43results about How to "Facilitates user selection" patented technology

A personalized media service provides, e.g., user customization of radio channel selections, immediate availability of multiple pre-programmed and/or customized channels, the ability to intersperse different types of content including periodically refreshed information content, availability of personal radio functions on devices such as car audio systems, PDAs, smartphones, MP3 players, etc. Available channels include, e.g., pre-programmed channels selected for the user based on an interest profile, user-owned content, user-specified recorded content, etc. An audio user interface facilitates user selection of programming and user purchase of currently played audio material. An overall radio experience is thus provided that combines the customization and flexibility of digital media with the immediacy and ubiquity of radio. Video materials may also be accommodated.

A technical information management device includes an information manager, a data manager, a user interface builder, and a vehicle technical information database. The information manager accesses the database in order to provide a segment of the vehicle technical information to the user interface builder. The data manager receives conditioned input data from a vehicle diagnostic tool and sends it to the user interface builder. The user interface builder includes a graphics generator and a display screen formatter. The graphics generator converts the vehicle diagnostic data into graphical coordinate data and the display screen formatter formats the graphical coordinate data for real time display in a digital multimeter mode or in a scope mode. The user interface builder further can display a dual-display screen wherein half of the screen is a vehicle diagnostic data display and the other half of the screen displays vehicle technical information.

In accordance with the present invention, a computer-based tool helps a person choose a product from among many possible products. This assistance, sometimes referred to as product brokering, can be useful in electronic commerce for facilitating customer selection of products. An embodiment of the invention enables product selection by a person even if the person is unable to precisely or even explicitly specify what product features or characteristics the person desires. The person is presented with a relatively small set of possible products for comparison, and the computer-based tool solicits opinions from the person about the presented products. The computer-based tool extracts information about product characteristics that appeal to or repulse the person, and uses the extracted information to present the person with additional product choices. With each iteration of product presentation by the computer-based tool and expression of preferences by the person, an optimal product is identified.

A safe-media interaction system includes distinct child and parent interfaces through which a child can interact with content and applications that are selected and authorized by a parent through the parent interface. The child interface allows a young child who has not yet acquired any reading skills, verbal skills, or visual organization skills to select a content item or application feature from a selection of such items/features visually presented to the child and interact with the selected item/feature through a general purpose computer interface such as a touch screen or keyboard with labels placed over selected keys. The safe-media interaction system also supports special purpose interfaces such as remote controls, kid-safe toys, and a dance pad to facilitate early childhood use of the system.

A system for providing a graphical interface to a user includes a server platform and an operating system and application software running thereon. The system further includes a client device capable of running a standard web browser that accesses the software application on the server platform for displaying information to the user in a display area on the client device. The standard web browser displays the information without requiring additional software to be installed or downloaded or run on the client device, and without requiring a scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the client device. The application software facilitates manipulation by the user of unstructured data in the display area for detailed inspection, and also facilitates the user selectively causing to display annotations within the display area. The application software facilitates the user inserting one or more annotations within the display area, thereby causing an action to occur in either this system or an external system

Improved methods of presenting speech prompts to a user as part of an automated system that employs speech recognition or other voice input are described. The invention improves the user interface by providing in combination with at least one user prompt seeking a voice response, an enhanced user keyword prompt intended to facilitate the user selecting a keyword to speak in response to the user prompt. The enhanced keyword prompts may be the same words as those a user can speak as a reply to the user prompt but presented using a different audio presentation method, e.g., speech rate, audio level, or speaker voice, than used for the user prompt. In some cases, the user keyword prompts are different words from the expected user response keywords, or portions of words, e.g., truncated versions of keywords.

A Bluetooth™ enabled device comprises a contact database arranged for storing Bluetooth™ identifiers identifying other Bluetooth™ enabled devices. This allows setting-up a Bluetooth™ connection to another Bluetooth™ enabled device based on a Bluetooth™ identifier stored in this contact database and identifying the other Bluetooth™ enabled device. New Bluetooth™ identifiers identifying another Bluetooth™ enabled device may be stored in the contact database of said first Bluetooth™ enabled device.

A method of performing a time-shift function and a television receiver using the same facilitates a selective playback of a specific one among a plurality of broadcast programs stored for the time-shift function. The television receiver includes a personal video recorder for enabling a time-shift function by storing in a time-shift storage area at least one broadcast signal received in real time; a system memory for storing broadcast program information extracted from the at least one broadcast signal stored in the personal video recorder; and a display module for displaying a time shift guide for the stored at least one broadcast signal to enable a user selection of one broadcast signal stored in the time-shift storage area. The broadcast program information is stored in the system memory in a table format, and the stored broadcast program information is updated in the system memory according to a system program execution, so that the time shift guide is displayed according to the updated broadcast program information. The television receiver also includes a controller for controlling the personal video recorder to reproduce the selected broadcast signal from a user-specified position in response to the user selection of the one broadcast signal; a user interface for inputting to the controller a command signal according to the user selection; and an OSD generator for generating OSD data for forming the time shift guide under control of the controller according to the command signal from the user interface.

A method and apparatus to automatically set-up an electronic device having multiple user-controllable functionalities is provided by an arrangement that provides an interactive menu to a user. The user interacts with the menu to select and set a functionality to a desired setting. The automatic set-up arrangement receives a set-up command corresponding to the menu choice and transmits the set-up command to the electronic device in the form of an IR beam. The IR beam containing the set-up command is used to set the user-controllable functionality of the electronic device to the selected setting.

A method of determining communication link quality includes the steps of: providing communications stations (e.g., UHF communications satellites, base stations of a terrestrial cellular network) with beacon transmitters that are used to transmit two types of signals from each communications station; and providing a communications device that employs the communications stations with beacon receivers and the ability to process the two types of signals to provide a user of the communications device with a real time determination of link impairments and, from this, a determination of the type and quality of service that is available to the user. The first type of signal is a stable continuous wave (CW) tone that provides a reference signal level, and the second type of signal is a coded waveform with distinguishable correlation properties. In an exemplary preferred embodiment, a processor and display are integrated with the user's communication device and function to process these two signals and provide a user-friendly interface through which information pertaining to determined levels of link impairments and the type and quality of service available at that given location and time is communicated to the user. In an exemplary preferred embodiment, the user's communication device is also provided with a booster system with an alternative high-gain antenna to increase communications opportunities in difficult operating environments.

Systems, methods, and devices employing tumbler-style graphical user interfaces (TSGUI) are presented. TSGUI can facilitate high context rapid selection of content objects from at least a plurality of tumbler components. Selection of content objects can relate to a path for a memory to access a related final information. TSGUI can be employed in mobile computing devices, including telephonic mobile computing devices. In an embodiment a TSGUI of a mobile device can facilitate access to content in relation to messaging applications native to the mobile device.

When a processed image obtained by performing image processing on an original image is presented, an option desired by a user is presented. A plurality of object regions is detected from an original image to detect the imaged state of each of the object regions when the original image was obtained. Then, an attention level for each object region is calculated based on the imaged state of the object region, and an output condition and an image processing condition are set based on the calculated attention level. Thereafter, a processed image is generated by performing image processing according to the image processing condition, and the processed image is outputted according to the output condition.

A method for using oral feedback to facilitate user selection among a plurality of service devices. The method comprises a plurality of service devices. Each service device has a dynamically-updatable quality control profile. A first service device receives a request from the first user to perform a first service job. The first service device performs the first service job. A first recording device located proximate to the first service device obtains oral feedback from the first user regarding the quality of the first service job. The first service device analyzes the oral feedback using natural language processing to form an analysis. The first service device modifies the first quality control profile of the first service device based on the analysis.