Menu overlay including context dependent menu icon

• US 20080062127A1
• Filed: 10/12/2006
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Pacurariu, Mihnea Calin, Ma, Jeffrey, Brodersen, Rainer, Goldeen, Rachel Clare
• Granted Patent: US 8,243,017 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• 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 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• 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 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71

Abstract

A video device displays video in one of a plurality of contexts in an onscreen display area. In response to the menu command, the video device generates a menu overlay within the onscreen display area while maintaining the video within the menu overlay, and generates within the menu overlay a context icon based on the selected context.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

displaying video in one of a plurality of contents a video environment;

receiving a menu command;

in response to the menu command, generating a menu overlay within the video enrironment while maintaining the video within the video environment; and

generating within the menu overlay one or more context icons based on the context in which the video is displayed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating within the menu overlay one or more context icons based on the context in which the video is displayed comprises:

generating a delete icon in playback context;

or

generating a record icon in a received context.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating within the menu overlay one or more navigation icons.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the navigation icons are independent of the context.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

sensing a rotational input from a rotational input device;

generating selection commands from the rotation input; and

selecting one of the navigation icons or context icons based on the selection commands.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

generating a glow highlight beneath a selected one of the navigation icons or context icons.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

delimiting a first menu overlay region within the menu overlay in which the one or more context icons are displayed; and

delimiting a second menu overlay region within the menu overlay in which the one or more navigation icons are displayed.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a menu overlay within the video environment while maintaining the video within the video environment comprises generating a translucent menu overlay.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a menu overlay within the video environment while maintaining the video within the video environment comprises maintaining the video within the menu overlay.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of contexts comprise:

a playback context to present a playback of recorded video; and

a received context to present broadcast video.

11. A method, comprising:

displaying video in one of a plurality of contexts in an onscreen display area;

receiving a menu command;

in response to the menu command, generating a menu overlay within the onscreen display area while maintaining the video within the onscreen display; and

generating within the menu overlay a context icon based on the one of the plurality of contexts.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of contexts comprise:

a playback context to present a playback of recorded video; and

a broadcast context to present broadcast video.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

generating within the menu overlay one or more navigation icons.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the navigation icons are context independent.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

sensing a rotational input from a rotational input device;

generating selection commands from the rotation input; and

selecting one of the navigation icons or context icon based on the selection commands.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

generating icon reflections for each of the navigation icons and the context icon within the menu overlay.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the icon reflections depict a surface reflection for each of the navigation icons and the context icon.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein generating a menu overlay within the onscreen display area while maintaining the video within the onscreen display comprises maintaining the video within the menu overlay.

19. A method, comprising:

displaying video in one of a plurality of contexts in a video environment within a display area;

receiving a menu command;

in response to the menu command;

scaling the video environment into a video subsection within the display area;

generating a video reflection adjacent the video subsection within the display area;

generating a video menu within the display area and overlaying the video reflection; and

generating within the video menu a context icon based on the one of plurality of contexts.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the plurality of contexts comprise:

a playback context to present a playback of recorded video; and

a broadcast context to present broadcast video.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

generating within the video menu one or more context independent navigation icons.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

generating icon reflections for each of the navigation icons and the context icon within the video menu.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

maintaining the video reflection within the video menu.

24. A video processing system, comprising:

a video input device to receive video data;

a data store in communication with the video input device to store the video data;

a handheld remote including a rotational input to generate remote control signals; and

a processing device in communication with the video input device, the data store and the handheld remote, the processing device configured to process and display video in one of a plurality of contexts in a video environment, and in response to a first remote control signal received from the handheld remote, generate a menu overlay within the video environment while maintaining the video within the video environment and generate within the menu overlay a context icon based on the one of the plurality of contexts.

25. The video process system of claim 24, wherein the plurality of contexts comprise:

a playback context to present a playback of recorded video; and

a broadcast context to present broadcast video.

26. The video process system of claim 25, wherein the processing device is further configured to generate within the menu overlay one or more context independent navigation icons.

27. The video processing system of claim 25, wherein the processing device is further configured to maintain the video within the video environment by maintaining the video within the menu overlay.

28. A video system, comprising:

a display configured to present video in a video environment in one of a plurality of contexts;

a handheld remote having a rotational input device and configured to generate remote control signals in response to user inputs;

a control engine configured to receive the remote control signals generated by the handheld remote and to generate control signals in response; and

a user interface engine in communication with the control engine and, in response to a control signal from the control engine, configured to generate a menu overlay within the video environment while maintaining the video within the video environment and generate within the menu overlay one or more context icons based on the context in which the video is displayed.

29. The video system of claim 28, wherein the user interface engine is further configured to generate a glow highlight beneath a selected context icon.

30. The video system of claim 28, wherein the user interface engine is further configured to generate a translucent menu overlay.

31. The video system of claim 28, wherein the user interface engine is further configured to maintain the video within the menu overlay.

32. A video processing system, comprising:

means for displaying a video in one of a playback context or a received context in a first video environment;

means for receiving a menu command;

means for generating a menu overlay within the first video environment while maintaining the first video environment within the menu overlay in response to the menu command; and

means for generating within the menu overlay one or more context icons based on the one of the playback context or the received context in which the video is displayed.