CN100489748C - Data processing system, device and method, and remote device for user interface with dynamic menu option organization - Google Patents

Abstract

A graphical user interface for a data processing device or system has a plurality of menu options arranged in multiple pages. Based on user history, menu options can be dynamically distributed across pages to reduce user navigation effort among options. The dynamically adaptable GUI is associated with remote controls, Internet portals or e-commerce sites.

Description

Data processing system, device, method and remote control device for user interface with dynamic menu option organization

related application

This application is a continuation-in-part of US Patent Application Serial No. 09/434,155 (Attorney Docket PHA 23,783), filed November 4, 1999, which is incorporated herein by reference. Likewise, the following patent applications are hereby incorporated by reference:

- US serial number 09/062,364 (attorney file PHA23,387), filed 4/17/98;

- U.S. Serial No. 09/128,839 (attorney file PHA23,469), filed 8/4/98;

- U.S. serial number 09/129,300 (attorney file PHA 23,470), filed 05/08/98;

- U.S. serial number 09/271,200 (attorney file PHA23,607), filed 3/17/99;

- U.S. serial number 09/311,128 (attorney file PHA23,501), filed 5/13/99;

- U.S. serial number 09/210,416 (attorney file PHA23,522), filed 12/11/98;

- U.S. Serial No. 09/217,414 (attorney file PHA23,409), filed 12/21/98;

- U.S. serial number 09/544,666 (attorney file PH US 000089), filed 4/6/00;

- US Patent 5,956,025 (Attorney File PHA 23,248)

technical field

The present invention relates to a user interface for a data processing device, and in particular to the organization of menu options in such a user interface.

Background technique

A user interface (UI), such as a graphical user interface (GUI), determines the user-friendliness and user efficiency of an interactive device. For example, a GUI frees the user from using a command language. This is especially relevant for devices in the consumer electronics (CE) environment.

An example of such a CE device is PRONTO(TM) (trademark) manufactured by Philips Electronics. PRONTO(TM) is a universally programmable remote control device introduced to the market in September 1998, and most of its function selection buttons are graphically displayed on the touch screen as menu options. These menu options may be spread over several pages which are restored or displayed one at a time. The PRONTO(TM) is fully programmable by the user according to the IR and/or RF codes assigned to the hard keys and soft buttons, and according to the corresponding keys housed on the corresponding pages. More information about PRONTO(TM) can be found at the website < http://www.pronto.philips.com >.

Contents of the invention

A disadvantage of a fixed graphical user interface comprising several pages is that the user may spend a considerable amount of time browsing through the pages trying to find the desired menu option. PRONTO(TM) is an improvement in that the user can organize the menu options and configure the pages at will. Now the present invention takes this a step further and enhances the UI for user convenience. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a more user-friendly UI.

According to the present invention, there is provided a data processing system comprising: a display having a graphical user interface (GUI) for allowing user interaction with a plurality of menu options, the GUI including a plurality of pages and a user identity selector; and an adapter , for automatically and dynamically rearranging the assignment of specific menu options in the menu options to specific pages of the GUI to reduce user navigation between options, the adapter is arranged to identify among multiple users, for multiple Each of the corresponding users provides a corresponding user-dependent rearrangement of menu options.

The present invention also provides an apparatus for configuring a GUI with a menu having a plurality of user-selectable options, the menu comprising a plurality of pages, the apparatus for: receiving a user identification, and by individually targeting the corresponding user, Assign specific options from menu options to specific pages among multiple pages, automatically and dynamically rearrange menu options in the GUI, dynamically personalize the GUI for each identified user, and reduce the number of options between options user navigation.

The present invention also provides a method allowing dynamic personalization of a GUI, wherein the GUI includes a plurality of pages and a user identity selector; and wherein the method comprises: determining a corresponding user profile by a corresponding user during operational use of the GUI; And automatically and dynamically building the GUI in response to the user profile, the building comprising: assigning a particular one of the menu options to a particular page of the plurality of subpages individually selected for a corresponding user.

The present invention also provides a remote control device for controlling a consumer electronic device, the device comprising a display for displaying a GUI to allow user interaction with a menu, the GUI including a user identity selector based on the corresponding user controlling the device The GUI is automatically and dynamically individually personalizable to the respective user through a user-dependent rearrangement of the menu options for operational use of the device.

