Abstract:
A system, method, and article of manufacture is disclosed suitable for displaying selectable time orderable options, such as television programs available for viewing on a television, using a tunnel interface. The tunnel interface displays concentric rings where each ring represents a different set of option data whose attributes are modified to reflect a user&#39;s preferences. The modified option data are further arranged such that each concentric ring is ordered by time. Additionally, choices within each ring are visually distinguishable by user preference. Users can navigate within and between the concentric rings and select one or more of the available options using the concentric rings.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to the field of visual representation of information for human decision making. In particular, the present invention relates to the field of displaying information spatially in concentric rings such that selected attributes of the information are visually distinguished. In further particularity, the present invention relates to the field of displaying time orderable data such as television programs available for viewing in a time ordered spatial arrangement of concentric rings, each available program in a ring being visually distinguishable over other available time orderable data in that ring based on a user&#39;s preferences such as a user&#39;s television program viewing preferences. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   Current so-called recommender systems use user profiles to generate viewing recommendations depending on who is using the system, e.g. who is watching television. These recommender systems display viewing choices available to the user in numerous ways. 
   A presentation of recommendations of time orderable options from a set of selectable options wherein certain of the options may be more preferable to a user than others based on the user&#39;s preferences. The presentation uses option data including attributes, the option data attributes have descriptions of the option data with a time of availability of each option datum. The user profile provides attributes describing option selection preferences for a user, the option selection preferences includes the user&#39;s recommendation preferences for one or more option data, and visual display preferences for option data matching the user&#39;s recommendation preferences. A data store contains the profile and the option data. A match is made with a first predetermined set of profile attributes comprising the user&#39;s recommendation preferences to a corresponding first set of option data attributes. A display of concentric rings is used as a selector to displays option data that has been modified, the selector is programmed to a second predetermined set of option data attributes to correspond to a second predetermined set of profile attributes comprising the user&#39;s visual display preferences for each option datum matched. 
   In some prior art, currently available programming is displayed such as in a sub-picture, often referred to as “picture-in-a-picture.” U.S. Pat. No. 5,818,541 issued to Matsuura et al. is illustrative. In Matsuura &#39;541, a television enters into a program scanning mode and sequentially displays a plurality of images that show available programming. U.S. Pat. No. 6,147,714 issued to Terasawa et al is similar and allows for selection of a desired option from a set of reduced-sized still pictures of program viewing options. There is no teaching or suggestion in either patent to show program selection options for more than the currently available programming, user preferences, or ordering of options using the user preferences. 
   Some prior art recognizes that users may have preferences about the options available to them. U.S. Pat. No. 6,172,674 issued to Etheredge is illustrative. In Etheredge &#39;674, a television viewer can access and interact with television scheduling information using an electronic program guide that uses a grid to show channels, titles, and show times. The guide can filter the data prior to display but will only display data that meets certain filter criteria. There is no suggestion or teaching in Etheredge &#39;674 to arrange the data in concentric rings, time order the data by the rings, or allow for multiple users, each having a predetermined set of option selection preferences. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,128,009 issued to Ohkura et al. is further illustrative of menu systems for presenting television viewing option guides. In Ohkura &#39;009, program viewing choices are displayed in a tabular format. 
   One method of displaying options to a user is referred to as a “tunnel” interface comprising concentric rings of displayed data, each ring representing a different set of attributes. The recommender systems of the prior art that use such tunnel interfaces order the program data in each ring, as well as the rings themselves, by a weighting system wherein recommendations having higher “weights” or “scores” appear on outer rings while those with lower weights appear on successively diminished inner rings. 
   A problem with tunnel interfaces is that the user can become disoriented with respect to the time element of the program data being displayed. These recommendations do not account for a time dimension, e.g. having the time that the program is available for viewing spatially consistent with other programs of that same time and spatially different from other programs in other time frames. Moreover, it is possible that a given set of programs available for viewing at the same time may appear in different concentric rings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic representation of an embodiment of the present system; and 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic representation of an embodiment of a tunnel display. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   In general, throughout this description, if an item is described as implemented in software, it can equally well be implemented as hardware. 
