Title of Invention

A PROCESS FOR NAVIGATING AMONG AUDIOVISUAL DOCUMENTS, AND AN AUDIOVISUAL TERMINAL

Abstract This invention relates to a process for navigating among audiovisual documents and for selecting documents, the documents being accessible via a terminal equipped with a user interface. The process comprises the receiving descriptive document data associated to the documents, the descriptive data having document categories and classification elements for indexing the documents into said document categories. Displaying of a first navigation tree structure with identification of a current level in the tree, the tree structure having an ordered list of levels corresponding to document categories, each level of the navigation tree corresponding to a document category, introducing of a command for modification by the user of the tree structure displayed, by modifying the ordered list of document categories received in the terminal, construction of a second tree structure in response to the command,, the second tree-structure having a new ordered list of document categories, each level of the second tree corrosponding to a document category and displaying of the new navigation tree structure.
Full Text The invention relates :;o a process for
navigating among multimedia documents accessible with
the help of a multimedia terminal with the help of a
user interface "and to a multimedia terminal for
implementing the process. The invention applies in
particular in the case where descriptive data
pertaining to the multimedia documents are available.
A user interface uses these descriptive data to
formulate menus which can be displayed on the screen of
the television, thus enabling the user to choose the
multimedia documents. Patent application FR96/09679
filed by the applicant describes a process for
selecting television programmes and a device
incorporating a graphics interface enabling the user to
navigate through lists of programmes. The menus enable
the user to ascertain the general content of an audio-
visual transmission and thus to select the latter
according to his tastes. The descriptive data, called
service information" in the standard relating to
DVB-SI, are stored in a local database and constantly
aipdatecl as a function of the documents accessible on
the network. The elements of the data base are grouped
together according to certain criteria contained in the
service information, such as: topic, language, rating
evel, etc.
However, these user interfaces are static
navigation interfaces, in the sense that the hierarchy
of the elements through which one is navigating remains
constant throughout their use, even during their entire
life cycle. In general, the hierarchy of the elements
oisplayed by a static user interface is designed and
fixed at the time of its design, once and for all. To
access the same elements, such as the control
functions, the TV programmes, etc., the user always
navigates through the same menus, the same dialogues,
etc., doing so in the same order.
An improvement to static user interfaces is the
configurable user interface. Patents US5,694,176
(MARTZ) published on 2 December 1997 and

EP 623 870 (IBM) published on 9 November 1994 present
interfaces for navigating through a structure
According to this prior art, the user selects
attributes for each level of the structure and thus to
filter the multimedia documents according to the
attributes selected. However these interfaces, although
configurable, remain static and do not allow the
organisation of thelevels of the navigation structure
to be adapted to the tastes of the user.
The introduction of digital, network has seen
the appearance of mass storage means, digital TV-
decoders also permitting access to Internet type
networks in homes. Tomorrow's user will be faced with a
very considerable quantity of multimedia documents of
various types, such as audio, videos, pictures, text,
application/services, etc. User interfaces must hence
forth enable the user to navigate through such
maltimedia databases and to find the documents that the
user " desires, and to do so in an effective and
user-friendly manner.
The invention proposes a new dynamic user
navigation interface concept which offers navigation
and more effective and user-friendly possibilities of
searching for multimedia documents.
The subject of the invention is a process for
ravigating and for selecting multimedia documents in a
terminal equipped with a display device and comprising
a step of receiving descriptive document data, the said
descriptive data comprising classification elements for
indexing the documents into document categories, the
process is characterised in that it comprises the
tollowirg steps:
- displaying of a first navigation tree structure
with identification of a current level in the tree, the
said tree structure comprising an ordered list of
levels corresponding to indexing categories and for
each level, a set of classification elements,
instigating of a command for modification by
the user of the tree structure displayed,