To this end, the present invention provides an apparatus or system including a UI whose operation is controlled by an adapter. The adapter is configured to dynamically arrange the menu options of the UI, thereby reducing the time the user must spend navigating among the options. The terms "dynamically" or "dynamically" as used herein shall mean that the menu is rearranged according to some user pattern of past activities determined in the course of previous operation using the UI without the user having to select menu rearrangement or reprogramming options. Arrange options. According to several alternative embodiments, user patterns are most commonly recorded in several types of user histories or profiles. In a GUI comprising multiple pages, according to a specific embodiment, this object may be achieved by dynamically assigning specific ones of the menu options to specific ones of the multiple pages. The invention has particular advantages in different contexts. For example, when a user controls a CE device, especially a video, audio or multimedia device, the user-friendliness of the CE device will be greatly improved if the user does not have to worry about menu navigation since the control aspect hinders entertainment enjoyment or immersion in the entertainment.

As another example, the graphical representation of an Electronic Program Guide (EPG) downloaded to a user device is made more user (interface) friendly using the present invention. The EPG typically presents menu options in a grid overview including channel indications and content information types available per channel and per time slot, and allows recording or tuning by simple actions of the user. Highly scored channels, time slots and or content types on the most frequently used menu option scoreboard are arranged in a way that reduces user navigation, for example by providing a graphical arrangement of high scoring options in the first panel, whereas traditional The EPG is provided in other panels. Channel corruption, ie changing channels at a relatively high rate, is best ignored in building the custom EPG representation so as not to affect scoring.

As another example, portals on the Internet can be customized to give an individual user quick access to his/her preferences derived from his/her user history or profile. Other objects and advantages will be set forth below.

Description of drawings

The invention will now be illustrated by way of non-limiting examples with reference to the following figures.

Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 are the schematic diagrams of the device in the present invention.

3 and 4 are flow charts showing steps for building a GUI in the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a server architecture using the present invention.

Detailed ways

Figure 1 shows an apparatus or system to which the present invention may be applied. The device comprises a display 1 for displaying a GUI. The display includes a liquid crystal display (LCD or any other suitable display device). The device comprises a data processor or microcontroller 2 and memory 3, which may be volatile or non-volatile, and contains data and/or control software. Likewise, more than two storage devices may be present. For example, volatile memory may contain data entered by a user, while non-volatile memory may contain control software. User entry 4 may appear via buttons (hard or soft keys), sound, pointing device or any other suitable mode. Alternatively, or in addition, user access can be realized by means of a touch-sensitive function of the display 1 . The device has an output, eg control output 5. Output 5 may be an infrared (IR) or radio frequency (RF) output as output for remote control of CE equipment such as televisions, video cameras, DVD players, and/or other instruments. Output 5 may include wired or wireless functionality for uploading data to or downloading from some other data processor, or downloading from a server. Output 5 may comprise more than two elements, such as an IR transmitter and a slot for inserting a download cable.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a device 101 on which the interface of the present invention can be applied. The device 101 comprises a remote control comprising a touch-sensitive LCD screen 102 and several actuatable mechanical buttons 103 and 104 . The division of functionality between on-screen buttons and mechanical buttons may be dictated by the intended use of the device and is outside the scope of the present invention. In general, at least one of the buttons, either displayed or mechanical, will indicate a transition between GUI pages.

A GUI is displayed on the screen. The GUI includes menu options divided into pages. Menu options may be displayed as buttons or icons, or any other suitable display format. In general, when any of these menu option types are referred to in this application, all imply possible alternative options. The term menu option, as used herein, should likewise be understood to include any type of selectable interactive item.

The IR or any other output in this example is on the side and is not visible in the view of Figure 2. A remote control, such as PRONTO (trademark) from Philips Electronics, may roughly have the appearance of FIG. 2 . The memory 3 and processor 2 for the remote of FIG. 2 are usually contained internally and are therefore generally not visible from the outside.

Fig. 3 shows partial steps for creating a GUI according to a preferred embodiment. This section involves building a user history. At 201, a counter is initialized. The counter may be an array with a corresponding value for each corresponding button. At 202, a test is performed to determine if any of the on-screen buttons were pressed. If none of the screen buttons are pressed, the test to detect such presses continues. If any screen button is pressed, at 203 the counter corresponding to that button is incremented by one.

