U.S. patent application number 12/613943 was filed with the patent office on 2011-05-12 for audio/visual device touch-based user interface.
Invention is credited to Santiago Carvajal, John Michael Sakalowsky.
Application Number | 20110109560 12/613943 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43973802 |
Filed Date | 2011-05-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110109560 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Carvajal; Santiago ; et
al. |
May 12, 2011 |
Audio/Visual Device Touch-Based User Interface
Abstract
A user interface for an audio/visual device incorporates one or
both of a touch sensor having a touch surface on which is defined a
racetrack surface having a ring shape and a display element on
which is displayed a racetrack menu also having a ring shape, and
where the user interface incorporates both, the ring shapes of the
racetrack surface and the racetrack menu are structured to
generally correspond such that the position of a marker on the
racetrack menu is caused to correspond to the position at which a
digit of a user's hand touches the racetrack surface.
Inventors: |
Carvajal; Santiago; (West
Newton, MA) ; Sakalowsky; John Michael; (West Newton,
MA) |
Family ID: |
43973802 |
Appl. No.: |
12/613943 |
Filed: |
November 6, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
345/173 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 21/42224 20130101;
G06F 3/03547 20130101; H04N 21/47217 20130101; H04N 21/47 20130101;
G06F 3/0482 20130101; G06F 3/0362 20130101; H04N 5/44543 20130101;
H04N 21/4312 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
345/173 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/041 20060101
G06F003/041 |
Claims
1. An apparatus comprising: a touch sensor having a touch-sensitive
surface that is manually operable with a digit of a hand of a user;
a racetrack surface having a ring shape defined on the
touch-sensitive surface to encompass at least a portion of the
touch-sensitive surface and operable by the digit; a processing
device; and a storage accessible to the processing device and
storing a sequence of instructions that when executed by the
processing device, causes the processing device to: receive an
indication of the digit touching the racetrack surface at a
position on the racetrack surface; in response to the indication of
the digit touching the racetrack surface at the position, cause a
marker to be visually displayed at a location that corresponds to
the position on the racetrack surface on a menu that is visually
displayed on a display element; receive an indication of the
position at which the digit touches the racetrack surface being
moved about the racetrack surface; in response to the indication of
the position being moved about the racetrack surface, cause the
marker to be moved about the menu in a manner that corresponds to
the manner in which the position is being moved about the
racetrack; receive an indication of the user increasing the
pressure with which the user's digit touches the racetrack surface
at the position at a time subsequent to the position being moved
about the racetrack; and in response to the indication of the user
increasing pressure with which the user's digit touches the
racetrack surface at the position, cause a menu item displayed in
the vicinity of the marker to be selected, wherein causing the menu
item to be selected comprises taking an action to cause an
audio/visual program to be selected for playing.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch-sensitive surface of
the touch sensor has a ring shape that defines the ring shape of
the racetrack surface such that the racetrack surface encompasses
substantially all of the touch-sensitive surface.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising: a manually
operable control; and a casing on which the touch sensor and the
manually operable control are both disposed, wherein the touch
sensor is disposed on the casing relative to the manually operable
control such that the touch-sensitive surface surrounds the
manually operable control.
4. The apparatus of the claim 3, further comprising a source
interface operable to transmit commands to a source of the
audio/visual program, wherein execution of the sequence of
instructions by the processing device further causes the processing
device to: receive an indication of the manually-operable control
being operated; and in response to the indication of the
manually-operable control being operated, operate the source
interface to transmit a command to the source to cause the source
to visually display a navigation menu of the source on the display
element.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the touch-sensitive surface
of the touch sensor is a continuous surface having no hole
interrupting the touch-sensitive surface formed therethrough; the
ring shape of the racetrack surface is defined on the
touch-sensitive surface to encompass a first portion of the
touch-sensitive surface and is defined to be positioned about the
periphery of the touch-sensitive surface so as to surround a second
portion of the touch-sensitive surface; and a navigation surface is
defined on the touch-sensitive surface to encompass the second
portion.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein at least one ridge is formed
in the touch-sensitive surface, and wherein the at least one ridge
also at least partly defines the ring shape of the racetrack
surface.
7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the processing device is
caused by the sequence of instructions to define the first and
second portions of the touch-sensitive surface by: monitoring
activity on the touch-sensitive surface; treating the receipt of an
indication of the digit touching the touch-sensitive surface at a
location within the first portion as the indication of the digit
touching the racetrack surface at the position; treating the
receipt of an indication of the digit touching the touch-sensitive
surface at a location within the second portion as an indication of
the digit operating a navigation control; and in response to the
indication of the digit touching the navigation control, causing a
command to be transmitted to a source of the audio/visual program
to operate a function of another menu associated with the
source.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the menu has a ring shape that
substantially corresponds to the ring shape of the racetrack
surface.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the ring shape of both the
racetrack surface and the menu is a rectangular ring shape such
that the racetrack surface comprises four sides and the menu
comprises four sides that correspond to the four sides of the
racetrack surface.
10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the ring shape of the menu
surrounds a display area in which a visual portion of the
audio/visual program is displayed at a time when the audio/visual
program is played.
11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein execution of the sequence of
instructions by the processing device further causes the processing
device to cause the menu to be visually displayed in response to
the indication of the digit touching the racetrack surface at the
position at a time when the menu is not being visually
displayed.
12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein execution of the sequence of
instructions by the processing device further causes the processing
device to: cause the menu to be visually displayed in response to
the indication of the digit touching the racetrack surface followed
by an indication of the digit moving about the racetrack surface in
a wiping motion starting at the position at a time when the menu is
not being visually displayed; and cause a command concerning
playing the audio/visual program to be transmitted to a source of
the audio/visual program in response to the indication of the digit
touching the racetrack surface followed by an indication of the
digit ceasing to touch the racetrack surface at a time when the
menu is not being visually displayed.
13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein execution of the sequence of
instructions by the processing device further causes the processing
device to: cause the menu to be visually displayed in response to
the indication of the digit touching the racetrack surface followed
by an indication of the digit remaining in contact with the
racetrack surface for at least a predetermined period of time at a
time when the menu is not being visually displayed; and cause a
command concerning playing the audio/visual program to be
transmitted to a source of the audio/visual program in response to
the indication of the digit touching the racetrack surface followed
by an indication of the digit ceasing to touch the racetrack
surface at a time when the menu is not being visually
displayed.
14. An method comprising: receiving an indication of a digit of a
hand of a user touching a racetrack surface at a position on the
racetrack surface, wherein the racetrack surface is defined on a
touch-sensitive surface of a touch sensor to encompass at least a
portion of the touch-sensitive surface and is operable by the
digit; in response to the indication of the digit touching the
racetrack surface at the position, causing a marker to be visually
displayed at a location that corresponds to the position on the
racetrack surface on a menu that is visually displayed on a display
element; receiving an indication of the position at which the digit
touches the racetrack surface being moved about the racetrack
surface; in response to the indication of the position being moved
about the racetrack surface, causing the marker to be moved about
the menu in a manner that corresponds to the manner in which the
position is being moved about the racetrack; receiving an
indication of the user increasing the pressure with which the
user's digit touches the racetrack surface at the position at a
time subsequent to receiving the indication of the position being
moved about the racetrack; and in response to the indication of the
user increasing pressure with which the user's digit touches the
racetrack surface at the position, causing a menu item displayed in
the vicinity of the marker to be selected, wherein causing the menu
item to be selected comprises taking an action to cause an
audio/visual program to be selected for playing.
15. The method of claim 14, further comprising defining the
racetrack surface on a first portion of the touch-sensitive surface
and defining a navigation surface on a second portion of the
touch-sensitive surface such that the ring shape of the racetrack
surface surrounds the navigation surface by: monitoring activity on
the touch-sensitive surface; treating the receipt of an indication
of the digit touching the touch-sensitive surface at a location
within the first portion as the receiving of the indication of the
digit touching the racetrack surface at the position; treating the
receipt of an indication of the digit touching the touch-sensitive
surface at a location within the second portion as receiving an
indication of the digit operating a navigation control; and in
response to the indication of the digit touching the navigation
control, causing a command to be transmitted to a source of the
audio/visual program to operate a function of another menu
associated with the source.
16. The method of claim 14, further comprising displaying the menu
on the display element with a ring shape that substantially
corresponds to the ring shape of the racetrack surface.
17. The method of claim 16, further comprising surrounding a
display area on the display element with the menu, wherein a visual
portion of the audio/visual program is displayed in the display
area at a time when the audio/visual program is played.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein the ring shape of both the
racetrack surface and the menu is a rectangular ring shape such
that the racetrack surface comprises four sides and the menu
comprises four sides that correspond to the four sides of the
racetrack surface.
19. The method of claim 14, further comprising displaying the menu
on the display element in response to the indication of the digit
touching the racetrack surface at the position at a time when the
menu is not being visually displayed.
20. The method of claim 14, further comprising: displaying the menu
on the display element in response to the indication of the digit
touching the racetrack surface followed by receiving an indication
of the digit moving about the racetrack surface in a wiping motion
starting at the position at a time when the menu is not being
visually displayed; and transmitting a command concerning playing
the audio/visual program to a source of the audio/visual program in
response to the indication of the digit touching the racetrack
surface followed by receiving an indication of the digit ceasing to
touch the racetrack surface at a time when the menu is not being
visually displayed.
21. The method of claim 14, further comprising: displaying the menu
on the display element in response to the indication of the digit
touching the racetrack surface followed by receiving an indication
of the digit remaining in contact with the racetrack surface for at
least a predetermined period of time at a time when the menu is not
being visually displayed; and transmitting a command concerning
playing the audio/visual program to a source of the audio/visual
program in response to the indication of the digit touching the
racetrack surface followed by receiving an indication of the digit
ceasing to touch the racetrack surface at a time when the menu is
not being visually displayed.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This disclosure relates to user interfaces incorporating a
visual display and/or a touch-sensitive control.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Part of enjoying the playing of an audio/visual program
(e.g., a piece of music, a recorded lecture, a recorded live
performance, a movie, a slideshow, family pictures, an episode of a
television program, etc.) is the task of selecting the desired
audio/visual program to be played. Unfortunately, the increasing
variety of choices of sources of audio/visual programs and the
increasing variety of mechanisms by which audio/visual programs are
able to be stored and played has greatly complicated what was once
the relatively simple act of watching or listening to the playing
of an audio/visual program to enjoy it.
