Vehicle multimedia system

• US 7,643,917 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2005
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kolletzki, Johannes
• Primary Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US11/213,509
• Publication Number:
  US 20060173594A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,593 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/29, 701/31, 701/32, 701/35, 701/36, 701/49, 701/200, 715/716, 715/717, 715/727, 715811-814, 715817-827, 715/828, 715/830, 715/832, 715/835, 715/841, 715/844, 715/853, 715/854, 715/866, 340/825, 340/3.1, 340/3.3, 340/3.32, 340/825.25
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41422 located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42692 for reading from or writing on a volatile storage medium, e.g. Random Access Memory [RAM]
• 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 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

A vehicle multimedia system includes a display that displays a hierarchically structured menu. The hierarchically structured menu may have a main menu, a plurality of submenus, and menu items. The multimedia system provides a memory for storing information identifying a menu or menu item, and a memory control unit for writing information related to a menu item upon a user'"'"'s selection of the menu by an operating element or by automatic return to a main menu, and displaying the information as selectable menu items identified by the information.

Claims

1. A vehicle multimedia system comprising:

a display for displaying information including hierarchically structured menus with menu items, where the menu items are located within the hierarchically structured menus;

an operating element for selecting a menu from the hierarchically structured menus or selecting one of the menu items from within the hierarchically structured menus;

a control unit for controlling the display and for receiving the selecting signal from the operating element and displaying the selected menu or selected menu item;

a memory element adapted to store a link that identifies a selected menu from the hierarchically structured menus and a reference to a selected menu item; and

a memory control unit that stores the link and the reference in the memory element,

where the operating element further includes a key for selection of the stored link or the stored reference, where an activation of the key returns to the selected menu from the hierarchically structured menus with a first type of key push, or returns to and activates the selected menu item with a second type of key push, where the second type of key push is a different length than the first type of key push; and

where the memory control unit stores the link and the reference in response to the selection of the menu item via the operating element or in response to the selection of the menu from the hierarchically structured menus, and where the memory control unit provides the stored selections upon activation of the key.

2. The vehicle multimedia system of claim 1 where the memory control unit is adapted to organize the memory element as a ring memory.

3. The vehicle multimedia system of claim 1 where the display initially displays a status screen and after a predetermined period of time of inaction, the display returns to the status screen.

4. The vehicle multimedia system of claim 1 where the key stores a most recently visited menu or menu item and activation of the key returns to the most recently visited menu or menu item.

5. The vehicle multimedia system of claim 1 where the status screen displays the hierarchically structured menus.

6. The vehicle multimedia system of claim 1 where the memory element is selected from the group consisting of:

a flash memory, a non-volatile memory, and a hard-disk memory.

7. The vehicle multimedia system of claim 1 where the memory control unit is adapted to delete stored information identifying a menu or menu item via the operating element.

8. The vehicle multimedia system of claim 1 where the operating element comprises a switch adapted to cause the memory control unit to supply the stored information.

9. The vehicle multimedia system of claim 8 further comprising an audio unit comprising at least an amplifier, a radio tuner, and a CD-/DVD-player.

10. The vehicle multimedia system of claim 8 further comprising a navigation unit for providing route guidance and a mobile communication unit for providing telephony and internet services.

11. A vehicle multimedia system comprising:

a display for displaying information including hierarchically structured menus with menu items, where the menu items are located within the hierarchically structured menus and include an associated function, further where each menu item includes a link to the hierarchically structured menus it is located in;

an operating element for selecting menus from the hierarchically structured menus to locate one of the menu items from within the hierarchically structured menus;

a control unit for controlling the display and for receiving the selecting signal from the operating element; and

a memory that stores a link that identifies a selected menu from the hierarchically structured menus and a reference to an associated function for a selected menu item, where the memory stores a most recent selection of a menu and menu item;

where the operating element further includes a key that has two types of activation, where the first type of activation with a shorter push of the key retrieves the stored reference to the associated function that is stored in the memory and performs the associated function, and where the second type of activation with a longer push of the key displays the hierarchically structured menu where the menu item is located that is associated with the stored link.

12. The vehicle multimedia system of claim 11 where the longer push of the key displays a menu and the shorter push of the key activates a menu item.