User interface having reading lens

Abstract

A user interface, such as a graphical user interface or other electronic displayable interface, is contemplated. The user interface may include a reading lens portion configured to facilitate providing expanded viewing of content from other portions of the display. The reading lens portion may be displayed according to a non-linear timeline as to facilitate identifying upcoming contents without being constrained by a linear timeline used in other portions of the user interface.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A user interface operable to execute on a mobile device, the user interface operable to facilitate issuance of wireless command signals from the mobile device to an output device, the wireless command signals controlling the output device to tune to a broadcast television channel selected from a plurality of available broadcast television channels, the plurality of available broadcast television channels being scheduled for linear transmission at a future time, the user interface operable to facilitate:
 rendering a graphical display;   graphically representing a first portion of the available broadcast television channels within a grid portion of the graphical display, the grid portion graphically representing television programs associated with the first portion of broadcast television channels according to a linear increment of time;   graphically representing a second portion of the plurality of available broadcast television channels within a reading lens portion of the graphical display, the reading lens portion graphically representing television programs associated with the second portion of broadcast television channels according to a non-linear increment of time; and   determining the broadcast television channel to correspond with a selected portion of the graphical display, the selected portion corresponding with one of the first portion of broadcast television channels graphically represented within the grid portion and the second portion of broadcast television channels graphically represented within the reading lens portion.   
     
     
         2 . The graphical user interface of  claim 1  further comprising performing a scrolling of television programs graphically represented within the both of the reading lens portion and the grid portion in response to a sufficient directional dragging of one of the grid portion and the reading lens portion. 
     
     
         3 . The graphical user interface of  claim 2  further comprising performing the scrolling according to the linear increment of time in the event the directional dragging begins within the grid portion and according to the non-linear increment of time in the event the directional dragging begins within the reading lens portion. 
     
     
         4 . The graphical user interface of  claim 3  further comprising setting the non-linear increment of time according to the television program displayed at an area corresponding with a beginning of the directional dragging. 
     
     
         5 . The graphical user interface of  claim 3  further comprising setting the linear increment of time to a fixed value regardless of a running length of the television program displayed at an area corresponding with a beginning of the directional dragging. 
     
     
         6 . The graphical user interface of  claim 3  further comprising performing the scrolling such that television programs showing within both of the grid portion and the reading lens portion scroll at the same speed, the speed corresponding with the one of the linear increment of time and the non-linear increment of time corresponding with a beginning of the directional dragging. 
     
     
         7 . The graphical user interface of  claim 1  further comprising scrolling a second broadcast television channel displayed within the grid portion to the reading lens portion, the second broadcast television channel being displayed according to the non-linear increment of time when displayed within the reading lens portion. 
     
     
         8 . The graphical user interface of  claim 1  further comprising performing a scrolling of broadcast television channels graphically represented within the graphical display in response to a directional dragging of one of the grid portion and the reading lens portion. 
     
     
         9 . The graphical user interface of  claim 1  further comprising:
 displaying each of the television programs within the grid portion within a separate grid cell, each grid cell being displayed with the same first height; and 
 displaying each of the television programs within the reading lens portion within a separate reading lens cell, each reading lens cell being displayed with the same second height, the second height being greater than the first height such that each reading lens cell provides an expanded view of the corresponding television program. 
 
     
     
         10 . The graphical user interface of  claim 9  further comprising displaying each grid cell with a width proportional to a running length of the corresponding television program. 
     
     
         11 . The graphical user interface of  claim 9  further comprising displaying each reading lens cell with the same width regardless of the running length of the corresponding television program. 
     
     
         12 . A method of facilitating selection of a television program comprising:
 representing linear television program information within a grid portion of a display, the grid portion displaying television program information within a corresponding one of a plurality of grid cells, each grid cell having a proportional width approximating a running length of a corresponding television program;   representing linear television program information within a reading lens portion of the display, the reading lens portion displaying television program information within a corresponding one of a plurality of reading lens cells, each reading lens cell having a fixed width, the fixed width being the same for each reading lens cell; and   determining the television program to correspond with a selected portion of the display.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  further comprising performing a scrolling of television program information represented within the reading lens portion and the grid portion in response to a sufficient directional dragging of one of the grid portion and the reading lens portion, the scrolling being performed differently depending on whether the directional dragging event begins within the grid portion or the reading lens portion. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising performing the scrolling according to a fixed increment of time in the event the directional dragging begins within the grid portion and according to a dynamic increment of time in the event the directional dragging begins within the reading lens portion. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising setting the dynamic increment of time to be approximately equal to a remaining running length of the television program displayed at an area corresponding with a beginning of the directional dragging. 
     
     
         16 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable code embodied therein for controlling a computing device to electronically facilitate selection of a television program to be transmitted regardless of selection at a future time, the computing device being associated with a display, the computer-readable code comprising instructions for:
 displaying a selectable plurality of first cells within the display, each of the first cells graphically representing television program information for a corresponding television program, wherein the first cells are linearly organized according to a first timeline having equal time intervals; and   displaying a selectable plurality of second cells within the display, each of the second cells graphically representing television program information for a corresponding television program, wherein the second cells are non-linearly organized according to a second timeline having non-equal time intervals.   
     
     
         17 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 16  wherein the computer-readable code further comprises instructions for linearly organizing the first cells according to half-hour increments and non-linearly organizing the second cells according to at least a remaining running length of the corresponding television program. 
     
     
         18 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 16  wherein the computer-readable code further comprises instructions for scrolling television programs displayed within the first and second cells in response to a directional dragging of one of the first and second cells. 
     
     
         19 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 18  wherein the computer-readable code further comprises instructions for scrolling according to the half-hour increments when the directional dragging begins within one of the first cells. 
     
     
         20 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 18  wherein the computer-readable code further comprises instructions for scrolling occurring according to at least the remaining running length of the television program corresponding with the one of the second cells where the directional dragging begins when the directional dragging begins within one of the second cells.