Apparatus and method for navigation by active elements within a display page - Patents.com

Abstract

To provide a device that enables navigation using a conventional remote control.SOLUTION: A first interface of a device 210 receives content from a further device. At least one hardware processor analyses the content to find active elements that will be visible on a screen when displayed, generates a page by overlaying a first part of the content that will be visible on the screen when displayed with graphic elements respectively corresponding to the found active elements, transmits the page to a third interface for display on the screen, and activates a corresponding active element upon reception, via a second interface from a user input device, of a command including identification information displayed in the graphic element. When the identification information corresponds to a graphic element associated with a group including a plurality of active elements, graphic elements corresponding to each active element in the group are overlaid over a first image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Technical Field FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure relates generally to navigation through display pages having active elements, and specifically to such navigation using a conventional remote control. [Background technology]

[0002] background This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure that are described and / or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. As such, it should be understood that these statements are not intended as admissions of prior art, but are to be read in this light.

[0003] A connected TV allows the same websites to be accessed via a web browser as a computer, smartphone, or tablet. However, due to the dimensions of the TV screen, the distance between the user and the screen, and especially the limited user interface (typically a traditional remote control but no touch screen or mouse, and occasionally a keyboard), browsing web pages on a TV is less intuitive than on a computer, smartphone, or tablet.

[0004] Web pages can be adapted for viewing on a TV screen, for example using specialized user agents, larger fonts, and re-arrangement of items within the Web page. However, navigation and selection of active elements on a Web page remains problematic. Active elements are items with which a user can interact through the input user interface, such as hyperlinks, text input fields, buttons, clickable images, etc.

[0005] Similar problems apply to set-top boxes and decoders that allow a user to interact with a head-end, for example to request video-on-demand (VoD), and that provide a user interface with which the user interacts by means of a conventional remote control.

[0006] The most common conventional solution is a remote control with arrow keys that are used to move a cursor or other indicator to the desired active element and confirm by pressing an "OK" or enter key, etc. Figure 1 shows an example screenshot of a web page 110 overlaid with a cursor 120 (circled in red for ease of visibility).

[0007] This cursor solution has several disadvantages: It can be tedious to move the cursor to the desired active element, often requiring multiple uses of the arrow buttons, and depending on the initial position of the cursor, it may be necessary to traverse the entire web page to reach the active element.

[0008] JP 2009-278335 appears to describe a solution where the headend provides an image with a set of available content to the TV, and the content is overlaid with numbers. When the user enters a number with the remote control, the corresponding content is provided by the headend. While this solution seems to work well as long as the headend controls the content and how it is displayed, it is clear that this is not always the case, especially for web pages that are formatted for display by the receiving device, web pages with dynamic content, or both.

[0009] It is therefore appreciated that a solution is desired that addresses at least some of the shortcomings of navigating between various active elements displayed on, for example, a TV.The present principles provide such a solution. Summary of the Invention

[0010] Disclosure Summary In a first aspect, the present principles are directed to an apparatus including means for receiving data relating to information to be displayed on a screen, means for receiving commands from a user input device, means for outputting an image for display on the screen, means for processing the data to generate a first image including at least a portion of the information to be displayed, the first image being visible in its entirety on the screen when displayed, means for generating an overlaid first image by overlaying the first image with graphic elements each corresponding to an active element in the first image, means for providing the overlaid first image by the means for outputting the image for output on the screen, means for associating a single graphic element with a group including a plurality of active elements, and means for, when a command is received by the means for receiving a command, activating a corresponding active element if the command includes identifying information displayed within the graphic element, and if the identifying information corresponds to a group, activating includes overlaying onto the first image a graphic element corresponding to each active element in the group.

[0011] In a second aspect, the present principles are directed to a method comprising receiving by a first interface from a further device data relating to information to be displayed on a screen, processing by a processing means the data to generate a first image including at least a portion of the displayed information, the first image being visible in its entirety on the screen when displayed, generating by a generating means an overlaid first image by overlaying the first image with graphical elements which respectively correspond to active elements in the first image, providing by a providing means the overlaid first image by an output means for output on the screen, and when a command is received by means for receiving a second interface from a user input device comprising identification information to be displayed in the graphical elements, activating by an activating means the corresponding active elements, and if the identification information corresponds to a graphical element associated with a group comprising a plurality of active elements, the activating includes overlaying onto the first image a graphical element corresponding to each active element in the group.

[0012] In a third aspect, the present principles are directed to a computer program comprising program code instructions executable by a processor to implement the steps of the method according to any embodiment of the second aspect.

