US20150074728A1

US20150074728A1 - Systems and methods of displaying content

Info

Publication number: US20150074728A1
Application number: US14/242,459
Authority: US
Inventors: Crx Chai; Alex Fishman; Jonathan FONG
Original assignee: OpenTV Inc
Current assignee: OpenTV Inc
Priority date: 2013-09-10
Filing date: 2014-04-01
Publication date: 2015-03-12
Also published as: AU2014318962A1; KR102231535B1; EP3044964A4; AU2014318962B2; MX2018006222A; US20180220194A1; MX2016003115A; US9883250B2; EP3044964A1; JP2019008807A; SG11201602200UA; CA2923853C; CN112822561A; CN106105230A; CA2923853A1; JP2016540452A; US20150074552A1; JP6673990B2; WO2015038516A1; KR20160053995A

Abstract

A device for enabling content selection is configured to display one or more sub-categories of content included within a category of content. The one or more sub-categories of content may be displayed using stack structures. The stack structures may include a plurality of icons representing available content. The stack structures may enable thumbnail browsing of content available from a plurality of diverse sources.

Description

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/876,188, filed on Sep. 10, 2013, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/876,199, filed on Sep. 10, 2013, each of which are incorporated by reference in their respective entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of interactive television and graphical user interfaces.

BACKGROUND

Digital media playback capabilities may be incorporated into a wide range of devices, including digital televisions, including so-called “smart” televisions, laptop or desktop computers, tablet computers, e-book readers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), digital recording devices, digital media players, video gaming devices, digital cameras, cellular or satellite radio telephones, including so-called “smart” phones, dedicated video streaming devices, and the like. Digital media content may originate from a plurality of sources including, for example, over-the-air television providers, satellite television providers, cable television providers, online media-sharing services, including, online media streaming and downloading services, peer devices, and the like. Further, devices with digital media playback capabilities may be configured to output digital media to ultra-resolution displays.
Due to the wide range of content users may access on devices with digital media playback capabilities, traditional techniques for the organizing, sorting, and displaying available content choices may be less than ideal, particularly for televisions and secondary connected devices. Further, traditional electronic programming guides may be intended to be displayed on relatively smaller and/or lower resolution displays than the larger and higher resolution displays that are currently available or may be become available in the future.

