Hard disk multimedia player and method

• US 20060015808A1
• Filed: 06/27/2005
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sugawara, Taku, Akagawa, Satoshi, Kondo, Hiroyuki, Ito, Takamasa, Miyasaka, Kenji, Matsuoka, Shoichiro, Yamamoto, Hidehiko, Shiozawa, Masazumi, Udagawa, Osamu, Mato, Naoki, Hajiri, Masahiko, Sayama, Koichi
• Application Number:
  US11/166,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20060015808A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/273
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

A user interface for displaying hierarchical data on a hand-held display device including a first-level display for displaying one or more first-level data items in the hierarchical data, and at least one field associated with each first-level data item, each field configured to display a first-level data sub-item associated with the first-level data item or a subordinate data indicator. The presence of the subordinate data indicator in a field indicates that the field has subordinate data associated with the field, the subordinate data being subordinate to the first-level data items in the hierarchical data.

Claims

1. A user interface for displaying hierarchical data, comprising:

a first-level display for displaying one or more first-level data items in the hierarchical data; and

at least one field associated with each first-level data item, each field configured to display a first-level data sub-item associated with the first-level data item or a subordinate data indicator, wherein

the presence of the subordinate data indicator in a field indicates that the field has subordinate data associated with the field, the subordinate data being subordinate to the first-level data items in the hierarchical data.

2. The user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the subordinate data further comprises one or more second-level data items in the hierarchical data.

3. The user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the subordinate data indicator is an selectable icon that, when selected, displays the subordinate data.

4. The user interface as recited in claim 3, wherein:

the subordinate data, when displayed, is displayed in a format similar to a format in which the first-level data is displayed.

5. The user interface as recited in claim 3, wherein:

the subordinate data, when displayed, is displayed so that the first-level data associated with the subordinate data indicator is still visible on the display.

6. The user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the first-level display is in a table format having rows and columns;

each row represents a first-level data item; and

each column represents a field.

7. A graphical user interface, comprising:

a first table that displays first-level data items in hierarchical data, the first table having a row for each first-level data item and one or more columns, each column representing a first-level data sub-item associated with the first-level data item of a corresponding row;

a second table that displays second-level data items in the hierarchical data, the second table having a row for each second-level data item and one or more columns, each column representing a second-level data sub-item associated with the second-level data item of a corresponding row; and

a selectable first-level subordinate data indicator displayable in a column of a row in the first table that, when actuated, causes at least a portion of the second table to be displayed.

8. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 7, wherein:

the first-level subordinate data indicator is only displayed when there is subordinate data associated with the first-level data sub-item associated with the row and column in which the first-level subordinate data indicator is displayed.

9. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 7, wherein:

the row of the first table that contains the actuated subordinate data indicator is visible on the interface when the second table is displayed.

10. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 7, further comprising:

a third table that displays third-level data items in the hierarchical data, the third table having a row for each third-level data item and one or more columns, each column representing a third-level data sub-item associated with the third-level data item of a corresponding row;

and a selectable second-level subordinate data indicator displayable in a column of a row in the second table that, when actuated, causes at least a portion of the third table to be displayed.

11. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 10, wherein:

the row of the second table that contains the second-level subordinate data indicator is visible when the third table is displayed.

12. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 7, wherein:

the hierarchical data is a database.

13. One or more computer-readable media containing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, perform the following steps:

displaying one or more first-level data items included in a hierarchical data set;

displaying at least one field associated with each first-level data item, each field configured to display a first-level data sub-item associated with the first-level data item;

displaying a subordinate data indicator in a field if the field in which the subordinate data indicator has subordinate data associated with the field that is subordinate to the first-level data items in the hierarchical data.

14. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 13, wherein:

the subordinate data indicator is selectable and computer-executable instructions further display the subordinate data when the subordinate data indicator is actuated.

15. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 14, wherein:

the data item associated with the subordinate data indicator and the fields associated with the data item are visible when the subordinate data is displayed.

16. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

displaying a table having rows and columns;

wherein the first-level data items are each displayed in a row of the table, wherein

the first-level sub-items are each displayed in a column of the table, the column in which a first-level sub-item is displayed being associated with a row that is associated with a first-level data item that corresponds to the first-level sub-item.

17. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 13, wherein:

the subordinate data further comprises one or more second-level data items in the hierarchical data.

18. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 17, wherein:

the first-level data items, the first-level data sub-items and the data indicator are displayed in a first format; and

the subordinate data is displayed in the first format.

19. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 17, wherein:

the first-level data items, the first-level data sub-items and the data indicator are displayed in a first format; and

the subordinate data is displayed in a second format.

20. One or more computer-readable media containing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, perform the following steps:

displaying a first table that shows one or more first-level data items included in a hierarchical data set, the first table having a row corresponding to each first-level data item and one or more columns that each correspond to a first-level data sub-item associated with the first-level data item of a corresponding row;

displaying at least a portion of a second table that shows one or more second-level data items in the hierarchical data set, the second table having a row corresponding to each second-level data item and one or more columns that each correspond to a second-level data sub-item associated with the second-level data item of a corresponding row; and

displaying one or more selectable subordinate data icons, each in a column of a row in the first table that, when actuated, causes at least a portion of the second table to be displayed, wherein the selectable subordinate data icon is only displayed if there is second-level data that corresponds with the first-level data sub-item associated with the column in which the selectable subordinate data icon is displayed.

21. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 20, wherein:

a row in the first table that contains the actuated subordinate data icon remains visible after the second table is displayed.

22. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 20, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, perform the following steps:

displaying at least a portion of a third table that shows one or more third-level data items in the hierarchical data set, the third table having a row corresponding to each third-level data item and one or more columns that each correspond to a third-level data sub-item associated with the third-level data item of a corresponding row; and

displaying one or more selectable subordinate data icons in the second table, each in a column of a row in the second table that, when actuated, causes at least a portion of the third table to be displayed, wherein

the selectable subordinate data icon is only displayed in the second table if there is third-level data that corresponds with the second-level data sub-item associated with the column in which the selectable subordinate data icon is displayed.

23. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 22, wherein:

a row in the second table that contains the actuated subordinate data icon remains visible after the third table is displayed.