Graphical user interface user customization

• US 8,601,394 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2010
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Inventors: Sheehan, Conor, Dolecki, Eric E., Saeger, Timothy William, Sakalowsky, John Michael, Carvajal, Santiago, Burge, Benjamin D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdul-Ali, Omar
• Assistant Examiner(s): TANK, ANDREW L
• Application Number:
  US12/886,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20110113374A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,169 Days
• Field of Search: 715/835, 715/826, 715/841, 715/820, 715829-834, 715/844
• US Class Current: 715/829
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4852 for modifying audio parameters, e.g. switching between mono and stereo
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate

Abstract

A user interface for an audio/visual device enables a user to customize the selection of menu items that are displayable on a menu, perhaps a racetrack menu, provided by the user interface to enable the user to operate the audio/visual device, in which a multitude of menu items that may be selected for being so displayed are visually displayed and the user is able to operate a first manually-operable control (or a first set of manually-operable controls) to select a menu item from among that multitude for being displayed on the menu. It may be that the menu is simultaneously displayed with the multitude of menu items to enable the user to immediately see the results of their selections. It may be that the user is able to again select that menu item within the multitude of menu items to cause that menu item to cease being displayed on the menu. It may be that a second manually-operable control is provided to the user to enable the user to select another menu item already being displayed on the menu to cause that menu item to cease being displayed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processing device; and

a storage accessible to the processing device and storing a sequence of instructions that when executed by the processing device, causes the processing device to;

cause a first plurality of menu items to be visually displayed within a first portion of a display element;

cause a first marker to be visually displayed within the first portion of the display element; and

in response to receiving an indication of a first manually-operable control being operated to select a first menu item of the first plurality of menu items that is in the vicinity of the first marker, cause the first menu item to become displayable on as part of a second plurality of menu items displayed on a racetrack menu that the processing device is able to cause to be displayed on the display element along with a visual portion of an audio/visual program, but separately from the visual display of the first plurality of menu items, wherein the racetrack menu has a ring shape caused by the processing device to be positioned about the periphery of the display element such that no portion of the visual portion of the audio/visual program is displayed outside the ring shape of the racetrack menu, wherein causing the first menu item to be displayable on the racetrack menu comprises further causing the processing device to;

display the first menu item on the racetrack menu as one of the second plurality of menu items displayed on the racetrack menu at a time when the sequence of instructions further cause the processing device to cause the racetrack menu to be displayed on the display element; and

enable the first menu item to be selectable by operation of a second manually-operable control along with all other menu items of the second plurality of menu items, wherein;

the racetrack menu has a geometric shape comprised of a plurality of sides comprising a first side, a second side and a third side;

the processing device is caused to display the first plurality of menu items divided among a plurality of scrollable columns of menu items comprising a first column and a second column;

the first column corresponds to the first side;

the second column corresponds to the second side and third side;

the first menu item is displayed within the second column; and

in response to receiving an indication of the first manually-operable control being operated to select the first menu item, the processing device is further caused by the sequence of instructions to select to cause the first menu item to become displayable within the second side in response to there being a lesser quantity of menu items of the second plurality of menu items being caused to be displayed on the second side than the quantity of menu items of the second plurality of menu items being caused to be displayed on the third side so as to balance the quantities of menu items being displayed on the second and third sides.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing device is further caused by the sequence of instructions to display the racetrack menu within a second portion of the display element adjacent the first portion of the display element and simultaneously with the display of the first plurality of menu items within the first portion.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the second portion surrounds the first portion; and

the first plurality of menu items is displayed within the first portion within the racetrack menu displayed within the second portion so as to surround the first plurality of menu items displayed within the first portion.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising the first and second manually-operable controls, wherein:

the second manually-operable control has a ring shape corresponding to the ring shape of the racetrack menu; and

the first manually-operable control is positioned adjacent the second manually-operable control such that the second manually-operable control surrounds the first manually-operable control such that the position of the first manually-operable control relative to the position of the second manually-operable control corresponds to the position of the first portion of the display element relative to the position of the second portion of the display element and corresponds to the position of the racetrack menu relative to the plurality of first menu items.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the racetrack menu has a geometric shape comprised of a plurality of sides comprising a first side and a second side;

the processing device is caused to display the first plurality of menu items divided among a plurality of scrollable columns of menu items comprising a first column and a second column;

the first column corresponds to the first side and the second column corresponds to the second side;

the first menu item is displayed within the first column; and

in response to receiving an indication of the first manually-operable control being operated to select the first menu item, the processing device is further caused by the sequence of instructions to cause the first menu item to become displayable within the first side of the racetrack menu.

6. A method comprising:

visually displaying a first plurality of menu items within a first portion of a display element that is capable of visually displaying a visual portion of an audio/visual program and a user interface comprising a menu;

visually displaying a first marker among the first plurality of menu items and positioned in the vicinity of one of the menu items of the first plurality of menu items;

simultaneously with visually displaying the first plurality of menu items, visually displaying the menu within a second portion of the display element, wherein the second portion of the display element is adjacent the first portion of the display element;

visually displaying a second plurality of menu items within the menu;

visually displaying a second marker among the second plurality of menu items and positioned in the vicinity of one of the menu items of the second plurality of menu items; and

in response to receiving an indication of a first manually-operable control being operated to select a first menu item of the first plurality of menu items that is in the vicinity of the first marker, displaying the first menu item on the menu as part of the second plurality of menu items, wherein in response to receiving an indication of a second manually-operable control being operated to select a second menu item of the second plurality of menu items that is in the vicinity of the second marker, removing the second menu item from being displayed on the menu.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising in response to receiving an indication of the first manually-operable control again being operated to select the first menu item of the first plurality of menu items that is in the vicinity of the first marker, and in response to the first menu item currently being displayed on the menu as one of the second plurality of menu items, removing the first menu item from being displayed on the menu as part of the second plurality of menu items.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the menu has a ring shape;

the second portion surrounds the first portion; and

the menu is displayed within the second portion so as to surround the first plurality of menu items displayed within the first portion.

9. A method comprising:

visually displaying a first plurality of menu items within a first portion of a display element that is capable of visually displaying a visual portion of an audio/visual program and a user interface comprising a menu;

visually displaying a first marker among the first plurality of menu items and positioned in the vicinity of one of the menu items of the first plurality of menu items;

simultaneously with visually displaying the first plurality of menu items, visually displaying the menu within a second portion of the display element, wherein the second portion of the display element is adjacent the first portion of the display element;

visually displaying a second plurality of menu items within the menu;

visually displaying a second marker among the second plurality of menu items and positioned in the vicinity of one of the menu items of the second plurality of menu items; and

in response to receiving an indication of a first manually-operable control being operated to select a first menu item of the first plurality of menu items that is in the vicinity of the first marker, displaying the first menu item on the menu as part of the second plurality of menu items, wherein in response to receiving an indication of a second manually-operable control being operated to select a second menu item of the second plurality of menu items that is in the vicinity of the second marker, removing the second menu item from being displayed on the menu, wherein in response to receiving an indication of the second manually-operable control being operated to select a second menu item of the second plurality of menu items that is in the vicinity of the second marker, displaying the second menu item within the first portion as one of the first plurality of menu items.