Glanceable information system and method

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method are related to navigating through content on a device that includes stored information that is organized according to channels. Content that is associated with the channels is selected and viewed on a display of the device by means of passive interaction when the device is in a glance-view operating state. The device periodically changes the display according to a playlist that indexes selected channel views associated with the current channel. The selected channel views are selected from the available channels according to a rule set that is associated with the channel. After every item in the playlist is processed, the playlist is updated according to application of the rule set. A customized channel may include references to other channels such that channel views associated with the customized channel correspond to channel views from other channels.

1 . A method for navigating stored content on a device that includes memory, a display and an interface selection device, comprising: 
 identifying a current channel in the device, wherein the device includes stored content for each channel view associated with the current channel;    activating a passive navigation operating state when a predetermined time interval expires without active user interaction, wherein the content that is associated with the current channel is passively viewed in the passive navigation operating state without active user interaction;    retrieving content associated with a current channel view for the current channel when the passive navigation operating state is active, wherein the content is retrieved from the memory of the device without interaction with another device;    updating the display of the device with the retrieved content for the current channel view of the current channel; and    activating an active navigation operating state in response to an active user interaction, wherein the content that is associated with the current channel is actively viewed in the active navigation operating state in response to active user interaction.    
   
   
       2 . The method for navigating stored content as in  claim 1 , wherein the behavior of the current channel view on the display of the device is specified within the context of the current channel.  
   
   
       3 . The method for navigating stored content as in  claim 1 , further comprises: exposing a rule set that is associated with the current channel, and applying the exposed rule set to channel views stored in the memory of the device for the current channel to provide available channel views, wherein the current channel view on the display corresponds to one of the available channel views.  
   
   
       4 . A method for navigating stored content on a device that includes memory and a display: 
 identifying a customized channel in the device;    referencing another channel in the device from the customized channel, wherein the device includes stored content that is associated with the other channel;    retrieving stored content associated with the other channel from the memory of the device without interaction with another device;    exposing a rule set that is associated with the other channel when the other channel is referenced by the customized channel;    applying the exposed rule set to a channel view that is associated with the retrieved content for the other channel when the other channel is referenced by the customized channel; and    updating the display to view content associated with the channel view when the other channel is referenced by the customized channel.    
   
   
       5 - 6 . (canceled)  
   
   
       7 . A method for passively navigating stored content on a device that includes a display, memory and an interface selection device: 
 identifying a current channel in the device, wherein the device includes stored content that is associated with the current channel;    activating a passive navigation operating state when a predetermined time interval expires without active user interaction;    selecting a glanceable channel view that is associated with the current channel when the device is in the glance-view operating state;    retrieving content associated with the glanceable channel view for the current channel when the passive navigation operating state is active, wherein the content is retrieved from the memory of the device without interaction with another device; and    updating the display such that a display view associated with the device corresponds to the retrieved content for the selected glanceable channel view.    
   
   
       8 - 23 . (canceled)  
   
   
       24 . An apparatus for passively navigating stored content, comprising: 
 a display;    a memory;    a user interface that includes a selector; and    an electronic system that is arranged to interact with the user interface, the memory and the display, wherein the electronic system is configured to: 
 identify a current channel in the device, wherein the device includes stored content that is associated with the current channel;  
 activate a passive navigation operating state when a predetermined time interval expires without active user interaction;  
 select a glanceable channel view that is associated with the current channel when the device is in the glance-view operating state;  
 retrieving content from the memory of the device without interaction with another device, wherein the content is associated with the glanceable channel view for the current channel when the passive navigation operating state is active; and  
 update the display such that a display view associated with the device corresponds to the retrieved content for the selected glanceable channel view.  
   
   
   
       25 - 26 . (canceled)  
   
   
       27 . A device for passively navigating glanceable content, comprising: 
 a display means;    a memory means that is arranged to maintain stored content associated with a current channel in the device;    a means for identifying the current channel in the device;    a means to activate a glance-view operating state;    a means for exposing channel views for at least one channel view that is available in the glance-view operating state, wherein the each identified channel view is associated with the current channel; and    a means for processing that is arranged to select a glanceable channel view from the at least one channel view that is available in the glance view operating state;    a means for retrieving stored content associated with the selected glanceable channel view from the memory means; and    a means for updating that is arranged to update the display view of the display means for the selected glanceable channel view when the system is in the glance view operating state.    
   
   
       28 . A system as in  claim 27 , wherein the means for processing further comprises: a means for formatting the retrieved content that is associated with the at least one identified channel view to provide the selected glanceable channel view such that the corresponding display is glanceable.  
   
   
       29 - 30 . (canceled)  
   
   
       31 . A method for navigating stored content on a device that includes memory, a display and an interface selection device for use by a user, the method comprising: 
 storing content in the memory of the device, wherein the stored content is organized according to one or more channels; and    processing the stored content in the memory of the device without interaction with another device by: 
 activating a passive navigation operating state when a predetermined time interval expires without active user interaction;  
 deactivating the passive navigation operating state when the user initiates interaction with the interface selection device;  
 identifying a current channel for the device, wherein the stored content associated with the current channel includes one or more views;  
 passively navigating the one or more views associated with the current channel when the passive navigation operating state is active, by: 
 retrieving content from the memory of the device, wherein the content is associated with a current view for the current channel;  
 formatting the retrieved content for the current view, wherein the behavior of the formatting is determined by the context of the current channel; and  
 updating the display of the device with the formatted content for the current view of the current channel such that the formatted content is presented as glanceable information.  
 
   
   
   
       32 . The method for navigating stored content as in  claim 31 , wherein formatting comprises truncating a portion of the retrieved content associated with the current view such that the truncated content is in an abbreviated format for glanceable viewing.  
   
   
       33 . The method for navigating stored content as in  claim 32 , further comprising: retrieving a complete non-truncated portion of the retrieved content when the passive navigation operating state is deactivated.