Navigational user interface for interactive television

Abstract

The present invention is a navigational user interface for interactive television and, more specifically, for purchasing food products via the navigational user interface and a television. The invention uses an intuitive interactive interface for navigating through service options preferably offered by a cable television service. Services offered such as video on demand, purchasing delivery foods, restaurant selection, banking and community events is all navigated using the present invention.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for providing a viewer capability of purchasing food items via a client terminal and a television screen comprising the steps of: 
 displaying a food application on the television screen in response to the viewer tuning the client terminal to a predetermined television channel, wherein the food application includes at least one food product category item;    selecting a food product category item in response to the viewer navigating the at least one food product category item into a stationary category focus box and pressing a select button on a remote control; and    ordering at least one selected food product category item in response to the viewer pressing an order button via the remote control,    wherein an order signal including the at least one selected food product category item is provided from the client terminal to a data center via a distribution network for further processing.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: 
 in the data center, providing the order signal including the at least one ordered food product category item via the distribution network to a food provider along with a delivery address associated with the ordering client terminal.    
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: 
 focusing on a food product category item in response to the viewer navigating the food product category item into the stationary category focus box via the remote control;    subsequently, displaying at least one food product menu item associated with the focused food product category item;    focusing on a food product menu item in response to the viewer navigating the food product menu item into a stationary menu focus box via the remote control;    selecting the focused food product menu item in response to the viewer pressing the select button on the remote control; and    ordering the selected food product menu item in response to the viewer pressing the order button on the remote control.    
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising the steps of: 
 displaying a drawable in response to the focused food product menu item, wherein the drawable contains information associated with the focused food product menu item.    
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising the steps of: 
 returning to the at least one food product category item display in response to the viewer pressing a return button on the remote control.    
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the selected food product menu item further comprises the steps of: 
 displaying a plurality of pruning screens associated with the selected food product menu item.    
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising the steps of: 
 returning to the at least one food product menu item display associated with the focused food product category item in response to the viewer pressing a return button on the remote control.    
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: 
 displaying a total price screen in response to the viewer pressing a complete order button on the remote control, wherein the client terminal stores a price associated with each of the at least one ordered food product category item.    
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising the steps of: 
 displaying a payment option screen including a plurality of payment options in response to the viewer pressing a complete order button on the remote control; and    selecting a payment option in response to the viewer focusing on a desired payment option and pressing a select button on the remote control.    
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising the steps of: 
 entering numeric information associated with the desired payment option via numeric buttons on the remote control; and    sending the numeric information along with the order signal,    wherein the data center provides the numeric information to the food provider indicating payment terms.    
     
     
         11 . A distribution network for transmitting and receiving a plurality of signals among a data center, a plurality of client terminals, and at least one food provider, the plurality of client terminals each connected to a television screen, the television screen for displaying the plurality of signals including video and audio signals, the plurality of client terminals each including a navigational interface, the navigational interface for purchasing food products via a client terminal and a television, the client terminal comprising: 
 a tuner for tuning to a predetermined television channel displaying a navigational interface screen on the television screen, the navigational interface comprising: 
 a food application screen for displaying on the television screen, wherein the food application screen includes at least one food product category cell;  
 a stationary focus box for focusing on one food product category cell;  
 navigational cues for indicating a plurality of buttons on a remote control, wherein when a viewer presses a navigational button, the at least one food product category cell rotates into the stationary focus box in accordance with the navigational button pressed;  
 a select cue for indicating a select button on the remote control for selecting the focused food product category cell; and  
 an order cue for indicating an order button on the remote control, wherein when the viewer presses the order button on the remote control, the client terminal sends an order signal associated with the selected food product category cell to the data center for further processing.  
   
     
     
         12 . The client terminal of  claim 11 , wherein in response to the client terminal sending the order signal, the data center provides the order signal associated with the selected food product category cell including information associated with the ordering client terminal to a responsible food provider.  
     
     
         13 . The client terminal of  claim 11 , wherein the navigational interface further comprises: 
 at least one menu item cell associated with the focused food product category cell;    a stationary menu focus box for focusing on one menu item cell, wherein the navigational buttons on the remote control rotate the at least one menu item cell into and out of the stationary menu focus box, and wherein the select button on the remote control selects the focused menu item cell, and wherein the order button on the remote control sends an order signal associated with the selected menu item cell to the data center for further processing.    
     
     
         14 . The client terminal of  claim 13 , the navigational interface further comprising: 
 a complete order cue for indicating a complete order on the remote control, wherein in response to the viewer pressing the complete order button, a complete order signal includes a plurality of order signals associated with at least one focused menu item cell.    
     
     
         15 . The client terminal of  claim 13 , wherein the navigational interface further comprises: 
 a displayed drawable in response to the focused menu item cell, wherein the drawable contains information associated with the focused menu item cell.    
     
     
         16 . The client terminal of  claim 12 , the navigational interface further comprising: 
 a total price screen displayed on the television screen, wherein a total price associated with the completed order is displayed in response to the viewer pressing a complete order button on the remote control.    
     
     
         17 . The client terminal of  claim 16 , the navigational interface further comprising: 
 a payment method screen including a plurality of payment options in response to the pressed complete order button, wherein a payment method is selected in response to the viewer navigating a desired payment method into a stationary payment focus box and selecting the focused payment method.    
     
     
         18 . The client terminal of  claim 17 , the navigational interface further comprising: 
 a numeric information screen associated with the desired payment method, wherein the viewer enters numeric information onto the numeric information screen via the remote control.    
     
     
         19 . The client terminal of  claim 18 , wherein the information associated with the ordering client terminal is a delivery address, the desired payment method, and any entered numeric information.  
     
     
         20 . The client terminal of  claim 11 , the navigational interface further comprising: 
 a time-out program for timing out the food application screen and returning to the previously displayed television channel after a predetermined amount of time of viewer inactivity.