Playlist creation tools for television user interfaces

• US 20080065989A1
• Filed: 08/24/2007
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: CEVA Technologies, Inc. (CEVA Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Hillcrest Laboratories Incorporated (CEVA Incorporated)
• Inventors: Moshiri, Negar, Conroy, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US11/895,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20080065989A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• 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 21/42206 characterized by hardware details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• 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 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4583 Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programs in the same time slot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4852 for modifying audio parameters, e.g. switching between mono and stereo
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording

Abstract

Systems and methods according to the present invention provide a user interface for playlist creation functionality.

Claims

1. A playlist generation system comprising:

a television;

a storage device for storing media items and selectively replaying said media items;

a user interface for creating a playlist displayed on said television using images which correspond to said stored media items; and

a 3D pointing device for providing pointing and selection inputs to said user interface to add said images corresponding to said media items to said displayed playlist.

2. The playlist generation system of claim 1, wherein said user interface further comprises:

a playlist region bar wherein said images corresponding to media items to be played are arranged in an order in which they are to be played.

3. The playlist generation of claim 2, wherein said user interface further comprises:

a play button for instructing said user interface to play said media items in said playlist;

a shuffle button for shuffling said order of said media items;

a clear button for clearing said images from said playlist region; and

a close button for closing said playlist on said television,

each of said buttons displayed on said television and actuable by pointing to a respective button and pressing a button on said 3D pointing device.

4. The playlist generation system of claim 1, wherein said playlist can be alternately displayed on said television along with user interface control elements associated therewith, or reduced to an icon representation of said playlist.

5. The playlist generation system of claim 4, wherein pointing to and clicking on said icon representation of said playlist results in said playlist and user interface control elements associated therewith being displayed on said television

6. The playlist generation system of claim 1, wherein in a first user interface view, said images are displayed as bookshelves of images categorized by genre.

7. The playlist generation system of claim 6, wherein said playlist can be selectively displayed to overlay some of said images in some of said bookshelves.

8. The playlist generation system of claim 6, further comprising:

a second user interface view associated with one of said images and corresponding media items,

wherein at least one user interface control element is displayed on said television which permits said user to add all of a plurality of media subitems to said playlist or individual ones of said plurality of media subitems to said playlist.

9. A playlist generation method comprising:

displaying a user interface for creating a playlist using images which correspond to stored media items;

providing input to said user interface by pointing at said images displayed on said user interface using a 3D pointing device; and

selectively adding media items to said playlist based on said input.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said user interface further comprises:

a playlist region bar wherein said images corresponding to media items to be played are arranged in an order in which they are to be played.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said user interface further comprises:

a play button for instructing said user interface to play said media items in said playlist;

a shuffle button for shuffling said order of said media items;

a clear button for clearing said images from said playlist region; and

a close button for closing said playlist on said television,

each of said buttons displayed on said television and actuable by pointing to a respective button and pressing a button on said 3D pointing device.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said playlist can be alternately displayed on said television along with user interface control elements associated therewith, or reduced to an icon representation of said playlist.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein pointing to and clicking on said icon representation of said playlist results in said playlist and user interface control elements associated therewith being displayed on said television

14. The method of claim 9, wherein in a first user interface view, said images are displayed as bookshelves of images categorized by genre.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said playlist can be selectively displayed to overlay some of said images in some of said bookshelves.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

a second user interface view associated with one of said images and corresponding media items,

wherein at least one user interface control element is displayed on said television which permits said user to add all of a plurality of media subitems to said playlist or individual ones of said plurality of media subitems to said playlist.

17. A computer-readable medium containing instructions which, when executed by a processor, perform the steps of:

displaying a user interface for creating a playlist using images which correspond to stored media items;

receiving input to said user interface associated with pointing at said images displayed on said user interface using a 3D pointing device; and

selectively adding media items to said playlist based on said input.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein said user interface further comprises:

a playlist region bar wherein said images corresponding to media items to be played are arranged in an order in which they are to be played.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein said user interface further comprises:

a play button for instructing said user interface to play said media items in said playlist;

a shuffle button for shuffling said order of said media items;

a clear button for clearing said images from said playlist region; and

a close button for closing said playlist on said television,

each of said buttons displayed on said television and actuable by pointing to a respective button and pressing a button on said 3D pointing device.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein said playlist can be alternately displayed on said television along with user interface control elements associated therewith, or reduced to an icon representation of said playlist.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein pointing to and clicking on said icon representation of said playlist results in said playlist and user interface control elements associated therewith being displayed on said television

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein in a first user interface view, said images are displayed as bookshelves of images categorized by genre.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein said playlist can be selectively displayed to overlay some of said images in some of said bookshelves.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, further comprising:

a second user interface view associated with one of said images and corresponding media items,

wherein at least one user interface control element is displayed on said television which permits said user to add all of a plurality of media subitems to said playlist or individual ones of said plurality of media subitems to said playlist.