Information providing device and method

• US 6,978,472 B1
• Filed: 11/30/1999
• Issued: 12/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nashida, Tatsushi, Kobayashi, Motoki, Hashimoto, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Manning, John
• Application Number:
  US09/601,161
• Time in Patent Office: 2,212 Days
• Field of Search: 725 37- 39, 725/41, 725/44, 725/46, 725/59, 725/52, 725/466, 348/734, 345/854, 715/854, 715/716
• US Class Current: 725/52
• 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 21/42213 for facilitating data entry
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44227 Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• 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 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control

Abstract

The present invention relates to an information providing apparatus and an information providing apparatus. The display screen is switched to a predetermined display screen and receives processing on this predetermined display screen by operation of another operation key. Thus, in case where the present invention is applied to a set-top box for digital satellite broadcasting or the like to provide a large number of programs by various selection methods, the number of operation keys of a remote control device is prevented from being increased, so the operationality can be improved.

Claims

1. An information providing apparatus for inputting a remote control signal outputted from a wireless remote control device and switching a display screen in response to the remote control signal to provide various information by selection on a predetermined menu screen, the apparatus comprising:

first determination means for determining whether or not a first operation key is operated on the remote control device to designate a state of the first operation key as operated or not operated;

screen switching means for switching the display screen from a first display screen to a second display screen if the first determination means determines that the first operation key is operated, the screen switching means operating to display the second display screen while the first operation key is operated; and

second determination means for determining whether or not the second operation key is operated substantially simultaneously with the operation of the first operation key,

wherein if the second determination means determines that the second operation key is operated substantially simultaneously with the operation of the first operation key, processing based on operation of the second operation key is received and displayed on the second display screen,

wherein the screen switching means switches the display screen from the second display screen back to the first display screen, if the first determination means subsequently determines that the state of the first operation key changed from not operated to operated, and

wherein said information is a series of video information based on a video signal, and the second display screen is a screen on which index images, for guiding scenes of said series of video information based on a video signal, are an arranged in time series.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

layer screen display means for displaying at least a screen in a first layer and a screen in a second layer lower than the first layer; and

layer switching means for switching the screen in the first layer and the screen in the second layer each other, based on a control signal from the remote control device, characterized in that

the first display screen is the screen in the second layer, and the display screen is switched from the screen in the second layer to the second display screen if the first determination means determines that the first operation key is operated, and

when the display screen is the screen in the first layer, the display screen is switched from the screen in the first layer to a third display screen if the first determination means determines that the first operation key is operated.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the remote control device includes a grip part which can be gripped by one hand, first operation means provided at a position where the first operation means can be operated by a thumb finger when the grip part is gripped by one hand, and second operation means provided at a position where the second operation means can be operated by a forefinger when the grip part is gripped by one hand, and

the first operation key is the first operation means and the second operation means is the second operation key.

4. An information providing method for inputting a remote control signal outputted from a wireless remote control device and for switching a display screen in response to the remote control signal to provide various information by selection on a predetermined menu screen, the method comprising:

a first determination step of determining whether or not a first operation key is operated on the remote control device to designate a state of the first operation key as operated or not operated;

a screen switching step of switching the display screen from a first display screen to a second display screen if it is determined in the first determination step that the first operation key is operated, the screen switching means operating to display the second display screen while the first operation key is operated; and

a second determination step of determining whether or not the second operation key is operated substantially simultaneously with the operation of the first operation key,

wherein if it is determined in the second determination step that the second operation key is operated substantially simultaneously with the operation of the first operation key, processing based on operation of the second operation key is received and displayed on the second display screen,

wherein the screen switching means switches the display screen from the second display screen back to the first display screen, if the first determination means subsequently determines that the state of the first operation key changed from not operated to operated, and

wherein said information is a series of video information based on a video signal, and the second display screen is a screen on which index images, for guiding scenes of said series of video information based on a video signal, are arranged in time series.

5. A method according to claim 4, further comprising:

a layer screen display step of displaying at least a screen in a first layer and a screen in a second layer lower than the first layer; and

a layer switching step of switching the screen in the first layer and the screen in the second layer each other, based on a control signal from the remote control device, characterized in that

the first display screen is the screen in the second layer, and the display screen is switched from the screen in the second layer to the second display screen if it is determined in the first determination step that the first operation key is operated, and

when the display screen is the screen in the first layer, the display screen is switched from the screen in the first layer to a third display screen if it is determined in the first determination step that the first operation key is operated.

6. A method according to claim 4, characterized in that the remote control device includes a grip step of gripping a grip part by one hand, a first operation step of operating the first operation key provided at a position where the first operation key can be operated by a thumb finger when the grip part is gripped by one hand, and a second operation step of operating the second operation key provided at a position where the second operation key can be operated by a forefinger when the grip part is gripped by one hand.