Graphic on-screen display method
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/657,454 filed Feb. 19, 1991, now abandoned. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an on-screen display, and particularly to an on-screen display which is suitable for a multi-menu on-screen display. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional on-screen display is constituted such that a timer microcomputer 2 receiving key signals from a remote control 1 is connected to an (on screen display) circuit 6. A 12 V power source is connected through a switching transistor 3 to both the on-screen display integrated circuit 6 and to a switching integrated circuit 7. The base of the switching transistor 3 is connected to the collector of a switching transistor 4 having a grounded emitter. OSD (on screen display) signals which are outputted from the timer microcomputer 2, are supplied to both the base of the switching transistor 4 and to the switching integrated circuit 7. The on-screen display integrated circuit 6, which is connected to an oscillator 5, is connected to a switching terminal of the switching integrated circuit 7. A video signal input terminal 10 is connected to another switching terminal of the switching integrated circuit 7. Finally the switching integrated circuit 7 selects either the output of the on-screen display integrated circuit 6 or the input of the video signal input terminal 10 in accordance with the OSD signal before outputting its output through a video signal output terminal 20. 
     Now the operation of the conventional on-screen display will be described based on the above constitution. 
     As shown in FIG. 3, in the conventional on-screen display, numerals and characters showing the functions of the respective menus are displayed, and then, the relevant numerals are selected. Then, the selected numerals are key-inputted so that the menu region can be accessed. 
     That is, an OSD signal is emitted from the timer microcomputer 2 upon manipulating an OSD button (on-screen display button) (not shown) of the remote control 1, and this OSD signal is supplied to both the base of the switching transistor 4 and to the control terminal of the switching integrated circuit 7. Further, the timer micom 2 supplies various data such as OSD data, reset, clock, chip select and the like to the on-screen display integrated circuit 6. Thus, the OSD signal turns on the switching transistor 4, and as a consequence of the turning-on of the switching transistor 3, the 12 V power source is supplied to the on-screen display integrated circuit 6. Further, the switching integrated circuit 7 is switched over, such that, instead of the inputting of the video signals 10, an on-screen display picture should be outputted through the video signal output terminal 20 in accordance with the output of the on-screen display integrated circuit 6. 
     Under this condition, the on-screen display integrated circuit 6 processes the various data which are supplied from the timer microcomputer 2 by the help of the function of the oscillator 5. Then the integrated circuit 6 outputs the on-screen display picture as shown in FIG. 3 to a line out and to a modulator. Then, if the user key-inputs the numerals immediately preceding the displayed menu while watching the on-screen display picture through the monitor, then the menu work area can be accessed. 
     However, according to the conventional on-screen display, a large number of the on-screen displays are divided into several pages, and therefore, the input keys have to be pushed several times. Further, in order to access the preceding page, the whole pages have to be gone through, and, because of the character displays for the various functions, the user is confused, as well as making it difficult to carry out the use. 
     Therefore it is the object of the present invention to provide an on-screen display in which all the above described difficulties are overcome. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The subject invention is directed to a graphic on-screen display method using a remote controller to select options available with a VCR and TV. Available options are displayed graphically on the TV screen with each option having a unique lateral and longitudinal font address on the TV screen. Each font address has a background color and a graphic color. All font addresses but one have the same background and graphic colors. However, one font address has an inverse display of background and graphic colors. Directional signals are generated by the remote controller to move the inverse display laterally and/or longitudinally from one graphic display to another. When the inverse graphic representation coincides with the graphic display for a desired VCR option, a selection signal is generated with the remote controller to access the function selected. The method of the subject invention avoids the tedious repetition of advancing through several menu selection screens. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The above object and other advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail the preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is block diagram showing the constitution of the conventional on-screen display; 
     FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the shape of the remote control as a part of the circuit of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 illustrates the forms of the pictures of the conventional on-screen display; 
     FIGS. 4A to 4C are the flow chart showing the graphic on-screen display according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 illustrates an examples of the graphic pattern of FIG. 4; and 
     FIG. 6 illustrates examples of the graphic on-screen display according to the present invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The present invention will be described referring to FIGS. 4A-4C, 5 and 6. Generally, the existing character pattern has a font format in the form of 12×18 (lateral×longitudinal) dots, and in forming a graphic pattern according to the present invention, 6 lateral fonts and 3 longitudinal fonts are combined, thereby forming 72×54 dots. 
     In order to distinguish the selected ones on the respective blocks of the displayed graphic picture, the graphic color and the ground color of the monitor are exchanged with each other, thereby creating an inversed form. An example of the graphic on-screen display is illustrated in FIG. 6, and this is divided into 12 blocks 101-112, the respective blocks being graphic expressions of the menus which are shown in Table 1 below. 
