CN1316345C - Dormant GUI buttons reside unobtrusively in the background upon selection - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a GUI for enabling a user to navigate between a wide variety of options. With the trend of offering more applications and options to the user, like in STB's deployed in a living room, it becomes evident to present the options in an intuitive and user friendly manner. Only user options are selectable, on e.g. a TV screen, which are currently of direct interest to the user. The user can navigate between these options using, e.g., a relative simple input device like a RC. Other options are shown semi visible in the background and are like in a dormant state. With e.g. a separate button on the input device these options can be made completely visible and can even be emphasized using, e.g., an animation on the screen. The invention is especially well suited for in a data driven applications environment.

Description

A method for enabling a user to interact with a GUI representing multiple user-controllable options

field of invention

The present invention relates to the design of Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) suitable for use on devices such as Set Top Boxes (STBs) and PCs. In particular, the present invention relates to methods of presentation and selection of user-selectable options utilizing 2.5D and 3D spatial effects.

Background technique

In STBs, the number of available software applications (SW) and user selectable options continues to increase with each new generation. With focus buttons and a remote control (RC), the user can select an option with, for example, a moving highlight. As the number of options increases, users can become overwhelmed. This problem is only exacerbated when working in an open networking environment where devices can be added or removed and the GUI changes accordingly.

Summary of the invention

The present invention relates to a GUI design in which solutions are provided for dealing with an increased number of options while allowing the user to easily control the options.

The present invention proposes a user-intuitive GUI design with easy-to-select options, allowing the user to maintain a clear view even with expanded functionality.

Communication between networked devices may be handled by STBs in the network. Networked systems focus on the content perceived by the user and less on the device itself, ie content-centric rather than device-centric. In a networked environment, it may be advantageous to collect data describing content information available in various resources on the network. This data can be combined into a single menu, enabling users to choose from content independent of the resource.

The GUI design of the present invention is well suited to the method of utilizing a data management system, which is capable of collecting data as described above. An example of such a data management system is described in patent application US S/N 09/568932 (Attorney Docket US 000106), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Personalization of content and its contextual filtering is becoming more prevalent. The GUI proposed by the present invention has been developed with content-driven applications in mind.

Using the GUI design and method of the present invention, new components can be easily added to the GUI, such as GUI representations of new additional networked devices. Examples of SW protocols for networks in which attach/detach devices are allowed are HAVI, UPnP, and Jini. Methods, and rules for data-driven applications may apply to more than one device. For example, if a user wishes to play a certain piece of music on his/her home entertainment system, he/she generally does not care much about which device the music comes from. Thus, the graphical presentation of the various playback functions may be the same for eg MP3 players and CD players.

The invention is explained in more detail by using an example of a GUI for a virtual audio jukebox application. The expression "virtual" in this context means that all songs appear to the user as part of the same audio jukebox. In fact, the songs may be located in different physical devices, such as CD players or MP3 players. These players can be an integral part of a (digitally) networked home system. The application is easily extensible to include multiple forms of digital content (eg, movies, etc.). The application's GUI can also provide feedback to the user as the user interacts with a physical object, such as a CD player in this example. The concrete concept of a physical CD player is combined in the GUI with the abstract concept of digital information, in this case digital audio. Choosing a familiar symbol (in this case a stack of CDs) simplifies usability and structures the relationship between media (in this case music), applications, and users. However, content and control can come from different sources. A networked home system typically has some level of awareness of its networked devices.

A typical television (TV) screen is considered a device that provides visual user information. The GUI screenshots used to explain the present invention are made in consideration of a TV screen. However, the invention is also applicable to other types of screens, such as screens of web-pads or handheld devices. Since the user is typically about 7-10 feet (2-3 meters) away from the TV screen, GUI objects need to be larger than those used on computer screens. Therefore, less effective space is available for the GUI and more hierarchical navigation structures are required. Therefore, the GUI is designed with only tools, which are clearly visible on the screen, related to the specific task in which the user is engaged. The user can control the application with a simple four-way remote control (with an "OK" button to confirm selections) and possibly another input device for text entry (eg with a physical or virtual keyboard). This is in contrast to a computer environment where a full-fledged keyboard and mouse are typically used as user controls. However, the invention is also applicable to other types of user control components, such as joystick based with GUI cursors, speech, etc., for example.

One aspect of the present invention is the use of graphical emphasis on user options that are currently relevant to the user and therefore must draw attention.

User options that draw attention in this context represent those options that currently require the user's attention, for example when the user needs to select a song from a list of ten songs. In this example, ten songs command attention and are graphically emphasized. For example, a graphic designer may employ higher contrast, larger object sizes, or darker colors or provide more (eg, text) information (or a combination of the above) for options that draw attention. Graphic designers can also use 2.5D or 3D effects. For example, currently relevant options can be designed so that they appear to "stand out" from the background, thereby making them appear closer to the user.

The user options of interest are usually of a specific type, eg all playback related options for audio such as play, fast forward, record, stop, rewind, or eg a list of songs to choose from, etc. Sometimes it is possible for more than one user option to be of concern at the same time.

