Multimedia user interface

• US 7,233,316 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2003
• Issued: 06/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Leftwich, James J., Quinn, Thomas J., Smith, Gregory C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Henry N.
• Application Number:
  US10/428,600
• Publication Number:
  US 20040218104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,510 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345/158, 345/740, 345764-767, 345/772, 348/14.03, 700/17, 700/46, 341/20, 341/21, 725/37, 725/39, 725/56, 715/711, 715/715, 715/779, 715/784, 715/800, 715/808, 715/810, 715/821, 715/823, 715/831, 715/854, 715/859, 715/863
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0354 with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/32 Remote control based on movements, attitude of remote control device
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/023 remotely controlled
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/025 'Virtual' control panels, e.g. Graphical User Interface [GUI]
• 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 21/42222 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording

Abstract

A user interface for multimedia centers advantageously utilizes hand-held inertial-sensing user input devices to select channels and quickly navigate the dense menus of options. Extensive use of the high resolution and bandwidth of such user input devices is combined with strategies to avoid unintentional inputs and with dense and intuitive interactive graphical displays.

Claims

1. A method for selecting one of a number of selectable channels on an interactive multi-channel graphic display in response to an input device, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying a number of elements in an array on the display, each element corresponding to a selectable channel;

detecting a signal from the input device responsive to a user input;

selecting one of the elements by navigating through the array to the element in response to the signal from the input device, the navigation exhibiting an asymmetry in response by having a first sensitivity to movement through the array in a first direction and having a reduced sensitivity to movement through the array in a second direction;

displaying a state change associated with the selected element such that it is visually distinguishable from the other elements;

displaying at least one of text and graphical information corresponding to the selected element proximate to the selected element;

detecting a second signal from the input device in response to a user input; and

displaying the channel corresponding to the selected element on the graphic display in response to the second signal.

2. A method as in claim 1 further including the step of displaying further information regarding selected elements in a dedicated portion of the display.

3. A method as in claim 1 wherein the elements are arranged in a column.

4. A method as in claim 1 further including the step of changing a viewable attribute of an element in response to a user input.

5. A method as in claim 1 wherein the elements are arranged in a row.

6. A method as in claim 1 wherein the elements are arranged in a comb pattern.

7. A method as in claim 1 wherein the elements are arranged in columns, and user input along a column results in the selection of different channels, user input orthogonal to a column results in changes of the point of user interaction to another column.

8. A method as in claim 7 wherein the navigation exhibits the asymmetry in response by having a first sensitivity to movement within a column and having a reduced sensitivity in the orthogonal direction.

9. A method as in claim 7 wherein the navigation exhibits the asymmetry in response by having a first sensitivity to movement within a column and having a bias returning the point of user interaction to a centerpoint in the current column in the orthogonal direction.

10. A method as in claim 7 wherein the columns represent programming available at different times.

11. A method as in claim 10 wherein a user input signal allows the display to scroll to cause the display of different columns associated with programming available at different times.

12. A method as in claim 11 wherein including the step of displaying programming available at a different time in response to a bump right or bump left gesture.

13. A method as in claim 11 wherein including the step of displaying programming available at a different time in response to a trigger-drag right or left gesture.

14. A method as in claim 11 wherein the step of displaying available programming returns to the current time in response to a gesture.

15. A method as in claim 1 wherein the input device senses an angle in space.

16. A method as in claim 1 wherein the input device senses pitch, yaw or roll.

17. A method as in claim 1 wherein the input device senses pitch and yaw.

18. A method as in claim 17 wherein the input device is gyroscopic.

19. A method for selecting one of a number of selectable channels on an interactive multi-channel graphic display in response to an input device, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying a number of elements in an array on the display, each element corresponding to a selectable channel;

detecting a signal from the input device responsive to a user input; and

selecting one of the elements by navigating through the array to the element in response to the signal from the input device, the navigation exhibiting an asymmetry in response by having a first sensitivity to movement within through the array in a first direction and having a reduced sensitivity to movement through the array in a second direction.

20. A method for selecting one of a number of selectable channels on an interactive multi-channel graphic display in response to an input device, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying a number of elements in an array on the display, each element corresponding to a selectable channel;

attributing asymmetry to designated elements;

detecting a signal from the input device responsive to a user input;

selecting one of the elements by navigating through the array to the element in response to the signal from the input device, the navigation exhibiting asymmetry in response by having a first sensitivity to movement between designated elements and having a reduced sensitivity when proximate to such designated elements.

21. A method for selecting one of a number of selectable channels on an interactive multi-channel graphic display in response to an input device, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying a number of elements arranged in columns on the display, each element corresponding to a selectable channel and each column representing programming available at different times, wherein user input along a column results in the selection of different channels and user input orthogonal to a column results in the selection of different times;

detecting a signal from the input device responsive to at least one of a bump right gesture and a bump left gesture; and

scrolling the display of different columns associated with programming available at different times in response to the signal from the input device.

22. A method for selecting one of a number of selectable channels on an interactive multi-channel graphic display in response to an input device, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying a number of elements arranged in columns on the display, each element corresponding to a selectable channel and each column representing programming available at different times, wherein user input along a column results in the selection of different channels and user input orthogonal to a column results in the selection of different times;

detecting a signal from the input device responsive to at least one of a trigger-drag right gesture and a trigger-drag left gesture; and

scrolling the display of different columns associated with programming available at different times in response to the signal from the input device.

23. A method for selecting one of a number of selectable channels on an interactive multi-channel graphic display in response to an input device, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying a number of elements arranged in columns on the display, each element corresponding to a selectable channel and each column representing programming available at different times, wherein user input along a column results in the selection of different channels and user input orthogonal to a column results in the selection of different times;

detecting a first signal from the input device responsive to a first gesture;

scrolling the display of different columns associated with programming available at different times in response to the first signal from the input device;

detecting a second signal from the input device responsive to a second gesture; and

displaying programming available at the current time in response to the second signal from the input device.