Video receiver display of video overlaying menu

Claim 1

A video device comprising: a remote control device (20) usable at some distance of separation from a television receiver (10) which has a video display device having a predetermined screen area, the remote control device having: a housing (11) sized to be held in the hand of the human observer; a manually engageable input device (22) mounted in said housing (11) for manipulation by the human observer; and control transmitter circuitry mounted in said housing (11) and coupled to said input device (22) for transmitting at a frequency which is outside direct sensing by the human observer command signals coordinated in a predetermined manner to manipulation of said input device (22) by the human observer; and a display controller for coupling to a television receiver video display device (12) and for delivering to a coupled television receiver video display device (12) image directing signals, said display controller having: command receiver circuitry for receiving said command signals from said command transmitter circuitry and for deriving from said received command signals image directing signals directing modification of visual images displayed to a human observer by the television receiver video display device (12); and command processor circuitry coupled to said command receiver circuitry and to the television receiver video display device (12) (a) for receiving said image directing signals, (b) for generating a cursor image signal for overlay onto the visual images, and (c) for modifying the visual images as directed by manipulation of said remote control device (20) by the human observer, said display controller and said video reception circuitry cooperating for displaying full motion video visual images occupying a minor portion of said screen area and a menu display occupying a major portion of said screen area.

Claim 9

A method of displaying visual images to a human observer using a television video display device having a predetermined screen area for displaying visual images to a human observer comprising the steps of: receiving signals transmitted at frequencies which are outside direct sensing by the human observer; delivering, to a television video display device, video signals which drive the television video display device to display visual images; generating, with a manually engageable input device remote from the television video display device and manipulable by the human observer, command signals indicative of desired modifications of the displayed visual images and delivering generated signals to a command transmitter; transmitting, from the command transmitter and at a frequency which is outside direct sensing by the human observer, command signals coordinated in a predetermined manner to manipulation of the input device by the human observer; receiving the command signals from the command transmitter and deriving from the received command signals image directing signals directing modification of the visual images; generating a cursor image signal for overlay onto displayed visual images; and (a) receiving the image directing signals and cursor image signal and (b) modifying the visual images as directed by manipulation of the remote control device by the human observer to overlay the cursor image onto selected portions of displayed visual images and facilitate modification of the visual images by the human observer through selection of commands while (c) displaying full motion video visual images occupying a minor portion of said screen area and a menu display occupying the major portion of said screen area.