Apparatus for and method of recording program information

• US 20010021995A1
• Filed: 12/14/2000
• Published: 09/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Hatano, Ichiro
• Granted Patent: US 6,951,031 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• 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

Abstract

An apparatus for recording program information is provided with a program information obtaining device, a program guide providing device, a storing device, a reception contents recording device, a newest program information obtaining device, and a program information recording device. In the apparatus, the program information obtaining device obtains program information including at least program names, broadcast start times, program lengths or program end times, and broadcast channels of a plurality of programs. The program guide providing device provides a program guide to a user on the basis of the obtained program information. The storing device stores the obtained program information. The reception contents recording device receives the broadcast channel of the selected program in a period within the program length after the broadcast start time, or in a period by the broadcast end time from the broadcast start time, and recording the reception contents, at the stored broadcast start time. The newest program information obtaining device newly obtains the program information regarding the selected program in a period while the reception contents are recorded. The program information recording device records the newly obtained program information.

Claims

1. An apparatus for recording program information comprising:

a program information obtaining device for obtaining program information including at least program names, broadcast start times, program lengths or program end times, and broadcast channels of a plurality of programs;

a program guide providing device for providing a program guide to a user on the basis of the obtained program information;

a storing device for storing at least the broadcast start time, the program length or the broadcast end time, and the broadcast channel with regard to a program selected by the user on the basis of the provided program guide;

a reception contents recording device for receiving the broadcast channel of the selected program in a period within the program length after the broadcast start time, or in a period by the broadcast end time from said broadcast start time, and recording the reception contents;

a newest program information obtaining device for newly obtaining the program information with regard to the selected program in a period while the reception contents are recorded; and

a program information recording device for recording the newly obtained program information.

2. An apparatus according to the

claim 1

, wherein the reception contents recording device receives the broadcast channel of the selected program and records the reception contents in accordance with a changed program length or a changed the broadcast end time if the program lehgth of the broadcast time or the broadcast end time included in said newly obtained program information by said newest program information obtaining device is changed against the program length of the broadcast time or the broadcast end time included in said obtained program information by said program information obtaining device.

3. An apparatus according to the

claim 1

, wherein the apparatus further comprising a reception contents providing device for providing reception contents of the program recorded by said reception contents recording device to the user on the basis of the program information recorded by the program information recording device.

4. An apparatus according to the

claim 1

, wherein said newest program contents information obtaining device periodically obtains the program information in regard to the selected program in addition to the period for recording the reception contents by said reception contents recording device.

5. A method of recording program information, comprising the processes of:

obtaining program information including at least program names, broadcast start times, program lengths or program end times, and broadcast channels of a plurality of programs;

providing a program guide to a user on the basis of the obtained program information;

storing at least the broadcast start time, the program length or the broadcast end time, and the broadcast channel with regard to a program selected by the user on the basis of the provided program guide;

receiving the broadcast channel of the selected program in a period within the program length after the broadcast start time, or in a period by the broadcast end time from said broadcast start time, and recording the reception contents;

newly obtaining the program information with regard to the selected program in a period while the reception contents are recorded; and

recording the newly obtained program information.

6. A method according to the

claim 5

, wherein the process of recording reception contents receives the broadcast channel of the selected program and records the reception contents in accordance with a changed program length or a changed the broadcast end time if the program length of the broadcast time or the broadcast end time included in said newly obtained program information by the process of obtaining said newest program information is changed against the program length of the broadcast time or the broadcast end time included in said obtained program information by the process of obtaining said program information.

7. A method according to the

claim 5

, wherein the method further comprising the process of providing a reception contents of the program recorded by said process of recording the reception contents to the user on the basis of the program information recorded by the process of recording the program information.

8. A method according to the

claim 5

, wherein said process of obtaining newest program contents information periodically obtains newest program contents information in regard to the selected program in addition to the period for recording the reception contents by said process of recording the reception contents.