Interactive user interface
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method comprising:
- generating, with one or more service provider equipment devices, a plurality of user interfaces, each of the user interfaces representing an interactive guide page which lists channel content;
generating a graphics layer to facilitate a mask/reveal function within each of the user interfaces;
transmitting, using a transmitter within at least one of the one or more service provider equipment devices, each of the user interfaces as a bitstream having a unique identifier to a user terminal via a communication network to distribute the channel content; and
transmitting the graphics layer with each of said plurality of user interfaces to the user terminal;
wherein each of said plurality of user interfaces includes a video region and a graphics region, each video region for displaying a video sequence common to all of the user interfaces, and each graphics region for displaying a respective different plurality of graphics objects;
wherein said graphics layer comprises graphics layer imagery visually cooperating with at least one graphics object of said respective different pluralities of graphics objects, said graphics layer controllable by said user terminal to selectively mask or reveal said at least one graphics object; and
wherein said graphics layer has a level of controlled opacity to mask or reveal said at least one graphics object.
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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.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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generating, with one or more service provider equipment devices, a plurality of user interfaces, each of the user interfaces representing an interactive guide page which lists channel content; generating a graphics layer to facilitate a mask/reveal function within each of the user interfaces; transmitting, using a transmitter within at least one of the one or more service provider equipment devices, each of the user interfaces as a bitstream having a unique identifier to a user terminal via a communication network to distribute the channel content; and transmitting the graphics layer with each of said plurality of user interfaces to the user terminal; wherein each of said plurality of user interfaces includes a video region and a graphics region, each video region for displaying a video sequence common to all of the user interfaces, and each graphics region for displaying a respective different plurality of graphics objects; wherein said graphics layer comprises graphics layer imagery visually cooperating with at least one graphics object of said respective different pluralities of graphics objects, said graphics layer controllable by said user terminal to selectively mask or reveal said at least one graphics object; and wherein said graphics layer has a level of controlled opacity to mask or reveal said at least one graphics object. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A system comprising:
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one or more service provider equipment devices to; generate a plurality of user interfaces, each of the user interfaces representing an interactive guide page which lists channel content, and generate a graphics layer to facilitate a mask/reveal function within each of the user interfaces; and a transmitter to; transmit each of said user interfaces as a bitstream having a unique identifier to a user terminal via a communication network configured to distribute the channel content, and transmit the graphics layer with each of said plurality of user interfaces to the user terminal; wherein each of said plurality of user interfaces includes a video region and a graphics region, each video region for displaying a video sequence common to all of the user interfaces, and each graphics region for displaying a respective different plurality of graphics objects; wherein said graphics layer comprises graphics layer imagery visually cooperating with at least one graphics object of said respective different pluralities of graphics objects, said graphics layer controllable by said user terminal to selectively mask or reveal said at least one graphics object; and wherein said graphics layer has a level of controlled opacity to mask or reveal said at least one graphics object. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method comprising:
receiving, at a user terminal from one or more service provider equipment devices, a plurality of user interfaces, each of said user interfaces representing an interactive guide page which lists channel content, each of said user interfaces being received by the user terminal as a bitstream having a unique identifier via a communication network for distributing the channel content, each of the user interfaces including a video region and a graphics region, each video region for displaying a video sequence common to all of the user interfaces, and each graphics region for displaying a respective different plurality of graphics objects; and receiving at the user terminal, with each of said plurality of user interfaces, a graphics layer to facilitate a mask/reveal function within each of the user interfaces, wherein said graphics layer comprises graphics layer imagery visually cooperating with at least one graphics object of said respective different pluralities of graphics objects, said graphics layer controllable by said user terminal to selectively mask or reveal said at least one graphics object, said graphics layer having a level of controlled opacity to mask or reveal said at least one graphics object. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. An apparatus comprising:
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a processor; and memory storing instructions, that when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to; receive, from one or more service provider equipment devices, a plurality of user interfaces, each of said user interfaces representing an interactive guide page which lists channel content, each of said user interfaces being received by the apparatus as a bitstream having a unique identifier via a communication network to distribute the channel content, each of the user interfaces including a video region and a graphics region, each video region for displaying a video sequence common to all of the user interfaces, and each graphics region for displaying a respective different plurality of graphics objects; and receive, with each of said plurality of user interfaces, a graphics layer to facilitate a mask/reveal function within each of the user interfaces, wherein said graphics layer comprises graphics layer imagery visually cooperating with at least one graphics object of said respective different pluralities of graphics objects, said graphics layer controllable by said apparatus to selectively mask or reveal said at least one graphics object, and said graphics layer having a level of controlled opacity to mask of reveal said at least on graphics object. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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Specification