Method of displaying, a method of processing, an apparatus for processing, and a system for processing multimedia information

• US 7,137,075 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2004
• Issued: 11/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Ishibashi, Atsushi, Nagai, Gen, Kojima, Satoko, Hoshino, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): BAUTISTA, XIOMARA L
• Application Number:
  US10/949,364
• Publication Number:
  US 20050060666A1
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• Field of Search: 715/764, 715/810, 715/811, 715/815, 715/835, 715/836, 715/838, 715/839, 715/846, 715/848, 715/849, 715/850, 715852-854, 715/866, 701/36, 701/49
• US Class Current: 715/848
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41422 located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62
• 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 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• 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 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 : Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control

Abstract

A screen in which icons of a plurality of information items are arranged is displayed as a information selecting screen to display information selected from the screen by the user.

In the operation, icons of information items of different kinds are horizontally displayed, and a degree of details of the information is changed in the vertical direction and a degree of recommendation of the information to the user is changed in a direction of depth.

The user can easily select desired information from a large amount of various contents supplied and the information can be optimally displayed for the user.

Claims

1. A multimedia information display method for displaying a virtual three-dimensional space including a first zone plane, a second zone around said first zone plane, and a third zone, said third zone being placed above an approximately center user part, comprising the steps of:

setting a user mode in response to a mode selection input by a user;

reading data corresponding to a user, wherein the data is selected from data in a user profile created based on an audiovisual history for said user;

displaying multi-media information as necessary until a determination is made of audiovisual contents to be displayed in said virtual three-dimensional space;

in response to conditions of said user mode selected, providing a plurality of contents display zones extending horizontally in said approximately center user part on said screen, and arranging respectively a plurality of contents information, each corresponding to said plurality of contents display zones and having a size determined based on a utilization degree of said user and minimized toward a deeper place in a direction of depth on said screen;

arranging a display of said first zone plane so as to rotate contents information items of said plurality of contents information selected by a cursor manipulation from said plurality of contents display zones corresponding to said conditions of said user mode selected such that said contents information items of a desired genre are displayed in a horizontally central region of said approximately center user part of said screen;

receiving another input via a cursor manipulation onto a peripheral part around said first zone plane in request of another user mode;

reading another data corresponding to said another mode selection input from the user profile prepared in accordance with the audiovisual history for said user thereupon;

displaying contents display zones and contents information on said first zone plane in response to said another user mode; and

displaying a menu board, in response to a manipulation request, for selecting from a plurality of selection methods above said approximately center user part.

2. A multimedia information display method according to claim 1,

wherein said contents information items have different contours from one another respectively corresponding to kinds of media.

3. A multimedia information display method according to claim 1,

wherein said first zone plane is arranged in a circle around a position of the user near a center of the screen extending toward a deeper place in a direction of depth on said screen, and

wherein, at a time of arranging to display said contents information items of said plurality of contents information in said plurality of contents display zones corresponding to said conditions of said user mode selected to rotate, said plurality of contents display zones in said virtual three-dimensional space displayed are rotated around the position near the center of the screen.