Method and apparatus for centering an image on a display monitor

• US 5,945,991 A
• Filed: 04/24/1997
• Issued: 08/31/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: WebTV Networks Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Britt, Joe F., Leak, Bruce A.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US08/845,511
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• Field of Search: 345/333, 345/327, 345/356-357, 345/326, 345/336, 345/328, 345/34, 345/330, 345/339, 345/332, 345/334-352, 348/7-12, 348/565-566, 395/200.33, 395/200.47-200.49, 455/301-307
• US Class Current: 715/767
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• 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: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• 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: G06F 3/04897 Special input arrangements or commands for improving display capability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/027 Arrangements and methods specific for the display of internet documents
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 9/0235 specially adapted for remote control, e.g. of audio or video apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/46 Embedding additional information in the video signal during the compression process H04N19/517, H04N19/68, H04N19/70 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2383 Channel coding or modulation of digital bit-stream, e.g. QPSK modulation arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received by adapting the channel coding H04L1/0009; analogue front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/42212 Specific keyboard arrangements
• 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 21/4314 : for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 : for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 : Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4355 : involving reformatting operations of additional data, e.g. HTML pages on a television screen optimising the visualization of content for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/9577; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/066; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4356 : by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. to reformat additional data on a handheld device, attached to the STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4382 : Demodulation or channel decoding, e.g. QPSK demodulation analog front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4396 : by muting the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44012 : involving rendering scenes according to scene graphs, e.g. MPEG-4 scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 : by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 : Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4516 : involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 : Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 : Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 : End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 : Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4852 : for modifying audio parameters, e.g. switching between mono and stereo
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4858 : for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 : comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 : involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 : using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 : for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 : Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/602 : for digital sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 : Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

Web browser software implemented in a set-top box as part of a client system communicating over the Internet with one or more servers allows a user to adjust the position of a screen image displayed on a monitor through World-Wide Web pages displayed on the monitor. The web browser software provides a center adjustment screen which contains control buttons allowing the centering of the screen image on the display, and instructions on how to center the screen image using the control buttons. The user centers the active area of the screen image displayed on the display monitor using the control buttons on the center adjustment screen. The offset values corresponding to the user input of the position controls are stored in memory so that the center position of the screen image is set for the particular display device.

Claims

1. In a computer network that includes (i) a plurality of servers for accessing a plurality of network sites containing various types of content, as for example text and graphics files, which can be viewed and downloaded when desired, and that includes (ii) a plurality of client systems, at least some of which are comprised of a television monitor electronically connected to and controlled by a processor and an input device which together permit the television monitor to function as a computer display while the processor of the client system is connected to a server for purposes of browsing the network sites, a method of centering a page of a network site on the television monitor when it is used as a computer display while browsing such network sites, comprising the steps of:

establishing a connection between a processor of a client system and one of said servers so that the television monitor of the client system is thereafter utilized as a computer display for purposes of browsing one or more pages of one or more network sites;

providing access at said server to which the client system is connected to a center adjustment screen page which includes instructions for adjusting the active area of the television monitor'"'"'s display to an optimally desired position which will permit optimal display of the various pages browsed at each network site that is accessed by the client system;

accessing the adjustment screen page using the input device and processor of the client system that is connected to said server, and thereater inputting instructions from the input device and processor of the client system to optimally adjust the active area of the television monitor'"'"'s display; and

thereafter leaving the adjustment screen page and using the client system to browse other pages of one or more other network sites.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying a position control field on said center adjustment screen page, wherein said position control field includes one or more direction controls that are accessed by the input device and processor of the client system.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of displaying instructions on said center adjustment screen page, said instructions instructing the selection of said one or more displayed direction controls.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein said position control field comprises a horizontal location value of a reference point on an active area of said television monitor used as a computer display, and a vertical location value of said reference point on said active area.

