Graphic user interface for a digital content delivery system using circular menus

• US 6,448,987 B1
• Filed: 04/03/1998
• Issued: 09/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intertainer Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Intertainer Incorporated
• Inventors: Baskin, Aaron Richard, Nelson, Steven Lewis, Easty, Allen Dwight, Chechik, Jeremiah, Taplin, Jonathan Trumbull
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Joseph, Thomas J
• Application Number:
  US09/054,752
• Time in Patent Office: 1,621 Days
• Field of Search: 345/352, 345/353, 345/348, 345/146, 345/994, 345/995, 345/356, 345/710, 345/733, 345/734, 345/809, 345/834, 345/835, 345/841, 345/848, 345/961, 348/12
• US Class Current: 715/834
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/961 Operator interface with visual structure or function dictated by intended use

Abstract

Menu structures having a balanced, predominantly circular appearance for a graphic user interface (GUI) for a delivery system of multiple categories of digital information content. The menu has two concentric rings having icons arranged along the rings identifying menu choices. The outer menu ring presents choices of categories of digital contents available from the content delivery system, while the inner menu ring presents choices of sub-categories of contents associated with a category. The icons are individually selectable. The categories and subcategories displayed are dynamically determined based on the content available to the user. The GUI system allows a user to select a category and sub-category of digital contents by selecting an icon from the outer and inner menu ring, respectively. In response to each selection, the GUI generates animated effects on the graphic display to highlight the selected item.

Claims

1. In a graphic user interface for a system for delivering multiple categories of digital contents to a plurality of users, a method for interactively presenting a plurality of content selections to the users on a display device, comprising the steps of:

identifying at least a first user and a second user of the plurality of users to determine the first and second users'"'"' access to the digital contents, the access to the digital contents of the first user being different than the access to the digital contents of the second user;

displaying a first menu ring having a plurality of first icons arranged along a first circle, each first icon representing a category of contents, each of the first icons being simultaneously visible to the users, the first menu ring being at a first setting;

subsequently rendering, in response to a first input by one of the users indicating a selection of a first icon, an animated appearance of the first menu ring rotating about an axis substantially parallel to a line of sight into the display; and

subsequently displaying the first menu ring at a second setting wherein the selected first icon is at a predetermined location along the first circle;

displaying, in response to the first input by one of the users, a second menu ring comprising a plurality of second icons arranged along a second circle concentric with the first circle, each second icon representing a subcategory of contents associated with the category of contents represented by the selected first icon; and

determining at the time of display the categories and subcategories associated with the first and second icons displayed in the first and second menu rings based on the contents accessible to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined location is substantially at the top of the first circle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of subsequently displaying the first menu ring includes highlighting the selected first icon.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first icons are spaced substantially evenly along the first circle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each first icon comprises a graphic representation of a set of characters identifying a category of contents, the orientation of each set of characters being automatically determined dependent upon the position of the respective first icon along the first circle.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each set of characters representation is in a predominantly upward orientation.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a highlighting icon is displayed highlighting a first one of the second icons, and comprising the further steps of:

rendering, in response to a second input by one of the users indicating a selection of a second icon, an animated appearance of the highlighting icon moving along the second circle; and

subsequently displaying the second menu ring with the selected second icon highlighted by the highlighting icon;

whereby the steps of rendering in response to the second input and subsequently displaying the second menu ring create a visual appearance of the highlighting icon moving from the first one of the second icons to the selected second icon.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of providing a display in response to the second input by one of the users, the display provided being dependent upon the category and subcategory represented by the selected first and second icons.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first icons include graphics.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

displaying a highlighting icon to highlight a first one of the second icons, and rendering, in response to the selection of one of said second icons by the user, an animated appearance of the highlighting icon moving along said second circle from the first one of the second icons to the selected second icon.

9. In a graphic user interface for a system for delivering multiple categories of digital contents to a plurality of users, a method for interactively presenting a plurality of content selections to each of the users on a display device, said method comprising the steps of:

identifying at least a first and a second user of the plurality of users to determine the first and second user'"'"'s access to the digital contents said access to the digital contents of the first user being different than the access to the digital contents of the second user;

displaying a first menu ring having a plurality of first icons arranged along a first circle, each first icon representing a category of contents;

displaying, in response to a first input by the first user indicating a selection of a first icon, a second menu ring comprising a plurality of second icons arranged along a second circle concentric with the first circle, each second icon representing a subcategory of contents associated with the category of contents represented by the selected first icon; and

determining at the time of display the categories and subcategories associated with the first and second icons displayed in the first and second menu rings based on the contents accessible to the first user.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first icons include graphics.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the predetermined location is substantially at the top of the first circle.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the selected first icon is highlighted in the step of subsequently displaying the first menu ring.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of first icons are spaced substantially evenly along the first circle.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein each first icon comprises a graphic representation of a set of characters identifying a category of contents, the orientation of each set of characters being automatically determined dependent upon the position of the respective first icon along the first circle.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein each set of characters representation is in a predominantly upward orientation.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein a highlighting icon is displayed highlighting a first one of the second icons, and comprising the further steps of:

rendering, in response to a second input by the user indicating a selection of a second icon, an animated appearance of the highlighting icon moving along the second circle; and

subsequently displaying the second menu ring with the selected second icon highlighted by the highlighting icon;

whereby said steps of rendering in response to the second input and subsequently displaying the second menu ring create a visual appearance of the highlighting icon moving from the first one of the second icons to the selected second icon.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising providing a display in response to the second input by the user, the display provided being dependent upon the category and subcategory represented by the selected first and second icons.

20. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

displaying a highlighting icon to highlight a first one of the second icons, and rendering, in response to the selection of one of the second icons by the user, an animated appearance of the highlighting icon moving along the second circle from the first one of the second icons to the selected second icon.