     
                       TABLE 1                                                     
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Program menus for the respective blocks                                   
Block (FIG. 6.)  Program menu                                             
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101              CLOCK SET                                                
102              NORMAL PROGRAM                                           
103              DAILY PROGRAM                                            
104              WEEKLY PROGRAM                                           
105              PROGRAM REVIEW                                           
106              AUTO SEARCH                                              
107              FAVORITE CHANNELS                                        
108              COUNTER RESET                                            
109              COUNTER MEMORY                                           
110              STEREO/MONO/SAP                                          
111              STEREO/LEFT/RIGHT                                        
112              DOLBY ON/OFF                                             
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     FIGS. 4A to 4C are flow charts showing the graphic on-screen display method according to the present invention, and the display method comprises: a graphic on-screen display routine as shown in FIG. 4A, a graphic OSD menu display subroutine of FIG. 4B accompanying the routine of FIG. 4A, and a location designation subroutine of FIG. 4C. Further as shown in FIG. 2, the controls are made by means of a remote control 1 which includes: position control keys ←,→, ↑, ↓ for shifting the positions of the graphic blocks; a MENU key; and an ENTER key. 
     The graphic on-screen display method according to the present invention will be described in further detail below. 
     First, if the menu key of the remote control of FIG. 2 is pressed, the graphic blocks of FIG. 6 are displayed on the monitor. Under this condition, the clock set block 101 is displayed in an inverse form through the initial selection. Thereafter, if the user repeatedly pushes the position control keys of the remote control 1 in the intended direction, the relevant (selected) block is displayed in an inverse form, while, if the block wanted by the user is selected, the menu work area can be accessed by pressing the enter key of the remote control 1, thereby enabling performance of the intended function. 
     Now the graphic on-screen display according to the present invention will be described in further detail as to its operations. 
     The total flow process of the graphic on-screen display method according to the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 4A. As shown in this drawing, first, a checking is made as to whether the menu key of the remote control 1 is pressed, and if it is found that the menu key is not pressed, it is made sure that the menu key is continuously pressed. If the menu key is pressed, n is set to 0, and then, an initial address A1 for the first graphic block is generated (A1=0), the relevant graphic block being displayed thereafter. Then n is continuously increased (n←+1), and initial addresses A1 are generated accordingly (A1=6,12,18,72 . . . ), thereby displaying the graphic blocks corresponding to the initial addresses. 
     In this way, 12 block addresses Add for the graphic blocks to be displayed are generated so as for the OSD graphic menus to be displayed in graphics, and the addresses are indicated by the user by means of the position control keys (←,→, ↑, ↓) so as for the blocks to be displayed in inverse forms. Then a judgement is made as to whether the enter key of the remote control is pressed, and if the enter key is not pressed, the selected blocks are displayed in inverse forms by the user by means of the position control keys in order to check as to whether the enter key is pressed. If the enter key is pressed, the user approaches to the menu work area for the selected menu among the 12 menus, and then, the selected operation is carried out, thereupon terminating the on-screen display. 
     The displaying of the OSD menu during the above described operation is carried out in a manner described below. That is, as shown in the subroutine of FIG. 4B, the initial address is generated in the form of font address, and the numbers of the rows and columns of the fonts for forming the graphic pattern are initialized (row←0, col←0). Then the font address Add for the graphic to be displayed is designated (Add←Add +Row, *24+col), and from the designated addresses Add, block addresses consisting of 6 columns (6 laterals fonts) and 3 rows (3 longitudinal fonts) are generated, so that the graphic OSD menu should be outputted to the monitor. This operation is repeated as many times as the number of the menu, thereby outputting the 12 graphics into the monitor as shown in FIG. 6. 
     That is, if the subroutine of FIG. 4B is performed once, a font address Add in which the initial address A1 is &#34;0&#34; as shown in FIG. 5 is generated, so that the graphic menu for the first block 101 of FIG. 6 should be displayed. Then, n is increased (n←n+1), initial addresses Al are generated (6, 12, 18, 72), and this operation is repeated 12 times (n=12 ?), so that the graphic menus for the 12 blocks should be displayed. 
     The position control subroutine for displaying the relevant blocks in inverse forms by the user by means of the selected position control keys is shown in FIG. 4C in a block diagram in which the first address LOG for the graphic block to be displayed in an inverse form can be obtained when the position control keys (←,→, ↑,↓) of the remote control 1 are pressed. 
     When the position control key is inputted, a judgement is made as to what the first address (to be called &#34;LOG&#34; hereinbelow) for the graphic block to be displayed is. In the case of a last left or right block, the leftward and rightward position control keys ((←,→) are inputted, and then, the first addresses for the left and right blocks are indicated (LOC←LOC+18, LOC←LOC-18). In the case of the last upper and lower blocks, the upward and lowward position control keys (↑,↓) are inputted, and the first addresses for the last upper and lower blocks are designated (LOC←LOC+144, LOC←LOC-144). Meanwhile, in other cases, the first addresses for the next upper and lower blocks are designated (LOC←, LOC-6, LOC←LOC-72) by means of the position control keys (←,→,↑,↓) thereby displaying the relevant blocks in inverse forms. Thereafter, if the enter key is inputted, the respective menu work areas for the relevant blocks are approached, so that the operations for the selected menus should be performed. 
     According to the graphic on-screen display method of the present invention, the tedious repetitions of the characters can be avoided in designing the on-screen of VTR and TV in which the functions are increasingly multiplied. Thus, instead, graphics are used, so that users should be able to use VTR and TV in a more, convenient way. Further, the method of use can be transferred through the narrow space of the display picture in such a manner that all the functions can be displayed within a single picture, thereby reducing the number of times of pressing the keys of the remote control.