Method and apparatus for audio-visual interface for the display of multiple levels of information on a display
First Claim
1. An interactive user interface and audio-visual (A/V) system comprising:
- a transceiver coupled to art audio-visual (A/V) display for receiving audio-visual signals in an electronic signal spectrum from a signal source, said transceiver including interface generation means for causing said A/V display to display an interface, said interface including selectively displayed multiple levels of information related to an audio-visual program viewed on said A/V display, wherein said multiple levels of information include information received by said transceiver over a plurality of information tracks;
control means in communication with said transceiver for permitting a user viewing said A/V display to selectively display said multiple levels of information on said A/V display;
wherein said interface is displayed in an overlay region that includes at least one direction cue to identify at least one direction on said A/V display corresponding to at least one additional level of information.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An interactive audio-visual (A/V) transceiver is advantageously coupled to a television and/or telephone (T/T) cable, a TV, a video recorder (VCR), and other A/V devices. The A/V transceiver switches data between a program/service provider and the connected A/V devices. In one embodiment, the transceiver includes three primary modules, a main module including a CPU, a system bus, system memory, an infra-red (IR) control unit, an audio-visual bus, an A/V decoder, an A/V processor, and an A/V encoder, an A/V connect module including a number of tuner/demodulators and a switch, and an optional CD ROM module. The A/V transceiver hardware is complemented with an operating system and software program which supports the functions provided in the A/V user interface. Additionally, a remote control device is provided to communicate with the A/V transceiver to interactively manage selection of program and service sources, selection program and service offerings from any selected source, viewing of selected program offerings, and interaction with selected service offerings. The remote control device is advantageously provided with a basic A/V control button group, an interactive control button group, an auxiliary control button group and a numeric key pad to facilitate control of the transceiver. The interactive control button group includes an info button, a list button, a categories button, a pix button, a mark button, a jump button, and a pointing device consisting of up, down, left, and right arrow buttons, and a center select button.
1372 Citations
71 Claims
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1. An interactive user interface and audio-visual (A/V) system comprising:
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a transceiver coupled to art audio-visual (A/V) display for receiving audio-visual signals in an electronic signal spectrum from a signal source, said transceiver including interface generation means for causing said A/V display to display an interface, said interface including selectively displayed multiple levels of information related to an audio-visual program viewed on said A/V display, wherein said multiple levels of information include information received by said transceiver over a plurality of information tracks; control means in communication with said transceiver for permitting a user viewing said A/V display to selectively display said multiple levels of information on said A/V display; wherein said interface is displayed in an overlay region that includes at least one direction cue to identify at least one direction on said A/V display corresponding to at least one additional level of information. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. An interactive user interface an audio-visual (A/V) system comprising:
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a transceiver coupled to an audio-visual (A/V) display for receiving audio-visual signals in an electronic signal spectrum from a signal source, Said transceiver including interface generation means for causing said A/V display to display an interface, said interface including selectively displayed multiple levels of information related to a currently viewed program viewed on said A/V display; control means in communication with said transceiver for permitting a user viewing said A/V display to selectively display said multiple levels of information on said A/V display; wherein a plurality of direction cues are displayed on said A/V display, wherein one or more of said plurality of direction cues are available direction cues, said available direction cues being highlighted on said A/V display; wherein said control means includes direction arrow buttons, said user activating one of said direction arrow buttons corresponding to the direction identified by one of said available direction cues resulting in said transceiver causing said A/V display to display an additional level of information related to said currently viewed program. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6)
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7. An interactive user interface and audio-visual (A/V) system, comprising:
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a transceiver coupled to an audio-visual (A/V) display for receiving audio-visual signals in an electronic signal spectrum from a signal source, said transceiver including interface generation means for causing said A/V display to display an interface, said interface including selectively displayed multiple levels of information related to an audio-visual program viewed on said A/V display; control means in communication with said transceiver for permitting a user viewing said A/V display to selectively display said multiple levels Of information on said A/V display; wherein said transceiver further includes a switcher and at least one tuner/demodulator coupled to said signal source;
said switcher coupling said at least one tuner/demodulator to said A/V display and a storage means, for switching digital and analog A/V data between said signal source, said A/V display and said storage means,said transceiver further including at least one processor unit, at least one system memory, unit, and a bus controller cooperatively coupled together for receiving input control and data signals and in response generating output control and data signals for said signal source, said A/V display, and said storage means. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An interactive user interface and audio-visual (A/V) system, comprising:
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a transceiver coupled to an audio-visual (A/V) display for receiving audio-visual signals in an electronic signal spectrum from a signal source, said transceiver including interface generation means for causing said A/V display to display an interface, said interface including selectively displayed multiple levels of information related to an audio-visual program viewed on said A/V display; control means in communication with said transceiver for permitting a user viewing said A/V display to selectively display said multiple levels of information on said A/V display; wherein said interface generation means further includes listing means for causing said A/V display to selectively display a program listing that contains listing information related to A/V programs viewable on said A/V display; wherein said program listing includes a first picture-in-a-picture (PIP) window in which the currently viewed program viewed by said user prior to said activation of said listing means is displayed on said A/V display. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25)
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23. An interactive user interface and audio-visual (A/V) system, comprising:
