Internet information displaying apparatus and internet information displaying method

• US 7,302,473 B1
• Filed: 09/10/1999
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kuchiki, Nobuo, Hama, Yoshinori, Wakamatsu, Takashige, Hase, Yuji, Yagi, Masashi, Enomoto, Mitsunobu
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, KHANH Q
• Application Number:
  US09/393,576
• Time in Patent Office: 3,000 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/203, 709/224, 709/227, 709/226, 709/207, 709/228, 345/333, 345/607, 345/149, 434/307, 710/10, 710/14, 713/10, 358/451, 358/1.9, 358/452, 358/149, 358/401, 358/448, 715/853, 348/352
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/085 using a television receiver, e.g. viewdata system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• 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 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• 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 21/4622 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV

Abstract

An Internet information displaying apparatus comprising character signal generating means for generating a character signal and displaying it on the screen of the displaying means, and character signal generation controlling means for detecting the state of transmission and reception of digital data of the digital data transmitting and receiving means, and controlling the character signal generating means so as to generate a character signal to indicate the transmission or reception state. The state of transmission or reception of the digital data of the digital data transmitting and receiving means, in other words, the state of connection to the provider is displayed on the screen.

Claims

1. An Internet information displaying method for receiving internet information, displaying it on the screen, and displaying a tool bar composed of plural buttons each representing control function on the screen, comprising steps of:

selecting an arbitrary button in said tool bar; and

magnifying only said selected button into a predetermined size in longitudinal and lateral directions and displaying said selected, magnified button.

2. The Internet information displaying method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the displaying state of the selected button is magnified in the direction toward the center of the screen at said step of magnifying and displaying said selected button.

3. The Internet information displaying method as set forth in claim 1, wherein characters for expressing the function of the button are also displayed at said step of magnifying and displaying said selected button.

4. The Internet information displaying method as set forth is claim 1, further comprising step of varying the displaying state of said magnified and displayed button when executing the function of said selected button.

5. The Internet information displaying method as set forth in claim 4, wherein said selected button is displayed in a depressed state from the screen at the step of varying the displaying state of said magnified and displayed button when executing the function of said selected button.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said step of selecting an arbitrary button to be the selected button in the tool bar comprises selecting said arbitrary button with a wireless remote control.

7. An Internet information displaying method for receiving Internet information, displaying it on the screen, and displaying a tool bar composed of plural buttons each representing control function on the screen, comprising the steps of:

selecting, by a remote control, an arbitrary button in said tool bar; and

magnifying only said selected button into a predetermined size in longitudinal and lateral directions and displaying said selected, magnified button.

8. An Internet information displaying method for receiving Internet information, displaying it on the screen, and displaying a tool bar composed of plural buttons each representing control function on the screen, comprising the steps of:

selecting an arbitrary button in said tool bar; and

magnifying, in longitudinal and lateral directions, and displaying the selected button upon a single user action.

9. The Internet information displaying method as set forth in claim 8, wherein the displaying state of the selected button is magnified and moved in the direction toward the center of the screen at said step of magnifying and displaying said selected button.