[0003] For example, those wishing to "tune in" an audio/visual
program being broadcast must now select a channel on which to view
an audio/visual program from as many as 500 channels available
through typical cable and/or satellite connections for television
and/or radio. Further, it has become commonplace to employ
audio/visual devices that are able to be programmed to autonomously
tune in and record an audio/visual program for playing at a later
time. Still further, it is now becoming increasingly commonplace to
obtain audio/visual programs from websites accessible through the
Internet, either by receiving those audio/visual programs as
streaming data while they are played, or downloading those
audio/visual programs as a storable digital file on an audio/visual
device for playing at a later time. Yet further, some of these
possible sources of audio/visual programs require paid
subscriptions for which key cards and/or decryption keys are
required to gain access to at least some audio/visual programs.
[0004] Those seeking to avail themselves of even a modest subset of
such a wide array of options for playing an audio/visual program
have often found themselves having to obtain multiple audio/visual
devices (e.g., tuners, descramblers, disc media players, video
recorders, web access devices, digital file players, televisions,
visual displays without tuners, etc.). Each such audio/visual
device often has a unique user interface, and more often than not,
is accompanied by a separate handheld wireless remote control by
which it is operated. Attempts have been made to grapple with the
resulting plethora of remote controls that often accompany a
multitude of audio/visual devices by providing so-called "universal
remotes" enabling multiple audio/visual devices to be operated
using a single remote control. However, a universal remote tends to
go only so far in satisfying the desire of many users to simplify
the coordination required in the operation of multiple audio/visual
devices to perform the task of playing an audio/visual program.
[0005] Efforts have recently been made through cooperation among
multiple purveyors of audio/visual devices to further ease the
coordinated operation of multiple audio/visual devices through the
adoption of standardized command codes and various approaches to
coupling multiple audio/visual devices to enable the exchange of
those standardized command codes among multiple audio/visual
devices. An example of this effort is the CEC standardized command
set created as part of the HDMI interface specification promulgated
by HDMI Licensing, LLC of Sunnyvale, Calif. However, these efforts,
even in conjunction with a universal remote, still only go so far
in making the playing of an audio/visual program into a truly
simple undertaking.
SUMMARY
[0006] A user interface for an audio/visual device incorporates one
or both of a touch sensor having a touch surface on which is
defined a racetrack surface having a ring shape and a display
element on which is displayed a racetrack menu also having a ring
shape, and where the user interface incorporates both, the ring
shapes of the racetrack surface and the racetrack menu are
structured to generally correspond such that the position of a
marker on the racetrack menu is caused to correspond to the
position at which a digit of a user's hand touches the racetrack
surface.
[0007] In one aspect, an apparatus includes a display element
capable of visually displaying a visual portion of an audio/visual
program and a racetrack menu having a ring shape; a processing
device; and a storage accessible to the processing device and
storing a sequence of instructions. When the sequence of
instructions is executed by the processing device, the processing
device is caused to: cause the racetrack menu to be visually
displayed on the display element such that the racetrack menu
surrounds a first display area in which the visual portion of the
audio/visual program may be visually displayed; cause a plurality
of menu items to be visually displayed in the racetrack menu; cause
a first marker to be visually displayed in the racetrack menu;
receive an indication that a first manually-operable control is
being operated to move the first marker; in response to the
indication of the first manually-operable control being operated to
move the first marker, move the first marker about the racetrack
menu and constrain movement of the first marker to remain within
the racetrack menu; receive an indication of the first
manually-operable control being operated to select a menu item of
the plurality of menu items that is in the vicinity of the first
marker at a time subsequent to the first manually-operable control
being operated to move the first marker about the racetrack; and in
response to the indication of the first manually-operable control
being operated to select the menu item that is in the vicinity of
the first marker, cause the menu item to be selected, wherein
causing the menu item to be selected comprises taking an action to
cause the audio/visual program to be selected for playing.
[0008] Implementations may include, and are not limited to, one or
more of the following features. The touch-sensitive surface of the
touch sensor may have a ring shape that defines the ring shape of
the racetrack surface such that the racetrack surface encompasses
substantially all of the touch-sensitive surface. The apparatus may
further include a manually operable control, and a casing wherein
the touch sensor is disposed on the casing relative to the manually
operable control such that the touch-sensitive surface surrounds
the manually operable control.
[0009] Alternatively, the touch-sensitive surface of the touch
sensor may be a continuous surface having no hole interrupting the
touch-sensitive surface formed therethrough, where the ring shape
of the racetrack surface is defined on the touch-sensitive surface
to encompass a first portion of the touch-sensitive surface and is
defined to be positioned about the periphery of the touch-sensitive
surface so as to surround a second portion of the touch-sensitive
surface, and a navigation surface is defined on the touch-sensitive
surface to encompass the second portion. At least one ridge may be
formed in the touch-sensitive surface, wherein the at least one
ridge also at least partly defines the ring shape of the racetrack
surface. The processing device may be caused by the sequence of
instructions to define the first and second portions of the
touch-sensitive surface by: monitoring activity on the
touch-sensitive surface; treating the receipt of an indication of
the digit touching the touch-sensitive surface at a location within
the first portion as the indication of the digit touching the
racetrack surface at the position; treating the receipt of an
indication of the digit touching the touch-sensitive surface at a
location within the second portion as an indication of the digit
operating a navigation control; and in response to the indication
of the digit touching the navigation control, causing a command to
be transmitted to a source of the audio/visual program to operate a
function of another menu associated with the source.
[0010] The apparatus may further include a source interface
operable to transmit commands to a source of the audio/visual
program; wherein execution of the sequence of instructions by the
processing device further causes the processing device to receive
an indication of the manually-operable control being operated; and
in response to the indication of the manually-operable control
being operated, operate the source interface to transmit a command
to the source to cause the source to visually display a navigation
menu of the source on the display element. The menu may have a ring
shape that substantially corresponds to the ring shape of the
racetrack surface. The ring shape of both the racetrack surface and
the menu may be a rectangular ring shape such that the racetrack
surface comprises four sides and the menu comprises four sides that
correspond to the four sides of the racetrack surface. The ring
shape of the menu may surround a display area in which a visual
portion of the audio/visual program is displayed at a time when the
audio/visual program is played.
[0011] Execution of the sequence of instructions by the processing
device may further causes the processing device to cause the menu
to be visually displayed in response to the indication of the digit
touching the racetrack surface at the position at a time when the
menu is not being visually displayed. Execution of the sequence of
instructions by the processing device may further cause the
processing device to cause the menu to be visually displayed in
response to the indication of the digit touching the racetrack
surface followed by an indication of the digit moving about the
racetrack surface in a wiping motion starting at the position at a
time when the menu is not being visually displayed; and cause a
command concerning playing the audio/visual program to be
transmitted to a source of the audio/visual program in response to
the indication of the digit touching the racetrack surface followed
by an indication of the digit ceasing to touch the racetrack
surface at a time when the menu is not being visually displayed.
Execution of the sequence of instructions by the processing device
may further cause the processing device to cause the menu to be
visually displayed in response to the indication of the digit
touching the racetrack surface followed by an indication of the
digit remaining in contact with the racetrack surface for at least
a predetermined period of time at a time when the menu is not being
visually displayed; and cause a command concerning playing the
audio/visual program to be transmitted to a source of the
audio/visual program in response to the indication of the digit
touching the racetrack surface followed by an indication of the
digit ceasing to touch the racetrack surface at a time when the
menu is not being visually displayed.
[0012] In one aspect, a method includes receiving an indication of
a digit of a hand of a user touching a racetrack surface at a
position on the racetrack surface, wherein the racetrack surface is
defined on a touch-sensitive surface of a touch sensor to encompass
at least a portion of the touch-sensitive surface and is operable
by the digit; in response to the indication of the digit touching
the racetrack surface at the position, causing a marker to be
visually displayed at a location that corresponds to the position
on the racetrack surface on a menu that is visually displayed on a
display element; receiving an indication of the position at which
the digit touches the racetrack surface being moved about the
racetrack surface; in response to the indication of the position
being moved about the racetrack surface, causing the marker to be
moved about the menu in a manner that corresponds to the manner in
which the position is being moved about the racetrack; receiving an
indication of the user increasing the pressure with which the
user's digit touches the racetrack surface at the position at a
time subsequent to receiving the indication of the position being
moved about the racetrack; and in response to the indication of the
user increasing pressure with which the user's digit touches the
racetrack surface at the position, causing a menu item displayed in
the vicinity of the marker to be selected, wherein causing the menu
item to be selected comprises taking an action to cause an
audio/visual program to be selected for playing.
[0013] Implementations may include, and are not limited to, one or
more of the following features. The method may further include
defining the racetrack surface on a first portion of the
touch-sensitive surface and defining a navigation surface on a
second portion of the touch-sensitive surface such that the ring
shape of the racetrack surface surrounds the navigation surface by:
monitoring activity on the touch-sensitive surface; treating the
receipt of an indication of the digit touching the touch-sensitive
surface at a location within the first portion as the receiving of
the indication of the digit touching the racetrack surface at the
position; treating the receipt of an indication of the digit
touching the touch-sensitive surface at a location within the
second portion as receiving an indication of the digit operating a
navigation control; and in response to the indication of the digit
touching the navigation control, causing a command to be
transmitted to a source of the audio/visual program to operate a
function of another menu associated with the source. Alternatively
and/or additionally, the method may further include displaying the
menu on the display element with a ring shape that substantially
corresponds to the ring shape of the racetrack surface; and perhaps
further include surrounding a display area on the display element
with the menu, wherein a visual portion of the audio/visual program
is displayed in the display area at a time when the audio/visual
program is played. The ring shape of both the racetrack surface and
the menu may be a rectangular ring shape such that the racetrack
surface comprises four sides and the menu comprises four sides that
correspond to the four sides of the racetrack surface.
[0014] The method may further include displaying the menu on the
display element in response to the indication of the digit touching
the racetrack surface at the position at a time when the menu is
not being visually displayed. The method may further include
displaying the menu on the display element in response to the
indication of the digit touching the racetrack surface followed by
receiving an indication of the digit moving about the racetrack
surface in a wiping motion starting at the position at a time when
the menu is not being visually displayed; and transmitting a
command concerning playing the audio/visual program to a source of
the audio/visual program in response to the indication of the digit
touching the racetrack surface followed by receiving an indication
of the digit ceasing to touch the racetrack surface at a time when
the menu is not being visually displayed. The method may further
include displaying the menu on the display element in response to
the indication of the digit touching the racetrack surface followed
by receiving an indication of the digit remaining in contact with
the racetrack surface for at least a predetermined period of time
at a time when the menu is not being visually displayed; and
transmitting a command concerning playing the audio/visual program
to a source of the audio/visual program in response to the
indication of the digit touching the racetrack surface followed by
receiving an indication of the digit ceasing to touch the racetrack
surface at a time when the menu is not being visually
displayed.
