Control tools for media content access systems and methods

• US 8,566,874 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2006
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Roberts, Brian, Stallings, Heath, Relyea, Don
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): Malangone, Carmine
• Application Number:
  US11/542,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20080092171A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,576 Days
• Field of Search: 725/37, 725/39, 725/40, 725/43, 725/44, 725/51
• US Class Current: 725/43
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/4858 for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

In one of many possible embodiments, a system includes a media content processing subsystem including an output driver configured to provide at least a component of a media content instance to a display for presentation to a user, and a receiver configured to receive an input command initiated by the user during the presentation of the component of the media content instance. The media content processing subsystem is further configured to select a control pane from a group of control panes based on the input command, each of the control panes including a different set of control tools, and provide, in response to the input command, the control pane to the display for concurrent presentation of both the component of the media content instance and the control pane to the user.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a media content processing subsystem, said media content subsystem including an output driver configured to provide at least a component of a media content instance to a display for presentation to a user, and a receiver configured to receive at least one input command initiated by the user during said presentation of said at least a component of said media content instance;

wherein a media content instance is at least one of a television program, on-demand program, pay-per-view program, broadcast media program, video-on demand program, commercial, video, movie, song, or audio program;

a set of user profiles; and

a group of control panes, wherein each control pane in the group of control panes includes a display of a set of icons, each icon representing one control tool for performing an electronic function, wherein each of said control panes includes a different set of control tool icons, and wherein the group of control panes at least partially surrounds said media content instance outside of a viewable portion of the display,

wherein said media content processing subsystem is configured to select a control pane from the group of control panes based on a first input command of said at least one input command and shifts said media content instance into a viewing area defined by at least one of the viewable portion of said display and said selected control pane such that said selected control pane is viewable on the display concurrently with said media content instance in response to said first input command;

wherein said media content processing subsystem is further configured to select a user profile of said set of user profiles based on a second command of said at least one input command, wherein said set of user profiles are displayed as icons in a control pane of said group of control panes, and wherein at least some of said control tools are contextually selected for inclusion in said group of control panes based on said selected user profile,

and

wherein said media content processing subsystem is further configured to adjust a size and location of the viewing area based on said control pane selected.

2. The system of claim 1, said control pane generally unobstructing said at least a component of said media content instance in said concurrent display.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein one control tool is a sharing tool for sharing at least a portion of said media content instance with another user.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said control tools include at least one of a ratings tool for rating said media content instance, and a recommendation tool for recommending said media content instance to another user.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said control tools include at least one shortcut tool configured to provide access to at least one of additional information and additional functionality.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said at least one of said additional information and said additional functionality includes at least one of traffic information, task management information, instant messaging functionality, and voicemail functionality.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein said media content processing subsystem is configured to receive a selection signal initiated by the user during said concurrent presentation of said at least a component of said media content instance and said control pane, and provide, in response to said selection signal, an application pane to the display for concurrent presentation of said at least a component of said media content instance, said control pane, and said application pane to the user, said application pane including said at least one of said additional information and said additional functionality.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said control pane includes a navigable set of said control tools.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein each said control pane in said group of control panes includes a different type of said control tools.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said group of control panes includes a first control pane configured to be selectively presented adjacent a first edge of said at least a component of said media content instance in said concurrent presentation, and a second control pane configured to be selectively presented adjacent a second edge of said at least a component of said media content instance in said concurrent display.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said media content subsystem is configured to resize said media content instance to make space for said selected control pane while concurrently displayed with said media content instance.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least a component of said media content instance and said group of control panes are disposed on a common graphical interface layer.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said media content processing subsystem is configured to transition from displaying said media content instance independent of said control pane to concurrently displaying said at least a component of said media content instance and said control pane by zooming out and shifting said common graphical user interface layer relative to a viewing screen of the display.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the media content instance is resized such that the media content instance is viewable with said selected control pane on the display, and wherein the display defines unused space adjacent to said media content instance after said media content instance is resized, and further comprising fill-in panes disposed in the unused space adjacent said media content instance.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the fill-in panes include additional information about at least one of said selected control pane and said media content instance.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a communication interface configured to receive a data stream from a media content provider communicatively coupled to said apparatus by a network, said data stream including a media content instance;

wherein a media content instance is at least one of a television program, on-demand program, pay-per-view program, broadcast media program, video-on demand program, commercial, advertisement, video, movie, song, or audio program;

at least one processor configured to provide a first output signal configured to cause a user device communicatively coupled to said apparatus to present at least a component of said media content instance for experiencing by a user;

a set of user profiles accessible by the processor; and

a receiver configured to receive at least one input command from an input device communicatively coupled to said apparatus, said at least one input command being initiated by the user during said presentation of said at least a component of said media content instance;

wherein said at least one processor is configured to select a control pane from a group of control panes wherein each control pane in the group of control panes includes a display of a set of icons, each icon representing one control tool for performing an electronic function, wherein each of said control panes includes a different set of control tool icons, and wherein the group of control panes at least partially surrounds said media content instance outside of a viewable portion of the user device,

wherein said at least one processor selects said control pane based on a first input command of said at least one input command and shifts said media content instance into a viewing area defined by at least one of the viewable area of said display and said selected control pane such that said selected control pane is viewable on the user device concurrently with said media content instance for consideration by the user,

wherein said at least one processor is further configured to select a user profile of said set of user profiles based on a second command of said at least one input command, wherein said set of user profiles are displayed as icons in a control pane of said group of control panes, and wherein at least some of said control tools are contextually selected for inclusion in said group of control panes based on said selected user profile,

wherein said processor is further configured to adjust a size and location of the viewing area based on said control pane selected.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said control tools include at least one of a ratings tool for rating said media content instance, a recommendation tool for recommending said media content instance to another user, and a sharing tool for sharing at least a portion of said media content instance with another user.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said control tools include at least one shortcut tool configured to provide access to at least one of additional information and additional functionality.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said at least one of additional information and additional functionality is provided by a third-party device communicatively coupled to at least one of said apparatus and said media content provider.

20. A method comprising:

providing at least a component of a media content instance to a display for presentation to a user, wherein a media content instance is at least one of a television program, on-demand program, pay-per-view program, broadcast media program, video-on demand program, commercial, video, movie, song, or audio program;

receiving at least one input command initiated by the user during said presentation of said at least a component of said media content instance;

selecting a control pane from a group of control panes wherein each control pane in the group of control panes includes a display of a set of icons, each icon representing one control tool for performing an electronic function, wherein each of said control panes includes a different set of control tool icons, and wherein the group of control panes at least partially surrounds said media content instance outside of a viewable portion of the display, wherein the control pane is selected based on a first command of said at least one input command;

providing to a display for presentation to a user a set of user profiles represented by icons in a control pane of said group of control panes;

selecting a user profile from said set of user profiles based on a second command of said at least one input command;

selecting at least some of said control tools for inclusion in said group of control panes based on said selected user profile;

shifting said media content instance to a viewing area defined by at least one of the viewable portion of the display and the selected control pane such that said control pane is viewable on the display concurrently with said media content instance; and

adjusting a size and location of the viewing area based on the control pane selected.

21. The method of claim 20, said control pane generally unobstructing said at least a component of said media content instance in said concurrent display.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising disposing said at least a component of said media content instance and said plurality of control panes on a common graphical interface layer.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising resizing said common graphical interface layer relative to a viewing screen of the display to make space for said control pane while concurrently displayed with said media content instance.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein each of said control panes is positioned adjacent a different edge of said at least a component of said media content instance.

25. The method of claim 20, further comprising associating a control tool type with each of said control panes, each of said control panes including a different type of said control tools.