USER SELECTION INTERFACE FOR INTERACTIVE DIGITAL TELEVISION

• US 20110093888A1
• Filed: 10/21/2010
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Westinghouse Digital LLC (Brookfield Asset Management Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Westinghouse Digital LLC (Brookfield Asset Management Incorporated)
• Inventors: Araki, John, Randall, Kenneth M., Libor, Klaus
• Application Number:
  US12/909,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20110093888A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/37
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6461 Means for preventing cross-talk
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6463 using twisted pairs of wires
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6466 on substrates, e.g. printed circuit boards [PCB]
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6469 on substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6658 on printed circuit board H01R13/6666 - H01R13/6691 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/719 specially adapted for high frequency, e.g. with filters
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/64 for high frequency, e.g. RJ 45
• 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 21/4312 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4858 for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows

Abstract

A method of selecting content for display on an interactive television may involve a multilevel selection process that includes selectable hot zones, for example in corners of a graphical user interface, and a central menu area. Selection of a hot zone may cause an increase in size or extension of the zone, prompting a further selection. This may lead to a display of content items in a central menu, with the user selecting content for display from the central menu.

Claims

1. A method of selecting content to be displayed on an interactive television, the method comprising:

displaying a layout the interactive television, wherein the layout includes at least two hot zones in respective corners of the layout;

when a user selects a selected hot zone from one of the hot zones using an input device, triggering display of an extended zone corresponding to the selected hot zone, wherein the extended zone is in the corner of the selected hot zone and is larger than the selected hot zone; and

when the user makes a selection from the extended zone, displaying in an area of the layout that is not anchored to the hot zone, a menu corresponding to the selection from the extended selection space.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the menu is in a central menu area that includes a centerpoint of the layout.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the central menu area is substantially centered horizontally and/or vertically within the layout.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying selectable individual content choices based on a user selection from the menu.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the selectable content choices are displayed in the same area as the menu.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising changing appearance of individual of the selectable content choices when a user positions a cursor of the input device to hover over the selectable content choice.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the changing appearance includes increasing the size of the selectable content choice.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the increasing the size also includes showing additional graphical details regarding the selectable content choice.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the changing appearance includes animating the selectable content choice, providing a non-constant appearance of the selectable content choice over time.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the changing appearance includes displaying additional information regarding content that is represented by the selectable content choice.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the changing appearance includes flipping the selectable content choice.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the changing appearance includes rotating the selectable content choice.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein the changing appearance includes displaying additional surfaces of the selectable content choice.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein the displaying the selectable content choices includes displaying the content choices in a three-dimensional arrangement that includes an illusion of depth into and/or out of the television.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the changing appearance includes creating the illusion that the selectable content choice changes its depth.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising the user navigating through the selectable content choices

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying the layout includes displaying the hot zones in all four of the corners of the layout.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying the layout includes displaying slider bars along at least two edges of the layout.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the slider bars include at least a channel selection slider bar and a volume selection slider bar.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the triggering of the selected hot zone includes hovering over the hot zone by positioning a cursor using the input device.