Dynamic Iconic Setting Indicator

• US 20120060092A1
• Filed: 09/08/2010
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hill, Seth, Friedlander, Steven, Yeh, Sabrina, Yi, Hyehoon
• Granted Patent: US 9,032,293 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• 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 21/4438 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 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895

Abstract

A media type currently associated with a multiple media player device is determined by the multiple media player device. A current setting status associated with each of a set of adjustable options associated with the determined media type is determined A set of option icons that each represents one of the set of adjustable options is identified. Each identified option icon is paired with the associated current setting status of each adjustable option. A menuing input is detected. An overlay user interface menu, including only one option icon and the associated current setting status pair, is displayed over full-screen content on a display. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Claims

1. A method of dynamically creating a user interface output for a multiple media player device, comprising:

determining, via a multiple media player device, a media type currently associated with the multiple media player device;

determining a current setting status associated with each of a plurality of adjustable options associated with the determined media type;

identifying a plurality of option icons that each represent one of the plurality of adjustable options;

pairing each identified option icon with the associated current setting status of each adjustable option;

detecting a menuing input;

displaying, over full-screen content on a display, an overlay user interface menu comprising a stack of at least two of the paired identified option icons and the associated current setting statuses on a lower right area of the display proximate to a vertical edge of the display;

displaying a first control pane to a left side of a bottom one of the stacked option icon and current setting status pairs comprising an adjustment control for a current setting status of the bottom one of the stacked option icon and current setting status pairs;

detecting one of an up arrow key input and a down arrow key input from a remote control device; and

scrolling the stack of option icon and current setting status pairs vertically in a direction based upon the one of the up arrow key input and down arrow key input.

2. A computer readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed on one or more programmed processors, carry out a method according to claim 1.

3. A method of dynamically creating a user interface output for a multiple media player system, comprising:

determining, via a multiple media player device, a media type currently associated with the multiple media player device;

determining a current setting status associated with each of a plurality of adjustable options associated with the determined media type;

identifying a plurality of option icons that each represents one of the plurality of adjustable options;

pairing each identified option icon with the associated current setting status of each adjustable option;

detecting a menuing input; and

displaying, over full-screen content on a display, an overlay user interface menu comprising only one option icon and the associated current setting status pair.

4. The method according to claim 3, where displaying, over the full-screen content on the display, the overlay user interface menu comprising the only one option icon and the associated current setting status pair comprises:

displaying the overlay user interface menu as a stack of at least two of the paired identified option icons and the associated current setting statuses proximate to a vertical edge of the display.

5. The method according to claim 4, where displaying the overlay user interface menu as the stack of the at least two of the paired identified option icons and the associated current setting statuses proximate to the vertical edge of the display comprises:

displaying each of the paired identified option icons and the associated current setting statuses as translucent elements within a separate translucent graphical menu pane.

6. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

displaying at least two of the paired identified option icons and the associated current setting statuses as a stack of option icon and current setting status pairs; and

displaying a first control pane to a side of a bottom one of the stacked option icon and current setting status pairs comprising an adjustment control for a current setting status of the bottom one of the stacked option icon and current setting status pairs.

7. The method according to claim 6, where:

displaying at least two of the paired identified option icons and the associated current setting statuses as the stack of option icon and current setting status pairs comprises displaying the stack of option icon and current setting status pairs on a lower right area of the display; and

displaying the first control pane to the side of the bottom one of the stacked option icon and current setting status pairs comprises displaying the first control pane to a left side of the bottom one of the stacked option icon and current setting status pairs, forming a right angle between the stack of option icon and current setting status pairs and the first control pane.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

detecting one of an up arrow key input and a down arrow key input from a remote control device; and

scrolling the stack of option icon and current setting status pairs vertically in a direction based upon the one of the up arrow key input and the down arrow key input.

