Graphic user interface for playing video data

• US 9,432,613 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2012
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NBC Universal Media LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Vudu Incorporated (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohlfs, Keith R., Ganesan, Prasanna
• Primary Examiner(s): Zong, Ruolei
• Application Number:
  US13/419,246
• Publication Number:
  US 20120177340A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,631 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231, 725/39, 725/88, 725/102, 370/252, 715/719
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

A graphic user interface is provided to facilitate a playback of a movie from any desired point. The graphic user interface includes a track bar to reflect how much time data pertaining to the movie title is available for playback. After it is determined that a current data point is being dragged along the track bar, a time corresponding to the current data point is tracked as such a subsequent playback of the movie starts right from the current data point. In one embodiment, dragging the current data point along the track bar is achieved by a scroll wheel.

Claims

1. A method for displaying a video, the method being performed by a processor and comprising:

displaying the video for a playback on a display device at a playback speed;

providing a graphic user interface on the display device, the graphic user interface including a track bar with a current data point;

determining a speed of the current data point being dragged along the track bar by a user via a user input mechanism; and

in response to determining that the speed of the current data point being dragged along the track bar by the user via the user input mechanism is greater than a particular speed, displaying a default image until the current data point is no longer dragged along the track bar, and then continuing to playback the video, wherein the particular speed is at least twice the playback speed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the track bar provides an available data feature indicating an amount of data of the video available for the playback.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the available data feature grows as the amount of data of the video available for the playback increases.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the video comprises streaming the video from a network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the video comprises playing back the video that is locally stored in a memory resource.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphic user interface displays a current time and a time the video is predicted to finish the playback.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising in response to determining that the speed of the current data point is not greater than the particular speed, displaying a sequence of images corresponding to the video and corresponding to the speed of the current data point being dragged until the current data point is no longer dragged along the track bar, and then continuing to playback the video.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphic user interface displays a name of the video being played back.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphic user interface displays a time corresponding to the current data point.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform steps comprising:

displaying a video for a playback on a display device at a playback speed;

providing a graphic user interface on the display device, the graphic user interface including a track bar with a current data point;

determining a speed of the current data point being dragged along the track bar by a user via a user input mechanism; and

in response to determining that the speed of the current data point being dragged along the track bar by the user via the user input mechanism is greater than a particular speed, displaying a default image until the current data point is no longer dragged along the track bar, and then continuing to playback the video, wherein the particular speed is at least twice the playback speed.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the track bar provides an available data feature indicating an amount of data of the video available for the playback.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the available data feature grows as the amount of data of the video available for the playback increases.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 10, further storing instructions that cause the processor to display the video by streaming the video from a network.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 10, further storing instructions that cause the processor to display the video by playing back the video that is locally stored in a memory resource.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the graphic user interface displays a current time and a time the video is predicted to finish the playback.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 10, further storing instructions that cause the processor, in response to determining that the speed of the current data point is not greater than the particular speed, to display a sequence of images corresponding to the video and corresponding to the speed of the current data point being dragged until the current data point is no longer dragged along the track bar, and then continue to playback the video.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the graphic user interface displays a name of the video being played back.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the graphic user interface displays a time corresponding to the current data point.

19. A device comprising:

a display screen;

a processor coupled to the display screen, the processor being configured to;

display a video for a playback on the display screen at a playback speed;

provide a graphic user interface on the display screen, the graphic user interface including a track bar with a current data point;

determine a speed of the current data point being dragged along the track bar by a user via a user input mechanism; and

in response to determining that the speed of the current data point being dragged along the track bar by the user via the user input mechanism is greater than a particular speed, display a default image until the current data point is no longer dragged along the track bar, and then continue to playback the video, wherein the particular speed is at least twice the playback speed.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the processor is configured to display the video by streaming the video from a network.