Menu trails for a portable media player

Abstract

A software and/or hardware facility for generating menu trails for a portable media player. A menu trail is a visual cue to a user, repeated on each menu item in the media player navigation interface, that highlights a path for the user to follow to a content item stored on or accessible by the media player, or to a capability of the media player. Menu trails may highlight new content and capabilities, or may highlight existing content or capabilities. A user using the media player may easily follow the visual cues through the player's menus in order to navigate to the content item or capability.

1 . A method of generating a trail of visual cues to a target item on a portable media device, the method comprising:
 selecting a target item that is accessible via a navigation structure comprised of a plurality of nodes in a portable media device;   identifying one or more nodes in the navigation structure that are traversable to reach the selected target item; and   displaying to the user a visual cue with menu items that correspond to each of the identified one or more nodes and with the selected target item, so that a user may traverse a trail of menu items having visual cues in order to reach the target item.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the target item is a media file or a capability of the portable media device. 
     
     
         3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the visual cue is a symbol, highlighted text bolded text or distinctive color text. 
     
     
         5 . (canceled) 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein a target item is selected based on when it was added to the portable media device or when it is newly accessible from a network site by the portable media device. 
     
     
         7 - 8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the visual cue displayed in association with the menu items is different from the visual cue displayed in association with the selected target item. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 selecting a second target item that is accessible via the navigation structure; identifying one or more nodes in the navigation structure that are traversable to reach the second target item; and   displaying to the user a visual cue with menu items that correspond to each of the identified one or more nodes and with the second target item,   wherein the visual cue associated with the second target item is different that the visual cue associated with the selected target item.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the target item is selected to encourage a user to complete a desired task or to indicate the addition of a new software capability to the portable media device. 
     
     
         12 . (canceled) 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the visual cues disappear after the user views a navigation screen from which the target item is selectable. 
     
     
         14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the visual cues decrease in intensity each time the user views a navigation screen from which the target item is selectable or decrease in intensity over time. 
     
     
         16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1  wherein a target item is selected pursuant to a user request, wherein the user request includes one or more parameters associated with a media file. 
     
     
         18 . A system for generating a trail of visual cues to a target item on a portable media device, the system comprising:
 a trail creation component for:   selecting a target item that is accessible via a navigation structure comprised of a plurality of nodes in a portable media device; and   identifying one or more nodes in the navigation structure that are traversable to reach the selected target item; and   a presentation component for displaying to the user a visual cue with menu items that correspond to each of the one or more nodes identified by the trail creation component and with the selected target item, so that a user may traverse a trail of menu items having visual cues in order to reach the target item.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18  wherein the target item is a media file or a capability of the portable media device. 
     
     
         20 - 22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 18  wherein the trail creation component selects a target item based on when the target item was added to the portable media device or when the target item is newly accessible from a network site by the portable media device. 
     
     
         24 - 25 . (canceled) 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 18  wherein the visual cue displayed by the presentation component in association with the menu items is different from the visual cue displayed by the presentation component in association with the target item. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 18  wherein the trail creation component further selects a second target item that is accessible via the navigation structure and identifies one or more nodes in the navigation structure that are traversable to reach the second target item, the presentation component displaying to the user a visual cue with menu items that correspond to each of the identified one or more nodes and with the second target item, wherein the visual cue associated with the second target item is different that the visual cue associated with the selected target item. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 18  wherein the presentation component selects a target item to encourage a user to complete a desired task or to indicate the addition of a new software capability to the portable media device. 
     
     
         29 - 30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 18  wherein the visual cues associated with the menu items disappear after the user views a navigation screen from which the target item is selectable, but the visual cue associated with the target item remains visible until the user selects the target item. 
     
     
         32 - 33 . (canceled) 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 18  wherein the selection component selects a target item pursuant to a user request, wherein the user request includes one or more parameters associated with a media file. 
     
     
         35 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions that, if executed on a computing system, cause the computing system to perform operations for generating a trail of visual cues to a target item on a portable media device, the operations comprising:
 selecting a target item that is accessible via a navigation structure   comprised of a plurality of nodes in a portable media device; identifying one or more nodes in the navigation structure that are   traversable to reach the selected target item; and   displaying to the user a visual cue with menu items that correspond to each of the identified one or more nodes and with the selected target item, so that a user may traverse a trail of menu items having visual cues in order to reach the target item.   
     
     
         36 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 35  wherein the target item is a media file or a capability of the portable media device. 
     
     
         37 - 39 . (canceled)