[0013] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Features of the present principles will now be described, by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a conventional solution for web page navigation. [Diagram 2] 1 illustrates a system according to an embodiment of the present principles. [Diagram 3] 1 illustrates a web browser method according to the present principles. [Figure 4] 1 shows a first example of a web page displayed in accordance with the present principles. [Diagram 5]1 shows a second example of a web page displayed in accordance with the present principles. [Figure 6] 1 shows a first example of a group selection within a web page displayed in accordance with the present principles. [Figure 7] 1 shows a second example of a group selection within a web page displayed in accordance with the present principles. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Description of the embodiments 2 illustrates a system 200 according to one embodiment of the present principles. The system 200 includes a device 210 and an input device 220, and also illustrates a non-transitory computer readable medium 230 that stores program code instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement steps of a method according to the present principles.

[0016] The device 210 can be, for example, a TV or a set-top box. The device 210 includes a user input interface 211, at least one hardware processor ("processor") 212, a memory 213, a network interface 214, and a display interface 215. The interfaces are at least partially implemented by hardware. It will be appreciated that for simplicity of explanation, parts of the device 210 that are not useful for understanding the present principles have not been shown.

[0017] The user input interface 211 is typically wireless and is configured to receive input from the input device 220 and provide the received input to the processor 212. The processor 212 is configured to execute program code instructions for carrying out the method according to the present principles described with respect to FIG. 3. The memory 213 is configured to store program code instructions for execution by the processor 212 and to store data. The network interface 214 may be wired or wireless and is configured to enable communication between the processor 212 and at least one device in an external network (not shown) to obtain content for display to a user. Such content may be a web page, which is used as a non-limiting example. The display interface 215 may be wired or wireless and is configured to output content for display on the screen 240. If the device 210 is a television, the screen 240 is included within the device, but this is not the case if the device 210 is a device such as a set-top box that provides information for display on a separate screen. It is noted that a television may also have a display interface for displaying information on a separate screen (not shown).

[0018] Remote control 220 may be a conventional remote control having arrows (up, down, left, right), OK, power on / off, volume control, and number buttons 0-9 for entering channel numbers.

[0019] The processor 212 implements a web browser 2121 in accordance with the present principles. To that end, the web browser 2121 may be a conventional web browser such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox extended with plug-ins or add-ons that provide additional functionality of the present principles. The web browser and plug-ins (add-ons) may be implemented by program code instructions.

[0020] 3 illustrates a web browser method 300 in accordance with the present principles. It will be understood that the web browser 2121 is executed by the processor 212.

[0021] The web browser 2121 receives web page data for display and analysis via the network interface 214 in step S30, and receives the web page data and locates active elements therein (such as hyperlinks) in step S31. The web page may be stored in memory 213. The web page may be in a markup language such as HTML or XML, or in a scripting language designed for web development such as JavaScript.

[0022] In step S32, the web browser 2121 formats the web page data for display on the screen 240 and determines the portion of the web page that will be visible when displayed to the user upon display on the screen 240. This portion of the web page is determined by the size of the web page (in terms of the size used to display the web page) and the size of the screen 240. Such a portion of the web page may be based on techniques such as formatting an HTML page to fit the size of the display window, determining the size of the display portion to be used in conjunction with scroll bars and a print preview that shows what will be printed on the page, as is well known in the art. It will be appreciated that no formatting is necessary if the web page has been preformatted, for example by the headend equipment.

[0023] In step S33, the web browser 2121 determines the active elements and the locations of those active elements within the portion to be displayed. The web browser knows what portion of the document will be displayed, and also knows where each active element is located due to the formatting of the web page. Those active elements and their locations can be stored in memory 213.

[0024] In step S34, the web browser 2121 generates and overlays graphical elements on the web page adjacent at least a portion of the active elements visible to the user. Each graphical element is associated with a corresponding active element and preferably displays a different active element identification. Such identification is easily recognizable to a user and preferably corresponds to something that the user can easily input using the input device 220, such as numbers and letters (as found on a conventional remote control). Each identification can be stored in memory 213 along with its respective active element (and location).

[0025] In this context, nearby means close enough to an active element to reasonably ensure that a user will recognize which active element the graphic element is linked to (i.e., associated with), without obscuring the active element so that it is difficult or impossible to see what the active element is about, preferably by placing the graphic element closer to its associated active element than other active elements. A graphic element may obscure parts of an active element, so long as the active element remains easily identifiable. A graphic element may be opaque or semi-transparent. A graphic element may also include a border that surrounds the active element. Examples of graphic elements in the vicinity of an active element are shown in Figures 4-7.

[0026] In one embodiment, only identification information that directly corresponds to a button on input device 220 is used. For example, if input device 220 includes numeric buttons 0-9, the identification information may be limited to a single digit (including zero). In this embodiment, there may not be enough graphic elements for all visible active elements, so certain user inputs, such as a "0", may cause processor 212 to associate those graphic elements with the further active elements rather than the original active element.

