Television and video cassette recorder system with an electronic program guide

• US 20030012555A1
• Filed: 06/04/2002
• Published: 01/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1993
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Daniel S. Kwoh, Henry C. Yuen
• Original Assignee: Daniel S. Kwoh, Henry C. Yuen
• Inventors: Kwoh, Daniel S., Yuen, Henry C.
• Application Number:
  US10/164,035
• Publication Number:
  US 20030012555A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/83
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/65 wherein solid state memory is used for storing indexing information or metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/655 Memory in cassette [MIC]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/80 Indexing information stored in optical or magnetic or other strip attached to cassette or disc, e.g. barcodes attached to a recording medium
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/107 of operating tapes
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3054 Vertical Interval Time code [VITC]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/326 used signal is a video-frame or a video-field (P.I.P.)
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/328 on a tape [TTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/441 Acquiring end-user identification , e.g. using personal code sent by the remote control or by inserting a card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; 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 21/47 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 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• 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 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/7755 the recorder being connected to, or coupled with, the antenna of the television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9206 the additional signal being a character code signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9208 : involving the use of subcodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0887 : for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/166 : Passage/non-passage of the television signal, e.g. jamming, band suppression scrambling and descrambling H04N7/167

Abstract

A television for controlling a video cassette recorder to access programs on a video cassette tape, the television retrieving a directory of programs from a television signal received from the video cassette recorder, retrieving a program identifier from the television signal received from the video cassette recorder, displaying the directory of programs to allow a user to select a program from the directory, determining from the retrieved program identifier and the selected program the amount to either advance or rewind the video cassette tape to position the video cassette tape in the video cassette recorder at the beginning of the selected program, and commanding the video cassette recorder to position the video cassette tape at the beginning of the selected program. An indexing VCR system which responds to broadcast information to record a program guide which may subsequently be displayed to apprise the user of programs to be broadcast during the next day or week, etc. The program guide enables the user to condition the VCR to record selected programs when they are broadcast. The program guide may also include film clips of selected programs to assist the user in making a decision as to whether he/she desires to record any particular program. The program guide is preferably recorded on the video tape in the VCR in the form of a multi-cell grid and as full frame video so that information concerning each program may be displayed in respective cells in the grid. Other information, such as the PLUSCODE™ , address of the corresponding clip, etc., may be transmitted to the user during the VBI intervals, or by other means.

Claims

1. A television for controlling a video cassette recorder to access programs on a video cassette tape, the television comprising:

means for retrieving a first directory of programs from the vertical blanking interval of a television signal received from the video cassette tape played on the video cassette recorder;

means for displaying a second directory of programs from the video portion of the television signal received from the video cassette tape played on the video cassette recorder to allow a user to select a program from the directory;

means for selecting a program identifier from the first directory of programs for a program on the video cassette tape being played on the video cassette recorder;

means for determining from the retrieved program identifier and the selected program the amount to either advance or rewind the video cassette tape to position the video cassette tape in the video cassette recorder at the beginning of the selected program; and

means for commanding the video cassette recorder to position the video cassette tape at the beginning of the selected program.

2. A method for controlling a video cassette recorder from a television to access programs on a video cassette tape, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a video cassette tape having a first length of video cassette tape having a first index mark written near the beginning of the first length and a second index mark written near the end of the first length, a guide to programs on the video portion of the video cassette tape written between the first and second index mark, and guide data written on the vertical blanking interval between the first and second index mark, the guide data associated with the guide including for each program contained on the video cassette tape a number of index marks either forward or backward on the tape from the guide data to the program; and

providing a plurality of programs on the video cassette tape, each program having a third index mark written near the beginning of the program and a fourth index mark written near the end of the program.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the steps of:

playing the video cassette tape on the video cassette recorder and sending the video cassette recorder output signal to the television;

retrieving the guide data from the output signal with a video blanking interval decoder in the television;

detecting a still frame command in the output signal with a video blanking interval decoder in the television;

sending a still frame command from the television to the video cassette recorder to freeze the guide on the output signal; and

displaying the guide on the television for the user to select a program from the guide.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the steps of:

commanding the video cassette recorder from the television to advance or rewind the video cassette tape to the selected program by advancing or rewinding a number of index marks according to the guide data associated with the selected program; and

sending a command to the video cassette recorder to play the selected program.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of commanding the video cassette recorder to record at a later time a second program identified in the guide data associated with the selected program.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of decoding and expanding a compressed code, representative of, and compressed in length from, the combination of a channel, a date, a time-of-day, and a length for the second program.

7. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of delivering the video cassette tape to the homes of users.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of delivering the video cassette tape to the homes of users further comprises the step of delivering the video cassette tape along with a newspaper to the homes of users.

9. An apparatus for allowing a television to control a video cassette recorder to access programs on a video cassette tape, the apparatus comprising:

a video cassette tape having a first length of video cassette tape having a first index mark written near the beginning of the first length and a second index mark written near the end of the first length, a guide to programs on the video portion of the video cassette tape written on the vertical blanking interval between the first and second index mark, and guide data written between the first and second index mark, the guide data associated with the guide including for each program contained on the video cassette tape a number of index marks either forward or backward on the tape from the guide data to the program; and

a plurality of programs on the video cassette tape, each program having a third index mark written near the beginning of the program and a fourth index mark written near the end of the program.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the guide comprises an index of programs contained on the video cassette tape.