Mobile terminal, method for recording/reproducing broadcast in mobile terminal, and broadcast recording/reproducing program

• US 20070183744A1
• Filed: 03/07/2005
• Published: 08/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Yoshiaki, Koshijima, Miwa, Koizumi, Michiaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,493,079 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/291
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3805 with built-in auxiliary receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/11 Arrangements for counter-measures when a portion of broadcast information is unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/32 Arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations, e.g. malfunction or breakdown of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording

Abstract

To provide a mobile terminal having a broadcast receiving function, wherein even when reception of an incoming call or start of a call interrupts playback of a broadcast being received, all remaining contents of the broadcast including an interrupted part can be played back after the call has ended. Upon receiving notification of call start from a broadcast control unit 112, a recording/playback unit 113 interrupts outputting a TV broadcast being received to a speaker 105 and a display 106, and records audio data and video data in units of frames of the broadcast in a storage unit 114. Upon receiving notification of call end from the broadcast control unit 112, the recording/playback unit 113 continues recording the data in the storage unit 114, reads the data recorded in the storage unit 114 from an interrupted part thereof, and outputs these data to the speaker 105 and the display 106.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal having a broadcast program receiving function in addition to a communication function, comprising:

a memory;

a recording unit operable, when playback of a broadcast program being received is disabled by the communication function, to record the broadcast program in the memory as broadcast data, the communication function having priority over the playback; and

a playback unit operable, when the disabled playback changes to be enabled, to play back the broadcast data.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein

the playback is disabled either on receipt of an incoming call having priority over the playback, or on commencement of a call, and

the disabled playback changes to be enabled when the call ends.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein

the playback unit includes a first playback subunit operable to receive a specification of a playback speed from a user and play back the recorded broadcast data at the specified playback speed.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein

the first playback subunit includes:

a standard playback subunit operable to play back the recorded broadcast data at a standard playback speed equal to an original playback speed of the broadcast program; and

a high-speed playback subunit operable to play back the broadcast data at a playback speed higher than the standard playback speed.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein

the first playback subunit further includes a special playback subunit operable to perform slow playback and reverse playback during the playback of the recorded broadcast data.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein

the high-speed playback subunit includes a calculation subunit operable to receive a remaining playback time period from the user, and calculate, based on a predetermined formula, a playback speed indicating a number of frames to be played back per second, and

the high-speed playback subunit reads the broadcast data from the memory, and plays back the read broadcast data at the calculated playback speed.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein

when another incoming call is received during the playback or when another call starts, the playback unit interrupts the playback,

the calculation subunit recalculates a playback speed based on the predetermined formula, and

an output subunit outputs the recorded broadcast data from an interrupted part, to a monitor at the re-calculated playback speed.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein

the predetermined formula used by the calculation subunit is

$\begin{array}{c}{x}_n=x_0+\frac{1}{t_R}\end{array}$

∑

i=1n⁢

(x0⁡

(ti+pi-1)-xi-1⁢

pi-1),⁢

where 

x_n is a reading speed at which the output subunit reads the video data from the memory after an end of a number of n calls [frame/sec],

x₀ is a number of frames to be played back per second at the standard playback speed, i.e. a reading speed at which the video data to be read from the memory [30 fps],

t_R is a specified remaining high-speed playback time period (a chasing playback time period) [sec],

t_i is a duration of an i-th call [sec], and

p_i is a high-speed playback time period after an end of the i-th call [sec].

9. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein

the predetermined formula used by the calculation subunit is

$\begin{array}{c}{x}_n=x_0+\frac{1}{t_R}\end{array}$

∑

i=1n⁢

(x0⁡

(ti+pi-1)-xi-1⁢

pi-1),⁢

where 

x_n is a reading speed at which the output subunit reads the video data from the memory after an end of a number of n calls [frame/sec],

x₀ is a number of frames to be played back per second at the standard playback speed, i.e. a reading speed at which the video data to be read from the memory [30 fps],

t_R is a specified remaining high-speed playback time period (a chasing playback time period) [sec],

t_i is a duration of an i-th call [sec], and

p_i is a high-speed playback time period after an end of the i-th call [sec].

10. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein

the high-speed playback subunit includes a calculation subunit operable to receive a remaining playback time period from the user, and calculate, based on a predetermined formula, a playback speed indicating a number of frames to be played back per second, and

the high-speed playback subunit reads the broadcast data from the memory, and plays back the read broadcast data at the calculated playback speed.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein

when another incoming call is received during the playback or when another call starts, the playback unit interrupts the playback,

the calculation subunit recalculates a playback speed based on the predetermined formula, and

an output subunit outputs the recorded broadcast data from an interrupted part, to a monitor at the re-calculated playback speed.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein

the predetermined formula used by the calculation subunit is

$\begin{array}{c}{x}_n=x_0+\frac{1}{t_R}\end{array}$

∑

i=1n⁢

(x0⁡

(ti+pi-1)-xi-1⁢

pi-1),⁢

where 

x_n is a reading speed at which the output subunit reads the video data from the memory after an end of a number of n calls [frame/sec],

x₀ is a number of frames to be played back per second at the standard playback speed, i.e. a reading speed at which the video data to be read from the memory [30 fps],

t_R is a specified remaining high-speed playback time period (a chasing playback time period) [sec],

t_i is a duration of an i-th call [sec], and

p_i is a high-speed playback time period after an end of the i-th call [sec].

13. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein

the predetermined formula used by the calculation subunit is

$\begin{array}{c}{x}_n=x_0+\frac{1}{t_R}\end{array}$

∑

i=1n⁢

(x0⁡

(ti+pi-1)-xi-1⁢

pi-1),⁢

where 

x_n is a reading speed at which the output subunit reads the video data from the memory after an end of a number of n calls [frame/sec],

x₀ is a number of frames to be played back per second at the standard playback speed, i.e. a reading speed at which the video data to be read from the memory [30 fps],

t_R is a specified remaining high-speed playback time period (a chasing playback time period) [sec],

t_i is a duration of an i-th call [sec], and

p_i is a high-speed playback time period after an end of the i-th call [sec].

14. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein

when broadcasting of the broadcast program being played back ends, the recording unit stops recording the broadcast program.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein

the playback unit further includes a second playback subunit operable, when the specification of the playback speed is not received, to play back the recorded broadcast data at a default playback speed suitable for hearing audio.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein

the playback unit further includes a second playback subunit operable, when the specification of the playback speed is not received, to play back the recorded broadcast data at a default playback speed suitable for hearing audio.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 16, wherein

the second playback subunit plays back the recorded broadcast data at a playback speed within a range from 1.0 time to 2.0 times the standard playback speed.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein

when the playback of the recorded broadcast data by the second playback subunit or the high-speed playback subunit catches up with the real-time broadcast, or when broadcasting of the broadcast program being played back ends during the playback of the recorded broadcast data by the standard playback subunit, the recording unit stops recording the broadcast program.

19. A method for recording and playing back a broadcast program in a mobile terminal having a broadcast program receiving function in addition to a communication function, the method comprising the steps of:

recording, when playback of a broadcast program being received is disabled by the communication function, the broadcast program in the memory as broadcast data, the communication function having priority over the playback; and

playing back, when the disabled playback changes to be enabled, the broadcast data.

20. A program for recording and playing back a broadcast program applied to a mobile terminal having a broadcast program receiving function in addition to a communication function, wherein

the program causes a computer to execute the steps of:

recording, when playback of a broadcast program being received is disabled by the communication function, the broadcast program in the memory as broadcast data, the communication function having priority over the playback; and

playing back, when the disabled playback changes to be enabled, the broadcast data.