APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR GRID NAVIGATION

• US 20120173977A1
• Filed: 09/22/2010
• Published: 07/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Redmann, William Gibbens, Walker, Mark Leroy, Pettigrew, David, Shartzer, Lee Douglas
• Granted Patent: US 9,037,972 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• 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 21/42206 characterized by hardware details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• 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 21/4438 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

An apparatus and method for efficient display of, and navigation through, a large database by displaying and selecting objects, e.g., graphic elements, in a grid associated with the content of the database are provided. The method includes providing a first subset of graphic elements from a database of graphic elements, the first subset of graphic elements arranged in a grid pattern, adjusting a position of one of the graphic elements in the first subset on the display in response to a user input indicating movement of the one graphic element in a horizontal and vertical direction, and providing a second subset of graphic elements from the database of graphic elements, the second subset of graphic elements including the one graphic element in the first subset at the point central on the display.

Claims

1. A method for navigating through graphic elements on a display, comprising the steps of:

providing a first subset of graphic elements from a database of graphic elements, the first subset of graphic elements arranged in a grid pattern;

adjusting a position of one of the graphic elements in the first subset of graphic elements on the display in response to a user input indicating movement of the one graphic element in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction; and

providing a second subset of graphic elements from the database of graphic elements, the second subset of graphic elements including the one graphic element in the first subset on the display.

2. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

selecting at least one second graphic element in response to a user input; and

adjusting an appearance of the selected at least one second graphic element to reveal information of specific content associated to the selected at least one second graphic element.

3. The method as in claim 2, further comprising executing the specific content associated to the selected at least one second graphic element in response to a user input.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein each graphic element represents specific content and the graphic elements of the grid pattern are organized according to at least one variable related to the specific content.

5. The method as in claim 4, wherein the at least one variable related to the specific content includes at least one of an alpha-numeric designation and genre of the specific content.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein the first subset includes at least one additional graphic element that is in a predefined area outside of a displayed portion of the first subset of graphic elements.

7. The method as in claim 6, wherein a container for loading the at least one graphic element in the grid pattern is transferred from one side of the predefined area outside the displayed portion to the other side of the predefined area when the at least one graphic element exceeds a boundary of the predefined area.

8. The method as in claim 7, wherein upon transfer the container unloads the at least one graphic element and loads at least one second graphic element.

9. The method as in claim 1, wherein the step of providing the first subset of graphic elements includes:

generating the first subset of graphic elements in a first predefined area of the display; and

selecting a second predefined area within the first predefined area for displaying a portion of the generated first subset of graphic elements, wherein generated graphic elements outside of the second predefined area are not visible on the display.

10. The method as in claim 9, wherein upon adjusting the position of one of the graphic elements, the first subset of graphic elements move as a contiguous unit.

11. The method as in claim 9, wherein upon adjusting the position of one of the graphic elements, a portion of the generated graphic elements in the second predefined area moves outside of the second predefined area and are not visible on the display, and a portion of the generated graphic elements outside of the second predefined area moves inside the second predefined area and are visible on the display.

12. The method as in claim 11, wherein when at least one generated graphic element exceeds a boundary of the first predefined area, the method further comprises positioning a container for loading the at least one generated graphic element on an opposite side of the boundary to avoid unloading the container.

13. The method as in claim 12, wherein upon positioning the container, the method further comprises unloading data associated to the at least one graphic element and loading data associated with at least one second graphic element.

14. The method as in claim 13, wherein data associated to the at least one graphic element includes at least one of an image, a title, a rating and a uniform resource locator (URL).

15. The method as in claim 1, wherein the step of providing a first subset of graphic elements from a database of graphic elements further includes the step of displaying the first subset of graphics elements on a display and wherein the step of providing a second subset of graphic elements from the database of graphic elements further includes the step of displaying the second subset of graphics elements on a display.