[0015] Other features and advantages of the invention will be
apparent from the description and claims that follow.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a user
interface.
[0017] FIG. 2 depicts correlations between movement of a digit on a
racetrack sensor of the user interface of FIG. 1 and movement of a
marker on a racetrack menu of the user interface of FIG. 1.
[0018] FIGS. 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d, together, depict possible variants
of the user interface of FIG. 1 incorporating different forms and
combinations of markers.
[0019] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a possible architecture of the
user interface of FIG. 1.
[0020] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the
user interface of FIG. 1 combining more of the features of the user
interface into a single device.
[0021] FIG. 6 depicts a possibility of switching between displaying
and not displaying the racetrack menu of the user interface of FIG.
1.
[0022] FIGS. 7a and 7b, together, depict additional possible
details of the user interface of FIG. 1.
[0023] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the embodiment of the user
interface of FIG. 5, additionally incorporating the possible
details of FIGS. 7a and 7b.
[0024] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the controller of the
architecture of FIG. 4.
[0025] FIGS. 10a and 10b, together, depict possible variants of the
touch sensor employed in the user interface of FIG. 1.
[0026] FIGS. 11a and 11b, together, depict possible variants of the
user interface of FIG. 1 incorporating more than one display
area.
[0027] FIG. 12 depicts another embodiment of the user interface of
FIG. 1 in which the racetrack menu and the display area surrounded
by the racetrack menu do not occupy substantially all of a display
element.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] What is disclosed and what is claimed herein is intended to
be applicable to a wide variety of audio/visual devices, i.e.,
devices that are structured to be employed by a user to play an
audio/visual program. It should be noted that although various
specific embodiments of audio/visual devices (e.g., televisions,
set-top boxes and hand-held remotes) are presented with some degree
of detail, such presentations of specific embodiments are intended
to facilitate understanding through the use of examples, and should
not be taken as limiting either the scope of disclosure or the
scope of claim coverage.
[0029] It is intended that what is disclosed and what is claimed
herein is applicable to audio/visual devices that employ a tuner
and/or a network interface to receive an audio/visual program. It
is intended that what is disclosed and what is claimed herein is
applicable to audio/visual devices structured to cooperate with
other devices to play an audio/visual program and/or to cause an
audio/visual program to be played. It is intended that what is
disclosed and what is claimed herein is applicable to audio/visual
devices that are wirelessly connected to other devices, that are
connected to other devices through electrically and/or optically
conductive cabling, or that are not connected to any other device,
at all. It is intended that what is disclosed and what is claimed
herein is applicable to audio/visual devices having physical
configurations structured to be either portable or not. Still other
configurations of audio/visual devices to which what is disclosed
and what is claimed herein are applicable will be apparent to those
skilled in the art.
[0030] FIG. 1 depicts a user interface 1000 enabling a user's
hand-eye coordination to be employed to more intuitively operate at
least one audio/visual device to select and play an audio/visual
program. The user interface 1000 incorporates a displayed
"racetrack" menu 150 and a corresponding "racetrack" surface 250.
As depicted, the user interface 1000 is implemented by an
interoperable set of devices that include at least an audio/visual
device 100 and a handheld remote control 200, and as will be
explained in greater detail, may further include another
audio/visual device 900. However, as will also be explained in
greater detail, the user interface 1000 may be substantially fully
implemented by a single audio/visual device, such as the
audio/visual device 100.
[0031] The racetrack menu 150 is visually displayed on a display
element 120 disposed on a casing 110 of the audio/visual device
100, and as depicted, the audio/visual device 100 is a flat panel
display device such as a television, employing a flat panel form of
the display element 120 such as a liquid crystal display (LCD)
element or a plasma display element. Further, the audio/visual
device 100 may further incorporate acoustic drivers 130 to
acoustically output sound. However, as those skilled in the art
will readily recognize, the racetrack menu 150 may be displayed by
any of a variety of types, configurations and sizes of audio/visual
device, whether portable or stationary, including and not limited
to, a projector or a handheld device.
[0032] The racetrack surface 250 is defined on a touch-sensitive
surface 225 of a touch sensor 220 disposed on a casing 210 of the
handheld remote control 200, and as depicted, the touch-sensitive
surface 225 has a rectangular ring shape that physically defines
the shape and position of the racetrack surface 250 such that the
racetrack surface 250 encompasses substantially all of the
touch-sensitive surface of the touch sensor 220. However, as those
skilled in the art will readily recognize, the touch sensor 220 may
be incorporated into any of a wide variety of devices, whether
portable or stationary, including and not limited to, a
wall-mounted control panel or a keyboard. Further, it is also
envisioned that the touch sensor 220 may have a variant of the
touch-sensitive surface 225 (see FIG. 2) that is of a shape other
than a ring shape with the racetrack surface 250 defined on that
variant of the touch-sensitive surface 225 in another way such that
the racetrack surface 250 encompasses only a subset of that variant
of the touch-sensitive surface 225 of the touch sensor 220.
Further, the touch sensor 220 may be based on any of a variety of
technologies.
[0033] As depicted, both the racetrack menu 150 and the racetrack
surface 250 have a ring shape that is a generally rectangular ring
shape with corresponding sets of four sides. More specifically, the
four sides 150a, 150b, 150c and 150d of the racetrack menu 150 are
arranged to correspond to the four sides 250a, 250b, 250c and 250d
of the racetrack surface 250. This four-sided nature of both of the
racetrack menu 150 and the racetrack surface 250 are meant to
accommodate the rectilinear nature of the vast majority of display
elements currently found in audio/visual devices and the
rectilinear nature of the visual portion of the vast majority of
currently existing audio/visual programs that have a visual
portion. However, it is important to note that although the
racetrack menu 150 and the racetrack surface 250 are depicted and
discussed herein as having a rectangular ring shape, other
embodiments are possible in which the ring shape adopted by the
racetrack surface 250 has a circular ring shape, an oval ring
shape, a hexagonal ring shape or still other geometric variants of
a ring shape. Further, where the racetrack menu 150 and/or the
racetrack surface 250 have a ring shape that is other than a
rectangular ring shape, one or both of the display element 120 and
the touch sensor 220 may have a shape other than the rectangular
shapes depicted herein.
[0034] As will be explained in greater detail, the four sides
150a-d of the racetrack menu 150 surround or overlie the edges of a
display area 950 in which the visual portion of an audio/visual
program selected via the user interface 1000 may be played. It is
this positioning of the racetrack menu 150 about the periphery of
the display element 120 and the display area 950 (whether
surrounding or overlying the periphery of the display area 950)
that supplies the impetus for both the racetrack menu 150 and the
racetrack surface 250 having a ring shape that is generally a
rectangular ring shape, rather than a ring shape of some other
geometry. Where a selected audio/visual program does not have a
visual portion (e.g., the audio/visual program is an audio
recording having only an audio portion), the display area 950 may
remain blank (e.g., display only a black or blue background color)
or display status information concerning the playing of the
selected audio/visual program as the selected audio/visual program
is played, perhaps with the audio portion being acoustically output
by the acoustic drivers 130. As depicted, the four sides 150a-d of
the racetrack menu 150 are displayed by the display element 120 at
the edges of the display element 120. However, it is also
envisioned that the four sides 150a-d of the racetrack menu 150 may
be positioned about the edges of a "window" of a graphical user
interface of the type commonly employed in the operation of typical
computer systems, perhaps where the audio/visual device 100 is a
computer system on which audio/visual programs are selected and
played through the user interface 1000.
[0035] As shown in FIG. 2, at various positions along one or more
of the four sides 150a-d of the racetrack menu 150 are menu items
155 that may be selected by a user of the user interface 1000. The
menu items 155 may include alphanumeric characters (such as those
depicted as positioned along the side 150a) that may be selected to
specify a channel or a website from which to select and/or receive
an audio/visual program, symbols (such as those depicted as
positioned along the side 150b) representing commands to control
the operation of an audio/visual device capable of playing an
audio/visual program (e.g., "play" and "stop" commands for a video
cassette recorder, a disc media player, or solid state digital file
player, etc.), and indicators of inputs (such as those depicted as
positioned along the side 150c) to an audio/visual device that may
be selected and through which an audio/visual program may be
selected and/or received. Although the various menu items 155
positioned along the racetrack menu 150 could conceivably serve any
of a wide variety of purposes, it is envisioned that much of the
functionality of the menu items 155 will be related to enabling a
user to select an audio/visual program for playing, and/or to
actually play an audio/visual program.
[0036] To operate the user interface 1000, a user places the tip of
a digit of one of their hands (i.e., the tip of a thumb or finger)
on a portion of the racetrack surface 250 defined on the
touch-sensitive surface 225 of the touch sensor 220, and a marker
160 is displayed on a portion of the racetrack menu 150 that has a
position on the racetrack menu 150 that corresponds to the position
260 on the racetrack surface 250 at which the tip of their digit is
in contact with the touch-sensitive surface 225 of the touch sensor
250. FIG. 2 also depicts how the marker 160 moves about and is
constrained to moving about the racetrack menu 150 to maintain a
correspondence between its location on the racetrack menu 150 and
the position 260 of the digit on the racetrack surface 250 as the
user moves that digit about the racetrack surface 250. In some
embodiments, the marker 160 may move about the racetrack menu 150
in a manner in which the marker 160 "snaps" from being centered
about one menu item 155 to an adjacent menu item 155 as the marker
160 is moved about a portion of the racetrack menu 150 having
adjacent ones of the menu items 155. Further, such "snapping" of
the marker 160 between adjacent ones of the menu items 155 may be
accompanied by the concurrent acoustic output of some form of sound
(e.g., a "click" or "beep" sound that accompanies each "snap" of
the marker 160) to provide further feedback to a user of the marker
160 moving from one such menu item 155 to another.
