Television viewer interface system

• US 20050251750A1
• Filed: 08/20/2004
• Published: 11/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Look, Howard, McKendrick, Ain, Brown, David Avraham, Bedard, Karen, Vallone, Robert, Van Stam, Wijnand
• Application Number:
  US10/923,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20050251750A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/721
• 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 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 for more than one processing mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8063 using time division multiplex of the PCM audio and PCM video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8233 the additional signal being a character code signal

Abstract

A television viewer interface system allows a viewer to schedule recordings of program material. The system determines if any conflicts exist with the viewer'"'"'s recording selection and any previously scheduled recordings. If any conflicts are discovered, the system displays a conflict warning to the viewer indicating that a scheduling conflict exists with the viewer'"'"'s recording selection. The conflict warning allows the user to cancel a scheduled recording. The system displays a list of scheduled recordings to the viewer as a list of programs that the system will record on a particular day or all of the scheduled recordings can also be displayed in a scrollable list.

Claims

1. A process for an interactive television viewer interface providing program information to a user, comprising:

accepting user input to record a particular broadcast program;

determining if conflicts exist with the user'"'"'s recording selection and any previously scheduled recordings; and

displaying a conflict warning to the user indicating that a scheduling conflict exists with the user'"'"'s recording selection.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein said conflict warning allows the user to cancel a scheduled recording.

3. The process of claim 1, wherein said conflict determining step determines a conflict based on tuner availability.

4. The process of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a list of scheduled recordings to the user.

5. The process of claim 4, wherein the list of scheduled recordings lists the scheduled recordings by a particular day.

6. The process of claim 4, wherein the list of scheduled recordings lists the scheduled recordings in a scrollable list.

7. The process of claim 4, wherein the user sets a recording priority of a scheduled recording in the list of scheduled recordings.

8. An apparatus for an interactive television viewer interface providing program information to a user, comprising:

means for accepting user input to record a particular broadcast program;

means for determining if conflicts exist with the user'"'"'s recording selection and any previously scheduled recordings; and

means for displaying a conflict warning to the user indicating that a scheduling conflict exists with the user'"'"'s recording selection.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said conflict warning allows the user to cancel a scheduled recording.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said conflict determining means determines a conflict based on tuner availability.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

means for displaying a list of scheduled recordings to the user.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the list of scheduled recordings lists the scheduled recordings by a particular day.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the list of scheduled recordings lists the scheduled recordings in a scrollable list.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the user sets a recording priority of a scheduled recording in the list of scheduled recordings.

15. A program storage medium readable by a computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps for an interactive television viewer interface providing program information to a user, comprising:

accepting user input to record a particular broadcast program;

determining if conflicts exist with the user'"'"'s recording selection and any previously scheduled recordings; and

displaying a conflict warning to the user indicating that a scheduling conflict exists with the user'"'"'s recording selection.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said conflict warning allows the user to cancel a scheduled recording.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said conflict determining step determines a conflict based on tuner availability.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

displaying a list of scheduled recordings to the user.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the list of scheduled recordings lists the scheduled recordings by a particular day.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the list of scheduled recordings lists the scheduled recordings in a scrollable list.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the user sets a recording priority of a scheduled recording in the list of scheduled recordings.