It is not necessary in any way to track the number of times a mechanical button is pressed; however, one of ordinary skill in the art can readily extend the method of the present invention to vary the function between mechanical (physical) and displayed (soft) buttons based on user history. distribute. Such extensions may include, for example, in a graphical user interface, some indication that mechanical buttons change functions, such as arrows pointing to those buttons, or backlighting patterns.

At 204, it is tested whether to update the assignment of menu options to the page. It is not desirable to continuously update this assignment since the menu option's constant action would confuse the user. Those of ordinary skill in the art can devise any number of different heuristics for selecting an update time. Examples include: when the device is powered on; after a predetermined time interval, such as an hour or a week or a month; when the buttons are used. The count value can allow statistics on which buttons are more important buttons and which buttons are not, etc. relevant conclusions. Preferably, there should be an option to turn button rearrangement off if the user is happy with the current button arrangement and doesn't want the buttons to move around. If it is not time to update the assignment, control returns to logic block 202 . If it's time to update the dispatch, the button is dispatched to the page according to the user profile. For example, the most frequently used buttons indicated by the button's counter value are grouped and assigned to top-level pages.

While the above steps have been described in terms of simple counting mechanisms, more complex, artificial intelligence-based techniques can be used to build user histories. Artificial intelligence techniques for compiling user histories are described in "Learning Probabilistic User Models" by D. Billsus and M. Pazzani, May 14, 1997. This document is available eg at http://www.dkfi.uin-sb.de/~bauer/um-ws/Final-Versions/Bill sus/ProbUserModels.html . The simple mechanisms of the preferred embodiments are generally more suitable for consumer devices such as television remote controls, since less computing power and memory will be required.

In the steps of FIG. 3 , buttons corresponding to control functions related to the same control environment can be treated as a group and a single counter assigned to them. For example, it is inconvenient if the digital TV channel buttons are assigned on different pages. Therefore, they are preferably all handled as one button for counting, and are preferably all assigned to the same page in a fixed arrangement based on the combined frequency of their use.

Beyond pure frequency-of-use strategies, designers can devise other heuristics that justify changing the buttons assigned to pages. For example, in a phone with a GUI according to the present invention, a button for auto-dial 911 may often be located on the top-level page even if it is rarely used.

Figure 4 illustrates logic block 205 in more detail. First, the corresponding internal buttons are represented as sorted lists according to the corresponding counter values. Preferably, the sort is counted down so that the most frequently used buttons appear at the top of the list. Then, at 302, the list is divided into M parts with at most N items each, where N is the number of buttons to fit on the screen and M is the number of pages available in the GUI. Then, if any of the grouped buttons do not fit on the screen, these buttons will have to be rearranged on the page to make them fit 303 . Alternatively, if the buttons are not counted by group, they can be rearranged according to any predetermined group at that time. Or, if some buttons have different sizes on the display, some pages may have different numbers of buttons, or the buttons may be resized.

The same remote control can be used by multiple individual users such as family members. Each user may have a different preference for the arrangement of buttons. One user might use the scan keys to surf channels while another user might use the number channel buttons. One user may use the VCR frequently, while another user may do so infrequently. One user may use the PIP button frequently, while another user may not.

Preferably, the remote control has a different button configuration for each user. Therefore, preferably there is some mechanism for identifying the current user. The mechanism could be a button on the top page of the GUI, or some external identification device such as: a biometric system such as a voice or fingerprint; or a user personal identification number (PIN). Typically, remote controls used in home consumer electronic devices require a lower level of security than some other devices. For example, a PDA or cell phone may require higher security because the consequences of breaching security are severe. An example of a low level of security might be a single digit PIN.

The user history according to the invention will typically be stored in a memory, for example reference numeral 3 of the device of FIG. 1 or 2 . The memory used to store user history may be volatile or non-volatile. If the memory is volatile, steps can be taken to upload the user history to a device with non-volatile memory, such as a PC. For example, according to FIG. 2, a slot may be provided on the remote controller for connecting a cable to a PC for uploading. In this case, software should be provided on the PC for accepting uploads.

