System and method for previewing and switching to favorite channels

• US 20060037045A1
• Filed: 08/05/2005
• Published: 02/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Hsieh, Kuan-Hong
• Application Number:
  US11/198,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20060037045A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• 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 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A system for previewing and switching to favorite channels is employed to divide a screen (10) such as a TV screen into a main window (11) and a plurality of sub-windows (12, 13, 14) to display contents of programs of different channels. The sub-windows are used to display the contents of preset favorite channels, while the main window is used to display a content of a program of a current channel. The system includes a tuner (21), a decoder (22), an audio processor (23), an SOC (24), an EEPROM (25), a speaker (26), a display (27), a remote controller (28) and an infrared receiver (29). The SOC respectively connects with the tuner, the decoder, the audio processor, the EEPROM, the display and the infrared receiver. A related method is also provided.

Claims

1. A system for previewing and switching to favorite channels, the system comprising:

a tuner which receives radio signals from an antenna and separates the radio signals into video signals and audio signals;

a decoder which decodes the video signals from the tuner;

a System on Chip (SOC) which receives the video signals from the decoder and outputs the video signals to a display screen;

an electrically erasable and programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) which stores frequencies of favorite channels;

a controller which sends signals for previewing and switching channels;

an infrared receiver which receives the signals for previewing and switching channels, converts the signals to codes of buttons, and sends the codes to the SOC; and

a scalar which changes the screen into a divided screen;

wherein the SOC connects with the tuner, the decoder, the EEPROM, the screen, and the infrared receiver.

2. The system for previewing and switching to favorite channels as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an audio processor which receives the audio signals from the tuner, processes the audio signals, and sends the processed audio signals to a speaker.

3. The system for previewing and switching to favorite channels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the SOC respectively controls each of the tuner and the EEPROM through an Inter-Integrated Circuit (12C) bus.

4. The system for previewing and switching to favorite channels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the SOC comprises a processor, a random-access memory (RAM), and a scalar.

5. The system for previewing and switching to favorite channels as described in claim 4, wherein the RAM stores frequencies of three channels recently watched by one or more users.

6. The system for previewing and switching to favorite channels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller has a previewing button and a switching button for receiving commands for previewing and switching to favorite channels.

7. A method for previewing and switching to a favorite channel, the method comprising:

receiving a command for previewing one or more favorite channels and sending a corresponding infrared signal to an infrared receiver, while a content of a current channel is being displayed on a display screen;

converting the infrared signal into a code, and sending the code to a system on chip (SOC);

controlling a scaler to divide the screen into a main window and one or more sub-windows, and displaying the content of the current channel on the main window;

obtaining one or more frequencies of the favorite channels from an electrically erasable and programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and respectively sending the frequencies to a tuner;

receiving one or more radio signals under the frequencies of the favorite channels, stopping the displaying of the content of the current channel on the main window, and displaying a content or contents of the favorite channels on the sub-windows;

sending a frequency of the current channel to the tuner, and receiving radio signals under the frequency of the current channel;

displaying the content of the current channel on the main window; and

receiving a command for switching to a favorite channel, and causing a content of the favorite channel to be displayed on the main window.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein one or more channel numbers of the favorite channels are displayed in the sub-windows.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the content of the favorite channel is displayed on the main window only if the command for switching to the favorite channel is received within a preset time after the commencement of displaying of the content of the current channel on the main window.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the screen displays only the content of the current channel if the command for switching to the favorite channel is not received within the preset time.

11. A method for previewing and switching television channels on a display device, the method comprising the steps of:

retrieving a preset sequence of predefined television channels;

retrieving program signals of prior ones of said predefined television channels according to said preset sequence;

displaying programs of said prior ones of said predefined television channels simultaneously and respectively on different, corresponding display windows of said display device based on said retrieved program signals; and

switching display of at least one of said prior ones of said predefined television channels to another of said display windows from an original display window thereof in said displaying step.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said sequence is a predefined favorite-channel sequence.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said sequence is a predefined most-recently-watched-channel sequence.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said sequence is a predefined channel sequence from television program providers.

15. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said display windows of said display device include a main window having a larger occupied area on a full screen window of said display device, and at least two sub-windows having a smaller occupied area on said full screen window than said main window.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said display of said at least one of said prior ones of said predefined television channels is switched from one of said at least two sub-windows, as said original display window thereof, to said main window, as said another of said display windows, in said switching step.