User interface having a cross arrangement

• US 20090210792A1
• Filed: 04/21/2009
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Andrew M. Proehl, Anne Hyan Jin Kim, Jan-Christoph Zoels, Yutaka Hasegawa
• Original Assignee: Andrew M. Proehl, Anne Hyan Jin Kim, Jan-Christoph Zoels, Yutaka Hasegawa
• Inventors: Zoels, Jan-Christoph, Proehl, Andrew M., Kim, Anne Hyan Jin, Hasegawa, Yutaka
• Application Number:
  US12/386,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20090210792A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/720
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04892 Arrangements for controlling cursor position based on codes indicative of cursor displacements from one discrete location to another, e.g. using cursor control keys associated to different directions or using the tab key arrangements for controlling cursor position based on coordinate signals G06F3/038
• 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 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 for domestic distribution

Abstract

In an audio/visual (AV) system, a method for navigation of menu options available to a user involves entering a graphical user interface (GUI) in a menu system that is displayed on a video display; generating a signal for displaying a first navigable list of menu options on the video display, the first navigable list of menu options having a plurality of fields arranged in a first linear configuration that overlays AV content currently playing on the display with one of the menu options shown at a location of the video display that is highlighted; and responsive to a navigation command from a remote controller, moving the first navigable list of menu options of the GUI to cause another field of the plurality of fields to move to the location that is highlighted, to highlight the another field while continuing to display the AV content currently playing on the video display.

Claims

1. In an audio/visual (AV) system, a method for navigation of menu options available to a user of the AV system, comprising:

entering a graphical user interface (GUI) in a menu system that is displayed on a video display;

generating a signal for displaying a first navigable list of menu options on the video display, the first navigable list of menu options having a plurality of fields arranged in a first linear configuration that overlays AV content currently playing on the display with one of the menu options shown at a location of the video display that is highlighted; and

responsive to a navigation command from a remote controller, moving the first navigable list of menu options of the GUI to cause another field of the plurality of fields to move to the location that is highlighted, and thus highlight the another field while continuing to display the AV content currently playing on the video display.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to a navigation command from the remote controller, generating a signal for displaying a second navigable list of menu options associated with the highlighted field, the second navigable list of menu options arranged in a second linearly configured set of fields which intersect the first linear configuration of fields of the first navigable list of menu options at the highlighted location and overlaying the AV content currently playing on the video display.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

navigating to a menu option of the second navigable list of menu options in response to a navigation command.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

selecting the menu option of the second navigable list in response to a selection command from the remote controller, wherein the AV content currently playing on the video display continues to play unless the menu option selected is a menu option that begins playing a different selection of AV content.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

upon selection of the menu option from the second navigable list, ceasing the generating of the signals for displaying the first and second navigable list of menu options so that the first and second navigable list of menu options disappear from the video display and taking an action associated with the menu selection.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the first linear configuration of the first menu is oriented substantially horizontally, and the second linear configuration of the second menu is oriented substantially vertically.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein the first linear configuration of the first menu is oriented substantially vertically, and the second linear configuration of the second menu is oriented substantially horizontally.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein the first linear configuration of the first menu is oriented substantially at a right angle to the second linear configuration of the second menu.