Monitor apparatus for selecting audio-visual units and operating modes from a control window

• US 5,371,553 A
• Filed: 05/06/1994
• Issued: 12/06/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ogawa, Kazuyuki, Kawamura, Harumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan J.
• Application Number:
  US08/238,800
• Time in Patent Office: 214 Days
• Field of Search: 348/588, 348/589, 348/725, 348/734, 348/731
• US Class Current: 725/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/205 with control bus for exchanging commands between units
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording

Abstract

A monitor apparatus for an audio-visual system enables a user to select a program to be displayed without being aware of audio-visual units constituting the audio-visual system. A first control window for selecting one of audio-visual units of the audio-visual system and a second control window for designating an operation mode of the selected audio-visual unit are displayed on a screen of a monitor unit. Designations of the audio-visual units are displayed in the first window, and when one of the designations is pointed by a selected device to select a corresponding audio-visual unit, available operation modes of the selected audio-visual unit are displayed in the second window. Then, when one of the operation modes is selected by the pointing device the selected audio-visual unit is put into the selected operation mode. Also an improved control menu displaying apparatus is provided.

Claims

1. A monitor apparatus for an audio-visual system which includes a monitor unit, a plurality of audio-visual units, and audio-visual bus means for transmitting data signals including a command, a video signal and an audio signal between said monitor unit and said audio-visual units, said monitor apparatus comprising:

display means for displaying thereon a first control window including a plurality of icons representing respectively said plurality of audio-visual units and a second control window for displaying a plurality of control keys corresponding respectively to a plurality of operation modes of the plurality of audio-visual units, and for displaying images produced by said audio-visual units in a third window;

pointing means for operation by a user of the monitor apparatus a moving a pointer on said first control window and on said second control window for selecting one of said plurality of icons in said first control window and for selecting one of said plurality of control keys in said second control window; and

controlling means for causing, when one of said plurality of icons displayed in said first control window is selected by said pointing means, said display means to display available operation modes of the corresponding audio-visual unit and for putting, when one of the control keys is selected by said pointing means, the selected audio-visual unit into the selected operation mode.

2. A monitor apparatus for an audio-visual system according to claim 1 wherein said pointing means includes a plurality of remote control keys provided on a remote controller for said monitor unit.

3. A control menu displaying apparatus for displaying a control menu for selecting a program to be displayed on a display unit, said control menu displaying apparatus comprising:

first means for causing said display unit to display thereon a control menu including several items of programs;

second means for designating selected ones of said several items of programs for display;

third means for storing therein access data corresponding to the selected ones of the several items of programs;

fourth means for developing an instruction to change the display position of a designated one of the items in the control menu based on comparing the access data to the designated item with the access data to the other items and determining whether the designated item has been designated a greater number of times than the other items; and

fifth means responsive to the instruction from said fourth means for changing the display position of the designated item within the control menu displayed on the display unit.

4. A control menu displaying apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the items are displayed in a vertical column, and when said fourth means determines that the display position of the designated item should be changed, said fifth means shifts the display position of the designated item upwardly in the vertical column.