Menu overlay including context dependent menu icon

• US 8,243,017 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2006
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Brodersen, Rainer, Goldeen, Rachel Clare, Pacurariu, Mihnea Calin, Ma, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-Yi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abebe, Sosina
• Application Number:
  US11/549,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20080062127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,133 Days
• Field of Search: 345/100, 345/158, 345/204, 345/214, 345/169, 345/173, 348/601, 348/473, 348/333.02, 348/734, 715/825, 715/840, 715/716, 715/810, 715/864, 463/37
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• 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 21/42222 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 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71

Abstract

A video device displays video in one of a plurality of contexts in an onscreen display area. In response to the menu command, the video device generates a menu overlay within the onscreen display area while maintaining the video within the menu overlay, and generates within the menu overlay a context icon based on the selected context.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

presenting a video environment capable of displaying videos;

displaying a video in the video environment;

presenting an overlay within the video environment while maintaining the video within the video environment;

determining that a source for the video is a recorded video source;

automatically presenting an interactive delete icon within the overlay;

determining that the source for the video has changed from a recorded video source to a broadcast video source; and

automatically replacing the delete icon within the overlay with an interactive record icon.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting within the overlay one or more navigation icons.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the navigation icons are independent of the context in which the video is currently being displayed.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

sensing a rotational input from a rotational input device;

generating selection commands from the rotation input; and

selecting one of the navigation icons or context-dependent icons based on the selection commands.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

generating a glow highlight beneath a selected one of the navigation icons or context-dependent icons.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

delimiting a first overlay region within the overlay in which the one or more context-dependent icons are displayed; and

delimiting a second overlay region within the overlay in which the one or more navigation icons are displayed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the overlay within the video environment while maintaining the video within the video environment comprises generating a translucent overlay.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the overlay within the video environment while maintaining the video within the video environment comprises maintaining the video within the overlay.

27. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

delimiting a context icon overlay region within the overlay in which the one or more context-dependent icons are displayed; and

delimiting a navigation icon overlay region within the overlay, wherein the navigation icon overlay region is different from the context icon overlay region;

generating one or more navigation icons within the navigation icon overlay region, wherein each navigation icon is independent of the determined context in which the video is currently being displayed.

9. A method, comprising:

presenting an onscreen display area capable of displaying videos in multiple contexts;

receiving a video from a source;

displaying the video in the onscreen display area in a particular context;

receiving a user input; and

in response to the received user input,

determining that the source is a recorded video source,

automatically presenting a first overlay that includes an interactive delete icon within the onscreen display area while displaying the video in a playback context and while maintaining the video within the onscreen display,

determining that the source has changed from the recorded video source to a broadcast video source, and

automatically replacing the first overlay with a second overlay that includes an interactive record icon within the onscreen display area while displaying the video in a received context and while maintaining the video within the onscreen display area.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

presenting within the first overlay one or more navigation icons.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the navigation icons are context independent.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

sensing a rotational input from a rotational input device;

generating a selection command from the rotation input; and

selecting one of the navigation icons or the context-dependent icon based on the selection command.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

generating icon reflections for each of the navigation icons and the context-dependent icon within the overlay.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the icon reflections depict a surface reflection for each of the navigation icons and the context-dependent icon.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the overlay within the onscreen display area while maintaining the video within the onscreen display comprises maintaining the video within the overlay.

16. A video processing system, comprising:

a video input device to receive video data;

a data store in communication with the video input device to provide the video data as either recorded video data or as broadcast video data;

a handheld remote including an input to generate remote control signals; and

a processing device in communication with the video input device, the data store and the handheld remote, the processing device configured to perform operations comprising;

processing and displaying video data provided by the data store in multiple contexts in a video environment;

displaying a video in the video environment;

in response to a first user input received from the handheld remote,

determining that the video is recorded video data,

presenting an overlay within the video environment while maintaining the video within the video environment,

presenting an interactive delete icon within the overlay when the video is displayed in a playback context,

determining that the recorded video data has been replaced with broadcast video data, and

automatically replacing the delete icon with an interactive record icon within the overlay when the video is displayed in a received context.

17. The video processing system of claim 16, wherein the processing device is further configured to present within the overlay one or more context independent navigation icons.

18. The video processing system of claim 16, wherein the processing device is further configured to maintain the video within the video environment by maintaining the video within the overlay.

