U.S. patent application number 11/121302 was filed with the patent office on 2006-01-26 for time-based graphical user interface for multimedia content.
This patent application is currently assigned to Vulcan Inc.. Invention is credited to Michael Stacie, Korina J.B. Stark, Daniel R. Sterling, Marcellino Tanumihardja.
Application Number | 20060020962 11/121302 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35320655 |
Filed Date | 2006-01-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060020962 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Stark; Korina J.B. ; et
al. |
January 26, 2006 |
Time-based graphical user interface for multimedia content
Abstract
A graphical user interface ("GUI") for a content management
system is provided, such as to present information associated with
various forms of multimedia content. In some situations, the GUI
includes information presented simultaneously using at least first
and second time scales, such as to provide relatively detailed
information for content corresponding to a shorter time scale
(e.g., to display content listings with details about content that
corresponds to a time period at the shorter time scale) and to
provide relatively limited information for content corresponding to
a longer time scale (e.g., indications of other content of
potential interest corresponding to times outside the time period
of the shorter time scale). In addition, in some situations the
relatively limited information for content corresponding to the
longer time scale may be selectable by the user to provide various
functionality related to that content.
Inventors: |
Stark; Korina J.B.;
(Seattle, WA) ; Sterling; Daniel R.; (Mill Creek,
WA) ; Stacie; Michael; (Kirkland, WA) ;
Tanumihardja; Marcellino; (Seattle, WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SEED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW GROUP PLLC
701 FIFTH AVE
SUITE 6300
SEATTLE
WA
98104-7092
US
|
Assignee: |
Vulcan Inc.
Seattle
WA
|
Family ID: |
35320655 |
Appl. No.: |
11/121302 |
Filed: |
May 2, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60567177 |
Apr 30, 2004 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
725/32 ;
348/E5.105; 348/E7.061; 725/135; 725/136; G9B/27.012; G9B/27.05;
G9B/27.051 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 21/4227 20130101;
H04M 1/72403 20210101; H04N 21/4622 20130101; H04N 21/47214
20130101; H04M 1/72415 20210101; H04N 7/163 20130101; H04L 12/282
20130101; H04N 21/47 20130101; H04L 12/2818 20130101; H04L 12/2834
20130101; G11B 27/34 20130101; H04N 21/4316 20130101; H04N 21/4821
20130101; H04N 21/4858 20130101; H04L 2012/2849 20130101; G06F
16/95 20190101; H04N 21/4314 20130101; H04N 21/43615 20130101; H04N
21/4312 20130101; G11B 27/329 20130101; H04N 21/482 20130101; H04N
21/4131 20130101; H04N 21/4147 20130101; H04N 21/4828 20130101;
G11B 27/034 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
725/032 ;
725/135; 725/136 |
International
Class: |
H04N 7/10 20060101
H04N007/10; H04N 7/16 20060101 H04N007/16; H04N 7/025 20060101
H04N007/025 |
Claims
1. A method for a computing device to present information about
multimedia content via a graphical user interface, the method
comprising: receiving metadata information for each of a plurality
of indicated pieces of multimedia content that are each associated
with at least one time-related characteristic; determining a
plurality of the indicated pieces of multimedia content that have
associated time-related characteristics that correspond to a
selected period of time, and identifying one or more other of the
indicated pieces of multimedia content that have associated
time-related characteristics that do not correspond to the selected
period of time; and displaying to a user of the computing device a
graphical user interface having information about pieces of
multimedia content available for presentation, the displayed
graphical user interface including at least some of the received
metadata information for each of the determined plurality of pieces
of multimedia content, the displayed graphical user interface
further including a first timebar that includes indications of
times outside the selected period of time and that includes a
graphical indicator for each of at least one of the identified one
or more other pieces of multimedia content, each graphical
indicator for an identified piece of multimedia content being
displayed on the first timebar at an indicated time that
corresponds to the associated time-related characteristic of the
identified piece of multimedia content, so that metadata
information is displayed for pieces of multimedia content that have
time-related characteristics corresponding to the selected period
of time and so that indications are displayed for at least some
pieces of multimedia content that have time-related characteristics
outside the selected period of time.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the pieces of multimedia content
include any one or combination of music, photograph, image, video,
advertisement, news clip, presentation, article, videogame, and
Internet content, wherein the associated time-related
characteristic of the pieces of multimedia content is one of a
record date and time-of-day, a release date and time-of-day, a
broadcast date and time-of-day, a receipt date and time-of-day, a
creation date and time-of-day, a revision date and time-of-day, and
a download date and time-of-day, wherein the pieces of multimedia
content include pieces of multimedia content from a plurality of
multimedia content sources, and wherein the received metadata
information includes information for each of the pieces of
multimedia content that includes a title and genre and one or more
people associated with the pieces of multimedia content.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving one or more
indications from the user of one or more criteria that can be
related to at least one piece of multimedia content of interest,
and wherein the identifying of the one or more other pieces of
multimedia content is performed such that the identified one or
more pieces of multimedia content each satisfy the indicated
criteria, so that the graphical indicators displayed in the first
timebar reflect pieces of multimedia content that satisfy the
indicated criteria.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the indicated criteria include one
or more of a specified title value, a specified date value, a
specified associated person value, a specified text value, a
specified relationship value, a specified alphabetical value, a
specified rating value, or a specified categorization value,
including a value that pertains to at least one of a genre, a
device used to create the content, a person who created the
content, a source from which the content was acquired, a subject
matter of the content, a file size, a color, a number of pixels, a
frame rate, a measure of resolution, a display size of the content,
and a use restriction on the content, and wherein the identifying
of the one or more other pieces of multimedia content includes
determining that the received metadata for the identified one or
more pieces of multimedia content includes the specified
values.
5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: modifying the
graphical user interface in a manner that the first timebar has
indications that are different than the indications of time and
that represent at least one of the indicated criteria; and
displaying a second timebar simultaneously with the first timebar,
the second timebar including indications that are subsets of the
indications of the first timebar that represent the at least one of
the indicated criteria, the second timebar further having a region
associated therewith that is capable to present metadata
information for pieces of multimedia content that correspond to the
indications of the second timebar and that have been organized and
manipulated by the user based on at least one of the indicated
criteria.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein displaying the second timebar with
the region associated therewith that is capable to present metadata
information for pieces of multimedia content that have been
organized and manipulated by the user based on at least one of the
indicated criteria includes presenting the metadata information in
the region according to a hierarchical relationship between the
metadata information.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying an
appearance, of the metadata information for pieces of multimedia
content that have time-related characteristics corresponding to the
selected period of time or of the at least some pieces of
multimedia content that have time-related characteristics outside
the selected period of time, in a similar manner for similar
multimedia content types and in a different manner for different
multimedia content types.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing status
information pertaining to at least one of the pieces of multimedia
content.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein providing the status information
includes providing status information associated with a plurality
of devices that respectively control presentation of the pieces of
multimedia content, at least some of the plurality of devices being
associated with different multiple first timebars on the graphical
user interface, each first timebar further being associated with a
second timebar that can be displayed simultaneously with their
associated first timebar, the second time bar having indications
that are subsets of the indications of their associated first
timebar.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the graphical indicators included
in the first timebar are displayed in such a manner as to have
differing appearances, the appearance of each graphical indicator
for an identified piece of multimedia content being specified so as
to indicate a status of the identified piece of multimedia content
relative to one or more statuses of other identified pieces of
multimedia content.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of the indications
in the first timebar of the times outside the selected period of
time are each user-selectable, the method further comprising:
receiving an indication of a selection by the user of one of the
user-selectable indications of time in the first timebar; selecting
a new period of time based on the selected time indication; and
updating the displayed graphical user interface to include at least
some of the received metadata information for each piece of
multimedia content whose associated time-related characteristic
corresponds to the selected new period of time.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein the indicated times for the first
timebar represent a first time period and wherein the selected time
period is a second distinct time period that is selected as a
subset of the first time period, wherein the displayed graphical
user interface further includes a second timebar that is displayed
simultaneously with the first timebar and that indicates a
plurality of segments of time within the second time period,
wherein the displayed graphical user interface further includes a
region associated with the second timebar that includes indications
of a plurality of multimedia content sources, wherein the
determined plurality of pieces of multimedia content include pieces
of multimedia content from the plurality of multimedia content
sources whose associated time-related characteristics correspond to
one of the plurality of segments of time, and wherein the at least
some metadata information about the determined plurality of pieces
of multimedia content that is included in the displayed graphical
user interface is displayed in a grid format within the region
associated with the second timebar and includes detail information
for each of the determined plurality of pieces of multimedia
content.
13. A computer-readable medium whose contents enable a computing
device to present information about multimedia content via a user
interface, by performing a method comprising: receiving information
related to a plurality of pieces of multimedia content that are
each associated with at least one organizational characteristic
having a plurality of values; and presenting a user interface to
provide information regarding the pieces of multimedia content, by:
rendering a first bar on the user interface that corresponds to a
first group of the values of the organizational characteristic;
rendering a region on the user interface that corresponds to a
second group of the values of the organizational characteristic
that is a subset of the first group; populating the region with the
received information for pieces of multimedia content that have
associated organizational characteristic values corresponding to
the second group; and adding one or more indicators to the rendered
first bar that correspond to pieces of multimedia content that have
associated organizational characteristic values corresponding to
values in the first group that are not in the second group.
14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the
organizational characteristic is one of time, one or more
predefined types of relationships between pieces of content, and
one or more categorization types.
15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the
computer-readable medium is a memory of the computing device and/or
is a data transmission medium transmitting to the computing device
a generated data signal containing the contents.
16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the contents
are instructions that when executed cause the computing device to
perform the method.
17. A computing system configured to present information about
multimedia content, comprising: a display; and a content management
system configured to present on the display a graphical user
interface having information about pieces of multimedia content,
the presented graphical user interface including a first timebar
that corresponds to a first time period and including detail
information for each of a plurality of pieces of multimedia content
associated with a second time period, the first timebar including
one or more graphical indicators corresponding to one or more
pieces of multimedia content that are each associated with a
portion of the first time period that is outside of the second time
period.
18. The computing system of claim 17, further comprising a device
to control presentation of pieces of multimedia content on one or
more presentation devices, and wherein the presented graphical user
interface further includes user-selectable controls to allow a user
to control the presentation of certain pieces of multimedia content
on the one or more presentation devices via instructions sent to
the device.
19. The computing system of claim 17 wherein the content management
system includes software executing in memory of the computing
system.
20. The computing system of claim 17 wherein the content management
system consists of a means for presenting on the display a
graphical user interface having information about pieces of
multimedia content, the presented graphical user interface
including a first timebar that corresponds to a first time period
and including detail information for each of a plurality of pieces
of multimedia content associated with a second time period, the
first timebar including one or more graphical indicators
corresponding to one or more pieces of multimedia content that are
each associated with a portion of the first time period that is
outside of the second time period.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C.
.sctn. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.
60/567,177, entitled "Browser For Multimedia Content," filed Apr.
30, 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety.
[0002] The present application is also related to U.S. patent
application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket # 931086.409),
entitled "Time-Based Graphical User Interface For Television
Program Information" and filed concurrently, which is hereby
incorporated by reference in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0003] The present disclosure generally relates to techniques for
reviewing, manipulating and presenting content, such as to manage
multimedia content via a time-based graphical user interface
("GUI") of a computing device.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
[0004] In the current world of television, movies, and related
media systems, many consumers receive television
programming-related content via broadcast over a cable network to a
television or similar display, with the content often received via
a set-top box ("STB") from the cable network that controls display
of particular television (or "TV") programs from among a large
number of available television channels, while other consumers may
similarly receive television programming-related content in other
manners (e.g., via satellite transmissions, broadcasts over
airwaves, over packet-switched networks, etc.). In addition,
enhanced television programming services and capabilities are
increasingly being provided to consumers, such as the ability to
receive television programming-related content that is delivered
"on demand" using Video on Demand ("VOD") technologies (e.g., based
on a pay-per-view business model) and/or various interactive TV
capabilities. Consumers generally subscribe to services offered by
a cable network "head-end" or other similar content distribution
facility to obtain particular content, which in some situations may
include interactive content and Internet content.
[0005] Consumers of content are also increasingly using a variety
of devices to record and control viewing of content, such as via
digital video recorders ("DVRs") that can record television-related
content for later playback and/or can temporarily store recent and
current content to allow functionality such as pausing or rewinding
live television. A DVR may also be known as a personal video
recorder ("PVR"), hard disk recorder ("HDR"), personal video
station ("PVS"), or a personal television receiver ("PTR"). DVRs
may in some situations be integrated into a set-top box, such as
with Digeo's MOXI.TM. device, while in other situations may be a
separate component connected to an STB and/or television. In
addition, electronic programming guides ("EPGs") are often made
available to aid consumers in selecting a desired program to
currently view and/or to schedule for delayed viewing. Using an EPG
and a DVR, a consumer can cause a desired program to be recorded
and can then view the program at a more convenient time or
location.
[0006] However, as the cable industry grows and as additional types
of content are increasingly being stored and made available to
consumers, it is becoming increasingly difficult for consumers to
effectively manage the content and the related capabilities of the
various devices that are available. Moreover, the proliferation of
networked presentation devices within homes (e.g., televisions,
handheld and desktop computing systems, stereos, speakers, cell
phones, etc.) makes the task of effectively managing the content,
including its presentation via the various devices, even more
difficult.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a content
management ("CM") system environment that can provide a time-based
GUI to manage content.
[0008] FIGS. 2-27 and 29-31 show example embodiments of a GUI for a
content management system.
[0009] FIG. 28 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a routine for
generating and operating embodiments of a time-based GUI.
[0010] Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments are described
with reference to the figures, wherein like reference numerals
refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise
specified.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0011] Techniques are described below for managing various types of
content in various ways, such as via a time-based graphical user
interface ("GUI") of a Content Management ("CM") system executing
on a computing device. In some embodiments, at least some of the
content being managed includes television programming-related
content, with the CM system receiving EPG information for the
content (e.g., via interactions with an STB). In such embodiments,
the television programming-related content can then be managed via
the CM system GUI in a variety of ways using a time-based scheme,
such as to allow a consumer to locate and identify content of
potential interest, to schedule recordings of selected content, to
manage previously recorded content (e.g., to play or delete the
content), to control live television, etc. In addition, the CM
system can further manage various other types of contents and
perform various other types of content management functions, as
described in greater detail below.
