Sub-program avoidance redirection for broadcast receivers

• US 20090141168A1
• Filed: 06/09/2008
• Published: 06/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daedalus Blue LLC
• Original Assignee: John Hans Handy-Bosma, Keith Raymond Walker, Nancy T. Sun, Yen-Fu Chen
• Inventors: Walker, Keith Raymond, Handy-Bosma, John Hans, Chen, Yen-Fu, Sun, Nancy T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,800,701 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/465
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 automatically tuning a primary broadcast receiver using a secondary broadcast receiver to receive a first broadcast signal corresponding to a source of an origin program, one or more program transition detectors to monitor first broadcast signal tuned by the secondary broadcast receiver to determine and signal a transition from a non-original program content to origin program content while a user views or hears alternate programming from a primary broadcast receiver, and automatically tuning of the primary broadcast receiver to the first broadcast signal upon detection by the program transition detector that one or more of user-specific tune conditions have been met.

Claims

1. A system for automatically tuning a primary broadcast receiver comprising:

a secondary broadcast receiver configured to receive a first broadcast signal corresponding to a source of an origin program;

one or more program transition detectors configured to monitor said first broadcast signal from said secondary broadcast receiver to determine and signal a transition from a non-original program content to an origin program content;

a set of user-specified tune conditions;

a tuner controller configured to, upon user activation, enable said secondary broadcast receiver and program transition detector to begin monitoring a first broadcast signal currently tuned by said primary broadcast receiver, to allow tuning of said primary broadcast receiver by a user, and to automatically tune said primary broadcast receiver to said first broadcast signal upon signal by said program transition detector that one or more of said user-specific tune conditions have been met.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said primary and secondary broadcast receivers are television receivers.

3. The system as set forth in claim 2 wherein said program transition detector comprises a fixed period timer.

4. The system as set forth in claim 2 wherein said program transition detector comprises a timer configured to expire at a user-specified integral multiple of a fixed time period.

5. The system as set forth in claim 2 wherein said program transition detector comprises a volume change detector.

6. The system as set forth in claim 2 wherein said program transition detector comprises a vocabulary change detector.

7. The system as set forth in claim 6 wherein said vocabulary change detector is configured to analyze words from a decoded closed captioning text stream.

8. The system as set forth in claim 6 wherein said vocabulary change detector is configured to analyze words from a decoded Secondary Audio Program.

9. The system as set forth in claim 6 wherein said vocabulary change detector is configured to analyze words recognized from an audio portion of said broadcast signal.

10. The system as set forth in claim 2 wherein said program transition detector comprises detecting a change in a content rating indicator.

11. The system as set forth in claim 10 wherein said content rating indicator is a V-chip indicator.

12. The system as set forth in claim 2 wherein said program transition detector comprises a scene-based program segment detector.

13. The system as set forth in claim 2 wherein said program transition detector comprises an interprogram dead frame detector.

14. The system as set forth in claim 2 wherein said tuner controller is further configured to select a signal source for enabling said secondary receiver to monitor, and to select a signal source for tuning said primary receiver.

15. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said tuner controller is further configured to insert an alert tone or message into an audible output of the primary receiver upon said tuning action.

16. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said primary and secondary receivers comprise over-the-air radio receivers.

17. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said primary and secondary receivers comprise satellite signal receivers.

18. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said primary and secondary receivers comprise wireless telephone receivers.

19. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said primary and secondary receivers comprise at least one pervasive computing device.

20. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said primary and secondary receivers comprise at least one web browser device.

21. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a detector installer for receiving and installing one or more additional program transition detectors.

24. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said set of user-specified tune conditions comprises a plurality of tune conditions wherein each tune condition is associated with at least one user indicator.

25. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said set of user-specified tune conditions comprises a priority indicator for resolving the user importance of each condition in the evaluation of said conditions.

22. The system as set forth in claim 22 wherein said detector installer comprises a removable computer media.

23. The system as set forth in claim 22 wherein said detector installer comprises a download receiver.