Graphic user interface for playing video data

• US 20090019476A1
• Filed: 05/16/2006
• Published: 01/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NBC Universal Media LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Vvond, LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohlfs, Keith R., Ganesan, Prasanna
• Granted Patent: US 8,159,959 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/38
• 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 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

A graphic user interface is provided to facilitate a playback of a movie from any desired point. The graphic user interface includes a track bar to reflect how much time data pertaining to the movie title is available for playback. After it is determined that a current data point is being dragged along the track bar, a time corresponding to the current data point is tracked as such a subsequent playback of the movie starts right from the current data point. In one embodiment, dragging the current data point along the track bar is achieved by a scroll wheel.

Claims

1. A method for displaying movies, the method comprising:

providing a graphic user interface after a movie title is selected, the graphic user interface including a track bar to reflect how much time data pertaining to the movie title is available for playback;

determining whether a current data point is being dragged along the track bar;

tracking a time corresponding to the current data point once the current data point is dragged; and

continuing to play back the movie title starting from the current data point.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the current data point is expressed in terms of time.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the track bar is progressively expanding as at least some of the data is being downloaded.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the some of the data is concurrently downloaded from one or more other devices.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein all of the data must be multiplexed to recover original data sequence to render the playback of the movie title.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the current data point is superimposed upon the track bar so that the current data point is visually seen relatively with respect to the track bar when the current data point is being dragged along the track bar.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein a time corresponding to the current data point is also displayed.

8. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein a time corresponding to the track bar is also displayed, the time keeps changing accordingly as distributed data pertaining to the movie title is being received.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining a speed the current data point is being dragged along the track bar;

if the speed is slow enough to render a full image close to a time corresponding to the current data point, displaying the full imaging;

if the speed is too fast to render a full image close to a time corresponding to the current data point, displaying a default image;

locating a full image closest to a time corresponding to the current data point when the current data point is no longer dragged; and

wherein said continuing to play back the movie title starting from the current data point comprises continuing to play back the movie title starting from the full image.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the full image is an I-frame.

11. A device for displaying movies, the device comprising:

a memory for storing a software module;

a display screen;

a driver;

a microprocessor, coupled to the memory, executing the software module such that the driver causes the display screen to display a graphic user interface on the display screen after a movie title is selected, the graphic user interface including a track bar to reflect how much time data pertaining to the movie title is available for playback;

wherein the software module is configured to perform operations of;

determining whether a current data point is being dragged along the track bar;

tracking a time corresponding to the current data point once the current data point is dragged; and

continuing to play back the movie title starting from the current data point.

12. The device as recited in claim 11, wherein the current data point is expressed in terms of time.

13. The device as recited in claim 12, wherein the track bar is progressively expanding as at least some of the data is being downloaded.

14. The device as recited in claim 13, wherein the some of the data is concurrently downloaded from one or more other devices.

15. The device as recited in claim 14, wherein all of the data must be multiplexed to recover original data sequence to render the playback of the movie title.

16. The device as recited in claim 11, wherein the current data point is superimposed upon the track bar so that the current data point is visually seen relatively with respect to the track bar when the current data point is being dragged along the track bar.

17. The device as recited in claim 16, wherein a time corresponding to the current data point is also displayed.

18. The device as recited in claim 16, wherein a time corresponding to the track bar is also displayed, the time keeps changing accordingly as distributed data pertaining to the movie title is being received.

19. The device as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

determining a speed the current data point is being dragged along the track bar;

if the speed is slow enough to render a full image close to a time corresponding to the current data point, displaying the full imaging;

if the speed is too fast to render a full image close to a time corresponding to the current data point, displaying a default image;

locating a full image closest to a time corresponding to the current data point when the current data point is no longer dragged; and

wherein said continuing to play back the movie title starting from the current data point comprises continuing to play back the movie title starting from the full image.

20. The device as recited in claim 19, wherein the full image is an I-frame.