Extended elements and mechanisms for displaying a rich graphical user interface in panel subunit

• US 7,865,832 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2003
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nishimura, Takuya, Shima, Hisato, Suzuki, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu; Tadeese
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ulrich; Nicholas S
• Application Number:
  US10/409,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20030231205A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,829 Days
• Field of Search: 715/767, 715/823, 715/840, 715/227, 715/764, 715/771, 715/721, 715/716, 715/719, 725/39
• US Class Current: 715/721
• 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: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/04 Exchange of auxiliary data, i.e. other than image data, between monitor and graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/391 Resolution modifying circuits, e.g. variable screen formats
• 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 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/436 Interfacing a local distribution network, e.g. communicating with another STB or one or more peripheral devices inside the home
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44504 Circuit details of the additional information generator, e.g. details of the character or graphics signal generator, overlay mixing circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen

Abstract

Methods for realizing advanced graphical user interface (GUI) in panel subunit. The present invention provides, in one embodiment, a button GUI element descriptor that defines a bitmap to be displayed when a button is out of focus and another bitmap to be displayed when the button is in focus. In another embodiment, the present invention provides a table GUI element descriptor that defines a table-like on screen display to be displayed on the contoller device. Another embodiment of the present invention provides a panel GUI element descriptor that includes a focused identifier attribute indicating a pre-determined element of the on-screen display as default focus. In this way, the target device would be able to control the default focus of the controller device when displaying an on-screen display. In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides a text GUI element descriptor that includes a font style attribute that dictates whether the text GUI element should be displayed as bold, underlined and/or reversed. By using these extended elements in panel subunit, more complicated and advanced GUI, such as an electronic programming guide (EPG) can be achieved.

Claims

1. A controller comprising:

a) a processor; and

b) a memory comprising instructions that when executed on said processor implement a method of processing information, said method comprising;

monitoring a network to discover a target device coupled to said network;

receiving a table GUI element descriptor from said target device, wherein said table GUI element descriptor defines a matrix that includes vertically and horizontally aligned information, and wherein said table GUI element descriptor further defines an on-screen display for displaying a portion of said matrix;

generating data for display representing said on-screen display according to said table GUI element descriptor; and

updating displayed data responsive to a state change of said target device.

2. A controller as recited in claim 1 wherein said table GUI element descriptor comprises:

a first attribute corresponding to a total number of columns of said matrix; and

a second attribute corresponding to a total number of rows of said matrix.

3. A controller as recited in claim 2 wherein said table GUI element descriptor comprises:

a third attribute corresponding to a number of columns of said matrix to be displayed by said on-screen display; and

a fourth attribute corresponding to a number of rows of said matrix to be displayed by said on-screen display.

4. A controller as recited in claim 3 wherein said table GUI element descriptor comprises:

a fifth attribute corresponding to a column number of a first column of said on-screen display; and

a sixth attribute corresponding to a row number of a first row of on-screen display.

5. A controller as recited in claim 1 wherein said on-screen display comprises an electronic program guide (EPG).

6. A controller as recited in claim 1 wherein said processor and said memory are integrated within a set-top box unit.

7. A controller as recited in claim 6 further comprising a display unit coupled to said set-top-box unit, said display unit operable to receive said data for display and wherein said display unit is operable to display said on-screen display.

8. A controller as recited in claim 6 wherein said target device is remote to said set-top-box unit and wherein said set-top-box unit is operable to communicate with said target device via a digital network connection.