Patent Application
20070136681
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to interactive on-screen display of configuration menus for configuring a television apparatus or computer monitor, and in particular, it relates to an on-screen display that primarily utilizes graphic icons.
2. Description of the Related Art
On-screen display (“OSD”) is a method widely used in conjunction with front panel controls or remote control devices for setting configuration parameters of television apparatus or computer monitors by users. Configuration menus are displayed on the television or computer screen, often superimposed on the main images of the program being viewed. The configuration menus typically contain alphanumeric text and graphic indications to allow the user to make selections and inputs using front panel controls or a remote control. A problem often associated with OSDs is that each menu page often contains many items of information and occupies a large area on the screen, which interferes with the viewing of the image on screen and changing configuration parameters. Some proposed OSD methods attempt to remedy this problem by making the background of the menu display transparent or semi-transparent. Another problem with some OSDs is that each page contains too much information (many configuration parameters that the user can select and adjust). Additionally, the configuration parameters can change with input source selection (broadcast TV, cable, VCR, DVD player, etc.) which tends to be confusing. Many users feel overwhelmed and intimidated by such display menus, and as a result often forego the configuration process and leave the configuration parameters unadjusted.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an on-screen display (OSD) method that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
An object of the present invention is to provide an OSD that is visually simple, easy to see, easy to use, and does not obscure large areas of the screen.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the descriptions that follow and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims thereof as well as the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the present invention provides a method for adjusting configuration parameters of a display apparatus using on-screen display, which includes (a) displaying a first-level menu icon on the screen, the first menu icon depicting a three-dimensional wheel having a side face divided into one or more side sections, each side section displaying a menu item, one of the menu items being indicated as a currently selected menu item; (b) in response to a scrolling input, displaying different menu items on the side sections of the wheel of the first-level menu icon; and (c) in response to an activation input, displaying a second-level menu icon on the screen, the second-level menu icon depicting a three-dimensional wheel having a side face divided into one or more side sections, each side section displaying a menu item, one of the menu items being indicated as a currently selected menu item, wherein the menu items displayed in the second-level menu icon are determined by a menu tree and the menu item that was selected in the first-level menu icon.
The present invention also provides a method for adjusting a configuration parameter of a display apparatus using on-screen display, which includes: displaying a bar having a fixed length divided into two segments; displaying an indicator at a fixed position along the bar based on a currently stored value of the configuration parameter; changing the lengths of the two segments in response to a first user input, the lengths of the two segments representing an adjusted value of the configuration parameter; and storing the adjusted value of the configuration parameter in response to a second user input.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
Embodiments of the present invention provides an on-screen display (OSD) method that displays configuration menus in a visually simple manner. The display primarily uses icons to represent menu items. The icons are placed near an edge or corner of the screen to minimize the safe action area of the screen obscured by the OSD. The menu items are logically organized into a menu tree structure having different menu levels, where each menu item either represents a group of menu items at the next level, or one or more configuration parameters to be adjusted (referred to as a leaf in the menu tree). At each level, only a few (e.g., three) menu items are displayed at once. The display scrolls to other menu items at the same level in response to user input. When the user activates a selected menu item, the OSD changes the display based on the menu tree structure.
Although a television apparatus is used as an example in the descriptions below, the OSD method is also applicable to a computer monitor, a display of a portable DVD player, or other display devices. The user interacts with the OSD using a control device which may be a remote control device, control keys on the front panel of the display, keys on a computer keyboard, etc. A remote control typically has four arrow keys, a Menu key, an Enter key, numeric keys, and a number of other keys. The functions of the particular keys described in the embodiments are merely exemplary; the key assignments should be intuitive and consistent with customary usage, but the particular key assignments described here are not a limiting feature of the present invention.
In response to the scrolling input (the up or down arrow key), the OSD changes the menu item displayed on each face 12, 13 and 14 of the wheel and brings new menu icons into the view. The scrolling simulates the effect of a rotation of the wheel by one position at a time in either direction, either animated or un-animated. For example, pressing the up arrow key from the top-level menu icon 10 shown in
In the example shown in
When the user activates the currently selects menu item (at position 13) of the top-level menu 10 with an activation input (the left or right arrow key or the Enter key), the OSD changes to a different display based on the menu tree structure. If the activated menu item corresponds to several next level menu items as defined by the menu tree, a next-level (second-level) menu icon 20 similar to the top-level menu icon 10 is displayed, as shown in
At any given level of the menu display, if the activated menu item represents one or more configuration parameters to be adjusted (i.e. a leaf in the menu tree), the OSD presents an input display to prompt the user to enter or change the values of the parameter(s). The input display may have a variety of forms depending on the nature of the configuration parameter(s) to be adjusted. For example,
If the configuration parameter to be adjusted is one that takes one of a few possible values, the OSD may use an input selection icon having a wheel shape similar to the top-level menu icon 10 to adjust the parameter.
The input display may also be a dialog box that allows the user to check or uncheck boxes, input alphanumeric values, etc.
The OSD is intended to be displayed over images or programs being viewed, but it can also be displayed on a blank screen or background images. The images or programs may be provided by any suitable sources such as broadcast TV, cable TV, satellite TV, VCR, DVD, computer, etc.
The on-screen display method described above are preferably implemented by software or firmware running on a processor in the television apparatus or computer monitor. The menu tree structure and the configuration parameter values are stored in the television apparatus or computer monitor. The use of a remote control or front panel control as an input device is well known in the art and not described in detail here.
The OSD methods according to embodiments of the present invention have the following characteristics and advantages. The OSD uses primarily icons to visually represent the menu items, and the menu items are arranged in a spatial relationship that simulates a three-dimensional object, making the OSD visually engaging. Only a few menu items are included in the menu icon at a time to avoid confusing and overwhelming the user. Displaying only a few menu items at a time also makes the menu icon relatively small in size to minimize the screen area obscured by the OSD. When a lower lever menu icon is displayed, a reduced-size higher level menu icon is displayed along with it to indicate the logical relationship of the menus items, but only a limited number of levels (such as two) are displayed to minimize user confusion and overcrowding of the screen. Further, the OSD is additive in nature, rather than subtractive. In other words, the menu items displayed on a menu icon are only those that have meanings and can be selected by the user at that point of the menu tree. In a subtractive OSD, menu items are often displayed even when they cannot be selected and have to be “grayed out”. These features make the OSD intuitive and easy to use; as a result, it may reduce the requirement for technical support and associated cost to manufacturers.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modification and variations can be made in the on-screen display method of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations that come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
