Interactive User Interface

• US 20110022961A1
• Filed: 10/07/2010
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Edmonds, Jeremy S., Bayrakeri, Sadik, Ludvig, Edward A., Osborn, Nathan W., Gordon, Donald F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,522,277 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/733
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/577 Motion compensation with bidirectional frame interpolation, i.e. using B-pictures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23608 Remultiplexing multiplex streams, e.g. involving modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• 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 21/4344 Remultiplexing of multiplex streams, e.g. by modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• 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 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

A user interface for an interactive information distribution system comprising a graphics region, a video region and a mask/reveal layer. The user interface is generated in a head end of the system as a digital bitstream and transmitted to subscriber equipment for display. Operation of the user interface is facilitated by functions on both a local level with the subscriber equipment and on a system level within the head end. One embodiment of the user interface is an interactive program guide.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating a plurality of frame sequences comprising a plurality of different graphics each associated with video layer imagery;

generating a plurality of user interfaces each comprising at least one of said plurality of frame sequences; and

distributing the plurality of user interfaces to a user terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, with at least one of said plurality of user interfaces, a graphics layer to said user terminal, said graphics layer facilitating a mask/reveal function within each user interface, said graphics layer comprising graphics layer imagery visually cooperating with a select graphical object of said plurality of different graphics to selectively mask or reveal said select graphical object.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said graphics layer has a controlled opacity to mask or reveal said select graphical object.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

deemphasizing a masked object with respect to a revealed object.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said plurality of different graphics comprises a plurality of objects and said graphics layer reveals at least one of the plurality of objects and masks a remainder of the plurality of objects.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of different graphics comprises guide content.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said guide content comprises a list of program titles.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of user interfaces are associated with a connectivity map that relates each user interface of the plurality of user interfaces to at least one other user interface of the plurality of user interfaces.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of user interfaces each comprise a video region, each video region comprising the video layer imagery and sound.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to;

generate a plurality of frame sequences comprising a plurality of different graphics each associated with video layer imagery;

generate a plurality of user interfaces each comprising at least one of said plurality of frame sequences; and

distribute the plurality of user interfaces to a user terminal.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to:

transmit, with at least one of said plurality of user interfaces, a graphics layer to said user terminal, said graphics layer facilitating a mask/reveal function within each user interface, said graphics layer comprising graphics layer imagery visually cooperating with a select graphical object of said plurality of different graphics to selectively mask or reveal said select graphical object.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

a compositor configured to combine the plurality of different graphics and the video layer imagery to generate the plurality of frame sequences.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

an encoding unit configured to encode the plurality of frame sequences.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the encoding unit comprises an audio encoder configured to encode audio information associated with the video layer imagery.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

a modulator configured to modulate the plurality of user interfaces prior to distribution of the plurality of user interfaces to the user terminal.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of user interfaces is identified by a program identifier (PID) code.

17. A method comprising:

receiving, at a user terminal, a plurality of user interfaces each comprising at least one of a plurality of frame sequences, the plurality of frame sequences comprising a plurality of different graphics each associated with video layer imagery.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the user terminal comprises a set top box.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

retrieving a graphics layer stored at the user terminal,

wherein the graphics layer facilitates a mask/reveal function within each user interface, said graphics layer comprising graphics layer imagery visually cooperating with a select graphical object of said plurality of different graphics to selectively mask or reveal said select graphical object.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving, at the user terminal, a graphics layer with the plurality of user interfaces,

wherein the graphics layer facilitates a mask/reveal function within each user interface, said graphics layer comprising graphics layer imagery visually cooperating with a select graphical object of said plurality of different graphics to selectively mask or reveal said select graphical object.