BROADCAST RECEIVER AND USER INPUT DEVICE HAVING ITEM MATCHING FUNCTION, AND METHOD THEREOF

• US 20090037971A1
• Filed: 01/30/2008
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LIM, Ji-taek
• Application Number:
  US12/022,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20090037971A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/131
• 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

Abstract

A broadcast receiver and a user input device having an item matching function, and an item matching method are provided. The user input device includes a polyhedral key. Various items can be matched to faces of the polyhedral key. The polyhedral key is displayed in a screen of the broadcast receiver so that the user can check and edit the setting of the items.

Claims

1. A broadcast receiver comprising:

a manipulation receiver which receives a command from a remote controller comprising a polyhedral key; and

a controller which matches an item to each face of the polyhedral key according to the command received by the manipulation receiver.

2. The broadcast receiver of claim 1, wherein the item is a channel.

3. The broadcast receiver of claim 2, wherein, if a channel is matched to an upper face of the polyhedral key and the upper face of the polyhedral key is pressed less than a certain amount of time, the controller controls to display a broadcast program of the matched channel in a screen.

4. The broadcast receiver of claim 2, wherein, if a channel is matched to an upper face of the polyhedral key and the upper face of the polyhedral key is pressed more than a certain amount of time, the controller matches a current channel displayed in a screen to the upper face of the polyhedral key and sets the channel as a favorite channel.

5. The broadcast receiver of claim 2, wherein, if no channel is matched to an upper face of the polyhedral key and the upper face of the polyhedral key is pressed, the controller matches a current channel displayed in a screen to the upper face of the polyhedral face and sets the current channel as a favorite channel.

6. The broadcast receiver of claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface (UI) generator which generates a polyhedral menu corresponding to a shape of the polyhedral key.

7. The broadcast receiver of claim 6, wherein the UI generator generates the polyhedral menu to display a broadcast program of a channel matched to each face of the polyhedral key in each face of the polyhedral menu.

8. The broadcast receiver of claim 6, wherein the UI generator generates the polyhedral menu to display an identification (ID) given to each face of the polyhedral key in each face of the polyhedral menu.

9. The broadcast receiver of claim 6, wherein the UI generator generates the polyhedral menu to rotate and display the polyhedral menu according to a rotation of the polyhedral key.

10. The broadcast receiver of claim 6, wherein the controller matches channels to the faces of the polyhedral key according to the command received by the manipulation receiver while displaying the polyhedral menu in a screen.

11. The broadcast receiver of claim 10, wherein the UI generator generates a channel list to display the polyhedral menu together with the channel list required to match the channels to the faces of the polyhedral key.

12. The broadcast receiver of claim 1, wherein the item corresponds to one of a plurality of functions of the broadcast receiver.

13. A user input device comprising:

a polyhedral key formed in a polyhedral shape; and

a controller which receives a command input by manipulating the polyhedral key.

14. The user input device of claim 13, wherein a channel is matched to each face of the polyhedral key.

15. The user input device of claim 14, wherein a brightness of the face of the polyhedral key differs according to whether the channel is matched.

16. The user input device of claim 13, wherein the polyhedral key is rotatable.

17. The user input device of claim 13, wherein an identification (ID) is given to each face of the polyhedral key.

18. The user input device of claim 13, wherein at least one of key values of the user input device is matched to each face of the polyhedral key.

19. An item matching method comprising:

receiving a user command from a remote controller which comprises a polyhedral key; and

matching an item to each face of the polyhedral key according to the user command.

20. The item matching method of claim 19, wherein the item is a channel.

21. The item matching method of claim 20, wherein, if a channel is matched to an upper face of the polyhedral key and the upper face of the polyhedral key is pressed less than a certain amount of time, the matching controls to display a broadcast program of the matched channel in a screen.

22. The item matching method of claim 20, wherein, if a channel is matched to an upper face of the polyhedral key and the upper face of the polyhedral key is pressed more than a certain amount of time, the matching matches a current channel displayed in a screen to the upper face of the polyhedral key and sets the current channel as a favorite channel.

23. The item matching method of claim 20, wherein, if no favorite channel is matched to an upper face of the polyhedral key and the upper face of the polyhedral key is pressed, the matching matches a current channel displayed in a screen to the upper face of the polyhedral face and sets the current channel as a favorite channel.

24. The item matching method of claim 20, further comprising:

generating a polyhedral menu corresponding to a shape of the polyhedral key and displaying a broadcast program of the channel matched to each face of the polyhedral key.

25. The item matching method of claim 24, wherein the displaying additionally displays an identification (ID) given to each face of the polyhedral key in each face of the polyhedral menu.

26. An item matching method comprising:

receiving a command input by manipulating a polyhedral key; and

matching an item to each face of the polyhedral key according to the command.

27. The item matching method of claim 26, wherein a brightness of each face of the polyhedral key differs according to whether the channel is matched.

28. The item matching method of claim 26, wherein the polyhedral key is rotatable.

29. The item matching method of claim 26, wherein an identification (ID) is given to each face of the polyhedral key.