating and characterizing information;
(b) sorting the information pertinent to the one or more multimedia content items, the one or more multimedia content sources, and the at least one viewer by performing at least one sorting operation on said identifying, describing, locating and characterizing information for applying a defined sorting criteria to identify at least one multimedia content item compliant with said defined sorting criteria, thereby identifying said compliant at least one multimedia content as suitable for the at least one viewer, whereby the at least one sorting operation performed is based on the complexity of the required sort and may occur as a pre processing sorting operation at any time prior to the time the at least one viewer navigates multimedia content, as a real time processing sorting operation at the time the at least one viewer navigates multimedia content, and any combination of both said at least one pre processing sorting operation and said at least one real time processing sorting operation;
(c) displaying a navigation graphical user interface on a television, computer, video, or other visual screen connected to a multimedia terminal, said graphical user interface including at least one first window as a diagonal window displaying an enumeration of the at least one multimedia content item suitable for the at least one viewer, at least one second window as an active diagonal information window displaying information pertinent to the at least one suitable multimedia content item, at least one third window as an active content item window displaying a visual still or moving image visual depiction of a multimedia content item selected by the at least one viewer, at least one fourth window as a selected item information window displaying information pertinent to the selected multimedia content item depicted by the still or moving image; and
(d) navigating through the display in the at least one first window as a diagonal window to select the at least one suitable multimedia content item using at least one of a plurality of on screen navigation functions including a diagonal forward function, a diagonal reverse function, a diagonal rotation counterclockwise function, a diagonal rotation clockwise function, a diagonal forward view function, a diagonal reverse view function, a select function, and a guide on and off function, each function invoked by depressing at least one button on a remote control device, or at least one key on a keyboard, or by clicking on at least one on screen icon connected to a multimedia terminal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 28, 29, 30)
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22. An apparatus for organizing, sorting, displaying for navigation, and navigating for finding and selecting one or more multimedia content items available from one or more varied types of multimedia content sources and displaying on a television, computer, video or other visual screen a plurality of display windows containing information about or content of at least one multimedia content item, whereby the particular at least one multimedia content item is based on the sorting, comprising:
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(a) at least one memory or other data storage device that stores information defining at least one sorting criteria, information identifying, describing, locating and characterizing one or more multimedia content items, information identifying, describing, locating and characterizing one or more various types of multimedia content sources, and information identifying, describing, locating and characterizing one or more viewers of multimedia content;
(b) at least one network interface, including hardware and software, for connection to a multimedia content source and communication of said identifying, describing, locating and characterizing information;
(c) at least one display interface, including hardware and software, for connection to a television screen, computer screen, video or other visual screen and display of said identifying, describing, locating and characterizing information;
(d) at least one user interface, including hardware and software, for controlling and communicating with the apparatus by a user of the apparatus or viewer of multimedia content; and
(e) at least one processor engine, including hardware and software, connected with the at least one network interface, the at least one display interface, the at least one user interface, and the at least one memory or other data storage device, that retrieves the information defining the sorting criteria and the information identifying, describing, locating and characterizing multimedia content items, multimedia content sources, and viewers of multimedia content, performs at least one organizing operation to organize the identifying, describing, locating and characterizing information, performs at least one sorting operation to apply the at least one sorting criteria information to some or all of the identifying, describing, locating and characterizing information, groups only those multimedia content items which comply with said sorting criteria as suitable for use by a particular viewer, displays in the plurality of display windows information about or content of only those suitable multimedia content items, performs at least one navigation function invoked by a viewer to navigate through the displayed information for selecting at least one multimedia content item therefrom. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification