Graphical tuning bar for a multi-program data stream

• Main Authors: CROOK JOHN A, MILLER CHARLES E, GAGNON GREGORY J, HUGHES, JR. HENRY A, WHITE GAIL K, CRANDALL JOSHUA S, MARSHALL ROBERT W
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 18.02.2003
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: BROADCAST COMMUNICATION; CALCULATING; COMPUTING; COUNTING; ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING; ELECTRICITY; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; PHYSICS; PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ARTCOLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS

A computer based graphical user interface for facilitating the selection and display of transmitted audio, video and data includes a main menu state with a first multi-segment display having an active video/audio segment and a tuning segment. The active video segment displays a currently tuned program and the tuning segment includes an elongated graphic bar. The elongated graphic bar is dynamically sub-divided into a plurality of contiguous regions so that each of the regions uniquely corresponds to a program parsed from a multi-program data stream. The tuning segment also includes a graphic slider that overlays the graphic bar and that is movable along the length of the graphic bar so that the currently tuned program corresponds to the portion of the graphic bar underlying the current position of the graphic slider.