Remote with 3D organized GUI for a home entertainment system
AssigneePhilips Electronics North America Corporation
InventorsLorna Goulden, Jeffrey Alan Herman, Paul S. Moore
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A remote control device for a home entertainment system has a GUI with touch screen functionality. The visible part of the GUI is hierarchically organized in several control levels. All levels have consistent lay-outs with a first area for selectable items in a first location, a second area with controls for the selected one of the items in a second location and a third area for content data relating to the selected item in a third location. The spatial relationship between locations and areas is maintained throughout the levels. Such a GUI contributes significantly to the user-friendliness of the home entertainment system.
Claims16
For use in a consumer electronics system with a plurality of user-selectable and user-controllable functionalities distributed over multiple levels in a control hierarchy, a hand held remote control device comprising:
- a display for displaying a graphical user interface (GUI);
- a controller coupled to the display for enabling a user to control the system through the GUI;
- wherein:
- the GUI provides a respective lay-out for each respective one of the multiple control levels;
- each respective one of the lay-outs provides:
- in a respective first area of the display, first graphical representations of functionalities selectable at the respective level;
- and
- the respective first areas occupy a first portion of the display at substantially the same first location throughout the levels, and wherein:
- each respective one of the lay-outs comprises, in a respective second area of the display, second graphical representations of basic controls for controlling a selected one of the selectable functionalities at the respective level;
- and
- the respective second areas occupy a second portion of the display at substantially the same second location, different from the first location, throughout the levels.
A consumer electronics system with a plurality of user-selectable and user-controllable functionalities distributed over multiple levels in a control hierarchy, the system comprising a control device for user-control of the system, the system comprising:
- a display for displaying a graphical user interface (GUI);
- a controller coupled to the display for enabling a user to control the system through the GUI;
- wherein:
- the GUI provides a respective lay-out for each respective one of the multiple control levels;
- each respective one of the lay-outs provides:
- in a respective first area of the display, first graphical representations of functionalities selectable at the respective level;
- and
- the respective first areas occupy a first portion of the display at substantially the same first location throughout the levels and wherein:
- each respective one of the lay-outs comprises, in a respective second area of the display, second graphical representations of basic controls for controlling a selected one of the selectable functionalities at the respective level;
- and
- the respective second areas occupy a second portion of the display at substantially the same second location, different from the first location, throughout the levels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.