Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-14
2004-04-20
Metjahic, Safet (Department: 2171)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C725S047000, C725S053000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06725215
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a record content searching/providing system and method for acquiring contents recorded and/or stored in a memory apparatus. Particularly, the present invention relates to a record content searching/providing system for searching a desired picture content among a large number of recorded picture contents recorded and stored in a memory apparatus.
2. Related Art
Development of digital technology enables to store a large amount of Audio-Visual (AV) data including picture and sound without deterioration. Recently, a hard disc drive (HDD) with several tens of GB, and a memory with a larger capacity becomes available in market with less cost. And a recording apparatus using such a hard disc drive have been introduced to market(for example, see “Recording devices for recording TV programs on the HDD are introduced” (Nikkei Electronics, No. 727, pp. 27-28, 1998) or “Digital recording technology using HDD is introduced for home-use” (Nikkei Electronics, No. 727, pp. 41-46, 1998)).
The HDD is an device that allows random access to recorded data. Accordingly, unlike conventional video tape player, it is not necessary to replay a recorded program sequentially from the beginning in a recoding/replaying apparatus with the HDD to replay record contents. The HDD recording/replaying apparatus allows to start direct replaying from any points of the recorded programs. On the other hand, it may be more difficult to operate such recording/relaying apparatus for a user if he/she tries to select a particular content from a large number of programs stored in the HDD as a memory capacity of the HDD increases.
In one conventional method for assisting user selection of contents recorded in a recording/replaying apparatus such as VTR, a list containing information regarding content titles and content recording date acquired from an Electric Programming Guide (EPG) may be displayed, and then a user operation for the selection is accepted. In another conventional method, thumbnails relating contents are displayed to assist understanding of the contents. However, in these conventional method, users have to go back to an original display screen for the selection when the users wish to re-select contents, resulting cumbersome content re-selecting operations. Further, the users have to learn operations in the selection screen, becoming burden to the users.
In another conventional method, the contents are categorized beforehand to make the selection of the record contents easier. In another conventional method, the contents are categorized layer by layer. However, deeper the layer becomes, more difficult to identify a category or layer to which the content is located. On the other hand, if the less number of layers are used, a number of contents belong to the same category becomes larger whereby resulting difficulty in searching among the single category.
In another conventional method, the contents are sorted. However, the method with sorting may provide merits unless users are familiar with attributes of contents such as title or recording date by which the sorting is executed. If a number of the contents were to increase further, burden of users becomes larger.
In a conventional computer system, an application program that can handle a data file of concern is selected and activated first. The data file can be selected within an application window. Or a data file of concern can be browsed by selecting the data file on a display screen to activate a corresponding application if data files and application programs that can activate the data files are pre-registered. In both cases, the data file of concern or the corresponding application program may be selected on a display screen of Graphical User Interface (GUI) by using a coordinate indicating device such as mouse or a cursor key.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
However, if such GUI operational technology commonly used in the conventional computer system were to introduced into a TV apparatus or other types of AV devices, additional devices will be required for selecting the application program or the data file, whereby resulting an increase of total device cost. Further, for users who are not familiar with operations of the computer system, it is necessary to learn totally new operations, and may deteriorate operability of the apparatus.
The content selecting operation may be viewed, in one aspect, as similar operation to channel selecting operation in a TV receiver. In a conventional TV receiver, the channel selection is made by operating up/down (+/−) keys and/or numeral keys of a remote controller. Further, the remote controller has additional keys separated from the channel selection keys for controlling VTR functions such as fast forward, rewind, skip forward, and skip backward. A number of keys in the remote controller may be required to increase if functions and commands of the TV receiver were to expand and a new key were to be assigned for each of the functions and commands. Further, there is a remote controller that uses a cross-shaped key to assign several functions to single key. However, such conventional cross-shaped key is not used to select channel nor to advance/retreat a replaying position.
An object of the present invention is to provide a record content searching/providing system and method that enable to acquire contents recorded and stored in a memory apparatus.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a record content searching/providing system and method that enable user-friendly content search operation from a number of contents recorded and stored in a memory apparatus.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a record content searching/providing system and method that enable to search record contents using operations similar to operations used in a conventional TV receiver.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a record content searching/providing system and method for searching a record content from a randomly accessible memory apparatus storing a plurality of contents, and for providing the record content to a user. The system/method comprises: content classification means/step classifying record contents of the memory apparatus in accordance with a predetermined rule; channel assignment means/step assigning a virtual channel to each classification; content arrangement means/step arranging the record contents classified into the same classification on the corresponding virtual channel; user operation receiving means/step receiving a user operation for commanding channel selection and content search on a channel; and content providing means/step acquiring a record content from a selected virtual channel in response to the user operation received via the user operation receiving means/step and providing the acquired record content.
For example, the record content may be image data of picture content such as programs broadcasted from various broadcasting stations.
The content arrangement means/step may dispose the record contents on the virtual channel along a time axis in accordance with their presentation sequence. Here, the content providing means/step may acquire the record content from a position which is moved along the time axis for a time period corresponding an operation amount of the content search operation on the virtual channel selected by the user operation receiving means/step.
The user operation receiving means/step may include a first command means/step commanding an amount of operation in a first direction and a second command means/step commanding an amount of operation in a second direction. Here, the content providing means/step specifies a virtual channel in accordance with the operation amount in the first direction by the first commanding means/step, and specifies a record content on the virtual channel in accordance with the operation amount in the second direction by the second commanding means/step.
Alternatively, the user operation receiving means may comprise a cros
Frommer William S.
Frommer & Lawrence & Haug LLP
Kessler Gordon
Metjahic Safet
Nguyen Merilyn
LandOfFree
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