Display device and display method

• US 8,875,056 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2010
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Onogi, Ken, Tashiro, Koichi, Okamoto, Naoya
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Tuyetlien
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAMSEY, PATRICK RANDAL
• Application Number:
  US12/804,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20110047513A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,552 Days
• Field of Search: 715/838, 348/333.02, 725/45, 725/52, 725 60- 61
• US Class Current: 715/838
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• 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 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• 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 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• 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

Abstract

Provided is a display device including a display mode controller for controlling a transition to a whole screen display mode for displaying an image in an entire screen of a display section, a multiple content display mode for displaying, on the screen, multiple thumbnail images related to contents, or a panel display mode for displaying, on the screen, a panel on which information related to the contents is displayed, an arrangement determination section for arranging multiple thumbnail images displayed in the multiple content display mode by category to which the contents belong, an arrangement change section for changing an arrangement of multiple thumbnail images by a user, and a boundary line display section for displaying, between two thumbnail images, a boundary line indicating a difference of the category before the arrangement of the thumbnail images is changed by the user, and for not displaying the boundary line after changed.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a display panel;

a display mode controller for controlling a screen transition to a whole screen display mode for displaying an image in an entire screen of a display section, a multiple content display mode for displaying, on the screen, a plurality of thumbnail images related to contents, or a panel display mode for displaying, on the screen, a panel on which information related to the contents is displayed;

an arrangement determination section for arranging a plurality of the thumbnail images displayed in the multiple content display mode by category to which the contents belong, wherein each thumbnail image corresponds to one of a plurality of categories comprising at least some of;

user favorite broadcast program, viewing history, recommended program, and network delivery content;

an arrangement change section for changing an arrangement of a plurality of the thumbnail images displayed in the multiple content display mode by a user operation; and

a boundary line display section for displaying, between two of the thumbnail images, a boundary line indicating a difference of the category before the arrangement of the thumbnail images is changed by the user operation, and for not displaying the boundary line after the arrangement of the thumbnail images is changed by the user operation,

wherein a framing of the thumbnail images indicates the mode to which the display mode controller transitions when the at least one thumbnail is selected, the framing being selectable from a first framing indicating that the display mode controller transitions to the whole screen display mode when the at least one thumbnail is selected, a second framing indicating that the display mode controller transitions to the multiple content display mode when the at least one thumbnail is selected, and a third framing indicating that the display mode controller transitions to the panel display mode when the at least one thumbnail is selected.

2. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an operation section for receiving a user operation to change an arrangement of a plurality of the thumbnail images displayed in the multiple content display mode; and

the arrangement change section for changing an arrangement of the thumbnail images determining an operational condition in the operation unit which is different in a case that the arrangement of the thumbnail images is changed within a same category and in a case that the arrangement of the thumbnail images is changed into a different category.

3. A display method comprising the steps of:

controlling, by a display mode controller, a screen transition to a whole screen display mode for displaying an image in an entire screen of a display section, a multiple content display mode for displaying, on the screen, a plurality of thumbnail images related to contents, or a panel display mode for displaying, on the screen, a panel on which information related to the contents is displayed;

arranging, by an arrangement determination section, a plurality of the thumbnail images displayed in the multiple content display mode by category to which the contents belong, wherein each thumbnail image corresponds to one of a plurality of categories comprising at least some of;

user favorite broadcast program, viewing history, recommended program, and network delivery content;

changing, by an arrangement change section, an arrangement of a plurality of the thumbnail images displayed in the multiple content display mode by a user operation; and

displaying between two of the thumbnail images, by a boundary line display section, a boundary line indicating a difference of the category, before the arrangement of the thumbnail images is changed by the user operation, and for not displaying the boundary line after the arrangement of the thumbnail images is changed by the user operation,

wherein a framing of the thumbnail images indicates the mode to which the display mode controller transitions when the at least one thumbnail is selected, the framing being selectable from a first framing indicating that the display mode controller transitions to the whole screen display mode when the at least one thumbnail is selected, a second framing indicating that the display mode controller transitions to the multiple content display mode when the at least one thumbnail is selected, and a third framing indicating that the display mode controller transitions to the panel display mode when the at least one thumbnail is selected.