Interactive user interface
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method comprising:
- generating a video region, said video region including video layer imagery;
generating a plurality of frame sequences comprising a plurality of different graphics each associated with the video layer imagery;
generating, within a service provider equipment, a plurality of user interfaces comprising said plurality of frame sequences, each user interface comprising said video region and a guide region, wherein the video layer imagery of the video region is common to content of each of the guide regions;
distributing each of said plurality of user interfaces as a bitstream comprising a compressed video stream to a user terminal; and
transmitting, with each of said plurality of said user interfaces, a graphics layer to said user terminal, said graphics layer facilitating a mask/reveal function within each user interface, said graphics layer comprising graphics layer imagery visually cooperating with a select graphical object of said content to selectively mask or reveal said select graphical object.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A user interface for an interactive information distribution system comprising a graphics region, a video region and a mask/reveal layer. The user interface is generated in a head end of the system as a digital bitstream and transmitted to subscriber equipment for display. Operation of the user interface is facilitated by functions on both a local level with the subscriber equipment and on a system level within the head end. One embodiment of the user interface is an interactive program guide.
-
Citations
30 Claims
-
1. A method comprising:
-
generating a video region, said video region including video layer imagery; generating a plurality of frame sequences comprising a plurality of different graphics each associated with the video layer imagery; generating, within a service provider equipment, a plurality of user interfaces comprising said plurality of frame sequences, each user interface comprising said video region and a guide region, wherein the video layer imagery of the video region is common to content of each of the guide regions; distributing each of said plurality of user interfaces as a bitstream comprising a compressed video stream to a user terminal; and transmitting, with each of said plurality of said user interfaces, a graphics layer to said user terminal, said graphics layer facilitating a mask/reveal function within each user interface, said graphics layer comprising graphics layer imagery visually cooperating with a select graphical object of said content to selectively mask or reveal said select graphical object. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
-
-
9. An apparatus comprising:
-
a processor; and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to perform; receiving, from a service provider equipment, a bitstream comprising a compressed video stream and a plurality of user interfaces, wherein each of the plurality of user interfaces comprises a guide region and one of a plurality of frame sequences, wherein the plurality of frame sequences comprise a plurality of different graphics each associated with video layer imagery of a video region in each of the plurality of user interfaces, wherein the video layer imagery of the video region is common to content of each of the guide regions; retrieving a graphics layer facilitating a mask/reveal function within each user interface, said graphics layer comprising graphics layer imagery visually cooperating with select objects of said content for visually masking or revealing said select objects; and generating a display comprising said graphics layer imagery, at least one of said guide regions and said video region. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
-
19. A method of interaction with an interactive program guide comprising:
-
receiving, from a service provider equipment, a bitstream comprising a compressed video stream and a plurality of user interfaces at a user terminal, wherein each of the plurality of user interfaces comprises a guide region and one of a plurality of frame sequences, wherein the plurality of frame sequences comprise a plurality of different graphics each associated with video layer imagery of a video region in each of the plurality of user interfaces, wherein the video layer imagery of the video region is common to content of each of the guide regions; converting, within said user terminal, said bitstream into a display of said interactive program guide, said interactive program guide comprising interactive program guide imagery; and producing a graphics layer within said user terminal, said graphics layer adapted to selectively mask and reveal said interactive program guide imagery, wherein said graphics layer comprises graphics layer imagery visually cooperating with select objects of said interactive program guide imagery. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
-
-
29. A method comprising:
-
receiving, at a display equipment device comprising a processor, a bitstream from a service provider equipment, the bitstream comprising a compressed video stream and a plurality of user interfaces, wherein each of the plurality of user interfaces comprises a guide region and one of a plurality of frame sequences, wherein the plurality of frame sequences comprises a plurality of different graphics each associated with video layer imagery of a video region, wherein the video layer imagery of the video region is common to content of each of the guide regions; retrieving, at the display equipment device, a graphics layer; decoding, at the display equipment device, the compressed video stream to obtain a displayable interactive programming guide, the displayable interactive programming guide comprising said guide regions and said video region; receiving, at the display equipment device, a user input selecting a first object within the guide regions; and responsive to the received user input, emphasizing, at the display equipment device, a second object within the guide regions via the graphics layer and de-emphasizing a third object within the guide regions via the graphics layer. - View Dependent Claims (30)
-
Specification