[0037] When the marker 160 is positioned over a menu item 155 that
the user wishes to select, the user selects that menu item 155 by
pressing whichever one of their digits that is already in contact
with the racetrack surface 250 with greater pressure than was used
in simply placing that digit in contact with the racetrack surface
250. In some embodiments, the touch sensor 220, itself, is capable
of distinguishing different degrees of pressure with which the
digit is put into contact with the touch-sensitive surface 225 of
the touch sensor 220 on which the racetrack surface 250 is defined
in order to distinguish an instance in which the user is pressing
harder with that digit to select one of the menu items 155. In
other embodiments, the touch sensor 220 is able to function in a
manner not unlike a mechanically depressible button in which the
additional pressure applied through that digit by the user causes
the touch sensor 220 to be pressed inward towards the casing 210 as
part of selecting a menu item. This may be accomplished by
overlying one or more buttons disposed within the casing 210 with
the touch sensor 220 so that such buttons are depressed by the
touch sensor 220 as the touch sensor 220 is itself depressed
towards the casing 210. Where the touch sensor 220 is able to be
pressed inward towards the casing 210, such inward movement may be
accompanied by a "click" sound that may be heard by the user and/or
a tactile "snap" sensation that can be sensed by the user through
their digit to give the user some degree of positive feedback that
they've successfully selected one of the menu items 155. Regardless
of whether the touch sensor 220 is able to be pressed inward
towards the casing 210, or not, a "click" or other sound
accompanying the user's use of increased pressure on the racetrack
surface 250 to select one of the menu items 155 may be acoustically
output through an acoustic driver (not shown) incorporated into the
remote control 200 and/or through the acoustic drivers 130 of the
audio/visual device 100.
[0038] FIGS. 3a, 3b and 3c depict other variations of forms of
marker and combinations of markers. As will be made clear,
different forms of marker and combinations of multiple markers may
be used to enhance the rapidity with which the eyes of a user of
the user interface 1000 is drawn to a specific location on the
racetrack menu 150, and to aid the hand-eye coordination of that
user.
[0039] Although the marker 160 was depicted in FIG. 2 as taking the
form of a box-shaped graphical element sized to surround one of the
menu items 155 at a time when positioned in the vicinity of one or
more of the menu items 155, FIG. 3a depicts another variant of the
marker 160 having the form of a triangular pointer. Still other
possible graphical representations of the marker 160 will occur to
those skilled in the art, such as forms of the marker 160 having
other geometric shapes (e.g., a dot, a circle, an arrow, etc.) or
other ways of being positioned in the vicinity of a given one of
the menu items 155 (e.g., overlying, surrounding, pointing to,
touching, etc., one of the menu items 155). Still further, instead
of the marker being a graphical element that is separate and
distinct from any of the menu items 155, the marker 160 may instead
be a modified form of a given one of the menu items 155, such as a
change in a color of a menu item, an enlargement of a menu item in
comparison to others, or some form of recurring animation or
movement imparted to a menu item. In other words, the position of
the marker 160 (and by extension, the position 260 of the tip of a
digit on the racetrack surface 250) may be indicated by one of the
menu items 155 changing color, changing font, becoming larger,
becoming brighter, or being visually altered in comparison to the
others of the menu items 155 in any of a number of ways to draw a
user's eyes to it.
[0040] FIG. 3a also depicts an optional additional marker 165 that
follows the location of the marker 160 and provides a visual
"highlight" of which one of the four sides 150a-d the marker 160 is
currently positioned within as a visual aid to enable a user's eyes
to be more quickly directed to that one of the four sides 150a-d
when looking at the racetrack menu 150. Though not specifically
depicted, in other embodiments, the additional marker 165 may be
implemented as a highlighting, change in color, change in
background color, change in font, enlargement or other visual
alteration made to all of the menu items 155 that are positioned in
that one of the four sides 150a-d.
[0041] FIG. 3b depicts the manner in which the marker 160 may be
dynamically resized as it is moved about the racetrack menu 150,
especially in embodiments where the marker 160 is of a form that in
some way overlaps or surrounds one of the menu items 155 at a time
in order to take into account the different sizes of different ones
of the menu items 155. More specifically, and as depicted in FIG.
3b, the numeral "3" has visibly smaller dimensions (i.e., occupies
less space in the racetrack menu 150) than does the numeral "Ill"
that is also present on the same racetrack menu 150. Thus, when the
depicted form of the marker 160 (i.e., the "box" form of the marker
160 that has been discussed at length) is positioned on one or the
other of these two particular ones of the menu items 155, the
marker 160 is resized to be larger or smaller as needed to take
into account the different sizes of these two particular ones of
the menu items 155.
[0042] FIG. 3c also depicts an optional additional marker 162 that
follows the location of the marker 160 and provides a more precise
visual indication than does the marker 160 of the position 260 of
the tip of a user's finger along a corresponding portion of the
racetrack surface 250. As depicted, the marker 162 takes the form
of what might be called a "dash" positioned along one of the edges
of the box form of the marker 160. However, it should be noted that
the marker 162 may take any of a variety of forms (e.g., a dot, a
circle, an arrow, etc.). The provision of the marker 162 may be
deemed desirable in embodiments where the marker 160 moves in the
manner previously described in which the marker 160 "snaps" between
adjacent ones of the menu items 155 such that the marker 160 does
not, itself, provide as precise an indication of the position 260
of the tip of the user's digit. More specifically, FIG. 3c depicts
a succession of views of a portion of the racetrack menu 150 on
which menu items 155 taking the form of the numerals "1" through
"5" are positioned. As can be seen in this depicted succession, the
marker 162 provides a more precise indication of the movement of
the position 260 of the tip of the user's digit along a portion of
the racetrack surface 250 from left to right than does the marker
160 which remains on the one of the menu items 155 having the form
of the numeral "2" on this portion of the racetrack menu 150. Such
a higher precision indication of the position 260 of the tip of the
user's digit may aid the user in improving their hand-eye
coordination in operating the user interface 1000. Such a higher
precision indication of the position 260 may also provide a user
with some degree of reassurance that the user interface 1000 is
responding to their actions (or more specifically, whatever
processing device is incorporated into the user interface 1000 is
responding to their actions) by seeing that the exact position 260
of the tip of their digit is being successfully detected.
[0043] FIG. 3d depicts yet another alternate variation of the
marker 160 in a variant of the user interface 1000 in which the
racetrack menu 150 is divided into multiple segments, with each
such segment serving as a background to one of the menu items 155.
As depicted, the marker 160 is implemented as both a change in the
color and/or brightness of one of those segments of the racetrack
menu 150 and an enlarging of the graphical element representing the
one of the menu items 155 (specifically, the numeral "3")
positioned within that segment. As so depicted, the marker 160
might be said to have a form that is a variant of the
earlier-depicted box, but a box that is made visible by having a
color and/or brightness that differs from the rest of the racetrack
menu 150, rather than a box that is made visible by a border or
outline. FIG. 3d also depicts this alternate variation of the
marker 160 being used in combination with the earlier-described
additional marker 162 that provides a more precise indication of
the position 260 of the tip of a user's digit along a portion of
the racetrack surface 250.
[0044] FIG. 3d also depicts how this variant of the marker 160 is
resized to accommodate the different sizes of the different ones of
the menu items 155, although this resizing now corresponds to the
differing dimensions of different ones of the segments into which
the racetrack menu 150 is divided. In some variants, each of the
segments may be individually sized to fit the visual size and shape
of its corresponding one of the menu items 155, as depicted in FIG.
3d. Thus, since the numeral "3" of one of the menu items 155 is
smaller in at least one dimension than the numeral "III" of another
one of the menu items 155 (even with the numeral "3" being enlarged
in font size), the segment of the racetrack menu 150 in which the
numeral "3" is positioned is smaller than the segment in which the
numeral "III" is positioned. However, in other variants, the
segments filling at least one of the four sides 150a-d may all be
sized based on the quantity of the menu items 155 positioned in
that one of the four sides so as to divide that one of the four
sides 150a-d into equal-sized segments. Where the ones of the menu
items 155 along that one of the four sides 150a-d may change in
response to a selection of an input or for other reasons, the size
of the segments in that one of the four sides 150a-d may change in
response to a change in quantity of the menu items 155 positioned
in that one of the four sides 150a-d. Thus, for example, a
reduction in the quantity of menu items 155 in that one of the four
sides 150a-d results in each of its segments becoming larger in at
least one dimension, and an increase in the quantity of menu items
155 results in that one of the four sides 150a-d results in each of
its segments becoming smaller.
[0045] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a possible architecture of the
user interface 1000 by which a controller 500 receives input
through a user's use of at least the racetrack surface 250 defined
on at least a portion of a touch-sensitive surface 225 of the touch
sensor 220 to which the controller 500 is coupled, and provides at
least the racetrack menu 150 as a visual output to the user through
at least the display element 120 to which the controller 500 is
also coupled. In various possible embodiments, the controller 500
may be incorporated directly into the audio/visual device 100, or
into another audio/visual device 900 coupled to the audio/visual
device 100 and shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1. As also depicted in
FIG. 1, the remote control 200 communicates wirelessly through the
emission of radio frequency, infrared or other wireless emissions
to whichever one of the audio/visual devices 100 and 900
incorporates the controller 500. However, as those skilled in the
art will readily recognize, the remote control 200 may communicate
through an electrically and/or optically conductive cable (not
shown) in other possible embodiments. Alternatively and/or
additionally, the remote control 200 may communicate through a
combination of wireless and cable-based (optical or electrical)
connections forming a network between the remote control 200 and
the controller 500.
[0046] Still other embodiments may incorporate the touch sensor 220
directly on a user accessible portion of one or both of the
audio/visual devices 100 and 900, either in addition to or as an
alternative to providing the touch sensor 220 on the remote control
200. Indeed, FIG. 5 depicts an alternate variant of the
audio/visual device 100 having more of a portable configuration
incorporating both the display element 120 displaying the racetrack
menu 150 and the touch sensor 220 on a touch-sensitive surface 225
on which the racetrack surface 250 is defined. This alternative
variant of the audio/visual device 100 may also incorporate the
controller 500, such that much (if not substantially all) of the
user interface 1000 is implemented solely by the audio/visual
device 100.
[0047] Returning to FIG. 4, regardless of which audio/visual device
incorporates the controller 500, the controller 500 incorporates
multiple interfaces in the form of one or more connectors and/or
one or more wireless transceivers by which the controller 500 is
able to be coupled to one or more sources 901, 902, 903 and/or 904.
Any such connectors may be disposed on the casing of whatever
audio/visual device the controller 500 is incorporated into (e.g.,
the casing 110 of the audio/visual device 100 or a casing of the
audio/visual device 900). In being so coupled, the controller 500
is able to transmit commands to one or more of the sources 901-904
to access and select audio/visual programs, and is able to receive
audio/visual programs therefrom. Each of the sources 901-904 may be
any of a variety of types of audio/visual device, including and not
limited to, RF tuners (e.g., cable television or satellite dish
tuners), disc media recorders and/or players, tape media recorders
and/or players, solid-state or disk-based digital file players
(e.g., a MP3 file player), Internet access devices to access
streaming data of audio/visual programs, or docking cradles for
portable audio/visual devices (e.g., a digital camera). Further, in
some embodiments, one or more of the sources 901-904 may be
incorporated into the same audio/visual device into which the
controller 500 is incorporated (e.g., a built-in disc media player
or built-in radio frequency tuner).
