User interface for controlling audio functions in a web browser

• US 6,496,205 B1
• Filed: 12/21/1999
• Issued: 12/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: WebTV Networks Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Britt, Jr., Joe F., White, Christopher M., Krueger, Mark H., Anderson, David R., Yaksick, Jeffrey D.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US09/467,681
• Time in Patent Office: 1,092 Days
• Field of Search: 345/326-358, 345/716-729, 345/749, 345/854, 345/739, 345/760, 345/747, 345/768, 345/84.824, 709/230, 707/10
• US Class Current: 715/824
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• 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: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04892 Arrangements for controlling cursor position based on codes indicative of cursor displacements from one discrete location to another, e.g. using cursor control keys associated to different directions or using the tab key arrangements for controlling cursor position based on coordinate signals G06F3/038
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04897 Special input arrangements or commands for improving display capability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/027 Arrangements and methods specific for the display of internet documents
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 9/0235 specially adapted for remote control, e.g. of audio or video apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/46 Embedding additional information in the video signal during the compression process H04N19/517, H04N19/68, H04N19/70 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2383 Channel coding or modulation of digital bit-stream, e.g. QPSK modulation arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received by adapting the channel coding H04L1/0009; analogue front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/42212 Specific keyboard arrangements
• 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 21/4316 : for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 : Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4355 : involving reformatting operations of additional data, e.g. HTML pages on a television screen optimising the visualization of content for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/9577; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/066; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4356 : by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. to reformat additional data on a handheld device, attached to the STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4382 : Demodulation or channel decoding, e.g. QPSK demodulation analog front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4396 : by muting the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44012 : involving rendering scenes according to scene graphs, e.g. MPEG-4 scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 : by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 : Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4516 : involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 : Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• 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 21/47 : End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 : Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4852 : for modifying audio parameters, e.g. switching between mono and stereo
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4858 : for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 : comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 : involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 : using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 : for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 : Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/602 : for digital sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 : Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

Web browser software is implemented in a processing system housed in a set-top box connected to a television and communicating over a wide-area network with one or more servers. The browser allows a user to use a remote control device to navigate between hypertex, anchors in World-Wide Web pages displayed on the television. User inputs are entered from the remote control device using an infrared IR link in order to move a selection between hypertext anchors or various control buttons displayed on the television display. The browser is capable of downloading audio files from Web sites and generating sound through a speaker of the television set based on the audio files. Background music is generated during Web browsing based on audio files downloaded from one of the servers or audio files stored in memory in the set-top box. A background music audio file from a server can be downloaded while another background music audio file is played. An audio panel can be displayed when an audio file from a Web site is downloaded and played to form a user interface by which the user to play, stop, pause, rewind, or fast-forward the audio file.

Claims

1. In a client processing system coupled to at least one server processing system over a network, wherein the client processing system is coupled to a display device, a method of providing a user interface for controlling audio functions of the client processing system, the method comprising the steps of:

determining that the client processing system is receiving audio data from a server processing system;

determining whether the audio data comprises a live audio stream; and

in response to determining that the client system is receiving audio data from a server processing system, displaying on the display device an audio control panel that provides a user interface for allowing a user to control a plurality of audio functions associated with the audio data, wherein, if it has been determined that the audio data comprises a live audio stream, at least one audio function that does not apply to live audio streams is disabled on the audio control panel by displaying a corresponding button on the audio control panel in a manner that indicates that the at least one audio function is unavailable.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the audio control panel is conducted only when it is determined that the client processing system is receiving the audio data, such that, prior to receiving the audio data, the audio control panel is not displayed.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the client processing system is further coupled to an audio output device, the method further comprising the steps of:

causing an audio sequence encoded by the audio data to be output via the audio output device; and

disabling display of the audio control panel upon completion of outputting the audio sequence.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the audio control panel includes a plurality of displayable objects, each of the objects representing one of the audio functions.

5. A method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of determining whether each of the audio functions can be performed with respect to the audio data.

6. A method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of disabling a display of one of the displayable objects if a corresponding one of the audio functions cannot be performed with respect to the audio data.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising, prior to the client processing system receiving the audio data:

representing the audio data by a hypertext anchor displayed on the display device;

receiving user input selecting the hypertext anchor displayed on the display device; and

in response to the user input, requesting the audio data from the server processing system.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the display device comprises a television set.

21. A method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one audio function that is disabled on the audio control panel if it is determined that the audio data comprises a live audio stream is a fast forward function.