in response to the command, construction of a
second tree structure comprising a new ordered list of
levels, and displaying of the new navigation • tree
structure.
In this way, the process makes it possible to
formulate a new navigation structure for each command
performed by the user. This navigation structure is
called the "navigation tree". The user navigation
interface displays on the screen the hierarchy of the
elements of the tree and a selection of documents which
is better suited to the user's preferences.
According to an improvement, the user can,
independently, modify the hierarchy of the levels of
the navigation tree and the list of classification
elements associated with each level.
According to another improvement, the new
dynamic user interface makes it possible to navigate
through the newly formulated navigation tree. Another
improvement consists in that during navigation, the new
user interface dynamically and constantly displays the
multimedia documents associated with the current level
of the navigation tree. Specifically, a navigation
command constitutes a request to search for the
documents corresponding to the current position in the
tree.
The subject of the invention is also a
multimedia terminal comprising a central unit, a means
of receiving multimedia documents and "descriptive data,
r. means of transmitting .data intended for display, the
said descriptive data comprising classification
elements for indexing the documents according to
categories, and a means of activating the said
cocuments, characterised in that it comprises a means
of displaying a first structure of navigation tree
stored in the terminal,, the said tree structure
comprising an ordered list of levels corresponding to
indexing categories and for each level, a set of
classification elements, and a command for modifying
t 'ie structure of the tree consisting in modifying the

ordered list of levels, the command automatically
triggering the display means for rhe updating of the
structure displayed.
Other characteristics and advantages of the
invention will become apparent through the description
of a particular exemplary embodiment described with
reference to the drawings among which:
Figure 1 is a block diagram of a multimedia
terminal for the implementation of the invention,
Figure 2 is an example of the appearance of a
screen generated by the navigation system when it is
instigated,
Figure 3 is an example of the appearance of a
screen generated by the navigation system following a
filtering command for modifying the navigation tree,
Figure 4 is an example of the appearance of a
screen generated by the navigation system after a move
command,
Figure 5 is an example of the appearance of a
screen generated by the navigation system after a
command for modifying the classification elements of
the current level,
Figure 6 is an example of the appearance of a
screen generated by the navigation system after a
command for modifying the classification elements
according to a particular case of current level,
Figure 7 is a schematic of a navigation tree,
Figure 8 is an example of the appearance of a
screen generated by the navigation system for
navigation through the tree represented in Figure 7,
Figure 9 is a:n example of the appearance of a
screen generated by the navigation system for the
selecting of documents.
The manner ogf-" operation of a multimedia
terminal (1) equipped with a display device (2) will
firstly be described. The terminal comprises a central
unit (3) linked to a program memory (4), and an
interface (5) for communication with a "high bit rate
digital network (6) making it possible to transmit

audio/video data in real time. This network is for
example an IEEE 1394 network. The terminal furthermore"
comprises an infrared singnal receiver (7) for
receiving the signals from a remote control (8), a
memory (9) for storing a database, and audio/video
decoding logic (10) for creating audio-visual signals
sent to the television screen (2) . The remote control
is furnished with navigation buttons ↑,↓,→ and ← and
buttons: "OK", "Insert", "Move" and "Delete" of its
remote control.
The terminal also comprises a circuit 11 for
displaying data on the screen, often called the OSD
circuit, the initials standing for "On Screen Display".
The CSD circuit (11) is a text and graphics generator
which enables menus and pictograms (for example, a
number corresponding to the station displayed) to be
displayed on the screen and which enables the
navigation menus in accordance with the present
invention to be displayed. The OSD circuit receives
information from the Central Unit and from the GIUD
module; (12) . The GIUD is advantageously made in the
form of a programme module recorded in a read only
memory.
The digital bus (6) sends the terminal data
comprising multimedia documents and descriptive data
pertaining to these documents. The descriptive data
comprise the attributes of the multimedia documents
accessible by the digital bus. They are stored in the
database of the memory (9) of the terminal and are
continually updated during new receptions. The GIUD
module then extracts the information from this database
and processes this information so as to produce the
navigation menus displayed on the screen and proposed
to the user.
In the example which follows, the multimedia
documents are indexed according to six categories. The
six categories and associated classification elements
are as follows:

- Language: English, French, German, Italian,
Arabic, others
Topic: film, information, documentary, sport,
game/show.
second level of topic: subtopic:
• film: {adventure, drama, erotic, detective
story, fiction, others}
• information: {news, radio, weather forecast,
stock market, sport, other}
• documentary: {general, nature, culture, social,
history}
• game/show: {general, variety, circus, talk show,
circus, theatre}
• sport: {general, football, tennis, basketball,
athletics, water sports}

