Integrated media user interface

• US 9,335,903 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2013
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sheldon, Kerri I. H., Scudder, Timothy J., Law, Veronica Y., Doll, Marc S., Wiswall, Jonathan D., Tedesco, Megan L., Chub, Sergey, Hull, Eric J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Tan H
• Application Number:
  US13/932,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20130298022A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566, 455/3.04, 455/3.01, 455/412.1, 455/425, 455/435.2, 455/158.4, 455/41.2, 455/552.1, 370/352, 725/135, 715/835, 715/769, 715/810, 715/716, 715/717
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8193 dedicated tools, e.g. video decoder software or IPMP tool

Abstract

An integrated media user interface is described. In an implementation, a user interface is output that includes a plurality of representations of media, each of the media rendered by the mobile device through execution of a respective one of a plurality of applications. Responsive to selection of at least one of the representations, a corresponding application is located to render the media represented by the at least one said representation. The media represented by the selected representation is rendered through execution of the located application.

Claims

1. A method implemented by one or more modules of a mobile device, the method comprising:

choosing which media is to be represented in a user interface automatically and without user intervention by comparing the plurality of media, one or another, that is accessible to the mobile device to determine when the media was last rendered;

outputting a user interface that includes a plurality of representations of the chosen media, the representation of the most recently rendered media being visually differentiated from the remaining representations;

responsive to a selection of at least one said representation, locating a corresponding one of a plurality of applications to render the media represented by the selected at least one said representation; and

rendering the media represented by the selected representation through execution of the located said application.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the choosing is also based at least in part on a determination as to which of the media was most recently made available to the mobile device.

3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein at least one said application is configured to render broadcast radio.

4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein at least one said application is configured to render Internet radio.

5. A method as described in claim 1, wherein at least one said application is configured to access a specific Internet site that provides the represented media.

6. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the plurality of representations are output for concurrent display on a display device of the mobile device.

7. A method as described in claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of representations is indicative of media that is currently being rendered by the mobile device and is displayed in the user interface as larger than another said representation of media that is not currently being rendered by the mobile device.

8. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a portion having representations of the applications that are accessible to render media.

9. A method as described in claim 8, wherein the representations of the applications are selectable to initiate execution of the represented application.

10. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a portion having representations of media that has recently become accessible to the mobile device.

11. A method as described in claim 10, wherein one or more of the media represented in the other portion was recently purchased for use by the mobile device.

12. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the one or more modules include telephone functionality.

13. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the user interface is scrollable between the plurality of representations using a gesture.

14. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memory devices comprising instructions that are executable by the one or more processors, to cause a mobile device to perform operations comprising;

outputting a user interface that includes a labeled history section having a plurality of representations of media, the plurality of representations corresponding to respective ones of a plurality of media that are chosen automatically and without user intervention based on when the media was last rendered;

responsive to a selection of at least one said representation, locating a corresponding said application to render the media represented by the at least one said representation; and

rendering the media represented by the selected representation through execution of the located said application.

15. A system as described in claim 14, further comprising choosing which media is to be represented in the user interface automatically and without user intervention by the one or more modules based at least in part on a determination as to which of the media was most recently made available to the mobile device.

16. A system as described in claim 15, wherein the media was recently made available through purchase.

17. A mobile device comprising:

a display device; and

one or more modules to;

determine which media is to be represented in a history portion in a user interface, automatically and without user intervention, from media that was rendered by the mobile device and in a new portion for media that was recently made available for output by the mobile device; and

display the user interface, on the display device, having representations of the determined media in the respective history and new portions, the history and new portions being labeled as history and new, respectively, and the representations being selectable to cause a corresponding one of a plurality of applications to be executed to render the represented media.

18. A mobile device as described in claim 17, wherein at least item of said media is available via a network connection.

19. A mobile device as described in claim 17, wherein at least item of said media is stored locally by the mobile device.

20. A mobile device as described in claim 17, wherein at least one said application is configured to access a specific Internet site that provides the represented media.