Another way to deal with many options and buttons on a GUI is to magnify them when the user needs to select a desired function, such as in a submenu. In this context, a sub-menu may include one or more user-selectable options. If a submenu includes more than one user-selectable option, those options are usually of the same type, or are grouped for some other specific reason. This method of enlarging options and buttons on a GUI is described in patent application US S/N 09/062364 (Attorney Docket No. PHA 23387), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Another aspect of the invention is that user options that are not currently relevant to the user can be displayed less prominently in the GUI. For example, a graphic designer may employ lower contrast, smaller object sizes, or at best provide limited additional information (eg, by employing less textual or non-textual detail) for options that are not of interest. Using animation, such as 2.5D or 3D effects, graphic designers can also use dynamic effects to obscure (or even hide options) that are not of interest. Animations are motion simulations created by displaying a series of bitmaps. Animations allow users to perceive changes as smooth transitions. The impression of being suddenly faced with a new layout is thus avoided. More information on animation can be found in patent application US S/N 09/128839 (PHA Attorney Docket No. 23469), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. For example, the GUI can flip a board with an unfocused set of options so that the backside, with a different set of options, is in focus. Options that are not of interest may become completely invisible or remain partially visible, eg, have a limited size, less contrast, be translucent to their background, etc. In another example, a graphic designer may choose to use pictorial representations (eg, icons) for options that are not of interest. An icon may be a symbolic representation of a submenu. In yet another example, a graphic designer may choose to employ background artwork or a background theme as the graphic representation for options that are not of interest. Especially in the latter instance, animation can be used as a way to indicate transitions between overtly and subtly showing unfocused user options. Combinations of any of the techniques described above for less conspicuously displaying user options are also contemplated.

Yet another aspect of the invention is that user options in focus can emerge from the background and become larger or gain greater contrast or gain more detail, such as additional textual information. Since the options are already displayed on the GUI in an unobtrusive manner, the user already knows they exist. Another advantage of this GUI is that focused options make extremely efficient use of limited screen real estate, making it easy to use effectively.

Conversely, options that are no longer of interest to the user may fade from the foreground into the background, and may become translucent, for example, and so on. In other words, options that are out of focus become less prominent or less obvious. One advantage of making these options still visible in the background is to let the user know that they are still available at a later stage. Usually, there is a higher chance that those options will be needed soon.

In nested menus, e.g. to distribute and design menu options in a hierarchical structure of (sub)menus. The different levels of the hierarchy are represented graphically in different ways, allowing the user to focus on the most interesting (sub)menus, while the previous (and possibly lower) menus are displayed in a less focused way. supply.

Brief introduction to the drawings

With reference to accompanying drawing, by way of example, utilize the schematic diagram of input device and partial GUI screen frame to illustrate the present invention, in the figure:

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a remote control usable as a user input device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a GUI screen including some elements with a strong sense of place.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a GUI screen with elements of no concern.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating GUI screens while content is being played.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a GUI screen shot with a palette tool flipped.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating GUI screen shots with function menus highlighted.

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating GUI screen shots of the web store functionality with some deeper level user options.

Detailed description of the drawings

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an RC 100 that may be used as a user input device according to the present invention. RC 100 includes a numeric keypad 102 that can be used for direct numeric entry, eg for CD track selection. It also includes a cursor control keypad 104 (with up, down, right, left keys) and an "OK" button 106 . Using the keypad 104, the user is able to navigate to a desired option, eg, through GUI highlighting on a TV screen. After reaching the desired option, the "OK" button 106 can be pressed to indicate the user's selection. To relocate to a previous GUI screen and/or user options screen, the user may use the back button 108 . Button functions 110 may be used by a user, for example, to activate the display of certain functions. Due to the extremely limited screen area for a GUI on eg a TV screen, some functions may not always be displayed, at least not completely.

The transport controller 112 is available to the user to actually enjoy the music collection.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a GUI screen 200 including some elements with a strong sense of place. Portions of screen shot 200 are text feedback 202 , physical locator 204 , genre 206 , owner 208 , palette tool 210 , and transport indicator 212 .

Due to the space constraints of this type of interface (ie, most of the entire content visually exists on a single screen), it is extremely important to give the user a strong sense of place and an exact sense of where they are in the interface. To provide this functionality, there are two main locators in the GUI screens 200, providing the user with textual feedback 202 in addition to the physical locator 204 (e.g., album selection: Madonna "Ray of Light"). Using the physical locator 204, the GUI designer attempts to display a symbol of the physical music collection (representing a stack of CDs) to the user. As CDs are selected from the stack, their titles or other relevant information may be displayed in the upper left corner as text feedback 202 .

Another element of the user interface is the management of the relationship between the owner of the music collection and the genre or classification of music (eg, rock, jazz, opera, etc.). Since music collections can be divided into groups eg by owner, it is very important to give the user smooth and independent control over the resulting views. It can be divided by ownership as indicated by owner 208, but also by genre (through the ability to create custom genres). Although music can be classified using many criteria, in this example only two methods of classification are used. Note that the division of music collections may contain overlaps.