Source: TPS, Satellite Channel, DVD room, video
recorder, Web.
Period (time of availability) : Monday, ...,
Sunday, this morning, this afternoon, this
evening,
Rating: 0 (any audience), 1, ...., 3
(pornographic).
- Medium: audio, video, picture, text.
It was stated earlier that the attributes give
classification information pertaining to the multimedia
documents. These attributes contain one or more values
for each of the six categories. Here, for example, the
Classification values associated with the attributes of
the cartoon "Peter Pan":
Medium: video.
Period: Wednesday, Saturday, this evening.
Rating: 0 (any audience).
Topic: film/others.
Language: French.
Source: Satellite Channel.
Of course, other documents referenced with the
same attribute values may be found. It will be observed

that one and the same document may possess several
values for one and the same attribute, this document
then belonging to several classification groups. For
example, this cartoon appears in the documents
accessible on Wednesday, Saturday and also this
evening.
According to the present invention, the user
defines the navigation tree structure by ordering the
categories according to his preferences. When the
terminal is switched on for the first time, it contains
no user-defined search filter. The GIUD module defines
a document request and a default structure. The first
navigation structure which is formulated by the GIUD
module can also take into account the profile of the
user, the ordered list of levels comprising first the
user's preferred levels. The GIUD module constructs a
first navigation tree and proposes it to the user. The
user can in this way navigate as soon as the terminal
is brought into service, through this first navigation
tree. Subsequently, the user modifies the request
and/or the navigation tree structure. Subsequently, the
GIUD module constructs a new navigation tree according
to the search filter defined by the user, and displays
menus in accordance with this latest navigation tree.
The navigation tree comprises at least six levels
corresponding to the six categories described earlier.
Figure 2 presents an example of a menu enabling
the user to navigate through the navigation tree by way
of a menu. This menu appears on the screen when the
GIUD module is instigated. It comprises three columns:
• The first column (on the left), the so-called
"Filtering Column", shows the various levels of the
navigation tree in the form of rectangular icons. The
name of the category is displayed at the centre of the
icon. The first level which is Located at the top of
the column corresponds to the level situated
immediately under the root of the tree. The levels
follow one another underneath in the order of the
navigation tree. This first column makes it possible to

modify the request for documents and the structure of
the navigation tree. It also makes it possible to
signal the current level of the navigation through the
tree.
The secod (in the middle), the so-called
"Navigation Column", is used for navigation through the
tree constructed according to the search filter defined
by the user in the filtering column. This second column
makes it possible to display the classification
elements associated with a level of the tree so that
•the user can select one according to his preferences.
• The third (on the right), the so-called
Documents Column", shows the multimedia documents
accessiole from the current level displayed in the
filtering column, and which have as attributes the
classification element selected in the navigation
column.
On instigating the GIUD module, the navigation
column is the selected column. Each column contains a
selected element whicn becomes the current element if
the user selects its column. An element which was
previously selected before a change of column will
become reselected when its column is selected again.
The selected column and the selected element,
are visually highlighted with respect to the others,
for example by a thicker framing, another colour, bold
or fatter characters, and/or a particular background
tint for the framing, ... etc. Likewise, the pre-selected
eleirents are also graphically highlighted.
The user changes column with the help of the ←
and → buttons of the remote control; within the
selected column, the user selects the elements with the
help of the ↑ and ↓ buttons of the remote control.
In the example of the menu of Figure 2, the
navigation column is the selected column. In this
column, TPS is the active element. The construction
rule used for the navigation tree contains the
ateegaries ordered in this way:
1° Source

