Media Service User Interface Systems and Methods

• US 20150309715A1
• Filed: 04/29/2014
• Published: 10/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Higa, George M., Bauman, Deron, Quach, Lilian Mi, Kong, Hao Tzu, Huang, Sherrily
• Granted Patent: US 9,886,169 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04892 Arrangements for controlling cursor position based on codes indicative of cursor displacements from one discrete location to another, e.g. using cursor control keys associated to different directions or using the tab key arrangements for controlling cursor position based on coordinate signals G06F3/038
• 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

In an exemplary method, a media service user interface system provides, for display on a screen of a primary display device, a media menu tray user interface view that includes a media menu tray representing a menu of one or more media programs and provides, for display on a display screen of a mobile device while the media menu tray user interface view is provided for display on the display screen of the primary display device, a remote control user interface view dynamically tailored to facilitate remote user interaction with the media menu tray included in the media menu tray user interface view provided for display on the display screen of the primary display device. In certain examples, the remote control user interface view is dynamically tailored based on a current state of the media menu tray user interface view.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing, by a media service user interface system for display on a display screen of a primary display device, a media menu tray user interface view that includes a media menu tray including a set of one or more user-selectable graphical objects representing a menu of one or more media programs; and

providing, by the media service user interface system for display on a display screen of a mobile device while the media menu tray user interface view is provided for display on the display screen of the primary display device, a remote control user interface view dynamically tailored to facilitate remote user interaction with the media menu tray included in the media menu tray user interface view provided for display on the display screen of the primary display device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the remote control user interface view comprises dynamically tailoring the remote control user interface view by:

determining a current state of the media menu tray user interface view; and

selecting user interface content for inclusion in the remote control user interface view based on the current state of the media menu tray user interface view.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the remote control user interface view comprises dynamically tailoring the remote control user interface view by:

determining a set of categories of media programs associated with the media menu tray; and

selecting a set of media program category options for inclusion in the media menu tray based on the set of categories of media programs associated with the media menu tray, the set of media program category options configured to facilitate a user selection of which of the categories of media programs is represented in the media menu tray.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the remote control user interface view comprises dynamically tailoring the remote control user interface view by:

determining a contextual position of a selector object within the media menu tray; and

deactivating a user-selectable option included in the media menu tray based on the contextual position of the selector object within the media menu tray.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the providing of the remote control user interface view further comprises visually indicating, in the remote control user interface view, that the deactivated user-selectable option is inactive.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the remote control user interface view comprises dynamically tailoring the remote control user interface view by:

detecting that a selector object is positioned, within the media menu tray, to highlight a user-selectable graphical object that is included in the set of one or more user-selectable graphical objects and that represents a media program included in the menu of one or more media programs;

determining a status of the media program; and

selecting a user-selectable option for inclusion in the remote control user interface view based on the status of the media program.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote control user interface view comprises a set of media program category options representing a plurality of media program categories and configured to facilitate a user selection of which of the plurality of media program categories is represented in the media menu tray.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

detecting, by the media service user interface system, a user selection of a media program category option included in the set of media program category options in the remote control user interface view; and

toggling, by the media service user interface system in response to the detecting of the user selection of the media program category option, from representing a first media program category in the media menu tray to representing a second media program category in the media menu tray.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein each media program category included in the plurality of media program categories is associated with a different media distribution platform.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of media program categories comprises two or more of:

a media program category representing scheduled-type media programs distributed in accordance with a media-provider-defined media program distribution schedule;

a media program category representing recorded-type media programs accessible by way of a digital video recorder device; and

a media program category representing on-demand type media programs accessible on-demand.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the media menu tray represents a category of scheduled-type media programs distributed in accordance with a media-provider-defined media program distribution schedule; and

the one or more media programs represented in the menu of one or more media programs comprise at least one of

a media program currently being distributed in accordance with the media-provider-defined media program distribution schedule,

a media program about to be distributed in accordance with the media-provider-defined media program distribution schedule, and

a media program recently distributed in accordance with the media-provider-defined media program distribution schedule.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote control user interface view comprises a set of user-selectable options that form a directional pad configured to facilitate user navigation of the menu of one or more media programs represented in the media menu tray.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote control user interface view comprises an option configured to be selected by a user to hide the media menu tray from being displayed on the display screen of the primary display device.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the media service user interface system, a user request to hide the media menu tray from being displayed on the display screen of the primary display device; and

in response to the detecting of the user request to hide the media menu tray,

switching, by the media service user interface system, from the providing of the media menu tray user interface view for display on the display screen of the primary display device to providing a main content view for display on the display screen of the primary display device, and

switching, by the media service user interface system, from the providing of the remote control interface view dynamically tailored to facilitate remote user interaction with the media menu tray for display on the display screen of the mobile display device to providing another remote control interface view tailored to facilitate remote user interaction with the main content view for display on the display screen of the mobile device.

15. The method of claim 1, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

16. A method comprising:

switching, by a media service user interface system, from providing a full-screen video playback view for display on a display screen of a primary display device to providing a media menu tray user interface view for display on the display screen of the primary display device, the media menu tray user interface view comprising

a partial-screen video playback on a first portion of the display screen of the primary display device, and

a media menu tray displayed on a second portion of the display screen of the primary display device, the media menu tray including a set of one or more user-selectable graphical objects representing a menu of one or more media programs; and

correspondingly switching, by the media service user interface system, from providing a first remote control interface view tailored to facilitate remote user interaction with the full-screen video playback view for display on a display screen of a mobile device to providing a second remote control interface view tailored to facilitate remote user interaction with the media menu tray of the media menu tray user interface view for display on the display screen of the mobile device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

detecting, by the media service user interface system while the full-screen video playback view is displayed on the display screen of the primary display device, a user request to launch the media menu tray for display on the display screen of the primary display device;

wherein the switching from the providing the full-screen video playback view for display on the display screen of the primary display device to the providing of the media menu tray user interface view for display on the display screen of the primary display device is performed in response to the user request; and

wherein the correspondingly switching from the providing of the first remote control interface view for display on the display screen of the mobile device to the providing of the second remote control interface view for display on the display screen of the mobile device is performed in response to the user request.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the user request comprises a user selection, within the first remote control interface view, of an option to launch the media menu tray for display on the display screen of the primary display device.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

detecting, by the media service user interface system while the media menu tray user interface view is displayed on the display screen of the primary display device, a user request to hide the media menu tray from being displayed on the display screen of the primary display device;

switching, by the media service user interface system, from the providing of the media menu tray user interface view for display on the display screen of the primary display device to providing the full-screen video playback view for display on the display screen of the primary display device in response to the user request; and

correspondingly switching, by the media service user interface system, from the providing of the second remote control interface view for display on the display screen of the mobile display device to providing the first remote control interface view for display on the display screen of the mobile device in response to the user request.

20. The method of claim 16, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

21. A system comprising:

a primary display user interface facility that provides, for display on a display screen of a primary display device, a media menu tray user interface view that includes

main user interface content displayed on a first portion of the display screen of the primary display device, and

a media menu tray displayed on a second portion of the display screen of the primary display device, the media menu tray including a set of one or more user-selectable graphical objects representing a menu of one or more media programs; and

a secondary display user interface facility that provides, for display on a display screen of a mobile device while the media menu tray user interface view is provided for display on the display screen of the primary display device, a remote control user interface view dynamically tailored to facilitate remote user interaction with the media menu tray included in the media menu tray user interface view provided for display on the display screen of the primary display device.