Due to the relationship between owner and genre, the palette tool 210 is effectively two-sided in this example. The flipping between the faces can be visualized, for example by employing animation, thereby providing the user with a stronger sense of the existence of two faces and their relationship. In this example, the user can flip the palette from the owner side to get the genre palette side.

Another element of the user interface is the ubiquitous transport indicators 212 (ie play, pause, fast forward, stop and rewind). Since the most important reason for including this interface is to allow users to actually enjoy their music collection, it is always imperative that users have the ability to play music.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a GUI screen 300 with elements of no concern. Portions of screen 300 are unfocused palette tool 310 , physical locator 204 , genre 206 , owner 208 , unobtrusive tool button 306 , user selection 308 , and transport indicator 212 .

Certain elements of the GUI are considered helpful parts, even though they may not be of focus at a particular moment. Also, certain elements may soon become relevant to the user or may gain attention sooner. Due to the extremely limited screen real estate, certain techniques must be applied to bring the user's attention to these elements or to keep the user's attention to these elements. Techniques suggested by the present invention are eg 2.5 and 3D animation and movement of GUI elements, changing size of GUI elements relative to their background and changing contrast. Another aspect of the invention is the proposed technique of making a GUI element a natural part of its GUI screen background. For example, unobtrusive tool buttons 306 are presented in the background and in a natural portion of the background until the user decides that a certain tool is needed. The tool buttons 306 are currently presented in an unobtrusive manner because, for example, it is expected that the user will need them soon. As noted earlier, this can be a series of hierarchical menus with layers of submenus. Tools can be used very well for one of the next user actions. In yet another example, the palette tool 210 of the GUI 200 may not be physically present under its selectable condition. Because of the competing presentation of the content (it takes precedence here). Therefore, it changes size and becomes an unnoticed palette tool 310 . Due to its new size, the buttons of the palette tools 310 that are not of interest are no longer marked. Depending on the resources available to the GUI, the transition of the tool 210 to the unfocused palette tool 310 may be accomplished through animated motion and/or an animation that dynamically changes size.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a GUI screen 400 while content is being played. Portions of the screen shot 400 are text feedback 402 , physical locator 204 , genre 206 , owner 208 , out of focus palette 310 , user selection 404 , and active transfer indicator 406 .

In screen shot 400 , explicit feedback is provided to the user by highlighting an element, in this example the playback function, from transport indicator 406 . Text feedback 402 and user selection 404 provide text feedback to the user. In screen shot 400 , the name of the user/owner is displayed with owner 208 .

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a GUI screen shot 500 with a palette tool flipped over. Portions of screen shot 500 are text feedback 202 , physical locator 204 , genre 206 , owner 508 , palette tool 510 , and transport indicator 212 .

In screen shot 500, palette tool 510 has two faces/views. However, it is important to provide the user with the illusion that there is another view. In screenshot 500 , this is accomplished by displaying palette tool 510 slightly angled. Another example of providing the user with the illusion that other views exist is the use of tags (which are not intuitive). Changing from one view of the palette tool 510 to another, for example by smoothly flipping the animation of the palette tool, may also draw the user's attention to the other side. It is also possible to scale the number of views to a larger number.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a GUI screen shot 600 with a function menu highlighted. Portions of screen shot 600 are owner 608 , unfocused palette 310 , physical locator 204 , genre 206 , tool buttons 606 , user selection 610 , and transport indicator 212 .

In screen shot 600, the button "Add to playlist" of the tool button has been focused. This may be the result of a user action such as pressing a function button 110 on the remote control 100 . This is in contrast to screenshot 300 where tool button 306 is currently partially visible and may even be part of a background image or pattern, for example. In screen shot 600, the user now gets clear feedback that certain working buttons are available. For example, tool buttons may have greater contrast, the button currently receiving focus may be highlighted, and the user may be able to navigate through the buttons using cursor control keypad 104 .

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a GUI screen shot 700 of an online store function with some deeper user options. Portions of the screen 700 are a sale item column 702 , similar sale items 704 , an online shop button 706 , and an online shop button submenu 708 .

The screen shot 700 may be the next screen after the user has browsed the Tools button 606 and pressed the OK button 106 while the button "Online Store" is highlighted. At this time, the user may focus on selecting from the products displayed in the product column 702 . Thus, GUI screen 700 primarily displays elements relevant to the current user's focus, but some user options may still be semi-visible in the background.

Claims (2)

1. One kind make the user can with the mutual method of GUI that is used to represent a plurality of user's may command options, comprising:

   At least two submenus,

   Wherein:

   The user can select specific in the described submenu one;

   After the selection,, and use another submenu of diagrammatic representation in an unobtrusive manner with the showy mode described specific submenu of diagrammatic representation,

   It is characterized in that at least one realizes described inconspicuous mode in the following technology by adopting:

   With respect to background, adopt and represent described another submenu than the higher translucence of described specific submenu;

   Employing is represented described another submenu than low contrast, and adopts higher contrast to represent described certain menu;

   Described another submenu is shown as the part of background theme at least;

   Described another submenu is shown as the part of the background graphics artwork at least.
2. 2. the method for claim 1 is characterized in that, adopts the diagram diagrammatic representation to show described another submenu.

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