USER CONTROL INTERFACE FOR INTERACTIVE DIGITAL TELEVISION

• US 20110093890A1
• Filed: 10/21/2010
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Westinghouse Digital LLC (Brookfield Asset Management Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Westinghouse Digital LLC (Brookfield Asset Management Incorporated)
• Inventors: Araki, John, Randall, Kenneth M., Libor, Klaus, Moore, Arthur B.
• Application Number:
  US12/909,130
• Publication Number:
  US 20110093890A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/37
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6461 Means for preventing cross-talk
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6463 using twisted pairs of wires
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6466 on substrates, e.g. printed circuit boards [PCB]
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6469 on substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6658 on printed circuit board H01R13/6666 - H01R13/6691 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/719 specially adapted for high frequency, e.g. with filters
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/64 for high frequency, e.g. RJ 45
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4858 for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows

Abstract

A method of controlling a television increasing a control function when a user-movable object is on one side of a line displayed on a layout, and decreasing the control function when the user-movable object is on the other side of the line. The method may involve movements in one, two, or three dimensions.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a television, the method comprising:

providing a line and a user-movable object (cursor) on a layout displayed on the television; and

increasing a control function when the user-movable object is on one side of the line, and decreasing the control function when the user-movable object is on the other side of the line.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a rate of increasing and/or decreasing the control function is a function of a distance between the user-movable object and the line.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising displaying a rate indicator on the layout that provides a visual indicator of the rate of increasing and/or decreasing of the control function.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising the user moving the user-movable object using a handheld controller.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising displaying an indicator of the control function.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the indicator is a numerical indicator.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the indicator is a graphical indicator.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising an additional line for altering an additional control function.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the lines are substantially parallel to one another.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the line is a substantially horizontal line.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the line is a substantially vertical line.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the control function includes one or more of channel, volume, contrast, brightness, backlight level, hue, and saturation.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the line and the object are parts of three-dimensional control matrix for simultaneously controlling up to three control functions.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the line has an illusion of depth into and/or out of the television, further comprising a depth cue associated with the line.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising a substantially horizontal line and a substantially vertical line.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the depth cue comprises a plurality of planes of different sizes, arranged in linear perspective with the line having an illusion of depth.