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a transceiver coupled to an audio-visual (A/V) display for receiving audio-visual signals in an electronic signal spectrum from a signal source, said transceiver including interface generation means for causing said A/V display to display art interface, said interface including selectively displayed multiple levels of information related to an audio-visual program viewed on said A/V display, wherein said multiple levels of information include information received by said transceiver over a plurality of information tracks; control means in communication with said transceiver for permitting a user viewing said A/V display to selectively display said multiple levels of information on said A/V display; wherein said interface generation means is further includes listing means for causing said A/V display to selectively display a program listing that contains listing information related to A/V programs viewable on said A/V display; wherein said interface generation means includes marking means for marking programs on said program listing. - View Dependent Claims (24)
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26. An interactive User interface and audio-visual (A/V) system, comprising:
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a transceiver coupled to an audio-visual (A/V) display for receiving audio-visual signals in an electronic signal spectrum from a signal source, said transceiver including interface generation means for causing said A/V display to display an interface, said interface including selectively displayed multiple levels of information related to an audio-visual program viewed on said A/V display; control means in communication with said transceiver for permitting a user viewing said A/V display to selectively display said multiple levels of information on said A/V display wherein said interface generation means further includes listing means for causing said A/V display to selectively display a program listing that contains listing information related to A/V programs viewable on said A/V display; wherein said interface generation means includes marking means for marking programs on said program listing, each of said programs on said program listing corresponding to one of said audio-visual signals; wherein said marking means is activated by said user choosing a selected program from said program listing. Using up and down buttons on said control means and then activating a mark button on said control means; wherein when said user activates said mark button on said control means, said listing means causes said A/V display to display a reminder mark adjacent to said marked program wherein said interface generation means causes said A/V display to display a reminder indication on a date and at a time based on the date and time that said selected program is carried over the audio-visual signal that corresponds to said marked program. - View Dependent Claims (27)
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28. An interactive user interface and audio-visual (A/V) system, comprising:
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a transceiver coupled to an audio-visual (A/V) display for receiving audio-visual signals in an electronic signal spectrum from a signal source, said transceiver including interface generation means for causing said g display to display an interface, said interface including selectively displayed multiple levels of information related to an audio-visual program viewed on said A/V display; control means in communication with said transceiver for permitting a user viewing said A/V display to selectively display said multiple levels of information on said A/V display; wherein said interface generation means further includes listing means for causing said A/V display to selectively display a program listing, said program listing including information related to A/V programs viewable on said A/V display; wherein said interface generation means includes marking means for marking a selected program on said program listing; wherein said interface generation means causes said A/V display to display a reminder icon at a predefined location on said A/V display on the date and at the time that said selected program is carried by one of said audio-visual signals; wherein said reminder icon comprises a picture-in-a-picture (PIP) window in which said selected program is displayed. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 42)
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35. A method for generating and displaying an interface on an audio-visual (A/V) system comprising the steps of:
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receiving audio-visual (A/V) signals in an electronic signal spectrum from a signal source using a transceiver coupled to an A/V display, said transceiver including interface generation means; said interface generation means causing said A/V display to display an interface, said interface including a currently viewed level of information that has been selected by a user from multiple levels of information related to an audio-visual program viewed on said A/V display; said user selectively displaying said multiple levels of information on said A/V display using control means in communication with said transceiver; said user pressing one or more direction buttons on said control means to cause said currently viewed level of information about said audio-visual program to be replaced in said interface with a next level of information about said audio-visual program. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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43. A method for generating and displaying an interface on an audio-visual (A/V) system comprising the steps of:
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receiving audio-visual (A/V) signals in an electronic signal spectrum from a signal source using a transceiver coupled to an A/V display, said transceiver including interface generation means for causing said A/V display to display an interface, said interface including selectively displayed multiple levels Of information related to an audio-visual program viewed on said A/V display; a user selectively displaying said multiple levels of information on said A/V display using control means in communication with said transceiver; wherein said transceiver further includes; a switcher and at least one tuner/demodulator coupled to said signal source, said switcher coupling said at least one tuner/demodulator, said A/V display, and a storage means, for switching digital and analog A/V data between said signal source, said A/V display and said storage means, said transceiver further comprising at least one processor unit, at least one system memory unit, at least one data bus, an A/V decoder, an A/V encoder, a control interface unit, and a bus controller cooperatively coupled together for receiving input control and data signals and in response generating output control and data signals for said signal source, said A/V display, and said storage means. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64)
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65. A method for generating and displaying an interface on an audio-visual (A/V) system comprising the steps of:
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receiving audio-visual (A/V) signals in an electronic signal spectrum from a signal source using a transceiver coupled to an A/V display, said transceiver including interface generation means for causing said A/V display to display an interface, said interface including selectively displayed multiple levels of information related to an audio-visual program viewed on said A/V display; a user selectively displaying said multiple levels of information on said A/V display using control means in communication with said transceiver; wherein said transceiver further includes listing means for causing said A/V display to selectively display a program listing that contains information related to A/V programs viewable on said A/V display; wherein said interface generation means includes marking means for marking a selected program on said program listing; wherein said interface generation means causes said A/V display to display a reminder icon at a predefined location on said A/V display on the date and at the time that said selected program is carried on one of said audio-visual signals; wherein said reminder icon includes a picture-in-picture window in which said selected program is displayed. - View Dependent Claims (66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71)
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Specification