[0048] In embodiments where one of the sources 901-904 is not
incorporated into the same audio/visual device as the controller
500, and where that one of the sources 901-904 is coupled to the
controller 500 via an interface of the controller 500 employing a
connector, any of a variety of types of electrical and/or optical
signaling conveyed via electrically and/or optically conductive
cabling may be employed. Preferably, a single cable is employed
both in relaying commands from the controller 500 to that one of
the sources 901-904 and in relaying audio/visual programs to the
controller 500. However, combinations of cabling in which different
cables separately perform these functions are also possible. Some
of the possible forms of cabling able to relay both commands and
audio/visual programs may conform to one or more industry
standards, including and not limited to, Syndicat des Constructeurs
d'Appareils Radiorecepteurs et Televiseurs (SCART) promulgated in
the U.S. by the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) of Arlington,
Va.; Ethernet (IEEE-802.3) or IEEE-1394 promulgated by the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) of
Washington, D.C.; Universal Serial Bus (USB) promulgated by the USB
Implementers Forum, Inc. of Portland, Oreg.; Digital Visual
Interface (DVI) promulgated by the Digital Display Working Group
(DDWG) of Vancouver, Wash.; High-Definition Multimedia Interface
(HDMI) promulgated by HDMI Licensing, LLC of Sunnyvale, Calif.; or
DisplayPort promulgated by the Video Electronics Standards
Association (VESA) of Milpitas, Calif. Other possible forms of
cabling able to relay only one or the other of commands and
audio/visual programs may conform to one or more industry
standards, including and not limited to, RS-422 or RS-232-C
promulgated by the EIA; Video Graphics Array (VGA) maintained by
VESA; RC-5720C (more commonly called "Toslink") maintained by the
Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association
(JEITA) of Tokyo, Japan; the widely known and used Separate Video
(S-Video); or S-Link maintained by Sony Corporation of Tokyo,
Japan.
[0049] In other embodiments where one of the sources 901-904 is not
incorporated into the same audio/visual device as the controller
500, and where that one of the sources 901-904 is coupled to the
controller 500 via a wireless transceiver, any of a variety of
types of infrared, radio frequency or other wireless signaling may
be employed. Preferably, a single wireless point-to-point coupling
is employed both in relaying commands from the controller 500 to
that one of the sources 901-904 and in relaying audio/visual
programs to the controller 500. However, combinations of separate
wireless couplings in which these functions are separately
performed are also possible. Some of the possible forms of wireless
signaling able to relay both commands and audio/visual programs may
conform to one or more industry standards, including and not
limited to, IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b or 802.11g promulgated by the
IEEE; Bluetooth promulgated by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group
of Bellevue, Wash.; or ZigBee promulgated by the ZigBee Alliance of
San Ramon, Calif.
[0050] In still other embodiments where one of the sources 901-904
is not incorporated into the same audio/visual device as the
controller 500, a combination of cabling-based and wireless
couplings may be used. An example of such a combination may be the
use of a cabling-based coupling to enable the controller 500 to
receive an audio/visual program from that one of the sources
901-904, while an infrared transmitter coupled to the controller
500 may be positioned at or near the one of the sources 901-904 to
wirelessly transmit commands via infrared to that one of the
sources 901-904. Still further, although FIG. 4 depicts each of the
sources 901-904 as being directly coupled to the controller 500 in
a point-to-point manner, those skilled in the art will readily
recognize that one or more of the sources 901-904 may be coupled to
the controller 500 indirectly through one or more of the others of
the sources 901-904, or through a network formed among the sources
901-904 (and possibly incorporating routers, bridges and other
relaying devices that will be familiar to those skilled in the art)
with multiple cabling-based and/or wireless couplings.
[0051] Some of the above-listed industry standards include
specifications of commands that may be transmitted between
audio/visual devices to control access to and/or control the
playing of audio/visual programs, including most notably, SCART,
IEEE-1394, USB, HDMI, and Bluetooth. Where such an industry
standard for coupling the controller 500 to one or more of the
sources 901-904 is employed, the controller 500 may limit the
commands transmitted to one or more of the sources 901-904 to the
commands specified by that industry standard and map one or more of
those commands to corresponding ones of the menu items 155 such
that a user is able to cause the controller 500 to send those
commands to one or more of the sources 901-904 by selecting those
corresponding ones of the menu items 155. However, where the
benefit of such a standardized command set is unavailable, the
controller 500 may employ any of a wide variety of approaches to
identify one or more of the sources 901-904 to an extent necessary
to "learn" what commands are appropriate to transmit and the manner
in which they must be transmitted.
[0052] A user of the user interface 1000 may select one of the
sources 901-904 as part of selecting an audio/visual program for
being played by employing the racetrack surface 250 and the marker
160 to select one or more of the menu items 155 shown on the
racetrack menu 150, such as the "I" through "IV" menu items 155
depicted as displayed by the controller 500 on the side 150c of the
racetrack menu 150. Those menu items 155 depicted on the side 150c
correspond to the sources 901 through 904, which are depicted as
bearing the labels "source I" through "source IV" in FIG. 4. The
controller 500 receives input from the touch sensor 220 indicating
the contact of the user's digit with a portion of the racetrack
surface 250, indicating movement of the position 260 of contact of
the digit about the racetrack surface 250, and indicating the
application of greater pressure by the user through that digit
against the touch sensor 220 at the position 260 (wherever the
position 260 is at that moment) when selecting one of the menu
items 155. The selection of one of the sources 901-904 by the user
causes the controller 500 to switch to receiving audio/visual
programs from that one of the sources 901-904, and to be ready to
display any visual portion in the display area 950 and acoustically
output any audio portion through the acoustic drivers 130 (or
whatever other acoustic drivers may be present and employed for
playing audio/visual programs).
[0053] The selection of one of the sources 901-904 may further
cause the controller 500 to alter the quantity and types of menu
items 155 displayed on one or more of the sides 150a-d of the
racetrack menu 150 such that the displayed menu items 155 more
closely correspond to the functions supported by whichever one of
the sources 901-904 that has been selected. This changing display
of at least a subset of the menu items 155 enables the user to
operate at least some functions of a selected one of the sources
901-904 by selecting one or more of the menu items 155 to thereby
cause the controller 500 to transmit one or more commands
corresponding to those menu items to the selected one of the
sources 901-904. By way of example, where the one of the sources
901-904 with the ability to record an audio/visual program was
previously selected, the racetrack menu 150 may include one or more
menu items 155 that could be selected to cause the controller 500
to transmit a command to that previously selected one of the
sources 901-904 to cause it to start recording an audio/visual
program. However, if the user then selects another one of the
sources 901-904 that does not have the ability to record an
audio/visual program, then the controller 500 would alter the menu
items 155 displayed on the racetrack menu 150 to remove one or more
menu items associated with recording an audio/visual program. In
this way, at least a subset of the menu items 155 displayed on the
racetrack menu 150 are "modal" in nature, insofar as at least that
subset changes with the selection of different ones of the sources
901-904.
[0054] The coupling and/or uncoupling of one or more of the sources
901-904 to and/or from whatever audio/visual device into which the
controller 500 is incorporated may also cause the controller 500 to
alter the quantity and/or types of menu items 155 that are
displayed in another example of at least a subset of the menu items
155 being modal in nature. By way of example, the uncoupling of one
of the sources 901-904 where that one of the sources 901-904 had
been coupled through cabling may cause the controller 500 to remove
the one of the menu items 155 by which that now uncoupled one of
the sources 901-904 could be selected. Alternatively and/or
additionally, where that uncoupled one of the sources 901-904 was
already selected at the time of such uncoupling such that a subset
of the menu items 155 is displayed that is meant to correspond to
the functions able to be performed by that now uncoupled one of the
sources 901-904, the controller 500 may respond to such an
uncoupling by autonomously selecting one of the other of the
sources 901-904 and altering the subset of the menu items 155 to
correspond to the functions able to be performed by that newly
selected one of the sources 901-904. In contrast, and by way of
another example, the uncoupling of one of the sources 901-904 where
that one of the sources 901-904 had been wirelessly coupled may or
may not cause the controller 500 to remove the one of the menu
items 155 by which that now uncoupled one of the sources 901-904
could be selected. If there is a mechanism provided in the chosen
form of wireless communications used in the coupling that indicates
that the uncoupling is due simply to that one of the sources
901-904 entering into a low-power or "sleep" mode, then it may be
that no change is made by the controller 500 to the menu items 155
that are displayed, especially if the form of wireless
communications used allows the controller 500 to signal that one of
the sources 901-904 to "wake up" in response to the user selecting
one of the menu items 155 that is associated with it. However, if
no such mechanism to indicate the circumstances of an uncoupling
are available, then the uncoupling may well result in an alteration
or removal of at least some of the menu items 155 displayed on the
racetrack menu 150. Where a previously uncoupled one of the sources
901-904 is subsequently coupled, once again, regardless of the type
of coupling, the controller 500 may be caused to automatically
select that now coupled one of the sources 901-904. This may be
done based on an assumption that the user has coupled that source
to whatever audio/visual device into which the controller 500 is
incorporated with the intention of immediately playing an
audio/visual program from it.
[0055] While at least some of the menu items 155 may be modal in
nature such that they are apt to change depending on the selection
and/or condition of one or more of the sources 901-904, others of
the menu items 155 may not be modal in nature such that they are
always displayed whenever the racetrack menu 150 is displayed. More
specifically, where one or more of the sources 901-904 are
incorporated into the same audio/visual device as the controller
500, the ones of the menu items 155 associated with those sources
may remain displayed in the racetrack menu 150, regardless of the
occurrences of many possible events that may cause other menu items
155 having a modal nature to be displayed, to not be displayed, or
to be displayed in some altered form. By way of example, where a
radio frequency tuner is incorporated into the same audio/visual
device into which the controller 500 is incorporated, then a subset
of the menu items 155 associated with selecting a radio frequency
channel (e.g., the decimal point and numerals "0" through "9"
depicted as displayed within the side 150a) may be a subset of the
menu items 155 that is always displayed in the racetrack menu 150.
