Method and apparatus for prioritizing menu items of an electronic device

• US 6,900,835 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2002
• Issued: 05/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Cazier, Robert P., Battles, Amy
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber, Wendy R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vieaux, Gary C.
• Application Number:
  US10/226,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20040036779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 348/231.2, 348/333.02, 348/333.06, 348/552, 348/373, 396/373, 396/374, 725/40, 725 45- 47, 725/80, 725/133, 725/141, 725/153
• US Class Current: 348/231.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00437 Intelligent menus, e.g. anticipating user selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00509 Personalising for a particular user or group of users, e.g. a workgroup or company
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8047 using transform coding

Abstract

A method of dynamically prioritizing menu items embedded in an electronic device, such as a digital camera, comprising the steps of selecting a menu item from an ordered list of menu items, recording the selected menu item in a record file stored in the electronic device, analyzing the record file to determine the frequency of use for each menu item, and dynamically prioritizing the ordered list by a firmware embedded in the electronic device based on the user'"'"'s frequency of use to provide a prioritized ordered list, such that frequently used menu item is ranked higher in the prioritized ordered list.

Claims

1. A method of dynamically prioritizing menu items embedded in an electronic device comprising:

selecting a menu item from an ordered list of menu items;

recording said selected menu item in a record file stored in said electronic device;

analyzing said record file to determine said user'"'"'s frequency of use for each menu item;

dynamically prioritizing said ordered list using firmware embedded in said electronic device based on said user'"'"'s frequency of use, such that frequently used menu item is ranked higher in said prioritized ordered list; and

erasing said record file after prioritizing said ordered list.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of erasing includes the step of downloading said record file onto a processing device before erasing said record file.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of dynamically prioritizing includes the steps of prioritizing said ordered list by said processing device based on said user'"'"'s frequency of use, and uploading said prioritized ordered list to said electronic device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of dynamically prioritizing prioritizes based on frequency of menu item'"'"'s use and said menu item'"'"'s current rank in said ordered list.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of dynamically prioritizing prioritizes said ordered list periodically.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of dynamically prioritizing prioritizes upon an occurrence of a predetermined event.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying said prioritized ordered list of menu items to said user.