Patent Publication Number: US-2009231493-A1

Title: Systems and methods for controlling content playback

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to controlling the playback of media/content, such as video, audio, image, and/or text content. In particular, the invention may relate to content playback control involving on-screen actionable zones (or actionable items) or menus that are displayed on a display device for facilitating user input. 
     For example, when a movie is initiated by a media player, such as DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) player, a menu including several actionable zones may be displayed on a television to enable the user (or the viewer of the movie) to choose from several options, such as viewing the movie (by selecting the first actionable zone), accessing a scene selection menu (by selecting the second actionable zone), accessing language options (by selecting the third actionable zone), accessing caption options (by selecting the fourth actionable zone), etc. 
     Conventionally, the user of the content may utilize a remote control device associated with the media player to navigate the menu for selecting the desirable actionable zone. The process may involve locating the desirable actionable zone on the television screen, pressing one or more arrow buttons (or direction buttons) one or more times to reach the desirable actionable zone such that the desirable actionable zone is indicated or highlighted, and pressing a confirmation button to confirm the selection of the indicated actionable zone. Since the user is typically seated away from the television screen, the actionable zones may not be clearly legible to the user. As a result, the user may need to move closer to the television screen for locating the desirable actionable zone to make the selection and may need to move back to the seat after the selection has been made. Accordingly, substantial inconvenience may be caused. Further, frequent pressing or holding the arrow buttons may result in mechanical failure of the buttons, rendering the remote control device unusable. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the present invention relates to a method for controlling playback of content. The content may be played using a playback unit. The method may include monitoring the content. The method may also include determining whether a portion of the content being displayed on a display device contains any actionable zones that are configured for facilitating user input. The method may also include showing a copy of the portion of the content on a touch-screen device if the portion of the content contains at least one or more actionable zones. The copy of the portion of the content may contain at least a copy of the one or more actionable zones. 
     The above summary relates to only one of the many embodiments of the invention disclosed herein and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the claims herein. These and other features of the present invention will be described in more detail below in the detailed description of the invention and in conjunction with the following figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows a schematic representation illustrating a system for controlling content playback in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  shows a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling content playback in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to a few embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present invention may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well known process steps and/or structures have not been described in detail in order to not unnecessarily obscure the present invention. 
     Various embodiments are described herein below, including methods and techniques. It should be kept in mind that the invention might also cover articles of manufacture that includes a computer readable medium on which computer-readable instructions for carrying out embodiments of the inventive technique are stored. The computer readable medium may include, for example, semiconductor, magnetic, opto-magnetic, optical, or other forms of computer readable medium for storing computer readable code. Further, the invention may also cover apparatuses for practicing embodiments of the invention. Such apparatus may include circuits, dedicated and/or programmable, to carry out tasks pertaining to embodiments of the invention. Examples of such apparatus include a general-purpose computer and/or a dedicated computing device when appropriately programmed and may include a combination of a computer/computing device and dedicated/programmable circuits adapted for the various tasks pertaining to embodiments of the invention. 
     One or more embodiments of the present invention relate to a method for controlling content playback involving on-screen actionable zones. According to the method, a copy of actionable zones (or a menu) may be presented on a touch-screen device that is close to the user, as a result, the legibility of the actionable zones may be substantially improved. Further, according to the method, the user may intuitively and easily select the desirable actionable zone by simply touching a copy of the desirable actionable zone shown on the touch-screen device at hand. Advantageously, substantial convenience and ease of use may be provided for the user to view the actionable zones and to select the desirable actionable zone. 
     The method may include showing on a touch-screen device a copy of a content portion being displayed (on a display device, e.g., a television screen) if and/or only if the content portion contains actionable zones. Accordingly, a copy of the actionable zones may be displayed on the touch-screen device, and the user may intuitively and directly touch the copy of the desirable actionable zone to select the desirable actionable zone. The touch-screen device may generate a set of coordinates (e.g., one or more Cartesian coordinates) based on the user&#39;s touch. The touch-screen device and/or the playback unit (e.g., a media player) that plays the content may then translate the set of coordinates to the appropriate command associated with the desirable actionable zone. 
     In one or more embodiments, the method may also include showing an additional control panel on the touch-screen device to provide an alternative way for navigating the actionable zones. The control panel may include one or more direction-movement zones, such that the user may control the movement of the indicator (e.g., a pointer and/or a highlighting effect) shown on the touch-screen device (and the indicator shown on the display device) to select the desirable actionable zone by touching the direction-movement zones. 