9. The method according to claim 8, where scrolling the stack of option icon and current setting status pairs vertically in the direction based upon the one of the up arrow key input and the down arrow key input comprises:

wrapping the bottom one of the stacked option icon and current setting status pairs to a top of the stack of option icon and current setting status pairs; and

shifting remaining stacked option icon and current setting status pairs down.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising displaying a second control pane to a side of a new bottom one of the stacked option icon and current setting status pairs comprising an adjustment control for a current setting status of the new bottom one of the stacked option icon and current setting status pair.

11. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

detecting an adjustment input associated with one of the displayed pairs of option icon and the associated current setting status; and

adjusting the associated adjustable option based upon the adjustment input.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

determining an updated current setting status based upon the adjustment of the associated adjustable option; and

updating the display of the overlay user interface menu with the determined updated current setting status in response to the adjustment.

13. The method according to claim 11, where the display comprises a touchscreen display, and detecting the adjustment input associated with one of the displayed pair of option icon and the associated current setting status comprises detecting a touchscreen input in a display surface area proximate to the displayed pair of option icon and the associated current setting status.

14. The method according to claim 3, where pairing each identified option icon with the associated current setting status of each adjustable option comprises:

one of selecting and creating a setting status icon for each associated current setting status; and

pairing each identified option icon with the one of the selected and created setting status icon.

15. The method according to claim 3, where:

the current setting status paired with at least one identified option icon comprises one of an enabled setting status and a disabled setting status; and

displaying, over full-screen content on the display, the overlay user interface menu comprising the only one option icon and the associated current setting status pair comprises, for the current setting status paired with the at least one identified option icon;

displaying the current setting status paired with the at least one identified option icon as a green circular icon in response to determining the current setting status is enabled; and

displaying the current setting status associated with the at least one identified option icon as a non-colored circular icon in response to determining the current setting status is disabled.

16. The method according to claim 3, where:

the current setting status paired with at least one identified option icon comprises one of a proportional setting status; and

displaying, over full-screen content on the display, the overlay user interface menu comprising the only one option icon and the associated current setting status pair comprises, for the current setting status paired with the at least one identified option icon, displaying the current setting status paired with the at least one identified option icon as a numeral followed by a percent sign.

17. A computer readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed on one or more programmed processors, carry out a method according to claim 3.

18. A multiple media player device, comprising:

a display;

an input device; and

a processor programmed to;

determine, via the input device, a media type currently associated with the multiple media player device;

determine a current setting status associated with each of a plurality of adjustable options associated with the determined media type;

identify a plurality of option icons that each represent one of the plurality of adjustable options;

pair each identified option icon with the associated current setting status of each adjustable option;

detect a menuing input via the input device;

display, over full-screen content on the display, an overlay user interface menu comprising a stack of at least two of the paired identified option icons and the associated current setting statuses on a lower right area of the display proximate to a vertical edge of the display;

display a first control pane to a left side of a bottom one of the stacked option icon and current setting status pairs comprising an adjustment control for a current setting status of the bottom one of the stacked option icon and current setting status pairs;

detect one of an up arrow key input and a down arrow key input via the input device; and

scroll the stack of option icon and current setting status pairs vertically in a direction based upon the one of the up arrow key input and down arrow key input.

19. A multiple media player device, comprising:

a display;

an input device; and

a processor programmed to;

determine, via the input device, a media type currently associated with the multiple media player device;

determine a current setting status associated with each of a plurality of adjustable options associated with the determined media type;

identify a plurality of option icons that each represent one of the plurality of adjustable options;

pair each identified option icon with the associated current setting status of each adjustable option;

detect a menuing input via the input device; and

display, over full-screen content on the display, an overlay user interface menu comprising only one option icon and the associated current setting status pair.

20. The multiple media player device according to claim 19, where, in being programmed to display, over the full-screen content on the display, the overlay user interface menu comprising the only one option icon and the associated current setting status pair, the processor is programmed to:

display the overlay user interface menu as a stack of at least two of the paired identified option icons and the associated current setting statuses proximate to a vertical edge of the display.

