Channel bar user interface for an entertainment system
First Claim
1. In an entertainment system capable of receiving video signals from multiple channels and displaying the video signals on a display within a video frame, a user interface comprising a graphical channel bar which contains a plurality of linearly arranged channel-related icons for navigating the channels and a recent channels bar which contains actuatable icons associated with channels that have been most recently selected, the channel bar and the recent channels bar being concurrently presented on the display along with the video frame when the UI is invoked so that a viewer can select and actuate one of the icons on the channel bar or on the recent channels bar to cause the entertainment system to tune to a particular channel related to the actuated icon.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A graphical user interface for an entertainment system assists a viewer while navigating channels. The user interface is a channel bar which is displayed together with the currently selected channel. The channel bar has a plurality of linearly arranged channel-related icons for navigating the channels. A viewer-controllable focus is movable along the channel bar to permit the viewer to select and actuate any one of the icons, causing the entertainment system to jump to the channel associated with the selected icon. The entertainment system is a computerized viewing unit which has a processor, memory, and a multitasking operating system that provides a graphical user interface environment which supports presentation of graphical windows. An application executes on the processor to provide the channel bar user interface. An input device--such as a mouse, keyboard, remote control handset, etc.--enables the viewer to invoke the channel bar and to manipulate the focus along the channel bar. The channel bar UI includes a banner which contains information pertaining to the presently selected channel and a recent channels bar which contains linearly-arranged actuatable icons that are associated with channels that have been most recently selected by the viewer. The channel bar UI also includes a favorite channels bar having actuatable icons for channels most preferred by the viewer and a tools bar having actuatable icons that are associated with control features for operating the entertainment system. The tools bar has an icon which permits a viewer to toggle between a television mode, in which programs are displayed full screen, and a windows mode in which the program and channel bar are confined to a window.
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Citations
41 Claims
- 1. In an entertainment system capable of receiving video signals from multiple channels and displaying the video signals on a display within a video frame, a user interface comprising a graphical channel bar which contains a plurality of linearly arranged channel-related icons for navigating the channels and a recent channels bar which contains actuatable icons associated with channels that have been most recently selected, the channel bar and the recent channels bar being concurrently presented on the display along with the video frame when the UI is invoked so that a viewer can select and actuate one of the icons on the channel bar or on the recent channels bar to cause the entertainment system to tune to a particular channel related to the actuated icon.
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18. In an entertainment system capable of receiving video signals from multiple channels and displaying the video signals on a display within a video frame, the entertainment device having a processor which executes an invokable channel bar user interface (UI), the channel bar UI comprising:
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a banner to identify which channel is presently selected; and at least one control bar which contains a plurality of linearly arranged channel-related icons for navigating the channels, the control bar further having a recent channels bar which contains actuatable icons associated with channels that have been most recently selected. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. In an entertainment system capable of receiving television signals and displaying the television signals within a display frame on a display, and in which the entertainment system has a memory, a processor, and an operating system executing on the processor to provide a graphical user interface environment which supports presentation of at least one graphical window on the display, a computer-executable application stored in the memory and executable on the processor to control presentation of the television signals on the display, the computer-executable application containing computer-executable instructions for:
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displaying the television signals within the display frame during a first mode of operation; displaying the television signals within a graphical window during a second mode of operation; and displaying a channel bar along with the television signals, the channel bar having a plurality of linearly arranged channel-related icons which, upon actuation, cause the entertainment system to change channels to receive different television signals, the channel bar further having a windows icon which, upon actuation, converts between the first and second mode of operation; displaying, within the channel bar, actuatable hyperlinks to target resources on a data network. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27)
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28. In an entertainment system which can receive television programs from multiple channels, a method for operating the entertainment system comprising the following steps:
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displaying a television program from one of the channels; and selectively displaying a channel bar and a recent channels bar in conjunction with the television program, the channel bar having a plurality of linearly arranged channel-related icons which are associated with other channels and the recent channels bar containing actuatable icons associated with channels that have been most recently selected. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A viewer computing unit for depicting television programs on a display, comprising:
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a processor; an operating system executing on the processor to provide a graphical user interface environment which supports presentation of at least one graphical window on the display; a television explorer application executable on the processor to provide a user interface helpful to a viewer to select among channels carrying the television programs, the user interface (UI) being configured as a channel bar having a plurality of channel-related icons which are associated with the channels, the television explorer application facilitating conversion between a full screen mode in which a television program is displayed in full screen on the display and a windows mode in which the television program is displayed within a graphical window according to a predefined aspect ratio; and an input device operable in conjunction with the operating system to enable a viewer to select one of the icons on the channel bar. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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Specification