     One or more embodiments of the invention may relate to a system for implementing the method for controlling content playback. 
     The features and advantages of the invention may be better understood with reference to the figures and discussions that follow. 
       FIG. 1  shows a schematic representation illustrating a system  100  for controlling content playback in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. As an example, the content (or at least an image or video portion of the content) may be presented utilizing a display device  102 . The content may be implemented in a well-known digital format, such as a VOB (Video Object) format or an MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) format, with several actionable zones embedded. For example, a portion  104  of the content being displayed on display device  102  may contain a menu  110  that includes actionable zones (or menu items)  112   a ,  112   b ,  112   c , and  112   d . The user of the content may move an indicator  114  (e.g., a highlighting effect, pointer, and/or format change) to navigate menu  110  for selecting a desirable actionable zone (or menu item). 
     System  100  may include a playback unit  106 . Playback unit  106  may include a software component and/or a hardware device for playing the content. For example, playback unit may represent one or more of a software media player, a DVD player, a Blu-ray Disc™ player, a hard disc drive equipped media player, etc. Playback unit  106  may include a control/logic unit for monitoring and controlling the playback of the content. 
     System  100  may also include a touch-screen device  122 , such as a personal digital assistance (PDA), a smart phone, a Web pad, or a tablet computer. Touch-screen  122  may display a content portion  124  that may be a scaled copy of portion  104  and/or may be similar to portion  104 . Content portion  124  may contain a menu  130  that may be a scaled copy of menu  110  and/or may be similar to menu  110 . Menu  130  may include actionable zones  132   a ,  132   b ,  132   c , and  132   d  that may be scaled copies of actionable zones  112   a ,  112   b ,  112   c , and  112   d , respectively, and/or may be similar to actionable zones  112   a ,  112   b ,  112   c , and  112   d , respectively. The user may simply touch one of actionable zones  132   a ,  132   b ,  132   c , and  132   d  displayed on touch-screen device  122  at hand to select the desirable actionable zone, without needing to locate the desirable actionable zone among actionable zones  112   a ,  112   b ,  112   c , and  112   d , which are displayed on the typically farther display device  102  and may be less legible. 
     Touch-screen device  122  may also display a control panel  150  in addition to content portion  124  to provide an alternative mechanism for the user to select the desirable actionable zone. Control panel  150  may include several direction zones, such as direction zones  136   a ,  136   b ,  136   c , and  136   d , for example, to move an indicator  134  upwards, downwards, to the left, and to the right, respectively. Indicator  134  may be a copy of or similar to indicator  114  shown on display device  102 . The user may simply touch one or more of the direction zones for moving indicator  134  to navigate menu  130  at hand without needing to navigate the typically farther and less legible menu  110 . Control panel  150  may also include a confirmation zone  138  (e.g., presented as a “Go” or “Enter” button) for the user to confirm the selection of the indicated (and/or highlighted) actionable zone. 
     Touch-screen device  122  and playback unit  106  may be coupled through a connection  118 , which may be a wireline connection or a wireless connection implemented based on a well-known protocol. Alternatively or additionally, touch-screen device  122  and playback unit  106  may be coupled through a network  108 , such as home network (which may include a router) and/or the Internet. 
     Example functions, features, and advantages of system  100  are further discussed with reference to the examples of  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 2  shows a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling content playback in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. The method may be implemented, for example, utilizing system  100  illustrated in the example of  FIG. 1 . The method may also be discussed with reference to the example of  FIG. 1 . The method may start with step  202 , in which playback unit  106  may monitor the content. 
     In step  204 , playback unit  106  may determine whether any actionable zones are present in the portion of the content currently being displayed. If the portion of the content does not contain any actionable zones, control may be transferred back to step  202 . If the portion of the content contains one or more actionable zones, as illustrated by portion  104  shown in the example of  FIG. 1 , control may be transferred to step  206 . 
     In step  206 , touch-screen device  122  may show a scaled copy of the portion of the content, as illustrated by content portion  124  containing actionable zones  132   a - 132   d  shown in the example of  FIG. 1 . Content portion  124  may be transmitted from playback unit  106  to touch-screen device  122  in an image file, such as a JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) file. Alternatively or additionally, content portion  124  may be transmitted from playback unit  106  to touch-screen device  122  in a data stream or in a video file. Content portion  124  may be scaled according to one or more well-known methods to fit the touch screen or a viewable area of touch-screen device  122 . 
     In step  208 , touch-screen device  122  may wait for a touch by the user. 
