Graphical user interface and methods of use thereof in a multimedia player

• US 7,560,637 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2005
• Issued: 07/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Chaudhri, Imran, Christie, Greg, Wasko, Timothy, Jobs, Steve, Robbin, Jeffrey L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fletcher; Marlon T
• Application Number:
  US11/238,587
• Time in Patent Office: 1,385 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 84/615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4393 Multimedia presentations, e.g. slide shows, multimedia albums
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/632 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0008 Associated control or indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/061 MP3, i.e. MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, lossy audio compression
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/131 Library retrieval, i.e. searching a database or selecting a specific musical piece, segment, pattern, rule or parameter set

Abstract

In a portable multimedia device, a method, apparatus, and system for providing user supplied configuration data are described. In one embodiment, a hierarchically ordered graphical user interface is provided. A first order, or home, interface provides a highest order of user selectable items each of which, when selected, results in an automatic transition to a lower order user interface associated with the selected item. In one of the described embodiments, the lower order interface includes other user selectable items associated with the previously selected item from the higher order user interface.

Claims

1. A method of assisting user interaction with a multimedia asset player by way of a pathwise bi-directional user interface, said method comprising:

displaying a first order user interface having a first list of user selectable items each of at least a plurality of which points to at least another list of user selectable items;

receiving a user selection of one of the user selectable items from the first list, said receiving the user selection of one of the user selectable items from the first list including at least (i) successively highlighting one or more of the user selectable items from the first list using a rotational user action with respect to a user input device of the multimedia asset player and (ii) accepting a selection of one of the highlighted user selectable items; and

automatically transitioning to and displaying a second order user interface based upon the selected one of the user selectable items from the first list, the second order user interface having a second list of user selectable items pointed to by the selected one of the user selectable items from the first list,

wherein each of at least a plurality of the user selectable items in the second list points back to the corresponding one of the user selectable items in the first list and points forward to at least one user selectable item in a third list of user selectable items displayed by a corresponding third order user interface.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein not more than one of the user selectable items in each of the first list, the second list and the third list are the same.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first order user interface is a home interface.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first list of user selectable items includes at least a playlists item, an artists item, and a songs item.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein when the selected one of the user selectable items from the first list is the playlists item, then the second list of user selectable items being displayed in the second order user interface includes a list of playlists.

6. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein when the selected one of the user selectable items from the first list is the artists item, then the second list of user selectable items being displayed in the second order user interface includes an all artists indication and a list of particular artists.

7. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein when the selected one of the user selectable items from the first list is the songs item, then the second list of user selectable items being displayed in the second order user interface includes a list of all songs.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said method further comprises:

automatically transitioning to and displaying a fourth order user interface based upon the selected one of the user selectable items from the third list.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the fourth order user interface is a play media asset interface.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein when the play media asset interface is displayed, a previously selected media asset is played on the multimedia asset player.

11. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the fourth order user interface presents media asset information pertaining to the previously selected media asset being played.

12. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein when the previously selected media asset is a digital audio file, then the associated media asset information includes title, artist, album, and duration.

13. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the accepting of the selection of one of user selectable items comprises receiving a button press.

14. A pathwise bi-directional method of selecting a desired multimedia asset from a number of multimedia assets stored in a multimedia asset player comprising:

(a) displaying a first order user interface having a first set of user selectable items each of which points to a second set of user selectable items displayed on a second order user interface;

(b) receiving a user navigation input with respect to the first set of user selectable items to identify one of the user selectable items of the first set, the user navigation input being associated with a rotational user action with respect to a user input device of the multimedia asset player;

(c) accepting the identified one of the user selectable items of the first set;

(d) automatically transitioning to and displaying the second set of user selectable items each of which points back to the identified one of the user selectable items of the first set and points forward to a third order user interface; and

(e) receiving and acting upon at least one additional user input until a desired multimedia asset is selected.

15. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein said receiving and acting (e) comprises:

(e1) receiving a user navigation input with respect to the second set of user selectable items to identify one of the user selectable items of the second set, the user navigation input being associated with a rotational user action with respect to the user input device of the multimedia asset player;

(e2) accepting the identified one of the user selectable items of the second set; and

(e3) automatically transitioning to and displaying the third order user interface based on the identified one of the user selectable items of the second set that has been accepted.

16. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein the third order user interface comprises a third set of user selectable items each of which points back to the identified one of the user selectable items of the second set and points forward to a fourth order user interface.

17. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein said accepting (c) and said accepting (e2) are associated with a button of the multimedia asset player.

18. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein the button is provided in an opening provided at a center of the user input device.

19. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the multimedia asset is a digitized multimedia file.

20. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the first set of user selectable items includes at least a playlists item, an artists item, and a songs item.

21. A method as recited in claim 20, wherein when the accepted item is the playlists item, then the second set of user selectable items includes a list of playlists, and wherein when the accepted item is the artists item, then the second set of user selectable items includes an all artists indication and a list of particular artists, and wherein when the accepted item is the songs item, then the second set includes a list of all songs stored in the multimedia asset player.

22. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the user selectable items of the second set of user selectable items are completely different than the user selectable items of the first set of user selectable items.