System and method for focused navigation within a user interface

• US 7,107,532 B1
• Filed: 05/03/2002
• Issued: 09/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Digeo Incorporated (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Billmaier, James A., Istvan, Anthony F., Kellum, John M., Rogan, Philip A., Reid, Dewey M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BONSHOCK, DENNIS G
• Application Number:
  US10/138,810
• Time in Patent Office: 1,593 Days
• Field of Search: 715/719, 715/720, 715/721, 725/56, 725/41, 725/52, 725/39, 725/37, 725/38
• US Class Current: 715/720
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42215 by measuring the time interval during which a key is pressed, e.g. for inputting sequences of digits when selecting a television channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• 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 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

A sequence of cards is stored that graphically represents available options within an information system. In response to a single user action, the sequence of cards is successively displayed within a focus area of the user interface. In response to a subsequent user action, the successive display is discontinued to display a particular card representing a selected option.

Claims

1. A method for navigation of a plurality of options within a user interface, the method comprising:

scrolling only visual cards from a first sequence of visual cards representing a first type of option through a spatially-fixed focus area of the user interface, wherein the visual cards of the first sequence are both aligned with and scrolled along a first axis;

enabling scrolling of a particular visual card of the first sequence of visual cards into the focus area; and

scrolling only visual cards from a second sequence of visual cards representing a second type of option through the focus area, wherein the visual cards of the second sequence are both aligned with and scrolled along a second axis, wherein the first axis is perpendicular to the second axis such that the respective visual cards from the first and second sequences are scrolled into the focus area from perpendicular directions, and wherein no visual card of the first sequence is also included in the second sequence.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising replacing the second sequence of visual cards along the second axis with a third sequence of visual cards along the second axis, the third sequence of visual cards representing a third type of option, in response to a different visual card from the first sequence being scrolled into the focus area.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising pausing the scrolling of the first sequence of visual cards in response to a user command.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein transitioning from pausing the scrolling of the first sequence to scrolling the second sequence is in response to a single user action.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual cards of the second sequence graphically represent broadcast television channels.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual cards of the second sequence graphically represent broadcast television networks.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual cards of the second sequence graphically represent television programs.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual cards of the first sequence graphically represent different types of media.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the scrolling of visual cards is in response to a single user action.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising enabling selection of the visual card within the focus area in response to an additional user action.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein selection of a particular visual card is in response to a single user action.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual cards from the second sequence respectively represent television programming sources in a particular broadcast time slot, the method further comprising replacing the second sequence of visual cards with a third sequence of visual cards in response to a single user command, each visual card of the third sequence of visual cards representing the television programming sources in a later broadcast time slot.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual cards of the first sequence represent broadcast television channels, and wherein the visual cards of the second sequence broadcast represent time slots.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual cards of the first sequence represent broadcast television networks, and wherein the visual cards of the second sequence broadcast represent time slots.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual cards of the first sequence represent television programs, and wherein the visual cards of the second sequence represent broadcast time slots.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the first axis is a horizontal axis and the second axis is a vertical axis.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the first axis is a vertical axis and the second axis is a horizontal axis.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the second sequence of visual cards based on a user-selected visual card from the first sequence.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second sequences intersect to form quadrants within the user interface, the method further comprising displaying supplemental information related to the visual card within the focus area in at least one of the quadrants formed by the intersecting sequences.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein each visual card includes a picture for graphically representing a television program or television programming source.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein at least one picture comprises a captured video frame.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein at least one picture comprises an animation.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual cards from the second set represent broadcast time slots, the method further comprising replacing the second set of visual cards with a third set of visual cards in response to a single user command, each visual card of the third set of visual cards representing an earlier broadcast time slot.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual cards of the first sequence represent selectable categories of options and wherein the visual cards of the second sequence represent options from a selected category.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising accelerating the scrolling of the first sequence of visual cards based on how long a remote control button is held down by a user.

26. A system for focused navigation of a plurality of options within a user interface, the system comprising:

a user input detector configured to detect actions of a user; and

a processor configured to scroll only visual cards from a first sequence of visual cards through a spatially-fixed focus area of the user interface in response to a first user command, wherein the visual cards of the first sequence correspond to a first type of option and are both aligned with and scrolled along a first axis, wherein the processor is further configured to enable scrolling by a user of a particular visual card of the first sequence of visual cards into the focus area, wherein the processor is further configured to only scroll visual cards from a second sequence of visual cards through the focus area in response to a second user command, wherein the visual cards of the second sequence of visual cards correspond to a second type of option and are both aligned with and scrolled along a second axis, wherein the first axis is perpendicular to the second axis such that the respective visual cards from the first and second sequences are scrolled in perpendicular directions, and wherein the first and second sequences do not have any visual cards in common.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the processor is further configured to replace the second sequence of visual cards along the second axis with a third sequence of visual cards along the second axis, the third sequence of visual cards corresponding to a third type of option, in response to a different visual card from the first sequence being scrolled by the user into the focus area.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the processor is further configured to pause the scrolling of the first sequence of visual cards.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein transitioning from pausing the scrolling of the first sequence to scrolling the second sequence is accomplished in response to a single user action.

