Touch-screen remote control for multimedia equipment

• US 7,461,343 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2004
• Issued: 12/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Lawrence Kates
• Inventors: Kates, Lawrence
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Tuyetlien T
• Application Number:
  US10/983,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20060101338A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,485 Days
• Field of Search: 715/716, 715/809, 345/173, 725/39, 725/40, 725/56
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• 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 21/42209 for displaying non-command information, e.g. electronic program guide [EPG], e-mail, messages or a second television channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• 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 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42226 Reprogrammable remote control devices
• 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 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• 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 5/782 on tape

Abstract

A multimedia control system presents program schedule information to a user in a visually and intellectually-intuitive manner. The multimedia control system can be used to display programming information, control multimedia devices, control home automation devices, etc. In one embodiment, a control screen used to display programming information is configured as a touch screen to allow the user to select programming, control multimedia devices, or perform other functions by touching the screen. In one embodiment, the system uses a consistent, user-selectable, intuitive user interface. In one embodiment, programming information is dynamically updated to provide the user with current programming information, such as, for example, sports scores, commercial breaks, news stories, documentary contents, etc.

Claims

1. A multimedia control system, comprising:

a processor;

a touch-screen display provided to said processor;

a communications interface provided to said processor, said communications interface configured to receive programming information over at least one communications channel; and

one or more remote-control interfaces provided to said processor, said processor configured to receive said programming information from said communications interface and to display said programming information on said touch-screen display as a program screen comprising a plurality of graphical user interface buttons, each graphical user interface button corresponding to a program, each graphical user interface button configured to display an icon corresponding to said program;

wherein the plurality of graphical user interface buttons are arranged in a matrix format wherein a first axis of said matrix corresponds to time and a second axis of said matrix corresponds to channel, said processor configured to control one or more multimedia devices using said one or more remote-control interfaces in response to user inputs from said touch-screen display, said processor further configured to provide a dialog-type pop-up display in response to user selection of one of the icon displayed on said matrix of said program screen to show additional information related to a program corresponding to the selected icon, said processor configured to update said program screen to graphically highlight one or more of said icons of the plurality of graphical user interface buttons corresponding to programs that are on commercial break to graphically distinguish programs that are currently in a commercial break from programs are not currently in a commercial break.

2. The multimedia control system of claim 1, wherein said remote-control interface comprises an infrared interface.

3. The multimedia control system of claim 1, wherein said remote-control interface comprises a radio-frequency interface.

4. The multimedia control system of claim 1, wherein said communication channel comprises a computer network.

5. The multimedia control system of claim 1, wherein said communication channel comprises an Internet connection.

6. The multimedia control system of claim 1, wherein said communication channel comprises a wireless networking channel.

7. The multimedia control system of claim 1, wherein said communication interface comprises a satellite-radio receiver.

8. The multimedia control system of claim 1, wherein said communication interface comprises a local area network interface.

9. The multimedia control system of claim 1, wherein said communication interface comprises a wireless local area network interface.

10. The multimedia control system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said graphical user interface buttons comprises a button to select a desired program.

11. The multimedia control system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said graphical user interface buttons comprises a button to select a device-control screen.

12. The multimedia control system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said graphical user interface buttons comprises a button to select a setup screen.

13. The multimedia control system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said graphical user interface buttons comprises a button to open a dialog-type window corresponding to a selected program.

14. The multimedia control system of claim 1, wherein said programming information comprises information related to a current score of a program showing a sporting event.

15. The multimedia control system of claim 1, wherein said programming information comprises information related to a current news topic of a news program.

16. The multimedia control system of claim 1, wherein said icon corresponds to an episode of said program.

17. The multimedia control system of claim 1, wherein said programming content comprises cable television programming.

18. The multimedia control system of claim 1, wherein said programming content comprises satellite television programming.

19. The multimedia control system of claim 1, wherein said programming content comprises satellite radio programming.

20. The multimedia control system of claim 1, wherein said programming content comprises broadcast radio programming.

21. The multimedia control system of claim 1, wherein said programming content comprises DVD programming.

22. The multimedia control system of claim 1, wherein said programming content comprises audio CD programming.

23. The multimedia control system of claim 1, wherein said programming content comprises previously-recorded programming.