2° Topic
3° Period
4° Rating
5° Language
6° Medium
Figure 3 presents the menu displayed by the
GIUD module when the filtering column is selected,
following the pressing of the ← button from the state
presented in Figure 2. In this menu, the user can
modify the navigation tree by formulating new search
filters. To do this he uses the buttons of the remote
control. In this menu, the ↑,↓ → and ← navigation
buttons, the "Delete", "Move", "Insert", "OK" buttons
are operational.
When a category used in the navigation tree
construction rule is selected, an action by the user on
the "Delete" button excludes the category from the
navigation tree structure. Therefore, the icon of this
category is put right at the bottom of the filtering
column and is visually marked out. Henceforth, this
icon can no longer be accessible when the navigation
column is selected (navigation menu). In the example of
Figure 3, it is surrounded by dots. The active element
is the one which was immediately underneath the one
which has just been deleted. To incorporate an unused
category into the construction rule, the user selects
it with the ↑ and ↓ buttons and presses the "Insert"
but.ton. The category is again incorporated into the
navigation tree, in last position. If this category has
more than one level, for example the Topic category, an
action on the "Insert" button allows insertion into the
tree if the number cf levels already used in the rule
is less than the total number of levels of the
category.
The place of a category in the navigation tree
is modified as follows. Pressing the "Move" button with
a category selected causes the icon of this category to
frash. The user can then move around with the ↑ and ↓

buttons and choose the level into which he wishes to
insert this category. The insertion is confirmed by
pressing the "OK" button.
Pressing the "OK" button with a category
selected affords access to the menu making it possible
to define the search criteria corresponding to this
category, that is to say the list of classification
elements for this category. That is how the user makes
his selection. Let us assume that from the menu
presented in Figure 3, the user presses once on the ↓
button so as to select the "Topic" category, as shown
in Figure 4. The user then presses once on the "OK"
button so as to confirm the entry into the menu for
selecting the classification elements.
The menu of Figure 5 appears, the filtering
colunn contains the classification elements for the
"Topic" category as well as the "Confirm" and "All
Topics" icons. The later icon enables the user not to
exclude any topic. By confirming this element, all the
topics are included in the request for documents which
are selected regardless of their topics. By navigating
with the help of the t and 4- buttons, the user can
select each element by marking it out visually. By
pressing on the "Delete" button, he excludes this
element from the request for documents, and the right
part of this element is then empty. By pressing on the
"Insert" button, he includes this element in the
request for documents, and the right part of this
element contains a cross (x) .
The "Confirm" icon at the bottom of the
filtering column makes it possible to confirm the
selection of topics. The activating of this icon causes
a return to the menu of Figure 2. If the "All Topics"
icon has been selected, the symbol "All" is displayed
in the right part of the "Topic" icon of the filtering
column.
The "Topic" category is a particular case since
each element of this category is itself a category. In
this instance, when the user selects a topic, the GIUD

module can propose several subtopics to him. Thus, if
the "Sport" icon is selected and if the user presses
the "OK" button, the GIUD module proposes that he
individually select the elements of the "Sport"
subtopic of the "Topic" category. The menu of Figure 4
then appears. The "Source" category could also have
been decomposed inio two Levels, the first
corresponding to the programme bouquets and the second
to the programmes. This decomposition can be
appreciable when numerous programmes are available, for
example more than a hundred.
In the menu of Figure 6, the filtering column
contains the elements of the "Sport" subtopic. As
before, the user can select all "he elements (via the
"All Sports" icon) . He can also individually include
and exclude each sports category in the request for
documents with the help of the "Insert" and "Delete"
buttons. The "Confirm" icon at the bottom of the
filtering column makes it possible to confirm the
selection of subtopics. The activating of this icon
causes a return to the menu of Figure 4. If the user
has previously selected the "All Sports" icon, the
right part of the icon corresponding to sport contains
the word "All". In the example of Figure 5, this is the
case for the "Film", "Culture", "Education" subtopics.
If the user has previously selected only part of the
subtopics, the right part of the icon contains a cross
(X) . This is the case for the "Music" and "Sport"
topics. If the user has not selected any subtopic,
these amounts to not selecting this topic, so the right
part is empty.
When the user confirms the selection of the
top:_c by actuating the "Confirm" icon, the GIUD module
returns to the menu of Figure 4 while updating the
right part of the element corresponding to the
category.
With the help of the menus described earlier in
Figures 5 and 6, the user can modify the search
criteria for all the classification categories.

