Method and apparatus for enabling selection in an on-screen menu

• US 6,765,598 B2
• Filed: 10/27/1999
• Issued: 07/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Kim, Phil-Tae
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadesse
• Application Number:
  US09/427,680
• Publication Number:
  US 20030038894A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,728 Days
• Field of Search: 345/764, 345/810, 345/814, 345/829, 345/841, 345/844, 345/856-862, 348/569
• US Class Current: 715/857
• 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 21/42206 characterized by hardware details
• 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 21/47 End-user applications

Abstract

A method and apparatus for selecting an on-screen menu is provided. In the method, the speed of movement of a pointer between icons of different levels is made faster than the speed of movement of the pointer between icons of the same level.

Claims

1. An on-screen menu selecting method, comprising the steps of:

providing menus of different levels, each menu having a plurality of menu items represented by corresponding icons which are displayed in different areas of a screen and are selectable by a pointer; and

controlling the pointer so that a speed of movement of the pointer between the icons of the different levels is faster than a speed of movement of the pointer between the icons of a same level so as to shorten a menu selection time.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying an on-screen menu at multiple levels.

3. An on-screen menu selecting apparatus for selecting between menus of different levels, each menu having a plurality of menu items represented by corresponding icons which are displayed in different areas of a screen and are selectable by a pointer, said apparatus comprising:

a key operation unit including a remote controller and a key panel, the key panel including an on-screen pointer movement key for moving an on-screen pointer;

an on-screen menu generator for generating an on-screen menu;

an on-screen pointer moving unit for moving the on-screen pointer in response to the movement of the on-screen pointer movement key;

an on-screen pointer speed controller for controlling the speed of movement of the on-screen pointer between icons according to a predetermined control signal; and

a controller for receiving a signal from the key operation unit, for controlling the on-screen menu generator to generate the on-screen menu, for controlling the on-screen pointer moving unit to move the on-screen pointer, and for controlling the on-screen pointer so that a speed of movement of the on-screen pointer between icons of the different levels is faster than an initially-set speed of movement of the on-screen pointer.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, said controller determining a direction in which the pointer is to be moved as a determined direction of movement, determining whether a menu has been displayed in the determined direction of movement, and controlling the pointer to move faster than the initially-set speed in the determined direction of movement when it is determined that a menu has been displayed.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, said controller determining whether a menu has been displayed in the determined direction of movement by determining whether the menu is displayed in a region defined by a predetermined direction angle located on both sides of the determined direction of movement.

6. An on-screen menu selection method, comprising the steps of:

providing menus of different levels, each menu having a plurality of menu items represented by corresponding icons which are displayed in different areas of a screen and are selectable by a movable pointer;

displaying a multilevel on-screen menu and the moveable pointer on the screen;

moving the movable pointer in response to a control key;

determining a variation in X coordinate values and a variation in Y coordinate values of the movable pointer so as to determine a moving direction of the movable pointer; and

adjusting a speed of movement of the movable pointer as a function of whether the variation in the X coordinate values is greater than or less than the variation in the Y coordinate values.

7. The method of claim 6, the step of adjusting the speed of movement of the movable pointer further comprising the steps of:

moving the movable pointer at a first speed when the variation in the Y coordinate values is greater than the variation in the X coordinate values; and

moving the movable pointer at a second speed when the variation in the X coordinate values is greater than the variation in the Y coordinate values.

8. The method of claim 7, the second speed being faster than the first speed.

9. The method of claim 8, the step of displaying the multilevel on-screen menu further comprising the step of:

displaying a menu in which icons of a same level are displayed vertically with respect to each other, and icons of different levels are displayed at corresponding different horizontal positions relative to each other.

10. An on-screen menu selecting apparatus for selecting between menus of different levels, each menu having a plurality of menu items represented by corresponding icons which are displayed in different areas of a screen and are selectable by a pointer, said apparatus comprising:

a display unit for displaying an on-screen menu;

an on-screen menu generator connected to the display unit;

a controller connected to the on-screen menu generator for controlling the on-screen menu generator;

a key operation unit connected to the controller, the key operation unit comprising;

a remote controller; and

a pointer movement key for directing movement of an on-screen pointer;

an on-screen pointer moving unit connected to the controller and to the display unit for controlling the movement of the on-screen pointer under control of the controller in response to a signal from the pointer movement key; and

an on-screen pointer speed controller connected to the controller and to the on-screen pointer moving unit for controlling the on-screen pointer to move at corresponding different speeds so that a speed of movement of the on-screen pointer between a same level of icons is different from a speed of movement of the on-screen pointer between different levels of icons.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, the controller further comprising:

means for determining a direction in which the on-screen pointer is moving as a determined direction of movement; and

means for controlling the on-screen pointer speed controller as a function of the determined direction of movement.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, the pointer movement key being an I-point control key.

13. An on-screen menu selecting method for selecting between menus of different levels, each menu having a plurality of menu items represented by corresponding icons which are displayed in different areas of a screen and are selectable by an on-screen pointer, said method comprising the steps of:

generating an on-screen menu;

moving the on-screen pointer; and

controlling the on-screen pointer so that a speed of movement of the on-screen pointer between icons of the different levels is faster than an initially-set speed of movement of the on-screen pointer.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

determining a direction in which the on-screen pointer is to be moved as a determined direction of movement;

determining whether a menu has been displayed in the determined direction of movement; and

controlling the on-screen pointer to move faster than the initially-set speed in the determined direction of movement when it is determined that a menu has been displayed.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of determining whether a menu has been displayed in the determined direction of movement comprises determining whether the menu is displayed in a region defined by a predetermined direction angle located on both sides of the determined direction of movement.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the speed of movement of the on-screen pointer between the icons of the different levels is faster than the speed of movement of the on-screen pointer between icons of the same level.

17. An on-screen menu selecting method for selecting between menus of different levels, each menu having a plurality of menu items represented by corresponding icons which are displayed in different areas of a screen and are selectable by a pointer, said method comprising the steps of:

displaying an on-screen menu;

displaying an on-screen pointer for movement on the screen; and

controlling the on-screen pointer to move at corresponding different speeds so that a speed of movement of the on-screen pointer between a same level of icons is different from a speed of movement of the on-screen pointer between different levels of icons.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

determining a direction in which the on-screen pointer is moving as a determined direction of movement; and

controlling the speed of movement of the on-screen pointer as a function of the determined direction of movement.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the speed of movement of the on-screen pointer between the icons of the different levels is faster than the speed of movement of the on-screen pointer between icons of the same level.