Method and apparatus for adjusting television display control using a browser

What is claimed is:

1. In a networked computer system which includes a plurality of server systems each of which is connected to a network infrastructure which provides access to a plurality of sites, each site including one or more pages containing text or graphics, and the networked computer system including at least one client system which is connected either directly or logically to one or more of said server systems, and each client system comprising a conventional television monitor on which to display said one or more pages of an accessed site, and an electronic unit for controlling said television monitor in order to provide a user of the client system with a graphical user interface by which the user can browse said sites or otherwise access said network infrastructure, a method for interactively prompting a user as to the proper adjustment of the television monitor in order to optimize display of a page accessed at one of said sites, the method comprising the steps of:

the user using the television monitor to adjust the electronic unit to access a server system which contains a graphical user interface comprising interactive user instructions for adjustment of a picture on the television monitor;

downloading the interactive user instructions from the server system for display on the television monitor;

utilizing the electronic unit to activate one or more of the displayed interactive user instructions, which then instruct the user as to how to adjust the picture on the television monitor as to one or more selected characteristics of the picture; and

adjusting the one or more selected characteristics of the picture on the television monitor in accordance with the one or more activated interactive user instructions.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising, prior to the stop of adjusting the one or more selected characteristics of the picture, the step of displaying a test pattern on the television monitor, said test pattern containing an attribute corresponding to at least one of the one or more selected characteristics of the picture.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the one or more activated interactive user instructions indicate that the user is to adjust the contrast of the television monitor until the test pattern exhibits a desired contrast attribute, the step of adjusting the one or more selected characteristics of the picture comprising the step of responding to user input generated as the user adjusts the contrast of the television monitor.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein the one or more activated interactive user instructions indicate that the user is to adjust the brightness of the television monitor until the test pattern exhibits a desired brightness attribute, the step of adjusting the one or more selected characteristics of the picture comprising the step of responding to user input generated as the user adjusts the brightness of the television monitor.

5. A method according to claim 2, wherein the one or more activated interactive user instructions indicate that the user is to adjust the sharpness of the television monitor until the test pattern exhibits a desired sharpness attribute, the step of adjusting the one or more selected characteristics of the picture comprising the step of responding to user input generated as the user adjusts the sharpness of the television monitor.

6. A method according to claim 2, wherein the one or more activated interactive user instructions indicate that the user is to adjust the color of the television monitor until the test pattern exhibits a desired color attribute, the step of adjusting the one or more selected characteristics of the picture comprising the step of responding to user input generated as the user adjusts the color of the television monitor.

7. A method according to claim 2, wherein the one or more activated interactive user instructions indicate that the user is to adjust the hue of the television monitor until the test pattern exhibits a desired hue attribute, the stop of adjusting the one or more selected characteristics of the picture comprising the step of responding to user input generated as the user adjusts the hue of the television monitor.

8. A method according to claim 2, wherein said one or more selected characteristics of the picture comprise a display characteristic selected from the group consisting of contrast, brightness, sharpness, color and hue.

9. In a networked computer system which includes a plurality of server systems each of which is connected to a network infrastructure which provides access to a plurality of sites, each site including one or more pages containing text or graphics, and the networked computer system including at least one client system which is connected either directly or logically to one or more of said server systems, and each client system comprising a conventional television monitor on which to display said one or more pages of an accessed site, and an electronic unit for controlling said television monitor in order to provide a user of the client system with a graphical user interface by which the user can browse said sites or otherwise access said network infrastructure, a computer program product for use by said electronic unit to implement a method for interactively prompting a user as to the proper adjustment of the television monitor in order to optimize display of a page accessed at one of said sites, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium for carrying computer program code means for implementing said method; and

said computer program code means comprising:

code means for accessing through the client system a server system which contains a graphical user interface comprising interactive user instructions for adjustment of a picture on the television monitor;

code means for downloading the interactive user instructions from the server system for display on the television monitor; and

code means for utilizing the electronic unit to activate one or more of the displayed interactive user instructions which then instruct the user as to how to adjust the picture on the television monitor as to one or more selected characteristics of the picture, such that the user can thereafter use the television monitor to adjust the one or more selected characteristics of the picture on the television monitor in accordance with the one or more activated interactive user instructions.

10. A computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the computer program code means further comprises code means for displaying a test pattern on the television monitor, said test pattern containing an attribute corresponding to at least one display characteristic of the picture.

