Graphical user interface and methods of use thereof in a multimedia player Number:7,521,625 from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) owispatent In a portable multimedia device, a method, apparatus, and system for providing user supplied configuration data are described. In one embodiment, a hierarchically ordered graphical user interface are provided. A first order, or home, interface provides a highest order of user selectable items each of which, when selected, results in an automatic transition to a lower order user interface associated with the selected item. In one of the described embodiments, the lower order interface includes other user selectable items associated with the previously selected item from the higher order user interface.<H multimedia, interface, Graphical, user, , 7521625.html, Patent, pto, 7521625

Title: Graphical user interface and methods of use thereof in a multimedia player

Abstract: In a portable multimedia device, a method, apparatus, and system for providing user supplied configuration data are described. In one embodiment, a hierarchically ordered graphical user interface are provided. A first order, or home, interface provides a highest order of user selectable items each of which, when selected, results in an automatic transition to a lower order user interface associated with the selected item. In one of the described embodiments, the lower order interface includes other user selectable items associated with the previously selected item from the higher order user interface.

Patent Number: 7,521,625 Issued on 04/21/2009 to Robbin, et al.

Inventors: Robbin; Jeffrey L. (Los Altos, CA), Jobs; Steve (Palo Alto, CA), Wasko; Timothy (High River, CA), Christie; Greg (San Jose, CA), Chaudhri; Imran (San Francisco, CA)
Assignee: Apple Inc. (Cupertino, CA)

Appl. No.: 11/608,212

Filed: December 7, 2006

Related U.S. Patent Documents


Application Number	Filing Date	Patent Number	Issue Date
10282861	Oct., 2002	7166791
60399806	Jul., 2002

Current U.S. Class: 84/615 ; 84/618; 84/653; 84/656

Current International Class: G10H 1/00 (20060101); G10H 1/18 (20060101)

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Primary Examiner: Fletcher; Marlon T

Parent Case Text

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/282,861, entitled, "GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF IN A MULTIMEDIA PLAYER", filed Oct. 28, 2002 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,166,791, which is incorporated herein by reference, and which, in turn, claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/399,806, entitled "GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF IN A MULTIMEDIA PLAYER", filed on Jul. 30, 2002, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method of assisting user interaction with a portable and pocket sized multimedia asset player by way of a hierarchically ordered user interface, the multimedia asset player comprising a display and a rotational input device, the method comprising: displaying a first order user interface comprising a first list of user selectable items, receiving at least one first rotational user input via the rotational input device, successively visually distinguishing one of the user selectable items in the first list as the first rotational user input is received, thereafter receiving a user selection of the one of the user selectable items in the first list being visually distinguished, automatically transitioning to and displaying a second order user interface comprising a second list of user selectable items in response to the user selection, the second order user interface being based on the user selection, wherein after the user selection is made with respect to the first order user interface, the first list of user selectable items is removed from being displayed and the second order user interface is displayed in its place, the second order user interface comprising a list of media assets each of which is associated with the user selection from the first list of user selectable items, and wherein after the user selection is made with respect to the first order user interface, the user selection with respect to the first order user interface is noted so that if a user operates to transition backwards from the second order user interface back to the first order user interface, the previously selected one of the user selectable items in the first list of user selectable items is visually distinguished as the first list of user selectable items are subsequently displayed in the first order user interface, receiving a user selection of a media asset from the list of media assets, and playing the selected media asset on the multimedia asset player.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first list of user selectable items comprises a list of playlists, a list of artists, a list of songs, a list of albums, or a list of genres.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected one of the user selectable items in the first list comprises an album, and the selected media asset comprises a song from the selected album.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected one of the user selectable items in the first list comprises a playlist, and the selected media asset comprises a song from the selected playlist.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected one of the user selectable items in the first list comprises a list of songs, and the selected media asset comprises a song from the selected list of songs.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a button is used to provide the user selection of the one of the user selectable items in the first list being visually distinguished.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected media asset comprises an MP3 file.