30. The system of claim 26, wherein the visual cards of the second sequence graphically represent broadcast television channels.

31. The system of claim 26, wherein the visual cards of the second sequence graphically represent broadcast television networks.

32. The system of claim 26, wherein the visual cards of the second sequence graphically represent television programs.

33. The system of claim 26, wherein the visual cards of the first sequence graphically represent different types of media.

34. The system of claim 26, wherein the processor scrolls the visual cards in response to a single user action.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the processor is to enable selection of the visual card in the focus area in response to an additional user action.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein selection of a particular visual card is in response to a single user action.

37. The system of claim 26, wherein the visual cards from the second sequence respectively represent television programming sources in a particular broadcast time slot, and wherein the processor is further configured to replace the second sequence of visual cards with a third sequence of visual cards in response to a single user command, each visual card of the third sequence of visual cards representing the television programming sources in a later broadcast time slot.

38. The method of claim 26, wherein the visual cards of the first sequence represent broadcast television channels, and wherein the visual cards of the second sequence represent time slots.

39. The method of claim 26, wherein the visual cards of the first sequence represent broadcast television networks, and wherein the visual cards of the second sequence represent time slots.

40. The method of claim 26, wherein the visual cards of the first sequence represent television programs, and wherein the visual cards of the second sequence represent time slots.

41. The system of claim 26, wherein the first axis is a horizontal axis and the second axis is a vertical axis.

42. The system of claim 26, wherein the first axis is a vertical axis and the second axis is a horizontal axis.

43. The system of claim 26, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the second set of visual cards based on a user-selected visual card from the first sequence.

44. The system of claim 26, wherein the first and second sequences intersect to form quadrants within the user interface, and wherein the processor is further configured to display supplemental information related to the visual card within the focus area in at least one of the quadrants formed by the intersecting sequences.

45. The system of claim 26, wherein each visual card includes a picture for graphically representing a television program or television programming source.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein at least one picture comprises a captured video frame.

47. The system of claim 45, wherein at least one picture comprises an animation.

48. The system of claim 26, wherein the visual cards from the second set represent broadcast time slots, and wherein the processor is further configured to replace the second set of visual cards with a third set of visual cards in response to a single user command, each visual card of the third set of visual cards representing an earlier broadcast time slot.

49. The system of claim 26, wherein the processor is further configured to accelerate the scrolling of the first sequence of visual cards based on how long a remote control button is held down by a user.

50. A method for navigation of a plurality of options within a user interface of an interactive television system, the method comprising:

horizontally scrolling a first sequence of visual cards through a spatially-fixed focus area of the user interface, the visual cards of the first sequence of visual cards representing applications within the interactive television system, wherein the visual cards of the first sequence are both aligned with and scrolled along a horizontal axis intersecting the focus area; and

in response to a user horizontally scrolling a particular visual card of the first sequence of visual cards corresponding to a television application into the focus area, enabling vertically scrolling of a second sequence of visual cards through the focus area, the visual cards of the second sequence of visual cards representing a television programs, wherein the visual cards of the second sequence are both aligned with and scrolled along vertical axis intersecting the focus area, and wherein vertical scrolling of the second sequence does not affect visual cards of the first sequence outside of the focus area, wherein no visual card of the first sequence is also included in the second sequence.

51. The method of claim 50, further comprising replacing the second sequence of visual cards along the vertical axis with a third sequence of visual cards along the vertical axis, the third sequence of visual cards corresponding to options associated with a different application within the interactive television system in response to a different visual card from the first sequence being scrolled into the focus area.

52. A system for focused navigation of a plurality of options within a user interface, the system comprising:

means for scrolling only visual cards from a first sequence of visual cards through a horizontally and vertically fixed focus area along a first axis of the user interface to which the first sequence of visual cards is aligned, each visual card of the first sequence corresponding to a first type of option; and

means for scrolling only visual cards from a second sequence of visual cards through the focus area along a second axis of the user interface to which the second sequence of visual cards is aligned, each visual card of the second sequence corresponding to a second type of option, wherein the first axis is perpendicular to the second axis such that the respective visual cards from the first and second sequences are scrolled in perpendicular directions, wherein no visual card of the first sequence is also included in the second sequence.

53. The system of claim 52, wherein the visual cards of the first sequence graphically represent at least one of broadcast television channels, broadcast television networks, and television programs.