TRANSMISSION DEVICE AND TERMINAL DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIC RECEPTION/RECORDING OF BROADCAST PROGRAMS

• US 20010013127A1
• Filed: 04/11/1997
• Published: 08/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: TOMITA, YASUMASA, OIZUMI, SHIGERU
• Granted Patent: US 6,732,372 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2362 Generation or processing of Service Information [SI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416

Abstract

A device for sending broadcast-program information to a plurality of terminal devices connected via a network so that the plurality of terminal devices display the broadcast-program information on display screens. The device includes an addition unit attaching at least one of a reception setting button and a recording setting button to broadcast-program information which is to be sent to a terminal device, the reception setting button and the recording setting button being used in the terminal device for issuing a request to make settings for automatic receiving and recording, respectively, of a selected broadcast program. The device further includes an execution-information extracting unit obtaining execution information in response to the request, the execution information specifying information necessary for making the settings, and a transmission unit sending the execution information to the terminal device.

Claims

1. A device for sending broadcast-program information to a plurality of terminal devices connected via a network so that said plurality of terminal devices display said broadcast-program information on display screens thereof, said device comprising:

an addition unit attaching at least one of a reception setting button and a recording setting button to broadcast-program information which is to be sent to a terminal device, said reception setting button and said recording setting button being used in said terminal device for issuing a request to make settings for automatic receiving and recording, respectively, of a selected broadcast program;

an execution-information extracting unit obtaining execution information in response to said request, said execution information specifying information necessary for making said settings; and

a transmission unit sending said execution information to said terminal device.

2. The device as claimed in

claim 1

, further comprising:

a broadcast-program management unit which stores information on broadcast programs;

a shift-button addition unit attaching shift buttons to broadcast programs appearing on a listing of broadcast programs which is sent to said terminal device, said shift buttons being used in said terminal device for issuing a request for program-guide information on a selected broadcast program by selecting a corresponding one of said shift buttons; and

a program-guide extracting unit for extracting said program-guide information on said selected broadcast program from said broadcast-program management unit in response to said request for program-guide information,

wherein said addition unit attaches said at lease one of said reception setting button and said recording setting button to said program-guide information.

3. The device as claimed in

claim 2

, further comprising a generation unit for extracting information from said broadcast-program management unit with respect to broadcast programs of a date and time indicated by said terminal device, and for editing extracted information to generate said listing of broadcast programs.

4. The device as claimed in

claim 1

, wherein said network is an information service network.

5. The device as claimed in

claim 1

, wherein said execution information includes a channel number, a broadcast date, a starting time, and an ending time of said selected broadcast program.

6. A device for receiving broadcast-program information from a transmission device connected via a network and for displaying said broadcast-program information on a display screen thereof, said device comprising:

a receiving unit receiving execution information from said transmission device, said execution information specifying information necessary for making settings for at least one of automatic receiving and automatic recording of a selected broadcast program;

a setting-file unit storing said execution information;

a check unit checking if a date and time specified in said execution information has arrived; and

an instruction unit giving at least one of a first instruction to a receiver to receive said selected broadcast program and a second instruction to a recorder to record said selected broadcast program based on said execution information when said date and time has arrived.

7. The device as claimed in

claim 6

, wherein said instruction unit comprises a remote controller for controlling at least one of said receiver and said recorder.

8. The device as claimed in

claim 6

, wherein at least one of said receiver and said recorder is integrated with said device in the same casing.

9. The device as claimed in

claim 6

, wherein said network is an information service network.

10. The device as claimed in

claim 6

, wherein said execution information includes a channel number, a broadcast date, a starting time, and an ending time of said selected broadcast program.

11. A method of controlling at least one of automatic receiving and automatic recording of a selected broadcast program by using at least one of a receiver and a recorder, respectively, in a system including a server device which transmits broadcast-program information to a plurality of terminal devices via a network so that said terminal devices display said broadcast-program information on display screens thereof, said method comprising the steps of:

attaching at least one of a reception setting button and a recording setting button to broadcast-program information in said server device;

sending said broadcast-program information from said server device to a terminal device;

issuing a request for at least one of said automatic receiving and said automatic recording of a selected broadcast program from said terminal device to said server device by using at least one of said reception setting button and said recording setting button, respectively, on the side of said terminal device;

obtaining execution information in said server device in response to said request from said terminal device, said execution information specifying information necessary for making settings for at least one of said automatic receiving and said automatic recording;

sending said execution information from said server device to said terminal device;

storing said execution information in a file in said terminal device;

checking in said terminal device if a date and time specified in said execution information has arrived; and

giving, by using said terminal device, at least one of a first instruction to said receiver to receive said selected broadcast program and a second instruction to said recorder to record said selected broadcast program based on said execution information when said date and time has arrived.

12. The method as claimed in

claim 11

, further comprising including in said execution information a channel number, a broadcast date, a starting time, and an ending time of said selected broadcast program.