24. The multimedia control system of claim 1, wherein said programming content comprises previously-recorded programming stored in a personal video recorder.

57. The multimedia control system of claim 1, wherein said icon displays video content of said program.

25. A method for controlling one or more multimedia devices, comprising:

receiving entertainment programming information over at least one first communications channel;

receiving supplemental programming information over at least one second communications channel, wherein said supplemental programming information in includes information indicating which of one or more programs are currently at a commercial break;

displaying said programming information on a display screen as a program screen comprising a plurality of graphical user interface buttons, each graphical user interface button corresponding to a program, each graphical user interface button configured to display an icon corresponding to said program;

wherein the plurality of graphical user interface buttons are arranged in a matrix format wherein a first axis of said matrix corresponds to time and a second axis of said matrix corresponds to channel, wherein said icons of the plurality of graphical user interface buttons indicate which programs are available, which programs are in a commercial break and which programs are not in a commercial break;

updating said program screen according to said supplemental programming information to indicate a current content of one or more entertainment programs during a time period of said one or more entertainment programs by graphically highlighting said icons of the plurality of graphical user interface buttons that correspond to programs that are in a commercial break to distinguish between programs that are in a commercial break and programs that are not at a commercial break;

opening a dialog-type pop-up window for a first entertainment program in response to a first user-input command of one of the icon displayed on said matrix of said program screen to show additional information related to a program corresponding to the selected icon; and

sending a remote-control command to one or more multimedia devices to select a second entertainment program in response to a second user-input command.

26. The method of claim 25, said sending a remote-control command comprises sending an infrared signal.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein said sending a remote-control command comprises sending a radio-frequency signal.

28. The method of claim 25, receiving entertainment programming comprises receiving data from a computer network.

29. The method of claim 25, receiving entertainment programming comprises receiving data from an Internet connection.

30. The method of claim 25, receiving entertainment programming comprises receiving data from a wireless communication channel.

31. The method of claim 25, receiving entertainment programming comprises receiving data from a wireless computer network.

32. The method of claim 25, receiving entertainment programming comprises receiving data from a satellite-radio system.

33. The method of claim 25, receiving entertainment programming comprises receiving data from a local-area network.

34. The method of claim 25, receiving entertainment programming comprises receiving data from a cable television network.

35. The method of claim 25, wherein at least one of said graphical user interface buttons comprises a button to select a desired program.

36. The method of claim 25, further comprising selecting a device-control screen.

37. The method of claim 25 further comprising selecting a setup screen.

38. The method of claim 25, further comprising selecting a program display format.

39. The method of claim 25, further comprising selecting a program screen format.

40. The method of claim 25, wherein said supplemental programming information comprises information related to a current score of a program showing a sporting event.

41. The method of claim 25, wherein said supplemental programming information comprises information related to a current news topic of a news program.

42. The method of claim 25, wherein said supplemental programming information comprises information related to a current topic of a science-related program.

43. The method of claim 25, wherein said icon displays video content of said program.

44. The method of claim 25, wherein said icon corresponds to an episode of said program.

45. The method of claim 25, wherein said entertainment programming comprises cable television programming.

46. The method of claim 25, wherein said entertainment programming comprises satellite television programming.

47. The method of claim 25, wherein said entertainment programming comprises satellite radio programming.

48. The method of claim 25, wherein said entertainment programming comprises broadcast radio programming.

49. The method of claim 25, wherein said entertainment programming comprises DVD programming.

50. The method of claim 25, wherein said entertainment programming comprises audio CD programming.

51. The method of claim 25, wherein said entertainment programming comprises previously-recorded programming.

52. The method of claim 25, wherein said entertainment programming comprises previously-recorded programming stored in a personal video recorder.

53. The method of claim 25, wherein said first and second user-input commands are made by using a human-interface device comprising a touch-screen.

54. The method of claim 25, wherein said first and second user-input commands are made by using a human-interface device comprising a computer mouse.

55. The method of claim 25, wherein said first and second user-input commands are made by using a human-interface device comprising a trackball.

56. The method of claim 25, wherein said first and second user-input commands are made by using a human-interface device comprising a speech-recognition system.