Television graphical user interface having variable channel changer icons

• US 6,195,089 B1
• Filed: 11/12/1996
• Issued: 02/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Khauv, Keit, Chaney, Jack, Blonstein, Steve, Harms, Kevin, Leung, Fai-To
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sajous, Wesner
• Application Number:
  US08/747,692
• Time in Patent Office: 1,568 Days
• Field of Search: 348/563, 348/564, 348/569, 348/570, 348/589, 348/6, 348/7, 348/10, 348/12, 348/13, 348/906, 455/4.2, 455/5.1, 455/6.1, 455/6.2, 345/158, 345/157, 345/145, 345/146, 345/348, 345/352, 345/341, 345/327, 345/342
• US Class Current: 725/56
• 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4823 using a channel name

Abstract

A TV graphical user interface provided on a TV screen includes a graphical channel changer for enabling a user to select a required TV channel among about 1000 channels provided by a satellite TV system. The graphical channel changer contains a vertical channel bar composed of channel boxes that display numbers and logos of selected TV channels. To switch a TV set to a required TV channel, the user directs the pointing device at the graphical channel box that indicates the required channel. Up and down scroll bars, that allow the user to scan through the entire list of TV channels, dynamically alter their size in accordance with the position of the TV channel being currently scanned to provide the user with visual feedback. A relative position indicator is arranged between the up and down scroll bars.

Claims

1. A television (TV) system comprising:

a CPU, and

a TV monitor controlled by said CPU for displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) having at least one channel object for identifying TV channels, and a control icon for changing the TV channels identified by said channel object,

wherein said control icon dynamically varies its size with a change of the identified TV channels to indicate the relative position of a specific TV channel in relation to channels not currently displayed on said channel object.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said control icon comprises a control bar that dynamically alters its size with a change of the identified TV channels.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said control icon comprises an up scroll bar for scrolling up the displayed TV channels, and a down scroll bar for scrolling down the displayed TV channels.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein activation of said up scroll bar causes said channel object to identify a preceding TV channel followed by a currently identified TV channel in a channel list .

5. The system of claim 4, wherein activation of said down scroll bar causes said channel object to identify a subsequent TV channel following said currently identified TV channel in the channel list.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said up scroll bar and said down scroll bar dynamically vary when said currently identified TV channel is changed by said channel object.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein relative size of said up scroll bar with respect to said down scroll bar dynamically varies when said currently identified TV channel is changed by said channel object.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein said up scroll bar shortens and said down scroll bar elongates when said channel object replaces said currently identified TV channel with said preceding TV channel.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said up scroll bar elongates and said down scroll bar shortens when said channel object replaces said currently identified TV channel with said subsequent TV channel.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said up scroll bar and said down scroll bar extend beyond a safe area provided on a TV screen to accommodate a picture to overscan conditions.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said up scroll bar and said down scroll bar stretch between opposite edges of the screen.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein said GUI further has a relative position indicator arranged between said up scroll bar and said down scroll bar for indicating position of the currently identified TV channel relative to the channel list.

13. The system of claim 5, wherein said up scroll bar and said down scroll bar are activated by a remote pointing device.

14. The system of claim 5, wherein said channel object indicates numbers and logos of said TV channels.

15. A graphical user interface displayed on a screen of a monitor, comprising:

at least one identification object for showing identification data (ID), and

a control icon for changing the ID shown by said identification object,

said control icon including first and second control objects that dynamically and relatively vary in size with modification of the shown ID in relation to IDs not currently displayed on the screen.

16. The graphical user interface of claim 15, wherein said first control object is activated for changing a currently shown ID to a preceding ID that is followed by the currently shown ID in an ID list.

17. The graphical user interface of claim 16, wherein said second control object is activated for changing a currently shown ID to a subsequent ID following the currently shown ID in the ID list.

18. The graphical user interface of claim 17, wherein said first control object decreases in size and said second control object increases in size when said identification object replaces the currently shown ID with the preceding ID.

19. The graphical user interface of claim 18, wherein said first control object increases in size and said second control object decreases in size when said identification object replaces the currently shown ID with the subsequent ID.

20. In a graphical user interface displayed on a TV monitor and having at least one channel object for identifying TV channels, and up and down scroll bars for enabling a user to change TV channels identified by said channel object, a method of providing the user with visual feedback, comprising the steps of:

decreasing the size of said up scroll bar and increasing the size of said down scroll bar when said up scroll bar is activated to replace a TV channel currently identified by said channel object with a preceding TV channel followed by said currently identified TV channel in a list of TV channels, and

increasing the size of said up scroll bar and decreasing the size of said down scroll bar when said down scroll bar is activated to replace said currently identified TV channel with a subsequent TV channel following said currently identified TV channel in said list of TV channels.