Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Christen E Coomer

Frederic Azera

Jeffrey C Fong

Michael W Van Flandern

Daniel L Poling, Jr

Kristina M Voros

William Hong Vong

Chee Heng Chew

Jeffrey Neil Margolis

David W Flynt

John E Elsbree

Daniel G O'Neil

Kathryn L Parker

Suzan Marashi

Veronica Y Law

Bojana Ostojic

Sarah E Zuberec

Jeffrey R Blum

Marc S Oshiro

Greg A Keyser

Elizabeth A Bastiaanse

Mark S Newell

Mark H Enomoto

Will Vong

Bill Flora

Described is a scrolling technology including a turbo-scroll mode that is automatically entered to increase the rate of scrolling through a set of items, (e.g., media content). The turbo-scroll mode may be triggered by holding down a scroll button for a period of time. In the turbo-scroll mode, visual cues are provided to assist the user in knowing a current relative position within the set of items. The visual cues may correspond to text metadata, such as letters indicative of an alphabetic position of scrolling, displaying a list or filtered sub-list of label data for items proximate the scroll position, a graphical position indicator, a channel indicator or time indicator for an electronic program guide, fading the electronic program guide into a background representation thereof, and/or providing at least two letters indicative of an alphabetic position of scrolling through the items.

Turbo-scroll mode for rapid data item selection

Described herein is technology for, among other things, performing navigation in a media environment. The technology involves the presenting a user with only a portion of the previously visited pages or areas as he or she moves to previously visited pages or areas. As the user moves around the media environment, the movements are recorded for use when requests are received for previously visited areas or pages. As the user moves to previously visited areas redundant pages or areas are skipped. Thus, the user's forward and backward navigation are different and the user moves backward more easily, quickly and efficiently.

Enhanced user navigation to previously visited areas in a media environment

A unified discovery interface presents broadcast discovery data relating to broadcast content available via a broadcast channel and non-broadcast discovery data relating to non-broadcasting content available via a virtual channel of the unified discovery interface. In one implementation, the virtual channel is customizable via a discovery interface relationship parameter that indicates a relationship of the virtual channel within the unified discovery interface. The unified discovery interface allows a user to select between broadcast media content available via a broadcast channel and non-broadcast media content available via the virtual channel.

Customizing virtual channels in a discovery interface

A discovery interface presents aggregated discovery data in a discovery interface through which a user may select between television content and Internet Protocol content. In one implementation, the discovery interface includes a television channel region associated with a television channel that lists television programs. The discovery interface further includes an Internet Protocol content region associated with the television channel that lists Internet Protocol content based on user navigation within the television channel region.

Aggregating discovery data in a discovery interface

A discovery interface facilitates the selection of available media content. Content-relevant graphical tiles are displayed in strips within the discovery interface. In this manner, a user can survey graphics associated with available content. When the discovery interface section (e.g., a row) is in focus, the graphical tiles are expanded as compared to the tiles in sections that are not in focus to provide easier viewing by the user. Furthermore, when an individual tile is in focus, then the tile expands further to be wider and taller than any of the other tiles in the associated tile strip. In one implementation, the focused tile is also highlighted, such as with a distinguishing border. In another implementation, metadata associated with the content of the focused tile is displayed in the proximity of the focused tile.

Graphical tile-based expansion cell guide

A unified discovery interface that presents aggregated discovery data for media content available via multiple content delivery types is provided. In one implementation, the discovery data may be aggregated via a discovery data ingestion module to provide a compilation accessible by one or more client modules. The one or more client modules may present the aggregated discovery data in the unified discovery interface through which a user may select between first media content available via a first content delivery type and second media content available via a second content delivery type. In another implementation, a client module may aggregate discovery data and provide a unified discovery interface through which a user may select between first media content available via a first content delivery type and second media content available via a second content delivery type.

Aggregating content from multiple content delivery types in a discovery interface

A method and system for using a color scheme to communicate information associated with an event and related to the integration of software and hardware of a computing device creates a seamless user experience. A hardware element of the computing device is illuminated based on a color scheme associated with a corresponding software element. The color scheme may communicate information related to a functional feature of the computing device, personal preferences or brand extension.

Method and system for using a color scheme to communicate information related to the integration of hardware and software in a computing device

The hand-held computing device user interface (UI) of the present invention displays information for an active application program in a middle portion of the screen, and displays a shell program controlled navigation bar at a top portion of the screen. The navigation bar includes a navigation icon which when tapped by the stylus aids the user in navigating to other application programs. The navigation bar also includes a title for the active application program, thus saving vertical real estate on the screen. The UI of the present invention also displays an application menu bar at a bottom portion of the screen so that the user of the hand-held device can manipulate data from the active application by tapping menu items with a stylus without blocking view of the middle portion of the display.

User interface for palm-sized computing devices and method and apparatus for displaying the same

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

Christen E Coomer