Audio-video control system

• US 6,593,941 B1
• Filed: 12/28/1999
• Issued: 07/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sameshima, Tetsuro
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, MYLINH T
• Application Number:
  US09/472,834
• Time in Patent Office: 1,295 Days
• Field of Search: 345/716, 345/717, 345/719, 345/720, 345/721, 345/764, 345/781, 345/788, 345/810, 345/835, 345/840
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• 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 21/42209 for displaying non-command information, e.g. electronic program guide [EPG], e-mail, messages or a second television channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver

Abstract

An AV control system comprises a controller having a plurality of AV devices connected thereto, and a touch panel input unit having a touch panel covering a screen. For each of contents select buttons for commanding operations, the controller has stored therein a button code for specifying the position of the button displayed, an operation code for specifying an operation and a button name data indicating the name of the button. Two select buttons manipulated on a contents arrangement frame displayed on the input unit are replaced with each other with respect to the operations codes and the button name data in a contents arrangement table, whereby the contents select buttons are made convenient and efficient to use.

Claims

1. An audio-video control system comprising a controller having connected thereto a plurality of devices including audio-video devices, the controller comprising an image display screen and an input unit enabling the user to perform input manipulations on the image display screen for controlling the operation of the plurality of devices in accordance with the manipulation of the input unit, the audio-video control system being characterized in that the controller comprises:

contents select button display means for displaying in a first frame on the image display screen specified contents select buttons selected from among a plurality of contents select buttons, the specified contents select buttons prepared for commanding a specified one or more of the devices to perform a predetermined operation,

operation command means for commanding in the first frame the specified one or more of the devices to perform the predetermined operation in accordance with manipulation of one of the specified contents select buttons displayed by the contents select button display means,

contents arrangement frame display means for displaying, in a second frame on the image display screen, the specified contents select buttons disposed in a selection contents area and remaining ones of the plurality of contents select buttons disposed in a substitute contents area, the remaining ones of the plurality of contents select buttons being substitute buttons, and

contents arrangement change means, operable in the second frame wherein an undesirable one of the specified contents select buttons in the selection contents area is selected and a desirable one of the substitute buttons in the substitute contents area is selected resulting in the desirable one of the substitute buttons being moved into the selection contents area replacing the undesirable one of the specified contents select buttons and the undesirable one of the specified contents select buttons being moved into the substitute contents area replacing the desirable one of the substitute buttons that moved to the selection contents area, the desirable one of the substitute buttons thereafter being displayed in the first frame with remaining ones of the specified contents select buttons and being available for commanding one or more of the devices.

2. An audio-video control system according to claim 1 wherein the controller comprises:

means for storing a contents arrangement table containing for each of the contents select buttons a button code for specifying the position of the select button displayed on the screen, an operation code for specifying an operation when the select button is manipulated, and button name data showing the name of the select button to be displayed on the screen, and

the contents arrangement change means replaces the two manipulated contents select buttons with each other with respect to the operation codes and the button name data in the contents arrangement table.

3. An audio-video control system comprising a controller having connected thereto a plurality of devices including audio-video devices, the controller comprising an image display screen and an input unit enabling the user to perform input manipulation on the image display screen for controlling the operation of the plurality of devices in accordance with the manipulation of the input, the audio-video control system being characterized in that the controller comprises:

contents select button display means for displaying, in a first frame on the image display screen a plurality of contents select buttons prepared for commanding a specified one or more of the devices to perform a predetermined operation, each one of the plurality of contents select buttons being associated with an original button name with each original button name being displayed on the contents select button display means representative of each contents select button,

operation command means for commanding the specified one or more of the devices to perform a predetermined operation in accordance with manipulation of a named one of the plurality of contents select buttons,

name change list display means for displaying in a second frame a list of a plurality of button names corresponding to the plurality of contents select buttons disposed in a selection contents area and a plurality of alternative button names disposed in a name change list area, and

name change control means, operable in the second frame wherein an undesirable button name of one of the plurality of contents select buttons in the selection contents area is selected and a desirable alternative button name in the name change list area is selected resulting in the desirable alternative button name being moved into the selection contents area replacing the undesirable button name of the selected one of the contents select buttons and the undesirable button name of the selected one of the contents select buttons being moved into the name change list area replacing the desirable alternative button name that moved to the selection contents area, the desirable alternative button name thereafter being displayed in the first frame with remaining ones of the button names of the plurality of contents select buttons.

4. An audio-video control system according to claim 3 wherein the controller comprises:

means for storing a contents arrangement table containing for each of the contents select buttons a button code for specifying the position of the select button displayed on the screen, an operation code for specifying an operation when the select button is manipulated, and button name data showing the name of the select button to be displayed on the screen, and

contents name table store means having stored therein a plurality of button names for each of the contents select buttons, and

the name change control means causes the arrangement table storing means and the name table store means to transfer the button names therein to each other.