11. A computer program product according to claim 10, wherein said test pattern is included in a Hypertext Mark-up Language object.

12. A computer program product according to claim 11, wherein said test pattern is a Graphical Interchange File format encoded object.

13. A computer program product according to claim 11, wherein said test pattern is a Joint Photographic Expert Group format encoded object.

14. A computer program product according to claim 11, wherein said test pattern is a bit-mapped object.

15. A computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the one or more activated interactive user instructions indicate that the user is to adjust the contrast of the television monitor until a reference test pattern displayed on the television monitor exhibits a desired contrast attribute.

16. A computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the one or more activated interactive user instructions indicate that the user is to adjust the brightness of the television monitor until a reference test pattern displayed on the television monitor exhibits a desired brightness attribute.

17. A computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the one or more activated interactive user instructions indicate that the user is to adjust the sharpness of the television monitor until a reference test pattern displayed on the television monitor exhibits a desired sharpness attribute.

18. A computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the one or more activated interactive user instructions indicate that the user is to adjust the color of the television monitor until a reference test pattern displayed on the television monitor exhibits a desired color attribute.

19. A computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the one or more activated interactive user instructions indicate that the user is to adjust the hue of the television monitor until a reference test pattern displayed on the television monitor exhibits a desired hue attribute.

20. In a networked computer system which includes a plurality of server systems each of which is connected to a network infrastructure which provides access to a plurality of sites, each site including one or more pages containing text or graphics, and the networked computer system including at least one client system which is connected either directly or logically to one or more of said server systems, and each client system comprising a conventional television monitor on which to display said one or more pages of an accessed site, and an electronic unit for controlling said television monitor in order to provide a user of the client system wild a graphical user interface by which the user can browse said sites or otherwise access said network infrastructure, a computer program product for use by at least one of said server systems to implement a method for interactively prompting a user as to the proper adjustment of the television monitor in order to optimize display of a page accessed at one of said sites, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium for carrying computer program code means for implementing said method; and

said computer program code means comprising:

code means for responding to a request for access from a client system to a graphical user interface comprising interactive user instructions for adjustment of a picture on the television monitor; and

code means for downloading the interactive user instructions from the at least one server system to the television monitor of the client system, wherein the downloaded interactive user instructions are to be displayed on the television monitor of the client system.

21. A computer program product according to claim 20, wherein the downloaded interactive user instructions indicate to a user how to adjust one or more selected characteristics of the picture, wherein the one or more selected characteristics comprise a display characteristic selected from the group consisting of contrast, brightness, sharpness, color and hue.

22. A computer program product according to claim 20, wherein the code means for downloading the interactive user instructions further comprises code means for downloading a test pattern to be displayed on the television monitor of the client system, said test pattern containing an attribute corresponding to at least one of the one or more selected characteristics of the picture.

Description Submit all comments and votes

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of user interfaces for web browsers, and more particularly to a method of adjusting the picture quality of web page images displayed on a display device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The Internet is rapidly becoming an important source of information and electronic communication for users of personal computers in homes and businesses. Much of the information on the Internet is available on a network called the World-Wide Web. The World-Wide Web is a collection of formatted hypertext pages located on numerous computers around the world that are logically connected by the Internet. Until recently, access to the Internet and World-Wide Web from the home environment has been limited to users of personal or network computers. Recent advances in network technology, however, have enabled access to the Internet and the World-Wide Web through a standard television set as an alternative to the personal computer.

Information from the World-Wide Web is displayed in the form of "web pages" which are accessed by user interface programs called "web browsers". Much of the information from the World-Wide Web is graphical in nature, and a typical web page can include text, graphic images, and animation sequences. Because of this graphic content, the proper display of such images on a monitor is fundamental to the utility of web pages. The quality of a web page image displayed on a monitor is determined largely by the display capability of the web browser. Browsers may employ extensive processing and filtering circuitry to ensure high picture quality. However, the display settings on the user monitor have a significant impact on picture quality as well.

