On screen display apparatus and method for displaying menu

• US 20060209208A1
• Filed: 01/19/2006
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Sang-hee, Kim, Yun-sung
• Application Number:
  US11/334,566
• Publication Number:
  US 20060209208A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/468
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42692 for reading from or writing on a volatile storage medium, e.g. Random Access Memory [RAM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/57 Control of contrast or brightness

Abstract

An on screen display apparatus and a method for displaying menus of the on screen display apparatus are provided. An on screen display apparatus includes a memory device for storing data and system programs for a first area, including first menu items; a screen device; an input device for generating a signal; and a control device for dividing the first area into a first sub-area and a second sub-area and for displaying the first sub-area more brightly than the second sub-area if one of the first menu items is located in the first sub-area. The method includes storing data and system programs for a first area, including first menu items; generating a signal; and dividing the first area into a first sub-area and a second sub-area and displaying the first sub-area more brightly than the second sub-area if one of the first menu items is located in the first sub-area.

Claims

1. An on screen display apparatus comprising:

a memory device which is configured to store data and system programs for a first area, the data including a plurality of a first menu items;

a screen device which is configured to display said first area;

an input device which is configured to generate a signal to display said first area to said screen device; and

a control device which is configured to divide the first area into a first sub-area and a second sub-area using said system programs according to said signal, and to display the first sub-area more brightly than the second sub-area on said screen device, if at least one of the plurality of the first menu items is located in said first sub-area.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control device displays help for the at least one first menu item which is located in said first sub-area.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control device displays the help by translucently overlapping a portion of a help area with a main menu area.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control device displays at least one sub-menu item for the at least one first menu item which is located in said first sub-area.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control device displays the at least one sub-menu item by overlapping a sub-menu area on a background area.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control device shifts said plurality of the first menu items according to a shift signal of said input device.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said control device shifts said plurality of the first menu items horizontally.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control device displays the at least one first menu item which is located in said first sub-area with animation effects.

9. A method for displaying menus of an on screen display apparatus comprising:

storing data and system programs for a first area, the data including a plurality of a first menu items;

generating a signal; and

dividing said first area into a first sub-area and a second sub-area according to said signal and displaying the first sub-area more brightly than the second sub-area if at least one of the plurality of the first menu items is located in said first sub-area.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

displaying help for the at least one first menu item which is located in said first sub-area.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the help is displayed by translucently overlapping a portion of a help area with a main menu area.

12. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

displaying at least one sub-menu item for the at least one first menu item which is located in said first sub-area.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the at least one sub-menu item is displayed by translucently overlapping a sub-menu area on a background area.

14. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

shifting said plurality of the first menu items according to a shift signal of said input device.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of first menu items are shifted horizontally.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the shifting occurs after displaying said first area.

17. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

displaying the at least one first menu item which is located in said first sub-area with animation effects.