Multimedia user interface

• US 7,782,298 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2006
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Leftwich, James J., Quinn, Thomas J., Smith, Gregory C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Henry N
• Application Number:
  US11/329,792
• Publication Number:
  US 20060164385A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,686 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-158, 348/14.03, 348/14.05, 348/734, 715/711, 715/715, 715/740, 715/779, 715/784, 715/800, 715/808, 715/810, 715/821, 715/863, 341/20, 341/21
• US Class Current: 345/157
• 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 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0354 with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/32 Remote control based on movements, attitude of remote control device
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/023 remotely controlled
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/025 'Virtual' control panels, e.g. Graphical User Interface [GUI]
• 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 21/42222 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording

Abstract

A user interface for multimedia centers advantageously utilizes hand-held inertial-sensing user input devices to select channels and quickly navigate the dense menus of options. Extensive use of the high resolution and bandwidth of such user input devices is combined with strategies to avoid unintentional inputs and with dense and intuitive interactive graphical displays.

Claims

1. A method for operating a user interface having a plurality of function icons, the method comprising:

determining if an attribute of an input device exceeds a first threshold;

designating one of the plurality of function icons if the attribute of the input device exceeds the first threshold;

implementing a second threshold that is higher than the first threshold;

determining if the attribute of the input device exceeds the second threshold; and

exiting the designated one of the plurality of function icons if the attribute of the input device exceeds the second threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute of the input device is at least one of a displacement of the input device, a speed of the input device, and an acceleration of the input device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the input device is a free-space hand-held input device that is responsive to pitch and yaw rotations.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the free-space hand-held input device comprises an angle-sensing controller.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the free-space hand-held input device comprises an inertial controller.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the free-space hand-held input device comprises a gyroscope controller.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of function icons include at least one of a currently tuned program icon, a program guide icon, a channel overview guide icon, a recorder control icon, an internet control icon, a rate-it control icon, a search icon, and a time-shift control icon.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding a bias against exiting the designated one of the plurality of function icons.

9. A display system having a user interface having a plurality of function icons, the display system comprising:

means for determining if an attribute of an input device exceeds a first threshold;

means for designating one of the plurality of function icons if the attribute of the input device exceeds the first threshold;

means for implementing a second threshold that is higher than the first threshold;

means for determining if the attribute of the input device exceeds the second threshold; and

means for exiting the designated one of the plurality of function icons if the attribute of the input device exceeds the second threshold.

10. The display system of claim 9, wherein the attribute of the input device is at least one of a displacement of the input device, a speed of the input device, and an acceleration of the input device.

11. The display system of claim 9, wherein the input device is a free-space hand-held input device that is responsive to pitch and yaw rotations.

12. The display system of claim 11, wherein the free-space hand-held input device comprises an angle-sensing controller.

13. The display system of claim 11, wherein the free-space hand-held input device comprises an inertial controller.

14. The display system of claim 11, wherein the free-space hand-held input device comprises a gyroscope controller.

15. The display system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of function icons include at least one of a currently tuned program icon, a program guide icon, a channel overview guide icon, a recorder control icon, an internet control icon, a rate-it control icon, a search icon, and a time-shift control icon.

16. The display system of claim 9, further comprising means for adding a bias against exiting the designated one of the plurality of function icons.