SUMMARY

The following brief summary is not intended to include all features and aspects of the present invention, nor does it imply that the invention must include all features and aspects discussed in this summary. The present disclosure relates to the field of graphical user interfaces and more specifically describes techniques for presenting a user with dynamic interactive graphical user interfaces. In particular, this disclosure describes techniques for enabling content selection. In some examples, the techniques may be implemented in a device with digital media playback capabilities, including for example, laptop or desktop computers, tablet computers, smart phones, set top boxes, and televisions.
According to one example of the disclosure, a method for enabling content selection comprises displaying one or more sub-categories of content included within a category of content, wherein displaying one or more sub-categories of content includes displaying icons representing items of content included within each of the one or more sub-categories of content in a stack structure, and enabling a user to select one of the one or more stack structures.
According to another example of the disclosure, a device for enabling content selection comprises one or more processors configured to display one or more sub-categories of content included within a category of content, wherein displaying one or more sub-categories of content includes displaying icons representing items of content included within each of the one or more sub-categories of content in a stack structure, and enable a user to select one of the one or more stack structures.
According to another example of the disclosure, an apparatus for enabling content selection comprises means for displaying one or more sub-categories of content included within a category of content, wherein displaying one or more sub-categories of content includes displaying icons representing items of content included within each of the one or more sub-categories of content in a stack structure, and enabling a user to select one of the one or more stack structures.
According to another example of the disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium has instructions stored thereon that upon execution cause one or more processors of a device to display one or more sub-categories of content included within a category of content, wherein displaying one or more sub-categories of content includes displaying icons representing items of content included within each of the one or more sub-categories of content in a stack structure, and enable a user to select one of the one or more stack structures.
The details of one or more examples are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is block diagram illustrating an example of a system that may implement one or more techniques of this disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a computing device that may implement one or more techniques of this disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a graphical user interface in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a graphical user interface in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a graphical user interface in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a graphical user interface in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a graphical user interface in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a graphical user interface in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a graphical user interface in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a graphical user interface in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for enabling selection of content according to the techniques of this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Described herein are systems and methods for enabling the selection of content. Some embodiments extend to a machine-readable medium embodying instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies described herein. Other features will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed description that follows. Examples merely typify possible variations. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, components and functions are optional and may be combined or subdivided, and operations may vary in sequence or may be combined or subdivided. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of example embodiments. It will be evident to one skilled in the art, however, that the present subject matter may be practiced without these specific details.
Devices with digital media playback capabilities, including, for example, televisions, set top boxes, and mobile devices, may be configured to provide users thereof with graphical user interfaces that enable the selection of content. In some examples, these graphical user interfaces may be referred to as electronic program guides (EPGs). Traditional electronic program guides may be designed to only display content available through a television provider. Further, traditional electronic programming guides may have been designed for relatively smaller and/or lower resolution displays than the larger and higher resolution displays that are currently available or may be become available in the future. That is, traditional electronic program guides may have been designed when standard definition displays (576i resolutions) with a maximum size screen size of 32″ were common. Whereas, current commercially available displays may be larger than 100″ and may have resolutions as high as 3840 pixels by 2160 pixels. Further, even larger displays with higher resolutions are anticipated to be commercially available in the future. Displays with resolutions higher than standard or high definition displays may be referred to as ultra-resolution displays. Ultra-resolution displays, such as ultra-resolution televisions, increase the screen real-estate because more pixels can be seen by viewers allowing more content to be displayed efficiently. Further, smaller devices, such as tablet computers, may include ultra-resolution displays. Traditional electronic program guides may be less than ideal for use with ultra-resolution displays. The techniques describe herein may enable a user to more efficiently select content from a plurality of diverse sources.
Example embodiments described herein may allow for a more natural interaction with a graphical user interface by zooming back from content and surrounding it with relevant features and data. This mimics how users actually organize and interact with objects in the real world. Additionally the techniques described herein may leverage ultra-resolution displays to minimize text and content confusion by using thumbnail navigation. Thumbnail navigation may allow users to quickly and seamlessly move across content solely using icons representing content. Example embodiments described herein may replace standard data that is represented in text form with high resolution graphics to reduce clutter and allow for easier browsing of large catalogs of content. These features may then be transported on many other devices beyond a television, creating a seamless interface that enhance the user experience. That is, the graphical user interfaces described herein may be displayed on a secondary display (e.g., a smart phone display) in conjunction with being displayed on a primary display (e.g., an ultra-resolution television).
FIG. 1 is block diagram illustrating an example of a system that may implement one or more techniques described in this disclosure. System 100 may be configured to enable content selection in accordance with the techniques described herein. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, system 100 includes one or more computing devices 102A-102N, communications network 104, television service provider site 110, media service provider site 118, webpage content distribution site 120, application distribution site 122, social media site 124, and search engine site 126. System 100 may include software modules operating on one or more servers. Software modules may be stored in a memory and executed a processor. Servers may include one or more processors and a plurality of internal and/or external memory devices. Examples of memory devices include file servers, FTP servers, network attached storage (NAS) devices, local disk drives, or any other type of device or storage medium capable of storing data. Storage medium may include Blu-ray discs, DVDs, CD-ROMs, flash memory, or any other suitable digital storage media. When the techniques described herein are implemented partially in software, a device may store instructions for the software in a suitable, non-transitory computer-readable medium and execute the instructions in hardware using one or more processors.
System 100 represents an example of a system that may be configured to allow digital content, such as, for example, music, videos, images, webpages, messages, voice communications, and applications, to be distributed to and accessed by a plurality of computing devices, such as computing devices 102A-102N. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, computing devices 102A-102N may include any device configured to transmit data to and/or receive data from communication network 104. For example, computing devices 102A-102N may be equipped for wired and/or wireless communications and may include set top boxes, digital video recorders, televisions, desktop, laptop, or tablet computers, gaming consoles, mobile devices, including, for example, “smart” phones, cellular telephones, and personal gaming devices. It should be noted that although example system 100 is illustrated as having distinct sites, such an illustration is for descriptive purposes and does not limit system 100 to a particular physical architecture. Functions of system 100 and sites included therein may be realized using any combination of hardware, firmware and/or software implementations.
Communications network 104 may comprise any combination of wireless and/or wired communication media. Communications network 104 may include coaxial cables, fiber optic cables, twisted pair cables, wireless transmitters and receivers, routers, switches, repeaters, base stations, or any other equipment that may be useful to facilitate communications between various devices and sites. Communications network 104 may operate according to a combination of one or more telecommunication protocols. Telecommunications protocols may include proprietary aspects and/or may include standardized telecommunication protocols. Examples of standardized telecommunications protocols include Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) standards, Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) standards, Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting (ISDB) standards, Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) standards, Global System Mobile Communications (GSM) standards, code division multiple access (CDMA) standards, 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards, European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) standards, Internet Protocol (IP) standards, Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) standards, and IEEE standards, such as, for example, one or more of the 802 standards.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, networks of different types may be defined within communications network 104. Networks may be defined according physical and/or logical aspects. For example, networks that share the same physical infrastructure (e.g., coaxial cables) may be distinguished based on a primary service type (e.g., webpage access or television service). Physical and logical aspects of networks may be described according to a layered model. For example, layers of a model may respectively define physical signaling, addressing, channel access control, packet properties, and data processing in a communications system. One example of a layered model is the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, communications network 104 includes television provider network 106 and public network 108. It should be noted that although television provider network 106 and public network 108 are illustrated as distinct, television provider network 106 and public network 108 may share physical and/or logical aspects.
Television provider network 106 is an example of a network configured to provide a user with television services. For example, television provider network 106 may include public over-the-air television networks, public or subscription-based satellite television service provider networks, and public or subscription based cable television provider networks. It should be noted that although in some examples television provider network 106 may primarily be used to provide television services, television provider network 106 may also provide other types of data and services according to any combination of the telecommunication protocols described herein.
