RECORDING CONTROL APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING RECORDING CONTROL APPARATUS

• US 20080226257A1
• Filed: 03/06/2008
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yonishi, Osamu, Kikkawa, Teruki, Shikata, Yasushi, Mito, Koji, Miyamoto, Katsuhiro, Yoshikawa, Tomoyasu, Hanamitsu, Satoshi, Asanuma, Tomoya
• Granted Patent: US 8,565,587 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/83
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4436 Power management, e.g. shutting down unused components of the receiver power management in computer systems G06F1/3203; hibernate or awake process in computer systems G06F9/4418
• 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 5/63 Generation or supply of power specially adapted for television receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums

Abstract

A recording control apparatus is connected to and in communication with a recording apparatus capable of recording a broadcasting video image on a storage unit and has two or more operating state levels that differ in power consumption. The recording control apparatus includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire program information about a program currently being viewed, a determination unit configured to determine a user'"'"'s recording tendency level as to a program currently being viewed based on the program information acquired by the acquisition unit, and a control unit configured to issue a command to control the operating state level of the recording apparatus based on the recording tendency level determined by the determination unit.

Claims

1. A recording control apparatus connected to and in communication with a recording apparatus capable of recording a broadcasting video image in a storage unit, wherein the recording apparatus has two or more operating state levels that differ in power consumption, the recording control apparatus comprising:

an acquisition unit configured to acquire program information about a program currently being viewed;

a determination unit configured to determine a user'"'"'s recording tendency level as to the program currently being viewed based on the program information acquired by the acquisition unit; and

a control unit configured to issue a command to control an operating state level of the recording apparatus based on the recording tendency level determined by the determination unit.

2. The recording control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit acquires information about an operating state level of the recording apparatus in advance and stores setting information that associates the recording tendency level with the operating state level.

3. The recording control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit determines an operating state level of the recording apparatus based on the recording tendency level determined by the determination unit and the setting information, and responsive to the determined operating state level differing from an actual operating state level of the recording apparatus, issues a command to set the operating state level of the recording apparatus to be the determined operating state level.

4. The recording control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording apparatus includes at least two storage units capable of recording a program video image, the storage units having respective recordable capacities,

the recording control apparatus further comprising a calculation unit configured to calculate a recorded data amount in immediate recording of a program currently being viewed by a user, and wherein

the control unit receives data on the recordable capacity of each of the storage units from the recording apparatus, and issues a command to control an operating state level of the recording apparatus based on the recording tendency level, the recorded data amount, and the recordable capacity.

5. The recording control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control unit determines an operating state level of small power consumption to be the operating state level of the recording apparatus, the operating state level of small power consumption being among operating state levels at which at least one of the storage units that has a capacity larger than the recorded data amount can perform recording.

6. A method for controlling a recording control apparatus connected to and in communication with a recording apparatus capable of recording a broadcasting video image in a storage unit wherein the recording apparatus has two or more operating state levels that differ in power consumption, the method comprising:

acquiring program information about a program currently being viewed;

determining a user'"'"'s recording tendency level as to a program currently being viewed based on the acquired program information; and

issuing a command to control an operating state level of the recording apparatus based on the determined recording tendency level.

7. The method for controlling a recording control apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

acquiring information about an operating state level of the recording apparatus in advance and storing setting information that associates the recording tendency level with the operating state level in a storage unit.

8. The method for controlling a recording control apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

determining an operating state level of the recording apparatus based on the determined recording tendency level and the setting information, and

issuing, responsive to the determined operating state level differing from an actual operating state level of the recording apparatus, a command to set the operating state level of the recording apparatus to be the determined operating state level.

9. The method for controlling a recording control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the recording apparatus includes at least two storage units capable of recording a program video image, the at least two storage units having respective recordable capacities,

the method further comprising:

calculating a recorded data amount in immediate recording of a program currently being viewed by a user, acquiring data on a recordable capacity of each of the storage units from the recording apparatus; and

issuing a command to control an operating state level of the recording apparatus based on the recording tendency level, the recorded data amount, and the recordable capacity.

10. The method for controlling a recording control apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

determining an operating state level of small power consumption to be the operating state level of the recording apparatus, the operating state level of small power consumption being among operating state levels at which at least one of the storage units that has a capacity larger than the recorded data amount can perform recording.

11. A recording control system comprising:

a recording apparatus capable of recording a broadcasting video image in a storage unit wherein the recording apparatus has two or more operating state levels that differ in power consumption; and

a recording control apparatus connected to and in communication with the recording apparatus,

the recording control apparatus including;

an acquisition unit configured to acquire program information about a program currently being viewed;

a determination unit configured to determine a user'"'"'s recording tendency level as to a program currently being viewed based on the program information acquired by the acquisition unit; and

a control unit configured to issue a command to control the operating state level of the recording apparatus based on the recording tendency level determined by the determination unit; and

the recording apparatus including;

a receiving unit configured to receive the command; and

a change unit configured to execute control to set the operating state level of the recording apparatus to be the designated operating state level.