Method of and apparatus for enabling the selection of content on a multi-media device

• US 6,529,804 B1
• Filed: 11/07/2000
• Issued: 03/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Draggon, Dave, Michels, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mancho, Ronnie
• Application Number:
  US09/707,537
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: 701/24, 701/1, 701/200-25, 701/28, 709/204, 709/217, 709/206, 709/203, 340/425.5, 370/260, 370/270, 370/352, 386/46, 386/125, 386/126, 386/96, 846/09, 345/840, 345/823, 345/861, 345/753, 345/716, 348/42, 348/47, 434/307.A
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0235 of flat type, e.g. LCD
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0264 for control means
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• 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 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

The user interface disclosed in the present disclosure allows the user to ‘tune’ to a ‘content’ station just like he is accustomed to tuning to a radio station. The channel band GUI presents various content or feature bands as rotating belts of icons with each icon representing a channel on the band. The use of graphical belts enables a dynamic number of channels per band and the dynamic number of bands. The graphical presentation of the bands includes the presentation of sub-band “visual hints” as a user highlights a channel on a given band. Provided that there is sufficient room on the display, a super-band visual hint can be used to indicate to the user that the current band is a sub-band. The user tunes to a channel by rotating a dial and selecting a channel from the band. A channel can be ‘fine tuned’ by rotating the dial within the channel ‘band’ and making a selection that presents a sub-band for that channel.

Claims

1. A method of enabling the selection of content on a multimedia device comprising the steps of:

displaying a band, wherein the band is displayed graphically as a horizontally rotating belt having a plurality of icons, wherein each of the plurality of icons has one of a horizontally rotating sub-band and the content associated with it, and wherein the horizontally rotating band comprises a dynamic number of icons;

displaying the band with one of the plurality of icons highlighted in a predetermined location; and

displaying the horizontally rotating sub-band associated with the one of the plurality of icons highlighted.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the one of the plurality of icons highlighted.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising displaying the plurality of icons except for the one of the plurality of icons highlighted in shadow.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising displaying one of the horizontally rotating sub-band and the content in place of the band when the one of the plurality of icons is selected.

5. A method of enabling the selection of content on a multimedia device comprising the steps of:

displaying a band, wherein the band is displayed graphically as a horizontally rotating belt having a plurality of icons, wherein each of the plurality of icons has one of a horizontally rotating sub-band and the content associated with it, and wherein the horizontally rotating band comprises a dynamic number of icons;

highlighting one of the plurality of icons; and

displaying the band with the one of the plurality of icons highlighted in a predetermined location.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising displaying the horizontally rotating sub-band associated with the one of the plurality of icons highlighted.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising displaying one of the horizontally rotating sub-band and the content in place of the band when the one of the plurality of icons is selected.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising displaying the plurality of icons except for the one of the plurality of icons highlighted in shadow.

9. A method of enabling the selection of content on a multimedia device comprising the steps of:

displaying a band, wherein the band is displayed graphically as a horizontally rotating belt having a plurality of icons, wherein each of the plurality of icons has one of a horizontally rotating sub-band and the content associated with it, and wherein the horizontally rotating band comprises a dynamic number of icons;

highlighting one of the plurality of icons;

displaying the band with the one of the plurality of icons highlighted in a predetermined location;

displaying the plurality of icons except for the one of the plurality of icons highlighted in shadow;

displaying the horizontally rotating sub-band associated with the one of the plurality of icons highlighted; and

displaying one of the horizontally rotating sub-band and the content in place of the band when the one of the plurality of icons is selected.

10. An apparatus for displaying content on a multimedia device comprising:

a display;

a band on said display, wherein the band is displayed graphically as a horizontally rotating belt having a plurality of icons, wherein the horizontally rotating band comprises a dynamic number of icons; and

wherein the band with one of the plurality of icons highlighted is positioned in a predetermined location; and

one of a horizontally rotating sub-band and the content associated with the one of the plurality of icons highlighted.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the one of the plurality of icons is selected.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the plurality of icons except for the one of the plurality of icons highlighted are displayed in shadow.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein one of the horizontally rotating sub-band and the content is displayed in place of the band when the one of the plurality of icons is selected.

14. In a vehicle, a method of enabling the selection of content on a multimedia device comprising the steps of:

displaying a band, wherein the band is displayed graphically as a horizontally rotating belt having a plurality of icons, wherein each of the plurality of icons has one of a horizontally rotating sub-band and the content associated with it, and wherein the horizontally rotating band comprises a dynamic number of icons;

displaying the band with one of the plurality of icons highlighted in a predetermined location; and

displaying the horizontally rotating sub-band associated with the one of the plurality of icons highlighted.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising selecting the one of the plurality of icons highlighted.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising displaying the plurality of icons except for the one of the plurality of icons highlighted in shadow.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising displaying one of the horizontally rotating sub-band and the content in place of the band when the one of the plurality of icons is selected.