Figure 7 shows an exemplary navigation tree and
the current state of navigation through this tree.
Under the root, the first level corresponds to the
"Period" category; the second level corresponds to the
"Source" category; the third and fourth levels
correspond to the "Topic" category; and the fifth level
corresponds to the "Rating" category. In this tree, the
current position of navigation is the "Satellite
Channel" node of the "This evening" branch under the
root. This node, framed in Figure 7, is called the
"current node". It corresponds to the current level of
the tree.
Figure 8 shows the user interface when the user
simply desires to navigate through the navigation tree
which he has just for example created and such as is
represented in Figure 7. The navigation column of
Figure 8 displays the classification elements
associated with the current level. The filtering column
depicts the categories in the order of traversal of the
tree. It shows the path traversed by navigation
starting from the root (at the top) so as to arrive at
the current node. From the top to the bottom, the first
"Period" level displays "This evening", the second
'Source" level displays "Satellite Channel", which is
ailso highlighted in the navigation column. The
documents column displays the multimedia documents
associated with the current node. These documents
ccorrespond on the one hand to the document search
criteria expressed in the request for documents, and on
the other hand to classification elements selected at
this level of the tree. In the example, the documents
column displays all the documents which comply with the
user's search expressed in the request for documents,
rind which are available both "This evening" and on
"Satellite Channel".
In the navigation column, the user navigates
between the current level and its adjacent levels with
the help of the ↑ and ↓ buttons. To go down one level
in the next tree by selecting the classification

element highlighted in the navigation column, the user
presses the "OK" button. To go up one level, the user
can select a "Return" icon, not represented in Figure
8, then press the "OK" button. Another approach
consists in configuring a button entitled "Return" on
the remote control. With each navigation action, the
list in the documents column is updated, as is the
navigation state presented in the filtering column.
From this menu, the user can return to the filtering
column with the help of the ← button or go to the
right-hand column so as to select a multimedia document
by pressing the → button.
An improvement consists in jumping by several
levels for one and the same command when, together,
they offer the user only a single choice, that is to
say they contain only a single classification element.
For example, if from a certain level of the tree
onwards, all the documents are in French, the choice of
language is not in fact a filtering criterion, since
the number of documents remains the same. Therefore,
the documents list, associated with the "Language" level
and the list of the level situated immediately above
are identical. If the level above "Language" is the
current one, a downward navigation command will not
select the "Language" level as the current level, but
the level immediately below. As in the case of the
"Language" level, this level is displayed only if it is
associated with more than one classification element,
otherwise it is the level below which is displayed, and
so on and so forth, the navigation command in this case
performing a jump of three or more levels. Likewise,
the branches which do not contain documents are not
displayed to the user.
This improvement is achieved with the help of
the application of two optimisation algorithms to the
navigation tree, in the order
deletion of branches which contain no document,
and

elimination of internal nodes, which have no
brother node. When such a node is eliminated,
all its child nodes become the child nodes of
the father node of the eliminated node.
Starting from the navigation column, the user
presses once on the → button of the remote control so
as to select the right-hand column. The menu of Figure
7 then appears. By navigating with the help of the t
and ↓ arrows, the user can select a document. By
actuating the "OK" button of this remote control, the
document is activated. If this is an audio-visual
transmission, it is then displayed and one exits the
GIUD module. If this is a programme or an interactive
servj.ce, it is then executed. If the document is not
currently accessible, the GIUD module displays a
message indicating unavailability and offers the user
the possibility of programming an automatic recall of
this document when it becomes accessible, automatic
recording of the document, etc.
In the documents column, if the number of
documents exceeds the display capacity of the column,
the "Previous Page" and "Next Page" icons appear at: the
top and at the bottom. The documents are then displayed
blockwise one page at a time.
With the help of the menus presented, the user
can redefine the document search criteria for each
category (Figures 3 and 4) and/or the navigation
structure according to his preferences (Figure 10). The
search filter, and hence the navigation tree, can be
modified at any time during the navi.gation by the user,
either to refine the search and/or the navigation
structure (by eliminating for example classification
elements), or to completely change the search strategy.
Each time a new search filter is defined, a new
navigation tree is constructed by the GIUD, and the
navigation by the user takes place in the new tree.
When the navigation tree is modified, it is
important to guarantee the user continuity of
navigation. This is especially important in the case