[0012] In at least some embodiments, the CM system GUI includes at
least first and second time scales, and simultaneously displays
different types of information related to content using the
multiple time scales. In embodiments in which the content includes
television programming, various types of details may be provided
about television programs with scheduled presentation times such
that the programs will be available for display on one or more
channels during the relatively short second period of time, while
indications of or other limited details may be provided about other
television programs of potential interest that will be available
for display during some or all of the relatively long first period
of time. In embodiments in which the content includes one or more
of various other types of content that has associated time-based
information (e.g., photographs, music, video clips, etc.), various
types of details may be provided about such content whose
time-based information corresponds to the relatively short second
period of time, while indications of or other limited details may
be provided about content whose time-based information corresponds
to the relatively long first period of time. As discussed in
greater detail below, various techniques are provided in various
embodiments for displaying, sorting, identifying, filtering, and
otherwise managing content using the multiple time scales and other
GUI tools.
[0013] For illustrative purposes, some embodiments are described
below in which specific types of content are managed in specific
ways via specific example embodiments of the CM system GUI.
However, the techniques can be used in a wide variety of other
situations, and that the invention is not limited to the specific
illustrative details discussed. More generally, as used herein,
multimedia "content" generally includes television programs, movies
and other video information (whether stored, such as in a file, or
streamed), photos and other images, music and other audio
information (whether stored or streamed), presentations,
video/teleconferences, videogames, Internet Web pages and other
data, and other similar video or audio content.
[0014] Referring first to FIG. 1, a network diagram illustrates an
example use of an embodiment of the CM system in a home environment
395 for entertainment purposes, although the CM system could
similarly be used in business or other non-home environments and
for purposes other than entertainment. In this example, the home
environment includes an STB or other media center 350 receiving
external content 360a that is available to one or more consumers
(not shown) in the home environment 395, such as television
programming-related content 360a for presentation on a television
370. Other types of audio and/or video content could similarly be
received by and/or stored by the media center 350 and presented to
the consumer(s) on the television and/or optional other content
presentation devices 380 (e.g., other televisions, a stereo
receiver, stand-alone speakers, the displays of various types of
computing systems, a digital picture frame, etc.) in the home
environment 395.
[0015] The home environment 395 also includes an example computing
system 300 suitable for executing an embodiment of the CM system,
as well as one or more optional other local computing systems
and/or storage devices 390 with which the computing system 300 can
interact via local network 385 (e.g., a wireless or wired/cabled
LAN). The computing system includes a CPU 305 or other
processor(s), various I/O devices 310, storage 320, and memory 330.
The illustrated I/O devices include a display 311, a network
connection 312, a computer-readable media drive 313, and other I/O
devices 315 (e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, a pointing device,
speakers, etc.). In some embodiments the computing system 300 may
further interact with one or more external computing systems (not
shown), such as via the Internet and/or the World Wide Web, such as
to receive additional external content 360b and/or other
information or services.
[0016] In the illustrated embodiment, the computing system 300
interacts with the media center 350 in a variety of ways (e.g., via
a direct connection, as part of local network 385, or as part of
another network, not shown), including to receive information about
current and/or future television programming-related content 360a
and/or other content 360a. In this example, the information
received by the computing system 300 includes EPG metadata
information for the television programming-related content (e.g.,
from a cable network operator), and can further include a variety
of other types of metadata for the content 360a, whether from the
cable network operator or other third-parties (e.g., from various
external computing systems, not shown, such as via external content
360b). This received content metadata is then stored in a content
metadata database 322 (or other suitable data structure) in the
illustrated embodiment for use by the CM system.
[0017] An embodiment of the CM system 335 is executing in memory
330. As discussed in greater detail below, the CM system provides
information about the available content to one or more users, such
as via a GUI using first and second time scales that is displayed
on the display device 311 and/or on one or more of the content
presentation devices 370 or 380 or other computing systems 390. For
example, the CM system may provide some or all of the stored
content metadata 322 to the users, and also allow the user to
manipulate the content in a variety of ways (e.g., to select
content for current presentation, for future recording, etc.). As
the user provides instructions related to manipulation of the
content, those content manipulation instructions are in the
illustrated embodiment stored in a database 324 (or other suitable
data structure) on storage 320 for later retrieval and use by the
CM system, and at least some such content manipulation instructions
may additionally in some embodiments be provided to the media
center 350 for use in actually performing the tasks to satisfy the
manipulation instructions. In addition, in some embodiments the CM
system may also interact with other executing programs in order to
provide additional information and/or functionality to the user(s),
such as one or more optional executing other programs 339 in memory
330 or instead remote executing programs (not shown) on another
computing system.
[0018] In the illustrated embodiment, the CM system does not itself
present the external content 360a to the user(s), instead
interacting with the media center 350 to control the display of the
content to the user via the TV and/or one or more of the other
content presentation devices. However, in other embodiments the CM
system may instead receive some or all of the external content
360a, whether via the media center 350 or instead directly from the
source of that content, and if so could directly control the
presentation of that content to the user(s) on the display device
311 and/or other content presentation device 370 or 380 or other
computing system 390. Conversely, in the illustrated embodiment the
computing system 300 and/or media center 350 may have access to
additional content, such as external content 360b (e.g., from
remote computing systems over the Internet), locally stored other
content 360c on storage 320, and/or other locally accessible
content (not shown), such as from one or more of the other
computing systems/storage devices 390--if so, the computing system
300 may in some embodiments directly present some or all of that
content to the user(s), such as on display device 311 (e.g., as
part of the CM system GUI) and/or on one or more other content
presentation devices 370 or 380 or other computing system 390,
while in other embodiments may present some or all of that content
to the user(s) by instead interacting with the media center 350 to
facilitate the presentation (e.g., by providing the additional
content to be presented and/or associated instructions to the media
center). As previously noted, the additional content may be content
related to the external content 360a but from another source (e.g.,
additional television-related programming, such as streamed or
downloaded over a computer network) and/or multimedia content of
other types (e.g., movies and other video information, photos and
other images, music and other audio information, presentations,
video/teleconferences, videogames, Internet Web pages and other
data, etc.).
[0019] The functionality of the CM system can be accessed in
various ways in different embodiments. For example, some users may
have physical access to the computing system 300, and if so can
interact with the various I/O devices 310 to provide and/or receive
information. Alternatively or additionally, other users can use
other client computing devices to remotely access the CM system,
such as other local computing systems 390 or instead remotely
(e.g., via the Internet and/or the World Wide Web). Such remote
users can use software or other functionality provided on the
client computing systems (not shown), such as a browser, to
interact with the CM system. In other embodiments, users may
receive functionality and/or information from the CM system
indirectly via interactions with one or more other devices, such as
the media center 350, which may directly receive that functionality
or information from the CM system before providing it to the
users.
[0020] Computing system 300 is merely illustrative and is not
intended to limit the scope of the present invention. For example,
the computing system may instead be comprised of multiple
interacting computing systems or devices, and may be connected to
other devices that are not illustrated, including through one or
more networks such as the Internet or via the World Wide Web
("Web"). More generally, the computing system may comprise any
combination of hardware or software that can perform the described
techniques, including (without limitation) desktop or other
computers, network devices, Internet appliances, PDAS, cordless and
other wireless phones, cellphones, devices with walkie-talkie and
other push-to-talk capabilities, personal/digital video recorders,
pagers, electronic organizers, television-based systems and various
other consumer products. In addition, the functionality provided by
the illustrated systems may in some embodiments be combined in
fewer systems or distributed in additional systems, and one or more
of the systems may each have multiple components that each provides
a portion of the functionality of that system. Similarly, in some
embodiments the functionality of some of the illustrated systems
may not be provided and/or other additional functionality may be
available.
[0021] While various items are illustrated as being stored in
memory or on storage while being used, these items or portions of
them can be transferred between memory and other storage devices,
such as for purposes of memory management and data integrity.
Alternatively or additionally, in other embodiments some or all of
the software system (or portions of it) may execute in memory on
another device and communicate with the illustrated computing
system via inter-computer communication. Some or all of the system
or data structures (e.g., portions of a database, such as one or
more tables or views or portions thereof used by the system may
also be stored (e.g., as software instructions or structured data)
on a computer-readable medium, such as a hard disk, a memory, a
computer network or other transmission medium, or a portable media
article (e.g., a CD, DVD or flash memory device) to be read by an
appropriate drive or via an appropriate connection. Some or all of
the system and data structures can also be transmitted via
generated data signals (e.g., by being encoded in a carrier wave or
otherwise included as part of an analog or digital propagated
signal) on a variety of computer-readable transmission mediums,
including wireless-based and wired/cable-based mediums, and can
take a variety of forms (e.g., as part of a single or multiplexed
analog signal, or as multiple discrete digital packets or frames).
Such computer program products may also take other forms in other
embodiments. Accordingly, one or more embodiments may be practiced
with other computer system configurations.
[0022] FIGS. 2-27 illustrate examples of information and
capabilities provided by an embodiment of the CM system. More
particularly, features of an example GUI are shown and described,
including a variety of information and user-selectable controls in
the context of multiple time scales provided in the GUI. While
specific layouts and formats are shown in FIGS. 2-37, such specific
details are not intended to be limiting or exhaustive.
[0023] FIG. 2 illustrates a GUI 100 with a variety of displayed
information and user-selectable controls. In the current example,
the GUI is displaying program listing information for live TV in a
view area 140, with the displayed listings initially based on a
current time 195. The TV listings in the view area 140 are
initially shown in a grid format, with columns of the grid
corresponding to successive time units of thirty minutes each and
with each row corresponding to a different TV channel that may show
one or more TV programs during the displayed time period. The GUI
also includes a variety of other areas, including a menu bar 105
with dropdown menus, primary content-type navigation tabs 110,
secondary content-type-specific navigation tabs 115, a view control
area 125 that includes view and filter controls 120 and time
controls 130, a detail area 150, a status bar 155, and a status
control sidebar area 170 that includes virtual remote control
functionality 160 and a user-focused content summary area 165.
[0024] As will be described in further detail below, the view
control area 125 also includes a first timebar 128 that corresponds
to a relatively long first time period at a first time scale (which
is selected based in part using time controls 130) and that may in
certain situations display limited information about content, while
the view area 140 illustrates detailed information about content
for a relatively short second time period at a second time scale.
In this example, the first time scale corresponds to approximately
16 hours (with the current first time period being from 8 am to 12
am of the next day, as shown in the first timebar 128), and the
second time scale corresponds to approximately 31/2 hours (with the
current second time period being a first time period subset of 9:30
am to 12:30 pm, as shown in a second timebar 140a rendered at the
top of the view area 140). In addition, in this example details
about televisions programs shown in the view area 140 include, for
example, program title (e.g., "The Transporter"), year of release
(e.g., "2002"), and rating information (e.g., "PG-13" and a
three-star rating)--various other types of details could similarly
be shown, such as information about actors and/or other people
associated with the program (e.g., director, producer, etc.), a
textual summary of the plot, whether the program is closed
captioned and/or broadcast in stereo, whether the program is a
repeat, etc. In this example, the first timebar does not display
any limited information about any television programs or other
content.
[0025] FIG. 3 illustrates a similar view to that shown in FIG. 2,
but with additional channels shown in the view area 140. For the
sake of simplicity and clarity, the labels for the various
components of the GUI 100 are not repeated in FIG. 3 and in the
subsequent figures, except where appropriate to provide context or
where otherwise helpful to describe the embodiments. In the example
of FIG. 3, a user has used a scroll bar 149 to scroll to additional
channel listings, although in other embodiments and/or situations
the display could instead be changed in other manners. As is
illustrated, the primary content-type navigation tab for
"Television" 110a continues to be currently selected, the secondary
content-type-specific navigation tab for "Live TV" 115a continues
to be currently selected, and a "Grid" view control 121 continues
to be currently selected.
[0026] In a similar manner, FIG. 4 displays program listing
information similarto that of FIG. 3, but for a later second time
period. In particular, the second timebar rendered at the upper
portion of the view area 140 indicates that the second time scale
has remained at approximately 31/2 hours, but that the current
second time period has changed to correspond to times from
approximately 11 am to 2 pm--the first time scale and first time
period reflected in the first timebar in the view control area have
not changed, however. In this example, a user has used a timebar
scroll control 136 below the first timebar to change the currently
selected time for the second timebar to begin at 11 am, resulting
in the program listing information shown in the view area 140 to
change to reflect the times for the second timebar--the actual
current time 195, however, remains unchanged. In this example
embodiment, the timebar scroll control 136 includes a textual
display of the currently selected time of "FRI 11:00",
corresponding to a change in this example to 11:00 AM later in the
same day, and the second time scale of the view area 140 renders a
breakdown of time segments in 1/2 hour increments after 11:00 AM,
with the remainder of the view area 140 rendering program listings
for each of the broken-down time segments to indicate programs
whose presentation times make them available for presentation
during the time segment (e.g., based on the programs having start
times at the beginning of the time segment). In other embodiments
and/or situations, a new time could instead be selected in other
manners, such as by manually selecting a specified point on the
first timebar (e.g., by clicking a left mouse button while the
mouse cursor is above the desired time), or instead by manipulating
the second timebar in various ways (e.g., by manually selecting a
displayed specified point on the second timebar, by dragging the
second timebar so as to select a time that was not previously
displayed on the second timebar, etc.). Moreover, in some
embodiments times may further be displayed and manipulated in other
manners, such as to include a horizontal scroll bar for the view
area (e.g., at the bottom of the view area and above the detail
area) to allow program listing information at other times to be
selected. Modifications using the horizontal scroll bar may not
only modify the current second time period for the second timebar,
but in at least some embodiments may also affect the first timebar
in various ways, such as by causing the first timebar scroll
control 136 (or "thumb") to update to reflect the new start time of
the second time period, and further in at least some embodiments
changes made via the first timebar may conversely cause at least
portions of the view area to be updated (e.g., the second time
period for the second timebar and/or the horizontal scroll
bar).
