Remote control for menu driven subscriber access to television programming

Abstract

An expanded television program delivery system is disclosed which allows viewers to select television and audio program choices from a series of menus. Menus are partially stored in a set-top terminal in each subscriber's home. The menus may be reprogrammed by signals sent from a headend or from a central operations center. The system allows for a great number of television signals to be transmitted by using digital compression techniques. An operations center with computer-assisted packaging allows various television, audio and data signals to be combined, compressed and multiplexed into signals transmitted on various channels to a cable headend which distributes the signals to individual set-top terminals. Various types of menus may be used and the menus may incorporate information included within the video/data signal received by the set-top terminal. A remote control unit with icon buttons allows a subscriber to select programs based upon a series of major menus, submenus, and during program menus. Various billing and statistics gathering methods for the program delivery system are also disclosed.

1 . A remote control unit adapted for use with a set-top terminal, the set-top terminal receiving a plurality of television signals and generating a plurality of menus associated with the television signals, each menu belonging to a hierarchy of menus including main menus and submenus, each menu corresponding to a single program or a group or related programs and having menu options that represent one of the programs or group of programs, the remote control unit comprising: 
 means within the remote control unit, for communicating with the set-top terminal to provide thereby communications adapted to allow selection of a desired program from the plurality of hierarchal menus; and    a plurality of switches, coupled to the means for communicating, comprising:    menu select switches for causing the communication of a signal adapted to directly selecting a desired menu from the plurality of hierarchal menus, each menu select switch corresponding to a particular menu and having an icon representing that particular menu, wherein a selected submenu is directly selected by depressing a menu select switch that corresponds to that selected submenu without first selecting one of the main menus; and    cursor movement switches for causing the communication of a signal adapted to moving a cursor through menu options presented on the plurality of menus;    whereby a user by touch may distinguish the cursor movement switches and menu select switches from the remainder of the plurality of switches without looking at the remote control unit.    
     
     
         2 . The remote control unit of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of switches includes two groups of switches, a standard group including volume control and channel select switches, and a special group including the cursor movement switches and the menu select switches, whereby the two groups of switches are physically separated from each other on the remote control unit proximate the center of mass of the remote control unit.  
     
     
         3 . The remote control unit of  claim 1  further comprising a joystick for cursor movement.  
     
     
         4 . The remote control unit of  claim 1  further comprising a ball for cursor movement.  
     
     
         5 . The remote control unit of  claim 1  further comprising a rolling-depressible button for cursor movement.