21. The multiple media player device according to claim 20, where, in being programmed to display the overlay user interface menu as the stack of the at least two of the paired identified option icons and the associated current setting statuses proximate to the vertical edge of the display, the processor is programmed to:

display each of the paired identified option icons and the associated current setting statuses as translucent elements within a separate translucent graphical menu pane.

22. The multiple media player device according to claim 19, where the processor is further programmed to:

display at least two of the paired identified option icons and the associated current setting statuses as a stack of option icon and current setting status pairs; and

display a first control pane to a side of a bottom one of the stacked option icon and current setting status pairs comprising an adjustment control for a current setting status of the bottom one of the stacked option icon and current setting status pairs.

23. The multiple media player device according to claim 22, where, in being programmed to:

display at least two of the paired identified option icons and the associated current setting statuses as the stack of option icon and current setting status pairs, the processor is programmed to display the stack of option icon and current setting status pairs on a lower right area of the display; and

display the first control pane to the side of the bottom one of the stacked option icon and current setting status pairs, the processor is programmed to display the first control pane to a left side of the bottom one of the stacked option icon and current setting status pairs, forming a right angle between the stack of option icon and current setting status pairs and the first control pane.

24. The multiple media player device according to claim 22, where the processor is further programmed to:

detect one of an up arrow key input and a down arrow key input from via the input device; and

scroll the stack of option icon and current setting status pairs vertically in a direction based upon the one of the up arrow key input and the down arrow key input.

25. The multiple media player device according to claim 24, where, in being programmed to scroll the stack of option icon and current setting status pairs vertically in the direction based upon the one of the up arrow key input and the down arrow key input, the processor is programmed to:

wrap the bottom one of the stacked option icon and current setting status pairs to a top of the stack of option icon and current setting status pairs; and

shift remaining stacked option icon and current setting status pairs down.

26. The multiple media player device according to claim 25, where the processor is further programmed to display a second control pane to a side of a new bottom one of the stacked option icon and current setting status pairs comprising an adjustment control for a current setting status of the new bottom one of the stacked option icon and current setting status pair.

27. The multiple media player device according to claim 19, where the processor is further programmed to:

detect an adjustment input associated with one of the displayed pairs of option icon and the associated current setting status; and

adjust the associated adjustable option based upon the adjustment input.

28. The multiple media player device according to claim 27, where the processor is further programmed to:

determine an updated current setting status based upon the adjustment of the associated adjustable option; and

update the display of the overlay user interface menu with the determined updated current setting status in response to the adjustment.

29. The multiple media player device according to claim 27, where the display comprises a touchscreen display, and, where in being programmed to detect the adjustment input associated with one of the displayed pair of option icon and the associated current setting status, the processor is programmed to detect a touchscreen input in a display surface area proximate to the displayed pair of option icon and the associated current setting status.

30. The multiple media player device according to claim 19, where, in being programmed to pairing each identified option icon with the associated current setting status of each adjustable option, the processor is programmed to:

one of select and create a setting status icon for each associated current setting status; and

pair each identified option icon with the one of the selected and created setting status icon.

31. The multiple media player device according to claim 19, where:

the current setting status paired with at least one identified option icon comprises one of an enabled setting status and a disabled setting status; and

in being programmed to display, over full-screen content on the display, the overlay user interface menu comprising the only one option icon and the associated current setting status pair, the processor is programmed to, for the current setting status paired with the at least one identified option icon;

display the current setting status paired with the at least one identified option icon as a green circular icon in response to determining the current setting status is enabled; and

display the current setting status associated with the at least one identified option icon as a non-colored circular icon in response to determining the current setting status is disabled.

32. The multiple media player device according to claim 19, where:

the current setting status paired with at least one identified option icon comprises one of a proportional setting status; and

in being programmed to display, over full-screen content on the display, the overlay user interface menu comprising the only one option icon and the associated current setting status pair, the processor is programmed to, for the current setting status paired with the at least one identified option icon, display the current setting status paired with the at least one identified option icon as a numeral followed by a percent sign.