[0027] In further embodiments, the identification information may correspond to a combination of buttons, such as a multi-digit number. In still further embodiments, identification information corresponding to non-numeric buttons, such as colored buttons, may be used, possibly in addition to other buttons or button combinations.

[0028] As will be shown in further detail, a graphical element may be associated with multiple active elements, in which case the graphical element preferably includes an indicator thereof, for example such a graphical element may include identifying information along with a dedicated symbol such as a "+", may be of a particular color different from a "single" graphical element, may have a particular border, etc.

[0029] In step S35, the web browser 2121 displays the visible portion of the web page with the overlaid graphical elements via the display interface 215.

[0030] In step S36, the web browser 2121 monitors user interaction with the displayed web page via the user input interface 211. Such interaction includes navigating (scrolling) the web page and entering identification information.

[0031] If the user interaction is scrolling the web page, the movement is calculated in step S37 and the method returns to step S32 of determining the visible portion.

[0032] If the user interaction is a selection of identification information (which may be input of a channel number or the like in conventional systems), then in step S38, the web browser 2121 determines the corresponding active element and activates the active element. Activation may differ for each type of active element, for example, as follows: Hyperlinks activates hyperlinks In text fields, a virtual keyboard appears to allow you to place the cursor in the text field and enter text. - Buttons perform functions related to the button -Popup list shows items in the list · Presentation of further graphical elements in cases where the graphical elements are related to multiple active elements (see further explanation below)

[0033] Selection may also cause the movement of a graphic element, as already described, or the display of a graphic element for the active element of a group, as further described.

[0034] In one embodiment, a user can activate and deactivate the display of graphical elements overlaid on a web page.

[0035] 4 shows an example screenshot of a web page 400 overlaid with graphical elements. As can be seen, thirteen graphical elements 1-13 are overlaid adjacent various active elements within the web page.

[0036] It was mentioned above that a graphical element may be associated with multiple active elements. This may occur, for example, when there are multiple active elements in a relatively small area, making it difficult for a user to determine which graphical element corresponds to which active element. It may also be difficult to clearly display the graphical elements. It may also occur that a web page contains many active elements and it is desirable for a user to first select a group of active elements and then select the desired active element within the group.

[0037] 5 shows a second example of a web page 500 displayed according to the present principles. As can be seen, the graphic elements labeled 1 to 7 are each associated with a single active element "Rubens", "Barbara", ... "Appels d'offres". At the bottom of the visible part of the web page, four groups of active elements are visible, which are named "Groupe", "Actualites", "Creation", and "France Television & Vous". Each group is associated with a respective graphic element indicating that selection of a corresponding identifier allows selection of an individual active element of the group. For example, "Groupe" is associated with the graphic element "8+", where "8" is the identifier and "+" is the indicator already mentioned.

[0038] Selection of a "Group" identification causes the web browser 2121 to display graphic elements that correspond to the active elements of the selected group. This can be done in at least two ways, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, respectively.

[0039] FIG. 6 shows a first example of group selection within a web page displayed according to the present principles. FIG. 6 shows a web browser 60 displaying a web page 62 corresponding to the web page 500 shown in FIG. 5, and unless scrolled, the web pages 62, 500 are generally identical, except for the overlaid graphic elements. In FIG. 6, each active element of the selected group is now individually associated with a graphic element, shown collectively as 64. Selection of this graphic element now activates the corresponding active element. In this example, the identification is again incremented, starting with 1. In FIG. 6, when a group is selected, the graphic elements associated with other groups disappear, allowing their association to cease to exist. For example, whereas in FIG. 5, "Rubens" was associated with the identification "1", this is not the case in FIG. 6, which is now associated with "Histoire" within a group named "Groupe".

[0040] Figure 7 shows a second example of group selection within a web page displayed in accordance with the present principles. Figure 7 shows a web browser 70 displaying a web page 72 corresponding to the web page 500 shown in Figure 5, and unless scrolled, the web pages 72, 500 are generally identical, except that the overlaid graphic elements have been changed by replacing the group's graphic element "8+" with individual graphic elements having numbers not previously used in Figure 7, in this case "12" and "13". It is noted that the web browser 70 can be configured to cancel the group selection by entering the identification used to select the group in the first place, i.e. "8".

[0041] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that although the present principles have been described with respect to web pages, they may also be used with other types of "pages," such as pre-formatted pages having active elements, e.g., by a decoder or set-top box, from a service provider, e.g., a video content provider, provided that the active elements within those pages can be located, where the pages may be received, for example, as MPEG packets.

[0042] It will be appreciated that the present principles can provide improved navigation with active elements when using a conventional remote control.

[0043] It should be understood that the illustrated elements may be implemented in various forms of hardware, software, or a combination thereof. Preferably, these elements are implemented as a combination of hardware and software on one or more appropriately programmed general-purpose devices, which may include a processor, memory, and input / output interfaces.

