User Interface for Selection from Media Collection

• US 20090177989A1
• Filed: 01/14/2008
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Ma, Jeffrey, Dudey, Gregory, Brodersen, Rainer, Goldeen, Rachel Clare, Henzie, Justin
• Granted Patent: US 8,230,360 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/766
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739

Abstract

Among other things, techniques and systems are disclosed for providing a graphical user interface (GUI) to user. A system includes a content source and a GUI communicatively connected to the content source. The GUI includes a user input area to receive user input and a display area to display available content items from the content source based on the received user input. The display area includes a presentation of the available content arranged in one or more rows. Each row includes a user selectable area to display at least one visual indication that represents one or more of the available content items. Each row includes a holding area to display another visual indication that represents other available content items not displayed in the user selectable area. The display area includes highlighting positioned over one of the available content items.

Claims

1. A system for navigating available content, the system comprising:

a content source; and

a graphical user interface communicatively connected to the content source, the graphical user interface comprising

a user input area to receive user input, and

a display area to display available content items from the content source based on the received user input, wherein the display area includes;

a presentation of the available content arranged in one or more rows, wherein each row includes

a user selectable area to display at least one visual indication that represents one or more of the available content items, and

a holding area to display another visual indication that represents other available content items not displayed in the user selectable area, and

highlighting positioned over one of the available content items, wherein the highlighting is configured to move from one available content item to another across the one or more rows in response to the received user input.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the holding area is non-selectable

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more rows are displayed horizontally.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more rows are displayed vertically.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the user input area comprises a main menu to provide a presentation of user selectable content categories.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the main menu is configured to provide a presentation of user selectable content categories comprising movies, television shows, music, or photos.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the user input area comprises a submenu to provide a presentation of user selectable content subcategories for each user selectable content category.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the user selectable content subcategories comprises movie genres or music genres.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the user selectable area comprises a user-selectable presentation to preview the available content items.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the user selectable area comprises a user selectable presentation of recommended available content items.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one visual indication that represents one or more of the available content items comprises user-selectable images arranged in a non-overlapping manner, and the another visual indication that represents other available content items comprises non-selectable images arranged in an overlapping manner.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the non-selectable images are configured to be rearranged to user-selectable images in a non-overlapping manner as the highlighting moves across the rows or columns.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the content source comprises a computing system, a network server, a database, a storage device, or an Internet website.

14. A computer implemented method comprising:

receiving user input;

displaying a presentation of available content items arranged in one or more rows including

providing a user-selectable area to display a predetermined number of the available content items in each row, and

providing a non-selectable area to display other available content items not displayed in the user-selectable area in each row;

positioning highlighting over one of the available content items; and

based on the received user input, moving the highlighting from one available content item to another across the one or more rows.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 14, further comprising displaying the one or more rows horizontally.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 14, further comprising displaying the one or more rows vertically.

17. A computer implemented method comprising:

providing a graphical user interface to enable a user to navigate through available content items available from one or more local or remote content sources, wherein providing the graphical user interface comprises

displaying a visual indication of the available content items arranged in rows by content categories, wherein displaying the visual indication includes

displaying user-selectable images representing a predetermined number of available content items arranged in a non-overlapping manner, and

displaying non-selectable images representing other available content items not represented by the user-selectable images arranged in an overlapping manner.

18. The computer implemented method of claim 17 further comprising:

receiving user input; and

based on the received user input,

positioning highlighting over one of the user-selectable images representing one of the available content items, and

moving the highlighting across the user-selectable images.

19. The computer implemented method of claim 18, further comprising:

based on the received user input, when the highlighting is moved across the rows, changing the non-selectable images to user-selectable images and positioning the highlighting over the user-selectable images that have been changed from the non-selectable overlapping images.

20. The computer implemented method of claim 17, wherein providing the graphical user interface further comprises:

displaying a main menu to provide a choice of content categories; and

displaying a sub menu to provide a choice content subcategories for each content category.

21. A computer program product, embodied on a computer-readable medium, operable to cause a data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receive user input;

display a presentation of available content items arranged in one or more rows including

provide a user-selectable area to display a predetermined number of the available content items in each row, and

provide a holding area to display other available content items not displayed in the user-selectable area in each row;

position highlighting over one of the available content items; and

move the highlighting from one available content item to another across the one or more rows in response to the received user input.

22. A computer program product, embodied on a computer-readable medium, operable to cause a data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

provide a graphical user interface to enable a user to navigate through content items available from one or more local or remote content sources, wherein providing the graphical user interface comprises

displaying a visual indication of the available content items arranged in rows by content categories, wherein displaying the visual indication includes

displaying user-selectable images representing a predetermined number of available content items arranged in a non-overlapping manner, and

displaying non-selectable images representing other available content items not represented by the user-selectable images arranged in an overlapping manner.

23. The computer program product of claim 22 further operable to cause a data processing apparatus to:

receive user input; and

based on received user input,

position highlighting over one of the user-selectable images representing at least one of the available content items, and

move the highlighting across the user-selectable images.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, further operable to cause a data processing apparatus to:

based on the received user input, when the highlighting is moved across the rows, change the non-selectable images to user-selectable images and position the highlighting over the selectable images that have been changed from the non-selectable overlapping images.

25. The computer program product of claim 22, further operable to provide the graphical user interface comprising:

displaying a main menu to provide a choice of content categories; and

displaying a sub menu to provide a choice of content subcategories for each content category.

26. The computer program product of claim 22, further operable to display user-selections to enable a user to preview the available content items.

27. The computer program product of claim 22, further operable to display the one or more rows horizontally.

28. The computer program product of claim 22, further operable to display the one or more rows vertically.