Public network 108 is an example of a packet-based network, such as, a local area network, a wide-area network, or a global network, such as the Internet, configured to provide a user with World Wide Web based services. Public network 108 may be configured to operate according to Internet Protocol (IP) standards. It should be noted that although in some examples public network 108 may primarily be used to provide access to hypertext web pages, public network 108 may also provide other types of media content according to any combination of the telecommunication protocol described herein.
Referring again to FIG. 1, television service provider 110 represents an example of a television service provider site. Television service provider 110 may be configured to provide computing devices 102A-102N with television service. For example, television service provider 110 may be a public broadcast station, a cable television provider, or a satellite television provider and may be configured to provide television services to analog and/or digital televisions and set top boxes. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, television service provider 110 includes on air distribution engine 112 and on demand engine 114. On air distribution engine 112 may be configured to receive a plurality of on air feeds and distribute the feeds to computing devices 102A-102N through television provider network 106. For example, on air distribution engine 112 may be configured to receive one or more over-the-air television broadcasts via a satellite uplink/downlink and distribute the over-the-air television broadcasts to one or more users of a subscription-based cable television service.
On demand engine 114 may be configured to access a multimedia library and distribute multimedia content to one or more of computing devices 102A-102N through television provider network 106. For example, on demand engine 114 may access multimedia content (e.g., music, movies, and TV shows) stored in multimedia database 116A and provide a subscriber of a cable television service with movies on a Pay Per View (PPV) basis. Multimedia database 116A may be a storage device configured to store multimedia content. It should be noted that multimedia content accessed through on demand engine 114 may also be located at various sites within system 100 (e.g., peer-to-peer distribution).
Media service provider site 118 represents an example of a multimedia service provider. Media service provider site 118 may be configured to access a multimedia library and distribute multimedia content to one or more of computing devices 102A-102N through public network 108. For example, media service provider site 118 may access multimedia (e.g., music, movies, and TV shows) stored in multimedia database 116B and provide a user of a media service with multimedia. Multimedia database 116B may be a storage device configured to store multimedia content. In one example, media service provider site 118 may be configured to provide content to one or more of computing devices 102A-102N using the Internet protocol suite. In some examples, a media service may be referred to as a streaming service. Commercial examples of media services may include Hulu, YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon Prime. As described above, television provider network 106 and public network 108 may share physical and logical aspects. Thus, content accessed by one or more of computing devices 102A-102N through media service provider site 118 may be transmitted through physical components of television provider network 106. For example, a user of a computing device may access the internet and multimedia content provided by a media service through a cable modem connected to a coaxial network maintained by a cable television provider.
Webpage content distribution site 120 represents an example of a webpage service provider. Webpage content distribution site 120 may be configured to provide hypertext based content to one or more of computing devices 102A-102N through public network 108. It should be noted that hypertext based content may include audio and video content. Hypertext content may be defined according to programming languages, such as, for example, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Dynamic HTML, and Extensible Markup Language (XML). Examples of webpage content distribution sites include the Wikipedia website and the United States Patent and Trademark Office website.
Application distribution site 122 represents an example of an application distribution service. Application distribution site 122 may be configured to distribute developed software applications to one or more of computing devices 102A-102N. In one example, software applications may include games and programs operable on computing devices. In other examples, software applications may be configured to allow a computing device to access content provided by a site in manner specific to the computing device. For example, software applications may be configured to provide enhanced or reduced functionality of a webpage to a mobile device or a set top box. Software applications may be developed using a specified programming language. Examples of programming languages include, Java™, Jini™, C, C++, Perl, UNIX Shell, Visual Basic, and Visual Basic Script. In some examples, developers may write software applications using a software development kit (SDK) provided by a device manufacturer or a service provider. In the example where one or more of computing devices 102A-102N are mobile devices, application distribution site 122 may be maintained by a mobile device manufacturer, a service provider, and/or a mobile device operating system provider. In the example where one or more of computing devices 102A-102N are set top boxes, application distribution site 108 may be maintained by a set top box manufacturer, a service provider, and/or an operating system provider. In some examples, an application distribution site may be referred to as an app store. Examples of commercially available application distribution sites include Google Play, the Apple App Store, BlackBerry World, Windows Phone Store, and the Amazon App store.
Social media site 124 represents an example of a social media service. Social media site 124 may be configured to allow users of computing devices 102A-102N to communicate with one another. Social media site 124 may be configured to host profile pages corresponding to users of computing devices 102A-102N. For example, social media site 124 may be configured such that users of computing devices 102A-102N are able to display messages and upload photos, videos, and other media to a user's profile page. Examples of commercially available social media sites include Facebook, YouTube, Linkedin, Google Plus, Twitter, Flickr, and Instagram. In addition to allowing users to maintain profile pages, social media site 124 may be configured to generate analytical data based on information included in user profile pages and/or user activity. For example, social media site 124 may be configured to track the popularity of a news story based on comments provided by users of computing devices 102A-102N. As described in detail below, the techniques described herein may allow users of computing devices 102A-102N to incorporate functions of social media sites to share content and recommendations with other users. For example, users may discover content endorsed by other users.
Search engine site 126 represents an example of a content search service. Search engine site 126 may be a service configured to allow users of computing devices 102A-102N to search for content available through communications network 104. Search engine site 126 may be configured to receive queries from computing devices 102A-102N and provide a list of search results to computing devices 102A-102N. For example, search engine site 126 may be configured such that users of computing devices 102A-102N are presented with a webpage including a search query field and are able to search content based on keywords. Examples of commercially available search engine sites include Google, Bing, and Yahoo! Further, search engine site 126 may be configured to generate analytical data based on information included in search queries. For example, search engine site 126 may be configured to track the popularity of an actress based on the number of times a query related to the actress is provided by users of computing devices 102A-102N.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a computing device that may implement one or more techniques of this disclosure. Computing device 200 is an example of a computing device that may be configured to transmit data to and receive data from a communications network, allow a user to access multimedia content, and execute one or more applications. Computing device 200 may include or be part of a stationary computing device (e.g., a desktop computer, a television, a set-top box, a gaming console, a dedicated multimedia streaming device, or a digital video recorder), a portable computing device (e.g., a mobile phone, a laptop, a personal data assistant (PDA), or a tablet device) or another type of computing device. In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, computing device 200 is configured to send and receive data via a television network, such as, for example, television network 106 described above and send and receive data via a public network, such as, for example, public network 108. It should be noted that in other examples, computing device 200 may be configured to send and receive data through one of a television network 106 or a public network 108. The techniques described herein may be utilized by devices configured to communicate using any and all combinations of communications networks.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, computing device 200 includes central processing unit(s) 202, system memory 204, system interface 210, modem 212, transport module 214, AV demux 216, network interface 218, storage devices 220, I/O devices 222, audio decoder 224, audio processor 226, video decoder 228, graphics processing unit 230, and display processor 232. As illustrated in FIG. 2, system memory 106 includes operating system 206 and applications 208. Each of processor(s) 202, system memory 204, system interface 210, modem 212, transport module 214, AV demux 216, network interface 218, storage devices 220, I/O devices 222, audio decoder 224, audio processor 226, video decoder 228, graphics processing unit 230, and display processor 232 may be interconnected (physically, communicatively, and/or operatively) for inter-component communications and may be implemented as any of a variety of suitable circuitry, such as one or more microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), discrete logic, software, hardware, firmware or any combinations thereof. It should be noted that although example computing device 200 is illustrated as having distinct functional blocks, such an illustration is for descriptive purposes and does not limit computing device 200 to a particular hardware architecture. Functions of computing device 200 may be realized using any combination of hardware, firmware and/or software implementations.
CPU(s) 202 may be configured to implement functionality and/or process instructions for execution in computing device 200. CPU(s) 202 may be capable of retrieving and processing instructions, code, and/or data structures for implementing one or more of the techniques described herein. Instructions may be stored on a computer readable medium, such as system memory 204 or storage devices 220. CPU(s) 202 may include multi-core central processing units.
System memory 204 may be described as a non-transitory or tangible computer-readable storage medium. In some examples, system memory 204 may provide temporary and/or long-term storage. In some examples, system memory 204 or portions thereof may be described as non-volatile memory and in other examples portions of system memory 204 may be described as volatile memory. Examples of volatile memories include random access memories (RAM), dynamic random access memories (DRAM), and static random access memories (SRAM). Examples of non-volatile memories include magnetic hard discs, optical discs, floppy discs, flash memories, or forms of electrically programmable memories (EPROM) or electrically erasable and programmable (EEPROM) memories.
System memory 204, may be configured to store information that may be used by computing device 200 during operation. System memory 204 may be used to store program instructions for execution by CPU(s) 202 and may be used by software or applications running on computing device 200 to temporarily store information during program execution. For example, system memory 204 may store instructions associated with operating system 206 and applications 208. Applications 208 may include applications implemented within or executed by computing device 200 and may be implemented or contained within, operable by, executed by, and/or be operatively/communicatively coupled to components of computing device 200. Applications 208 may include instructions that may cause CPU(s) 202 of computing device 200 to perform particular functions. Applications 208 may include algorithms which are expressed in computer programming statements, such as, for-loops, while-loops, if-statements, do-loops, etc. Applications 208 may be distributed to computing device 200 through an application distribution site, such as, for example, application distribution site 122 described above.
