User Interface for Visual Cooperation Between Text Input and Display Device

A user-interface system for entering an alphanumeric string for identifying information content, the system comprising:

• presentation logic for displaying on a presentation device an image of a virtual user alphanumeric interface, the virtual user alphanumeric interface including an image of an overloaded keypad that has a two dimensional configuration of alphanumeric clusters, a plurality of clusters corresponding to a set of selectable alphanumeric symbols including alphanumeric characters and alphanumeric numerals, the virtual user alphanumeric interface further including a string field for displaying the alphanumeric string of alphanumeric symbols selected by a user, wherein the alphanumeric characters are presented in a non-alphabetic order to facilitate selection of a probable string via reduced user selection actions;
• and
• selection logic for receiving user actions from an input device, said selection logic including logic, cooperative with the presentation logic, to present visual cues to aid in the navigation of said image of an overloaded keypad of the virtual user alphanumeric interface and the selection of an alphanumeric symbol, said logic to present visual cues including logic to signify on the image of the virtual user alphanumeric interface the user selection of an alphanumeric cluster while maintaining the display of unselected alphanumeric clusters of the two dimensional configuration of the alphanumeric clusters and including logic to aid in the selection of a symbol from the set of symbols associated with the selected cluster to cause the selected character to be displayed in the string field of the virtual user alphanumeric interface;
• wherein the presentation device is a television and the input device is a physically separate remote control device.

A user-interface method for entering an alphanumeric string for identifying information content, the method comprising:

• displaying on a presentation device an image of a virtual user alphanumeric interface, the virtual user alphanumeric interface including an image of an overloaded keypad that has a two dimensional configuration of alphanumeric clusters, a plurality of clusters corresponding to a set of selectable alphanumeric symbols including alphanumeric characters and alphanumeric numerals, the virtual user alphanumeric interface further including a string field for displaying the alphanumeric selections by a user;
• receiving user actions from an input device with a five button interface, said interface including four navigation-direction controls and a selection control;
• and
• presenting visual cues to aid in the navigation of said image of an overloaded keypad of the virtual user alphanumeric interface and the selection of an alphanumeric symbol, including presenting visual cues to signify on the image of the virtual user alphanumeric interface the user selection of an alphanumeric cluster while maintaining the display of unselected alphanumeric clusters of the two dimensional configuration of the alphanumeric clusters and presenting visual cues to aid in the selection of a symbol from the set of symbols associated with the selected cluster to cause the selected alphanumeric symbol to be displayed in the string field of the virtual user alphanumeric interface;
• wherein the presentation device is a television and the input device is a physically separate remote control device.

A user-interface method for entering an alphanumeric string for identifying information content, the method comprising:

• displaying on a presentation device an image of a virtual user alphanumeric interface, the virtual user alphanumeric interface including an image of an overloaded keypad that has a two dimensional configuration of alphanumeric clusters, a plurality of clusters corresponding to a set of selectable alphanumeric symbols including alphanumeric characters and alphanumeric numerals, the virtual user alphanumeric interface further including a string field for displaying the alphanumeric selections by a user, wherein the alphanumeric characters are presented in a non-alphabetic order to facilitate selection of a probable string via reduced user selection actions;
• receiving user actions from an input device;
• and
• presenting visual cues to aid in the navigation of said image of an overloaded keypad of the virtual user alphanumeric interface and the selection of an alphanumeric symbol, including signifying on the image of the virtual user alphanumeric interface the user selection of an alphanumeric cluster while maintaining the display of unselected alphanumeric clusters of the two dimensional configuration of the alphanumeric clusters and selection of a symbol from the set of symbols associated with the selected cluster to-cause the selected symbol to be displayed in the string field of the virtual user alphanumeric interface;
• wherein the presentation device is a television and the input device is a physically separate remote control device.