METHOD OF NAVIGATION IN AT LEAST ONE GRAPHIC USER INTERFACE, CORRESPONDING COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT, STORAGE MEANS AND CONTROLLER

• US 20060235979A1
• Filed: 03/16/2006
• Published: 10/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Europa N.V. (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Raguet, Emmanuel, Bizet, Stephane
• Application Number:
  US11/276,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20060235979A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/281 indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204

Abstract

A method of navigation in at least one graphic user interface coming from a device included in a communications network comprising a plurality of devices, comprises the following steps implemented in a controller connected to a display device: the detection of a first navigation command signal coming from a remote-control unit and associated with a function; the verification of the display, on the display device, of at least one graphic user interface of the controller in which navigation functions are applicable; in the event of positive verification: the application by the controller of the function associated with the first navigation command signal; in the event of negative verification: the determining of the source device for which a connection with the display device is set up; and the transfer to the source device of at least one piece of information enabling the source device to apply the associated function to the first navigation command signal.

Claims

1. A method of navigation in at least one graphic user interface coming from a device included in a communications network comprising a plurality of devices, the method comprising the following steps implemented in a controller connected to a display device:

detecting a first navigation command signal coming from a remote-control unit and associated with a function;

verifying the display, on the display device, of at least one graphic user interface of the controller in which navigation functions are applicable; and

in the event of positive verification;

applying, by the controller, the function associated with the first navigation command signal;

in the event of negative verification;

transferring to a source device, for which a connection with the display device is set up, at least one piece of information enabling the source device to apply the associated function to the first navigation command signal.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein, in the event of negative verification, the step of transfer of at least one piece of information to the source device comprises the following steps:

determining the function associated with the first navigation command signal;

determining a second command signal associated with the function and designed for the source device; and

sending the second command signal to the source device.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the determining of the second command signal is done through a step for placing said function in correspondence with a list of functions each associated with a second command signal proper to the source device.

4. A method according to claim 2, furthermore comprising a step for determining the type, whether analog on digital, of the source device.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein, when the device is of an analog type, the second command signal proper to the source device type has been preliminarily recorded during a learning phase by the network associating a function with this second command signal.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the second command signal is of an infrared type and is sent to the source device through an analog channel.

7. A method according to claim 4 wherein, should the device be of a digital type, the second command signal is of a audio/video digital command type sent to the source device through a digital channel.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein, in the event of negative verification, the method comprises a step for determining the type, whether local or remote, of the source device, the source device being of the local type if it is directly connected to the controller and of the remote type if it is connected to the controller through the network and wherein, if the source device is of the remote type, the step for transferring at least one piece of information to the source device comprises the following steps:

determining the function associated with the first navigation command signal; and

sending the source device a message, through the network, enabling said function to be obtained.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein the application, by the source device, of the function associated with the first navigation control signal is a step of navigation within the graphic user interface of the source device displayed on the display device connected to the controller.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the application by the source device, of the associated function to the first navigation command signal, constitutes a step for the command of the source device, when the source device does not have a graphic user interface or when the graphic user interface of the source device is not displayed on the display device connected to the controller.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the controller is a node of a backbone network comprising a plurality of nodes enabling the interconnection of the terminals, including the source device and the display device.

12. A method according to claim 1 wherein the graphic user interface of the controller comprises at least one screen belonging to the group comprising:

screens for the selection of a device from among a list of devices;

screens for the configuration of the network to be defined;

screen enabling connections to be set up;

screens enabling the network to learn at least one second command signal proper to the source device.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein the function related to the first navigation command signal belongs to the group comprising:

a function for shifting a cursor upwards on a graphic user interface,

a function for shifting a cursor downwards on a graphic user interface,

a function for shifting a cursor to the right on a graphic user interface;

a function for shifting a cursor to the left on a graphic user interface; and

a function for accepting the position of the cursor on a graphic user interface.

14. A computer program product that can be downloaded from a communications network and/or recorded on a computer-readable support and/or executable by a processor, said computer program product comprising program code instructions to execute steps of the method according to claim 1, when the program is executed on a computer.

15. A computer-readable and totally or partially detachable storage means storing a set of instructions executable by said computer to implement the method according to claim 1.

16. A controller that is connected to a display device and included in a communications network comprising a plurality of devices, the controller comprising:

means to detect a first navigation command signal coming from a remote command device and associated with a function;

means to verify the display, on the display device, of at least one graphic user interface of the controller in which navigation functions are applicable;

means for the application, by the controller, of the associated function to the first navigation command signal, said application means being activated in the event of positive verification by the verification means;

means for the transfer to a source device, for which a connection with the display device is set up, of at least one piece of information enabling the source device to apply the associated function to the first navigation command signal, said transfer means being activated in the event of negative verification by the verification means.

17. A controller according to claim 16, wherein the means for the transfer of at least one piece of information to the source device comprise:

means to determine the function associated with the first navigation command signal;

means to determine a second command signal associated with said function and designed for the source device; and

means to send the second command signal to the source device.

18. A controller according to claim 17, wherein the means for determining the second command signal comprise means for placing said function in correspondence with a list of functions each associated with a second command signal proper to the source device.

19. A controller according to claim 17, further comprising means for determining the type, whether analog on digital, of the source device.

20. A controller according to claim 19 wherein, when the device is of an analog type, the second command signal proper to the source device type has been preliminarily recorded during a learning phase by the network associating a function with this second command signal.

21. A controller according to claim 20, wherein the second command signal is of an infrared type and the controller comprises means for sending the second command signal to the source device through an analog channel.

22. A controller according to claim 19, wherein the controller comprises the following means, activated if the device should be of a digital type:

means for sending a second command signal of an audio/video digital command type to the source device through a digital channel.

23. A controller according to claim 16, comprising the following means activated in the event of negative verification by the verification means:

means for determining the type, whether local or remote, of the source device, the source device being of the local type if it is directly connected to the controller and of the remote type if it is connected to the controller through the network

and wherein the means for transferring at least one piece of information to the source device comprise the following means activated if the source device is of the remote type;

means for determining the function associated with the first navigation command signal; and

means for sending the source device a message, through the network, enabling said function to be obtained.

24. A controller according to claim 16, wherein it is a node of a backbone network comprising a plurality of nodes enabling the interconnection of the terminals, including the source device and the display device.

25. A controller according to claim 16, wherein the graphic user interface of the controller comprises at least one screen belonging to the group comprising:

screens for the selection of a device from among a list of devices;

screens for the configuration of the network to be defined;

screen enabling connections to be set up;

screens enabling the network to learn at least one second command signal proper to the source device.

26. A controller according to claim 16, wherein the function related to the first navigation command signal belongs to the group comprising:

a function for shifting a cursor upwards on a graphic user interface,

a function for shifting a cursor downwards on a graphic user interface,

a function for shifting a cursor to the right on a graphic user interface;

a function for shifting a cursor to the left on a graphic user interface; and

a function for accepting the position of the cursor on a graphic user interface.