BROADCAST RECEIVING SYSTEM

• US 20080134244A1
• Filed: 11/29/2007
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd. (Funai Electric Holdings Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd. (Funai Electric Holdings Company Limited)
• Inventors: YAMAMOTO, Naoki
• Application Number:
  US11/947,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20080134244A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42209 for displaying non-command information, e.g. electronic program guide [EPG], e-mail, messages or a second television channel
• 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• 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 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A broadcast receiving system includes a broadcast receiving device and a remote control. The broadcast receiving device receives television broadcasts. The broadcast receiving device includes a program information storage component, a search component and an output component. The program information storage component stores program information for receivable programs. The program information has channel information and program schedule information. The search component searches for a matching program out of the receivable programs based on the program schedule information. The output component outputs the channel information corresponding to the matching program. The remote control communicates with the broadcast receiving device. The remote control includes a display component and a display control component. The display control component acquires the channel information outputted by the output component and display the channel information on the display component.

Claims

1. A broadcast receiving system comprising:

a broadcast receiving device configured to receive a television broadcast, the broadcast receiving device including

a program information storage component configured to store program information that includes channel information identifying channels of receivable programs and program schedule information indicating schedules of the receivable programs,

a search component configured to search for a matching program out of the receivable programs based on the program schedule information, and acquire the channel information corresponding to the matching program, and

an output component configured to output the channel information corresponding to the matching program; and

a remote control configured to communicate with the broadcast receiving device, the remote control including

a display component, and

a display control component configured to acquire the channel information outputted by the output component and display the channel information on the display component.

2. The broadcast receiving system according to claim 1, wherein

the program information storage component of the broadcast receiving device is further configured to store program start time information indicating start times of the receivable programs and end time information indicating end times of the receivable programs as part of the program schedule information.

3. The broadcast receiving system according to claim 1, wherein

the search component of the broadcast receiving device is further configured to search for the matching program in response to the power has been turned on to the broadcast receiving device.

4. The broadcast receiving system according to claim 3, wherein

the broadcast receiving device further includes

a program acquisition component configured to acquire the program information via the television broadcast at a preset timing,

a program determination component configured to determine whether or not the program information acquired by the program acquisition component matches the program information stored in the program information storage component, and

a program detection component configured to detect updated programs, which are included in the program information acquired by the program acquisition component but not currently included in the program information stored in the program information storage component, when the program determination component determines that the program information acquired by the program acquisition component does not match the program information stored in the program information storage component, and

the search component of the broadcast receiving device is further configured to search for the matching program when the program determination component determines that the program information acquired by the program acquisition component does not match the program information stored in the program information storage component.

5. The broadcast receiving system according to claim 1, wherein

the broadcast receiving device further includes

a program acquisition component configured to acquire the program information via the television broadcast at a preset timing,

a program determination component configured to determine whether or not the program information acquired by the program acquisition component matches the program information stored in the program information storage component, and

a program detection component configured to detect updated programs, which are included in the program information acquired by the program acquisition component but not currently included in the program information stored in the program information storage component, when the program determination component determines that the program information acquired by the program acquisition component does not match the program information stored in the program information storage component, and

the search component of the broadcast receiving device is further configured to search for the matching program when the program determination component determines that the program information acquired by the program acquisition component does not match the program information stored in the program information storage component.

6. The broadcast receiving system according to claim 1, wherein

the broadcast receiving device further includes

a genre storage component configured to store preset genre information indicating genres of programs and being preset in advance,

the program information storage component of the broadcast receiving device is further configured to store genre information indicating genres of the receivable programs as part of the program information, and

the search component of the broadcast receiving device is further configured to search for the matching program corresponding to the genre information that matches the preset genre information stored in the genre storage component.

7. The broadcast receiving system according to claim 6, wherein

the output component of the broadcast receiving device is further configured to output the genre information corresponding to the matching program to the remote control, and

the display control component of the remote control is further configured to receive the genre information outputted by the output component and display the genre information according to the channel information on the display component.

8. The broadcast receiving system according to claim 1, wherein

the broadcast receiving device further includes

a character storage component configured to store preset character information indicating names of characters appealing in programs and being preset in advance,

the program information storage component of the broadcast receiving device is further configured to store character information indicating names of characters appealing in the receivable programs as part of the program information, and

the search component of the broadcast receiving device is further configured to search for the matching program corresponding to the character information that matches the preset character information stored in the character storage component.

9. The broadcast receiving system according to claim 8, wherein

the output component of the broadcast receiving device is further configured to output the character information corresponding to the matching program to the remote control, and

the display control component of the remote control is further configured to receive the character information outputted by the output component and display the character information according to the channel information on the display component.

10. The broadcast receiving system according to claim 1, wherein

the display control component of the remote control is further configured to flash the display component for a specific length of time when the display control component receives the channel information corresponding to the matching program.

11. The broadcast receiving system according to claim 1, wherein

the broadcast receiving device further includes

a display component configured to output the television broadcast, and

a display control component configured to display the channel information corresponding to the matching programs on the display component of the broadcast receiving device.

12. The broadcast receiving system according to claim 1, wherein

the broadcast receiving device further includes

a genre storage component configured to store preset genre information indicating genres of programs and being preset in advance,

a character storage component configured to store preset character information indicating names of characters appealing in programs and being preset in advance,

the program information storage component of the broadcast receiving device is further configured to store genre information indicating genres of the receivable programs and character information indicating names of characters appealing in the receivable programs as part of the program information, and

the search component of the broadcast receiving device is further configured to search for the matching program corresponding to at least one of the genre information that matches the preset genre information stored in the genre storage component and the character information that matches the preset character information stored in the character storage component.

13. A broadcast receiving device for receiving a television broadcast, comprising:

a program information storage component configured to store program information that includes channel information identifying channels of receivable programs and program schedule information indicating schedules of the receivable programs;

a search component configured to search for a matching program out of the receivable programs based on the program schedule information, and acquire the channel information corresponding to the matching program; and

an output component configured to output the channel information corresponding to the matching program so that the channel information is displayed on a display component of a remote control.

14. A broadcast receiving method for receiving a television broadcast, comprising:

providing program information that includes channel information identifying channels of receivable programs and program schedule information indicating schedules of the receivable programs;

searching for a matching program out of the receivable programs based on the program schedule information;

acquiring the channel information corresponding to the matching program; and

outputting the channel information corresponding to the matching program so that the channel information is displayed on a display component of a remote control.