Remote control method and video apparatus for performing the same

• US 5,767,919 A
• Filed: 01/31/1995
• Issued: 06/16/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Sang-su, Hong, Chang-wan
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgess, Glenton B.
• Application Number:
  US08/381,238
• Time in Patent Office: 1,232 Days
• Field of Search: 348/569, 348/734, 348/563-565, 348/906, 345/160, 345/902, 345/157, 345/145, 345/146, 395/156, 395/154, 395/157
• US Class Current: 725/37
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/045 Self-contained testing apparatus
• 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 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/57 Control of contrast or brightness
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/643 Hue control means, e.g. flesh tone control

Abstract

A remote control method for controlling a video apparatus such as a television or videocassette recorder includes the steps of displaying a cursor on a display screen in response to a movement of the remote controller; displaying a main menu according to a key input of the remote controller while a cursor is displayed on the display screen; selecting the desired main menu by moving the cursor and displaying a sub-menu belonging to the selected main menu while the main menu is displayed on the display screen; displaying a control menu belonging to the selected sub-menu when the desired sub-menu is selected by moving the cursor while the sub-menu is displayed; and performing the corresponding function when the desired function is selected by moving the cursor while the control menu is displayed, to thereby select the menu by a cursor and reduce the number of function keys of the remote controller, and thus easily control the video apparatus.

Claims

1. A remote control method for performing a remote control operation using a remote controller, said method comprising the steps of:

displaying an image signal on a main region of a display screen;

displaying a cursor on the display screen in response to a movement of the remote controller;

displaying a main menu according to a key input of the remote controller while a cursor is displayed on the display screen;

selecting a desired main menu function by moving the cursor;

displaying a sub-menu belonging to the desired main menu function while the main menu is displayed on the display screen;

selecting a desired sub-menu function by moving the cursor;

displaying a control menu belonging to the desired sub-menu function while the sub-menu is displayed;

performing a control function by moving the cursor to a corresponding control area while the control menu is displayed; and

reducing the main region of the display screen, when a menu is displayed, so as to display the image signal onto a region of the display screen which has a predetermined size and which excludes a menu region.

2. A remote control method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of terminating the display of one of the main menu, the sub-menu and the control menu when the main region is selected by the cursor in any one of said main menu displaying step, sub-menu displaying step, control menu displaying step and control function performing step wherein the step of terminating the display is Performed by pressing a menu key while the cursor is displayed on the display screen.

3. A remote control method according to claim 2, wherein the main region is enlarged to the original screen size when the display of one of the main menu, the sub-menu and the control menu is terminated in said terminating step.

4. A video system including a display, said video system comprising:

a video apparatus;

a remote controller including a light emitter for transmitting a first infrared signal in accordance with a key-input, and a location detector for detecting a relative location with respect to the video apparatus according to a second infrared signal;

means for detecting the first infrared signal transmitted from the remote controller and sending the second infrared signal to the remote controller in response to the detected first infrared signal;

data storage means for storing a cursor signal and code signals of a main menu, a sub-menu and a control menu according to function;

character information generating means for reading the cursor signal and at least one of the code signals from said data storage means, to thereby generate character information;

image signal processing means for reducing an image signal applied to a main screen of the display so as to display the image signal onto a region of the display having a predetermined size and which excludes a menu region when a menu is displayed; and

a system controller for controlling the character information generating means to generate a cursor onto a location of the display in response to a movement of the remote controller according to the first infrared signal transmitted from said remote controller, and to generate the main menu as character information according to the key input of said remote controller, and to generate the sub-menu belonging to a selected main menu and the control menu belonging to the selected sub-menu as character information according to cursor movement.

5. A video system according to claim 4, further comprising an external device controller that selects a second video apparatus connected to said video apparatus, so as to control at least one function of said second video apparatus by a menu when said another video apparatus is selected by a cursor from an external device select menu on the display.

6. A remote control method for performing a remote control operation using a remote controller, said method comprising the steps of:

displaying an image signal on a main region of a display screen;

displaying a cursor on the display screen in response to a movement of the remote controller;

displaying a main menu according to a key input of the remote controller while a cursor is displayed on the display screen;

selecting a desired main menu function by moving the cursor while the main menu is displayed on the display screen;

; and

reducing the main region of the display screen, when the main menu is displayed, so as to display the image signal onto a region of the display screen which has a predetermined size and which excludes a menu region.