User friendly remote system interface with menu scrolling

• US 6,344,865 B1
• Filed: 10/22/1999
• Issued: 02/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Matthews, Joseph H. III, Barnes, David A., Plummer, David Wm.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Ba
• Application Number:
  US09/422,652
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 345/815, 345/600, 345/661, 345/670, 345/671, 345/698, 345/699
• US Class Current: 715/815
• 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 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234381 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. decreasing the frame rate by frame skipping
• 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 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• 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 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format

Abstract

A system, method, and medium for enhancing a GUI and viewing environment for a computer user is disclosed. Enabling a user to fully navigate and operate a computer through the use of a remote control device, the present invention includes at least a PC mode of operation and a theater mode of operation, wherein the theater mode is designed for distance use with the remote device. While operating in theater mode, received function key signals are interpreted by the computer system to operate various functions which have been modified to accommodate remote viewing and control. To enable the remote device to fully control the applications executable on the computer, the disclosed process notifies the various applications of the current operating mode.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a computer;

an input device coupled to the computer which receives input from a user; and

a display device coupled to the computer, wherein the display device can be operated in one of a plurality of screen resolutions;

wherein the computer controls the display device to generate menus of a particular physical size relative to the display device screen size in accordance with a sizing factor input from the user, such that a user can control the size of the menus independently of resolution changes caused by changing to a different screen resolution.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer multiplies the sizing factor entered by the user with a current screen resolution to determine the size of the menu.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the system calculates a resolution factor, said resolution factor being the ratio of an aspect of a current display resolution to a corresponding aspect of a predefined resolution of a menu to be displayed.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the aspect of a current display resolution is a horizontal resolution and corresponds to a horizontal resolution of the predefined resolution of the menu to be displayed.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the aspect of a current display resolution is a vertical resolution and corresponds to a vertical resolution of the predefined resolution of the menu to be displayed.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein the aspect of a current display resolution is a combination of horizontal and vertical resolutions and corresponds to horizontal and vertical resolutions of the predefined resolution of the menu to be displayed.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein the resolution factor is multiplied by the sizing factor.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the sizing factor is in the range of 0.0 to 1.0.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the sizing factor is in the range of 0.5 to 1.0.

3. A method comprising:

operating a display device coupled to a computer in one of a plurality of screen resolutions;

receiving at a computer input from a user via an input device;

controlling said display device to generate menus of a particular physical size relative to the display device screen size by determining a ratio of screen size to menu size in accordance with input from the user, such that a user can control the size of the menus independently of resolution changes caused by changing to a different screen resolution.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the computer in said controlling step multiplies a sizing factor entered by the user with a current screen resolution to determine the size of the menu.

14. The method of claim 3 further comprising calculating a resolution factor, said resolution factor being a ratio of an aspect of a current display resolution to a corresponding aspect of a predefined resolution of a menu to be displayed.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the aspect of a current display resolution is a horizontal resolution and corresponds to a horizontal resolution of the predefined resolution of the menu to be displayed.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the aspect of a current display resolution is a vertical resolution and corresponds to a vertical resolution of the predefined resolution of the menu to be displayed.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the aspect of a current display resolution is a combination of horizontal and vertical resolutions and corresponds to horizontal and vertical resolutions of the predefined resolution of the menu to be displayed.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the input from the user comprises a sizing factor.

19. The method of claim 18 comprising multiplying the resolution ratio by the sizing factor.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the sizing factor is in the range of 0.0 to 1.0.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the sizing factor is in the range of 0.5 to 1.0.

5. A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

operating a display device coupled to a computer in one of a plurality of screen resolutions;

receiving at a computer input from a user via an input device;

controlling said display device to generate menus of a particular physical size relative to the display device screen size accordance with a sizing factor input from the user, such that a user can control the size of the menus independently of resolution changes caused by changing to a different screen resolution.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 5 having further computer-executable instructions for performing the step of:

multiplying the sizing factor entered by the user with a current screen resolution to determine the size of the menu.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 5 having further computer-executable instructions for calculating a resolution factor, said resolution factor being a ratio of an aspect of a current display resolution to a corresponding aspect of a predefined resolution of a menu to be displayed.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22 wherein the aspect of a current display resolution is a horizontal resolution and corresponds to a horizontal resolution of the predefined resolution of the menu to be displayed.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 22 wherein the aspect of a current display resolution is a vertical resolution and corresponds to a vertical resolution of the predefined resolution of the menu to be displayed.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 22 wherein the aspect of a current display resolution is a combination of horizontal and vertical resolutions and corresponds to horizontal and vertical resolutions of the predefined resolution of the menu to be displayed.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 22 having further computer-executable code for multiplying the resolution ratio by the sizing factor.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 wherein the sizing factor is in the range of 0.0 to 1.0.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 27 wherein the sizing factor is in the range of 0.5 to 1.0.