Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-18
2003-04-29
Bayerl, Raymond J. (Department: 2173)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S215000, C345S215000, C345S215000, C725S037000, C725S056000, C710S063000, C710S073000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06556219
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to computerized entertainment systems and to methods of constructing user interfaces for those systems.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The home electronics industry, in the midst of an on-going convergence of televisions and computers, has produced a new class of products, known as PC-TV systems, or personal-computer-television systems. In their simplest form, these systems allow users to selectively switch between using a video monitor, or display, to watch television or to support computer activities, like word processing, creating spread sheets, playing computer games, or even surfing the world wide web. A seminal example, the Gateway Destination PC-TV system, from Gateway 2000, Inc., not only weds a television to a personal computer, but allows system expansion to receive programming from internal sources such as video-cassette recorders, laser-disc players, and video cameras and from external sources such as direct-broadcast-satellite receivers, etc.
In home entertainment systems, a number of devices are often interconnected. Such devices may include various components such as a VCR, laser disc player, a stereo receiver, speakers, a television, a CD-player/recorder, a tape deck, equalizers, amplifiers, and the like. Increasingly, personal computers, with their attendant peripherals such as a DVD-ROM drive, printer, scanner, mass storage, internet browsers and other programs, mouse or pointing device, and the like have been used in home entertainment systems.
One problem in owning and operating a PC-TV system concerns adding and controlling new components. Conventional PC-TV systems generally use a categorical, one-size-fits-all approach, to controlling new components and thus include a very basic set of controls for all external components. For example, these systems provide a basic VCR category which typically only includes play, stop, pause, fast-forward, and rewind commands. Yet, many VCRs include more functionality, such as frame advance, set-up menu, programming, and so forth which is inaccessible through these controls. Thus, the limited basic controls of conventional PC-TV systems are more or less useless with the broad range of extra functions inherent to many components.
Currently, there are several partial solutions to this problem. One is the DestiVu (tm) AV Panel which provides static user interface (UI) controls for categories of devices. Individual functionality of an attached device is not available in the DestiVu system.
Through the use of simplified templates, the user may use “least common denominator” interface elements. For example, any VCR identified as a VCR will have certain core functions, such as “play,” “record,” “stop,” and the like. Many VCRs have a wide variety of further functions not necessarily present on all VCRs. The “least common denominator” solution does not provide access to the further functionality.
A second is the Crestron wireless remote control touchpad provides a graphical user interface (GUI) on a large hand held touch sensitive input device. However, the user interface elements must be manually placed in the user interface by the end user of the system. Similarly, each component capable of attachment to a system has its own set of functions it is capable of performing. Not all components will have the same features, but each component in a device category will meet a minimum standard of functions. This minimum standard of core functions is called the “least common denominator.” Each device of a certain type will have at a minimum the “least common denominator” features.
Further, the Crestron solution uses a proprietary operating environment for generating its graphical user interface. The Crestron system is constructed to operate only on a proprietary platform. If the user is unaware of certain functions a device is capable of performing, the functionality of those features will not be present in the constructed user interface.
A third partial solution is the Phast Landmark (tm) system. The Phast system uses complex UI elements to describe many external devices. However, like the Crestron system, the Phast solution forces users to go through an elaborate manual setup procedure to define the interfaces for particular devices. In a windows environment, this entails a drop-and-drag technique. As in the Crestron system, if the user is unaware of certain functions a device is capable of performing, the functionality of those features will not be present in the constructed user interface.
Computer-based home entertainment systems are interconnecting an increasing number of components. Not all of these components can be connected directly to the computer-based controller. Current computer-based television solutions either support an internal tuner or tuners directly connected to an audio/video input on the computer based controller. Tunable devices such as televisions, stereo receivers, VCRs, satellite dishes, and the like are not supported by the current solutions if they are not connected directly to the computer-based controller. Tunable devices such as those described have a set of channels or stations which are available for viewing or listening.
Home entertainment systems may have a variety of peripheral devices connected together to from a complete system. Computers are increasingly more likely to be contained in such a home entertainment system. Peripheral devices are connectable to the system in any number of different configurations. A representative but not exhaustive list of such peripheral devices includes tunable devices such as television, VCR, Video Disk Player, Satellite Dish, and Stereo receiver. Each of these devices may be connected to various channel receiving components, such as an antenna, a satellite dish or satellite receiving system, a cable television cable, and combinations thereof. Further peripheral devices which may be connected to a computer-based home entertainment system may include, by way of example, DVD players, CD-ROMs, amplifiers, and equalizers. These further devices may also be connected to various channel receiving components, but are often connected simply to the computer via a direct connection to a computer-based controller or the like.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system with a much broader range of controls that can address the broad functionality not generally controllable using conventional control architectures.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To address these and other shortcomings, the inventor devised a computer-based system used to represent in a graphical user interface the interconnected components or peripheral devices of a home entertainment system. An embodiment of the computer-based system of the present invention includes a comprehensive database of device functionality capabilities, user interface elements, and channel maps, and a mechanism which responds to the addition of a new component by searching the database and constructing a specific control interface. The specific control interface addresses all the capabilities and functions of the new component without the need for manual input of functions and capabilities by the user.
A method of operating the computer-based system is also embodied by the present invention. The method comprises providing a database listing functions of one or more peripheral devices and corresponding graphical-user-interface elements (objects) for accessing the functions, searching the database for a particular media device, and displaying a graphical user interface for the particular media device based on functions and corresponding graphical user interface elements listed in the database.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, the interconnection of various components is determined, and tunable devices connected to the system are identified by the type of connection to a further channel receiving component they employ, namely “off-air antenna,” “cable,” “satellite,” or “no antenna.” “No antenna” devices may include those directly hooked to the computer as described above, such as
Bayerl Raymond J.
Gateway Inc.
Lacy Rodney
Walker Mark S.
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