   It is further understood that, although the exemplary embodiment described herein relates to a television and television programs available for viewing, the present invention is not limited to television programs available for viewing and may be used to present time orderable option data on a display where the option data are sortable by time and each option within a given time frame may be distinguishable over other options in that time frame depending on a user&#39;s preferences. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 1 , television  20  obtains user preferences from users, such as user  30 . User  30  may create and maintain a user profile comprising the various preferences for that user, by way of example and not limitation including time of day limitations, weightings or rank ordering of types of programs desirable to the user  30 , and the like. These user profiles may be created and/or maintained through a selection device such as a handheld remote device  40 , e.g. a television remote control device, or through other devices such as personal computers for transmission to television  20  such as via a data communications link (not shown in FIG.  1 ), by way of example and not limitation an IEEE 1394 FireWire™ link, an ethernet connection to a local area network, a universal serial bus (USB) link, an infrared link, or the like, or any combination thereof. Additionally, television  20  comprises a display for displaying visual images. 
   As used herein, “television  20 ” is one type of selector  20 . As used herein, “selector”  20  is a device capable of processing the user profiles such as by having a processing unit  22  available to a television  20 . Thus, as used herein, whenever “television  20 ” is referred to as processing data, it is understood that selector  20  comprises at least one television  20  and at least one processing unit  22 . Although a preferred embodiment of selector  20  incorporates processing unit  22  in a television  20 , selector  20  need only be operatively linked to processing unit  22  as described above. Further, as used herein with respect to “television  20 ,” “show” or “program” comprises commercial television, private non-commercial broadcast television, cable television, satellite television, Internet television, and the like, or any combination thereof. 
   Processing unit  22  may be a microprocessor or specialized circuit built into television  20 , a separate processing unit connected to television  20  such as a so-called set top box, or a processing unit such as a personal computer operatively linked to television  20 , as will be familiar to those of ordinary skill in the computer arts. 
   Television  20  has access to persistent memory store  24  on which the user profiles are stored. Persistent memory store  24  may be RAM, NVRAM, flash ROM, hard drive, diskette drive, or the like, or a combination. Persistent memory store  24  may be a part of television  20  or accessible to television  20  such as through a data communications link (not shown in FIG.  1 ). Processing unit  22  is capable of retrieving data from persistent memory store  24  and manipulating that data. 
   Television  20  receives program information, by way of example from broadcaster  25 , the program information comprising attributes which can be matched, in whole or in part, to attributes of the user preferences stored in the user profiles. 
   When television  20  is powered on, television  20  determines the identity of the user  30  who powered on television  20 . The method for detecting of the identity of the user  30  may be by use of a personal identification number entered via remote device  40  or by a biometric device as will be familiar to those of ordinary skill in the biometric detection arts including biometric devices having recognition abilities such as by face, body, or voice recognition through a camera or voice device  22  either built into television  20  or operatively connected to television  20 , fingerprint, or the like, or a combination thereof. 
   Once the identity of the user  30  is determined, the profile for the user  30  is retrieved from persistent memory store  24 . If the user  30  cannot be or is not identified or if the identified user  30  has no profile, a default profile may be used. Television  20  further determines if current program information is available. If current program information is not available, television  20  retrieves current program information using program information retrieval methods familiar to those of ordinary skill in the television arts. Television  20  then compares the profile for user  30  against the television program information available to television  20  and prepares a set of viewing recommendations for the user  30  to be displayed to user  30 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 2 , television  20  displays the recommendations for user  30  by creating a first ring, generally referred to as “50,” comprising information about programs, of which television  20  is aware, where the programs are the programs currently available for viewing or are to be broadcast within the current time frame. As used herein, “time frame” means the current time zone clock time as aligned on a predetermined boundary such as half-hour or hour. For each successive time frame for which program information is available to television  20 , a separate ring is created comprising information about programs for those successive time frames, such as rings  60  and  70 . Each ring is then displayed on television  20  such that the most current ring  50  is displayed to appear larger and closer to the user  30 , and each successive ring such as rings  60  and  70  are made to appear smaller and successively further away from the user. All rings may be made to appear to have a common center or may be offset. 
   Within each ring, programs which more closely agree with the preferences of the user  30  may be made to appear visually different than other programs in the ring. Multiple degrees of appearance may be used to achieve the visual differences, by way of example and not limitation including shading, borders, transparency, font used, and the like, or any combination thereof. 