Software for accomplishing the steps of FIGS. 3 and 4 may similarly be stored in the memory 3 or 1 of the device of FIG. 1 . The software is preferably stored in non-volatile memory. Alternatively, the steps may be performed in specific hardware, such as a gate array, in the device.

Figure 5 shows a server architecture using the present invention. The server 501 is adapted to perform dynamic updating of GUIs on devices such as 503 . The server 501 may comprise software or hardware adapted to perform the steps of FIGS. 3 and 4 . Device 503 may be of any type shown or discussed with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 . The server communicates with these devices via wired or wireless network connections 502 and 504 . The wireless connection 504 can communicate with another device 503 not shown. The network connection can be over the Internet or in an internal connection such as a LAN or a home network. As shown in Figure 1, the server 501 and the device 503 preferably both contain local storage and some input and output devices.

Hereinafter, the reference is to the above-mentioned co-pending US patent application, Serial No. 09/434,155 (Attorney Docket PHA 23,783). This patent document relates to a remote control device which initiates the retrieval of a predetermined control configuration from a memory bank. For example, a reference or default control mode is backed up so that the user can frequently return to the reference configuration without too much effort. This default or reference mode is stored in the remote control by the manufacturer or retailer, or it consists of a user-programmed configuration that is downloaded from the device to an external storage repository, such as the user's PC, for use later when required in the remote control. retrieved during communication. Alternatively, or in addition, the controlled device acts as a repository for the control configuration of the device itself. The remote retrieves the configuration from the device if and when needed. In this way the remote control, as a mobile interface close to the device, becomes highly user-friendly and truly universal.

Now, in the current invention, the user profile itself can be an element of a control configuration that can be downloaded from the device to be controlled or, for example, from a home server. User profile information is used based on the operation of a particular user's remote control to determine the distribution of menu options in the GUI used by that particular user. By making the profile an integral part of the downloadable control configuration for a device, a group of devices or an entire home network, user interface friendliness is increased with the individual user in mind. Therefore, a handheld device may not even need an on-board counter. The configuration of counting functions and pages can be done on the server side based on the counter values registered on the server. A reconfiguration page or control code for the reconfiguration is then sent back to the device.

When running the steps of Figures 3 and 4, the processor 2 or the server 501 acts as an adapter to reconfigure the GUI.

What has been discussed above in relation to the handheld remote control is equally applicable in a different environment, namely the GUI of a website. Consider the user's primary starting site on the World Wide Web when the user connects to the network. Such sites are often referred to as "portals" or "gateways". Examples of such portals are those of Yahoo, Excite, AOL and Lycos. Typically, such sites offer a variety of services in various categories. These services are represented as icons or clickable links arranged in a menu, such as a linear menu with a hierarchy of options under each option in a main menu. A single user is typically only interested in a particular service among the multitude of services, and only a particular subcategory of these. For example, a particular user is primarily interested in "books", "hardware tools", "science", "nature" and "toys", but not in "stocks" or "movies" or "politics". Under Nature, users are particularly interested in Marine Mammals. Under "Toys", the user is primarily interested in the "Model Trains" and only "Class O Engine Models" category. Based on the particular user's interaction history with the server providing the portal site, the server builds a personalized representation of the portal by arranging the icons or links in the hierarchical menu in such a The navigation effort for that particular user is reduced when subclassing. For example, subcategories in a related drop-down menu are arranged in order of the most frequently used (sub)categories for that particular user. Portals or home pages or parts thereof are customized for each user individually from a set of suitable parts (advertising headlines, collection of hyperlinks, decorative parts, etc.) provided by the server and based on the user's profile or user history. A profile may also include information from an accessing client device identifying its capabilities and configuration. In this article, reference is made to U.S. Serial No. 08/785,459 (Attorney Docket PHA23,217) filed January 17, 1997 by Mehran Moshfeghi, Jun Wang, Stephen Wong, and Yuan-Pin Yu entitled "Personalized Hospital Intranet method of the station", which is hereby incorporated by reference. This patent document relates to a system in which a web server is accessible via a web browser by a web browser, wherein the assumed needs, declared and/or recorded topics of interest, access rights to information and user context are presented to the web user web browser Considered in the web page. Dynamically create web pages based on the user's relationship with the institution or patient, and the user's functions and jobs, as well as information access privileges. In addition, web pages are dynamically created based on the performance of the user's computer, computer connection bandwidth, display characteristics, browser capabilities, etc. For this purpose, the web server must be loaded with information about the user and the user's environment. This information may be obtained using web forms, automatic detection of the requesting client's IP address, server-browser communication, smart cards and/or activity tokens. Information about user preferences, user's physical and computer environment and usage profile can be stored on the server side. All this information can then be used by the server to generate personalized content.

