Multimedia control center

• US 7,966,577 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2005
• Issued: 06/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Forstall, Scott, Seymour, Eric, Madden, Thomas, Chaudhri, Imran, Ording, Bas, King, Nick, Lemay, Stephen O., Fabrick, Richard W. II, Kerr, Duncan Robert, van Os, Marcel
• Primary Examiner(s): BAUTISTA, XIOMARA L
• Application Number:
  US11/249,139
• Publication Number:
  US 20070189737A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,079 Days
• Field of Search: 715/764, 715/765, 715/810, 715/815, 715/835, 715/838, 715/839, 715/205, 715/234, 345/473, 725 37- 39, 725/86, 725/87
• US Class Current: 715/835
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0227 Cooperation and interconnection of the input arrangement with other functional units of a computer G06F3/023 - G06F3/037 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Techniques and systems for centralized access to multimedia content stored on or available to a computing device are disclosed. The centralized access can be provided by a media control interface that receives user inputs and interacts with media programs resident on the computing device to produce graphical user interfaces that can be presented on a display device.

Claims

1. A computer-readable media storage including computer code that when executed is operable to:

display a main menu associated with a media control center on a display device, the main menu having;

a plurality of media icons, each media icon representing a different media feature of a media control center; and

a plurality of reflection icons, each reflection icon associated with one of the plurality of media icons, wherein each reflection icon extends downward from a base of the associated media icon;

arrange the media icons along a closed path and at preset icon positions along the closed path; and

move the media icons as a group around the closed path between icon positions in accordance with a navigation signal.

2. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 1 wherein the preset icon positions include a primary position and one or more secondary positions and wherein the media icon in the primary position is the media icon that is activated when an activation signal is received.

3. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 2 wherein the main menu further comprises:

a label disposed underneath the media icon when the media icon is positioned at the primary position, the label describing the media feature associated with media icon positioned at the primary position.

4. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 1 wherein the media icon in the primary position is larger than the media icons in the secondary positions, and wherein the media icons in the secondary positions are smaller the further they are away from the primary position.

5. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 1 wherein the sizes of the media icons change as they are moved along the closed path, the media icons becoming larger as they approach the primary position, the media icons becoming smaller as they travel away from the primary position.

6. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 1 wherein the closed path is oval shaped and wherein the preset positions are equally spaced along the oval shaped closed path.

7. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 1 wherein the transparency for each of the plurality of the reflection icons is varied from partially transparent at a first end to substantially transparent at a second end.

8. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of reflection icons has a size smaller than a size of the media icons.

9. A method of operating a main menu of a media control center, the method comprising:

determining the media features to be represented in the main menu;

providing media icons associated with the media features designated for presentation;

adjusting the location of the preset icon positions in accordance with the number of media icons to be presented;

presenting a plurality of media icons on a screen, each media icon representing a different media feature of the media control center;

presenting a plurality of reflection icons on the screen, each reflection icon being associated with one of the plurality of media icons;

arranging the media icons along a closed path and at preset icon positions along the closed path; and

moving the media icons as a group around the closed path between icon positions in accordance with a navigation signal.

10. The method as recited in claim 9 further comprising designating one of the preset icon positions as a primary position and adjusting the size of the media icons as they are moved around the closed path, the media icons becoming larger as they approach the primary position, the media icons becoming smaller as they travel away from the primary position.

11. The method as recited in claim 9 further comprising:

introducing the media icons one by one onto the screen and directing them to the preset icon positions in accordance with a main menu open signal.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein the media icons are directed along substantially the same lead in path.

13. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein the media icons are directed along different lead in paths, each lead in path ending at one of the preset icon positions.

14. The method as recited in claim 9 further comprising designating one of the preset icon positions as a primary position and presenting a label that identifies the media icon at the primary position.

15. The method as recited in claim 14 further comprising transitioning the main menu to a feature menu in accordance with an activation signal, the step of transitioning including moving the media icon and media label currently in the primary position to the top of the screen while removing the remaining media icons from the screen, and while bringing a list of media items into the screen.

16. The method as recited in claim 9 further comprising presenting a plurality of reflection icons, each reflection icon associated with one of the plurality of media icons and extend downward from a base of the associated media icon.

17. The method as recited in claim 16 further comprising shortening each of the plurality of reflection icons such that each reflection icon has a size less than a size of the media icon.

18. The method as recited in claim 16 further comprising varying a transparency of the reflection icon from partially transparent at a first end to substantially transparent at a second end.

19. A method of operating a main menu of a media control center, said method comprising:

presenting a plurality of media icons on a screen, each media icon represents a different media feature of the media control center;

arranging the media icons along a closed path and at preset icon positions along the closed path;

introducing the media icons one by one onto the screen from a common entry position and directing them to the preset icon positions; and

moving the media icons as a group around the closed path between icon positions as each media icon enters the screen from the common entry position.

20. The method as recited in claim 19 comprising:

determining the media features to be represented in the main menu;

providing media icons associated with the media features designated for presentation; and

adjusting the location of the preset icon positions in accordance with the number of media icons to be presented.

21. The method as recited in claim 19 further comprising presenting a plurality of reflection icons, each reflection icon associated with one of the plurality of media icons and extend downward from a base of the associated media icon.

22. The method as recited in claim 21 further comprising shortening each of the plurality of reflection icons such that each reflection icon has a size less than a size of the media icon.

23. The method as recited in claim 22 further comprising varying a transparency of the reflection icon from partially transparent at a first end to substantially transparent at a second end.

24. The method as recited in claim 19 further comprising designating one of the preset icon positions as a primary position and adjusting the size of the media icons as they are moved around the closed path, the media icons becoming larger as they approach the primary position, the media icons becoming smaller as they travel away from the primary position.

25. The method as recited in claim 19 wherein the media icons are directed along substantially the same lead in path.

26. The method as recited in claim 19 wherein the media icons are directed along different lead in paths, each lead in path ending at one of the preset icon positions.

27. The method as recited in claim 19 further comprising designating one of the preset icon positions as a primary position and presenting a label that identifies the media icon at the primary position.

28. The method as recited in claim 19 further comprising transitioning the main menu to a feature menu in accordance with an activation signal, the step of transitioning including moving the media icon and media label currently in the primary position to the top of the screen while removing the remaining media icons from the screen, and while bringing a list of media items into the screen.