8. A portable, pocket-sized multimedia asset player device comprising: a first order interface comprising a first number of user selectable items, a second order user interface comprising a list of media assets each of which is associated with the user selection from the first list of user selectable items, a rotational user input device configured to receive a user input selecting at least one of the first number of user selectable items and configured to receive a user input selecting a media asset from the list of media assets, wherein in response to a user selection of at least one of the first number of user selectable items, the first order interface automatically transitions to the second order interface, wherein after the user selection is made with respect to the first order user interface, the first number of user selectable items of the first user interface are removed from being displayed and the second order user interface is displayed in its place, wherein after the user selection is made with respect to the first order user interface, the user selection made with respect to the first order user interface is noted so that if a user operates to transition backwards from the second order user interface back to the first order user interface, the previously selected at least one of the first number of user selectable items in the first order user interface is visually distinguished as the first number of user selectable items are displayed in the first order user interface, a processor configured to play the selected media item, and an audio delivery device configured to output audio signals.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the first number of user selectable items comprises a list of playlists, a list of artists, a list of songs, a list of albums, or a list of genres.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the user selection of at least one of the first number of user selectable items comprises a selection of an album, and the selected media asset comprises a song from the selected album.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein the user selection of at least one of the first number of user selectable items comprises a selection of a playlist, and the selected media asset comprises a song from the selected playlist.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein the user selection of at least one of the first number of user selectable items comprises a selection of a list of songs, and the selected media asset comprises a song from the selected list of songs.

13. The device of claim 8, wherein the rotational user input device comprises a button and the button is used to provide the user selection.

14. The device of claim 8, wherein the selected media item comprises an MP3 file.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

This invention relates generally to multimedia devices. More specifically, the invention describes a graphical user interface for use in a multimedia asset player suitable for providing any number and kind of user supplied inputs.

2. Description of Related Art

Recent developments in consumer electronics have included the introduction of portable multimedia asset player devices such as MP3 players, minidisk players, and the like. For example, in the case of an MP3 player, a number of digitized audio files in the form of MP3 files are stored in a storage medium included in or coupled to the player in a fashion deemed most suitable to that user. In the case of MP3 files, for example, a user of the MP3 player must be able to peruse and select a particular file, or files, based upon such characteristics as music genre, author, album, or whatever grouping of MP3 files is present in the MP3 player.

What is required is a user interface that provides for a user friendly and efficient retrieval of stored multimedia asset files in a portable multimedia asset player.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention described herein pertains to a user interface that provides for a user friendly and efficient retrieval of stored multimedia asset files. In one embodiment, a method of assisting user interaction with a multimedia asset player by way of a hierarchically ordered user interface is described. A first order user interface having a first list of user selectable items is displayed and a user selection of one of the user selectable items is received. Based upon the user selection, automatically transitioning to and displaying a second order user interface.

In a portable media asset player, a method of selecting and playing a media asset from a group of media assets stored therein is described. A first user interface is displayed on the portable media asset player having a first number of items each of which is associated with a particular grouping of the stored media assets. A selection of one of the first number of items is received and based upon the selected one of the first number of items, automatically transitioning to a second user interface displayed on the portable media asset player that includes a second number of items each of which is associated with the selected item.

In a portable, pocket-sized multimedia asset player, a method of selecting and playing a multimedia asset from a group of multimedia assets stored therein is described. At a home interface, displaying a playlist list item which points to a number of playlists stored in the multimedia asset player, wherein each playlist is a user customizable group of multimedia asset files, an artists item corresponding to all of a number of artists each of which is associated with at least one of the stored multimedia asset, and a songs list item associated with each of the stored multimedia assets. Highlighting a desired one of the playlist list item, the artists item, or the songs list item, selecting the highlighted item, and automatically transitioning to a second interface based upon the selected item.

