User Interface for Visual Cooperation Between Text Input and Display Device

Abstract

A user-interface system for entering an alphanumeric string or alphanumeric clusters for identifying information content is presented. The user-interface system has presentation logic for displaying an image of a virtual user alphanumeric interface on a presentation device. The virtual user alphanumeric interface includes an image of an overloaded keypad that has a two dimensional configuration of alphanumeric clusters. Each cluster corresponds to a set of alphanumeric characters. The user-interface system also has cluster selection logic for receiving user actions from an input device (e.g., five-button interface) to provide visual cues to help the user select an alphanumeric cluster and to cause the selected alphanumeric cluster or character from a cluster to be displayed in a display field of the virtual user alphanumeric interface.

1 . A user-interface system for entering an alphanumeric string for identifying information content, the system comprising:
 presentation logic for displaying on a presentation device an image of a virtual user alphanumeric interface, the virtual user alphanumeric interface including an image of an overloaded keypad that has a two dimensional configuration of alphanumeric clusters, a plurality of clusters corresponding to a set of selectable alphanumeric symbols including alphanumeric characters and alphanumeric numerals, the virtual user alphanumeric interface further including a string field for displaying the alphanumeric selections by a user; and   selection logic for receiving user actions from an input device with a five button interface, said interface including four navigation-direction controls and a selection control, said selection logic including logic, cooperative with the presentation logic, to present visual cues to aid in the navigation of said image of an overloaded keypad of the virtual user alphanumeric interface and the selection of an alphanumeric symbol, said logic to present visual cues including logic to signify on the image of the virtual user alphanumeric interface the user selection of an alphanumeric cluster while maintaining the display of unselected alphanumeric clusters of the two dimensional configuration of the alphanumeric clusters and including logic to aid in the selection of a symbol from the set of symbols associated with the selected cluster to cause the selected character to be displayed in the string field of the virtual user alphanumeric interface;   wherein the presentation device is a television and the input device is a physically separate remote control device.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein each symbol of a cluster is selectable by acting only on the corresponding cluster. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said logic to present visual cues maintains the display of unselected alphanumeric clusters during the selection and display of the selected character of the selected alphanumeric cluster. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein an alphanumeric cluster is selectable via a cluster selection action and a cluster-symbol selection action selects one of the alphanumeric symbols of the selected cluster. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the set of selectable alphanumeric characters is presented in alphabetical order. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the set of selectable alphanumeric characters of at least one cluster is presented in an order according to an alphabet occurrence frequency of a predetermined language. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the set of selectable alphanumeric characters of at least one cluster is presented in an order according to an alphabet occurrence frequency of characters in words that describe items in a searchable collection of information content. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein a presentation order of the set of selectable alphanumeric characters of at least one cluster is changed from an initial presentation order based on the received user actions. 
     
     
         9 . A user-interface system for entering an alphanumeric string for identifying information content, the system comprising:
 presentation logic for displaying on a presentation device an image of a virtual user alphanumeric interface, the virtual user alphanumeric interface including an image of an overloaded keypad that has a two dimensional configuration of alphanumeric clusters, a plurality of clusters corresponding to a set of selectable alphanumeric symbols including alphanumeric characters and alphanumeric numerals, the virtual user alphanumeric interface further including a string field for displaying the alphanumeric string of alphanumeric symbols selected by a user, wherein the alphanumeric characters are presented in a non-alphabetic order to facilitate selection of a probable string via reduced user selection actions; and   selection logic for receiving user actions from an input device, said selection logic including logic, cooperative with the presentation logic, to present visual cues to aid in the navigation of said image of an overloaded keypad of the virtual user alphanumeric interface and the selection of an alphanumeric symbol, said logic to present visual cues including logic to signify on the image of the virtual user alphanumeric interface the user selection of an alphanumeric cluster while maintaining the display of unselected alphanumeric clusters of the two dimensional configuration of the alphanumeric clusters and including logic to aid in the selection of a symbol from the set of symbols associated with the selected cluster to cause the selected character to be displayed in the string field of the virtual user alphanumeric interface;   wherein the presentation device is a television and the input device is a physically separate remote control device.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the alphanumeric characters are presented in an order according to an alphabet occurrence frequency of a predetermined language. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the alphanumeric characters are presented in an order according to an alphabet occurrence frequency of characters in words that describe items in a searchable collection of information content. 
     
