Customizable database-driven menu structure for a portable computing device

• US 7,243,307 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2002
• Issued: 07/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Knapp Investment Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Digital Innovations LLC
• Inventors: Gao, Xiuzhi, Johnson, Timothy, Crowell, Jeffrey P., Born, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Sy D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, THANH T
• Application Number:
  US10/273,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20040075698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,726 Days
• Field of Search: 345/738, 345/740, 345/744, 345/760, 345/811, 345/825, 345/826, 715/738, 715/740, 715/744, 715/760, 715/811, 715/745, 715/746, 715/747
• US Class Current: 715/744
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

A portable media playing device incorporating a database-driven menu structure that comprises a display mechanism, navigation database, including a navigation record with a navigation description, an action database, including an action record with an action description, wherein the action database is customizable in accordance with a field of the navigation record. A display driver displays the navigation description. When the navigation description is selected, the display driver displays the action description. When the action description is selected, a digital synchronization system generates an extra action request (EAR) record that includes an action identifier and action data for storage in an EAR database. When the device is synchronized with a computer, a synchronization manager accesses the EAR database and updates the action database with any new action records.

Claims

1. A method of operating a portable device, comprising:

populating on a portable device a database-driven navigation menu with navigation descriptions of navigation records stored in a navigation database on said portable device;

obtaining on said portable device a navigation selection of one of the navigation descriptions, where said navigation selection is input into said portable device;

determining on said portable device that the navigation selection is associated with a media file;

constructing on said portable device a database-driven action menu with action descriptions of action records stored in an action database on said portable device, where each action record is customizable by downloading data based on a user selection to said portable device from an external computing device;

accepting on said portable device an action selection of one of the action descriptions; and

initiating on said portable device an action associated with the action selection.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

downloading an action script, including action data, from a remote source; and

storing the action data in an action record in the action database.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a navigation record of the navigation records includes a plurality of navigation fields and one of the plurality of navigation fields comprises the navigation description, the method further comprising:

deciding whether to display an action description for an action record of the action records by comparing an action field of the action record to a requisite value.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining the requisite value from one of the plurality of navigation fields.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after said accepting, displaying an interaction interface;

and receiving interaction information via an input mechanism.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said initiating further comprises:

storing, as an extra action request (EAR) record in an EAR database on said portable device, an action identifier that identifies the action and action data from a navigation record of the navigation records that is associated with the navigation selections, and wherein the EAR record contains a user initiated action request to download data to the portable device from an external computing device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

making the EAR available to the external computing device when the portable device is synchronized with the external computing device.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

performing an action at the external computing device based upon the action identifier.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

downloading the media file, wherein the media file is stored remotely.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said initiating further comprises storing multiple extra action request (EAR) records in an EAR database on the portable device, where the EAR records contain user initiated requests to download data to the portable device from the external computing device when the portable device establishes communication with the external computing device.

11. A portable device, comprising:

a processor;

a display mechanism;

a navigation database containing navigation records, where each navigation record has a navigation description;

a customizable action database containing action records, where each action record has an action description and an associated action, and where each action record is customizable by downloading data based on user selection to said portable device from a external computing device;

a display driver that displays on the display mechanism a database-driven menu combining the navigation descriptions and the action descriptions;

an input mechanism that is used to select a navigation description of the navigation records and an action description of the action records, wherein the processor initiates an action when the action description is selected.

12. The device of claim 11, further comprising:

an extra action request (EAR) database containing EAR records, where each EAR record has an action identifier and associated data from the navigation database, and wherein each EAR record contains a user initiated action request to download data to the portable device from an external computing device.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the action identifier for an EAR record of the EAR records corresponds to the action description.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the action is associated with a media file.

15. The portable device of claim 14, further comprising a media database, wherein the media file is stored in the media database.

16. The portable device of claim 14, wherein the media file is stored remotely.

17. The portable device of claim 16, wherein the action is requesting, downloading, selecting, recommending, or sending a link to the media file.