Unlike most computer monitors, television sets are designed to receive broadcast signals from various sources. Because of the differing quality levels of these signals, the user must often tune the picture quality to obtain a visually correct image. Most televisions provide user settable controls for the setting of picture characteristics such as contrast, brightness, sharpness, color, and hue. Such controls are typically available as knobs or sliders which the user physically turns or slides, or as on-screen controls which the user sets through buttons on the front panel of the television or on a remote control unit. As with broadcast or cable signals, the proper display of web pages on a television set requires that the television display controls be set to their optimum viewing settings. A high quality, well filtered image sent from a browser may well be out of focus, too dim or of too high a contrast simply because the television picture controls are set improperly for the web page being viewed. Because display controls on a client monitor are manipulable only by the user, Internet browsers have little control over the display characteristics at the ultimate user site. Instead, it is up to the user to set his television display controls accordingly.

One problem associated with prior art web browsers is that users are not alerted or instructed to properly set their monitor display settings. The viewer of a poor quality image would simply attribute the poor quality to the browser filter or transmission line, without realizing that he could enhance the picture quality by properly adjusting his monitor. This problem is not as acute when the display device is a computer monitor, since the use of well-established industry standards allows the production of video signals that are optimized for these monitors, resulting in picture quality that is typically acceptable without extensive display tuning. Indeed, typical computer displays provide no picture quality control, or limit control only to brightness and contrast. However, as televisions and other monitors are used to display web pages, control over all display characteristics becomes increasingly important. Therefore users should be instructed to tune their television displays accordingly.

Another disadvantage of prior art web browsers is that they do not facilitate user tuning of monitor display characteristics. Users may not know how to use the knobs or on-screen menus to tune a particular display characteristic. It would thus be advantageous to provide a web browser which instructs the user how to tune his display controls to optimize the display quality of web pages accessed by the web browser.

Yet another problem associated with prior art web browsers is that they do not provide a reference standard against which to tune the display controls of a monitor. Presently, a user might rely on a familiar web page image to determine whether a web page image is out of focus, too dim, or improperly color shifted. Unless the user were aware of a particular reference standard against which to tune his television display, he would have little way of knowing whether his television display controls are set correctly. Thus, the use of a familiar web page to tune the picture quality of a monitor requires knowledge of a familiar web page, and a process of trial and error to obtain the proper settings. Another shortcoming of this method is that controls set for a particular web page may not be optimum for other web pages. For example, the user of a prior art web browser would typically raise or lower the brightness of his monitor if an image in a particular web page appeared too dim or too bright, but would not be able to easily determine whether those settings are adequate for all web images. It would thus be advantageous to provide a reference standard against which the display controls could be conveniently and accurately calibrated for all possible images.

Based on the foregoing, it is desirable to provide a web browser system in which the control of monitor display characteristics is facilitated, and a reference standard is readily provided such that the user can easily set the display settings for the optimum viewing position. What is thus desired is a method for providing the user a convenient way to tune the display characteristics of his display monitor to optimize the display for all web pages displayed on the monitor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention discloses a method and apparatus for easily and accurately tuning the picture quality of web pages displayed on a display device in a client system in communication with one or more server systems.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a picture adjustment screen is displayed on the display device. The picture adjustment screen provides access to control screens which prompt the user to manipulate the picture quality controls on the client display device. The control screens also contain instructions which guide the user through the process of properly adjusting the picture quality controls. The control screens further contain test patterns or reference images which allow the user to accurately calibrate the picture characteristics for which controls are available.

Other features of the present invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed description which follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals indicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1A illustrates several WebTV.TM. client systems connected to a WebTV.TM. server system.

FIG. 1B illustrates a WebTV.TM. client system.

FIG. 1C illustrates a block diagram of an electronics unit used to implement a Web browser according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A illustrates a block diagram of the Web Browser application software.

FIG. 2B illustrates the functional relationship between hardware and software in the client processing system of FIG. 1C.

FIG. 3 illustrates the Home Page of the WebTV.TM. web browser program.

FIG. 4A illustrates the Setup screen of the WebTV.TM. web browser program.

FIG. 4B illustrates the Screen Control screen of the WebTV.TM. web browser program.

FIG. 4C illustrates the Picture Adjustment screen of the WebTV.TM. web browser program.

FIG. 5A illustrates the Contrast Control screen of the WebTV.TM. web browser program.

FIG. 5B illustrates the Contrast Control screen of the WebTV.TM. web browser program with a television on-screen control menu overlaid.

FIG. 6A illustrates the Brightness Control screen of the WebTV.TM. web browser program.

FIG. 6B illustrates the Brightness Control screen of the WebTV.TM. web browser program with a television on-screen control menu overlaid.