     
         12 . A user-interface method for entering an alphanumeric string for identifying information content, the method comprising:
 displaying on a presentation device an image of a virtual user alphanumeric interface, the virtual user alphanumeric interface including an image of an overloaded keypad that has a two dimensional configuration of alphanumeric clusters, a plurality of clusters corresponding to a set of selectable alphanumeric symbols including alphanumeric characters and alphanumeric numerals, the virtual user alphanumeric interface further including a string field for displaying the alphanumeric selections by a user;   receiving user actions from an input device with a five button interface, said interface including four navigation-direction controls and a selection control; and   presenting visual cues to aid in the navigation of said image of an overloaded keypad of the virtual user alphanumeric interface and the selection of an alphanumeric symbol, including presenting visual cues to signify on the image of the virtual user alphanumeric interface the user selection of an alphanumeric cluster while maintaining the display of unselected alphanumeric clusters of the two dimensional configuration of the alphanumeric clusters and presenting visual cues to aid in the selection of a symbol from the set of symbols associated with the selected cluster to cause the selected alphanumeric symbol to be displayed in the string field of the virtual user alphanumeric interface;   wherein the presentation device is a television and the input device is a physically separate remote control device.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein each symbol of a cluster is selectable by acting only on the corresponding cluster. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising maintaining the display of unselected alphanumeric clusters during the selection and display of the selected symbol of the selected alphanumeric cluster. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein an alphanumeric cluster is selectable via a cluster selection action and a cluster-symbol selection action selects one of the alphanumeric symbols of the selected cluster. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the set of selectable alphanumeric characters is presented in alphabetical order. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the set of selectable alphanumeric characters of at least one cluster is presented in an order according to an alphabet occurrence frequency of a predetermined language. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the set of selectable alphanumeric characters of at least one cluster is presented in an order according to an alphabet occurrence frequency of characters in words that describe items in a searchable collection of information content. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein a presentation order of the set of selectable alphanumeric characters of at least one cluster is changed from an initial presentation order based on the received user actions. 
     
     
         20 . A user-interface method for entering an alphanumeric string for identifying information content, the method comprising:
 displaying on a presentation device an image of a virtual user alphanumeric interface, the virtual user alphanumeric interface including an image of an overloaded keypad that has a two dimensional configuration of alphanumeric clusters, a plurality of clusters corresponding to a set of selectable alphanumeric symbols including alphanumeric characters and alphanumeric numerals, the virtual user alphanumeric interface further including a string field for displaying the alphanumeric selections by a user, wherein the alphanumeric characters are presented in a non-alphabetic order to facilitate selection of a probable string via reduced user selection actions;   receiving user actions from an input device; and   presenting visual cues to aid in the navigation of said image of an overloaded keypad of the virtual user alphanumeric interface and the selection of an alphanumeric symbol, including signifying on the image of the virtual user alphanumeric interface the user selection of an alphanumeric cluster while maintaining the display of unselected alphanumeric clusters of the two dimensional configuration of the alphanumeric clusters and selection of a symbol from the set of symbols associated with the selected cluster to-cause the selected symbol to be displayed in the string field of the virtual user alphanumeric interface;   wherein the presentation device is a television and the input device is a physically separate remote control device.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the alphanumeric characters are presented in an order according to an alphabet occurrence frequency of a predetermined language. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the alphanumeric characters are presented in an order according to an alphabet occurrence frequency of characters in words that describe items in a searchable collection of information content.