Flexible rendering of user interface elements

• US 8,255,823 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2007
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Tallapaneni, Kishore, Stallings, Heath, Relyea, Don
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadeese
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hope, Darrin
• Application Number:
  US11/769,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20080168383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,888 Days
• Field of Search: 715/781
• US Class Current: 715/781
• 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 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/433 Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A content processing device is in selective communication with a remote server. A graphical user interface is provided. A rendering application is included within the content processing device. The rendering application is configured to: retrieve a set of presentation elements from the remote server, the set of presentation elements including a graphical element; represent the graphical element as a bitmap; determine each of a location, an orientation, and a size for the graphical element within a graphical user interface; expand the graphical element according to the size; and include the graphical element within the graphical user interface.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

retrieving a set of presentation elements from a remote server, the set of presentation elements including a graphical element;

retrieving metadata from the remote server, the metadata associated with the graphical element and including information specifying coordinates at which the graphical element is to be displayed and a distance for the graphical element to cover within a graphical user interface;

representing the graphical element as a bitmap;

using the metadata to determine a distance to stretch the graphical element within the graphical user interface;

stretching the graphical element the determined distance starting from the specified coordinates; and

including the stretched graphical element within the graphical user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein representing the graphical element as a bitmap includes decoding a compressed image file.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface has fixed dimensions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein respective sizes of some of the presentation elements other than the graphical element are fixed.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the graphical user interface for display on a media playback device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical element is stretched in one of a vertical direction and a horizontal direction.

7. The method of claim 1, tangibly embodied as computer-executable instructions on a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical element comprises an image that includes only a plurality of pixels stacked along a first axis.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the stretching of the graphical element comprises stretching the plurality of pixels the determined distance along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis and starting from the specified coordinates.

8. A system, comprising:

a content processing device in selective communication with a remote server; and

a rendering application included within the content processing device, the rendering application configured to;

retrieve a set of presentation elements from the remote server, the set of presentation elements including a graphical element;

retrieve metadata from the remote server, the metadata associated with the graphical element and including information specifying coordinates at which the graphical element is to be displayed and a distance for the graphical element to cover within a graphical user interface;

represent the graphical element as a bitmap;

use the metadata to determine a distance to stretch the graphical element within the graphical user interface;

stretch the graphical element the determined distance starting from the specified coordinates; and

include the stretched graphical element within the graphical user interface.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the rendering application is further configured to represent the graphical element as a bitmap by decoding a compressed image file.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the graphical user interface has fixed dimensions.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein respective sizes of some of the presentation elements other than the graphical element are fixed.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising a media playback device that displays the graphical user interface.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the graphical element is stretched in one of a vertical direction and a horizontal direction.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the graphical element comprises an image that includes only a plurality of pixels stacked along a first axis.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the rendering application is configured to stretch the graphical element by stretching the plurality of pixels the determined distance along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis and starting from the specified coordinates.

16. A method, comprising:

retrieving a set of presentation elements from a remote server, the set of presentation elements including a graphical element and other elements, wherein the graphical element includes only a plurality of pixels stacked along a first axis, and wherein at least some of the other elements have fixed sizes;

retrieving metadata from the remote server, the metadata associated with the graphical element and including information specifying coordinates at which the graphical element is to be displayed and a distance for the graphical element to cover within an interactive program guide having fixed dimensions;

representing the graphical element as a bitmap;

determining each of a location and an orientation for the graphical element on the interactive program guide;

using the metadata to determine a distance to stretch the graphical element within the interactive program guide;

stretching the graphical element the determined distance by stretching the plurality of pixels the determined distance along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis and starting from the specified coordinates; and

including the stretched graphical element within the graphical user interface in accordance with the determined location and orientation for the graphical element.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the graphical element is stretched in one of a vertical direction and a horizontal direction.