It may be that the selection of any menu item of such a subset of
the menu items 155 may cause the controller 500 to automatically
switch the selection of a source of audio/visual programs to the
source associated with those menu items 155. Thus, in the example
where an audio/visual device incorporates a radio frequency tuner
and menu items 155 associated with selecting a radio frequency
channel are always displayed, the selection of any one of those
menu items would cause the controller 500 to automatically switch
to that radio frequency tuner as the source from which to receive
an audio/visual program if that tuner were not already selected as
the source. By way of another example, one or more of the menu
items 155 associated with selecting a source of audio/visual
programs (e.g., the roman numerals "I" through "IV" depicted as
displayed within the side 150c) may be menu items that are always
displayed in the racetrack menu 150.
[0056] Regardless of what source is selected or how the source is
selected, if an audio/visual program received by the controller 500
from that source has a visual portion, then the controller 500
causes that visual portion to be displayed in the display area 950.
As has so far been depicted and described, the racetrack menu 150
has a rectilinear configuration with the four sides 150a-d that are
configured to surround or overlie edges of the display area 950.
However, in some embodiments, it may be that the racetrack menu 150
is not always displayed such that what is shown on the display
element 120 of the audio/visual device 100 could be either the
display area 950 surrounded by the racetrack menu 150, or the
display area 950 expanded to fill the area otherwise occupied by
the racetrack menu 150.
[0057] As depicted in FIG. 6, what is shown on the display element
120 could toggle between these two possibilities, and this toggling
could occur in response to observed activity and/or a lack of
observed activity in the operation of at least the racetrack
surface 250. More specifically, on occasions where no indication of
contact by a user's digit on the racetrack surface 250 has been
received by the controller 500 for at least a predetermined period
of time, the controller 500 may provide the display element 120
with an image that includes substantially nothing else but the
display area 950 such that a visual portion of an audio visual
program is substantially the only thing shown on the display
element 120. However, once the controller 500 has received an
indication of activity such as the tip of a digit making contact
with racetrack surface 250, the controller 500 then provides the
display element 120 with an image that includes a combination of
the display area 950 and the racetrack menu 150.
[0058] In some embodiments, at a time when both the display area
950 and the racetrack menu 150 are displayed, the controller 500
reduces the size of the display area 950 to make room around the
edges of the display area 950 for the display of the racetrack menu
150 on the display element 120, and in so doing, may rescale the
visual portion (if there is one) of whatever audio/visual program
may be playing at that time. In other embodiments, the display area
950 is not resized, and instead, the racetrack menu 150 is
displayed in a manner in which the racetrack menu 150 overlies edge
portions of the display area 950 such that edge portions of any
visual portion of an audio/visual program are no longer visible.
However, in those embodiments in which the racetrack menu overlies
edge portions of the display area 950, the racetrack menu 150 may
be displayed in a manner in which at least some portions of the
racetrack menu have a somewhat "transparent" quality in which the
overlain edge portions of any visual portion of an audio/visual
program can still be seen by the user "looking through" the
racetrack menu 150. As will be familiar to those skilled in the
art, this "transparent" quality may be achieved through any of a
number of possible approaches to combining the pixels of the image
of the racetrack menu 150 with pixels of the overlain portion of
any visual portion of an audio/visual program (e.g., by averaging
pixel color values, alternately interspersing pixels, or bit-wise
binary combining of pixels with a pixel mask).
[0059] Along with combining the visual display of the display area
950 and the racetrack menu 150, the controller 500 may also combine
audio associated with operation of the user interface 1000 with an
audio portion (if present) of an audio/visual program being played.
More specifically, "click" sounds associated with the user pressing
the racetrack surface 250 defined on a surface of the touch sensor
220 with greater pressure and/or with the "snapping" of the marker
160 between adjacent ones of the menu items 155 may be combined
with whatever audio portion is acoustically output as part of the
playing of an audio/visual program.
[0060] In some embodiments, at a time when the racetrack menu 150
is not displayed (e.g., at a time when only the display area 950 is
displayed), the controller 500 may do more than simply cause the
racetrack menu 150 to be displayed in response to a user touching a
portion of the racetrack sensor 250. More specifically, in addition
to causing the racetrack menu 150 to be displayed, the controller
500 may take particular actions in response to particular ones of
the sides 250a-d of the racetrack surface 250 being touched by a
user at a time when the racetrack menu 150 is not being displayed.
By way of example, at a time when the racetrack menu 150 is not
being displayed, the detection of a touch to the side 250d may
cause a command to be sent to one of the sources 901-904 to provide
an on-screen guide concerning audio/visual programs able to be
provided by that source, where such a guide would be displayed in
the display area 950, with edges of the display area 950 being
either surrounded or overlain by the racetrack menu 150 as has been
previously described.
[0061] In a variation of such embodiments, it may be that causing
the racetrack menu 150 to be displayed requires both a touch and
some minimum degree of movement of the tip of a user's digit on the
racetrack surface 250 (i.e., a kind of "touch-and-drag" or "wiping"
motion across a portion of the racetrack surface 250), while other
particular actions are taken in response to where there is only a
touch of a tip of a user's digit on particular ones of the sides
250a-d of the racetrack sensor 250. By way of example, while the
racetrack menu 150 is not displayed, touching the side 250a may
cause a command to be sent to a source to turn that source on or
off, and touching the side 250b may cause an audio portion of an
audio/visual program to be muted, while both touching and moving a
digit across a portion of the racetrack surface 250 in a "wiping"
motion is required to enable the display and use of the racetrack
menu 150.
[0062] FIGS. 7a and 7b, taken together, depict additional features
that may be incorporated into the user interface 1000. Where a
selected one of the sources 901-904 displays its own on-screen menu
170 (e.g., a guide concerning audio/visual programs available from
that source), either in place of a visual portion of an
audio/visual program or overlying a visual portion of an
audio/visual program, some embodiments of the user interface 1000
may be augmented to support at least partly integrating the manner
in which a user would navigate such an on-screen menu 170 into the
user interface 1000. In such embodiments, the touch sensor 220,
with its ring shape (whether that ring shape is a rectangular ring
shape, or a ring shape of a different geometry), may be configured
to surround a set of controls for use in navigating the on-screen
menu 170 just as the racetrack menu 150 surrounds the on-screen
menu 170, itself.
[0063] In particular, FIG. 7b depicts the manner in which the touch
sensor 220 disposed on the casing 210 of the remote control 200 of
FIG. 1 may surround navigation buttons 270a, 270b, 270c and 270d,
as well as a selection button 280, that are also disposed on the
casing 210. In alternate variants, other forms of one or more
manually-operable controls may be surrounded by the touch sensor
220, in addition to or in place of the navigation buttons 270a-d
and the selection button 280, including and not limited to, a
joystick, or a four-way rocker switch that may either surround a
selection button (such as the selection button 280) or be useable
as a selection button by being pressed in the middle. As a result
of the ring shape of the touch sensor 220 being employed to
surround the navigation buttons 270a-d and the selection buttons
280, a nested arrangement of concentrically located manually
operable controls is created. FIG. 7a depicts a form of possible
on-screen menu that will be familiar to those skilled in the art,
including various menu items 175 that may be selected via the
selection button 280, and a marker 180 that may be moved by a user
among the menu items 175 via the navigation buttons 270a-d. The
concentrically nested arrangement of manually operable controls
surrounded by the racetrack menu 250 defined on the touch-sensitive
surface 225 of the touch sensor 220 that is disposed on the casing
210 of the remote control 200 corresponds to the similarly nested
arrangement of the on-screen menu 170 surrounded by the racetrack
menu 150 that is displayed on the display element 120.
[0064] FIG. 7b also depicts additional controls 222, 225, 226 and
228 that may be employed to perform particular functions where it
may be deemed desirable to provide at least some degree of
functionality in a manner that does not require the selection of
menu items to operate. In one possible variant, the controls 222,
225, 226 and 228 are operable as a power button, a mute button,
volume rocker switch and a channel increment/decrement rocker
switch, respectively. FIG. 8 depicts a variant of the handheld form
of the audio/visual device 100 depicted in FIG. 5 in which the
touch sensor 220 is positioned so as to surround the navigation
buttons 270a-d and the selection button 280, and in which this
variant of the handheld form of the audio/visual device 100 may
further incorporate the controls 222, 225, 226 and 228.
[0065] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a possible architecture of the
controller 500 in which the controller 500 incorporates an output
interface 510, a sensor interface 520, a storage 540, a processing
device 550 and a source interface 590. The processing device 550 is
coupled to each of the output interface 510, the sensor interface
520, the storage 540 and the source interface 590 to at least
coordinate the operation of each to perform at least the
above-described functions of the controller 500.
[0066] The processing device 550 may be any of a variety of types
of processing device based on any of a variety of technologies,
including and not limited to, a general purpose central processing
unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller, or
a sequencer. The storage 540 may be based on any of a variety of
data storage technologies, including and not limited to, any of a
wide variety of types of volatile and nonvolatile solid-state
memory, magnetic media storage, and/or optical media storage. It
should be noted that although the storage 540 is depicted in a
manner that is suggestive of it being a single storage device, the
storage 540 may be made up of multiple storage devices, each of
which may be based on different technologies.
[0067] Each of the output interface 510, the sensor interface 520
and the source interface 590 may employ any of a variety of
technologies to enable the controller 500 to communicate with other
devices and/or other components of whatever audio/visual device
into which the controller 500 is incorporated. More specifically,
where the controller 500 is incorporated into an audio/visual
device that also incorporates one or both of a display element
(such as the display element 120) and at least one acoustic driver
(such as the acoustic drivers 130), the output interface 510 may be
of a type able to directly drive a display element with signals
causing the display of the racetrack menu 150 and the display area
950 to display visual portions of audio/visual programs, and/or
able to directly drive one or more acoustic drivers to acoustically
output audio portions of audio/visual programs. Alternatively,
where one or both of a display element and acoustic drivers are not
incorporated into the same audio/visual device into which the
controller 500 is incorporated, the output interface 510 may be of
a type employing cabling-based and/or a wireless signaling (perhaps
signaling conforming to one of the previously listed industry
standards) to transmit a signal to another audio/visual device into
which a display element and/or acoustic drivers are incorporated
(e.g., the audio/visual device 100).