[0027] In FIGS. 2-4, the first timebar in the view control area has
been displayed using a linear hour-based representation for a
multi-hour time first time scale, with the displayed units on the
first timebar corresponding to hours and fractions of hours. This
hour-based time scale and view corresponds to time control 132
shown in FIG. 5, which in this example embodiment has an icon that
includes a representation of a clock. However, the first timebar
display in FIG. 5 has been updated to reflect user selection of a
day-based time control 133, with the representation of the first
timebar now showing successive days and fractions of days as part
of a new multi-day first time scale. Nonetheless, the currently
selected time for the TV listing display of 11:00 AM on Friday has
not changed, and thus the second timebar of the view area 140
continues to show program listings for the same second time period
at the same second time scale. While not illustrated here, the GUI
could similarly include controls to display the first timebar using
other first time scales, such as weekly or monthly.
[0028] FIG. 6 next corresponds to a similar display after the "Now"
time control 131 was selected, causing the currently selected time
in the second timebar of the view area 140 to revert to a time
corresponding to the current time 195, with the newly selected
current time in this example being the beginning of the half-hour
segment of time to which the current time belongs (e.g., the
half-hour period beginning at 9:30 AM, as shown by the textual
display of the timebar scroll control 136, for the current time 195
of 9:57 AM). The second time period of the second time bar now
begins at 9:30 am, and the corresponding program listings in the
view area 140 now provide the 9:30 AM and onward program listings
corresponding to half-hour segments for the second time period.
[0029] As previously described above with reference to FIG. 4, the
user can select (such as by clicking or mouse-over) any time
indicated in the first timebar for a specific day, and then the
second time period shown in the second timebar and the
corresponding program listings in the view area 140 are updated to
present the program listings for the selected time and afterwards.
Moreover, the scroll bar 149 can be used to scroll up or down in
the grid display in the view area 140 for the selected time, so as
to view the various television program listings for each particular
television channel. Also, the grid display in the view area 140 can
be modified in various other ways, such as by arranging the
channels in descending order (not shown) by clicking on a "CH"
channel number column heading control 141 in FIG. 6. As is shown, a
small triangle is currently displayed in the column heading to
indicate that the current display reflects an ascending order that
is sorted by channel number, but selection of the control 141 would
cause the small triangle to change to point down and would cause
the channels to be sorted in descending order by channel number
(e.g., by first displaying a largest available channel 998,
followed by a next available channel 945, etc.). The same
information can be sorted in ascending or descending alphabetical
order based on the displayed name of the channel, such as by
selecting a "NAME" column heading control 142 in FIG. 6 (e.g., as
shown in FIG. 8). While not illustrated here, in other embodiments
additional similar types of controls and sorting could be made
available, such as by sorting channels alphabetically based on the
names of current programs being shown at a selected time (e.g., by
clicking on a time-segment column heading in the grid corresponding
to that time).
[0030] In addition, different programs can be listed using
different colors, display patterns (e.g., shading) and/or amounts
of highlighting to provide various types of information about the
programs, and in at least some embodiments the shapes of program
indications may further change for various purposes, such as to
indicate various program-related attributes. In particular, such
differing visual representations can be used to illustrate
different types of TV programs (and/or differences in and/or
between different types of content) in some embodiments. FIG. 7
illustrates examples of differing types of visual representations
that may be mapped to different types of programs (e.g., by
default) via a dropdown menu that shows several predefined types of
filters, which in this example was displayed based on user
selection of a filter control button 126. For example, the color
red can be assigned to programs of the type "movie," the color
green can be assigned to programs of the type "sports," and
programs of type "news," "music," or "kids" may not have colors
assigned to them. Furthermore, each row may in some embodiments be
displayed using a different visual representation than the
preceding row to assist in readability.
[0031] In addition, FIG. 7 also illustrates that the second timebar
140a has been modified so that the second time scale now
corresponds to just over 4 hours (with a current second time period
of 12 pm to past 4 pm), such as automatically based on an amount of
space to display program detail information of interest for current
programs being smaller than an amount of space for programs
illustrated in prior figures. Similarly, the first timebar 128 has
also been modified so that the first time scale now is longer (with
a current first time period of 7 days), such as automatically based
on the change to the second time scale and/or for other reasons. In
addition, the first and/or second time scales may also be
automatically modified in other situations in at least some
embodiments, such as if the view area 140 decreases (e.g., due to
GUI window 100 being resized to a smaller size, or due to another
window area such as the status control sidebar area 170 being
expanded) and the second time scale are second timebar are
automatically changed so that programs beginning at 3:30 PM, 4:00
PM and 4:30 PM are no longer visible, or if the view area 140
increases. Moreover, with changes to the second time period
displayed in the second timebar, the channels that are displayed
may again be updated to reflect only those channels that include
programs matching the current filter during the currently displayed
second time period.
[0032] Using the filter control button 126, which in the
illustrated embodiment causes a dropdown list to be displayed to
allow the user to select one or more currently defined filters, the
user can select the "movies" filter, for example, which would limit
the channels (not shown) displayed in the view area 140 to those
that are showing at least one movie during the currently displayed
second period of time for the second timebar. For example, the
status control sidebar area 170 of FIG. 8 reflects that 92 channels
(for example) match the "movies" filter when selected, as
contrasted with 293 channels (for example) that were available when
no filter was selected in FIG. 7.
[0033] FIG. 8 further illustrates that a particular one of the
displayed program listings in the view area 140 has been selected,
which in this example is the "Dances With Wolves" program beginning
at 1:00 PM on channel 5 HBO--in the example embodiment, the
selection of and the status of the program as being the currently
selected program is shown by a suitably colored line (e.g., green)
around the outside of the program listing in the view area 140
(e.g., a selection rectangle 171 or other suitable navigation or
selection element). Moreover, in at least some embodiments a
separate visual representation (e.g., a dashed line) may be shown
for a program that currently is a "focus" of attention, such as
based on a current cursor of focus location, which may be moved
independently of the currently selected program. More generally, in
at least some embodiments the "focus" may be moved to any
interactive screen elements, while the "selector" visual
representation may be used only with a selected piece of content.
In some situations, a single piece of content may be both the focus
and the currently selected content piece, such as if a piece of
content is specified as the focus and then selected. In addition,
once the program has been selected, the detail area 150 is updated
to display various additional detail metadata information about the
selected program, such as a description of the program, information
about cast and crew, information about one or more genres (e.g.,
Western) of the program, information about one or more ratings of
the program, etc. In addition, a control 152 has been enabled to
allow a selection to be made to schedule the program to be
recorded. While not shown here, a variety of additional types of
information and/or functionality could also be shown in the detail
area, such as data obtained from third-party sources (e.g., a
trailer for the movie, or extra content such as deleted scenes)
and/or the ability to select additional services (e.g., providing
additional content), such as for a fee.
[0034] A different filter can similarly be selected to limit the
program listings in the view area 140, such as the "Sports" filter
or other available filters, although the results of such a
selection are not illustrated here. Such selection of a different
filter may cause a variety of changes, such as in some embodiments
to cause the status control sidebar area 170 to indicate a
different number of channels having programs that match the filter
and/or to provide such information in another manner (e.g., near
the filter selection control and/or the time controls 130), and to
update the view area 140 to display only channels having programs
that match the filter during the second time period and/or to
display only the matching program listings during the second time
period. If a currently selected program is no longer shown in the
updated view area 140, (e.g., to not display the "Dances With
Wolves" program when a "Sports" filter is selected since the
program is not content of type "Sports"), the detail area will
nonetheless continue to show information pertaining to that
currently selected program in at least some embodiments. In
addition, the various previously discussed controls for altering
the display continue to be available when showing a filtered view
of the TV program. For example, filtered sports programs can be
sorted in ascending channel number order, such as by selecting the
"CH" column heading to sort the channels that offer sports
programming.
[0035] As with non-filtered views, the information about filtered
sports programs (or any other filtered view) may be modified by the
user in various ways. For example, a new current selected time may
be chosen by selection within the first timebar, such as by
changing the current selected time to 12:00 PM noon on Sunday, and
with the second time period displayed for the second timebar
changed to show sports program listings on 12:00 PM noon onward on
Sunday for the filtered channels that offer sports programming
during that second time period. As previously discussed, only the
channels that have programs matching the current filter during the
currently displayed second time period will be shown in the view
area 140 in at least some embodiments, and thus the set of channels
that are displayed in the view area 140 may be changed based on
changes to the second time period, since some channels may not
offer sports programming during a particular second time period.
Moreover, the current selected time may also be changed in at least
some embodiments and situations by user selection of a "Find In
View" control 158, such as when the currently selected program
"Dances With Wolves" is not currently visible in the current
program display of the view area 140, as selection of the control
causes the second time period and corresponding current program
display in the view area 140 to be adjusted so that the currently
selected program is displayed, including changing the currently
selected time as needed, even though the program does not match the
current "Sports" filter. In addition, if a currently selected
predefined or custom filter does not have a distinct associated
color or other visual representation (e.g., for the "News" filter),
the programs displayed in the view area 140 may in some embodiments
be shown with their default colors but with the programs that match
the current filter being displayed using highlighting so as to
distinguish them from other programs displayed (or by similarly
dimming or otherwise modifying those other programs).
[0036] In addition, in at least some embodiments users may each
create one or more custom filters that can then be applied to
restrict the TV programs that are displayed. For example, creation
of such custom filters may include selection of one or more
user-selectable filter criteria and specification of corresponding
matching values for the criteria, such as to select one or more
program genres, people in the cast or crew, specific words in the
title and/or description, specific ratings, programs that appear on
specific channels, programs that are not repeats, programs that are
in HDTV format, programs that have specified audio-visual options,
programs that are scheduled for recording, etc. As one specific
example, a user may create a custom filter for programs in the
"Science Fiction" genre and with the word "Star" in the title. For
the sake of brevity, these example filter customization features
are not shown or described in detail herein. Instead, the reader is
requested to refer to the parent provisional patent application, if
desired, for additional information, such as with respect to FIGS.
1R-1Y and corresponding text. After one or more custom filters are
created, an updated dropdown menu (not shown) can be generated for
the filter control 126, with the new custom filter(s) now present
in the dropdown list as available filters that can be selected and
applied. The view area 140 would then, after the new custom filter
is selected, display results in a manner to that previously
discussed with respect to predefined filters--for example, if there
are no programs during the currently displayed second time period
that match the filter, the current view area 140 may in some
embodiments be displayed as blank, while in other embodiments the
user may be presented with a warning or other information so that
they understand why the view area is blank. In addition, in at
least some embodiments predefined and/or custom user-defined
filters may be selected and modified in various ways, such as to
change criteria and/or to rename the filter.
[0037] FIG. 9 illustrates one example of how additional information
may be provided to users in the first timebar 128 when a filter is
being applied, with the first timebar in this example embodiment
including small colored (e.g., red) graphical indications 137 to
identify times during which programs matching the current filter
occur. This allows a user to easily see times at which matching
programs occur that do not correspond to the current program
display for the second time period, as well as to select one of
these times (such as by directly clicking one of the indicators
137) to see details about the matching programs at that time in the
view area 140 and/or the detail area 150. Thus, FIG. 9 corresponds
to the prior display after a new time has been selected, such as by
selecting the time of 6 am on Sunday based on the first timebar
having an indicator showing that one or more programs at that time
match the current filter. The resulting updated view area 140
display shows that four channels have programs that match the
applied custom filter during a corresponding second time period
beginning at 6 am on Sunday.
[0038] FIG. 10 next illustrates the results after the user has
selected the "Find A Program" search control 127b to initiate a
search for programs matching specified criteria. In particular, in
this example an additional collapsible search area 135 is displayed
in response that allows a user to specify various search criteria,
with a "Quick Search" capability being selected by default. The
Quick Search capability allows the user to specify one or more
terms to search for, one or more genres to search for, whether to
limit the search to programs that have been scheduled to be
recorded, whether to exclude or hide programs that are repeats of
previously shown programs, whether to limit the search to programs
that are in high-definition TV ("HDTV") format, etc. In this
example, the user has selected to look for programs that include
the term "Stargate" in the "Science Fiction" genre. FIG. 10 also
illustrates an additional "Manage Filters" control 127a, such as to
provide a pop-up filter management window.
[0039] After the user selects the "Apply" control in the search
area 135 to perform the search specified in FIG. 10, the results of
the search may be displayed in the view area 140 (not shown). For
example, the initial results may not include any programs at the
currently displayed time period, and thus the view area 140 may be
initially blank for the currently displayed time period. However,
the first timebar may similarly be used to provide graphical
indicators 137 at times at which any programs that satisfy the
search occur, and if a new time is selected from the first timebar
(such as by clicking one of the indicators 137 or by other using
other functionality of the time controls 130), the view area 140
can be updated to display channels having programs matching the
specified search at the selected new time. After the user next
selects the "Save" control in the search area 135, the user is
allowed to save the previously specified search as a new custom
filter. For instance, in this example a new pop-up window (not
shown) can be displayed to the user to allow specification of a
name for the new custom filter, which may subsequently be included
in an updated dropdown menu (not shown) for the filter control 126
as an available filter that can be selected and applied.
[0040] After saving the previously specified search as a new custom
filter, the user then selects the "Advanced Search" tab in the
search area 135, and FIG. 11 displays the results of that
selection--in other embodiments, the "Advanced Search" tab would
similarly display such information even if the previously specified
search is not saved, such as based on applying a filter, doing a
quick search, applying a search from the search history, etc. In
particular, in the illustrated embodiment the search area is
modified to allow the user to select one or more of a variety of
search criteria in a manner similar to that previously discussed
with respect to filter creation. In this example, the criteria
selections in the search windows are initially set to correspond to
the previously specified search, although those selections can be
modified or removed by the user. The user can also select the
"Search History" tab to display information about the previously
applied searches (not shown), such as with a list of entries that
are user-selectable such that the user can select one of the
previous searches and then use the "Apply" control to again apply
that search for the currently selected time--in some embodiments
such previous searches may include only searches performed during
use of the current instantiation of the GUI, while in other
embodiments such state information may be saved from past
executions of the CM system (e.g., for all past searches, a
specified number of past searches, for user-indicated searches),
and may further in at least some embodiments be saved and presented
in a user-specific manner. For example, in this illustrated
embodiment the user has selected the previously specified search
from the search history list corresponding to programs that include
the term "Stargate" in the "Science Fiction" genre, with the
results of the specified search being displayed in the view area
140 for the current second time period, and with the first timebar
providing limited information for programs that match the current
search during the first time period (e.g., graphical indicators to
indicate presence of such programs). When the user is finished,
he/she can next select the "Clear" control of FIG. 11 to clear the
currently specified filter/search parameters, and then select the
"Close" control to hide the search area 135.