     In step  210 , touch-screen device  122  may determine whether a touch is received. If no touch is received, control may be transferred back to step  208 . If a touch is received, control may be transferred to step  212 . 
     In step  212 , touch-screen device  122  may generate information based on the touch and may transmit the information to playback unit  106 . The information may represent a set of coordinates (e.g., one or more Cartesian coordinates) generated by touch-screen device  122  according to the position of the touch. Touch-screen device  122  may transmit the set of coordinates to playback unit  106 . 
     In one or more embodiments, touch-screen device  122  may determine whether the set of coordinates represents a copy of an actionable zone. Touch-screen device  122  may not transmit the set of coordinates to playback unit  106  if the set of coordinates does not represent an actionable zone. As a result, network resource may be conserved. 
     In one or more embodiments, if an actionable zone has been touched, i.e., if the set of coordinates represents an actionable zone, touch-screen device  122  may translate the set of coordinates to a command associated with the actionable zone. Accordingly, the generated information may represent the command, and touch-screen device  122  may transmit the command to playback unit  106 . 
     In step  214 , playback unit  106  and/or display device  102  may perform a set of actions (i.e., one or more actions) according to the touch-generated information received from touch-screen device  122  if an actionable zone has been touched on touch-screen device  122 . If the received information includes a set of coordinates that represents a touched actionable zone, playback unit  106  may translate the set of coordinates to a command associated with the touched actionable zone, and playback unit  106  and/or display device  102  may then perform the set of actions according to the command. If the information includes a command, playback unit  106  and/or display device  102  may directly perform the set of actions according to the command. 
     The method may also include showing control panel  150  on touch-screen device  122 . Touch-screen device  122  may show control panel  150  if and/or only if playback unit  106  has determined that the portion of the content currently being displayed contains one or more actionable zones. Control panel  150  may be removed, hidden, or minimized when the actionable zones are not displayed. 
     When control panel  150  is shown, touch-screen device  122  may receive a touch by the user on a direction zone, such as one of direction zones  136   a - 136   d . According to the touched direction zone, touch-screen device  122  may generate a set of coordinates (e.g., one or more Cartesian coordinates). Subsequently, touch-screen device  122  and/or playback unit  106  may translate the set of coordinates to a direction. Accordingly, touch-screen device  122  may move an indicator (e.g., indicator  134  illustrated in the example of  FIG. 1 ) in the direction to an actionable zone (e.g., actionable zone  132   a  illustrated in the example of  FIG. 1 ) displayed on touch-screen device  122 . Playback unit  106  and/or display device  102  may also move a corresponding indicator (e.g., indicator  104  illustrated in the example of  FIG. 1 ) in the direction to a corresponding actionable zone (e.g., actionable zone  112   a  illustrated in the example of  FIG. 1 ) displayed on display device  102 . The indicators may move multiple times in an appropriate direction if the associated direction zone is touched multiple times or continuously touched. 
     Touch-screen device  122  may further receive a touch by the user on confirmation zone  138 . In response, touch-screen device  122  may generate a set of coordinates associated with the touched portion of confirmation zone  138 . Subsequently, touch-screen device  122  and/or playback unit  106  may translate the set of coordinates to a confirmation command for confirming that the indicated actionable zone is selected. 
     In one or more embodiments, if actionable zones are present, touch-screen device  122  may show control panel  150  without displaying content portion  124  and the actionable zones, for example, to conserve energy when the battery of touch-screen device  122  is low. Accordingly, touch-screen device  122  may serve as an on-demand remote control device for playback unit  106  with minimized energy consumption. 
     In various embodiments, the tasks of translating between coordinates and commands may be distributed between touch-screen device  122  and playback unit  106  utilizing various arrangements. 
     As can be appreciated from the foregoing, embodiments of the invention may present actionable zones close to a user when the user consumes content. Accordingly, the legibility of the actionable zones may be substantially improved. Advantageously, the user may conveniently select the desirable actionable zone with minimum effort (e.g., body movement). 
     Embodiments of the invention may also enable the user to intuitively and easily select the desirable actionable zone by simply touching a copy of the desirable actionable zone at hand. Advantageously, the desirable actionable zone may be efficiently selected with minimum operation. 
     While this invention has been described in terms of several embodiments, there are alterations, permutations, and equivalents, which fall within the scope of this invention. It should also be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing the methods and apparatuses of the present invention. Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention may find utility in other applications. The abstract section is provided herein for convenience and, due to word count limitation, is accordingly written for reading convenience and should not be employed to limit the scope of the claims. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims be interpreted as including all such alterations, permutations, and equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.