Method and system for peripheral device user interface construction

• US 6,556,219 B1
• Filed: 05/18/1999
• Issued: 04/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wugofski, Theodore D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Application Number:
  US09/313,669
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• Field of Search: 345/762, 345/765, 345/771, 345/970, 345/716, 345/717, 345/720, 345/740, 345/763, 345/773, 345/839, 348/734, 348/731, 725/38, 725/37, 725/56, 725/88, 725/102, 340/825.06, 340/825.17, 340/825.36, 709/321, 709/328, 709/323, 710/63-64, 710/72-73
• US Class Current: 715/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/281 indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2814 Exchanging control software or macros for controlling appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving configuration of the network and network elements H04L41/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver

Abstract

Systems and methods provide for the construction of graphical user interface objects representing peripheral devices of a computer-based home entertainment system. The method includes providing a database of device functionality and user interface build elements, retrieving information about specific devices connected to the system, and constructing graphical user interface objects for specific and full functional and featural control of connected peripheral devices.

Claims

1. A method of generating a user interface for computer operation of a peripheral device connected to a computer, comprising:

identifying the peripheral device connected to the computer;

determining the peripheral device functionality by querying a device database;

determining if the peripheral device is a tunable device, and if so, determining a channel map of available channels for the tunable device and adding the channel map to a system wide channel map;

retrieving device specific graphical user interface elements that correspond to the peripheral device functionality from the database; and

constructing a graphical user interface from the retrieved interface elements.

2. A machine readable medium comprising machine readable instructions for performing a method comprising:

identifying an external device attached to a computer;

searching a database containing functionality information about the external peripheral device;

retrieving from the database the functionality information of the external device attached to the computer;

determining if the external device is a tunable device, and if so, determining a channel map of available channels for the external device and adding the channel map to a system wide channel map;

searching the database for user interface protocols for the retrieved functionality of the attached device;

retrieving from the database interface protocols corresponding to the attached external device;

constructing graphical user interface objects corresponding to the functionality of the attached external device; and

displaying the graphical user interface objects on the computer screen for selection by the user.

3. A method of generating external device user interfaces on a computer having a computer screen, comprising:

identifying an external device attached to the computer;

querying a device database containing functionality information about external devices;

retrieving functionality information pertaining to the external device from the device database;

determining if the external device is a tunable device, and if so, determining a channel map of available channels for the external device and adding the channel map to a system wide channel map;

querying a resource database for interface protocols for the identified external device;

retrieving interface protocols from the resource database for the identified external device;

creating graphical user interface objects for functions of the external device corresponding to the functionality information; and

displaying the graphical user interface objects on the computer screen.

4. A computer system for creating a user interface for an attached device, comprising:

a computer;

a device database containing functionality information pertaining to external devices;

a resource database containing graphical user interface components associated with functional capabilities of external devices; and

a software module for searching the device and resource databases for information pertaining to the attached device, for determining if the attached device is a tunable device, and if so, determining a channel map of available channels for the attached device and adding the channel map to a system wide channel map, and for creating graphical user interface objects on the computer screen for allowing a user to control the functions of the attached device from the computer, wherein the graphical user interface objects are created according to the information from the device and resource databases.

5. A computer based home entertainment system, comprising:

a computer;

a plurality of peripheral devices operatively electrically connected to the computer;

a software module residing in computer memory, the software module comprising a device database containing functionality information about peripheral devices, a resource database containing graphical user interface elements implementing functions of peripheral devices, and a set of machine readable instructions for determining if a peripheral device is a tunable device, and if so, determining a channel map of available channels for the peripheral device and adding the channel map to a system wide channel map, and for querying the databases and for generating user interface objects from the information obtained from the databases and from the plurality of peripheral devices; and

a graphical user interface configured to display objects for the particular peripheral devices based on functions and corresponding graphical user interface elements listed in the database.

6. A computer system for control of tunable devices, comprising:

a computer

a plurality of tunable devices operatively electrically connected to the computer; and

a software module loaded into the memory of the computer, the software module for generating graphical user interface elements representing the plurality of tunable devices, for control of the tunable devices,

wherein the software module comprises;

machine readable instructions for determining the identity of the plurality of tunable devices connected to the computer, for searching a database containing functionality information about tunable devices, for determining a channel map of available channels for at least one of the tunable devices and adding the channel map for the tunable to a system wide channel map, for retrieving from the database functionality information and graphical user interface protocols for the retrieved functionality of the connected devices, for retrieving from the database interface protocols corresponding to the connected devices, for constructing graphical user interface objects corresponding to the functionality of each connected tunable device, and for displaying the graphical user interface objects on the computer screen for selection by a user.

7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of tunable devices is controllable by the graphical user interface.

8. A method for generating graphical user interface objects for a plurality of external devices operatively electrically connected to a computer, the method comprising:

identifying the external devices connected to the computer;

querying the database for functionality information pertaining to the connected devices;

determining if the connected device is a tunable device, and if so, determining a channel map of available channels for the connected device and adding the channel map to a system wide channel map;

querying the database for graphical user interface elements corresponding to the retrieved functionality information of the connected devices; and

constructing graphical user interface objects from the graphical user interface elements for control of the external devices.

9. A computer system, comprising:

a computer;

a peripheral device operatively connected to the computer;

a database module containing functionality and graphical user interface elements for peripheral devices;

a channel map generator module operable to determine if a peripheral device is a tunable device, and if so, determining a channel map of available channels for the peripheral device and adding the channel map to a system wide channel map;

a graphical user interface object generator module in data communication with the database module and with the peripheral device for gathering information about the device from the device, and for querying the database as to functionality of the device and graphical user interface elements for creation of a graphical user interface object for control of the peripheral device; and

a graphical user interface object displayed on the computer screen for control of the peripheral device.

10. A method of generating a computer model of an audio/video system, comprising:

identifying peripheral devices attached to the system;

identifying the connection type for each peripheral device;

identifying available channels for each peripheral device;

propagating a channel map of available channels for the peripheral devices through the model to create a system wide channel map; and

appending control information for each peripheral device to the model.