5. A method according to claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

storing said horizontal location value in a first memory location; and

storing said vertical location value in a second memory location.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein said input device is coupled to said television monitor through a wireless link, and said step of accessing said center adjustment page further comprises the step of utilizing said wireless link to achieve an interactive adjustment of said active area.

7. A system for centering a page of a network site on a television monitor when it is used as a computer display while browsing such network sites, comprising:

a network server for accessing a plurality of network sites containing various types of content, as for example text and graphics files, which can be viewed and downloaded when desired, said network server comprising means for accessing and displaying a center adjustment screen page which includes instructions for adjusting the active area of a television monitor'"'"'s display to an optimally desired position which will permit optimal display of the various pages browsed at each network site that is accessed; and

a client system comprised of a processor, a television monitor electronically connected to and controlled by the processor and an input device which together permit the television monitor to function as a computer display while the processor of the client system is connected to a server for purposes of browsing the network sites, and said client system further comprising means for accessing and downloading to the television monitor the center adjustment screen page from said server, and means for thereafter utilizing the adjustment screen page together with the input device to optimally adjust an active area of the television monitor for display of the content of one or more pages of one or more network sites as they are browsed using the client system and server.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein said center adjustment screen page comprises position data having a horizontal location coordinate of a reference point on said center adjustment screen and a vertical location coordinate of said reference point on said center adjustment screen.

9. A system according to claim 8 further comprising a memory means having a first location storing said horizontal location coordinate and a second location storing said vertical location coordinate.

10. A system according to claim 9 wherein said memory means is a non-volatile memory device.

11. A system according to claim 9 wherein said center adjustment screen page comprises a screen image displayed through an interactive display environment including World-Wide Web content.

12. A system according to claim 11, wherein said center adjustment screen page includes a Hypertext Mark-up Language (HTML) object.

13. In a computer network that includes (i) a plurality of servers for accessing a plurality of network sites containing various types of content, as for example text and graphics files, which can be viewed and downloaded when desired, and that includes (ii) a plurality of client systems, at least some of which are comprised of a television monitor electronically connected to and controlled by a processor and an input device which together permit the television monitor to function as a computer display while the processor of the client system is connected to a server for purposes of browsing the network sites, as an article of manufacture, a computer program product for implementing on one of said servers a method of centering a page of a network site on the television monitor when it is used as a computer display while browsing such network sites, comprising:

a computer readable medium for carrying computer program code means for implementing said method on one of said servers; and

wherein said computer program code means is comprised of;

first program code means for responding to a client system by establishing a connection between a processor of the client system and said one server so that the television monitor of the client system is thereafter utilized as a computer display for purposes of browsing one or more pages of one or more network sites;

second program code means for providing access at said server to which the client system is connected to a center adjustment screen page which includes instructions for adjusting the active of the television monitor'"'"'s display to an optimally desired position which will permit optimal display of the various pages browsed at each network site that is accessed by the client system;

and downloading in response to an access request from the client system the adjustment screen page so that thereafter the input device and processor of the client system that is connected to said server can be used to optimally adjust the active area of the television monitor'"'"'s display.

14. A computer program product according to claim 13, further comprising program code means for displaying a position control field on said center adjustment screen page, wherein said position control field includes one or more direction controls that are accessed by the input device and processor of the client system.

15. A computer program product according to claim 14, further comprising program code means for displaying instructions on said center adjustment screen page, said instructions instructing the selection of said one or more displayed direction controls.

16. A computer program product according to claim 14, wherein said position control field comprises a horizontal location value of a reference point on an active area of said television monitor used as a computer display, and a vertical location value of said reference point on said active area.

17. A computer program product according to claim 16, further comprising program code means for performing the steps of;

storing said horizontal location value in a first memory location; and

storing said vertical location value in a second memory location.

18. A computer program product according to claim 17, wherein said input device is coupled to said television monitor through a wireless link, and said second program code means for providing access to said center adjustment page further comprises program code means for utilizing said wireless link to achieve an interactive adjustment of said active area.