As further illustrated in FIG. 2, applications 208 may execute in conjunction with operating system 206. That is, operating system 206 may be configured to facilitate the interaction of applications 208 with CPUs(s) 202, and other hardware components of computing device 200. It should be noted that in some examples, components of operating system 206 and components acting in conjunction with operating system 206 may be referred to as middleware. The techniques described herein may be utilized by devices configured to operate using any and all combinations of software architectures. Operating system 206 may be an operating system designed to be installed on laptops, desktops, smartphones, tablets, set-top boxes, digital video recorders, televisions and/or gaming devices. In one example, operating system 206 may include one or more of operating systems or middleware components developed by OpenTV, Windows operating systems, Linux operation systems, Mac operating systems, Android operating systems, and any and all combinations thereof.
System interface 210, may be configured to enable communications between components of computing device 200. In one example, system interface 210 comprises structures that enable data to be transferred from one peer device to another peer device or to a storage medium. For example, system interface 210 may include a chipset supporting Accelerated Graphics Port (“AGP”) based protocols, Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus based protocols, such as, for example, the PCI Express (“PCIe”) bus specification, which is maintained by the Peripheral Component Interconnect Special Interest Group, or any other form of structure that may be used to interconnect peer devices.
Storage devices 220 represent memory of computing device 200 that may be configured to store relatively larger amounts of information for relatively longer periods of time than system memory 204. For example, in the example where computing device 200 is included as part of a digital video recorder, storage devices 220 may be configured to store numerous video files. Similar to system memory 204, storage device(s) 220 may also include one or more non-transitory or tangible computer-readable storage media. Storage device(s) 220 may include internal and/or external memory devices and in some examples may include volatile and non-volatile storage elements. Examples of memory devices include file servers, an FTP servers, network attached storage (NAS) devices, a local disk drive, or any other type of device or storage medium capable of storing data. Storage medium may include Blu-ray discs, DVDs, CD-ROMs, flash memory, or any other suitable digital storage media.
I/O devices 222 may be configured to receive input and provide output during operation of computing device 200. Input may be generated from an input device, such as, for example, a push-button remote control, a motion based remote control, a device including a touch-sensitive screen, a device including a track pad, a mouse, a keyboard, a microphone, video camera, a motion sensor, or any other type of device configured to receive input. In one example, an input device may include an advanced user input device, such as a smart phone or a tablet computing device. For example, an input device may be a secondary computing device and may be configured to receive user input via touch gestures, buttons on the secondary computing device, and/or voice control. Further, in some examples, an input device may include a display that is configured to display the graphical users interfaces described herein. For example, in the case where computing device 200 includes a television, an input device may include a smart phone in communication with the television. In this example, a user may provide commands to a television by activating portions of a graphical user interface displayed on a smart phone. Output may be provided to output devices, such as, for example internal speakers, an integrated display device, and/or external components, such as, a secondary computing device. In some examples, I/O device(s) 222 may be operatively coupled to computing device 200 using a standardized communication protocol, such as for example, Universal Serial Bus protocol (USB), Bluetooth, ZigBee or a proprietary communications protocol, such as, for example, a proprietary infrared communications protocol.
In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, computing device 200 is configured to send and receive data via a television network, such as, for example, television network 106 described above and send and receive data via a public network, such as, for example, public network 108. As described above, a communications network may be described based on a model including layers that define communication properties, such as, for example, physical signaling, addressing, channel access control, packet properties, and data processing in a communications system. In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, modem 212, transport module 214, and AV demux 216 may be configured to perform lower layer processing associated with television network 106 and network interface 218 may be configured to perform lower layer processing associated with public network 108.
In one example, modem 212 may be configured to perform physical signaling, addressing, and channel access control according to the physical and MAC layers utilized in a television provider network, such as, for example, television provider network 106. In one example, modem 212 may configured to receive signals from a coaxial cable and/or an over the air signal and perform low level signal processing (e.g., demodulation). In one example, modem 212 may be configured to extract transport streams from signals received from a coaxial cable. In one example, a transport stream may be based on a transport stream defined by the Moving Pictures Experts Group (MPEG). In one example, a transport stream may include a plurality of program streams where each program stream respectively corresponds to a program available from a television network. Further, a transport stream may include a plurality of data streams (e.g., Program Map Table and EPG data).
Transport module 214 may be configured to receive data from modem 212 and process received data. For example, transport model 214 may be configured to receive a transport stream including a plurality of program streams and extract individual program streams from a received transport stream. In one example, a program stream may include a video stream, an audio stream, and a data stream. AV demux 216 may be configured to receive data from transport module 214 and process received data. For example, AV demux 216 may be configured to receive a program stream from transport module 214 and extract audio packets, video packets, and data packets. That is, AV demux 216 may apply demultiplexing techniques to separate video streams, audio streams, and data streams from a program stream. In one example, AV demux 216 may be configured to decapsulate packetized elementary video and audio streams from a transport stream defined according to MPEG-2 Part 1. It should be noted that although modem 212, transport module 214, and AV demux 216 are illustrated as having distinct functional blocks, the functions performed by modem 212, transport module 214, and AV demux 216 may be highly integrated and realized using any combination of hardware, firmware and/or software implementations.
Network interface 218 may be configured to enable computing device 200 to send and receive data via a public network. As described above, data sent or received via a public network may include data associated digital content, such as, for example, music, videos, images, webpages, messages, voice communications, and applications. Network interface 218 may include a network interface card, such as an Ethernet card, an optical transceiver, a radio frequency transceiver, or any other type of device configured to send and receive information. Network interface 218 may be configured to perform physical signaling, addressing, and channel access control according to the physical and MAC layers utilized in a public network, such as for example, public network 108. Further, in a manner similar to that described above with respect to transport module 214 and A/V demux 216, network interface 218 may be configured to extract audio packets, video packets, and data packets from a data stream. For example, network interface 218 may be configured to extract video packets, audio packets, and data packets according to one or more of internet protocol (IP), transport control protocol (TCP), real time streaming protocol (RTSP), user datagram protocol (UDP), real time protocol (RTP), MPEG transport stream protocols, and IPTV protocols. It should be noted, that the techniques described herein are generally applicable to any and all methods of digital content distribution and are not limited to particular communications network implementations. For example, the techniques described herein may be applicable to digital content originating from one or more of a broadcast, a multicast, a unicast, an over-the-top content source, a personal video recorder (PVR), and a peer-to-peer content source.
Referring again to FIG. 2, data associated with digital content, such as, for example, music, videos, images, webpages, messages, voice communications, and applications may be stored in a computer readable medium, such as, for example, system memory 204 and storage devices 220. Data stored in a memory device may be retrieved and processed by CPU(s) 202, audio decoder 224, audio processor 226, video decoder 228, graphics processing unit 230, and display processor 232. As described above, CPU(s) 202 may be capable of retrieving and processing instructions, code, and/or data structures for implementing one or more of the techniques described herein. Each of audio decoder 224, audio processor 226, video decoder 228, graphics processing unit 230, and display processor 232 may also be capable of retrieving and processing instructions, code, and/or data structures for implementing one or more of the techniques described herein.
Audio decoder 224 may be configured to retrieve and process coded audio data. For example, audio decoder 224 may be a combination of hardware and software used to implement aspects of audio codec. Audio data may be coded using multi-channel formats such as those developed by Dolby and Digital Theater Systems. Audio data may be coded using a compressed or uncompressed format. Examples of compressed audio formats include MPEG-1, 2 Audio Layers II and III, AC-3, AAC, and Ogg Vorbis. An example of an uncompressed audio format includes pulse-code modulation (PCM) audio format. Audio processor 226 may be configured to retrieve captured audio samples and may process audio data for output to an audio system (not shown). In some examples, audio processor 226 may include a digital to analog converter. An audio system may comprise any of a variety of audio output devices such as headphones, a single-speaker system, a multi-speaker system, or a surround sound system.
Video decoder 228 may be configured to retrieve and process coded video data. For example, video decoder 228 may be a combination of hardware and software used to implement aspects of video codec. In one example, video decoder 228 may be configured to decode video data encode according to any number of video compression standards, such as ITU-T H.261, ISO/IEC MPEG-1 Visual, ITU-T H.262 or ISO/IEC MPEG-2 Visual, ITU-T H.263, ISO/IEC MPEG-4 Visual, ITU-T H.264 (also known as ISO/IEC MPEG-4 AVC), VP8, and High-Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC).
As described above, a device with media playback capabilities may provide a graphical user interface (e.g., an EPG) that enables a user to select content. A graphical user interface may include images and graphics displayed in conjunction with video content (e.g., playback icons overlaid on a video). Graphics processing unit 230 is an example of a dedicated processing unit that may be configured to generate graphical user interfaces, including the graphical user interfaces described herein. That is, graphics processing unit 230 may be configured to receive commands and content data and output pixel data. Graphic processing unit 230 may operate according to a graphics pipeline process (e.g., input assembler, vertex shader, geometry shader, rasterizer, pixel shader, and output merger). Graphics processing unit 230 may include multiple processing cores and may be configured to operate according to OpenGL (Open Graphic Library, managed by the Khronos Group) and/or Direct3D (managed by Microsoft, Inc.).