16. The method as in claim 1, wherein the step of adjusting a position of one of the graphic elements in the first subset of graphic elements includes adjusting the position of one of the graphic elements in the first subset of graphic elements to a point central on the display.

17. An apparatus for searching for content comprising:

a memory that contains a plurality of graphic elements arranged in a pattern;

a display interface coupled to the memory, the display interface providing a first portion of the pattern to a display device such that the display device can display the portion of the pattern;

a user interface that receives a user input indicating a desired movement in both horizontal and vertical directions of one of the displayed graphic elements in the provided pattern; and

a controller, coupled to the user interface and the display interface the controller adjusting a display position of the one graphic element in response to the user input, the adjustment of the display position further including the display interface providing a second portion of the pattern to the display device.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the pattern of graphic elements contained in the memory is larger than display area of the display device.

19. The apparatus as in claim 17, wherein the user input is made on a touch panel remote device.

20. The apparatus as in claim 17, wherein the user input is a gesture using a motion sensing remote controller.

21. The apparatus as in claim 17, wherein in response to the user input selecting at least one second graphic element, the controller adjusts an appearance of the highlighted at least one second graphic element to reveal information of specific content associated to the selected at least one second graphic element, the adjustment including the display interface providing the information to the display device.

22. The apparatus as in claim 21, wherein the controller executes the specific content associated to the selected at least one second graphic element in response to a user input.

23. The apparatus as in claim 17, wherein each graphic element represents specific content and the graphic elements of the pattern are organized according to at least one variable related to the specific content.

24. The apparatus as in claim 23, wherein the at least one variable related to the specific content includes at least one of an alpha-numeric designation and genre of the specific content.

25. The apparatus as in claim 17, wherein the first portion of the pattern includes at least one additional graphic element that is in a predefined area outside of a displayed portion of the first portion of the pattern.

26. The apparatus as in claim 25, wherein the controller further transfers a container for loading the at least one graphic element from one side of the predefined area outside the displayed portion to the other side of the predefined area when the at least one graphic element exceeds a boundary of the predefined area.

27. The apparatus as in claim 26, wherein upon transfer, the controller causes the container to unload the at least one graphic element and load at least one second graphic element.

28. The apparatus as in claim 17, wherein the display interface provides the first portion of the pattern in such way that the first portion is in a first predefined area of the display device and the controller selects a second predefined area within the first predefined area for displaying a portion of the provided first portion of the pattern, wherein provided graphic elements outside of the second predefined area are not visible on the display device.

29. The apparatus as in claim 28, wherein upon adjusting the position of one of the graphic elements in response to a user input, the first portion of the pattern moves as a contiguous unit.

30. The apparatus as in claim 28, wherein upon adjusting the display position of the at least one of the graphic elements, the controller moves a portion of the provided pattern in the second predefined area outside of the second predefined area such that this portion is not visible on the display device, and moves another portion of the provided pattern from outside of the second predefined area to inside the second predefined area such that this portion is visible on the display device.

31. The apparatus as in claim 30, wherein when at least one graphic element in the portion of the pattern exceeds a boundary of the first predefined area, the controller positions a container for loading the at least one generated graphic element on an opposite side of the boundary to avoid unloading the container.

32. The apparatus as in claim 31, wherein upon positioning the container, the controller unloads data associated with the at least one graphic element and loads data associated with at least one second graphic element.

33. The apparatus as in claim 32, wherein data associated with the at least one graphic element includes at least one of an image, a title, a rating and a uniform resource locator (URL).

34. A graphic user interface apparatus for navigating through graphic elements on a display comprising:

means for providing a first subset of graphic elements from a database of graphic elements, the first subset of graphic elements arranged in a two dimensional pattern;

means for adjusting a position of one of the graphic elements in the first subset of graphic elements on the display in response to a user input indicating movement of the one graphic element in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction; and

means for providing a second subset of graphic elements from the database of graphic elements, the second subset of graphic elements including the one graphic element in the first subset on the display.