Method and User Interface for Accessing Groups of Media Assets

• US 20100223646A1
• Filed: 05/12/2010
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Pacuraiu, Calin, Margolis, Michael, Robbin, Jeffrey L., Ma, Jeffrey, Brodersen, Rainer, Goldeen, Rachel Clare
• Granted Patent: US 8,370,459 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2225 Local VOD servers
• 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application

Abstract

Improved systems and methods to navigate, browse, search and/or playback digital media assets (e.g., media items) hosted on a media server are disclosed. One embodiment of the invention pertains to a user interface arrangement, such as a hierarchical menu system, that facilitates navigation, browsing and playing of media items remotely stored on a media server. The user interface arrangement enables user scrolling or browsing with respect to a list or set of information pertaining to media items, where the list or set can be expanded to include information for additional media items that are subsequently acquired. The user interface arrangement can also present and permit navigation of categorized media items. The user interface arrangement can be presented on a display device associated with a client device. In one embodiment, the display device can be a television and the client device can be an electronic apparatus that can couple to the media server via a network.

Claims

1. A hierarchical menu system for an electronic apparatus coupled to a television, said menu system comprising:

a video access category screen that presents a menu of video access categories; and

a video review screen that presents a list of video items that pertain to a selected one of the video access categories, said video review screen further presents a user selectable control that enables a user of the electronic apparatus to request additional media items from a video server, wherein the list of video items in said video review screen is expanded to additionally include the additional media items.

2. A hierarchical menu system as recited in claim 1, wherein one of the video items in the list of video items can be selected to be played by the electronic apparatus.

3. A hierarchical menu system as recited in claim 2, wherein video content for the video items are remotely stored and accessed through a media server.

4. A hierarchical menu system as recited in claim 3, wherein the electronic apparatus is coupled to a television, and

wherein when one of the video items is selected from the video review screen to be played, the video content for the selected one of the video items is streamed from the media server to the electronic apparatus and presented on the television coupled to the electronic apparatus.

5. A hierarchical menu system as recited in claim 1, wherein the video access categories include one or more of a most viewed category, a most recent category, a top rated category, or a favorites category.

6. A hierarchical menu system as recited in claim 1,

wherein said hierarchical menu system further comprises:

a video playback screen that presents the selected video item, and

wherein the video playback screen is displayed when one of the video items is selected from the video review screen to be played.

7. A hierarchical menu system as recited in claim 1, wherein said video review screen is displayed on a display device coupled to an electronic apparatus.

8. A hierarchical menu system as recited in claim 1, wherein the display device is a television, and wherein the electronic apparatus is a set-top box.

9. A hierarchical menu system as recited in claim 1, wherein said video review screen further comprises:

an indication of the number of the media items in the list of video items.

10. A hierarchical menu system as recited in claim 1, wherein said video review screen further comprises:

an indication of a total number of media items available on the media server that that pertain to a selected one of the video access categories.

11. A computer readable medium including at least computer program code stored thereon for accessing media items from a media server that hosts a plurality of media items, said computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for requesting, from the media server, information pertaining to a first set of one or more media items that have at least one common classification;

computer program code for receiving, from the media server, the requested information pertaining to the first set of one or more media items that have the at least one common classification;

computer program code for displaying at least a first portion of the requested information for at least a plurality of the media items in the first set of media items;

computer program code for displaying a user selectable control to initiate a request for information pertaining to a second set of one or more media items that have the at least one common classification, the second set being different from the first set;

computer program code for receiving, from the media server, the requested information pertaining to the second set of one or more media items that have the at least one common classification; and

computer program code for displaying at least a first portion of the requested information for at least a plurality of the media items in the first set of media items or the second set of media items.

12. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 11, wherein said computer readable medium is performed by an electronic apparatus coupled to a television.

13. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 11, wherein said computer program code is executable by an electronic apparatus that couples to the media server via a network.

14. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein said computer readable medium further comprises:

computer program code for storing the requested information pertaining to the first set of one or more media items to the electronic apparatus; and

computer program code for storing the requested information pertaining to the second set of one or more media items to the electronic apparatus.

15. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 13,

wherein said computer readable medium further comprises:

computer program code for combining the requested information for the first set of one or more media items with the second set of one or more media items,

wherein any plurality of the media items within the first set and the second set can be displayed, and

wherein said computer program code for displaying is associated with scrolling or browsing of the media items in the first set and/or the second set.

16. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein said computer readable medium further comprises:

computer program code for merging the requested information for the first set of one or more media items with the second set of one or more media items to form a combined set.

17. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 16, wherein said computer program code for displaying displays at least a first portion of the requested information for at least a plurality of the media items in the combined set.

18. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 16, wherein said computer readable medium further comprises:

computer program code for displaying an indication of the number of the media items in the combined set.

19. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 11, wherein said computer readable medium further comprises:

computer program code for displaying an indication of a total number of media items available on the media server that have the at least one common classification.

20. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 11, wherein said computer program code for displaying displays the user selectable control concurrently with said computer program code for displaying of the first portion of the requested information.

21. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 11, wherein the common classification is based on a categorization for media items, and wherein the categorization includes one or more categories selected from the group of:

featured, most viewed, most recent, top rated, favorites, or history.

22. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 11, wherein said computer readable medium further comprises:

computer program code for receiving a user designation of one of the media items within the plurality of media items being displayed by said computer program code for displaying the first portion; and

computer program code for displaying, concurrently with said computer program code for displaying of the first portion, a second portion of the requested information for the user designated one of the media items in the first set of media items, the second portion including at least one piece of information pertaining to the designated one of the media items beyond the first portion.

23. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 22, wherein said computer readable medium is performed by an electronic apparatus coupled to a television, and

wherein said computer program code for displaying are displayed on the television. and

wherein the user designation being received by said computer program code for receiving is done by user interaction with the electronic apparatus using a wireless remote controller.

24. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 11, wherein said computer readable medium further comprises:

computer program code for receiving a user selection of one or more media items in the first set of media items;

computer program code for requesting, from the media server, media content pertaining to the selected one of the media items;

computer program code for receiving, from the media server, the requested media content pertaining to the selected one of the media items; and

computer program code for playing the received media content.

25. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 24, wherein said computer program code for receiving of the requested media content is provided by the media server streaming the media content to the electronic apparatus.