18. The portable device of claim 11, further comprising an interface mechanism for receiving additional action records, wherein the action database is updated with the additional action records.

19. The portable device of claim 11, wherein the processor selects action descriptions for the display driver to display on the display mechanism in the database-driven menu when a navigation description is selected with the input mechanism.

20. The portable device of claim 19, wherein an action record, in the action database, corresponding to the action description, has an action field, and wherein the display driver displays the action description in the database-driven menu when the action field has a requisite value.

21. The portable device of claim 20, wherein a navigation record, in the navigation database, corresponding to the navigation description, has a navigation field from which the requisite value is determined.

22. The device of claim 11, wherein the EAR records are queued in the EAR database to download data to the portable device from the external computing device when the portable device establishes communication with the external computing device.

23. A portable device, comprising:

a processor;

a display;

a navigation database containing navigation records having a plurality of navigation fields;

an action database containing action records having a plurality of customizable action fields, where each action field is customizable by downloading additional action records based on user selection to said portable device from an external computing device;

a display driver that displays on the display in a database-driven menu structure navigation descriptions associated with the navigation records and action descriptions associated with the action records;

a four-direction input mechanism for selecting the navigation descriptions and the action descriptions;

an interface through which the additional action records are received from the external computing device and the action database updated; and

a digital synchronization system (DSS) that initiates an action when an action description is selected.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the display driver displays an action description associated with the action record when an action field of the plurality of action fields has a requisite value.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein a navigation field of the plurality of navigation fields indicates the requisite value.

26. The device of claim 23, further comprising:

an extra action request (EAR) database in which the DSS stores an action identifier that identifies an action and data from the navigation database that is associated with a navigation description, wherein the EAR database is accessible to another computer through the interface.

27. The device of claim 23, further comprising:

a wireless interface through which an action script, including action data, is received, wherein the action database is updated with an action record including the action data.

28. A portable device, comprising:

a navigation database containing a navigation record with a plurality of navigation fields, wherein a field of the plurality of navigation fields comprises a navigation description;

a customizable action database containing an action record, with an action field having an action description, that is associated with the navigation record, where each action field is customizable by downloading data based on user selection to said portable device from an external computing device;

a display driver to display a portion of a database-driven menu structure, where the database-driven menu structure includes the navigation description, and to display the action description in a dynamic action menu after the navigation description is selected when the action record includes a field with a requisite value;

an input mechanism for traversing the database-driven menu structure to the navigation description and for selecting the navigation description, and for traversing the dynamic action menu to the action description and for selecting the action description;

an extra action request (EAR) database containing at least one EAR record with a plurality of EAR fields, wherein an action identifier field of the plurality of EAR fields comprises an action identifier and an action data field of the plurality of EAR fields comprises data necessary to execute an action identified by the action identifier, and wherein the EAR record contains a user initiated action request to download data to the portable device from an external computing device;

a digital synchronization system (DSS) that updates the EAR database with a new EAR record when the action description is selected, wherein the action identifier field is associated with the action description and the action data field includes data from the navigation record; and

an interface through which action data is received from the external computing device, wherein the customizable action database is customized with the action data, and through which the external computing device has access to the EAR record.

29. A method of operating a portable device, comprising:

populating on a portable device a database-driven navigation menu with navigation descriptions of navigation records stored in a navigation database on said portable device;

obtaining on said portable device a navigation selection of one of the navigation descriptions;

determining on said portable device that the navigation selection is associated with a media file;

constructing on said portable device a database-driven action menu with action descriptions of action records stored in an action database on said portable device, where each action record is customizable;

accepting on said portable device an action selection of one of the action descriptions;

storing an extra action request (EAR) record in an EAR database on the portable device based on the action selection, where the EAR record contains a user initiated request to download an additional action record to the portable device from an external computing device;

downloading the additional action record from the external computing device when the portable device establishes communication with the external computing device; and

storing the additional action record in the action database.