[0044] This description illustrates the principles of the disclosure and it will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art can devise various arrangements which embody and are within the scope of the principles of the disclosure, even if not explicitly described or shown herein.

[0045] All examples and conditional language provided herein are for instructional purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principles and concepts of the present disclosure brought by the inventors to advance the art, and should not be construed as being limited to such specifically provided examples and conditions.

[0046] Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the present disclosure, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. In addition, such equivalents are intended to include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future, i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure.

[0047] Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the block diagrams presented herein represent conceptual views of illustrative circuitry embodying the principles of the present disclosure. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts, process diagrams, or the like may be substantially represented in a computer-readable medium and thus represent various processes performed by a computer or processor, whether or not such a computer or processor is explicitly shown.

[0048] The functions of the various elements shown may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing software in association with appropriate software. When provided by a processor, the functions may be provided by a single dedicated processor, by a single shared processor, or by multiple individual processors, some of which may be shared. Furthermore, explicit use of the terms "processor" or "controller" should not be construed as referring exclusively to hardware capable of executing software, but may implicitly include, without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, read only memory (ROM) for storing software, random access memory (RAM), and non-volatile storage.

[0049] Other conventional and / or custom hardware may also be included. Similarly, any switches shown are conceptual only. Their functions may be performed by operation of program logic, by dedicated logic, by a combination of program control and dedicated logic, or even manually, with the particular technique being selectable by the implementer as more clearly understood from the context.

[0050] In the claims herein, any element expressed as a means for performing a specified function is intended to encompass any way of performing that function, including, for example, a) a combination of circuit elements that perform that function, or b) software in any form combined with appropriate circuitry for executing the software to perform that function, thus including firmware, microcode, etc. The disclosure defined by such claims resides in the fact that the functionality provided by the various recited means is combined and brought together in the manner required by the claims. Any means capable of providing those functionality are thus regarded as equivalent to the means shown herein. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 60 Web Browser 62 Web pages 70 Web Browser 72 Web pages 110 Web Pages 120 Cursor 200 Systems 210 Equipment 211 User Input Interface 212 processors 213 Memory 214 Network Interface 215 Display Interface 220 Input Device 230 Non-transitory computer-readable medium 240 screens 400 Webpage 500 Web Pages 2121 Web Browser

Claims

1. 1. A device-implemented method, comprising: formatting the received web page data, including a plurality of hyperlinks, for display on a screen; determining said plurality of hyperlinks located in portions of said web page that will be visible on said screen; displaying the visible portion of the web page overlaid with a plurality of graphic elements associated with a plurality of hyperlinks, each graphic element displaying a different identification including a number, each graphic element associated with a respective hyperlink or a respective group of hyperlinks; and Upon receiving a user selection of a digit, if the graphical element displaying the selected number is associated with a hyperlink, activating the hyperlink; and if the graphical element displaying the selected number is associated with a group of hyperlinks, overlaying on the visible portion of the web page a plurality of further graphical elements respectively associated with the hyperlinks in the group, each further graphical element displaying a different identifying information including a number not previously overlaid on the web page. A method comprising:

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of graphical elements are displayed adjacent to their corresponding plurality of hyperlinks or groups of plurality of hyperlinks.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the further plurality of graphic elements are overlaid except for the graphic elements associated with the group in addition to the graphic elements displaying selected group identification information.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the additional plurality of graphic elements replace the graphic element displaying a selected group identification information.

5. at least one hardware processor, the at least one hardware processor comprising: formatting the received web page data, including a plurality of hyperlinks, for display on a screen; determining said plurality of hyperlinks located in portions of said web page that will be visible on said screen; displaying the visible portion of the web page overlaid with a plurality of graphic elements associated with a plurality of hyperlinks, each graphic element displaying a different identification including a number, each graphic element associated with a respective hyperlink or a respective group of hyperlinks; and Upon receiving a user selection of a digit, if the graphical element displaying the selected number is associated with a hyperlink, activating the hyperlink; and and if the graphical element displaying the selected number is associated with a group of hyperlinks, overlaying on the visible portion of the web page a plurality of further graphical elements respectively associated with the hyperlinks in the group, each further graphical element displaying a different identifying information including a number not previously overlaid on the web page. Device.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the at least one hardware processor is further configured to display the plurality of graphical elements adjacent their corresponding plurality of hyperlinks or groups of plurality of hyperlinks.

7. 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one hardware processor is further configured to overlay the additional plurality of graphical elements over the graphical elements displaying selected group identification information plus the graphical elements associated with the group.

8. 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one hardware processor is further configured to replace the graphical element displaying a selected group identification information with the additional plurality of graphical elements.

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