Method and apparatus for interacting and selecting information on a video device

• US 6,211,878 B1
• Filed: 11/16/1998
• Issued: 04/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Transpacific IP Group Limited
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Lin, Jeng-Weei, Wang, Tai-Yuan, Ferng, Jyhhwa, Cheng, Po-wen, Liao, Wen-Chiuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Application Number:
  US09/192,277
• Time in Patent Office: 869 Days
• Field of Search: 345/357, 345/339, 345/341, 345/352, 345/327, 345/123, 345/169, 345/184, 345/156, 345/329, 707/501, 707/513, 348/734, 348/552, 709/203, 709/201
• US Class Current: 715/760
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• 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 21/42206 characterized by hardware details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV

Abstract

A method and apparatus for interacting and selecting information on a video device employs a remote control unit which has a plurality of user interface devices. The user interface devices control information flow on the video device in a predetermined manner. The method and apparatus for interacting with information on the video device directly interacts with Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) tags without the need of a graphical mouse pointer on the video device.

Claims

1. A system for interacting and selecting information on video device without a mouse pointer, the apparatus comprising:

a remote control unit;

a video device;

a computer, said computer being operatively linked to the remote control unit via an interface;

a first user interface device disposed on said remote control unit, said first user interface device generating a signal upon actuation that activates information displayed on the video device outputted by said computer;

a second user interface device disposed on said remote control unit, said second user interface device generating a signal upon actuation that selects information displayed on the video device outputted by said computer;

a third user interface device disposed on said remote control unit, said third user interface device generating a signal upon actuation that scrolls information on the video device outputted by said computer;

a fourth user interface device disposed on said remote control unit, said fourth user interface device generating a signal upon actuation that advances information in a page format on said video device outputted by said computer;

a fifth user interface device disposed on said remote control unit, said fifth user interface device generating a signal upon actuation that regresses information in a page format on said video device outputted by said computer;

a sixth user interface device disposed on said remote control unit, said sixth user interface device generating a signal upon actuation that advances information incrementally on said video device outputted by said computer; and

a seventh user interface device disposed on said remote control unit, said seventh user interface device generating a signal upon actuation that regresses information incrementally on said video device outputted by said computer, whereby efficiency in remote operation of a computer program which outputs information on the video device is substantially increased.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said third user interface device includes a wheel structure.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said first user interface device is disposed within a central region of said wheel structure, said first user interface device includes a substantially cylindrical structure.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each interface device includes a switch which produces signals having individual characteristics recognizable by said computer.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said first user interface device activates a hyperlink on a web page displayed on said video device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said second user interface device highlights a frame on a web page displayed on said video device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said third user interface device initiates scrolling through at least one of text and images on a web page displayed on said video device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said fourth user interface device initiates advancing through at least one of text and images in a page format on a web page displayed on said video device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the fifth interface device regresses through at least one of text and images in a page format on a web page displayed on said video device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the sixth interface device advances through at least one of text and image hyperlinks in increments on a web page displayed on said video device.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the seventh interface device regresses through at least one of text and image hyperlinks in increments on a web page displayed on said video device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the seventh interface device highlights or unhighlights a hyperlink on a web page displayed on said video device.

13. A method executable in a computer system for interacting and selecting information on a video device without a mouse pointer, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting the activation of a user interface device on a remote control unit;

activating information displayed on the video device if a first interface device is actuated;

selecting information displayed on the video device if a second interface device is actuated;

scrolling through information on the video device by activating if a third interface device is actuated;

advancing through information in a page format if a fourth interface device is actuated;

regressing through information in a page format if a fifth interface device is actuated;

advancing through information incrementally if a sixth interface device is actuated; and

regressing through information incrementally if a seventh interface device is activated, whereby efficiency in remote operation of the computer program which provides the information on the video device is substantially increased.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of scrolling through information includes scrolling through at least one of text and images on a web page.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of advancing through information in a page format includes advancing through at least one of text and images on a web page.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of regressing through information in a page format includes regressing through at least one of text and images on a web page.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of advancing through information incrementally includes at least one of highlighting or unhighlighting at least one of text and images on a web page.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of regressing through information incrementally includes at least one of moving from one hyperlink to another hyperlink on a web page.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of regressing through information incrementally includes at least one of highlighting or unhighlighting at least one of text and images on a web page.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of advancing through information incrementally includes at least one of moving from one hyperlink to another hyperlink on a web page.

21. A method of interacting and selecting information on a video device without a mouse pointer, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a remote control unit;

providing a plurality of user interface devices on the remote control unit;

providing a video device;

operatively linking the remote control unit to a computer connected to the video device via a wireless interface;

activating information displayed on the video device by activating one of the interface devices;

selecting information displayed on the video device by activating one of the interface devices;

scrolling through information on the video device by activating one of the interface devices;

advancing through information in a page format by activating one of the interface devices;

regressing through information in a page format by activating one of the interface devices;

advancing through information incrementally by activating one of the interface devices; and

regressing through information incrementally by activating one of the interface devices, whereby efficiency in remote operation of a computer program which provides the information on the video device is substantially increased.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of operatively linking the remote control device to the video device includes providing a radio frequency link between the remote control device and the video device.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of providing a video device includes providing a television set which is operatively linked to the remote control unit.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of operatively linking the remote unit to the computer includes producing radio frequency signals having individual characteristics recognizable by the computer.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of activating information includes activating a hyperlink on a web page.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of scrolling through information includes scrolling through at least one of text and images on a web page.

27. The method of claim of claim 26, wherein the step of scrolling through information further includes controlling a scroll rate with a wheel shaped user interface device and rotating said wheel shaped user interface device to initiate scrolling through said information.

28. The method of claim 23, where wherein the step of advancing through information in a page format includes advancing through at least one of text and images on a web page.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of regressing through information in a page format includes regressing through at least one of text and images on a web page.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of advancing through information incrementally includes at least one of highlighting or unhighlighting at least one of text and images on a web page.

31. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of advancing through information incrementally includes at least one of moving from one hyperlink to another hyperlink on a web page.

32. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of regressing through information incrementally includes at least one of highlighting or unhighlighting at least one of text and images on a web page.

33. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of regressing through information incrementally includes at least one of moving from one hyperlink to another hyperlink on a web page.