EXTENDED ELEMENTS AND MECHANISMS FOR DISPLAYING A RICH GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE IN PANEL SUBUNIT

• US 20100293488A1
• Filed: 07/27/2010
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nishimura, Takuya, Shima, Hisato, Suzuki, Atsushi
• Application Number:
  US12/844,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20100293488A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/04 Exchange of auxiliary data, i.e. other than image data, between monitor and graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/391 Resolution modifying circuits, e.g. variable screen formats
• 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 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/436 Interfacing a local distribution network, e.g. communicating with another STB or one or more peripheral devices inside the home
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44504 Circuit details of the additional information generator, e.g. details of the character or graphics signal generator, overlay mixing circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen

Abstract

Methods for realizing advanced graphical user interface (GUI) in panel subunit. The present invention provides, in one embodiment, a button GUI element descriptor that defines a bitmap to be displayed when a button is out of focus and another bitmap to be displayed when the button is in focus. In another embodiment, the present invention provides a table GUI element descriptor that defines a table-like on screen display to be displayed on the controller device. Another embodiment of the present invention provides a panel GUI element descriptor that includes a focused identifier attribute indicating a pre-determined element of the on-screen display as default focus. In this way, the target device would be able to control the default focus of the controller device when displaying an on-screen display. In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides a text GUI element descriptor that includes a font style attribute that dictates whether the text GUI element should be displayed as bold, underlined and/or reversed. By using these extended elements in panel subunit, more complicated and advanced GUI, such as an electronic programming guide (EPG) can be achieved.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a graphical user interface (GUI), said method comprising:

a controller device receiving data from a target device, wherein said data is operable to define physical appearances of graphical elements of said GUI, wherein said GUI is associated with said target device when rendered by said controller device;

said controller device generating said GUI based on said data, wherein user interaction with said graphical elements of said GUI is operable to control at least one operation of said target device; and

said controller device storing said GUI in a memory component.

2. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

said controller device rendering said GUI for user interaction thereof.

3. The method as described in claim 2, wherein said rendering comprises displaying said GUI.

4. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

said controller device monitoring said target device to track a current status of said target device.

5. The method as described in claim 4, wherein said monitoring comprises:

said controller device transmitting a status inquiry to said target device; and

in response to said transmitting, said controller device receiving said current status of said target device.

6. The method as described in claim 4 further comprising:

said controller device, updating said GUI based on said monitoring.

7. The method as described in claim 4, wherein said monitoring comprises:

said controller device automatically receiving a change in status of said target device.

8. The method as described in claim 1, wherein said physical appearance comprises a layout of images and orientations of said graphical elements of said GUI.

9. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

said controller device monitoring a network to discover a new target device being coupled to said controller device via said network.

10. A controller comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to said processor wherein said memory comprises instructions that when executed implement a method of processing information, said method comprising;

receiving data from a target device, wherein said data is operable to define physical appearances of graphical elements of a graphical user interface (GUI), wherein said GUI is associated with said target device when rendered by said controller;

generating said GUI based on said data, wherein said GUI comprises said graphical elements as part of an on-screen display, and wherein further user interaction with said GUI is operable to control at least one operation of said target device; and

storing said GUI in said memory.

11. The controller as described in claim 10, wherein said data comprises a button GUI element descriptor operable to define a graphical element of said graphical elements to be displayed by said GUI, and wherein said button GUI element descriptor is further operable to define a first bitmap image to be displayed when said graphical element is selected and a second bitmap image to be displayed when said graphical element is not selected, and wherein said button GUI element descriptor is further operable to define vertically and horizontally aligned information to be displayed by said controller.

12. The controller as described in claim 11, wherein said button GUI element descriptor is operable to define a first label to be displayed when said graphical element is not selected.

13. The controller as described in claim 12, wherein said button GUI element descriptor is further operable to define a second label to be displayed when said graphical element is selected, and wherein a content of said second label is different from a content of said first label.

14. The controller as described in claim 10 further comprising:

a display operable to render said GUI for user interaction thereof.

15. The controller as described in claim 10, wherein said method further comprises:

monitoring said target device to track a current status of said target device.

16. The controller as described in claim 15, wherein said monitoring comprises:

transmitting a status inquiry to said target device; and

in response to said transmitting, receiving said current status of said target device.

17. The controller as described in claim 15, wherein said method further comprising:

updating said GUI based on said monitoring.

18. The controller as described in claim 15, wherein said monitoring further comprises:

automatically receiving a change in status of said target device.

19. The controller as described in claim 10, wherein said method further comprises:

monitoring a network to discover a new target device being coupled to said controller via said network.

20. The controller as described in claim 10, wherein said data comprises a panel GUI element descriptor operable to define an on-screen display that includes said graphical elements of said GUI, and wherein said panel GUI element descriptor is further operable to define a selection identifier attribute that indicates a pre-determined graphical element of said graphical elements as a default selection, and wherein said panel GUI element descriptor is further operable to define a vertically and horizontally aligned information to be displayed by said GUI.

21. The controller as described in claim 10, wherein said GUI comprises a pop-up menu.

22. The controller as described in claim 10, wherein said data comprises a text GUI element descriptor operable to define a text element to be displayed by said GUI, and wherein said text GUI element descriptor further includes a font style attribute, and wherein said text GUI element descriptor is further operable to define a vertically and horizontally aligned information to be displayed by said GUI.

23. The controller as described in claim 22, wherein said font style attribute is selected from a group consisting of bolding said text element, underlining said text element, and reversing a color of said text element and a background color.