Menu Screen Display Method and Menu Screen Display Device

• US 20110145764A1
• Filed: 04/17/2009
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hiramatsu, Shuji, Higuchi, Masaki, Yamanaka, Yasuhiro, Enomoto, Shigeru
• Granted Patent: US 9,389,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/835
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/636 involving process of starting or resuming a game
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/377 for mixing or overlaying two or more graphic patterns G09G5/02, G09G5/397 take precedence

Abstract

An instruction acquisition unit acquires a menu display instruction in a menu screen display device. When the menu display instruction is acquired while a game program is running, a menu-screen generating unit displays, by a function of a system, on a television set a second system menu screen in which an end icon for terminating the running game program is inserted in between a plurality of content icons that are arranged in a line in a first system menu screen and displayed. The instruction acquisition unit acquires the selection of the displayed end icon from a user. When the selection of the end icon is acquired, a menu screen constituting unit terminates the running game program and displays on the television set a first system menu screen by deleting the end icon from the second system menu screen.

Claims

1. A menu screen display method comprising:

acquiring a menu display instruction from a user requesting a menu screen displayed by a system to be displayed while an application program is running; and

displaying, by a function of the system, a second menu screen in which, in addition to a content icon included in a first menu screen displayed by the system that is displayed when the application program is not running, an instruction icon for entering an instruction to the running application program is displayed while being mixed with the content icon, when the menu display instruction is acquired.

2. The menu screen display method according to claim 1, wherein displaying the second menu screen includes displaying an instruction icon while inserting the instruction icon in between a plurality of content icons displayed in an aligned manner in the first menu screen.

3. The menu screen display method according to claim 1, wherein displaying the second menu screen includes displaying the second menu screen in a simplified form in which display load is reduced compared to the first system menu screen.

4. The menu screen display method according to claim 1, wherein in displaying the second menu screen, the second menu screen is displayed while being superimposed on an execution screen displayed by the running application program when the menu display instruction is acquired.

5. The menu screen display method according to claim 1, wherein the instruction icon includes an end icon for terminating the running application program.

6. The menu screen display method according to claim 5 further comprising:

acquiring a selection of the end icon displayed on the second menu screen from a user; and

terminating, when the selection of the end icon is acquired, the running application program and displaying the first menu screen by deleting the end icon from the second menu screen.

7. The menu screen display method according to claim 1, further comprising:

acquiring a selection of the content icon displayed on the second menu screen from a user; and

further starting an application program, which corresponds to the selected content icon in addition to the running application program.

8. The menu screen display device according to claim 1, further comprising:

acquiring an input-screen display instruction from a user requesting an instruction-input screen for entering an instruction to the application program while the application program is running; and

displaying an instruction-input screen for entering an instruction to the running application program without displaying the second menu screen, when the input-screen display instruction is acquired.

9. A menu screen display device comprising:

an acquisition unit configured to acquire a menu display instruction from a user requesting a menu screen displayed by a system to be displayed while an application program is running; and

a menu-screen generating unit configured to display, by a function of the system, a second menu screen in which, in addition to a content icon included in a first menu screen displayed by the system that is displayed when the application program is not running, an instruction icon for entering an instruction to the running application program is displayed while being mixed with the content icon, when the menu display instruction is acquired.

10. A menu screen display method comprising:

acquiring a menu display instruction from a user requesting a menu screen displayed by a system to be displayed while a reproduction application program for reproducing a reproducible content is running; and

displaying, by a function of the system, a second menu screen in which, in addition to a content icon included in a first menu screen displayed by the system that is displayed when the application program is not running, an operation-panel display icon for displaying an operation panel for entering an instruction as to the reproduction state of the content is displayed while being mixed with the content icon, when the menu display instruction is acquired.

11. The menu screen display method according to claim 10, wherein displaying the second menu screen includes displaying the second menu screen when the menu display instruction is acquired while both the reproduction application program for reproducing reproducible content and an application program that is different from the reproduction application program are running.

12. The menu screen display method according to claim 10, further comprising:

acquiring the selection of an operation-panel display icon from a user;

displaying an operation panel when the selection of the operation-panel display icon is acquired;

acquiring instruction input from a user to an operation panel regarding the reproduction state of the content; and

terminating, when instruction input for stopping the reproduction of a content is acquired, a reproduction application program so as to end the reproduction of the content and displaying the first menu screen by deleting the operation-panel display icon from the second menu screen.

13. A menu screen display device comprising:

an instruction acquisition unit configured to acquire a menu display instruction from a user requesting a menu screen displayed by a system to be displayed while a reproduction application program for reproducing a reproducible content is running; and

a menu-screen generating unit configured to display, by a function of the system, a second menu screen in which, in addition to a content icon included in a first menu screen displayed by the system that is displayed when the application program is not running, an operation-panel display icon for displaying an operation panel for entering an instruction as to the reproduction state of the content is displayed while being mixed with the content icon, when the menu display instruction is acquired.

14. (canceled)