19. A video system, comprising:

a display configured to present a video in a video environment in a playback context when the video is received from a source that provides recorded video or a received context when the video is received from a source that provides broadcast video;

a handheld remote having an input device and configured to generate remote control signals in response to user input;

a control engine configured to receive the remote control signals generated by the handheld remote in response to user input and to generate control signals in response; and

a user interface engine in communication with the control engine and, in response to a first control signal from the control engine, configured to present an overlay within the video environment while maintaining a first video within the video environment, and configured to present within the overlay an interactive record when the video is received from the source that broadcasts video, and configured to automatically replace the record icon with an interactive delete icon when the video is received from the source that provides recorded video.

20. The video system of claim 19, wherein the user interface engine is further configured to generate a glow highlight beneath a selected icon.

21. The video system of claim 19, wherein the user interface engine is further configured to generate a translucent overlay.

22. The video system of claim 19, wherein the user interface engine is further configured to maintain the video currently being displayed within the overlay.

23. A video processing system, comprising:

means for displaying a video in one of a playback context when the video is received from a source that records video or a received context when the video is received from a source that provides broadcast video in a first video environment;

means for receiving user input;

means for generating an overlay within the first video environment while maintaining the video environment in response to the user input, wherein maintaining the video environment comprises continuing to display the video; and

means for generating within the overlay one or more context-dependent icons corresponding to the first context in which the video is being displayed, comprising generating an interactive delete icon when the video is received from the source that provides recorded video, and automatically replacing the delete icon with an interactive record icon when the video is received from the source that provides broadcast video.

24. A method, comprising:

displaying a video in a video environment;

receiving a user input;

in response to the received user input,

determining that the video is received from a recorded video source,

in response to determining that the video is received from the recorded video source, presenting an interactive delete icon within the video environment while continuing to display the video within the video environment

determining that the video is received from a broadcast video source instead of the recorded video source, and

in response to determining that the video is received from the broadcast video source instead of the recorded video source, automatically replacing the delete icon with an interactive record icon within the video environment while continuing to display the video within the video environment.

25. A video processing system, comprising:

a video interface configured to receive video data; and

a processor in communication with the video interface and a handheld remote, the processing device configured to perform operations comprising;

processing and displaying video in multiple contexts;

in response to a first user input received from the handheld remote,

receiving video data from a recorded video source;

in response to receiving video data from the recorded video source, presenting an overlay within the video environment while continuing to display the video data within the video environment;

presenting within the overlay an interactive delete icon when the video is displayed in a playback context;

determining that the video data is received from a broadcast video source instead of the recorded video source; and

in response to determining that the video data is received from the broadcast video source instead of the recorded video source, automatically replacing the delete icon with an interactive record icon when the video is displayed in a received context.

26. A method, comprising:

presenting a video environment capable of displaying videos in each of a plurality of contexts, wherein each context corresponds to a way video data is processed and the plurality of contexts include a playback context for the playback of recorded video when the video is received from a source that provides recorded video and a received context for presenting broadcast video when the video is received from a source that provides broadcast video;

displaying a video in the video environment in a particular context;

receiving a user input;

in response to the received user input,

determining that the video is received from the source that provides recorded video

presenting an overlay within the video environment while maintaining the first video within the video environment, and presenting within the overlay an interactive delete icon when the video is displayed in the playback context,

determining that the source has changed from the source that provides recorded video to the source that provides broadcast video, and

in response to determining that the source has changed from the source that provides recorded video to the source that provides broadcast video, automatically replacing the delete icon with an interactive record icon when the video is displayed in the received context and when the video is received from the video source that provides broadcast video.

28. A method, comprising:

presenting a video environment capable of displaying videos in multiple contexts including a particular context that is either a playback context in which video displayed is recorded video received from a source that provides recorded video or a received context in which video displayed is received from a source that provides broadcast video;

displaying a video in the video environment;

receiving a user input;

in response to the received user input, presenting an overlay within the video environment while maintaining the video within the video environment;

determining the particular context;

presenting within the overlay an interactive delete icon upon determining that the particular context is the playback context and that the displayed video is received from the source that provides recorded video; and

automatically replacing the delete icon with an interactive record icon upon determining that the particular context is the a record context and that the displayed video is received from the source that provides broadcast video.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

receiving input selecting one of the one or more generated context-dependent icons; and

changing the selected context-dependent icon as a result of the selection.