Graphical tuning bar for a multi-program data stream

• US 6,522,342 B1
• Filed: 01/27/1999
• Issued: 02/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Miller, Charles E., Gagnon, Gregory J., Hughes, Henry A. Jr., Marshall, Robert W., Crook, John A., Crandall, Joshua S., White, Gail K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu D.
• Application Number:
  US09/238,330
• Time in Patent Office: 1,483 Days
• Field of Search: 345/348, 345/349, 345/974, 345/347, 345/357, 345/327, 345/329, 345/352, 345/341, 345/835, 345/833, 345/839, 345/808, 345/854, 345/716, 345/719, 345/733, 345/810, 345/784, 348/906, 348/570, 348/12, 348/13, 725/38, 725/36, 707/501, 709/217
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/25 Arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/43 for identifying broadcast channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/974 Slider control as on-screen object in operator interface

Abstract

A computer based graphical user interface for facilitating the selection and display of transmitted audio, video and data includes a main menu state with a first multi-segment display having an active video/audio segment and a tuning segment. The active video segment displays a currently tuned program and the tuning segment includes an elongated graphic bar. The elongated graphic bar is dynamically sub-divided into a plurality of contiguous regions so that each of the regions uniquely corresponds to a program parsed from a multi-program data stream. The tuning segment also includes a graphic slider that overlays the graphic bar and that is movable along the length of the graphic bar so that the currently tuned program corresponds to the portion of the graphic bar underlying the current position of the graphic slider.

Claims

1. A computer-based graphical user interface for facilitating the selection and display of transmitted audio, video and data, comprising:

a main menu state with a first multi-segment display, the first multi-segment display having an active video/audio segment and a tuning segment;

the active video segment being adapted to display a currently tuned program; and

the tuning segment having an elongated graphic bar with a length and a width, the length of the graphic bar being dynamically sub-divided into a plurality of contiguous regions based on a number of programs that have been parsed from a multi-program data stream and that are authorized for use by a particular user, wherein each of the regions is uniquely mapped to a respective one of a plurality of numeric identifiers, and wherein each of the plurality of numeric identifiers is transmitted within data packets containing displayable information pertaining to a respective one of the number of programs.

2. The interface of claim 1, wherein the tuning segment further comprises an increment graphic for incrementing the currently tuned program to the next highest available program.

3. The interface of claim 1, wherein the tuning segment further comprises a decrement graphic for decrementing the currently tuned program to the next lowest available program.

4. The interface of claim 1, wherein the tuning segment further comprises a graphic slider overlaying the graphic bar and movable along the length of the bar.

5. The interface of claim 4, wherein the position of the slider overlays and corresponds to an underlying region from the plurality of contiguous regions, the underlying region corresponding to the currently tuned program.

6. The interface of claim 4, wherein the tuning segment further comprises a program identification adjacent to the slider.

7. The interface of claim 6, wherein the program identification comprises textual information related to the currently tuned program.

8. The interface of claim 1, further comprising a pop-up remote control graphic, the remote control graphic having a display and a plurality of graphic keys uniquely corresponding to a plurality of receiver station functions, the format and functionality of the graphic keys and the display being associated with a current state of the interface.

9. The interface of claim 1, wherein the active video/audio segment comprises a substantial area portion of the first multi-segment display.

10. The interface of claim 1, further comprising a service segment, the service segment including one or more service graphics representing links that launch the interface into corresponding sub-groups of interlinked service display states.

11. The interface of claim 10, wherein the service graphics include a graphic representing a link that launches the interface into a sub-group of interlinked service display states, the sub-group of interlinked service display states adapted to facilitate the selection and display of video channels.

12. The interface of claim 10, wherein the service graphics include a graphic representing a link that launches the interface into a sub-group of interlinked service display states, the sub-group of interlinked service display states adapted to facilitate the selection and display of one or more websites.

13. The interface of claim 12, further comprising:

one or more logos associated with the websites;

a table stored in a computer memory and indicative of locally cached websites;

a graphic cursor, the cursor being movable within the service display states; and

a cache status overlay graphic, the cache status graphic indicating the local cache status of a first website logo that is overlaid by the graphic cursor.

14. The interface of claim 10, wherein the service graphics include a graphic representing a link that launches the interface into a sub-group of interlinked service display states, the sub-group of interlinked service display states adapted to facilitate the selection, display, and downloading of computer software.

15. The interface of claim 10, wherein the service graphics include a graphic representing a link that launches the interface into a sub-group of interlinked service display states, the sub-group of interlinked service display states adapted to facilitate the selection, display, and downloading of numerical data.

16. The interface of claim 10, wherein at least some of the sub-groups of interlinked service display states and function display states are constructed in accordance with information parsed from the multi-program data stream.

17. The interface of claim 16, wherein the layout and content of the service and function display states may vary dynamically over time as a function of the information parsed from the multi-program data stream.

18. The interface of claim 17, wherein the information parsed from the multi-program data stream includes SDP+ records.

19. The interface of claim 1, further comprising a function segment, the function segment including one or more function graphics representing links that launch the interface into corresponding sub-groups of interlinked function display states.

20. The interface of claim 19, wherein the function graphics include a graphic representing a link that launches the interface into a sub-group of interlinked function display states, the sub-group of interlinked function display states adapted to facilitate multi-day scheduling and review of program viewing and data downloading events.

21. The interface of claim 19, wherein the function graphics include a graphic representing a link that launches the interface into a sub-group of interlinked function display states, the sub-group of interlinked function display states adapted to facilitate the setting of a satellite receiver station'"'"'s function options.

22. The interface of claim 19, wherein the function graphics include a graphic representing a link that launches the interface into a sub-group of interlinked function display states, the sub-group of interlinked function display states adapted to facilitate the selection and display of textual messages.

23. The interface of claim 1, further comprising a title segment.

24. The interface of claim 1, further comprising a date/time segment.

25. A graphical user interface for use in selecting and displaying programs parsed from a multi-program data stream, comprising:

a tuning segment having an elongated graphic bar that is dynamically sub-divided into a plurality of contiguous regions based on a number of programs authorized for displays to a particular user, wherein each of the regions uniquely corresponds to one of the number of programs authorized for display and wherein each of the regions uniquely corresponds to one of a plurality of numeric identifiers that is transmitted within data packets of the multi-program data stream that contain data pertaining to a respective one of the number of programs.

26. The graphical user interface of claim 25, wherein the contiguous regions have substantially identical dimensions.

27. A graphical user interface for use within a satellite communication system, the graphical user interface compromising:

a video/audio display area that is adapted to displays one of a plurality of programs parsed from a multi-program data stream; and

a graphical tuning area that has been dynamically sub-divided into a plurality of contiguous regions based on a number of programs within the multi-program data stream that are authorized for viewing by a particular user, wherein each of the plurality of regions uniquely corresponds to one of the number of programs authorized for viewing by the particular user, and wherein each of the plurality of regions is uniquely associated with one of a plurality of numeric identifiers, each of which is transmitted within data packets containing information video information pertaining to a respective one of the number of programs.

28. The graphical user interface of claim 27, wherein the contiguous regions have substantially identical dimensions.