IMAGE DISPLAY APPARATUS AND OPERATING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20100306798A1
• Filed: 12/03/2009
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: AHN, Yong Ki, Lee, Jae Kyung, Kim, Gyu Seung, Lee, Kun Sik
• Granted Patent: US 8,595,766 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• 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 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence

Abstract

An operating method of an image display apparatus includes displaying a screen on a display and displaying a thumbnail image screen in response to a command to display an input image list. The thumbnail-image list includes a plurality of groups of thumbnail images that respectively correspond to a plurality of input image signals on the display. Each thumbnail-image group includes one or more thumbnail images that represent different points of time in a corresponding input image signal.

Claims

1. An operating method of an image display apparatus, comprising:

displaying at least one image on a display; and

in response to a command to display an input image list, displaying a thumbnail-image list including a plurality of groups of thumbnail images respectively corresponding to a plurality of input image signals on the display, each of the thumbnail-image groups including one or more thumbnail images representing different points of time in a corresponding input image signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the group of thumbnail images are displayed as a stack of thumbnail images.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each thumbnail image of the group is displayed on top of the stack or the thumbnails of the groups are individually displayed in a row or column direction upon selection.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the input image signals include at least one of a number of broadcast image signals received from one or more channels received by the image display apparatus or a number of external input image signals provided by one or more external input devices.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if at least one of the thumbnail-image groups is updated, displaying the updated thumbnail-image groups in the thumbnail-image list.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if one of the thumbnail-image groups is selected, displaying an input image signal corresponding to the selected thumbnail-image group on the display.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the thumbnail images included in each of the thumbnail-image groups provides at least one of point-of-time information or channel information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a command to focus one of the thumbnail-images or a command to display program information of the focused thumbnail-image, displaying program information of an input image signal corresponding to the focused thumbnail-image group.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

bringing one of the thumbnail-image groups into focus in response to user input.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a command to edit one of the thumbnail-images, editing one of the thumbnail-image groups.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying the thumbnail-image list comprises classifying the thumbnail-image groups according to their respective channel numbers or according to whether their respective channels are favorite channels, recently-viewed channels or deleted channels and aligning the thumbnail-image groups according to the results of the classification.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a command to display a next or previous thumbnail-image list, navigating to a next or previous thumbnail-image list to the current thumbnail-image list through a drag, scroll or rotation of the current thumbnail-image list.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the thumbnail images included in each of the thumbnail image groups include at least one of still images and moving images.

14. An image display apparatus comprising:

a display to display at least one image;

an input configured to receive input signals; and

a controller to control a thumbnail-image list for display, the thumbnail-image list including a plurality of thumbnail images based on signals received on the input, wherein for a selected thumbnail image, a group of thumbnails is generated and each thumbnail of the group is based on an input signal received at a particular point in time.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the controller controls the thumbnail images included in each of the thumbnail-image groups to be displayed as being stacked on top of each other.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein, if one of the thumbnail images included in each of the thumbnail-image groups is brought into focus, the controller controls whichever of the thumbnail images included in each of the thumbnail-image groups is brought into focus to be displayed on top of a corresponding thumbnail-image group.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

a tuner to receive a number of broadcast signals from one or more channels; and

an external signal input unit to receive a number of external input image signals from one or more external input devices, wherein the input image signals include the broadcast signals and the external input image signals.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein, if at least one of the thumbnail-image groups is updated, the controller controls the updated thumbnail-image group(s) to be displayed in the thumbnail-image list.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

a channel-browsing processor generating the thumbnail-image groups.

20. An operating method of an image display apparatus, comprising:

providing input signals to the image display apparatus;

displaying at least one image on a display based on the input signals;

generating a plurality thumbnail images based on the input signals; and

displaying a thumbnail-image list which includes the plurality of generated thumbnail images, wherein for a selected thumbnail image, a group of thumbnail images is generated and each thumbnail image of the group is based on the input signal received at a particular point in time.