Media user interfaces using metadata from different sources

• US 9,552,128 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2011
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IDHL Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hillcrest Laboratories Incorporated (CEVA Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kelts, Brett R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Baderman, Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Velez-Lopez, Mario M
• Application Number:
  US13/230,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20120005708A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,961 Days
• Field of Search: 725/44
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• 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 21/4318 by altering the content in the rendering process, e.g. blanking, blurring or masking an image region image enhancement or restoration in general G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score

Abstract

A navigation interface display system generates a navigation element that organizes television programming data in an easy-to-use manner. The navigation element employs a hierarchical display protocol for a plurality of selection items that represent the various television programs, channels, and/or networks. The hierarchical display scheme displays a limited number of active selection items at a first magnification level and additional active selection items at a second magnification level. In addition, the selection items are displayed on distinctive areas or features of the navigation element, where such features represent different content genres or categories. Subcategories can also be displayed in a hierarchical manner, thus providing additional information related to the content as the magnification level of the navigation element changes.

Claims

1. A method for displaying selection items on a user interface comprising:

receiving, by a user interface rendering system, a request for a navigation element for an interactive program guide, wherein the navigation element contains a plurality of selectable navigation objects and each of said plurality of selectable navigation objects contains both active and inactive selection items, wherein said inactive selection items are not selectable;

dynamically retrieving a plurality of active and inactive selection items associated with the navigation element and at least one of said selectable navigation objects;

dynamically filtering the plurality of active and inactive selection items to reduce the number of active and inactive selection items to be rendered, wherein during the filtering step, a characteristic of each of the plurality of active and inactive selection items is changed to reflect the filtered status; and

rendering the reduced number of active and inactive selection items on a display, wherein said retrieving and filtering steps are performed prior to rendering any active and inactive selection items on said display, wherein the rendering step provides a graphical representation of said rendered reduced number of active and inactive selection items in the navigation element visible on the display and wherein each of the rendered reduced number of active selection items on the display are selectable by an image or icon visible on the display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of filtering further comprises:

globally filtering the selection items for any of a plurality of users who generated the request for the navigation element.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of filtering further comprises:

performing per-user filtering to filter the selection items based on a particular user who generated the request for the navigation element.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

delivering the filtered selection items to a presentation layer associated with the user interface rendering system after the global and per-user filtering is performed.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of filtering further comprises:

performing local filtering by the presentation layer associated with the user interface rendering system after receiving the filtered selection items to generate the reduced number of selection items.

6. A navigation interface request method, the method comprising:

requesting a navigation element for an interactive program guide, wherein the navigation element contains a plurality of selectable navigation objects and each of said plurality of selectable navigation objects contains both active and inactive selection items, wherein said inactive selection items are not selectable;

dynamically retrieving at least a portion of the navigation element and at least one of said selectable navigation objects;

receiving navigation element information associated with the step of retrieving at least a portion of the navigation element;

dynamically applying a first filtering to the at least a portion of the navigation element, wherein during the filtering step, a characteristic of the at least one of said selectable navigation objects and/or each of the selection items associated with said portion of the navigation element is changed to reflect the filtered status; and

displaying an output associated with the received navigation element, wherein said retrieving, receiving, and filtering steps are performed prior to displaying any output, wherein the displaying step provides a graphical representation of said output associated with the received the navigation element and wherein each of the active selection items on the display are selectable by an image or icon visible on the display.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

testing the navigation element information; and

applying, based on results of the testing, a second filtering to the navigation element information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second filtering is based upon at least one of user preferences and a set-top device.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein retrieving at least a portion of the navigation element further comprises:

retrieving a lowest resolution navigation element and at least one selection item for displaying.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the navigation object represents a grouping of programs.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the selection item represents a television program.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

caching the navigation element by a presentation layer.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein the navigation interface request method is a portion of a user interface which supports selecting and watching media content.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein the navigation interface request method is performed by a navigation interface display system.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein the navigation element is requested using one of a designated address or identifier.

16. A system configured to perform a navigation interface request method, the system comprising:

a presentation layer configured to request a navigation element for an interactive program guide, wherein the navigation element contains a plurality of selectable navigation objects and each of said plurality of selectable navigation objects, contains both active and inactive selection items, wherein said inactive selection items are not selectable;

a server configured to dynamically retrieve at least a portion of the navigation element and at least one of said selectable navigation objects, wherein said server is a computing device using at least one microprocessor device configured to perform certain functions;

the server configured to dynamically apply a first filtering to the at least a portion of the navigation element, wherein during the filtering step, a characteristic of the at least one of said selectable navigation objects and/or each of the selection items associated with said portion of the navigation element is changed to reflect the filtered status;

the presentation layer configured to receive navigation element information associated with the step of retrieving at least a portion of the navigation element; and

the presentation layer configured to display an output associated with the received navigation element, wherein the retrieving, filtering, and receiving steps are performed prior to displaying any output, wherein the displaying step provides a graphical representation of said output associated with the received navigation element and wherein each of the active selection items on the display are selectable by an image or icon visible on the display.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

the presentation layer configured to test the navigation element information; and

the presentation layer configured to apply, based on results of the test, a second filtering to the navigation element information.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the second filtering is based upon at least one of user preferences and a set-top device.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the server configured to retrieve at least a portion of the navigation element further comprises:

the server configured to retrieve a lowest resolution navigation element and at least one selection item for displaying.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the navigation object represents a grouping of programs.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the selection item represents a television program.

22. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

the presentation layer configured to cache the navigation element.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein the navigation interface request method is a portion of a user interface which supports selecting and watching media content.

24. The system of claim 16, wherein the presentation layer configured to request a navigation element further comprises:

the presentation layer configured to use one of a designated address or identifier when the navigation element is requested.

25. The system of claim 16, wherein the presentation layer includes a set-top device and a display.