Menu display apparatus

• US 6,876,397 B2
• Filed: 12/30/1998
• Issued: 04/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Itakura, Koshiro, Funakoshi, Hideaki
• Primary Examiner(s): YENKE, BRIAN P
• Application Number:
  US09/223,122
• Publication Number:
  US 20020060749A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,288 Days
• Field of Search: 348/563, 348/569, 348/570, 348/906, 348/564, 345/352, 345/353, 345/354, 345/357, 345/156, 345/204, 345/472.2, 345/671, 345/800, 345/815, 725/39
• US Class Current: 348/569
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44504 Circuit details of the additional information generator, e.g. details of the character or graphics signal generator, overlay mixing circuits

Abstract

A menu display apparatus including a selection unit for inputting data for selecting an arbitrary one of a plurality of menu items respectively assigned with numbers which are displayed on a screen of a display unit, and a display control unit for displaying on the screen the number corresponding to the menu item selected by the selection unit.

Claims

1. A menu display apparatus comprising:

display means including internally controlled means for displaying a series of interactive menus for prompting a user to make a selection and/or enter data, each said interactive menu of the said series of interactive menus comprising;

a plurality of menu items within a predetermined field, each of the plurality of menu items being provided with an identifier and presented free of control of the user and in text characters of substantially common font type and size;

said plurality of menu items displayed on an initial menu scene

display control means in each said menu for displaying the identifier corresponding to a selected menu item on a fixed portion of the viewing screen outside of the predetermined field, wherein the identifier corresponding to the identifier of the menu item selected by said selection means and displayed on the screen is displayed within a window,

operation means for operating the display means including at least an up/down key and a selection key; and

selection means for inputting data for selecting an arbitrary one of the series of interactive menus, or for selecting an arbitrary one of the plurality of menu items that are displayed by the series of interactive menus,

whereby the selected menu item is selected by at least an operation of said up/down key causing a selected number to be displayed and clearly conveyed to the user and rendered visually distinguishable from non-selected menu items to thereby facilitate the input operation and improve the operability of the apparatus.

2. The menu display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identifier corresponding to the menu item selected by said selection means and displayed on the screen is displayed at a portion of the screen separated from a display position of the other of said plurality of menu items in a font size at least two times larger than that of the characters of the menu items.

3. The menu display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identifier corresponding to the menu item selected by said selection means and displayed on the screen is displayed at a corner position separated from a display position of the menu items in a size at least two times larger as that of the characters of the menu items.

4. The menu display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

determination means for inputting data for determining the selected menu item, and control means for executing a program processing corresponding to the determined menu item.

5. A menu display apparatus comprising:

display means including internally controlled means for displaying a series of interactive menus for prompting a user to make a selection and/or enter data, each said interactive menu of the series of interactive menus additionally comprising;

a plurality of menu items within a predetermined field, each of the plurality of menu items being presented free of control of the user and in text characters of substantially common font type and size, whereby the selected menu item is selected by at least one up/down key causing a selected number to be displayed; and

display control means for displaying and changing at least one of the size, font type, or shape of the text characters of a selected menu item to clearly convey the selected menu item and to render the selected menu item visually distinguishable from non-selected menu items;

operation means for operating the display means including said at least one of said an up/down key and one selection key; and

selection means including the selection key for inputting data for selecting an arbitrary one the series of interactive menus, or for selecting an arbitrary one of the plurality of menu items that are displayed.

6. The menu display apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the menu item selected by said selection means is displayed in a size at least two times as large as that of the display characters of the menu items not selected by said selection means.

7. The menu display apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the menu item selected by said selection means is displayed with characters thicker than the display characters of the menu items not selected by said selection means.

8. The menu display apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

determination means for inputting data for determining the selected menu item, and control means for executing a program processing corresponding to the determined menu item.

9. A menu display apparatus comprising:

display means including internally controlled means for displaying a series of interactive menus for prompting a user to make a selection and/or enter data, each said interactive menu of the series of interactive menus comprising;

a plurality of menu items within a predetermined field presented free of control of the user and in text characters of substantially common font type and size;

display control means for displaying a sign on a portion of the viewing screen outside of the predetermined field and visually adjacent to a selected menu item that is larger than the text characters to clearly convey the selected menu item and to render the selected menu item visually distinguishable from non-selected menu items, wherein the sign corresponding to the menu item selected by a selection means and displayed on the screen is displayed within a window,

said selection means being a selection means for inputting data for selecting an arbitrary one the series of interactive menus, or for selecting an arbitrary one of the plurality of menu items that are displayed;

means for operating said selection means including at least one up/down key and one selection key;

a plurality of menu items displayed on an initial menu scene, said menu items being selectable by said up/down key and displayed upon a selection; and

an execution of said selection occurring immediately upon a movement of said selection key.

10. The menu display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the sign corresponding to the menu item selected by said selection means displayed on the screen is displayed at a corner position separated from a display position of the menu items in a size at least twice as large as that of the characters of the menu items.

11. The menu display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the sign is an initial one character of initial plural characters of the display characters indicating the menu item corresponding to the sign.

12. The menu display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the sign is a one character or plural characters of a part of the display characters indicating the menu item corresponding to the sign.

13. The menu display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the sign is an expression including a symbol, letter or picture.

14. The menu display apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising determination means for inputting data for determining the selected menu item, and control means for executing a program processing corresponding to the determined menu item.