Display processor 232 may be configured to retrieve and process pixel data for display. For example, display processor 232 may receive pixel data from video decoder 228 and/or graphics processing unit 230 and output data for display. Display processor 232 may be coupled to a display, such display 250 (not shown in FIG. 1) using a standardized communication protocol (e.g., HDMI, DVI, DisplayPort, component video, composite video, and/or VGA). Display 250 may comprise one of a variety of display devices such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, or another type of display device capable of presenting video data to a user. Display 250 may include a standard definition television, a high definition television or an ultra-resolution display as described above. Further, display 250 may include an integrated display of a portable computing device (e.g., a mobile phone, a laptop, a personal data assistant (PDA), or a tablet device). As described above, in some examples a portable computing device may operate as an I/O device for a stationary computing device.
As described above, traditional electronic program guides (EPGs) may be less than ideal for displaying available content originating from a plurality of diverse sources and further may be less than ideal for ultra-resolution displays. Computing device 200 may be configured to enable the selection of content by providing one or more of the graphical user interfaces described herein. The graphical user interfaces described herein may be provided to a computing device and/or an I/O device in communication with a computing device. FIGS. 3-10 are conceptual diagrams illustrating examples of graphical user interfaces that may be generated by a computing device in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure.
FIG. 3 is an example of a graphical user interface that may be generated by a computing device to implement one or more techniques of this disclosure. Graphical user interface 300 represents an example of a graphical user interface that may enable a user to select content. In one example, graphical user interface 300 may be a graphical user interface that is initially displayed during operation of a device with media playback capabilities. For example, graphical user interface 300 may be initially presented to a user when a user opens a playback application or selects a user profile. In the example where graphical user interface 300 is presented to a user after a user selects a user profile, graphical user interface 300 may be personalized to a specific user. Techniques for personalizing a graphical user interface to a specific user are described in further detail below.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, graphical user interface 300 includes menu bar 302 and a plurality of icons. Menu bar 302 includes a plurality of navigational items 304 and navigational items 306 where one of the navigational items is selected and other navigational items are available for selection. In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, the HOME navigation is the selected navigational item 304. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the HOME navigational item appears larger than navigational items ON AIR TV, ON DEMAND, PHOTOS, MUSIC, APPS, SOCIAL, MY STUFF which indicates that it is the selected navigational item.
Navigational items HOME, ON AIR TV, ON DEMAND, PHOTOS, MUSIC, APPS, SOCIAL, and MY STUFF represent different sources, types, and/or categories of content. As described in detail below, different graphical user interfaces may be presented to a user based on the navigational item that is selected. In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, content associated with ON AIR TV navigational item includes television content that is currently airing (e.g., on air feeds described above with respect to FIG. 1), content associated with ON DEMAND navigational item includes on demand content that may be available through a media service provider and/or a television service provider site, content associated with PHOTOS navigational item includes content associate with a photo collection, content associated with MUSIC navigational item includes content associated with a music collection, content associated with APPS navigational item includes applications available to a user, content associated with SOCIAL navigational item includes social media applications available to a user, and content associated with MY STUFF navigational item includes content originating from diverse sources and may be personalized according to a user. Content associated with ON AIR TV navigational item is described in greater detail below with respect to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. Content associated with MY STUFF navigational item is described in greater detail below with respect to FIG. 6. Content associated with ON DEMAND navigational item is described in greater detail below with respect to FIGS. 7-10.
In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, HOME is selected and corresponding graphical user interface 300 is presented. Each of icon 308, icon 310, icon 312, icon 314, and icon 316 represent different types of content. Icon 318 may identify a user whose profile is currently selected. Icon 320 may identify the current time. It should be noted that in some examples, icon 318 and icon 320 may not be displayed or may be initially displayed and may disappear after a predetermined amount of time. Each of icon 308, icon 310, icon 312, icon 314, and icon 316 may include an image representing content (e.g., a movie poster or a logo). In one example, icons may have an aspect ratio based on content type. For example, standard definition content may be represented by icons with a 4×3 aspect ratio and high definition content may be represented by icons with a 16×9 aspect ratio. Further, in one example icons may be square or may have an 3×4 aspect ratio (e.g., movie poster icon). Icon 308 represents a television show available for viewing. Icon 310 represents a movie available for viewing. Icon 312 represents a musical album available for listening. Television shows represented by icon 308, movies represented by icon 310, and musical albums represented by icon 312 may respectively include television shows, movies, and albums available through a television provider and/or a media service provider. Further, television shows represented by icon 308, movies represented by icon 310, and musical albums represented by icon 312 may respectively include television shows, movies, and albums stored locally on a computing device.
In one example, individual television shows represented by icon 308, individual movies represented by icon 310, and individual musical albums represented by icon 312 may be presented to a user based on an algorithm that determines the likelihood a user will select a particular piece of content. For example, computing device 200 may be configured to present individual pieces of content based on any and all combinations of consumption, behavior, and environment. In one example, consumption may include content a user has accessed or is accessing. In one example, behavior may include user usage information such as, for example, how fast the user changes channels, how often the user skips commercials, how frequently a user accesses content through a computing device. In one example, environment may include time (e.g., hour, day, month, or year) and location (e.g., home, car, or airport) of a computing device. For example, an algorithm may determine that a user prefers to watch crime dramas on Friday nights and graphical user interface 300 may present an icon representing a crime drama television show at a center position and/or the icon may be larger than other icons. Further, in one example graphical user interface 300 may incorporate 3D effects such that icons appear to be positioned in the foreground or the background based on the likelihood of selection.
As described above, applications may include games and programs operable on a computing device. As further described above, applications may be configured to allow a computing device to access content provided by a site in manner specific to the computing device. Referring again to FIG. 3, icon 314 and icon 316 represent applications. In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, icon 314 represents any type of application and icon 316 represents a social media application. Icons representing applications may be distinguished into types based on how often a user accesses a particular type of application. For example, a user may access social network applications more frequently than a user accesses a banking service or a news application. Thus, social network applications may be represented by distinct icons. In one example, a social media application may allow a user of a computing device, such as a set top box to access a social media service. In a manner similar to that described above with respect to television shows, movies, musical albums, icons representing applications may be presented to a user in a manner based the likelihood a user will select a particular application.
In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, each of icons 308, icon 310, icon 312, icon 314, and icon 316 may be presented in an animated state. For example, each of icons 308, icon 310, icon 312, icon 314, and icon 316 may appear as though they are floating. In one example, each of icons 308, icon 310, icon 312, icon 314, and icon 316 may appear as though they are floating in different planes such that one icon may move “over” and “cover” another icon. Further, motion associated with icons may be based on a likelihood that a user will select a particular icon. For example, icons may move from an initial position to a center position or from a background to a foreground position based on user behavior and/or an algorithm that predicts a particular item of content is more likely to be selected by a user. Movement may be based on one or more of consumption, behavior, and environment described above.
A computing device may be configured to enable a user to select one of the plurality of icons using an I/O device. For example, a user of computing device 200 may be able to select an icon using I/O device 222. As described above, an I/O device may include a push-button remote control, a motion based remote control, a device including a touch-sensitive screen, a device including a track pad, a mouse, a keyboard, a microphone, video camera, a motion sensor, and/or an advanced user input device, such as a smart phone or a tablet computing device. Graphical user interface 300 may be configured such that each icon is capable of multiple levels of selection. For example, a user may be able to use an I/O device to move a cursor, where a cursor may be a visible or invisible cursor, to the location of an icon and remaining on the icon for a predetermined amount of time may be associated with one level of selection and activation of one or more controls on an I/O device (e.g., a single tap or a double tap on a touch-sensitive display) may be associated with other levels of selection (e.g., display information or provide a preview).
In one example, graphical user interface 300 may be configured to enable four levels of selection for each icon: a level that enlarges or highlights an icon, a level that provides information associated with a content (e.g., cast and crew information), a level that provides a preview of content associated with an icon (e.g., a trailer), and a level that provides full access to content associated with an icon (e.g., play movie or television show or launch an application). These levels of selection are described in further detail below with respect to FIGS. 8-10. In this manner, graphical user interface 300 enables a user to select content available from a plurality of diverse sources.
In addition to enabling the user to select icons, graphical user interface 300 may enable a user to select one of navigational items 306. In one example, a user may be able to select one of ON AIR TV, ON DEMAND, PHOTOS, MUSIC, APPS, SOCIAL, and MY STUFF by moving a cursor to a corresponding location and/or by activating another navigational button on an I/O device. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a graphical user interface in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure. Graphical user interface 400 is an example of a graphical user interface that may be provided by a computing device to implement one or more techniques of this disclosure. In one example, graphical user interface 400 may be a graphical user interface that is displayed when the selected navigational item 304 is ON AIR TV. As described above, content associated with ON AIR TV navigational item includes television content that is currently airing. It should be noted that although menu bar 302 is included as being displayed in FIG. 4, in some examples menu bar 302 may be hidden and may appear based on a user action (e.g., a user moving a cursor towards the bottom of a display).
