Method and system for creating a channel map

• US 20030128230A1
• Filed: 02/13/2003
• Published: 07/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wugofski, Theodore D.
• Application Number:
  US10/367,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20030128230A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/734
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/281 indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2814 Exchanging control software or macros for controlling appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving configuration of the network and network elements H04L41/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and method that allows for the construction of a system wide channel map from channel maps for peripheral devices of a computer-based home entertainment system. The method includes identifying peripheral devices that are tunable, creating a channel map for each such peripheral device, and adding the individual channel maps to create a system wide channel map for the peripheral devices.

Claims

1. A method for generating a channel map, the method comprising:

identifying peripheral devices attached to a system;

identifying available channels for at least a subset of the peripheral devices;

creating a channel map of the available channels; and

adding the channel map to a system wide channel map.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the connection type for each peripheral device and wherein the subset of peripheral devices is determined by the connection type.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the connection type comprises an off-air antenna connection type.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the connection type comprises a cable connection type.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the connection type comprises a satellite connection type.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the channel map in a database.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving tuning information for at least one of the subset of peripheral devices.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the tuning information includes an operation to tune a peripheral device to a specific available channel.

9. A system, comprising:

a computer;

a plurality of peripheral devices operatively connected to the computer; and

a software module residing in computer memory, the software module operable to;

identify the peripheral devices attached to the system;

identify available channels for at least a subset of the peripheral devices; and

propagate a channel map of available channels for the peripheral devices through the model to create a system wide channel map.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the software module is further operable to identify the connection type for each peripheral device and wherein the subset of peripheral devices is determined by the connection type.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the connection type comprises an off-air antenna connection type.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the connection type comprises a cable connection type.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the connection type comprises a satellite connection type.

14. The system of claim 9, further comprising a database module to store the system wide channel map.

15. The system of claim 9, further wherein the software modules receives tuning information for at least one of the subset of peripheral devices.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the tuning information includes an operation to tune a peripheral device to a specific available channel.

17. A machine readable medium comprising machine readable instructions for performing a method comprising:

identifying peripheral devices attached to the system;

identifying available channels for at least a subset of the peripheral devices;

creating a channel map of the available channels; and

adding the channel map to a system wide channel map.

18. The machine readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises identifying the connection type for each peripheral device and wherein the subset of peripheral devices is determined by the connection type.

19. The machine readable medium of claim 18, wherein the connection type comprises an off-air antenna connection type.

20. The machine readable medium of claim 18, wherein the connection type comprises a cable connection type.

21. The machine readable medium of claim 18, wherein the connection type comprises a satellite connection type.

22. The machine readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises storing the channel map in a database.

23. The machine readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises receiving tuning information for at least one of the subset of peripheral devices.

24. The machine readable medium of claim 23, wherein the tuning information includes an operation to tune a peripheral device to a specific available channel.