[0041] If the user selects a new displayed program, which in the
example of FIG. 12 is the "Seinfeld" program episode beginning at
8:00 PM on channel 9 FOX, the detail area 150 is modified to
reflect the newly selected program. In addition, in the illustrated
embodiment, the user further selects the newly selected program in
such a manner as to display a pop-up menu 148 that provides
additional functionality with respect to the newly selected program
(e.g., by right-clicking on the displayed listing for the program).
In this example embodiment, the pop-up menu includes functionality
to allow the user to record this episode ("Record Once"), to record
multiple episodes of this program ("Record Series"), as well as to
perform various other functions.
[0042] In particular, one of the additional types of functionality
available via the pop-up menu 148 is to change the size at which
the information in the view area 140 is displayed, and as is shown
in FIG. 13, the user in this example is able to select to change
the current display size from "Small" to "Medium" or to "Large." If
the "Medium" or "Large" selections are made, the view area 140
would be modified to show additional details (e.g., an abbreviated
narrative or episode title) about each of programs that are
displayed (e.g., in larger "cells" containing the program
information), resulting in less programs being shown due to the
larger size of the display information. The resultant size of the
cells due to the resizing may further in some embodiments result in
the first and/or second time periods being automatically changed
and/or the first and/or second time scales being changed.
[0043] FIG. 14 then shows results after the user has selected the
user-selectable information of the name of the actor "Jerry
Seinfeld" in the detail area 150. In particular, performing that
selection in the example embodiment causes the search area 135 to
be displayed and to have the user-selected information added to the
portion of the search corresponding to search terms. After applying
the new search (e.g., by selecting the "Apply" control in the
search area), the results of the new search would be shown in the
view area 140, and limited information for any matching programs
would be added to the first timebar. Alternatively or additionally
in FIG. 14, the user can select the user-selectable genre
information of "Sitcom" in the detail area 150, causing the genre
portion of the search area 135 to be populated with the data
"Sitcom." The user in this example may further select the "Hide
Repeats" search criteria in the search area 135 and then apply the
new search, with the results in the view area 140 having repeated
listings hidden (not shown). The user can also display the current
search history after the prior search has been applied, such as
based on a user subsequently selecting the "Search History" control
tab of the search area 135. Regardless of the search or sorting
mechanism used, the GUI can display information using an
appropriate first time scale and appropriate second time scale that
are correlated to results of the searching and sorting.
[0044] FIG. 15 shows an embodiment after the user has closed the
search area 135 (e.g., by selecting the "Close" control in that
area), has closed the sidebar status control area 170 (e.g., by
using a vertical control bar 173 in the sidebar control area 170
that is just to the right of channels 8 and 9 in FIG. 15), and has
closed the detail area 150 by selecting the "Hide Details" control
in the detail area 150. Thus, after performing these closures, most
of the GUI 100 is devoted to displaying program listings in the
view area 140, with the first and second timebars rendered
accordingly (e.g., by automatically selecting appropriate first and
second time scales and first and second time periods).
[0045] FIG. 16 then shows the results of re-displaying the detail
area 150 and the sidebar status control area 170, with the lower
information area 165 of the sidebar status control area 170 shown
in expanded view (e.g., by selecting an expand/collapse control for
that area 165, which in this example embodiment is an up/down
triangle arrow icon 167 in the upper right corner of that area
165). In this example embodiment, the information area 165 includes
information about the current status of selected content, including
content being currently recorded (if any), recently recorded
programs, and upcoming scheduled recordings. In some embodiments,
some or all such content may be user-selectable from the area 165,
such as to allow the user to specify to play previously recorded
content. The upper area 160 and/or the lower area 165 of the
sidebar status control area 170 can be expanded or collapsed as
desired by the user. In addition, in some embodiments the first
timebar may be further modified to reflect information in the
sidebar status control area 170 (not shown), such as to provide
visual indicators of upcoming times at which some (e.g., a selected
one) or all of scheduled recordings in the information area 165
will occur.
[0046] In FIG. 17, the program that is currently on channel 24
TVLAND entitled "Gunsmoke" has been selected to be currently
recorded. The newly selected program has corresponding information
displayed in the detail area 150, and a status icon is shown in
various places to indicate the status of the program as being
currently recorded, such as in this example embodiment being
illustrated with a red circle or other icon 169. In particular, the
recording icon is shown in this example with the program listing
information in the view area 140, in the detail area 150, and in
the information section 165 of the sidebar status control area 170.
In addition, the available controls in the detail area 150 have
been modified to include a "Cancel Recording" control (since the
selected program is being recorded) and a "Watch Now" control
(since the currently selected program is currently available for
presentation).
[0047] As previously discussed, FIGS. 2-17 have displayed various
information about television program listing information in a
variety of ways. However, while the program listing information
display has been modified in various ways, all of the displayed
information has corresponded to a single type of view for the
program listing information. In particular, and as previously
noted, the program listing information has been displayed in a 2-D
grid format, which corresponds to the prior selection of the grid
view control 121.
[0048] FIG. 18 corresponds to a change in the type of view used for
the program listing information, and in particular corresponds to a
view of the program listing information in iconic format after
selection of an icon view control 122. In this example, the program
listing information in the view area 140 is shown in a small size,
such as based on the small size being the initial default size for
the icon view or being a previous size used with a view (e.g., the
previous use of the icon view, or in some embodiments based on the
prior grid-based view being in the small size). In this example
icon view, information about the channel numbers, names, and
station names is displayed, but information about specific programs
available at the currently selected time is not shown. The iconic
view of program listing information can also be displayed at a
medium or large size (not shown) to show more detail information,
such as the name of the program at the currently selected time, the
time period during which the program is displayed, rating, genre,
and so forth. This change in size can be performed in a variety of
ways, such as via a selection from a pop-up menu (not shown) in the
view area, selection of a dropdown menu (not shown) using the
triangle arrow control on the right side of the icon view control
122, etc. Since the displayed information in the view area 140 in
the illustrated embodiment corresponds only to the currently
selected time (or to no time), in this embodiment the second
timebar is not shown, although in other embodiments the second
timebar may be shown (e.g., if different iconic information is
shown for different time segments).
[0049] If a particular program listing is selected as the current
program, then the detail area 150 will be populated with
information about the newly selected current program. In addition,
a pop-up menu (not shown) corresponding to the selected program can
be displayed, such as based on the user performing a right-click
action on the selected program, with the pop-up menu allowing
various actions to be taken with respect to the selected program
(e.g., to select the program to be watched on an associated
television or other video output device if the currently selected
program is currently being shown). In other embodiments, other
types of functionality could similarly be provided in such a pop-up
menu.
[0050] As with embodiments in which the program listings are shown
in grid format, the user can use the filter control 126 to filter
the information displayed in the view area 140 (whether for
predefined or custom filters), and the first timebar may display
visual indications corresponding to matching programs. For
instance, FIG. 19 shows the results of applying a custom filter for
programs in the "Science Fiction" genre and with the word "Star" in
the title, and of selecting a current time from the first timebar
that has at least one matching program (e.g., based on selecting a
point along the timebar having an indicator 137 to indicate the
presence of matching programs). In this example, the newly selected
time is Wednesday at 5:00 PM, and six channels are shown in the
view area as having matching programs at that time.
[0051] FIG. 20 then illustrates a change in the current view based
on selection of the channel view control 123, as well as based on
clearing the previously selected filter. In this view, channel and
program information for a variety of channels is shown in the main
left portion of the view area 140, while an additional right
portion 146 of the view area 140 is displayed containing additional
channel-specific information for a currently selected channel. In
particular, in the current example channel number 5 for the
currently selected program "The Last Days" is selected as the
current channel 144 in the left portion of the view area 140, and
the channel-specific portion 146 contains information about a
number of different programs that are available on that currently
selected channel over a third period of time that in this example
corresponds to approximately the next day and a half. While the
times along the left side of the right portion 146 are not
illustrated as a distinct timebar in the illustrated embodiment, in
other embodiments a third timebar may be displayed along that left
side. In addition, while the second timebar is not displayed in the
illustrated embodiment, in other embodiments the second timebar may
additionally be displayed, such as to show program information for
multiple channels in a grid format in the left portion of the view
area while continuing to shown the additional channel-specific
information for a single channel in the right portion 146.
Therefore in this embodiment, the first time scale corresponds to
several days, a third time scale for the third time period
represented in the channel-specific portion 146 corresponds to
hours over a period of approximately 11/2 days, and a second time
scale for a second timebar (not shown) may correspond to a shorter
second period of time (e.g., 1 hour or 4 hours, such as in a manner
similar to times displayed in the "AIRS" column 143b). The detail
area 150 displays information pertaining to the selected program
from the channel-specific portion 146, such as information
pertaining to an upcoming program listed therein that airs after
the program on the currently selected channel 144.
[0052] The user can also select "Find In View" functionality for a
currently selected program while using the channel view, such as
via the button 158 in the detail area 150 or instead based on a
pop-up menu (not shown) for the currently selected program listing
in the channel-specific area 146--such functionality is similarly
available in the other views in at least some embodiments. For
example, if a new program has been selected from the
channel-specific portion that is not displayed in the current
program listing information in the left portion of the view area
(e.g., to select the "Chris Rock Show" at 7:30 pm on Tuesday) and
the "Find In View" functionality is selected, the view area 140
information will be updated to show program information
corresponding to the time of the currently selected program. If a
different channel is selected in the view area 140 as the currently
selected channel 144, the program on that channel at the currently
selected time becomes the currently selected program in the
illustrated embodiment, and the detail area 150 is updated to
provide information about that program. Similarly, the
channel-specific area 146 of the view area may be updated to
include information about the newly selected channel.
[0053] As with embodiments in which the program listings are shown
in grid and icon views, the filter control 126 can be used with the
channel view to filter the information to be displayed in the view
area 140 (whether for predefined or custom filters), and the first
timebar may display visual indications corresponding to matching
programs. Moreover, the size of the view can be switched to a
medium size or a large size (or in some embodiments to any desired
size for this and/or the other views), such as based on selection
of an appropriate control on a pop-up menu in the view area (not
shown) or instead based on use of a dropdown menu via the triangle
arrow in the right portion of the channel view control 123. The
program listings at the medium size, for example, may contain
additional detail information relative to those listings at the
small size, and use of a large size can display further detail
information about the program listings being shown.
[0054] FIG. 21 displays example results of selecting a custom
filter for programs in the "Science Fiction" genre and with the
word "Star" in the title, and of selecting a new currently selected
time of 5:00 PM on Wednesday (such as by clicking a corresponding
indicator 137 in the first timebar) that has six program listings
matching the filter. Channel number 5 continues to be the currently
selected channel based on the currently selected program "The Last
Days," despite that currently selected program not being currently
displayed. Additionally, in some embodiments the channel listings
may be sorted in various ways, such as in ascending order or
descending order based on the channel numbers, based on channel
names, based on air times of currently displayed programs (e.g., by
default or instead based on selection of the "AIRS" column heading
143b), based on names of currently displayed programs, etc.
[0055] FIG. 22 then displays the results of switching to a list
view of the program listings, such as based on selection of the
list view control 124. In the current example, the program listings
are shown sorted in ascending order based on the title of the
programs, such as by default or instead based on user selection of
the "PROGRAM TITLE" column heading 143a. In this example
embodiment, at least some of the program listings may have multiple
showings at different times, and some or all of the program titles
can be expanded to show details of each of the showings for that
program title. For example, with respect to the currently selected
program "The Last Days," that program listing is currently shown in
an expanded view 147 so as to provide information about each of the
five showings of that program that are currently available over an
upcoming period of time (e.g., the next 2 weeks).
[0056] In this example embodiment, a program title listing can be
expanded in various ways, such as by selecting a small icon to the
left of each of the program listings in order to expand or collapse
that program listing, or instead using a pop-up menu (not shown)
for that program listing, such as based on a right-click selection
of the program listing. In addition or in the alternative, a pop-up
menu (not shown) in the view area 140 can allow all program
listings to be collapsed or expanded, as well as to change the
sorting for program listings. If the user selects an "Expand All"
control functionality or other similar functionality from a pop-up
menu, the resulting listing will include all program information in
expanded form in the view area 140. In addition, while the program
listing groups here are illustrated based on program titles, in
other embodiments the program listings may be grouped in a variety
of other manners, such as based on any one or more associated
metadata value or other attribute.
[0057] As with embodiments in which the program listings are shown
in other views, the filter control 126 may in at least some
embodiments be used with the program listing view to filter the
information to be displayed in the view area 140 (whether for
predefined or custom filters). While the times in the "AIRS" column
for an expanded program listing are not illustrated as a distinct
timebar in the illustrated embodiment, in other embodiments one or
more fourth timebars may be displayed with expanded program listing
information (e.g., a distinct fourth timebar for each expanded
program listing). In addition, while the first timebar is not
displayed in the illustrated embodiment, in other embodiments the
first timebar may additionally be displayed and may include visual
indications corresponding to appropriate programs (e.g., programs
matching one or more specified filters and/or searches, or to
illustrate upcoming showings of one or more programs, such as for a
currently selected program and/or for one or more programs shown
with expanded program listing information). Similarly, while the
second timebar is not displayed in the illustrated embodiment, in
other embodiments the second timebar may additionally be displayed,
such as to display information about upcoming showings for one or
more of the current programs in a grid format in the view area.
[0058] In addition, the program listings may be sorted in a variety
of manners, with FIGS. 1BT-1CC from the parent provisional patent
application showing examples of sorting and grouping the program
listing information in a variety of ways. For instance, all of the
program listing information may be shown in collapsed form and in a
manner grouped and sorted by channel number in an ascending or
descending manner, such as based on user selection of the "CH"
column heading. Examples of sorting and grouping of program listing
information can include but not be limited to: in ascending or
descending order based on channel name; in a manner grouped and
sorted based on the recording status of the program listings; in an
ascending or descending order based on the air time of the program
listings; in ascending or descending order based on duration of the
program listing; in ascending or descending order based on the
genre of the program listings; in ascending or descending order
based on the rating of the program listings; in an ascending or
descending order based on whether the program listings are repeat
showings; in an ascending or descending order based on whether the
program listing information is displayed in HDTV format; in
ascending or descending order based on the stars assigned to the
program listings; and so forth. Further details of such grouping
and sorting are provided in the parent provisional patent
application, and are abbreviated herein for the sake of brevity.