As illustrated in FIG. 4, when ON AIR TV is the selected navigational item 304, a plurality of icons representing television shows are displayed. Each of the plurality of icons representing television shows may be similar to icon 308 described above and in one example may include an image representing a television show. As illustrated, the plurality of icons included in graphical user interface 400 are organized into stack structure 402 and stack structure 404. Each of stack structure 402 and stack structure 404 may represent sub-categories of content associated with navigational item ON AIR TV. In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, stack structure 402 includes icons representing on-air television shows that are currently available for viewing (e.g., currently airing or being broadcast by a television network) and stack structure 404 includes icons representing on-air television programs that become available for viewing at 9:00 PM.
In one example, each of the icons may be associated with a television network (e.g., ABC, NBC, etc.). Further, although only television shows are displayed in the example of FIG. 4, icons may also represent sporting events, movies, and other programming available from a particular television network. The position of icons within a stack structure may be based on an algorithm that determines the likelihood a user will select a particular icon. For example, in a manner similar to the example described above with respect to FIG. 3, if it is Friday night, a crime drama television show may be positioned within a stack structure in a position that facilitates selection by a user (e.g., at a center position).
A computing device may be configured to enable a user to select one of the icons using an I/O device. For example, a user of computing device 200 may be able to select an icon using I/O device 222. Similar to levels of selection available for icons described above with respect to graphical user interface 300, graphic user interface 400 may enable multiple levels of selection for each icon. In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, different types of selections may be made available to a user based on whether a particular television show is currently airing. For example, if a particular television show is currently available for viewing, a selection of a corresponding icon by a user may display the television show progress. If a particular television show is airing at a later time, a selection of a corresponding icon may allow a user to see a preview, set a reminder, and/or schedule the television show for recording.
In addition to enabling a user to select individual icons within stack structure 402 and stack structure 404, graphical user interface 400 may enable a user to select a stack structure. In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, stack structure 402 is selected and stack structure 404 represents a stack structure that is available for selecting. In one example, a user may perform a pan right command/gesture using an I/O device and/or press a right arrow button on an I/O device to change the selected stack structure from stack structure 402 to stack structure 404. In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, selected stack structure 402 is highlighted and made available for additional levels of selection. Examples of additional available levels of selection available for a stack structure are described below with respect to FIGS. 7-10.
FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a graphical user interface in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure. Graphical user interface 500 is an example of a graphical user interface that may be provided by a computing device to implement one or more techniques of this disclosure. Graphical user interface 500 may be a graphical user interface that is displayed when stack structure 404 is selected. As illustrated in FIG. 5, stack structure 404 is highlighted indicating that it is selected. As noted above with respect to FIG. 4, although menu bar 302 is included as being displayed in FIG. 5, in some examples menu bar 302 may be hidden.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, graphical user interface 500 includes stack structure 502 in addition to stack structure 402 and stack structure 404, where stack structure 502 includes icons representing on-air television programs that are available at 9:30 PM. Stack structure 404 is located in graphical user interface 500 at a center position and stack structure 502 is located in graphical user interface 500 at a rightmost position. Thus, stack structure 402 and stack structure 404 effectively move to the left based on a scroll right commands from a user. Graphical user interface 500 may be configured such that stack structures respectively move to the right and the left based on scroll left and scroll right commands. For example, stack structure 404 and stack structure 502 may move to the left and a new stack structure including icons representing on-air television programs that become available for viewing at 10:00 PM may appear at the rightmost position upon the user initiating a scroll right command. In this manner, by subsequently displaying graphical user interface 500 after receiving a pan right command/gesture and/or an activation of a right arrow button on an I/O device when a graphical user interface 400 is displayed, a computing device enables a user to scroll through sub-categories of a content type.
In the examples illustrated in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the sequential presentation of graphical user interface 400 and graphical user interface 500 enables a user to browse television programs according to a chronological order. It should be noted that although graphical user interface includes three stack structures where each may include 28 icons, stack structures may be dynamically displayed based on the amount of content for each category as well as the screen real estate availability. For example, more stack structures may be displayed on larger displays. In this manner, graphical user interface 400 and graphical user interface 500 may be displayed by a computing device to enable a user to select content available from a plurality of diverse sources.
In other examples, a computing device may present graphical user interfaces that enable a user to browse content according to other sub-categories. For example, sub-categories for content associated with ON AIR TV navigational item may include networks, genres, titles, actors, directors, and/or popularity rankings (e.g., 1-50 in a stack structure and 51-100 in a stack structure). Sub-categories for content associated with ON DEMAND navigational item may include service providers, genres, titles, actors, directors, and/or popularity rankings. Sub-categories for content associated with ON DEMAND navigational item are described in greater detail below with respect to FIG. 7. Sub-categories for content associated with PHOTOS navigational item may include date taken, location, and/or identified individuals. Sub-categories for content associated with MUSIC navigational item may include artists, genres, release years, and/or popularity rankings. Sub-categories for content associated with APPS navigational item may include application types (e.g., video, music, photo, social) and popularity rankings. Sub-categories for content associated with SOCIAL navigational item may include social network types and/or connections. Sub-categories for content associated with MY STUFF navigational item may be customized by a user and are described in greater detail below with respect to FIG. 6. Further, a user may choose to organize stack structures based on sub-categories, including but not limited to, content source, alphabetical, recommendations, genres, channels, media device, friend content, and favorites.
It should be noted that for the sake of brevity graphical user interfaces corresponding to PHOTOS, MUSIC, APPS, and SOCIAL being the selected navigational item are not individual represented in the drawings. However, when one of PHOTOS, MUSIC, APPS, and SOCIAL is a selected navigational item associated content may be organized into stack structures based on any of the sub-categories described above and a user may be able to select stack structures and icons in a manner similar to that described with respect to FIGS. 4 and 5. In one example, a user may be able to choose a sub-category type. For example, a user may be able to choose to browse music content based on genre and corresponding stack structures may be displayed. In other example, sub-categories may be selected based on any and all combinations of consumption, behavior, and environment.
FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a graphical user interface in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure. Graphical user interface 600 is an example of a graphical user interface that may be provided by a computing device to implement one or more techniques of this disclosure. In one example, graphical user interface 600 may be a graphical user interface that is displayed when a selected navigational item 304 is MY STUFF. It should be noted that although menu bar 302 is included as being displayed in FIG. 6, in some examples menu bar 302 may be hidden.
As described above, content associated with MY STUFF navigational item includes content personalized to a user. In the example illustrated in FIG. 6, graphical user interface 600 includes stack structure 602, stack structure 604, and stack structure 606. Stack structure 602 includes icons representing friends of a user, where friends of a user may include individuals connected to a user through one or more social networks. Stack structure 604 includes icons representing photos included in a photo collection of a user. A photo collection may include digital images that are stored locally on a computing device and/or photos that are available through a media sharing site. Stack structure 606 includes icons representing music albums included in a music collection of a user. A music collection may include music that is stored locally on a computing device and/or music that is available through a media sharing site.
Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 6, each of stack structure 602, stack structure 604, and stack structure 606 represent different types of content. That is, stack structure 602 corresponds to social content, stack structure 604 corresponds to photo content, and stack structure 606 corresponds to music content. In one example, a user may configure graphical user interface 600 to select which types of content are included in the stack structures associated with the MY STUFF navigational item. Further, in one example a user may organize icons in a stack structure in a desired manner. For example, a user may place favorite albums at the top of a stack structure. Thus, a computing device configured to display graphical user interface 600 enables a user to select content from diverse sources in a dynamic manner.
As described above, a user of a computing device may be able to select a stack using an I/O device. Examples of additional available levels of selection available for a stack are described below with respect to FIGS. 7-10. FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a graphical user interface in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure. In one example, graphical user interface 700 may be a graphical user interface that is displayed when the selected navigational item 304 is ON DEMAND navigational item. As described above, content associated with ON DEMAND navigational item represents on demand content that may be available through a media service provider and/or a television service provider site. It should be noted that although menu bar 302 is included as being displayed in FIG. 7, in some examples menu bar 302 may be hidden.
In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, when ON DEMAND is the selected navigational item 304, a plurality of icons representing movies are displayed. It should be noted that in other examples other type of on demand content may be displayed (e.g., television shows, sporting events, etc.). Each of the plurality of icons representing movies may be similar to icon 310 described above and in one example may include an image representing a movie. In graphical user interface 700 the plurality of icons are organized into stack structure 702, stack structure 704, and stack structure 706. Each of stack structure 702, stack structure 704, and stack structure 706 may represent sub-categories of content associated with navigational item ON DEMAND. In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, stack structure 702 includes icons representing movies with a title beginning with any of the letters A to D, stack structure 704 includes icon representing movies with a title beginning with any of the letters E to F, and stack structure 706 includes icons representing movies with a title beginning with any of the letters G to L. In this manner, a user may be able to browse on demand movies alphabetically.