[0068] Similarly, where the controller 500 is incorporated into an
audio/visual device into which the touch sensor 220 is also
incorporated, the sensor interface 520 may be of a type able to
directly receive electrical signals emanating from the touch sensor
220. With such a more direct coupling, the sensor interface 520 may
directly monitor a two-dimensional array of touch-sensitive points
of the touch-sensitive surface 225 of the touch sensor 220 for
indications of which touch-sensitive points are being touched by a
tip of a user's digit, and thereby enable the processing device 550
to employ those indications to directly determine where the
touch-sensitive surface 225 is being touched. Thus, a determination
of whether or not the tip of the digit is touching a portion of the
racetrack surface 250 and/or the position 260 by the processing
device 550 may be enabled. However, where the controller 500 is
incorporated into a device into which the touch sensor 220 is not
also incorporated (e.g., the controller 500 is incorporated into
the audio/visual device 100 and the touch sensor is incorporated
into the remote control 200), the sensor interface 520 may be of a
type able to receive cabling-based and/or wireless signaling
transmitted by that other device (e.g., infrared signals emitted by
the remote control 200). With such a more remote coupling,
circuitry (not shown) that is co-located with the touch sensor 220
may perform the task of directly monitoring a two-dimensional array
of touch-sensitive points of the touch-sensitive surface 225, and
then transmit indications of which touch-sensitive points are being
touched by the tip of a user's digit to the sensor interface
520.
[0069] Although it is possible that the audio/visual device into
which the controller 500 is incorporated may not incorporate any
sources (such as the sources 901-904) from which the controller 500
receives audio/visual programs, it is deemed more likely that the
audio/visual device into which the controller 500 is incorporated
will incorporate one or more of such sources in addition to being
capable of receiving audio/visual programs from sources not
incorporated into the same audio/visual device. By way of example,
it is envisioned that the controller 500 may be incorporated into
an audio/visual device into which a radio frequency tuner and/or an
Internet access device is also incorporated to enable access to
audio/visual programs for selection and playing without the
attachment of another audio/visual device, while also having the
capability of being coupled to another audio/visual device to
receive still other audio/visual programs. In other words, it is
envisioned that the controller 500 may well be incorporated into an
audio/visual device that is at least akin to a television, whether
portable (e.g., as depicted in FIG. 5) or stationary (e.g., as
depicted in FIG. 1). Therefore, although the source interface 590
may have any of a number of configurations to couple the controller
500 to any of a number of possible sources, it is envisioned that
the source interface 590 will be configured to enable the
controller 500 to be coupled to at least one source that is also
incorporated into the same audio/visual device into which the
controller 500 is incorporated, and to also enable the controller
500 to be coupled to at least one source that is not incorporated
into the same audio/visual device.
[0070] Thus, the source interface 590 incorporates one or more of
an electrical interface 595, an optical interface 596, a radio
frequency transceiver 598 and/or an infrared receiver 599. The
electrical interface 595 (if present) enables the source interface
590 to couple the controller 500 to at least one source, whether
incorporated into the same audio/visual device as the controller
500, or not, to receive electrical signals (e.g., Ethernet,
S-Video, USB, HDMI, etc.) conveying an audio/visual program to the
controller 500. The optical interface 596 (if present) enables the
source interface 590 to couple the controller 500 to at least one
source to receive optical signals (e.g., Toslink) conveying an
audio/visual program to the controller 500. The radio frequency
transceiver 598 (if present) enables the source interface 590 to
wirelessly couple the controller 500 to at least one other
audio/visual device functioning as a source to receive radio
frequency signals (e.g., Bluetooth, a variant of IEEE 802.11,
ZigBee, etc.) conveying an audio/visual program to the controller
500 from that other audio/visual device. The infrared receiver 599
(if present) enables the source interface 590 to wirelessly couple
the controller 500 to at least one other audio/visual device
functioning as a source to receive infrared signals conveying an
audio/visual program to the controller 500 from that other source.
It should be noted that although the output interface 510 and the
sensor interface 520 are depicted as separate from the source
interface 590, it may be deemed advantageous, depending on the
nature of the signaling supported, to combine one or both of the
output interface 510 and the sensor interface 520 with the source
interface 590.
[0071] Stored within the storage 540 are one or more of a control
routine 450, a protocols data 492, a commands data 493, an
audio/visual data 495, a rescaled audio/visual data 496, and menu
data 498. Upon being executed by the processing device 550, a
sequence of instructions of the control routine 450 causes the
processing device 550 to coordinate the monitoring of the touch
sensor 220 for user input, the output of the racetrack menu 150 to
a display element (e.g., the display element 120), the selection of
a source of an audio/visual program to be played, and one or both
of the display of a visual portion of an audio/visual program on a
display element on which the racetrack menu 150 is also displayed
and the acoustic output of an audio portion of the audio/visual
program via one or more acoustic drivers (e.g., the acoustic
drivers 130).
[0072] Upon execution, the control routine 450 causes the
processing device 550 to operate the sensor interface 520 to await
indications of a user placing a tip of a digit in contact with a
portion of the racetrack surface 250 defined on a surface of the
touch sensor 220, moving that digit about the racetrack surface 250
and/or applying greater pressure at the position 260 on the
racetrack surface 250 to make a selection. Upon receiving an
indication of activity by the user involving the racetrack surface
250, the processing device 550 may be caused to operate the output
interface to display the racetrack menu 150 with one or more of the
menu items 155 positioned thereon and surrounding the display area
950 via a display element, if the racetrack menu 150 is not already
being displayed. The processing device 550 is further caused to
display and position at least the marker 160 on the racetrack menu
150 in a manner that corresponds to the position 260 of the user's
digit on the racetrack surface 250. Further, in response to the
passage of a predetermined period of time without receiving
indications of activity by the user involving the racetrack surface
250, the processing device 550 may be caused to operate the output
interface 510 to cease displaying the racetrack menu 150, and to
display substantially little else on a display element than the
display area 950.
[0073] Upon execution, the control routine 450 causes the
processing device 550 to operate the sensor interface 520 to await
an indication of a selection of a menu item 155 that corresponds to
selecting a source from which the user may wish an audio/visual
program to be provided for playing, and may operate the source
interface 590 to at least enable receipt of an audio/visual program
from that selected source. Where an audio/visual program is
received, the processing device 550 may be further caused to buffer
audio and/or visual portions of the audio/visual program in the
storage 540 as the audio/visual data 495. In embodiments in which a
visual portion of an audio/visual program is rescaled to be
displayed in the display area 950 at a time when the display area
950 is surrounded by the racetrack menu 150, the processing device
550 may be further caused to buffer the rescaled form of the visual
portion in the storage as the rescaled audio/visual program data
496.
[0074] Upon execution, the control routine 450 causes the
processing device 550 to operate the sensor interface 520 to await
an indication of a selection of a menu item 155 corresponding to
the selection of a command (e.g., "play" or "record" commands,
numerals or other symbols specifying a radio frequency channel to
tune, etc.) to be transmitted to an audio/visual device serving as
a source, and may operate the source interface 590 to transmit a
command to that audio/visual device (e.g., one of sources 901-904)
that corresponds to a menu item 155 that has been selected. In
transmitting that command, the processing device 550 may be further
caused to refer to the protocols data 492 for data concerning
sequences of signals that must be transmitted by the source
interface 590 as part of a communications protocol in preparation
for transmitting the command, and/or the processing device 550 may
be further caused to refer to the commands data 493 for data
concerning the sequence of signals that must be transmitted by the
source interface 590 as part of transmitting the command. As will
be familiar to those skilled in the art, some of the earlier listed
forms of coupling make use of various protocols to organize various
aspects of commands and/or data that are conveyed, including and
not limited to, Ethernet, Bluetooth, IEEE-1394, USB, etc. In
support of the processing device 550 responding to the selection of
various ones of the menu items 155, the processing device 550 is
further caused to store data correlating at least some of the
various menu items with actions to be taken by the processing
device 550 in response to their selection by the user in the
storage 540 as the menu data 498.
[0075] Amidst operating the source interface 590 to enable receipt
of an audio/visual program from a source selected by the user, the
processing device 550 may be caused to operate the output interface
510 to alter the quantity and/or type of menu items 155 that are
displayed at various positions on the racetrack menu 150. In so
doing, the processing device 550 may be further caused to store
information concerning the size, shape, color and other
characteristics of the racetrack menu 150, at least some of the
graphical representations of the menu items 155, and/or at least
one graphical representation of the marker 160 in the storage 540
as part of the menu data 498.
[0076] FIGS. 10a and 10b, taken together, depict and contrast two
variants of the touch sensor 220. Both variants are depicted in
perspective as distinct touch-sensitive devices that are typically
mounted within a recess of a casing of a device, including either
the casing 110 of any variant of the audio/visual device 100 or the
casing 210 of any variant of the remote control 200. However, as
those skilled in the art will readily recognize, other
touch-sensitive device technologies may yield variants of the
touch-sensitive device 220 that are film-like overlays that may be
positioned to overlie a portion of a casing or of a circuitboard of
a device. The discussion that follows is centered more on the shape
and utilization of the touch-sensitive surface 225 of the touch
sensor 220, and not on the touch-sensitive technology employed.
[0077] FIG. 10a depicts the variant of the touch sensor 220 having
the ring shape that has been discussed above at length that permits
other manually-operable controls (e.g., the navigation buttons
270a-d and the selection button 280) to be positioned in a manner
in which they are surrounded by the ring shape of the touch sensor
220. As has already been discussed, the ring shape of this variant
of the touch sensor 220 provides a form of the touch-sensitive
surface 225 that is bounded by the ring shape of the touch sensor
220, and this in turn defines the ring shape of the racetrack
surface 250 (where the racetrack surface 250 is defined on the
touch-sensitive surface 225 to encompass substantially all of the
touch-sensitive surface 225). Once again, although this variant of
the touch sensor 220 is depicted as having a rectangular ring shape
having four sides, other embodiments are possible in which the
touch sensor 220 has a ring shape of a different geometry, such as
a circular ring shape, an oval ring shape, a hexagonal ring shape,
etc.
[0078] FIG. 10b depicts an alternate variant of the touch sensor
220 having a rectangular shape that provides a continuous form of
the touch-sensitive surface 225 that is bounded by this rectangular
shape (i.e., there is no "hole" or formed through the
touch-sensitive surface 225). This rectangular shape more easily
enables more than the ring shape of the racetrack surface 250 to be
defined on the touch-sensitive surface 225 in a manner in which the
racetrack surface 250 encompasses only a portion of the
touch-sensitive surface 225 and leaves open the possibility of one
or more other surfaces that serve other functions also being
defined on thereon. In this alternate variant, the ring shape of
the racetrack surface 250 may be defined by a processing device
executing a sequence of instructions of a routine, such as the
processing device 550 executing the control routine 450 in FIG. 9.
