Adaptive menu system for media players

• US 7,590,659 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2006
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation, Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Torii, Yasuyuki, LaChapelle, Kevin Leigh, Yanagawa, Yoshifumi, Takeguchi, Nobuyasu, Mercer, Ian Cameron, Matsumi, Chiyoko, Miyamoto, Harutoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Pardo; Thuy N
• Application Number:
  US11/333,500
• Publication Number:
  US 20060123058A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,337 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/102, 707/104.1, 707/511, 707/1, 707/3, 707/101, 707/103.Y, 715/500.1, 725/134, 345/738, 345/589, 713/182
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/025 'Virtual' control panels, e.g. Graphical User Interface [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/002 Programmed access in sequence to a plurality of record carriers or indexed parts, e.g. tracks, thereof, e.g. for editing; transfer of record carriers from magazine G11B15/68, G11B17/10; G11B17/22
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/913 Multimedia
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

Creating and displaying an adaptive menu structure for media files. The invention includes authoring software to create the menu structure to enable a user to navigate the media files using a media player. The invention also includes filtering software to adapt the created menu structure to display menu information on a display associated with the media player as a function of a media type associated with the media player. In one embodiment, the invention is operable as part of a compressed media format having a set of small files containing metadata, menus, and playlists in a compiled binary format designed for playback on feature-rich personal computer media players as well as low cost media players.

Claims

1. A method of displaying menu information on a display associated with a media player, said menu information enabling a user to navigate one or more media files using the media player, said media files each having a media type associated therewith and being adapted for rendering by the media player as a function of the media type, said method comprising:

reading a menu header having references to one or more selected media files and a media type associated with each respective one of said selected media files, each of said media files being adapted for rendering by the media player as a function of the media type associated therewith;

adapting the read menu header by filtering the references to the selected media files as a function of a media type associated with the media player, wherein the media type associated with the media player identifies at least one media type that the player is capable of rendering; and

displaying to a user on the display associated with the media player only menu information associated with the media player as indicated by the adapted menu header, wherein the displayed menu information enables a user to navigate among one or more media files using the media player.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said menu header includes a reference to another menu header and a media type associated with said other menu header to enable navigation between the menu header and the other menu header, and further comprising adapting the read menu header by filtering the reference to the other menu header as a function of the media type associated with the media player.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the media type associated with each respective one of the selected media files and the media type associated with the media player comprise one or more of the following:

audio, video, and image.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the references to the selected media files comprise one of the following:

a memory location offset to the selected media files or a pointer to the selected media files.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more computer-readable media have computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 1.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising populating the menu header with a reference to another menu header to enable navigation between the menu header and said other menu header.

6. A consumer electronics device having a media player, said media player for displaying menu information on a display of the consumer electronics device, said menu information enabling a user to navigate one or more media files using a user interface of the consumer electronics device, said media files each having a media type associated therewith and being adapted for rendering by the media player as a function of the media type, said media player comprising:

an input module for reading a menu header having references to one or more selected media files and a media type associated with each respective one of said selected media files, wherein each of the media files is adapted for rendering by the media player as a function of the media type associated therewith;

a menu module for adapting the read menu header from the input module by filtering the references to the selected media files as a function of a media type associated with the media player, wherein the media type associated with the media player identifies at least one media type that the player is capable of rendering; and

a user interface module for displaying to a user on the display of the consumer electronics device only menu information associated with the media player as indicated by the adapted menu header, said displayed menu information enabling a user to navigate among one or more media files using the user interface of the consumer electronics device.

7. The media player of claim 6, wherein said menu header includes a reference to another menu header and a media type associated with said other menu header to enable navigation between said menu header and the other menu header, and further comprising a navigation module for adapting the read menu header by filtering the reference to the other menu header as a function of the media type associated with the media player.

8. The media player of claim 7, wherein the references to the selected media files comprise one of the following:

a memory location offset to the selected media files, a pointer to a playlist referencing the selected media files, or a pointer to the selected media files.

9. The media player of claim 7, wherein the media type associated with each respective one of the selected media files and the media type associated with the media player comprise one or more of the following:

audio, video, and image.

11. The media player of claim 7, further comprising a summary module for identifying the media type associated with each of the selected media files.