TABBED WINDOWS FOR VIEWING MULTIMEDIA PROGRAMS

• US 20090144648A1
• Filed: 12/04/2007
• Published: 06/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: OSKOOI, Shirin
• Application Number:
  US11/949,929
• Publication Number:
  US 20090144648A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/777
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor

Abstract

A device may, in response to a command, generate a first tabbed window that frames a viewing area on a display screen, present multimedia content in the viewing area, and expand the viewing area that contains the multimedia content to cover the display screen after presenting the multimedia content for a particular amount of time.

Claims

1. An automated method comprising:

receiving a television program guide over a network;

generating a first tabbed window on a display screen;

presenting the television program guide in the first tabbed window;

receiving a command selecting a television program presented in the television program guide;

generating a second tabbed window in response to the command; and

presenting multimedia content associated with the television program within the second tabbed window.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

closing the second tabbed window in response to a command.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting information about the multimedia content in a tab that is part of the second tabbed window.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a third tabbed window in response to a command; and

presenting the third tabbed window so that the third tabbed window overlays the second tabbed window.

5. The method of claim 4, where presenting the third tabbed window includes:

causing the third tabbed window to overlay the second tabbed window for a particular amount of time; and

subsequently and automatically causing the second tabbed window to overlay the third tabbed window after expiration of the particular amount of time.

6. A device, comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive a command for selecting a television program;

generate a first tabbed window on a television in response to the command;

receive the television program from a content provider; and

present the television program in the first tabbed window.

7. The device of claim 6, where the processor is further configured to:

expand the first tabbed window to cover an entire viewable area of a display screen of the television.

8. The device of claim 7, where the processor is further configured to:

change a location of the first tabbed window on the television.

9. The device of claim 6, where the processor is further configured to:

in response to a command, generate a second tabbed window associated with another television program.

10. The device of claim 9, where the second tabbed window overlays the first tabbed window when the second tabbed window is generated.

11. The device of claim 9, where the second tabbed window underlays the first tabbed window when the second tabbed window is generated.

12. The device of claim 9, where the processor is further configured to:

provide an audio signal associated with the television program for the first tabbed window only when the first tabbed window overlays the second tabbed window.

13. The device of claim 6, where the first tabbed window includes:

a tab that displays information about the television program.

14. The device of claim 13, where the information includes at least one of:

a name of the television program;

a time at which the television program is being broadcast;

or

an identifier for the channel on which the television program is being broadcast.

15. The device of claim 6, where the processor is further configured to:

store configurable parameters that are associated with generating, presenting, or removing the first tabbed window.

16. A computer-readable memory that includes computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions comprising instructions for:

selecting a tabbed window in one of a plurality of groups of tabbed windows on a television screen;

overlaying the selected tabbed window on the one group of tabbed windows;

receiving video streams and audio streams;

for each group of the groups of tabbed windows, presenting one of the video streams in a tabbed window that overlays other tabbed windows of the group; and

presenting only one audio stream, the one audio stream being associated with a video stream that is being presented in the selected tabbed window.

17. The computer-readable memory of claim 16, wherein said selecting is in response to a command.

18. A device comprising:

means responsive to a command for generating a plurality of tabbed windows, each of the plurality of tabbed windows being associated with multimedia content;

means responsive to a command for selecting and causing one of the plurality of tabbed windows to overlay others of the plurality of tabbed windows; and

means for providing audio content with regard to only the one of the plurality of tabbed windows.

19. The device of claim 18, comprising:

means for automatically causing each of the tabbed windows to overlay all of the other tabbed windows for a particular amount of time.

20. A computer-readable memory that includes computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instruction comprising instructions for:

receiving a plurality of multimedia streams;

mapping each of the plurality of multimedia streams to a movable and sizeable window; and

presenting each of the windows on a television display.

21. The computer-readable memory of claim 20, further comprising instructions for:

in response to a command, causing at least one of said windows to underlay another one of said windows.

22. The computer-readable memory of claim 20, further comprising instructions for:

in response to a command, causing at least one of said windows to overlay another one of said windows.

23. The computer-readable memory of claim 20, further comprising instructions for:

receiving a command for selecting a channel; and

generating a new moveable and sizeable window in response to the command for selecting a channel.

24. The computer-readable memory of claim 20, further comprising instructions for:

automatically causing one of the windows to expand to cover an entire viewable area of the television display.

25. The computer-readable memory of claim 20, further comprising instructions for:

automatically causing one or more of the windows to close.

26. The computer-readable memory of claim 20, further comprising instructions for:

presenting at least two of said windows so that an entire viewable area of each window is displayed simultaneously.

27. The computer-readable memory of claim 20, further comprising instructions for:

in response to a command, moving at least one of said windows on the television display.

28. The computer-readable memory of claim 20, further comprising instructions for:

in response to a command, changing the size of at least one of said windows on the television display.

29. A computer-readable memory that includes computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions comprising instructions for:

in response to a command, generating a first tabbed window that frames a viewing area on a display screen;

presenting multimedia content in the viewing area; and

expanding the viewing area that contains the multimedia content to cover the display screen after presenting the multimedia content for a particular amount of time.

30. The computer-readable memory of claim 29, further comprising instructions for:

in response to a command, generating a second tabbed window that underlays the first tabbed window.

31. The computer-readable memory of claim 30, further comprising instructions for:

in response to a command, moving the second tabbed window to overlay the first tabbed window.

32. The computer-readable memory of claim 29, where the instructions for generating the first tabbed window include instructions for:

receiving a command for changing a channel; and

generating the first tabbed window in response to the command for changing a channel.

33. The computer-readable memory of claim 29, where the instructions for generating the first tabbed window include instructions for:

receiving a command for selecting a channel; and

generating the first tabbed window in response to the command for selecting a channel.

34. The computer-readable memory of claim 29, further comprising instructions for:

presenting a program guide in the first tabbed window;

receiving a command selecting a television program presented in the program guide;

generating a second tabbed window in response to the command for selecting the television program; and

presenting multimedia content associated with the television program within the second tabbed window.

35. The computer-readable memory of claim 34, where the instructions for generating the second tabbed window include instructions for:

presenting the second tabbed window so that the second tabbed window underlays the first tabbed window in response to the command selecting the television program.