TV Internet Browser

• US 20120266069A1
• Filed: 12/28/2010
• Published: 10/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: IDHL Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hillcrest Laboratories Incorporated (CEVA Incorporated)
• Inventors: Moshiri, Negar, Rouady, William A., Vary, Richard J., Wood, Peter C., Dyer, Bradley S., Zubair, Ahmed K.
• Application Number:
  US13/518,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20120266069A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/719
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• 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 21/42214 using alphanumerical characters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4728 for selecting a Region Of Interest [ROI], e.g. for requesting a higher resolution version of a selected region
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV

Abstract

A TV Internet browser is described. The TV Internet browser includes features which facilitate the browsing of the Internet from a television including, for example, support for 3D pointing, scrolling and zooming/panning mode control, adaptations to support entry of text into text boxes, searching, and other features.

Claims

1. A method for zooming and panning of displayed web content comprising:

displaying said web content;

receiving a user input to exit a scroll mode and enter a zooming/panning mode;

receiving a scroll wheel rotation input while in said zooming/panning mode;

zooming, in response to said scroll wheel rotation input, into or away from said displayed web content;

receiving, while in said zooming/panning mode, another user input together with input associated with movement of a pointing device; and

panning, in response to said another user input and said input associated with movement of said pointing device, said displayed web content in a direction associated with said movement of said pointing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said user input to exit said scroll mode is a pressing of said scroll wheel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said another user input is pressing and holding a button disposed on said pointing device while moving said pointing device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said zooming step further comprises:

zooming into said displayed web content if said scroll wheel rotation input is associated with one or more forward clicks of said scroll wheel; and

zooming away from said displayed web content if said scroll wheel rotation input is associated with one or more backward clicks of said scroll wheel.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

changing an appearance of a cursor displayed over said displayed web content when exiting said scroll mode and entering said zooming/panning mode.

10. The TV internet browser of claim 1, further comprising:

changing an appearance of a cursor displayed over said displayed web content when exiting said scroll mode and entering said zooming/panning mode.

6. A TV internet browser comprising:

a display region for displaying web content;

a cursor, displayed over said web content, and movable in response to pointing input received by said TV internet browser;

an input interface for receiving user inputs to control said TV internet browser, including scroll wheel rotational input, scroll wheel button input, another button input and pointer movement input; and

a mode control function configured to switch between a scroll mode and a zooming/panning mode in response to a user input, wherein, when in said zooming/panning mode, said mode control function operates to;

(a) zoom, in response to said scroll wheel rotation input, into or away from said displayed web content; and

(b) pan, in response to said another button input and said pointer movement input, said displayed web content in a direction associated with movement of a pointing device.

7. The TV internet browser of claim 6, wherein said user input to switch between said scroll mode and said zooming/panning mode is a pressing of said scroll wheel.

8. The TV internet browser of claim 6, wherein said another button input is pressing and holding a button disposed on said pointing device while moving said pointing device.

9. The TV internet browser of claim 6, wherein said zoom function further comprises:

zooming into said displayed web content if said scroll wheel rotation input is associated with one or more forward clicks of said scroll wheel; and

zooming away from said displayed web content if said scroll wheel rotation input is associated with one or more backward clicks of said scroll wheel.

11. A method for handling user input into a text box on a web page, the method comprising:

determining that text is to be entered into said text box;

zooming, in response to said determining step, into the web page; and

displaying, in response to said determining step, an onscreen keyboard.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said step of determining further comprises:

determining that a cursor is positioned over said text box.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said step of determining further comprises:

detecting that a user has provided a further user input while said cursor is positioned over said text box.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said step of zooming has the effect of enlarging said text box.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

repositioning, in response to said determining step, the text box toward a center portion of a display screen.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

repositioning said text box so that said entire text box is in a displayed portion of said web page.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

receiving text from said on-screen keyboard;

displaying said text in said text box;

receiving an input indicating that said entered text is to be submitted;

removing said on-screen keyboard; and

zooming back out to a previous zoom level and displaying web content in accordance with said submitted text.

18. A system for handling user input into a text box on a web page, the user interface comprising:

a displayed text box;

a function configured to determine that text is to be entered into said displayed text box;

a zooming function configured to, in response to said determination that text is to be entered into said displayed text box, zoom into the web page; and

a display function configured to, in response to said determination that text is to be entered into said displayed text box, display, an onscreen keyboard.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said function configured to determine that text is to be entered into said displayed text box, determines that a cursor is positioned over said text box.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said function is further configured to determine that text is to be entered into said displayed text box when said function detects that a user has provided a further user input while said cursor is positioned over said text box.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein said step of zooming has the effect of enlarging said text box.

22. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

a repositioning function configured to, in response to said determination that text is to be entered into said displayed text box, reposition the text box toward a center portion of a display screen.

23. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

a repositioning function which is configured to, in response to said determination that text is to be entered into said displayed text box, reposition said text box so that said entire text box is in a displayed portion of said web page.

24. The system of claim 18 further comprising a processor which is configured to receive text from said on-screen keyboard, displaying said text in said text box, receive an input indicating that said entered text is to be submitted, remove said on-screen keyboard, zoom back out to a previous zoom level, display web content in accordance with said submitted text.

25. A TV Internet browser comprising:

an on-screen keyboard disposed in a lower-left hand quadrant of a user interface screen;

a text box, disposed above said on-screen keyboard, into which one or more characters which are entered via said on-screen keyboard are displayed; and

a uniform resource locator (URL) display area, disposed in a lower-right hand quadrant of said user interface screen, in which information associated with URLs related to said one or more characters is displayed.

26. The TV Internet browser of claim 25, further comprising:

a service offering bar, disposed above said on-screen keyboard and said URL display area in which icons associated with service offerings which are related to said one or more characters are displayed.