   Additionally, programs within a ring, referred to herein as “ring members,” may be presented in a predetermined manner such as by sorting where the most preferable programs for viewing are presented as if on top of a ring and those less desirable on the bottom of the ring. Additionally, programs may be sorted by other criteria within a ring, by way of example and not limitation such as by channel number, program title, program category, or the like, or any combination thereof. 
   Users  30  may further use a selection device such as remote device  40  to navigate between rings and within a ring as well as to make a program selection from a ring member. 
   Users  30  may also activate a selected ring to act as a secondary display on television  20  much like a picture-in-a-picture display, and use the secondary display to preview programs. By way of example and not limitation, if user  30  wants to browse through the recommendations but also wants to monitor a particular show, the area of the television in which the show is displayed will then act as the picture-in-a-picture display such as by being rendered opaque yet visible. 
   In an exemplary embodiment, user  30  powers on television  20 . Upon power on, television  20  determines the identity of user  30  such as by using biometric scanner  26  to recognize user  30  or by obtaining input of a user identifier such as a number entered via remote control  40 . Once the identity of user  30  has been established, television  20  obtains the profile for user  30  from persistent memory store  24 . If there is no user profile, e.g. user  30  is not identified or is new to television  20 , the system may obtain and use a default profile. 
   Television  20  then verifies that current program information is available to television  20 , such as program information available to television  20  from broadcaster  25 . If not, television  20  retrieves current program information using program information retrieval methods familiar to those of ordinary skill in the television arts. Using profile information data, television  20  creates data structures representing rings wherein the program information data are distinguishable by time of program viewing availability. Each ring thus comprises program information for programs available for viewing to user  30  within a predetermined time frame, in the preferred embodiment each ring representing a single time frame aligned on a predetermined time boundary such as hourly or half-hourly. 
   Once the program information data are gathered, television  20  sorts the program data by time of availability. Television  20  then uses data from the user profile to change selected attributes of the program information data contained in each ring. In a preferred embodiment, programs within a ring that more closely match the profile of user  30 , e.g. are more preferable to that user  30 , are made to appear brighter whereas those less preferable to that user  30  are made to appear dimmer. In a currently contemplated embodiment, additional visual attributes may also be manipulated or may be manipulated instead of brightness to indicate a greater match to the preferences of user  30 , by way of example and not limitation including increasing opacity of the more preferable programs in a ring while increasing the transparency of the less preferable programs in a ring, color, presence or absence of borders, font, and the like, or combinations thereof. In this way, preferences may be grouped within a ring as well as distinguished within a ring. 
   By way of example and not limitation, as shown in  FIG. 2 , differing border thicknesses may be used to distinguish options within a ring. In  FIG. 2 , using border thickness program  52   c  is marked as being more preferable in its time frame than program  52   a , which is more preferable than program  52   b , which is more preferable than the rest of the programs available in that time frame described by ring  52 , such as program  52   d  in ring  52 . Similarly, program  60   a  is more preferable in ring  60 , and program  70   a  in ring  70 , for those time frames. 
   Additionally, users  30  may be permitted to vary the onscreen time frame of a given ring. By way of example and not limitation, ring  50  may initially represent programs and recommendations for viewing that are currently available. By using a selection device such as remote device  40 , user  30  can change the time frame of ring  50 , e.g. advance it one hour. In a currently considered embodiment, user  30  can change time frames by selecting an different ring, e.g. selecting ring  60  will make ring  60  the most prominent ring, making ring  50  no longer visible and advancing all other rings, e.g. ring  70 . 
   User  30  may further select a given program within a ring, e.g. program  52   c , for current viewing. In a currently envisioned embodiment, user  30  may also select other programs for later viewing, e.g. program  60   a , such that television  20  switches viewing from the currently viewed programming to the next program, e.g.  60   a , when the next program becomes available for viewing. 
   Although the exemplary preferred embodiment described above relates to a television and television programs available for viewing, the present invention is not limited to televisions and television programs available for viewing. The present invention may be used with where time-orderable options exist in which certain options are more preferable to a user than others, by way of example and not limitation such as to allow a child to select a given set of options available to the child such as in a token economy behavioral modification system or to allow a listener to select different radio programs for listening. 
   It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials, and arrangements of the parts which have been described and illustrated above in order to explain the nature of this invention may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the principle and scope of the invention as recited in the following claims.