Also, while not illustrated here, the sorting of program listings
in some embodiments may also in at least some embodiments be
performed using multiple sort specifications (whether in a manner
specific to a particular program listing or instead for all program
listings). For example, some or all of the program listings and/or
program listing showings may be sorted first based on program
title, then secondarily based on air time, and then tertiarily
based on whether they are shown in HDTV format, or instead based on
any other metadata values or other attributes and/or combination
thereof.
[0059] Much of the previously discussed program listing information
has corresponded to content categorized as being available via live
television, such as based on a prior or default selection of a
"LIVE TV" control 115a. FIG. 23 corresponds to selection of an
alternative type of television-related content, which in this
example includes TV program listings that are scheduled to be
recorded, such as based on selection of the "SCHEDULED" control
115b. In this example, only a single program listing is scheduled
to be recorded, which is the "Judge Joe Brown" program on channel 9
FOX at 11:30 am on Thursday, as illustrated in the view area 140
and in the "UPCOMING RECORDINGS" section of the control status
area. In addition, the scheduled TV program listing information can
be manipulated in a manner similar to that of the live TV program
listing information, such as to be sorted in various ways and to
have various filters applied, as well as to be displayed using
other views in at least some embodiments. For example, the
scheduled recording information can be sorted in an ascending
manner based on the air time of the programs, rating, genre, and so
forth.
[0060] Programs may be scheduled for recording in various ways,
such as via a pop-up menu (not shown) or other control that is
provided regarding one or more upcoming programs (e.g., as
displayed using one or more of the views for LIVE TV content) to
give the user the option to record (or cancel recording of) a
selected program. Information about a currently selected program
may include a small red circle status icon or other icon (not
shown), as previously described above, to indicate that the program
is to be recorded, with the icon shown in the display for the
program listing in the view area 140 and/or in the detail area 150.
In addition, the information about the upcoming recordings can be
shown and updated in the sidebar status control area 170 to reflect
a newly scheduled recording. The SCHEDULED control 115b, if
subsequently selected, will also result in the presentation of the
newly scheduled program to be recorded in the view area 140.
[0061] FIG. 24 next displays results of selecting the type of
television-related content corresponding to previously recorded TV
program listings, such as based on selection of the "RECORDED TV"
control 115c. While not illustrated here, information for other
groups of television-related content can similarly be displayed in
other embodiments, such as information corresponding to
pay-per-view television (e.g., by selection of the control 115d),
on-demand television programs (e.g., by selection of the control
115e), or various other types of television-related programming via
appropriate controls (not shown), such as for interactive
television, or more generally for any type of recorded or other
content available for presentation (e.g., by being stored on a
local device or otherwise retrievable). A pop-up menu (not shown)
or other control can be used to provide various functionality for
one or more of the previously recorded content listings, such as to
delete the recording, play the recording on one or more appropriate
video output devices (e.g., a TV) being controlled, and to find the
program information for that program in the current view. The
detail area 150 in the illustrated embodiment also includes a
"PLAY" control button for the currently selected program, and the
status control sidebar 170 provides information about the program
being currently played.
[0062] The recorded TV program listings and/or other content can
also be manipulated in a manner similar to that for the other
program listing information, such as to be sorted in various ways
and to have various filters applied, as well as to in some
embodiments be displayed using or more other views. For example,
the program listing information may be sorted based on the record
time of the program listings (e.g., based on user selection of the
"RECORDED ON" column heading 143j), or could similarly be sorted
based on a current status of the program listing, such as by user
selection of the "STATUS" column heading 143k. In the illustrated
embodiment, program listings can be given a status of recorded,
scheduled to be recorded, and not scheduled to be recorded,
although in other embodiments a variety of additional types of
status information could be similarly assigned and used (e.g.,
currently recording, scheduled to record once, scheduled to record
the series or multiple episodes, live and not recording, future and
not scheduled, past shows that were not recorded, scheduled to
record but did not, scheduled to record but not going to, recorded
as a recommendation, locked to prevent deletion, subject to
deletion, imminent deletion, previously viewed (for recorded and/or
live programs), partially viewed, has additional associated
content, has additional associated functionality, has a
user-specified annotation, etc.).
[0063] In some embodiments, the content listings shown in the view
area 140 for any one or more of the content-type-specific
navigation tabs 115 (e.g., LIVE TV, SCHEDULED, RECORDED TV, PAY PER
VIEW, and/or ON DEMAND) may further be bifurcated or otherwise
organized (not shown) based on one or more devices connected to or
otherwise associated with the CM system, such as one or more media
centers 350, one or more computing systems 390, or other
input/output devices. For example, if there are multiple STBs,
DVRS, or other input/output devices (e.g., televisions) coupled to
the CM system, the view area 140 may present listing information
corresponding to multiple of the devices (e.g., for two devices or
for all devices), such as simultaneously in different portions of
the view area. Thus, for instance, if two DVRs are connected to the
CM system and each is able to record content and/or has recorded
content, then the view area 140 may separately or concurrently
present the information for each DVR. Program listings for multiple
STBs can also be presented in the view area 140 separately or
concurrently, such as if these STBs receive different EPG data.
[0064] In addition, the GUI may further in some embodiments provide
distinct timebars for multiple of such devices (e.g., each device)
in the GUI 100, such as distinct first timebars and/or distinct
second timebars, whether simultaneously or separately.
Alternatively, in some embodiments, a single first timebar and/or
second timebar may be used for multiple devices, but with the first
timebar and/or second timebar simultaneously displaying different
information for each of the devices. Such simultaneous display of
different information for each of multiple devices in a single
timebar may be performed in various ways in various embodiments,
such as by having a single time period and time scale but using
different visual representations (e.g., different colors, different
shapes, etc.) for displayed visual indicators and other information
for different devices, or to instead simultaneously display in a
single timebar different time periods for each of the devices
and/or information at different time scales for each of the devices
(e.g., by bifurcating a timebar and showing one time scale on top
and another on bottom, or by selecting a single time scale that is
sufficiently large to include two or more distinct time periods).
Thus, for example, a first timebar that is simultaneously
displaying information for multiple devices may include visual
indicators for each of the devices, such as to correspond to
programs that match different filters for each of the devices, to
indicate upcoming scheduled programs to be recorded on each of the
devices, to indicate different current status for each of the
devices (e.g., whether or not the device is currently recording a
live program), etc.
[0065] In some embodiments, information that is displayed in the
first and/or second timebars may further be represented in other
manners than previously described. For example, with respect to the
first timebar, the displayed indicators of relevant content or of
other types of information may have a variety of other forms in
other embodiments. In particular, in at least some of the
previously discussed illustrated embodiments, an indicator
displayed in the first timebar reflected the presence of relevant
content (e.g., content matching a specified search or filter) at
the time in the first time period that the indicator was displayed,
with the absence of such an indicator reflecting the absence of any
such relevant content. However, in other embodiments the indicator
display may be modified in various ways to provide a variety of
other types of information. For example, in some embodiments the
visual representation of each of the indicators may be modified to
provide additional information about the relevant content that is
being represented, such as to indicate an amount of relevant
content at an indicated time (e.g., by modifying the width of a
displayed indicator in proportion to or otherwise based on the
amount of relevant content, so that an indicator reflecting five
relevant movies on five channels at one time point is wider than
another indicator reflecting only a single relevant movie at
another time point). Similarly, the visual representation of each
of the indicators may be varied in other manners (e.g., color,
height, shape, saturation, hue, brightness, etc.) to indicate a
variety of other types of information, such as a degree of
relevance of the corresponding content (e.g., a degree of match to
a filter or a search), one or more ratings of the content, a
priority of the content, etc.
[0066] In addition, in some embodiments the visual representation
of at least some displayed indicators in the first timebar and/or
of other aspects of the GUI (e.g., the first timebar and/or second
timebar) may be modified in other manners, such as to allow
customization of such visual elements. Such customization may be
provided, for example, to allow personalization of information to a
particular user (e.g., based on preferences of the user, and
whether in response to a request by the user or in an automatic
manner) and/or to a particular computing device (e.g., to display
less information or to display information in a more limited manner
when the computing device has a limited display area and/or limited
display capabilities, such as for a cellphone or other handheld
computing device). In addition, customization of multiple visual
elements at a time may be provided, such as to allow different
visual "skins" or "themes" to be defined and used. Such use of
different skins or other visual customization features may be used
in various ways, such as to enable branding by a commercial entity
(e.g., for a fee paid by the commercial entity) of some or all
portions of the GUI to some or all users, such as by displaying a
logo and/or color scheme associated with the commercial entity
(e.g., by displaying a logo in a non-functional portion of the GUI,
such as the "Ambient" logo in the upper right portion of GUI 100 in
FIG. 2, or instead in other manners, such as by modifying some or
all of the visual indicators in the first timebar to display or
otherwise reflect a logo).
[0067] In addition, a variety of additional information about
relevant content may be displayed using indicators in the first
timebar in other manners, such as upon some form of user selection
of the displayed indicator. Such additional information about
relevant content corresponding to a displayed indicator may include
the types of information discussed with respect to previous
examples, or more generally may include any metadata (e.g., EPG
data) or other relevant information about a relevant piece of
content (e.g., descriptive textual information about a piece of
content, a preview or portion of the content, information about
other users' use or selection of the content, a user-specified or
other "tag" or category associated with the content, an indication
of whether the content is currently selected and/or currently
displayed in the view area, etc.), whether alternatively or in
addition to detail information shown in the view area 140 and/or
the detail area 150. User selection of a displayed indicator may
include, for example, "mouse-over" of an indicator without a mouse
click (or other movement of a cursor over the indicator), with the
additional information presented in a manner similar to a pop-up
tool tip window. Alternatively, a mouse click (e.g., a right mouse
click) may cause such additional information to be displayed in
various ways (e.g., a pop-up window). In addition, corresponding
types of functionality may be provided for other types of input
devices and user manipulations.
[0068] In addition to providing additional information about
relevant content using indicators in the first timebar, various
types of functionality may similarly be provided in at least some
embodiments upon some form of user selection of the displayed
indicator. For example, as previously indicated, selection of a
displayed indicator for a time point may cause that time point to
become the currently selected time, with the second time period of
the second timebar adjusted to display that currently selected
time. In some embodiments, other types of functionality may be
provided for selection of a displayed indicator, whether in
addition to (e.g., using a different type of selection than for
specifying the currently selected time) or instead of specifying
the currently selected time. For example, selection of an indicator
may cause one or more corresponding pieces of content to become the
currently selected content (e.g., the currently selected television
program, such as to cause information about that program to be
displayed in the detail area 150), or may instead allow various
types of capabilities to be provided for one or more such
corresponding pieces of content (e.g., to schedule a recording, to
initiate a current recording, to watch or manipulate a previously
recorded piece of content, etc.). Moreover, in at least some of the
previously discussed illustrated embodiments the first and second
timebars have been represented in a linear manner. In other
embodiments, however, the first and/or second timebars may be
represented in other ways, such as by using one or more icons.
[0069] FIGS. 25-27 illustrate examples of additional capabilities
available via the GUI 100 by using dropdown menus from the menu bar
105. In particular, FIG. 25 illustrates the dropdown menu available
by selecting the "File" menu control, which includes the ability to
connect or otherwise associate the GUI with one or more particular
STBs, DVRs or other devices with which to interact (e.g., from
which to receive program listing information and to which to send
content manipulation instructions). For example, choosing the
"Active Device" selection from the File dropdown menu may result in
a list of one or more available devices (not shown) from which to
select, while choosing the "Disconnect Device" selection from the
File dropdown menu may result in a pop-up window (not shown) asking
whether the user desires to connect to another device, although
such a pop-up window may also be provided in other embodiments and
situations (e.g., if a connected device or the connection to that
device becomes unavailable). Choosing the "Update Listings"
selection from the File dropdown menu may result in retrieving
updated program listing information (e.g., if needed), and may
further result in display of a pop-up window (not shown) indicating
that the updated program listing information has been retrieved.
Choosing the "Exit" selection from the File dropdown menu would
cause the CM application to end.
[0070] FIG. 26 illustrates the dropdown menu available by selecting
a "View" menu control, which includes the ability to select a
current view to apply, as well as to select particular groups of
the current content type for display. FIG. 27 then illustrates the
results of selecting the "Timebar" selection control from the View
dropdown menu, with an additional submenu available to the user for
selection to allow the user to select various first time scales for
the first timebar (e.g., multi-hour or multi-day), as well as to
make the current time the currently selected time. In addition,
while not illustrated here, various additional functionality may be
available from other dropdown menus. For example, a dropdown menu
(not shown) available by selecting the "Tools" menu control may
include the ability to search for a program, to define a custom
filter, to change a current color scheme, and to specify various
options (e.g., via a pop-up window, not shown). Options may include
controls, for example, to allow the user to select the style of the
time line in the guide view (such as to select a condensed style);
to show a visual vertical line or other indication in the view pane
through the channel listings to indicate a currently selected time;
to specify a default master font for use in the GUI (e.g., with the
user receiving an additional pop-up menu to allow specification of
the default master font); to limit the number of days of program
data to be displayed; to allow the status control sidebar to be
automatically hidden when not in use; to specify various
information about connections to other devices at startup and
periodically afterwards, and to specify various information about
software and program listing update functionality. In addition, a
dropdown menu (not shown) available by selecting the "Actions" menu
control may include the ability to control the recording and
viewing of content, as well as to select functionality to scan
channels, and a dropdown menu (not shown) available by selecting
the "Help" menu control may include the ability to check for
updates for the CM system and to receive additional information and
other help. Examples of at least some such additional functionality
are illustrated in the parent provisional patent application, such
as with respect to FIGS. 4G-4N.
[0071] FIG. 28 is a flowchart 2800 of an embodiment of a routine
for operating a time-based GUI, such as for GUI 100 previously
discussed with respect to FIGS. 2-27. In some embodiments and
situations, the content displayed in the time-based GUI may
correspond to television programming, such as to use EPG data,
while in other embodiments and situations various other types of
content may be displayed.
