Graphical-interactive-screen display apparatus and peripheral units

• US 6,118,442 A
• Filed: 04/02/1997
• Issued: 09/12/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanigawa, Hidekazu
• Primary Examiner(s): FLYNN, NATHAN J
• Application Number:
  US08/829,357
• Time in Patent Office: 1,259 Days
• Field of Search: 345/326, 345/327, 345/328, 345/333, 345/334, 345/353, 345/352, 345/354, 345/356, 345/357, 348/6, 348/7, 348/8, 348/10, 348/12, 348/13, 348/552, 348/553, 348/554, 348/563, 348/564, 348/569, 455/6.3
• US Class Current: 715/719
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• 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 21/42209 for displaying non-command information, e.g. electronic program guide [EPG], e-mail, messages or a second television channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42226 Reprogrammable remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42228 the reprogrammable keys being displayed on a display screen in order to reduce the number of keys on the remote control device itself
• 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 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• 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 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A program receiver for displaying a graphical interactive picture by receiving a program transmitted from a program transmitter, the program receiver comprising: a storage unit for storing a plurality of basic picture elements in advance, the plurality of basic picture elements being figures composing the graphical interactive picture manipulated by a user; a signal receipt unit for receiving a signal transmitted from the program transmitter, the signal being a multiplex signal including a program and data specifying a structure of the graphical interactive picture; a signal separation unit for separating the signal received by the signal receipt unit into a program signal and a graphical-interactive-picture-structure specification data signal; a first graphical interactive picture generation unit for generating the graphical interactive picture by combining the basic picture elements stored in the storage unit based on the graphical-interactive-picture-structure specification data signal from the signal separation unit; and a display unit for displaying the graphical interactive picture generated by the first graphical interactive picture generation unit.

Claims

1. A synthesis apparatus including a plurality of appliances for synthesizing menu information withheld by each appliance, said menu information being hierarchical information enabling a user to control said appliances interactively,

(1) one of said plurality of appliances including:

first menu storage means for storing first menu information, said first menu information being hierarchical information to be used to control said one appliance;

menu information receipt means for receiving the menu information from the other appliances;

menu information synthesis means for synthesizing the menu information received by said menu information receipt means and first menu information stored in said first menu information storage unit, resulting synthesized menu information being used as a menu-information selection menu at a highest position in a hierarchy; and

menu display means for displaying the menu-information selection menu generated by said menu information synthesis means,

(2) each of the other appliances including;

menu storage means for storing the menu information unique to each appliance, the menu information being hierarchical information to be used to control each appliance; and

menu transmission means for transmitting the unique menu information in said menu storage means to said one appliance.

2. The synthesis apparatus of claim 1, wherein said one appliance further includes synthesis rule storage means for storing rules regulating menu-information synthesis by said menu information synthesis means,

whereby said menu information synthesis means synthesizes the menu information from the other appliances and the first menu information in accordance with the synthesis rules.

3. The synthesis apparatus of claim 2, wherein said menu transmission means includes:

a menu information retrieval direction unit for detecting a connection with said one appliance and for giving a direction to retrieve the menu information;

a menu information retrieval unit for retrieving the menu information from said menu storage means upon receipt of the direction from said menu information retrieval direction unit; and

a menu transmission unit for transmitting the menu information retrieved by said menu information retrieval unit to said menu information receipt means.

4. The synthesis apparatus of claim 3, wherein said menu information synthesis means further includes:

a menu information temporarily storage unit for temporarily storing the menu information received by said menu information receipt means;

a first menu information retrieval unit for retrieving the first menu information from said first menu storage means;

a synthesis rule retrieval unit for retrieving the synthesis rules from said synthesis rule storage means, said synthesis rules including a synthesis rule for a hierarchial structure, a selection rule for a displayed shape, a synthesis rule for a panel object, and a synthesis rule for control of said appliances; and

a hierarchial structure synthesis unit for synthesizing the menu information stored in said menu information temporarily storage unit and the first menu information retrieved by said first menu information retrieval unit in accordance with the hierarchical synthesis rule retrieved by said synthesis rule retrieval unit.

5. The synthesis apparatus of claim 4, wherein said menu information synthesis means includes:

a menu selection acceptance unit for accepting a selection of an appliance subject to control manipulation using the menu-information selection menu displayed by said menu display means;

a menu information retrieval unit for retrieving the menu information of the appliance accepted by said menu selection acceptance unit from said hierarchical structure synthesis unit; and

a menu switch control unit for changing a display on said menu display means in accordance with the menu information retrieved by said menu information retrieval unit.

6. A synthesis method for synthesizing a plurality of pieces of hierarchical menu information used for interactively setting operations, the synthesis method comprising:

a first menu storage step for previously storing first hierarchical menu information used for interactively setting operations in a first storage area;

a second menu storage step for previously storing second hierarchical menu information used for interactively setting operations in a second storage area;

a synthesis rule storage step for previously storing synthesis rules regulating synthesis of the plurality of pieces of hierarchical menu information in a third storage area;

a menu information synthesis step for synthesizing the first hierarchical menu information and the second hierarchical menu information to generate a menu in accordance with the synthesis rules; and

a menu display step for displaying the menu generated in said menu information synthesis step.

7. The synthesis method of claim 6, wherein in said menu information synthesis step, any pieces of a highest hierarchical menu information among the plurality of pieces of hierarchical menu information are synthesized to generate the menu.

8. The synthesis method of claim 7, wherein said menu information synthesis step includes:

a first menu information retrieval sub-step for retrieving the first menu information from said first menu storage area;

a synthesis rule retrieval sub-step for retrieving the synthesis rules from said third storage area, the synthesis rules including a synthesis rule for a hierarchical structure, a selection rule for a displayed shape, and a synthesis rule for a panel object; and

a hierarchical structure synthesis sub-step for synthesizing the second menu information stored in said second storage area and the first menu information retrieved in said first menu information a retrieval sub-step in accordance with the synthesis rule for the hierarchical structure retrieved in said synthesis rule retrieval sub-step to create menu information corresponding to the hierarchical structure.