System and Method for Implementing Remote Control Functions in a Mouse in a Video Playback System

• US 20080022219A1
• Filed: 11/06/2006
• Published: 01/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cyberlink Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cyberlink Corporation
• Inventors: Juang, Fu-Kai, Tsai, Yi-Chao, Peng, Chi-Han
• Granted Patent: US 7,937,662 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/025 'Virtual' control panels, e.g. Graphical User Interface [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

A method for implementing remote control functionality with a mouse in a video playback system includes the steps of identifying all selectable buttons within the page, depressing a key on a mouse device while the mouse is positioned over a first button currently selected, dragging the mouse device in the direction of a second button to be selected while depressing the key, and releasing the key on the mouse device once the mouse device is positioned over the second button to select the second button.

Claims

1. A method for selecting between a plurality of buttons in a page within a video playback system comprising the steps of:

identifying all selectable buttons within the page;

depressing a key on a mouse device while the mouse is positioned over a first button currently selected;

dragging the mouse device in the direction of a second button to be selected while depressing the key; and

releasing the key on the mouse device once the mouse device is positioned over the second button to select the second button.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein some of the selectable buttons are overlaid on top of each other.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein releasing the key on the mouse selects and activates the button.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of clicking the key on the mouse to activate the second button.

5. A method for selecting between a plurality of buttons in a page within a video playback system comprising the steps of:

identifying all selectable buttons within the page;

visibly distinguishing a first button in a selected state among the selectable buttons;

dragging a mouse device in the direction of a second button to be selected; and

ceasing movement of the mouse device when the second button is selected.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein dragging the mouse results in other buttons located within the page between the first button and the second button being selected.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a new button is selected only when a pre-determined number of pixels within the page have been traversed by dragging the mouse device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein a new button is selected only when the mouse device is dragged in an accelerated fashion.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein a new button is selected only when the mouse device is dragged beyond an edge within the page.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of activating the second button by depressing a key on the mouse device.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of dragging the mouse device further comprises:

hiding a mouse pointer that is associated with the mouse device and that is normally displayed on the page.

12. A method for selecting between a plurality of buttons in a page within a video playback system comprising the steps of:

identifying all selectable buttons within the page;

visibly distinguishing a first button in a selected state among the selectable buttons;

rotating a wheel on the mouse device to select a second button in a direction that is correlated to the position of a second button with respect to the first button; and

ceasing rotation of the wheel when the second button is selected.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second button is aligned along a common axis with the first button.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of rolling a second wheel on the mouse to select buttons that are orthogonal to the axis on which the first button and second button are aligned.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein rolling the first wheel results in selecting buttons in a left and right fashion and rolling the second wheel results in selecting buttons in an up and down fashion.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein depressing a mouse button results in buttons being selected in a means that is orthogonal with respect to a means in which the buttons were selected prior to depressing the mouse button.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein some of the buttons in the page are not visible to the user.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein some of the buttons in the page are smaller than a pre-defined size.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of clicking a key on the mouse device to activate the button selected.

20. A method for selecting between a plurality of buttons in a page within a video playback system comprising the steps of:

identifying all selectable buttons within the page;

positioning a mouse device over one of the selectable buttons; and

displaying a context menu upon depressing a key on the mouse device, the context menu presenting the user with possible actions that can be performed in relation to the button.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein displaying the context menu upon depressing a key on the mouse device occurs when the mouse device is positioned over one of the selectable buttons.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the context menu is comprised of a graphical display.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the graphical display is comprised of arrows which allow the user to select neighboring buttons by clicking on the arrows.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the context menu is comprised of a pop-up menu presenting a list of actions that can be executed in relation to the button.

25. A method for selecting between a plurality of buttons in a page within a video playback system comprising the steps of:

identifying all selectable buttons within the page;

determining the properties for each selectable button within the page;

overlaying a graphic display over each selectable button, the graphic display presenting to the user all available actions that can be performed in relation to the button based on the properties of the button.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the graphic display is comprised of arrows that allow the user to select neighboring buttons.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of overlaying the graphic display is performed only after the page has been displayed for a pre-defined period of time.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of overlaying the graphic display is performed immediately after a page is displayed.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of overlaying the graphic display is performed only when a mouse device is positioned over a particular button.

30. A method for selecting between a plurality of buttons in a page within a video playback system comprising the steps of:

identifying all selectable buttons within the page;

visibly distinguishing a first button in a selected state among the selectable buttons; and

dragging a mouse device in a circular fashion in the clockwise direction to select a neighboring button on one side of the first button.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein dragging the mouse device in a circular fashion in the counter-clockwise direction results in the selection of a neighboring button on the opposite side of the first button.