The position of icons within a stack may be based on an algorithm that determines the likelihood a user will select a particular icon. For example, recommended movies may be positioned within a stack in a position that facilitates selection by a user (e.g., at a center position). In a manner similar to that described above with respect to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, a user may use an I/O device to scroll through sub-categories of a content type and corresponding graphical user interfaces may be displayed. For example, a user may perform a pan command/gesture using an I/O device and/or press an arrow button on an I/O device to change the selected stack and titles ranges that are displayed.
In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, stack structure 702 is selected and as such may be made available for additional levels of selection. In one example, a user may activate one or more controls on an I/O device (e.g., a single tap or a double tap on a touch-sensitive display) to indicate a further level of selection for stack structure 704. FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a graphical user interface in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure. Graphical user interface 800 is an example of a graphical user interface that may be displayed when a user indicates a further level of selection for stack structure 704. As illustrated in FIG. 8, graphical user interface 800 includes selected icon 802, icons available for selection 804, stack menu bar 806, selected stack structure icon 808, and stack structures available for selection 810. It should be noted that in some examples, stack menu bar 806 may be hidden.
In the example illustrated in FIG. 8, each of selected icon 802 and icons available for selection 804 represent individual items of content available for selection within stack structure 704. In this case, movies having a title beginning with the letters E to F. In some examples, the transition from graphical user interface 700 to graphical user interface 800 may occur in an animated fashion. For example, the icons included in stack structure 704 may “tumble” to form graphical user interface 800. For example, stack structure 704 may appear to fall in a clockwise direction and the icon in the lower left corner of stack structure 704 may appear in graphical user interface 800 as selected icon 802. Further, icons included in graphical user interface 800 may be organized in order to further facilitate selection by a user. For example, icons may be organized within stack structure 704 alphabetically and icons may be organized in graphical user interface 800 based on user ratings. As described above content may be organized within a stack structure based on one or more of alphabetical listing, recommendations, favorites, user rating, icons organized in graphical user interface 800 may be reorganized based on or more of alphabetical listing, recommendations, favorites, user rating. Further, it should be noted that icons in graphical user interface 800 may be a different size than icons appearing in graphical user interface 700. For example, icons included in graphical user interface 800 may be larger than icons included in graphical user interface 700. In one example, computing device 200 may be configured to dynamically adjust the size of icons based on properties of a display 250.
Referring again to FIG. 8, example graphical user interface 800 presents the items of content included in stack structure 704 in a manner the further facilitates selections by a user. When presented graphical user interface 800, a user may use an I/O device to change the selected icon and may further select a selected icon. In one example, a user may change the selected icon by moving a cursor (invisible or visible) to a desired icon. In one example, a user may activate one or more controls on an I/O device (e.g., a single tap or a double tap on a touch-sensitive display) to indicate a further level of selection. In this manner, graphical user interface 800 may be displayed by a computing device to enable a user to select content.
FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are conceptual diagrams illustrating examples of a graphical user interfaces in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure. Graphical user interface 900 and graphical user interface 1000 are examples of graphical user interfaces that may be provided by a computing device to implement one or more techniques of this disclosure. In one example, graphical user interface 900 may be a graphical user interface that is displayed when icon 802 selected at an additional level and graphical user interface 900 may be a graphical user interface that is displayed when icon 802 selected at a further additional level. As illustrated in FIG. 9, graphical user interface 900 includes information window 902 in addition to selected icon 802, icons available for selection 804, stack menu bar 806, selected stack icon 808, stacks available for selection 810. As illustrated in FIG. 10, graphical user interface 1000 includes preview window 1002 in addition to selected icon 802, icons available for selection 804, stack menu bar 806, selected stack icon 808, stacks available for selection 810.
As illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, information window 902 and preview window 1002 include title identifier 904 and source 906. Title identifier 904 may identify the title of an item of content (e.g., the title of a movie). Source identifier 906 may identify a source of the content. For example, source identifier 906 may identify a media service provider or a television network. Further, in the example where on demand content is Pay Per View content available from a television service provider, source identifier 906 may include a price to view the content. Information window 902 and preview window 1002 may be distinct in that information window 902 simply provides a high resolution image of an item of content and preview window 1002 provides a video preview of an item of content. Further, distinct additional levels of selection may be associated with information window 902 and preview window 1002. For example, cast and crew information may be accessible by a user when information window 902 is displayed and the option to view content in a full screen mode may be available when preview window 1002 is displayed. In other examples, an additional selection of selected icon 802 may provide a preview window 1002 without providing an information window. In this manner, each of graphical user interface 900 and graphical user interface 1000 may be displayed by a computing device to enable a user to select content.
It should be noted that a computing device may display any and all combinations of the graphical user interfaces illustrated in FIGS. 3-10 and the example descriptions of how graphical user interfaces may be presented to a user are for illustrative purposes. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for enabling selection of content input according to the techniques of this disclosure.
Flowchart 1100 illustrates an example of how graphical user interfaces described herein may be presented to a user. It should be noted that although flowchart 1100 is described with respect to computing device 200, the techniques described with respect to flowchart 1100 may be performed by any and all combinations of components of computing device 200. Computing device 200 provides an initial graphical user interface to a user (1102). In one example, an initial graphical user interface may include graphical user interface 300 and may be presented to a user after a user logs-in to a profile. Computing device 200 receives a category selection (1104). In one example, computing device 200 may receive a category selection from an I/O device and a user may indicate a category selection by selection of a navigational item included in a menu bar. Computing device 200 displays content within a category according to sub-category stack structures (1106). For example, computing device 200 may respectively display one of graphical user interface 400, graphical user interface 500, graphical user interface 600, and graphical user interface 700.
Computing device 200 receives a stack structure selection (1108). In one example, computing device 200 may receive a stack structure selection from I/O device 222 and a user may indicate a stack structure selection by highlighting a stack structure with a cursor and activating an I/O device control. In the example illustrated in flowchart 1100, computing device 200 displays content within a sub-category according to a mosaic. In one example, computing device 200 may display graphical user interface 800. Computing device 200 receives a user content selection (1112). In one example, computing device 200 may receive a user content selection according to the techniques described above with respect to FIGS. 8-10. Computing device 200 displays content according to a user selection (1114). In one example, computing device 200 may display an information window, a preview window, or play multimedia in a full screen mode or launch an application. In this manner, computing device 200 represents an example of a device configured enable selection of content.
The disclosed and other embodiments, modules and the functional operations described in this document can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structures disclosed in this document and their structural equivalents, or in combinations of one or more of them. The disclosed and other embodiments can be implemented as one or more computer program products, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions encoded on a computer readable medium for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus. The computer readable medium can be a machine-readable storage device, a machine-readable storage substrate, a memory device, a composition of matter effecting a machine-readable propagated signal, or a combination of one or more them. The term “data processing apparatus” encompasses all apparatus, devices, and machines for processing data, including by way of example a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple processors or computers. The apparatus can include, in addition to hardware, code that creates an execution environment for the computer program in question, e.g., code that constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a database management system, an operating system, or a combination of one or more of them. A propagated signal is an artificially generated signal, e.g., a machine-generated electrical, optical, or electromagnetic signal, which is generated to encode information for transmission to suitable receiver apparatus.
A computer program (also known as a program, software, software application, script, or code) can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a standalone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program does not necessarily correspond to a file in a file system. A program can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a mark-up language document), in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules, sub programs, or portions of code). A computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers that are located at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network.
The processes and logic flows described in this document can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform functions by operating on input data and generating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performed by, and apparatus can also be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit).
Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read only memory or a random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer are a processor for performing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic, magneto optical disks, or optical disks. However, a computer need not have such devices. Computer readable media suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, media and memory devices, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto optical disks; and CD ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.
While this patent document contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of an invention that is claimed or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in this document in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a sub-combination or a variation of a sub-combination. Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results.
Only a few examples and implementations are disclosed. Variations, modifications, and enhancements to the described examples and implementations and other implementations can be made based on what is disclosed.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method of enabling content selection, the method comprising:

