State-sensitive navigation aid

• US 20070027622A1
• Filed: 07/01/2005
• Published: 02/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Morris, Ronald, Cleron, Michael, Yaksick, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 7,427,941 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• 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 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications

Abstract

Navigation logic and related methods are described for assisting a user in using a remote control (RC) device. The navigation logic determines a current state of a user'"'"'s interaction with an application, and then determines the keys of the RC device that are relevant to the determined state. The navigation logic then displays a representation of the relevant keys on a user interface presentation of a presentation device. The representation resembles a physical layout of associated physical keys on the RC device. To assist the user in focusing on the relevant keys, the representation de-emphasizes other input mechanisms of the RC device that do not have a bearing on the user'"'"'s current interaction with the application. One exemplary way of de-emphasizing these other keys is to entirely omit these keys from the representation.

Claims

1. A method for guiding a user in the use a remote control (RC) device, wherein the RC device includes a plurality of input mechanisms, comprising:

determining a current state of a user'"'"'s interaction with an application, to provide a determined state;

determining at least one input mechanism that is relevant to the determined state, to provide at least one relevant input mechanism;

displaying a representation of said at least one relevant input mechanism on a user interface presentation of a presentation device,

wherein the representation resembles a physical layout of said at least one relevant input mechanism on the RC device,

and wherein the representation de-emphasizes other input mechanisms of the RC device that do not have a bearing on the user'"'"'s current interaction with the application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application pertains to the presentation of media programs to the user, and wherein the RC device is configured to navigate among options associated with the presentation of the media programs.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of said at least one relevant input mechanism comprises determining at least one relevant key on the RC device that has a potential role in entering information in the determined state.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying comprises showing a subset of the RC device'"'"'s input mechanisms on the user interface presentation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying comprises showing all of the RC device'"'"'s input mechanisms on the user interface presentation.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the application pertains to the presentation of media programs to the user, and wherein the displaying comprises showing a media program on a first part of the user interface presentation, and showing said at least one relevant input mechanism on a second part of the user interface presentation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the de-emphasizing of the other input mechanisms comprises omitting the presentation of the other input mechanisms.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the de-emphasizing of the other input mechanisms comprises presenting the other input mechanisms in a different manner than said at least one relevant input mechanism.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying further comprises animating the representation of said at least one relevant input mechanism to draw the user'"'"'s attention to said at least one relevant input mechanism.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying is further supplemented by the presentation of audio information associated with said representation to draw the user'"'"'s attention to said at least one relevant input mechanism.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one relevant input mechanism comprises one or more application navigation keys on the RC device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one relevant input mechanism comprises one or more keys on the RC device for controlling the playback of a recorded media program.

14. One or more computer readable media including machine readable instructions for implementing the method of claim 1.

15. Navigation logic configured to guide a user in the use a remote control (RC) device, wherein the RC device includes a plurality of input mechanisms, comprising:

logic configured to determine a current state of a user'"'"'s interaction with an application, to provide a determined state;

logic configured to determine at least one input mechanism that is relevant to the determined state, to provide at least one relevant input mechanism;

logic configured to display a representation of said at least one relevant input mechanism on a user interface presentation of a presentation device,

wherein the representation resembles a physical layout of said at least one relevant input mechanism on the RC device,

and wherein the representation de-emphasizes other input mechanisms of the RC device that do not have a bearing on the user'"'"'s current interaction with the application.

16. One or more computer readable media including machine readable instructions for implementing the navigation logic of claim 15.

17. A system for presenting media programs to a user, comprising:

a presentation device configured to present the media programs;

a processing device, coupled to the presentation device, configured to present the media programs on the presentation device;

a remote control (RC) device for interacting with the processing device, wherein the RC device includes a plurality of input mechanisms,

wherein the processing device includes navigation logic, and wherein the navigation logic comprises;

logic configured to determine a current state of a user'"'"'s interaction with the processing device, to provide a determined state;

logic configured to determine at least one input mechanism that is relevant to the determined state, to provide at least one relevant input mechanism;

logic configured to display a representation of said at least one relevant input mechanism on a user interface presentation of the presentation device,

wherein the representation resembles a physical layout of said at least one relevant input mechanism on the RC device,

and wherein the representation de-emphasizes other input mechanisms of the RC device that do not have a bearing on the user'"'"'s current interaction with the application.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the logic for displaying is configured to show a subset of the RC device'"'"'s input mechanisms on the user interface presentation.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the logic for displaying is configured to de-2 emphasize the other input mechanisms of the RC device by omitting the presentation of the other input mechanisms.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the logic for displaying is configured to de-6 emphasize the other input mechanisms of the RC by presenting the other input mechanisms in a different manner than said at least one relevant input mechanism.