[0072] The routine begins at step 2802, where multimedia content
metadata is received, such as if the computing system 300 receives
EPG metadata information (i.e., as part of television
programming-related content 360a) from a head-end and/or an
Internet location, and then stores the information as content
metadata 322 in the storage unit 320. At step 2804, the GUI begins
to be rendered on a suitable display device, such as to render the
GUI 100 on the display 311. The rendering process includes
rendering a first timebar at step 2806 and rendering a second
timebar at step 2808. In at least some embodiments, the first and
second timebars may be initially set to reflect default or
user-specified first and second time scales and/or first and second
time periods, respectively, or to otherwise reflect specified
display configuration information. Furthermore, in some embodiments
the second time scale and/or second time period are selected so as
to correspond to a portion of the first time scale and/or first
time period. At step 2810, the GUI is then populated with
multimedia content listings that are presented to a user, such as
based on the received metadata and in such a manner as to
correspond to the second time period for the second timebar, as
well as optionally presenting various other types of information to
the user. In addition, in some embodiments and situations one or
more indicators may be displayed in the first timebar to correspond
to content listings, such as content listings that are not
currently displayed due to being outside the second time period of
the second timebar.
[0073] In the illustrated embodiment, the content listings remain
rendered in the GUI until a timeout occurs (e.g., to refresh the
program contents, such as every few seconds or when a 1/2 hour or
other time segment of the second time period has passed) or until
the user selects functionality to cause a change. When such a
change is initiated, the routine continues to step 2811 to
determine whether a timeout has occurred, and if so returns to step
2810 to modify the GUI accordingly (e.g., to update the first
and/or second timebars with new time periods if appropriate, and to
update the content listing information in the GUI if appropriate,
such as for new time periods and/or to reflect new content that has
become available). If it is instead determined in step 2811 that a
timeout did not occur and the change initiation is from a user
action, the routine continues to step 2812 to determine whether the
user has selected a portion of the first timebar that is different
than the currently selected time (e.g., based on a displayed
indicator corresponding to one or more content listings that are
not currently displayed), such as to cause a new second time period
for the second time bar to be selected. If so, the routine
continues to step 2814 to update the second timebar to reflect the
new second time period, and the routine then returns to step 2810
to update the content listings of the GUI to reflect the new second
time period, as well as to optionally update the first timebar if
appropriate (e.g., to change the first time period of the first
timebar and/or to modify a display of indicators corresponding to
content listings).
[0074] If it is instead determined in step 2812 that the change
initiation is not from user selection of the first timebar, the
routine continues to step 2813 to determine whether the user has
manipulated the GUI so as to perform filtering or searching, and if
so continues to step 2814 to modify the second timebar if
appropriate before continuing to step 2810 to modify content
listing and other displayed information accordingly. For example,
at least some such actions may cause information to be displayed in
the first timebar to provide indicators of content listings that
are not currently visible during the second time period for the
second timebar, such as actions to perform searches and to apply
filters. If it is instead determined in step 2813 that the user has
not performed a filtering or searching activity, the routine
continues instead to perform another type of action indicated by
the user (e.g., sorting, scheduling or initiating a recording,
etc.) in step 2816, and then continues to step 2810 to update
content listing and other displayed information as appropriate.
[0075] In some embodiments the functionality provided by the
routines discussed above may be provided in alternative ways, such
as being split among more routines or consolidated into fewer
routines. Similarly, in some embodiments illustrated routines may
provide more or less functionality than is described, such as when
other illustrated routines instead lack or include such
functionality respectively, or when the amount of functionality
that is provided is altered. In addition, while various operations
may be illustrated as being performed in a particular manner (e.g.,
in serial or in parallel) and/or in a particular order, in other
embodiments the operations may be performed in other orders and in
other manners. In addition, in some embodiments certain operations
may be embodied in software or other computer-readable instructions
stored on a computer-readable medium, such as software stored in
the memory 330 of the CM system 335 of FIG. 1. The data structures
discussed above may also be structured in different manners, such
as by having a single data structure split into multiple data
structures or by having multiple data structures consolidated into
a single data structure. Similarly, in some embodiments illustrated
data structures may store more or less information than is
described, such as when other illustrated data structures instead
lack or include such information respectively, or when the amount
or types of information that is stored is altered.
[0076] In some embodiments, a variety of other types of content can
similarly be reviewed, manipulated, and controlled via a GUI, such
as via the example GUI 100. For example, in one example embodiment,
the primary content-type navigation tabs 110 of FIG. 2 are
available to allow the user to select music content (e.g., via
selection of the displayed user-selectable "JUKEBOX" control),
photos and/or images (e.g., via selection of a displayed
user-selectable "PHOTOS" control), and to obtain videophone
functionality (e.g., via selection of a displayed user-selectable
"VIDEOPHONE" control)--in other embodiments, other similar types of
controls may process access to other types of content, such as to
access non-television video content via selection of a displayed
user-selectable "VIDEO" control. Selection of one of the displayed
controls may cause information about corresponding content to be
displayed in the GUI, such as to update the view area 140 (or a
similar area of the GUI) to include content listings for the
corresponding content (e.g., to display various metadata about the
content), to provide various additional details about a selected
piece of content via the detail area 150, to include graphical
indicators corresponding to selected pieces of the content via the
first timebar 128, and to similarly update various other controls
and areas of the GUI (e.g., the secondary content-type-specific
navigation tabs 115, the menu bar 105, the view control area 125,
the status bar 155, the status control sidebar area 170, etc.). A
variety of other types of content are similarly available,
including advertisements, news clips, excerpts from articles,
Internet content, presentations, videogames, etc.
[0077] These other types of content may be manipulated in a manner
similar to that described above for television programming-related
content. In particular, various techniques have been described to
organize and manipulate content based on one or more times
associated with the content, such as based on the start time at
which a piece of television programming-related content may be
available for presentation. Other types of content may similarly
have one or more of various types of associated times with which
the content may be accordingly manipulated. For example, music
content may be associated with a record date and time-of-day, a
release date and time-of-day, a broadcast date and time-of-day, a
receipt/download date and time-of-day, and various other
time-related characteristic(s), and one or more of such associated
times may be used to select pieces of music content to display in
the view area 140 (e.g., based on those pieces of content each
having an associated time within a second time period associated
with the second timebar) and to select pieces of music content for
which graphical indicators will be displayed in the first timebar
(e.g., based at least in part on those pieces of content each
having an associated time within a first time period associated
with the first timebar). Photos and video can similarly have one or
more associated times, such as creation date and time-of-day,
revision date and time-of-day, download date and time-of-day, etc.,
and may similarly be displayed based on one or more of such
associated times. Other types of multimedia content may have
similar time-related characteristics, and the GUI may be modified
accordingly to manage such content.
[0078] For example, FIG. 29 illustrates an example GUI that
provides controls to manage photos using time-related
characteristics of the photos. In the illustrated embodiment, a
portion 100a of an example GUI is illustrated, with a "PHOTO"
primary content-type navigation tab 110 being currently selected.
Accordingly, appropriate secondary content-type-specific navigation
tabs 115 are illustrated (which in this example are "CREATED,"
"RECEIVED," "DOWNLOAD," and "SHARED"), and a portion 140b of a view
area is shown currently displaying metadata information regarding
various photo sets. In particular, in this example embodiment the
first timebar 128 illustrates a first period of time and a second
timebar 140a illustrates a shorter second period of time, with the
photos sets indicated in the view area each having at least one
associated time that corresponds to the second time period (e.g.,
an associated creation time, such as based on a current selection
of the "CREATED" secondary content-type-specific navigation tab
115). The photo sets may further be filtered in various ways (e.g.,
by genre and/or subject) in order to highlight particular photos
for easier discovery, with the photo sets in the illustrated
embodiment being restricted to photo sets corresponding to a
"BIRTHDAY" filter selection 120 (e.g., based on metadata for the
displayed photo sets indicating a birthday-related connection).
[0079] FIG. 30 illustrates an example portion 100a of a GUI that is
similar to that displayed in FIG. 29, but with alternative time
scales for the first and second timebars. In particular, in FIG. 30
the first timebar 128 illustrates a first time scale of several
months, and the second timebar 140a illustrates a second time scale
corresponding to several days. A new "ANIMALS" filter control 120
is also currently selected (e.g., for a user-defined custom
filter), and the portion 140b of the view area displays metadata
information regarding various photo sets corresponding to the
second time period and filter. In the illustrated embodiment,
selection of another of the secondary content-type-specific
navigation tabs would cause other types of time-related information
that is associated with photo sets to be used to select the photo
sets matching the second time period, such as to use times that
photo sets are received, times that photo sets are downloaded, or
times that photo sets are shared. A variety of other types of
time-related information could similarly be associated with photos
and/or with other types of content.
[0080] Thus, in at least some embodiments the GUI 100 includes
first and second timebars that can be used to organize and
manipulate listings and other information for content of such other
content types based on associated time information. For example, if
a user downloads music on a regular basis and/or music is broadcast
according to a timed schedule (e.g., on one or more digital music
channels provided by a cable-based or satellite-based content
provider), the view area 140 can display song titles based on the
download times in a manner corresponding to the second timebar.
Moreover, the user can sort, group, filter, view, or otherwise
manipulate the listings and other information using similar
techniques as previously described above for television program
listings.
[0081] Moreover, while time-based organization and manipulation is
useful for many types of content, in some embodiments at least some
types of content may be organized and manipulated based on other
types of associated information, whether in addition to or instead
of based on time. For example, content with associated textual
information (e.g., a title or name, names of one or more associated
people, etc.) may be grouped in the GUI alphabetically or otherwise
based on that textual information, such as by modifying the first
and/or second timebars to correspond to portions of the alphabet
rather than periods of time (e.g., to display multiple segments in
the second timebar that each correspond to a distinct letter within
a subset of letters from the alphabet, such as letters "C" to "H",
the vowel letters, etc.). Various other types of metadata for
content may similarly be used to group the content in other manners
for organization and manipulation in the GUI, such as to group
content hierarchically or based on other relationships between
pieces of content if such relationships exist (e.g., based on a set
of related photos from a single event or shoot, which may be one of
many sets that are each associated with a higher-level organization
or event), to group content based on genre or other categorization
(e.g., for photos, images or video content, based on the device
used to create the content, on the person who created the content,
on a source from which the content was acquired, on subject matter
of the content, on file size, on black-and-white versus color, on
number of pixels or frames-per-second or other measure of
resolution, on display size of the content, on use restrictions on
the content, etc.), or to more generally group the content based on
any other parameter or combination of types of parameters.
[0082] FIG. 31 illustrates an example GUI similar to that discussed
with respect to FIGS. 29 and 30, but with content (in this example
photos) being organized and managed using content metadata in a
manner other than based on time. In particular, in the example
illustrated portion 100a of a GUI, photo sets are organized and
managed in an alphabetical manner, with a second "alphabet" bar
140c replacing the previously illustrated second timebar, and with
the photosets indicated in the view area portion 140b being indexed
alphabetically. In some embodiments, various types of content
metadata may be selected to be used as the basis for the indicating
(e.g., title, author, description, etc.), such as via corresponding
secondary content-type-specific navigation tabs 115 (not shown) or
analogous tertiary content-type-specific navigation tabs (not
shown). In the illustrated embodiment, the previously illustrated
first timebar has been replaced with a first "metadata type" bar
128a, such as for use in selecting a metadata type and/or in
displaying graphical indicators for content in metadata type areas
to which the content corresponds (e.g., in response to a filter
that is applied, not shown). Photos may similarly be organized and
managed in a variety of ways other than alphabetically or by time
(e.g., based on hierarchical and/or other associated between photos
and photosets), and other types of content can be handled
similarly.
[0083] In a similar manner, but while not illustrated here, in some
embodiments the GUI could be used to control a variety of devices,
such as one or more STBs, one or more DVRs, one or more TVs, one or
more of a variety of types of non-TV content presentation devices
(e.g., speakers), etc. Thus, in at least some such embodiments, the
GUI could be used to concurrently play a first specified program on
a first TV, play a second specified program on a second TV, play
first specified music content on a first set of one or more
speakers, play second specified music content on a second set of
one or more speakers, present photos or video on a computing system
display or other TV, etc. When multiple such devices are being
controlled, they could further be grouped and organized in a
variety of ways, such as by location and/or by type of device (or
type of content that can be presented on the device). In addition,
the virtual remote control buttons displayed in the GUI could
change based on a current context, such as on the device that is
currently being controlled and/or based on content that is
currently selected. In addition, extended controls of a variety of
types beyond those discussed in the example embodiment (e.g.,
channel up and down, volume, a keyboard, device-specific controls,
etc.) could additionally be provided via the GUi in at least some
embodiments. Moreover, in at least some embodiments all of the
controls of the GUI may be selectable by one or more of a variety
of input device types, such as all being selectable by keyboard, by
voice command, by mouse, etc.
[0084] In addition, in some embodiments multiple pieces of content
can be simultaneously selected and acted on in various ways, such
as to schedule multiple selected TV programs to be recorded or
deleted, to group the pieces of content together for future
manipulation, etc. Moreover, in some embodiments multiple users may
interact with the same copy of the CM system, and if so various
user-specific information (e.g., preferences, custom filters, prior
searches, prior recordings or viewings of programs, information for
user-specific recommendations, etc.) may be stored and used to
personalize the GUI and its information and functionality for
specific users. In addition, in embodiments in which the CM system
is interacting with an external program, such as via an STB or DVR
that has its own user GUI (e.g., one that is displayed to users on
a television), additional integration between the CM system and the
STB or DVR may be possible, such as to include user-selectable
links or other references in the GUI of one of the systems to the
other system (e.g., to allow a user to select the CM system from a
menu or other information displayed to a user by an STB or DVR). A
variety of other types of related functionality could similarly be
added, including various manners in which one or more remote
devices (e.g., a media center) may initiate communications or other
interactions with the CM system (e.g., based on events that occur
on a remote device that are communicated to the CM system, such as
system-generated events by a media center device and/or by a user
(whether the same or a different user than for the CM system) who
is interacting with one or more remote devices (e.g., a TV being
controlled by a media center). Similarly, the CM system may provide
information to remote devices about events that occur for the CM
system, such as user-initiated events at the computing device
and/or at a remote/mobile device controlled by a user to interact
with the CM system.