displaying one or more sub-categories of content included within a category of content, wherein displaying one or more sub-categories of content includes displaying icons representing items of content included within each of the one or more sub-categories of content in a stack structure; and

enabling a user to select one of the one or more stack structures.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein icons include an image associated with an item of content.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the icons are positioned within a respective stack structure based on a likelihood of selection.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein categories of content include one or more of on-air television content, on demand content, user multimedia content, and user applications.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a category of content includes on-air television and one or more sub-categories of content includes availability times.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an interface that enables a user to select a category of content.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a user selection of a stack structure, displaying items of content included within the selected stack structure according to a mosaic, and enabling further selection of items of content.

8. A device for enabling content selection comprising one or more processors configured to:

display one or more sub-categories of content included within a category of content, wherein displaying one or more sub-categories of content includes displaying icons representing items of content included within each of the one or more sub-categories of content in a stack structure; and

enable a user to select one of the one or more stack structures.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein icons include an image associated with an item of content.

10. The device of claim 3, wherein the icons are positioned within a respective stack structure based on a likelihood of selection.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein categories of content include one or more of on-air television content, on demand content, user multimedia content, and user applications.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein a category of content includes on-air television and one or more sub-categories of content includes availability times.

13. The device of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to provide an interface that enables a user to select a category of content.

14. The device of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive a user selection of a stack structure, display items of content included within the selected stack structure according to a mosaic, and enable further selection of items of content.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon that upon execution cause one or more processors of a device to:

enable a user to select one of the one or more stack structures.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein icons include an image associated with an item of content and wherein the icons are positioned with a respective stack structure based on a likelihood of selection.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein categories of content include one or more of on-air television content, on demand content, user multimedia content, and user applications.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein a category of content includes on-air television and one or more sub-categories of content include availability times.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to provide an interface that enables a user to select a category of content.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to receive a user selection of a stack structure, display items of content included within the selected stack structure according to a mosaic, and enable further selection of items of content.