22. A method according to claim 1, wherein the display device comprises a television set.

9. A client processing system for communicating over a network with at least one server processing system, the client processing system coupled to a display device, the client processing system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having stored therein sequences of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of;

retrieving audio data from the server processing system;

determining whether the retrieved audio data comprises a live audio stream; and

upon receiving the retrieved audio data, displaying on the display device an audio control panel that includes a plurality of objects, wherein each of the objects, when selected by a user, activates one of a plurality of audio functions that can be applied to the audio data, wherein, if it has been determined that the audio data comprises a live audio stream, at least one audio function that does not apply to live audio streams is disabled on the audio control panel by displaying a corresponding button on the audio control panel in a manner that indicates that the at least one audio function ia unavailable;

receiving a user input designating one of the objects; and

in response to the user input, performing one of the audio functions.

10. A client processing system according to claim 9, wherein the sequences of instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to perform the following steps before the step of retrieving audio data from the server processing system:

causing a plurality of hypertext objects to be displayed on the display device; and

receiving a user input selecting one of the hypertext objects, wherein the hypertext object represents the audio data retrieved from the server processing system.

11. A client processing system according to claim 9, wherein the display device comprises a television set.

12. A client processing system according to claim 9 wherein the client processing system is also coupled to an audio output device, wherein the sequences of instructions for performing the step of performing one of the audio functions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to perform the step of causing an audio sequence to be output to the audio output device based on the audio data.

23. A client processing system according to claim 9, wherein the at least one audio function that is disabled on the audio control panel if it is determined that the audio data comprises a live audio stream is a fast forward function.

13. In a client processing system coupled to a server processing system over a network and coupled to a display device, a method of providing a user interface for controlling audio functions of the client processing system, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving user input designating that an audio control panel is to be automatically displayed on the display device if audio information is being downloaded from the network;

downloading audio information from the network;

determining whether the downloaded audio information comprises a live audio stream; and

in response to receiving the downloaded audio information, automatically displaying the audio control panel on the display device, the audio control panel including a plurality of displayable objects, wherein each of the displayable objects, when selected by a user, activates one of a plurality of audio functions that can be applied to the downloaded audio information, wherein, if it has been determined that the downloaded audio information comprises a live audio stream, at least one audio function that does not apply to live audio streams is disabled on the audio control panel by displaying a corresponding button on the audio control panel in a manner that indicates that the at least one audio function is unavailable.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the audio information is accessed over the network by a hypertext link.

15. A method according to claim 13, wherein the audio control panel is displayed only if an audio sequence is currently being output by the client processing system.

16. A method according to claim 13 wherein the display device comprises a television display.

17. A method according to claim 16 wherein the user input is entered from a remote input device.

18. A method according to claim 16 wherein the user input is entered from a remote input device by a user activating a control specifying a direction for moving a selection indicator displayed on the display device from a previous position on the display device.

19. A method according to claim 13, wherein the client processing system is further coupled to an audio output device, the method further comprising the steps of:

causing an audio sequence to be output from the audio output device based on the audio information; and

causing a moving waveform representing the audio sequence to be displayed on the display device as the audio sequence is output.

20. A method according to claim 13 wherein the step of automatically displaying an audio control panel on the display device comprises the step of causing a moving waveform representing an audio sequence of the audio information to be displayed on one of the displayable objects as the audio sequence is output by the client processing system.

24. A method according to claim 13, wherein the at least one audio function that is disabled on the audio control panel if it is determined that the downloaded audio information comprises a live audio stream is a fast forward function.

25. In a networked computer system that includes a plurality of servers and a plurality of clients that are interconnected with the plurality of servers, one or more of the plurality of clients including a processor that provides a graphical user interface displayed on a television set, enabling information from the Internet to be displayed thereon, a method of a method of providing a user interface for controlling audio functions associated with audio data, the method comprising the acts of:

at one of the plurality of clients, determining that said one of the plurality of clients is receiving audio data from one of the plurality of servers;

determining whether the audio data comprises a live audio stream; and

in response to determining that said one of the plurality of clients is receiving audio data, displaying, on a display device associated with said one of the plurality of clients, an audio control panel that provides a user interface for allowing a user to control a plurality of audio functions associated with the audio data, wherein, if it has been determined that the audio data comprises a live audio stream, at least one audio function that does not apply to live audio streams is disabled on the audio control panel, by displaying a corresponding button on the audio control panel in a manner that indicates that the at least one audio function is unavailable so as to communicate to the user whether the at least one audio function applies to the audio data.

26. A method according to claim 25, wherein the display device associated with said one of the plurality of clients comprises a television set.

27. A method according to claim 25, wherein the at least one audio function that is disabled on the audio control panel if it is determined that the audio data comprises a live audio stream is a fast forward function.