Receiver, program retrieval method, and receiving method

• US 20020049972A1
• Filed: 10/29/2001
• Published: 04/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kimoto, Yosuke
• Granted Patent: US 7,657,905 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/433 Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4432 Powering on the client, e.g. bootstrap loading using setup parameters being stored locally or received from the server resetting in general G06F1/14; program loading or initiating in general G06F9/445; bootstrapping in general G06F9/4401; secure boots of computer platforms G06F21/57
• 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/63 Generation or supply of power specially adapted for television receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

An EPG object of a program A to be broadcast from 19:00 to 20:49 is copied to generate a first clone EPG object and a second clone EPG object. 00 minute is set as the relative start time of the first clone EPG object, and 59 minutes is set as the relative end time. 00 minutes is set as the relative start time of the second clone EPG object, and 49 minutes is set as the relative end time. With reference to the relative times, the clone EPG object is allocated to each time zone with a range of one hour. The first clone EPG object of the program A is allocated to a time zone of 19:00 to 19:59, and the second clone EPG object is allocated to a time zone of 20:00 to 20:59. Retrieval is carried out for each time zone. Thus, a program of a predetermined broadcast time can be quickly retrieved.

Claims

1. A receiver for receiving broadcast signals multiplexed with program guide information including at least broadcast time information of programs, the receiver comprising:

a receiving unit operable to receive broadcast signals;

a separation unit operable to separate the program guide information from the received broadcast signals;

means for carrying out display processing based on the separated program guide information;

a storage unit operable to store information indicating whether contents displayed immediately before turning off a power source for the receiver is a program guide or an image of a program; and

a display controller operable to display the program guide or a predetermined program image as an initial image corresponding to the information stored in the storage unit when the power source is turned on.

2. The receiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display controller displays the program guide, a recommended program included in the program guide information, or a program of the same genre as the genre of the program displayed immediately before the power source is turned off, in accordance with the information stored in the storage unit.

3. In a receiver having a power source, a method for receiving broadcast signals multiplexed with program guide information including at least broadcast time information of programs, the method comprising:

receiving broadcast signals;

separating the program guide information from the received broadcast signals;

carrying out display processing based on the separated program guide information;

storing information indicating whether contents displayed immediately before turning off the power source is a program guide or an image of a program; and

displaying the program guide or a predetermined program image as an initial image corresponding to the stored information when the power source is turned on.

4. The receiving method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the displaying step includes displaying the program guide, a recommended program included in the program guide information, or a program of the same genre as the genre of the program displayed immediately before the power source is turned off, in accordance with the stored information.