where the user's aim is to improve the search and/or
the navigation structure. Indeed, he should not be
compelled to repeat the navigation starting from the
root of the tree. For example, when the user arrives at
an internal node of the tree, it may transpire that the
category used for the level immediately below gives an
unsatisfactory distribution of documents.
So, he can ask to change category for this
level. When the modification is made, it is entirely
natural for the user to be faced with classification
elements of the new category used.
In order to guarantee continuity of navigation,
certain constraints regarding dynamic filter
modification need to be complied with. The following
operations guarantee continuity of navigation:
• modifying the tree construction rule (adding a
level, deleting a level, changing level of a
cate;gory) for the levels below the current
navigation level, or
• adding new document search criteria to the
request without modifying the tree construction
rules.
When the user performs a filter modification
which does not guarantee continuity of navigation, the
system signals this tc him. When the new tree is
constructed, the system uses the following algorithm to
position the new current node in the new tree as close
as possible to the former node in the former tree:
• with each navigation action by the user, the
system notes the course of the current node as
being the run of classification elements
associated with all the nodes between the root
and the current node,
• when a category is deleted or moved by a level
between the root and the current node, the
corresponding classification element is deleted
from the course of the former current node,
• the new current node is the node whose course is
the longest run which is identical to the start

of the modified course of the former current
node.
The present invention enables the user to
construct his own user navigation interface structure
Toy" "defining his own search filter. Advantageously, the
multimedia terminal systematically stores in a non-
volatile memory the latest search filter defined by the
user. In this way, when it is instigated, the GIUD
module takes up the same configuration as during the
lates"" use. A variant consists in employing a button
entitled " "Store" allowing this storage. The
configuration set in place during the instigating of
the module is then that which the user has stored
manually. An improvement consists in the module storing
the latest search filters and, with the help of a
statistical processing, determining the one whose
components are most often used. It is this search
filter which will be proposed during the next use of
the module.
It is important to note that the user interface
just described can be used in any multimedia terminal
in so far as this terminal possesses audio and video
capabilities which are sufficiently effective to enable
a user to see and/or listen to multimedia documents.


WE CLAIM
1. Process for navigating among audiovisual documents and for selecting
documents, the documents being accessible via a terminal equipped with
a user interface, the process comprises the following steps:
- receiving descriptive document data associated to the documents,
the descriptive data having document categories and classification
elements for indexing the documents into said document
categories.
- displaying of a first navigation tree structure with identification of a
current level in the tree, the tree structure having an ordered list of
levels corresponding to document categories, each level of the
navigation tree corresponding to a document category,

- introducing of a command for modification by the user of the tree
structure displayed, by modifying the ordered list of document
categories received in the terminal,
- construction of a second tree structure in response to the
command, the second tree-structure having a new ordered list of
document categories, each level of the second tree corresponding
to a document category and displaying of the new navigation tree
structure.


2. Process as claimed in claim 1, wherein it comprises, in response to the
modification command, a step of determining a new current level in the
new tree structure.
3. Process as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in response to a navigation
command, it additionally comprises a step consisting in changing the
current level without changing the structure of the tree displayed.
4. Process as claimed in claim 3, wherein the navigation command consists
of a movement by at least one level, the navigation command bringing
about movement over more than one level when the set of documents
associated with the level adjacent to the current one in the direction of
navigation indicated by the command is identical to the current one.
5. Process as claimed in claim 3, wherein the modification command
comprises a step of formulating a new set of classification elements which
is associated with the current level.
5. Process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the displaying step comprises a
step of determining the categories most often involved in the commands,
the structure of tree displayed presenting in the first levels the categories
most often involved.

19
7. Process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the descriptive data comprise data
for identifying the documents and wherein the process additionally
comprises a step of displaying the said data identifying the documents
whose descriptive data belong to the sets of elements of the current level
and of those situated above, if any.
8. Process as claimed in Claim 7, wherein it comprises, in response to a
navigation command, a step of selecting a data item identifying a
document and, in response to an activation command, a step of activating
the selected document.
9. Audiovisual terminal comprising a central unit (3), an interface of (5)
receiving of documents and descriptive data, an interface (10) of
transmitting of data intended for display, said descriptive data associated
to the documents comprising document categories and classification
elements for indexing the documents according to these document
categories, and a remote control for (7,8) activating said documents,
wherein it comprises a generator of signals displaying (11,12) a first
structure of navigation tree stored in the terminal, the first tree structure
being defined by an ordered list of document categories, each level of the
navigation tree corresponding to a document category, and a modification
command for modifying the first structure of the tree, the modificating
constituting modifying the ordered list of document categories received by
the terminal, the command automatically triggering the generator (11,12)
of signals for updating of the structure displayed.