In a portable, pocket-sized multimedia asset player, a hierarchically ordered graphical user interface accessible to a user suitable for receiving user supplied inputs that facilitate selecting a multimedia asset stored therein. A first order interface having a first number of user selectable items, a user activated first selection tool suitable for selecting at least one of the first number of user selectable items, a second order interface having a second number of user selectable items based upon the selected at least one of the first number of user selectable items, and a user activated second selection tool suitable for selecting at least one of the second number of user selectable items, wherein when the first selection tool selects the at least one of the first number of user selectable items, the first order interface automatically transitions to the second order interface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary portable multimedia device 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a hierarchically ordered menu corresponding to stored media assets in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart illustrating a particular process for selecting a particular one of a group of stored media assets in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 shows a state diagram of a user interface suitable for providing user provided input for an exemplary MP3 player (along the lines of the player 100) in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 5A-5E illustrate various exemplary user interfaces consistent with selection and play of a media asset in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SELECTED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to a preferred embodiment of the invention. An example of the preferred embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with a preferred embodiment, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to one preferred embodiment. To the contrary, it is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

With the rapid advancement in the ability to store data, multimedia asset players, such as MP3 players, can accommodate hundreds or even thousands of such assets, such as MP3 files, making the task of selecting, grouping, or retrieving a particular file, or files, a daunting task indeed. Therefore the invention described herein is well suited for providing a user friendly and efficient user interface for retrieving media assets for use in a portable multimedia asset player. In the described embodiment, the multimedia asset player takes the form of a pocket sized, portable MP3 player. Accordingly, a method and apparatus for providing user supplied inputs to the MP3 player are described. Such user supplied inputs can include user supplied commands directed at retrieving specific files, such as digitized audio files in the form of, for example, MP3 files.

In one embodiment, a hierarchically ordered graphical user interface are provided that facilitates a user file selection procedure. In this particular embodiment, a first order (sometimes referred to as a home interface) provides a highest order of user selectable items each of which, when selected, results in an automatic transition to a lower order user interface associated with the selected item. In one of the described embodiments, the lower order interface includes other user selectable items associated with the previously selected item from the higher order user interface. In this way, a user can automatically transition from a higher order interface to a lower order interface (and vice versa) by, in some cases, a direct transition. In other cases, the user can transition from the higher order user interface to the lower order user interface (and vice versa) in a step wise fashion whereby each intervening interface is displayed having any number of user selectable input items each directly associated with the previously selected input item.

In a particular embodiment, the portable multimedia device is a pocket sized, multimedia device (personal digital assistants, personal MP3 player/recorders, and the like) having a display screen arranged to display the various user interfaces and a corresponding user input device. The user input device is typically a manually operated switch, button, wheels, or other such contrivances. Accordingly, the invention will now be described in terms a portable multimedia asset player capable of storing a number of multimedia assets. For example, in the case of the multimedia asset player being an MP3 player (such as the IPOD.TM. player manufactured by the Apple Computer Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.), the multimedia assets can include MP3 files as well as any other appropriately formatted data files.

Accordingly, FIG. 1 shows an exemplary portable multimedia device, or media player, 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The media player 100 includes a processor 102 that pertains to a microprocessor or controller for controlling the overall operation of the media player 100. The media player 100 stores media data pertaining to media assets in a file system 104 and a cache 106. The file system 104 is, typically, a storage disk or a plurality of disks. The file system 104 typically provides high capacity storage capability for the media player 100. However, since the access time to the file system 104 is relatively slow, the media player 100 can also include a cache 106. The cache 106 is, for example, Random-Access Memory (RAM) provided by semiconductor memory. The relative access time to the cache 106 is substantially shorter than for the file system 104. However, the cache 106 does not have the large storage capacity of the file system 104. Further, the file system 104, when active, consumes more power than does the cache 106. The power consumption is particularly important when the media player 100 is a portable media player that is powered by a battery (not shown). The media player 100 also includes a RAM 120 and a Read-Only Memory (ROM) 122. The ROM 122 can store programs, utilities or processes to be executed in a non-volatile manner. The RAM 120 provides volatile data storage, such as for the cache 106.

The media player 100 also includes a user input device