[0085] In addition, in at least some embodiments various management
is provided for parental controls (whether such controls are
implemented by the CM system and/or by one or more other devices
being managed, such as a media center), such as to allow them to be
view, turned off/on, and modified. For example, in at least some
embodiments the display of various types of information may be
limited or otherwise controlled based on such controls, such as to
modify the displayed channel list (whether on the GUI of the CM
system and/or via information presented by another device being
controlled, such as information displayed on a television by a
media center). In addition, in at least some embodiments such
parental controls may be controlled in a distinct manner for
different devices, such as to specify distinct controls for
distinct televisions (also referred to as being on a "per head"
basis).
[0086] In addition, the first timebar may be controlled in various
manners in various embodiments. For example, arrows on the right
and left of the first timebar may be provided to allow the user to
control the first time period of the first timebar or to otherwise
modify the viewable area of the first timebar, and further to move
the "thumb" within that viewable area, or to instead modify the
viewable area of the first timebar by dragging the thumb to the far
right or far left of the first timebar to cause the first time
period to change. In such embodiments, the thumb may stay where it
is left, with the second time period for the second timebar being
adjusted accordingly to reflect the new selected time.
Alternatively, the "thumb" display may be maintained in one
position (e.g., the center), with a pull on it (e.g., to the right
or left) causing it to temporarily move at least slightly and the
first time period to slide accordingly until a desired current
start time becomes visible. When the user halts the pulling, the
"thumb" then returns to the original position, while the first time
period is changed such that the new start time is in place under
the thumb and the second time period of the second timebar is
updated accordingly. A variety of similar types of manipulations
may be used in other embodiments.
[0087] Thus, as discussed below, the previously described example
GUI of an embodiment of the CM system provides a variety of types
of content information and content manipulation functionality. The
following is a summary of the capabilities of an example embodiment
of the GUI, which in this example embodiment provides various types
of information and functionality for television-related
content.
A. The View Control Area
[0088] a. Available Views For TV Programming Content [0089] Guide
(provides a guide-based experience with the channels listed at left
and time on the horizontal axis) [0090] Icon (provides an
icon-based view that displays as many Channel Icons as possible for
quick visual recognition and selection) [0091] Channel (provides a
look ahead for a selected channel, and maintains the "time ahead"
state while moving across channels) [0092] List (as a grouped,
ordered list, and does not use the Navigation/Timebar as it
displays information from the entire 2 week period, and not just at
a specific point in time)
[0093] When switching between views, typically maintain any filter
or search criteria.
[0094] b. Filters
[0095] May allow a filter to be applied to any view of TV
Programming [0096] May provide some default filters, such as to
associate a first color with Sports and another with Movies [0097]
May allow a user to associate or disassociate a highlight color
with a default filter [0098] Create, edit or delete a number (e.g.,
up to 20) of custom filters, such as based on the following
attributes [0099] Example metadata attributes for use as types of
criteria: [0100] Keyword [0101] Title [0102] Cast/Crew [0103] Genre
[0104] Channel (Name or Number) [0105] Star Rating [0106] MPAA or
TV Rating [0107] First run [0108] HDTV [0109] Audio [0110] CC
[0111] DVS [0112] SAP/ESP [0113] Surround sound [0114] Previously
recorded (On disk, Watched, deleted) [0115] Pay Per View [0116] On
Demand
[0117] c. Quick Search
[0118] May provide a Quick Search capability that allows searches
on basic criteria [0119] Example criteria: [0120] Keyword [0121]
Cast/Crew [0122] Genre [0123] Hide Repeats [0124] HDTV [0125] Pay
Per View [0126] On Demand [0127] If a filter or previous search is
applied when the user invokes the Quick Search interface, may
auto-populate the fields with any attributes from the filter that
match the fields available in the Quick Search. [0128] If an
applied filter contains attributes that are not covered by the
Quick Search, such as MPM rating, then when the Quick Search is
populated, they are not included. Likewise, if the user changes the
criteria (by adding, editing, or removing attributes in the Quick
Search interface) and then saves this group of criteria as a new
Filter, it will only include Quick Search fields. [0129] Save
search criteria as a custom filter
[0130] d. Advanced Search
[0131] May provide an Advanced search that allows searches on any
Criteria [0132] Example criteria: [0133] Keyword [0134] Title
[0135] Cast/Crew [0136] Genre [0137] Channel (Name or Number)
[0138] Star Rating [0139] MPM or TV Rating [0140] Hide repeats
[0141] HDTV [0142] Audio [0143] CC [0144] DVS [0145] SAP/ESP [0146]
Surround sound [0147] Previously recorded (On disk, Watched,
deleted) [0148] Pay Per View [0149] On Demand [0150] Allow search
criteria to be saved as a custom filter [0151] If a filter or
previous search is applied when the user invokes the Advanced
Search interface, may auto-populate the fields with any attributes
from the filter that match the fields available in the Quick
Search.
[0152] e. Search History
[0153] May provide a way to view past searches.
[0154] May provide a way to select a past search and to search
using those search criteria. [0155] May allow only one search to be
selectable at a time. [0156] Double click on a past search to run
the selected search. [0157] Press the "Apply Button" to run the
selected search. [0158] Press the "Save Button" to save the
selected search as a custom filter [0159] Press the "Clear Button"
to display the complete dataset [0160] Press the "Close" button to
close the search interface and return to the complete dataset
[0161] f. First Timebar
[0162] May provide a way to navigate through time (For Guide, Icon,
and Channel Views), such as to: [0163] Jump to a day [0164] Jump to
a time [0165] Jump to the current date and time [0166] Change the
displayed time scale between hours and days [0167] Visually present
filter or search results over time (e.g., for highlighting
recordings in the Scheduled Recordings area, or for photos) [0168]
Visually present two weeks of program data. [0169] Enable
navigation between a Y2 hour block of programming that is "on now"
and the end of two weeks of program data. [0170] Visually indicate
where "on now" is in the context of two weeks of program data.
[0171] Timebar UI Element behavior: [0172] Keep the date/time
indicator (thumb) on the same date and time (i.e. the thumb moves
with the selected date) [0173] The date/time indicator (thumb)
actually disappears out of the visible bounds of the timebar--to
preserve the selected date and time--since the selected date time
is out of the visible bounds.
[0174] g. Other: [0175] if adding "on now" when the user is viewing
the Guide, Channel, or Icon view, snapping back to "On Now" is
appropriate and desirable.
[0176] 2. The Scheduled Recordings Tab
The Scheduled Recordings Tab offers functionality similar to other
tabs, except that it is filtered to only show those programs that
are scheduled to record.
[0177] 3. The Recorded Content Tab
The Recorded Content Tab is different in that it may only have a
modified List view, although filtering and searching may remain the
same.
B. The Detail Area
[0178] 1. Capabilities [0179] Display detailed information about a
selected show, including (but not limited to) the title,
description, rating information, and channel information. [0180]
Display and enable actions that are appropriate for the state of a
selected show. [0181] Use criteria of the selected show to find
other shows with the same criteria [0182] Indicate which fields can
be used [0183] Optionally allow only fields and values that are
available in the Quick Search to be used [0184] Populate the Quick
Search with the new criteria [0185] Display the Quick Search (if it
is not already displayed) [0186] Replace all previous criteria with
the new criteria [0187] Give focus to the Apply action but do not
apply the search yet [0188] a. Data Elements
[0189] Below are examples of data fields. TABLE-US-00001 Channel
Number Station Icon/Logo Callsign Affiliate (if no affiliate, then
Channel/Network name Title: SubTitle StarRating (ReleaseYear)
[action] EpisodeTitle: Description (IsRepeat) [action] Actors (4
max), Director, CastCrew (1) AirTime - EndTime (Duration) Genre(s),
SubGenre(s) MPAARating/ParentalRating/ExpandedParentalRating/
ExpandedRating CountryOrigin IsStereo, IsJoinedInProgress,
IsCableIntheClassroom, IsSap, IsEnhanced, IsThreeD, IsLetterbox,
IsHdtv, IsDolby, IsDvs, IsClosedCaptioned, IsSubtitled
IsRecorded/IsToBeRecorded
[0190] b. Buttons & Actions
[0191] Below are examples of states of a program and buttons that
are applicable for each state. TABLE-US-00002 On Now, Future,
Future, Previously Not On Now, Future, Scheduled Scheduled Action
Recorded Recording Recording Unscheduled Program as Series Watch
Play Record Once Record Series Cancel Recording Delete
C. The View Area
[0192] 1. Capabilities
[0193] Can List Programs [0194] Over Time [0195] At a given
date/time [0196] In a date/time range [0197] In a specific state
[0198] With specific criteria [0199] That match search or filter
criteria
[0200] Can Differentiate between programs [0201] Highlight based on
criteria (filter) [0202] Indicate state [0203] Recorded [0204] On
Now (not recording) [0205] Currently recording [0206] In the future
[0207] Scheduled to record (single/series) [0208] Denote selection
[0209] Focus [0210] Selection
[0211] Can Act on program [0212] Get more information (e.g., from a
third-party) [0213] Watch/Play [0214] Schedule to Record
[0215] Can Provide different views of programs [0216]
Guide--programs on channels over time [0217] Icon--scan icons
visually [0218] Channel--looking forward on a channel [0219]
List--lisVsort/group
[0220] Can Change between Views
[0221] Can Adjust the granularity of information [0222]
Small--channel and title [0223] Medium--more info [0224]
Large--detailed
[0225] Can Associate a level of granularity on a per view basis
[0226] 2. Views
[0227] There are four views. The first three, Guide, Icon, and
Channel, are dependant on a specific point in time and use that as
a starting point. The List view is a list of programs that can be
sorted and grouped, and is not dependant on a specific time--rather
it lists all the live and upcoming programs. As a user transitions
from one view to the next, the time in the first timebar remains
constant (even when the user goes to and from the List View), as
does the program in the detail area.
[0228] a. Guide View
[0229] The guide view presents programs in the context of channel
and time. [0230] If a filter or search is applied, only channels
with programs that match the criteria in the viewable time range
should display. [0231] Programs that are on a channel but do not
meet the filter or search criteria should be de-saturated. [0232]
If there are no programs in the viewable time range that match the
criteria on any channel when a filter or search is applied, a
message could be displayed to communicate this to prevent a blank
screen from being shown.
[0233] b. Icon View
[0234] The Icon view presents programs that are on at a specific
(e.g., 1/2 hour) point in time. It allows users to recognize
channels visually by their logos, and then to determine what
program is associated with that channel. [0235] If a channel has
more than one program on in the selected 1/2 hour, both programs
may display. [0236] Only programs (and therefore channels) with a
program on in the specific point of time will display. [0237] If
there are no programs in the viewable time range that match the
criteria when a filter or search is applied, a message could be
displayed that communicates this.
[0238] c. Channel View
[0239] The Channel view shows not only what programs are on at a
specific time, but also what is coming up on a specific channel.
[0240] The right hand column displays shows on the same channel as
the selected program/channel in the left-hand column. [0241] The
first show in the right hand column can be, by default, the show
that's on right after the highlighted show in the left-hand column.
[0242] When a filter or search is applied, only those channels for
which there are results somewhere in the 2 weeks of program data
may be listed. [0243] If, when a filter or search is applied, a
channel with a result in the future doesn't have a program that
matches the current date/time indicated in the time-bar, then it
should still display the title of the program on at the indicated
date/time, but it could be de-saturated. [0244] When a filter or
search is applied, the subset of channels could display even if the
only programs that fit the criteria are chronologically before the
place where the date/time indicator in the time-bar is.
[0245] d. List View
[0246] The List View allows users to quickly sort and group by a
variety of criteria. It is not dependant on a specific time, and
the First Timebar is not shown. [0247] Default grouping can be by
Title (ascending), and default sort can be chronological. If the
user re-groups or re-sorts, the new sort/grouping may be
maintained. [0248] Users can ungroup the list, and regroup it.
[0249] User can select any column heading to group by that field.
Each criteria has a default sort. The headings and default sorts
are: [0250] Channel Number--Program Name, Air Time [0251] Channel
Affiliate/Logo--Program Name, Air Time [0252] Program Name--Air
Time [0253] Record Status (recording, scheduled, not
scheduled)--Program Name, Air Time [0254] Repeat--Program Name, Air
Time [0255] HDTV--Program Name, Air Time [0256] Genre
(ascending)--Program Name, Air Time [0257] MPM Rating--Program
Name, Air Time [0258] Star Rating--Program Name, Air Time [0259]
Air Time (ascending)--Program Name [0260] Duration
(ascending)--Program Name, Air Time [0261] User can change the
secondary and subsequent sorts by Shift-clicking a column.
Shift-clicking the column again will reverse the sort.
[0262] e. Changes to the List view for the Recordings Tab: [0263]
The "AIRS" column is replaced with "RECORDED ON" [0264] The "REC"
column is renamed "STATUS" so that it can show the icon for
"scheduled to be deleted", but it will show a similar type of data
[0265] The default sort is by "RECORDED ON", and the increment will
be the Day (e.g., Tues 3/20, Mon 3/19, etc.) in reverse
chronological order, with the secondary sort (on the programs
within a day group) of time (reverse chronological). Thus, the last
thing recorded will be at the top of the first group. [0266] A
"VIEWED" column may also be provided.
