High density interactive media guide

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9843841-B2
Application number	US-201414156604-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 16, 2014
Priority date	Apr 18, 2005
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

A high density interactive media guide interface ( 100 ) provides for the selection of a source from a dense array of available sources ( 105, 110 ) by displaying an array of available sources ( 105, 110 ) in a dense format that illustrates the availability of a high number of sources and expanding the display of selected sources ( 120, 130 ) to provide additional information regarding that source. “Clickless selection” is provided by either positioning the cursor over the desired selection or positioning the desired selection under a pre-designated position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for displaying a number of sources and associated content on an interactive graphic user interface in response to an input device, the method comprising:
presenting for display a number of first visual elements in an initial state in a vertical array on the user interface, each first visual element corresponding to a selectable source;
presenting for display a number of second visual elements in the initial state on the user interface, a number of the second visual elements being associated with and horizontally disposed from each of the first visual elements, each second visual element corresponding to a specific program;
sequentially selecting at least one first visual elements in response to input from the input device, the selections occurring sequentially along the vertical direction; and
converting a display state, from the initial state, of the selected at least one first visual element and the associated second visual elements and presenting for display a display area associated with the selected at least one first visual element in a first changed state in enlarged formats such that a user can read content identifying the source displayed in the selected at least one first visual element and content identifying the specific program displayed in the associated second visual elements and wherein the appearance of first visual elements other than the selected at least one first visual elements and second visual elements associated with the first visual elements other than the selected at least one first visual elements is maintained in the initial state such that no content identifying the source in the first visual elements and the specific program in the second visual elements is displayed and the number of first visual elements and second visual elements that can be displayed in the initial state is maximized.

2. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the selectable source corresponds to a video channel.

3. The method as in claim 2 , wherein the associated second visual elements are arranged in vertical columns which correspond to different time periods.

4. The method as in claim 3 , wherein the columns of associated second visual elements scroll horizontally in response to a user input from the input device.

5. The method as in claim 4 , wherein the user interface is constrained to be responsive to only sequentially selecting adjacent first visual elements or to horizontal scrolling the columns of associated second visual elements at any one time.

6. The method as in claim 3 , wherein a second state change occurs with respect to visual elements adjacent to the selected at least one first visual element and the associated second visual elements in a vertical direction, the second changed state identifying the source in a smaller format than that for the selected at least one first visual element and content identifying the specific program in a smaller format than that for the associated second visual elements.

7. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the selected at least one first visual elements and the associated second visual elements are displayed in a fixed position and remaining first and second visual elements in the user interface are displayed scrolling vertically below the fixed position.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the number of first visual elements and the number of second visual elements are displayed in the initial state as at least one of a line and a row of dots.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein a third state change occurs in response to a user input with respect to one of the second visual elements associated with the selected at least one first visual element, the third state change providing a further visual element that displays further information about the specific program identified by the one of the second visual elements.

10. A method for displaying a number of sources and associated content on an interactive graphic user interface in response to an input device, the method comprising:
presenting for display a number of first visual elements in an initial state in a vertical array on the user interface, each first visual element corresponding to a selectable source;
presenting for display a number of second visual elements in the initial state on the user interface, a number of the second visual elements being associated with and horizontally disposed from each of the first visual elements, each second visual element corresponding to a specific program;
sequentially selecting at least one first visual elements in response to input from the input device, the selections occurring sequentially along the y axis; and
presenting for display a first state change, from the initial state, with respect to the selected at least one first visual element, and second visual elements associated with the selected first visual element, and a second state change, from the initial state, with respect to visual elements vertically adjacent to the selected at least one first visual element and second visual elements associated with the first visual elements vertically adjacent to the selected at least one first visual element, wherein, responsive to selection, the first state change and second state change is displayed as expanded on the user interface, both vertically and horizontally, a horizontal segment that is scrolled vertically over the display, the horizontal segment comprising the selected first visual element, the visual elements vertically adjacent to the selected at least one first visual element and the associated second visual elements such that a user can read information identifying the source displayed in the selected at least one first visual element and the visual elements vertically adjacent to the selected first visual element, and read information identifying the specific program for the second visual elements associated with the selected first visual element and the second visual elements associated with the first visual elements vertically adjacent to the selected at least one first visual element, the second state change providing the content on the display in a smaller format than the first state change, and wherein the display of first visual elements other than the selected at least one first visual element and the first visual elements vertically adjacent to the selected at least one first visual element, and second visual elements other than the second visual elements associated with the selected first visual element and the second visual elements associated with the first visual elements vertically adjacent to the selected at least one first visual element is maintained in the initial state such that no content identifying the source in the first visual elements and the specific program in the second visual elements is displayed and the number of second visual elements and first visual elements displayed is maximized.

11. The method as in claim 10 where the second visual elements are arranged in vertical columns which correspond to different time periods.

12. The method as in claim 11 wherein the vertical columns of second visual elements scroll horizontally in response to a second input from the input device.

13. The method as in claim 10 wherein the selectable source corresponds to a video channel.

14. A method for displaying a number of sources and associated content on an interactive graphic user interface in response to an input device, the method comprising:
presenting for display a number of visual elements in an initial state in a two dimensional array on the user interface, each of the number of visual elements having a specific content associated with the vi

Assignees

• Thomson Licensing

Inventors

• Smith Gregory Clark
• Leftwich James J

Classifications

• H04N21/84

  Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors {(systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73)} · CPC title

• H04N21/4821 Primary

  using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time · CPC title

• H04N21/482

  End-user interface for programme selection · CPC title

• H04N21/8456

  by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments · CPC title

• H04N21/488

  Data services, e.g. news ticker {(systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71)} · CPC title