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Multi-layer focusing method and apparatus thereforRelated Patent Categories: Data Processing: Presentation Processing Of Document, Operator Interface Processing, And Screen Saver Display Processing, Operator Interface (e.g., Graphical User Interface), On-screen Workspace Or Object, Focus Control Of Multiple Diverse Workspace ObjectsMulti-layer focusing method and apparatus therefor description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070174779, Multi-layer focusing method and apparatus therefor. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/385,464, filed Mar. 12, 2003 in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, now pending and under appeal, which claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2002-14275, filed Mar. 16, 2002 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for efficiently performing a navigation process by using a user input device having a limited number of input keys when reproducing interactive contents formed by a markup language in a reproducing device, such as, for example, a computer, a DVD player, a PDA, or a cellular phone. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] Since specific elements in a markup language document include operations to be performed, which are formed as tags, the elements should be selected by a user in order to perform the corresponding operations. Here, the selected state is referred to as a focus-on state. In the focus-on state, the element receives commands from the user. [0006] Examples of a focusing method, which corresponds to the selection of specific elements, to perform the operations allotted to the elements, are as follows. [0007] First, the elements are set to the focus-on state using a pointing device, such as a mouse or a joystick, based on location information. In other words, the user places a pointer on the element to be focused on and clicks a selection button, on a screen. [0008] Second, a predetermined selection order is allotted to each element and the elements are successively focused on corresponding to the values input from an input device, such as a keyboard. In order to determine the focusing order of the elements when navigating the document using the keyboard, a document producer may determine a tabbing order. Accordingly, the selected element may be activated using a tab key. Here, the tabbing order of the elements is determinable by inputting numbers between 0 and 32767 into a tab index included in an attribution definition of a markup language. The markup elements which support the tab index attribution include "A", "AREA", "BUTTON", "INPUT", "OBJECT", "SELECT", and "TEXTAREA". [0009] Third, access key values are allotted to each element to directly activate or focus the element. Here, the key value is received from the user input device and the corresponding element is directly accessed and focused on. [0010] According to an access key attribution scheme in the attribution definition of the markup language, the access key values are allotted to the elements. Here, each of the access key values is denoted by a corresponding character in a character set, thereby a document producer should consider the keys of the user input device when allotting the access key values to the elements. The markup elements which support the access key attribution include "A", "AREA", "BUTTON", "INPUT", "LEGEND", and "TEXTAREA". [0011] However, the focusing method of the conventional interactive contents formed by the markup language has the following problems. First, the elements included in an embedded object are not controllable. Second, the keys or buttons of the user input unit have only one function each. [0012] In order to solve the first problem, a method of focusing on elements using a pointing device, such as a mouse, as well as the keyboard, and clicking a mouse button, is used. In other words, even when video or audio, which is embedded into WINDOWS.RTM. MEDIA PLAYER or REAL PLAYER.RTM., is reproduced, desired operations may be performed by focusing and clicking a play icon, a stop icon, or a pause icon using the mouse. Here, WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER or REAL PLAYER is a different medium from a viewer, which controls the markup using the "OBJECT" element. [0013] In order to solve the second problem, the range to which the keys or the buttons having the predetermined functions are applied is provided to the user using a multi-window. In other words, a media player window is activated on the markup language document in order to prevent the user from being confused even when the keys or the buttons of the input device have various functions. [0014] FIGS. 1A through 1C are examples of a process of navigating a menu in a conventional DVD-video. If a MENU button 104 of the user input device is pressed when the conventional DVD-video is activated, a menu selection screen 101, which is defined in a disc, is displayed while illustrating highlight information 102 on a selected item. Thus, the user may use a navigation direction key 103 shown in FIG. 1B to select another item and show different highlight information 105 as shown in FIG. 1C. [0015] FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams for explaining the conventional focusing method. As shown in FIG. 2A, in the interactive contents of the markup language document including a DVD reproduction screen, the DVD reproduction screen is embedded as the "OBJECT" element and links 1 through 6 may perform specific operations when the links are focused on by using the user input device. [0016] When it is assumed that moving the focusing among the links is performed using the navigation keys, a predetermined operation, such as reproduction, is performed by focusing the DVD reproduction image and pressing an ENTER key. Here, if reproduction is simultaneously performed with the loading of the markup language document, the DVD-video requires only the focusing operation. [0017] FIG. 2B illustrates an example of moving the focusing to another link within the markup language document by pressing the navigation keys for selecting the menu in the DVD reproduction screen. In other words, as shown in FIG. 1B, when navigating the menu on the DVD reproduction screen or the DVD-video, the same key may have to be used to perform the DVD navigation operation. In this case, since the navigation keys are used to move the focusing among the links, the navigation keys are not useable to select the items of the menu in the DVD reproduction screen. [0018] This problem is more serious in the case where the interactive contents are controlled using an input device having a limited number of keys, such as a remote controller. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0019] The present invention provides a multi-layer focusing method and an apparatus therefor. [0020] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multi-layer focusing method for focusing contents provided in a multi-layer structure. The method comprises allotting predetermined focusing layer values to contents elements linked to contents to be provided to a user, to form focusing layers; providing list information on the contents elements included in a predetermined focusing layer and focusing on any one contents element of the contents elements provided to the user; receiving a predetermined command from the user; and moving the focusing when the command is to move the focusing. Here, the moving of the focusing comprises determining whether an upper focusing layer of a present focusing layer exists in the case where the command is to change the present focusing layer to the upper focusing layer, and when the upper focusing layer exists, providing the list information on contents elements included in the upper focusing layer to the user and focusing on any one of the contents element included in the upper focusing layer. Alternatively, the moving of the focusing comprises determining whether a lower focusing layer is linked to the focused on contents element in the case where the command is to change the focusing layer to the lower focusing layer, and when the lower focusing layer is linked to the focused on contents element, providing the list information on contents elements included in the lower focusing layer to the user and focusing on any one contents element included in the lower focusing layer. Alternatively, the moving of the focusing comprises moving the focusing to a next contents element based on a predetermined order in the case where the command is to move the focusing within the same focusing layer. [0021] According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for managing multi-layer focusing comprises a contents providing unit which provides contents which are linked to contents elements and are to be provided to a user; a focusing layer information management unit which allots predetermined focusing layer values to the contents elements which are linked to the contents to be provided to the user, to form focusing layers; an input unit which receives commands from the user to move the focusing; an output unit which provides the contents to the user, provides predetermined contents elements, and represents focused on contents elements linked to the contents; and a focusing management unit which provides the list information on the contents elements included in a specific focusing layer and the focusing information for focusing any one of the contents elements provided to the user to the output unit and moving the focusing in the case where the command is to move the focusing. 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