# US 12,764,383 B2 · User interface for television channel surfing > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,764,383 B2 - Document ID: US12764383B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/543,020 - Filed: 2023-12-18 - Published: 2025-06-19 - Granted: 2026-10-13 - Earliest claimed: 2023-12-18 - Assignees: Adeia Guides Inc. - Applicants: Adeia Guides Inc. - Inventors: Tao Chen; Reda Harb - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12764383B2 ## CPC - H04N 21/4438: {Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface} - H04N 21/42204: {User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor (constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205)} - H04N 21/4314: {for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid} - H04N 21/4316: {for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window} - H04N 21/4852: {for modifying audio parameters, e.g. switching between mono and stereo} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract Methods and systems for enabling a user to browse a selection of video streams are disclosed. The interface disclosed herein provides two types of video panels. A first type is a video stream browse panel which shows a different video stream in response to receiving a video stream browsing command. The second type is a video stream monitor panel which continues to show the same video stream on the screen even when a video stream browsing command is received. By enabling a user to flag a video stream browsing panel as a video stream monitor panel, the user is able to build a multi-view presentation showing a video stream which they wish to monitor, and a video stream browser panel which they can use to surf through other video streams. On clearing the flag on a video stream monitor panel, the panel is removed from the screen. Because the flag can be set or cleared using a single user action, the ease of use of the user interface is improved. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of providing a user interface for video stream surfing on a media device, the method comprising: receiving a first video stream from a first video source; generating, for display in a first video stream panel on a user interface configured for simultaneous display of multiple panels, the first video stream; determining that a non-skippable advertisement is being displayed in the first video stream; while the non-skippable advertisement is being displayed in the first video stream, receiving a command to view a second video stream from a second video source; and based at least in part on the determining that the non-skippable advertisement was being displayed in the first video stream when the command to view the second video stream was received: generating on the user interface an additional second video stream panel, such that the user interface simultaneously displays the first video stream panel and the second video stream panel; arranging the first video stream panel and the second video stream panel in a particular configuration; generating, for display in the second video stream panel, the second video stream; and locking the first video stream panel such that user interface requests to change the first video stream panel to display another video stream are disabled while the first video stream panel is locked at least for the duration of the non-skippable advertisement. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein a size of the first video stream panel matches a size of the second video stream panel. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, further comprising receiving a second command to view a third video stream; and based at least in part on receiving the second command to view the third video stream, generating, for display in a third video stream panel, the third video stream, wherein a size of the third video stream panel matches the sizes of the first video stream panel and the second video stream panel. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising: storing a panel configuration data structure representing video stream panel areas and associated sources for each respective video stream panel area. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method according to claim 4, wherein the panel configuration data structure further comprises audio settings for each respective video stream panel area. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the first video source or the second video source comprises a linear television channel. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The method according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the first video source or the second video source comprises one or more recordings. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the first video stream and the second video stream are from adaptive bit rate video sources, the method further comprising allocating a greater share of inbound bandwidth to the first video stream than to the second video stream. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein a size of the second video stream panel is less than a size of the first video stream panel. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving a user interface command to lock the second video stream panel; based at least in part on receiving the command to lock the second video stream panel: locking the second video stream panel such that user interface requests to change the second video stream panel to display another video stream are disabled while the second video stream panel is locked; and re-arranging the first video stream panel and the second video stream panel in a new configuration different from the particular configuration. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising: storing data indicative of the particular configuration in which the first video stream panel and the second video stream panel were arranged while the first video stream was displayed in the first video stream panel and the second video stream was displayed in the second video stream panel; and based at least in part on a request to watch a Video-On-Demand (VOD) replay: generating for simultaneous display a VOD replay stream of the first video stream and a VOD replay stream of the second video stream in respective video stream panels arranged based on the data indicative of the particular configuration. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, further comprising: based at least in part on a request to watch a plurality of live streams: generating for display a first live stream of the plurality of live streams and a second live stream of the plurality of live streams in respective video stream panels arranged based on the data indicative of the particular configuration. ### Claim 13 A system comprising: input circuitry configured to receive a first video stream from a first video source; control circuitry configured to: generate, for display in a first video stream panel on a user interface configured for simultaneous display of multiple panels, the first video stream; determine, while generating for display the first video stream, that the first video stream comprises a non-skippable advertisement; command input circuitry configured to receive a command to view a second video stream from a second video source; and the control circuitry being further configured to: based at least in part on the determining that the non-skippable advertisement was being displayed in the first video stream when the command to view the second video stream was received: generate on the user interface an additional second video stream panel, such that the user interface simultaneously displays the first video stream panel and the second video stream panel; arrange the first video stream panel and the second video stream panel in a particular configuration; generate, for display in the second video stream panel, the second video stream; and lock the first video stream panel such that user interface requests to change the first video stream panel to display another video stream are disabled while the first video stream panel is locked at least for the duration of the non-skippable advertisement. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system according to claim 13, wherein a size of the first video stream panel matches a size of the second video stream panel. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The system according to claim 13, wherein: the command input circuitry is further configured to receive a second command to view a third video stream; and the control circuitry is further configured to, based at least in part on the command input circuitry receiving the command to view the third video stream, generate, for display in a third video stream panel, the third video stream. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The system according to claim 13, the control circuitry is further configured to store a panel configuration data structure representing video stream panel areas and associated sources for each respective video stream panel area. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system according to claim 16, wherein the panel configuration data structure further comprises audio settings for each respective video stream panel area. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The system according to claim 16, wherein at least one of the first video source or the second video source comprises a linear television channel.