Media user interface gallery control

• US 7,761,812 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2005
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Vong, William H, Gibson, Mark R., Alton, Benjamin N, Ostojic, Bojana, Glein, Christopher A, Flora, William T, Newell, Mark S
• Primary Examiner(s): Sax; Steven P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Johnson; Grant D
• Application Number:
  US11/215,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20070028267A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,785 Days
• Field of Search: 715/716, 715/719, 715/727, 715/730, 715/764, 715/767, 715/810, 715/828, 715/829, 715/830, 715/834, 715/835, 715/838, 725/37, 725/39, 725/52
• US Class Current: 715/835
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4884 for displaying subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Outputting a user interface having a list of a plurality of representations of media items on a display of a computing device is presented. In one embodiment, a center locking region (CLR) is defined in the user interface and covers a portion of the plurality of representations, wherein navigation from a first representation within the CLR to a second representation outside the CLR causes a scrolling of the second representation into the CLR on one horizontal side and a scrolling of a third representation within the CLR out of the CLR on the other horizontal side while navigation through a portion of the plurality of representations within the CLR causes no scrolling. In another embodiment, a gap indicating a beginning and an end of the list is displayed and a scrolling occurs when the gap is within the CLR and a horizontal navigation within the CLR is performed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

outputting a user interface having a plurality of representations of media items horizontally arranged, one next to another, to form a horizontal list, the list being arranged in the user interface such that the plurality of representations are horizontally aligned to form one or more horizontal rows and vertically aligned to form a plurality of vertical columns, the user interface defining a center-locking region partially covering the horizontal list,

wherein at least two or more of the plurality of columns are positioned within the center-locking region and at least one of the plurality of columns is positioned outside the center-locking region,

wherein the center-locking region is a pre-determined area of the user interface that is less than a total area of the user interface, wherein a user is not able to move a focus of the user interface horizontally outside of the center-locking region,

wherein the center-locking region is configured such that;

each representation is capable of receiving the focus and being selected when positioned within the center-locking region, and

each representation is disabled from being focused or selected in the user interface when positioned outside the center-locking region; and

navigating the plurality of representations of media items in the user interface by a user input to shift the focus to a different representation of the plurality of representations of media items having at least a first representation and a second representation, the navigation comprising;

in an event that horizontal navigation is attempted from the first representation within the center-locking region to the second representation outside the center-locking region;

scrolling, along a horizontal direction, causing a first column of the plurality of representations outside the center-locking region to be positioned within the center-locking region on a first side of the center-locking region and the scrolling causing a second column of the plurality of representations within the center-locking region to be positioned outside the center-locking region on a second side of the center-locking region, wherein the first column includes the second representation and the first column is positioned adjacent to the center-locking region before being positioned into the center-locking region; and

shifting the focus from the first representation to the second representation when the second representation has entered the center-locking region, the shifting comprising;

de-highlighting the first representation to a normal presentation, wherein brightness and size of the normal presentation are equivalent to those of other representations that are displayed in the user interface; and

highlighting, upon the second representation being positioned within the center-locking region, the second representation, the highlighting comprising brightening and enlarging the second representation while maintaining the other representations with the normal presentation in the user interface;

wherein the list is arranged in a horizontally-oriented carousel in the user interface,

wherein a gap is provided between two particular columns of the plurality of columns, wherein one of the particular columns adjacent to the gap indicates a beginning of the list represented in the carousel, and the other particular column adjacent to the gap indicates an end of the list, and

wherein when, as a result of the scrolling along the horizontal direction, the gap is located within the center-locking region, the user interface scrolls the list additionally to move the gap out of the center-locking region.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the media items have types selected from the group consisting of:

a pay-per-view (PPV) movie;

a video-on-demand (VOD);

a song;

a photo;

streaming audio; and

a television program.

3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein:

a greater portion of the representations are oriented along a horizontal axis of the user interface than a portion of the representations that are oriented along a vertical axis of the user interface.

4. A method as described in claim 1, following the highlighting the second representation, navigating the focus from the second representation within the center-locking region to the first representation within the center-locking region by:

shifting, in the center-locking region, the focus from the second representation to the first representation without horizontally scrolling the plurality of columns, the shifting comprising;

de-highlighting the second representation to the normal presentation; and

highlighting the first representation, the highlighting comprising brightening and enlarging the first representation while maintaining the other representations with the normal presentation in the user interface.

5. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising executing an operating system that performs the outputting and the scrolling.

6. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct a computer to implement a method as recited in claim 1.

7. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct a computer to output a user interface having a gallery region and a pivot region:

the gallery region comprising;

a plurality of representations of media items that are horizontally arranged to form one or more horizontal carousels and vertically aligned to form a plurality of columns; and

a center-locking region encompassing a portion of the plurality of representations such that at least two or more of the plurality of columns of representations of media items are positioned within the center-locking region and at least one of the plurality of columns is positioned outside the center-locking region, wherein the center-locking region is fixed to a pre-determined area of the gallery region that is less than a total area of the user interface, wherein a user is not able to move a focus of the user interface horizontally outside of the center-locking region, wherein the center-locking region is configured such that;

each representation is capable of receiving focus and being selected when positioned within the center-locking region; and

each representation is disabled from being focused or selected in the user interface when positioned outside the center-locking region; and

navigating the plurality of representations of media items in the gallery region of the user interface comprises;

scrolling, along a horizontal direction, to cause one of the plurality of representations outside the center-locking region to be positioned within the center-locking region when horizontal navigation is attempted from one of the two or more of the plurality of representations located within the center-locking region to one of the plurality of representations located outside the center-locking region, wherein the focus is shifted to the representation scrolled into the center-locking region; and

the pivot region is positioned vertically adjacent to the gallery region and including a plurality of representations of features that are;

configured to sort the plurality of representations of media items in the gallery region; and

arranged in at least one horizontal carousel accessible via vertical navigation from the gallery region.

8. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 7, wherein:

at least one said representation of the gallery area is not included in the center-locking region and is positionable within the center-locking region upon scrolling of each said representation.

9. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 7, wherein navigating the plurality of representations of features in the pivot region and sorting the plurality of representations of media items in the gallery region comprises:

shifting focus of the user interface between the gallery region and the pivot region via a vertical navigation command;

navigating each of the plurality of representations of features via a horizontal navigation command such that, as each one of the plurality of representations of features are being navigated, the plurality of representations of media items in the gallery region are automatically updated or adjusted in accordance with the one of the plurality of representations of features that is being navigated.

10. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 7,

wherein a gap provides a separation between two particular representations of the plurality of representations, the gap indicating a beginning and an end of a list represented by the plurality of representations,

wherein the gap is configured such that when, as a result of horizontal scrolling, the gap is positioned in the center-locking region the user interface moves the gap out of the center-locking region by additional scrolling of the representations.

11. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 7, wherein each said representation of the plurality of media items is configured to receive focus when positioned in the center-locking region such that metadata is displayable proximally to a respective said representation having the focus.

12. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct a computer to output a user interface comprising:

a list comprising a plurality of representations of media items, the plurality of representations being horizontally arranged from left to right to form one or more horizontal axes in the user interface and vertically aligned to form a plurality of columns, the plurality of representations comprising at least a first representation and a second representation wherein the list is displayed as a horizontally-oriented carousel;

a gap vertically positioned in the user interface and indicating a beginning and an end of the list by separating a beginning column and an end column of the list; and

a center-locking region encompassing a portion of the list, the center-locking region having a height sufficient to include all of the one or more horizontal axes in the user interface and having a width sufficient to include three or more columns of the plurality of columns of the list, the center-locking region being configured such that;

each representation is capable of receiving focus and being selected when positioned within the center-locking region; and

each representation is disabled from being focused or selected in the user interface when positioned outside the center-locking region,

wherein;

each representation located in the center-locking region is navigated when a focus is shifted to the representation from another representation; and

when navigation through the plurality of representations of media items in the center-locking region causes the gap indicating the beginning column and the end column of the list to be positioned within the center-locking region, the gap separating a plurality of columns in the center-locking region into a first portion of columns including the beginning column of the list and a second portion of columns including the end column of the list, navigation further comprises moving the gap out of the center-locking region by;

navigating horizontally from the first representation to the second representation to cause the gap and the first portion of columns to be positioned outside the center-locking region on a first side of the center-locking region and to cause two or more columns that are positioned outside the center-locking region to be positioned within the center-locking region on a second side of the center-locking region when;

the first representation is located in the second portion of the columns within the center-locking region and the second representation is positioned outside the center-locking region and on the second side of the center-locking region; and

the first representation and the second representation are horizontally aligned and positioned next to each other;

or

navigating horizontally from the first representation to the second representation to cause the gap and the second portion of columns that are located within the center-locking region to be positioned outside the center-locking region on the second side of the center-locking region and to cause two or more columns that are positioned outside the center-locking region to be positioned within the center-locking region on the first side of the center-locking region when;

the first representation is located in the second portion of the columns within the center-locking region and the second representation is positioned in the first portion of the columns within the center-locking region; and

the first representation and the second representation are horizontally aligned but separated by the gap, such that, after the navigating;

the first representation and the gap are positioned outside the center-locking region and the second representation is still positioned within the center-locking region; and

the first representation and the second representation maintain separation by the gap.

13. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 12, wherein an amount of display area occupied by the gap indicating the beginning column and the end column of the list is less than the amount of display area occupied by any one of the plurality of said representations when displayed in the user interface.

14. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 12, wherein an amount of display area occupied by the gap indicating the beginning column and the end column of the list is greater than an amount of display area disposed between other said representations in a respective said list that do not represent a beginning and an end of the list.