FIG. 7A illustrates the Sharpness Control screen of the WebTV.TM. web browser program.

FIG. 7B illustrates the Sharpness Control screen of the WebTV.TM. web browser program with an on-screen control menu overlaid.

FIG. 8A illustrates a Color Control screen of the WebTV.TM. web browser program.

FIG. 8B illustrates a Color Control screen of the WebTV.TM. web browser program with an on-screen control menu overlaid.

FIG. 9A illustrates a Hue Control screen of the WebTV.TM. web browser program.

FIG. 9B illustrates a Hue Control screen of the WebTV.TM. web browser program with an on-screen control menu overlaid.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are flow charts illustrating a procedure for adjusting the display characteristics of a display monitor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A method and apparatus for tuning the display characteristics of a display device using a web browser are described. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention.

As will be described in greater detail below, the present invention includes steps for implementing a Web browser that allows a user to set the display controls on his display device to display Web pages obtained from the World-Wide Web (hereinafter "Web") or built-in to the web browser or service. The user is not required to identify or locate control instructions or reference patterns; rather, the system of the present invention performs these functions for the user.

In one embodiment, the steps of the present invention are embodied in machine-executable instructions. The instructions can be used to cause a general-purpose or special-purpose processor which is programmed with the instructions to perform the steps of the present invention. Alternatively, the steps of the present invention might be performed by specific hardware components that contain hardwired logic for performing the steps, or by any combination of programmed computer components and custom hardware components.

The present invention is included in a system known as WebTV.TM. , which uses a standard television set as a display device for browsing the Web and which connects to a conventional network, such as the Internet, using standard telephone, Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), or similar communication lines. In accordance with the present invention, a user of a WebTV.TM. client system can utilize WebTV.TM. network services provided by one or more remote WebTV.TM. servers. The WebTV.TM. network services can be used in conjunction with software running in a WebTV.TM. client system to browse the Web, send electronic mail, and to make use of the Internet in various other ways.

FIG. 1A illustrates a basic configuration of the WebTV.TM. network according to one embodiment. A number of WebTV.TM. clients 1 are coupled to a modem pool 2 via direct-dial, bi-directional data connections 29, which may be telephone, ISDN, or any other similar type of connection. The modem pool 2 is coupled typically through a router, such as that conventionally known in the art, to a number of remote servers 4 via a conventional network infrastructure 3, such as the Internet. The WebTV.TM. system also includes a WebTV.TM. server 5, which specifically supports the WebTV.TM. clients 1. The WebTV.TM. clients 1 each have a connection to the WebTV.TM. server 5 either directly or through the modem pool 2 and the Internet 3. Note that the modem pool 2 is a conventional modem pool, such as those found today throughout the world providing access to the Internet and private networks.

Client System Architecture

FIG. 1B illustrates a WebTV.TM. client 1. The WebTV.TM. client 1 includes an electronics unit 10 (hereinafter referred to as "the WebTV.TM. box 10"), an ordinary television set 12, and a remote control 11. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the WebTV.TM. box 10 is built into the television set 12 as an integral unit. The WebTV.TM. box 10 includes hardware and software for providing the user with a graphical user interface, by which the user can access the WebTV.TM. network services, browse the Web, send e-mail, and otherwise access the Internet.

The WebTV.TM. client 1 uses the television set 12 as a display device. Television set 12 contains front panel knobs 8 which provide for user control of several operational parameters such as power, picture quality, and picture source, among others. A remote control unit 9 may also be available to control the operation of television 12. Television 12 receives commands from remote control 9 via an infrared (IR) communication link. In alternative embodiments, the link 13 between the remote control unit 9 and the television 12 may be radio frequency (RF) or any equivalent mode of transmission. Certain functions invoked by the remote control unit 9 may cause the display of on-screen menus on the screen of television 12, and allow the control of such menus via cursor buttons on the remote control unit 9.

The WebTV.TM. box 10 is coupled to the television set 12 by a video link 6. The video link 6 is an RF, S-video, composite video, or other equivalent form of video link. The communication link 29 between the WebTV.TM. box 10 and the server 5 is either a telephone connection 29a or an ISDN connection 29b. The WebTV.TM. box 10 receives AC (alternating current) power through an AC power line 7.

Remote control 11 is operated by the user in order to control the WebTV.TM. client 1 in browsing the Web, sending e-mail, and performing other Internet related functions. The WebTV.TM. box 10 receives commands from