In other words, the location of the racetrack surface 250 may be
defined by a processing device first being provided with
indications of which touch-sensitive points of an array of
touch-sensitive points making up the touch-sensitive surface 225
are being touched by a tip of a user's digit, and second treating
some of those touch-sensitive points as belonging to the racetrack
surface 250 and others of those touch-sensitive points as belonging
to other surfaces that are defined on the touch-sensitive surface
225 (and which serve other functions).
[0079] Alternatively and/or additionally, one or more ridges 227
and/or grooves (not shown) may be formed in the touch-sensitive
surface 225 to at least provide a tactile guide as to where the
racetrack surface 250 is defined on the touch-sensitive surface
225. Such ridges 227 may be formed integrally with the
touch-sensitive surface 225, may be formed as part of a casing on
which the touch sensor 220 is disposed, or may be adhered to the
touch-sensitive surface 225. Further, such ridges 227 and/or
grooves (not shown) may coincide with locations on the
touch-sensitive surface 225 at which the touch sensor 220 is
incapable of detecting the touch of a tip of a digit (i.e., the
touch-sensitive surface 225 may be made up of multiple separate
touch-sensitive portions, of which one is a portion having a ring
shape where the racetrack surface 250 is defined).
[0080] More specifically, and as depicted in dotted lines in FIG.
10b, the racetrack surface 250 is defined on the touch-sensitive
surface 225 so as to be positioned about the periphery of the
touch-sensitive surface 225 such that the ring shape of the
racetrack surface 250 surrounds the remainder of the
touch-sensitive surface 225. As also depicted, at least a portion
of the touch-sensitive surface 225 that is surrounded by the
racetrack surface 250 may be employed to provide the equivalent
function of other manually-operable controls, such as the
navigation buttons 270a-d and the selection button 280. In other
words, the navigation buttons 270a-d and the selection button 280
may be implemented as navigation surfaces and a selection surface,
respectively, defined on the touch-sensitive surface of the touch
sensor 220 (perhaps by a processing device executing a sequence of
instructions), along with the racetrack surface 250.
[0081] It should be noted that although both of the variants of the
touch sensor 220 have been depicted in FIGS. 10a and 10b as having
rectangular shapes with right angle corners, either variant may
alternatively have rounded corners. Indeed, where such a variant of
the touch sensor 220 has one or more of the ridges 227 and/or
grooves (not shown), such ones of the ridges 227 and/or grooves may
also have rounded corners, despite being depicted as having right
angle corners in FIGS. 10a and 10b.
[0082] FIGS. 11a and 11b, taken together, depict two variants of
the user interface 1000 in which more than one display area is
defined within the portion of the display element 120 that is
surrounded by the racetrack menu 150. These variants enable more
than one visual portion of one or more selected audio/visual
programs to be played on the display element 120 in a manner that
enables a user to view them simultaneously. Also depicted is the
manner in which various ones of the menu items 155 associated
within only one of the display areas may be positioned along the
racetrack menu 150 to provide a visual indication of their
association with that one of the display areas.
[0083] More specifically, FIG. 11a depicts a configuration that is
commonly referred to as "picture-in-picture" in which a display
area 970 having smaller dimensions than the display area 950 is
positioned within and overlies a portion of the display area 950.
As also depicted, ones of the menu items 155 that are associated
with the visual portion displayed in the display area 970 are
positioned along portions of the racetrack menu 150 that are
located closer to the display area 970 (specifically, portions of
the sides 150b and 150d) to provide a visual indication to the user
of that one association. Further, ones of the menu items 155 that
are associated with the visual portion displayed in the display
area 950 are positioned along portions of the racetrack menu 150
that are further from the display area 970 (specifically, the sides
150a and 150c) to provide a visual indication to the user of that
other association. As suggested in the depiction of FIG. 11a, the
ones of the menu items 155 that are associated with the display
area 950 correspond to commands to play or to stop playing an
audio/visual program, selection of an input, and radio frequency
channel tuning. The ones of the menu items 155 that are associated
with the display area 970 correspond to commands to play or to stop
playing an audio/visual program, and selection of an input.
[0084] Also more specifically, FIG. 11b depicts a configuration
that is commonly referred to as "picture-by-picture" in which the
display areas 950 and 970 are positioned adjacent each other (as
opposed to one overlapping the other) within the portion of the
display element surrounded by the racetrack menu 150. Again as
depicted, ones of the menu items 155 that are associated with the
visual portion displayed in the display area 950 are positioned
along portions of the racetrack menu 150 that are located closer to
the display area 950 (specifically, the side 150c and portions of
the sides 150a and 150b) to provide a visual indication to the user
of that one association. Further, ones of the menu items 155 that
are associated with the visual portion displayed in the display
area 970 are positioned along portions of the racetrack menu 150
that are located closer to the display area 970 (specifically, the
side 150d and portions of the sides 150a and 150b) to provide a
visual indication to the user of that other association. As
suggested in the depiction of FIG. 11b, each of the display areas
950 and 970 are associated with separate ones of the menu items 155
that correspond to commands to play or to stop playing an
audio/visual program, selection of an input, and radio frequency
channel tuning.
[0085] Although FIGS. 11a and 11b depict embodiments having only
two display areas (i.e., the display areas 950 and 970) within the
portion of the display element 120 surrounded by the racetrack menu
150, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that other
embodiments incorporating more than two such display areas are
possible, and that in such embodiments, each of the menu items 155
may be positioned along the racetrack menu 150 in a manner
providing a visual indication of its association with one of those
display areas. Indeed, it is envisioned that variants of the user
interface 1000 are possible having 2-by-2 or larger arrays of
display areas to accommodate the simultaneous display of multiple
visual portions, possibly in security applications.
[0086] Although FIGS. 11a and 11b depict separate sets of the menu
items 155 corresponding to commands to play and to stop playing an
audio/visual program that are separately associated with each of
the display areas 150 and 170, and although this suggests that the
visual portions played in each of the display areas 150 and 170
must be from different audio/visual programs, it should be noted
that the simultaneously displayed visual portions in the display
areas 150 and 170 may be of the same audio/visual program. As those
skilled in the art will readily recognize, an audio/visual program
may have more than one visual portion. An example of this may be an
audio/visual program including video of an event taken from more
than one angle, such as an audio/visual program of a sports event
where an athlete is shown in action from more than one camera
angle. In such instances, there may be only one set of the menu
items 155 corresponding to commands to play, fast-forward, rewind,
pause and/or to stop playing the single audio/visual program,
instead of the separate sets of menu items depicted FIGS. 11a and
11b.
[0087] With the simultaneous display of multiple visual portions,
there may be multiple audio portions that each correspond to a
different one of the visual portions. While viewing multiple visual
portions simultaneously may be relatively easy for a user insofar
as the user is able to choose any visual program to watch with
their eyes, listening to multiple audio portions simultaneously may
easily become overwhelming. To address this, some embodiments may
select one of the audio portions to be acoustically output to the
user based on the position 260 of a tip of a digit along the
racetrack surface 250 (referring back to FIG. 2). Where the
position 260 at which the user places a tip of a digit on the
racetrack surface 250 corresponds to a portion of the racetrack
menu 150 that is closer to the display area 950, then an audio
portion of the audio/visual program of the visual portion being
displayed in the display area 950 is acoustically output to the
user. If the user then moves that tip of a digit along the
racetrack surface 250 such that the position 260 is moved to a
portion of the racetrack surface 250 that corresponds to a portion
of the racetrack menu 150 that is closer to the display area 970,
then an audio portion of the audio/visual program of the visual
portion being displayed in the display area 970 is acoustically
output to the user. As the selection of audio portion that is
acoustically output to the user changes as the user moves the tip
of a digit about the racetrack surface 250, the corresponding
position of the marker 160 along the racetrack menu 150 may serve
as a visual indication to the user of which visual portion the
current selection of audio portion corresponds to.
[0088] FIG. 12 depicts an alternate variant of the user interface
1000 in which the combined display of the racetrack menu 150 and
the display area 950 surrounded by the racetrack menu 150 does not
fill substantially all of the display element 120. Such an
embodiment may be implemented on a more complex variant of the
audio/visual device 100 capable of simultaneously performing
numerous functions, some of which are entirely unrelated to
selection and playing of an audio/visual program. As depicted, this
leaves a display area 920 that is outside the racetrack menu 150
and that is overlain by the combination of the racetrack menu 150
and the display area 950 available for such unrelated functions.
Such a more complex variant of the audio/visual device 100 may be a
general purpose computer system, perhaps one employed as a "media
center system" or "whole house entertainment system." In such an
embodiment, the combination of the racetrack menu 150 and the
display area 950 may be displayed in a window defined by an
operating system having a windowing graphical user interface where
the window occupies substantially less than all of the display
element 120.
[0089] As also depicted in FIG. 12, in such an embodiment, the user
may select and control the playing of an audio/visual program
through the use of a variant of the touch sensor 220 having a
touch-sensitive surface 225 that has a continuous rectangular shape
(such as the variant of the touch sensor 220 of FIG. 10b), as
opposed to having a ring shape (such as the variant of the touch
sensor 220 of FIG. 10a). The racetrack surface 250 is defined on
the touch-sensitive surface 225 in a manner that occupies the
periphery of the touch-sensitive surface 225 and that surrounds a
remaining portion of the touch-sensitive surface 225 that enables
conventional operation of other functions of the audio/visual
device 100 that may be unrelated to the selection and playing of an
audio/visual program. In essence, this remaining portion of the
touch-sensitive surface 225 may be employed in a conventional
manner that will be familiar to those skilled in the art of
graphical user interfaces in which a user moves about a graphical
cursor using a tip of a digit placed on this remaining portion.
Thus, the user may choose to engage in selecting audio/visual
programs and controlling the playing of those audio/visual programs
through the racetrack surface 250, and may choose to engage in
performing other tasks unrelated to the selection and playing of
audio/visual programs through the remaining portion of the
touch-sensitive surface 225.
[0090] To provide tactile guidance to the user as to the location
of the racetrack surface 250, one or more ridges 227 and/or grooves
(not shown) may be formed in the touch-sensitive surface 225. In
this way, the user may be aided in unerringly placing a tip of a
digit on whichever one of the racetrack surface 250 or the
remaining portion of the touch-sensitive surface 225 that they wish
to place that tip upon, without errantly placing that tip on both,
and without having to glance at the touch-sensitive surface 225 of
the touch sensor 220.
[0091] Other implementations are within the scope of the following
claims and other claims to which the applicant may be entitled.
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