10. Audiovisual terminal as claimed in claim 9, wherein the generator (11,12)
of signals highlights a so-called current level in the structure of the tree,
the modification command acting from this current level.
11.Audiovisual Terminal as claimed in claim 9, wherein the remote control
(7,8) changes the current level displayed in the structure by receiving
navigation commands.
12.Audiovisual Terminal as claimed in claim 11, wherein it comprises a
comparator (3,12) of the list of documents associated with the level
adjacent to the current one in the direction of navigation indicated in a
navigation command, and of the list of documents associated with the
current level, the comparator (3,12) being activated upon activation of the
navigation command, in the case of an identity of the lists, the navigation
command bringing about navigation through at least two levels.
13.Audiovisual Terminal as claimed in claim 9, wherein the remote control
(7,8) selects classification elements so as to determine a set composed of
new elements associated with the current level.
14. Audiovisual Terminal as claimed in claim 9, wherein the generator (11,12)
of signals displaying the data identifying the documents whose descriptive
data belong to the sets of elements of the current level and of those
situated above, if any.

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15.Audiovisual Terminal as claimed in claim 14, wherein the remote control
(7,8) selects a displayed data item for identifying documents.
16. Audiovisual Terminal as claimed in Claim 15, wherein the remote control
(7,8) activates the document identified by the selected identification data
item.

This invention relates to a process for navigating among audiovisual documents
and for selecting documents, the documents being accessible via a terminal
equipped with a user interface. The process comprises the receiving descriptive
document data associated to the documents, the descriptive data having
document categories and classification elements for indexing the documents into
said document categories. Displaying of a first navigation tree structure with
identification of a current level in the tree, the tree structure having an ordered
list of levels corresponding to document categories, each level of the navigation
tree corresponding to a document category, introducing of a command for
modification by the user of the tree structure displayed, by modifying the
ordered list of document categories received in the terminal, construction of a
second tree structure in response to the command,, the second tree-structure
having a new ordered list of document categories, each level of the second tree
corrosponding to a document category and displaying of the new navigation tree
structure.

Documents:

271-cal-2001-granted-abstract.pdf

271-cal-2001-granted-claims.pdf

271-cal-2001-granted-correspondence.pdf

271-cal-2001-granted-description (complete).pdf

271-cal-2001-granted-drawings.pdf

271-cal-2001-granted-examination report.pdf

271-cal-2001-granted-form 1.pdf

271-cal-2001-granted-form 18.pdf

271-cal-2001-granted-form 2.pdf

271-cal-2001-granted-form 26.pdf

271-cal-2001-granted-form 3.pdf

271-cal-2001-granted-form 5.pdf

271-cal-2001-granted-priority document.pdf

271-cal-2001-granted-reply to examination report.pdf

271-cal-2001-granted-specification.pdf

271-cal-2001-granted-translated copy of priority document.pdf


Patent Number 226445
Indian Patent Application Number 271/CAL/2001
PG Journal Number 51/2008
Publication Date 19-Dec-2008
Grant Date 17-Dec-2008
Date of Filing 09-May-2001
Name of Patentee THOMSON MULTIMEDIA
Applicant Address 46 QUAI A. LE GALLO, F-92100 BOULOGNE-BILLANCOURT
Inventors:
# Inventor's Name Inventor's Address
1 CHEVALLIER LOUIS 6 RUE DES MIMOSAS F-35250 LA MEZIERE
2 SHAO JIANG 10 RUE CONSTANT VERON, F-35000 RENNES
3 TAZINE NOUR-EDDINE 22 RUE DES CLOS BLANCS F-35530 NOYAL SUR VILAINE
PCT International Classification Number H04N 5/445
PCT International Application Number N/A
PCT International Filing date
PCT Conventions:
# PCT Application Number Date of Convention Priority Country
1 0006421 2000-05-19 France