The present invention can also be used on e-commerce websites. For example, a site allows users to browse various categories of books or music, with title and bibliographic information organized in a hierarchical fashion, where, for example, categories at higher levels have multiple subcategories. Personalize the site by making user-favorite categories more accessible than others based on the number of user interactions required to obtain information. Furthermore, it is implemented through user profile or user history, preferably after reminding the user that the GUI has been improved to provide better service.

From reading the present disclosure, other modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. These improvements may involve other features which are known in the design, manufacture and use of graphical user interfaces and which may be used instead of or in addition to the features described herein. Although the claims in this application have set forth particular combinations of features, it should be understood that the scope of the disclosure of this application also includes any novel feature or novel combination of features disclosed herein, either expressly or implicitly, or any generalization thereof, regardless of Does it alleviate any or all of the same technical issues as the present invention does. The applicant hereby notifies that new claims may be established to these features during the prosecution of this application or any other application resulting therefrom.

The use of the word "comprising" herein should not be construed as excluding additional elements. The use of the singular article "a" or "a" herein should not be construed as excluding the plural.

Claims (15)

1. A data processing system comprising: - a display (1) having a graphical user interface (GUI) for allowing user interaction with a plurality of menu options, the GUI comprising a plurality of pages and a user identity selector; and - Adapter (2) for automatically and dynamically rearranging the assignment of specific options in the menu options to specific pages of the GUI to reduce user navigation between options, the adapter is arranged between multiple users Identifying and providing a corresponding user-dependent rearrangement of menu options for respective ones of the plurality of users. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the adapter arranges the menu options according to the corresponding user's history of user interaction with the GUI. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the adapter rearranges the menu options according to the corresponding user profile. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the user identity selector includes respective user-selectable representations in predetermined locations on the display for respective users of the plurality of users. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the adapter assigns the first and second ones of the menu options as a group to a single page of the plurality of pages. 6. The system of claim 1, comprising a remote control (101) for user control of the consumer electronic device via the GUI. 7. An apparatus for configuring a GUI with a menu having a plurality of user-selectable options, the menu comprising a plurality of pages, the apparatus for: receiving a user identification, and by targeting the corresponding user individually, the menu Assign specific menu options in options to specific pages among multiple pages, automatically and dynamically rearrange menu options in the GUI to dynamically personalize the GUI for each identified user, to reduce user traversal between options navigation. 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the dynamic personalization is dependent on a corresponding user history of a corresponding individual user's interaction with the GUI. 9. A method that allows for dynamic personalization of a GUI, wherein the GUI includes multiple pages and a user identity selector; and Wherein the method includes: - determination of the respective user profile by the respective user during the operational use of the GUI; and - Automatically and dynamically building the GUI in response to the user profile, the building comprising: assigning a specific one of the menu options to a specific page among a plurality of pages individually selected for a corresponding user. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the user profile comprises determining a user history of interactions of the corresponding user with the GUI. 11. The method of claim 9, wherein: - The GUI includes a number of selectable interactive items. 12. The method of claim 9, wherein: - the user profile is stored in the server (501); and - Build a GUI on the server to be downloaded to the control device (503). 13. A remote control device (101) for controlling a consumer electronic device, the device comprising a display (102) for displaying a GUI to allow user interaction with a menu, the GUI comprising a user identity selector based on controlling the The GUI is automatically and dynamically individually personalizable to the respective user of the device by means of a user-dependent rearrangement of the menu options for the device's operational use of the device. 14. The device of claim 13, comprising an adapter (2) for automatic and dynamic personalization of the GUI. 15. The device of claim 14, wherein: - the menu has multiple menu options and multiple pages; and - This adapter assigns a specific option in the menu options to a specific one of the multiple pages. 16. The device of claim 13, wherein: - the device includes adapters for automatic and dynamic personalization of the GUI; and - the means has an input for receiving a GUI from the device.

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