[0267] 3. Levels of Granularity
[0268] The Guide, Icon, and Channel views can be set to one of
three size "resolutions". Small displays more individual listings,
but the least amount of information about each. Large displays the
most information about each, but displays fewer individual
listings. It is preferable to show Episode Title for sports events
in all resolutions. TABLE-US-00003 Channel Channel Data Element
(included Guide Icon (L Column) (R Column) in Detail Area) S M L S
M L S M L S M L Channel Number Callsign Station Icon/Logo Affiliate
(if no affiliate, then Channel/Network name)
IsRecorded/IsToBeRecorded Title SubTitle StarRating Release Year
Episode Title Description IsRepeat Actors (4 max) Director Crew (1)
AirTime EndTime Duration Genre (s) MPAARating/ParentalRating
ExpandedParentalRating/ ExpandedRating CountryOrigin IsStereo
IsJoinedInProgress IsCableInTheClassroom IsSap IsEnhanced IsThreeD
IsLetterbox IsHdtv IsDolby IsDvs IsClosedCaptioned IsSubtitled
D. Sidebar Control Area
[0269] 1. Capabilities
Display Program Info
[0270] Program on TV now [0271] (Tuned or Playback of a recorded
program) [0272] (may be the program that corresponds to the current
point in the buffer, as the live buffer can contain multiple
programs) [0273] Title [0274] Channel [0275] Start time (or
"presentation time") & Duration Display the Buffer/Recording
[0276] Buffer/Recording length [0277] Place in Buffer/Recording
[0278] Time marker [0279] Current Transport Control [0280]
Beginning/End of Buffer Provide Remote Control Buttons [0281]
Transport Controls [0282] D-pad Status--List the following in
chronological order (Channel, Title, Record Status & Start
Time) [0283] Next three programs to be recorded [0284] Any programs
that are currently recording [0285] Last three programs that were
recorded E. Input Devices
[0286] Left-click should select a program such that it would both
have focus and be selected. Using the arrow keys would move the
focus around (maintaining the previously made selection) and Enter
would select it.
F. Table Of Functions
[0287] The following table of functions takes a top-down approach
to the GUI. Starting at the top and working toward the bottom, this
table lists the location on the GUI of various controls, names of
the GUI element, and how they function. TABLE-US-00004 Name of GUI
Location on GUI element Function Primary User interface When the
GUI first appears, the default Navigation tabs appears for screen
is Live TV, Guide View. first time Primary TELEVISION When the user
clicks the TELEVISION tab, Navigation tabs tab the default screen
is Live TV, Guide View. Secondary LIVE TV tab When the user clicks
the LIVE TV tab, the Navigation tabs Guide View screen appears.
View Control Guide View Click the Guide View button to display a TV
area, on the button Guide-like grid of program bubbles. Toolbar
View Control Guide View Click the arrow next to the Guide View
area, on the button drop- button to display the menu. Menu
selections Toolbar down menu are small, medium, or large. If you
select Small, the program bubbles in the TV grid will show only the
program title. By selecting Medium, the program bubbles expand to
display information about the programs. By selecting Large, the
program bubbles expand to display the maximum amount of information
about the programs. View Control Icon View Click the Icon View
button to display a grid area, on the button of channels by channel
icon. Toolbar View Control Icon View Click the arrow next to the
Icon View area, on the button drop- button to display the menu.
Menu selections Toolbar down menu are small, medium, or large. If
you select Small, the maximum number of channel icons will appear.
By selecting Medium, fewer channel icons appear. However, the
expanded channel icons display the name of the programs per
channel. By selecting Large, the program bubbles expand to a size
greater than medium. View Control Channel View Click the Channel
View button to display a area, on the button list of programs by
channel. On the right Toolbar side is the Channel Paddle area which
lists upcoming programs based on which channel is selected. Use the
Channel Paddle buttons to scroll forward and backward in time. View
Control Channel View Click the arrow next to the Channel View area,
on the button drop- button to display the menu. Menu selections
Toolbar down menu are small, medium, or large. View Control Browse
button Click the Browse button to display a list of area, on the
channels. Each channel has an Expand Toolbar button next to it
that, when clicked, displays a list of upcoming programs. The First
Timebar does not display when this view is active. View Control
Filters drop- All is the default selection. area, on the down menu
See below for the other filters. Toolbar (see below) Filters
drop-down All (No Filter) Click All to display all of the programs.
menu Filters drop-down Movies Click Movies to display programs that
are menu categorized as movies. Filters drop-down Sports Click
Sports to display programs that are menu categorized as sports.
Filters drop-down News Click News to display programs that are menu
categorized as news. Filters drop-down Music Click Music to display
programs that are menu categorized as music. Filters drop-down Kids
Click Kids to display programs that are menu categorized as
child-oriented. Filters drop-down Custom Click Custom Filters . . .
to open the Filter menu Filters . . . Wizard. View Control Manage
Click Manage Filters to open the Filter area, on the Filters
Wizard. Toolbar View Control Find a Click Find a Program to open
the Search area, on the Program Control area. Toolbar, in the
button Search Control area Search Control Quick Search The Quick
Search tab appears by default. area tab To use Quick Search: In the
Look for text box, type what you are looking for, for example,
actor Tom Cruise. In the Genre text box, type a genre or select one
from the drop-down menu. Click Apply. If any programs featuring Tom
Cruise are on or upcoming, the listing will appear in the main
content area of the UI. List of Genres: Action Adults Only
Adventure Animals Animated Anime Anthology Auto racing Basketball
Biography Bus./financial Children Comedy Comedy-drama Computers
Cooking Crime Crime drama Docudrama Documentary Drama Educational
Entertainment Event . . . Search Control Quick Search area tab area
buttons and boxes: Quick Search tab Hide Repeats Click the box next
to Hide Repeats to block area buttons and box repeated programs
from being displayed in boxes: the main content area. Quick Search
tab HDTV box Click the box next to HDTV to include area buttons and
programs offered in HDTV. boxes: Quick Search tab Apply button
Click Apply to display results in the main area buttons and content
area. boxes: Quick Search tab Clear button Click Clear to clear
search criteria. area buttons and boxes: Quick Search tab Save
button Click Save to save search criteria. You will area buttons
and be prompted to name this as a new filter. boxes: Quick Search
tab Close button Click Close to close the Search Control area
buttons and area. boxes: Advanced Find all Click one or many check
boxes in the Find Search boxes programs box, all programs: box. The
selected search and buttons which rule(s) will be added to the
Search rules contains description: box. multiple check boxes of
search criteria rules. Find all programs That belong to Click the
That belong to the <specific box in the the <specific
genres> genre check box. The rule appears Advanced genres> in
the Search rules description box. Search tab genre Click
<specific genres> in the Search rules description box to open
the Genre Filter box. In the Genre Filter box, select one or many
genres. Click the > arrow. Click OK. The genre(s) you selected
become part of the search criteria. You can change the search
criteria at any time by clicking the blue underlined text in the
rule you want to change, then modifying the filter that opens. Find
all programs That feature Click the That feature <people> in
the cast box in the <people> in and crew check box. The rule
appears in Advanced the cast and the Search rules description box.
Search tab crew Click <people> in the Search rules
description box to open the Cast and Crew Filter box. In the Add
new text box, type the name of the cast or crew member you want to
search for. Click Add. Repeat steps three and four if you searching
for more than one person. Click OK. Any names you add become part
of the search criteria. You can change the search criteria at any
time by clicking the blue underlined text in the rule you want to
change, then modifying the filter that opens. Find all programs
That are rated Click the That are rated <rating> check box in
the <rating> box. The rule appears in the Search rules
Advanced description box. Search tab Click <rating> in the
Search Rules description box to open the Parental Rating Filter
box. In the Select all programs with a parental rating drop-down
menu, select no higher than or no lower than. In the Movies
drop-down menu, select G, PG, PG-13, R, or NC-17. In the Television
drop-down menu, select TVY, TVY7, TVY7FV, TVG, TVPG, TV14, or TVMA.
Click the check box next to Exclude unrated programs to prevent
unrated programs from appearing in the guide. Click OK. The ratings
you add become part of the search criteria. You can change the
search criteria at any time by clicking the blue underlined text in
the rule you want to change, then modifying the filter that opens.
That have a Click the That have a <stars> star rating
<stars> star check box. The rule appears in the Search rating
rules description box. Click <at least a 0.0> in the Search
Rules description box to open the Star Rating Filter box. In the
first All programs with a star rating drop-down menu, select equal
to or at least. In the second All programs with a star rating
drop-down menu, select 0 through 4. Click OK. The star rating you
add becomes part of the search criteria. You can change the search
criteria at any time by clicking the blue underlined text in the
rule you want to change, then modifying the filter that opens.
Appearing on Click the Appearing on <channel> check
<channel> box. The rule appears in the Search rules
description box. Click <channel> in the Search rules
description box to open the Channel Filter box. In the Available
Channels list, select one or more channels. Use Shift + click or
CTRL + shift to select multiple channels. Click the > arrow to
add channels to the Selected Channels list. Click OK. The channels
you add become part of the search criteria. You can change the
search criteria at any time by clicking the blue underlined text in
the appropriate rule, then modifying the filter that opens. With
<specific Click the With <specific words> in the title
words> in the check box. The rule appears in the Search title
rules description box. Click <specific words> in the Search
rules description box to open the Title Filter box. In the Add new
text box, type the words or phrases you want to search for. Click
Add. Repeat steps three and four if you searching for more than one
term. Click OK. Any terms you add become part of the search
criteria.
You can change the search criteria at any time by clicking the blue
underlined text in the rule you want to change, then modifying the
filter that opens. With <specific Click the With <specific
words> in the words> in the description check box. The rule
appears in description the Search rules description box. Click
<specific words> in the Search rules description box to open
the Description Filter box. In the Add new text box, type the words
or phrases you want to search for. Click Add. Repeat steps three
and four if you searching for more than one term. Click OK. Any
terms you add become part of the search criteria. You can change
the search criteria at any time by clicking the blue underlined
text in the rule you want to change, then modifying the filter that
opens. That are not Click the That are not repeats check box.
repeats The rule appears in the Search rules description box and
becomes part of the search criteria. That are Click the That are
HDTV check box. The HDTV rule appears in the Search rules
description box and becomes part of the search criteria. That have
Click the That have <audio-visual options> <audio-visual
check box. The rule appears in the Search options> rules
description box. Click <audio-visual options> in the Search
rules description box to open the Audio- Video Filter box. Select
Closed Captioned, DVS, SAP/ESP, Stereo, or Subtitled. Click OK. Any
of the audio-visual options you add become part of the search
criteria. You can change the search criteria at any time. Click the
blue underlined text in the rule you want to change, then modify
the filter that opens. Advanced Apply button Click Apply to display
results in the main Search buttons content area. Advanced Clear
button Click Clear to clear search criteria. Search buttons
Advanced Save button Click Save to save search criteria. You will
Search buttons be prompted to name this as a new filter. Advanced
Close button Click Close to close the Search Control Search buttons
area. Search History Select a This box displays all of the prior
search tab boxes and search and criteria. buttons click Apply box
Search History Apply button Clicking Apply performs the selected
tab boxes and search. buttons Search History Clear button Clears
search criteria. tab boxes and buttons Search History Save button
Clicking Save opens Save as Filter box. tab boxes and buttons
Search History Close button Click Close to close the Search Control
tab boxes and area. buttons First Timebar Now button Click the Now
button to display programs playing now. First Timebar Hour View
Click the Hour View button to display the button timebar in hour
increments. First Timebar Day View Click the Day View button to
display the button timebar in day increments. First Timebar Scroll
left Click the left scroll arrow to scroll back in arrow time. The
stopping point is the current time in this example embodiment.
First Timebar Thumb Click and hold the thumb to move back and
forward in time. First Timebar Time span Viewed either in hour or
day increments. First Timebar Scroll right Click the right scroll
arrow to move forward arrow in time. The stopping point is two
weeks from the current time in this example embodiment. Details
area Default is for this area to be expanded Details area Watch Now
button Details area Record One Time button Details area Record
Series button Details area Hide Details arrow Main content Program
info Left-click to select, right-click to open drop- area bubble
down menu that displays "Watch Now," "Record Once," "Record
Series," "Alert," and "View Size" shortcuts. Sidebar On Now window
Sidebar Buffer Sidebar/ Live button Transport Controls TKR button
device- specific button Navigation buttons Replay button Skip
button Rewind button Play button Forward button Rec button Pause
button Stop button Channel up/down Star * Menu button
Sidebar/Recorder Currently Status area Recording Upcoming Recording
Recent Shows the last three programs that were Recordings recorded,
date of recording and length of program. Sidebar Display Program
Info Program on TV now (Tuned or Playback of a recorded program)
(typically is the program that corresponds to the current point in
the buffer, as the live buffer can contain multiple programs) Title
Channel Start time & Duration Display the Buffer/Recording
Buffer/Recording length Place in Buffer/Recording Time marker
Current Transport Control Beginning/End of Buffer Provide Remote
Control Buttons Transport Controls D-pad Status - List the
following in chronological order (Channel, Title, Record Status
& Start Time) Next three programs to be recorded Any programs
that are currently recording Last three programs that were
recorded
[0288] G. Table of Functions for Mouse/Touchpad/Eraserhead
TABLE-US-00005 Mouse/Touchpad/ Eraserhead Function Notes
Mouse-overs Display tool tips and/or shortcut key combos Left-Click
Left-click should select the program, so it would both have focus
and be selected. Using the arrow keys would move the focus around
(maintaining the previously made selection) and Enter would select
it.
[0289] H. Table of Functions for Keyboard TABLE-US-00006 Key
Function Notes Tabbing Arrow Keys Navigates from program bubble to
program bubble. Using the arrow keys moves the focus around
(maintaining the previously made selection). Enter Enter selects
the program that has the focus. Ctrl+ . . . Used in shortcut key
combos for view control buttons and to open find a program box.
[0290] Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment"
or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or
characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is
included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the
phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places
throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to
the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features,
structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable
manner in one or more embodiments.
[0291] In addition, the described techniques are applicable to
architectures other than a set-top box architecture or
architectures based upon the MOXI.TM. system. For example, an
equivalent system and applications can be developed for other DVRs
and STBs. The methods and systems discussed herein are applicable
to differing protocols, communication media (optical, wireless,
cable, etc.) and devices (such as wireless handsets, electronic
organizers, personal digital assistants, portable email machines,
game machines, pagers, navigation devices such as GPS receivers,
etc.) able to receive and record such content.
[0292] In the description, numerous specific details have been
given to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments. The
embodiments can be practiced without one or more of the specific
details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In
other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations
are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of
the embodiments. Thus, it will be appreciated that, although
specific embodiments have been described herein for purposes of
illustration, various modifications may be made without deviating
from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the
invention is not limited except as by the appended claims and the
elements recited therein. In addition, while certain aspects of the
invention are presented below in certain claim forms, the inventors
contemplate the various aspects of the invention in any available
claim form. For example, while only some aspects of the invention
may currently be recited as being embodied in a computer-readable
medium, other aspects may likewise be so embodied.
* * * * *