SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR AVOIDING MISSING TELEVISION PROGRAMMING WHEN CHANGING BETWEEN TELEVISION CHANNELS
First Claim
1. A method in a television (TV) channel buffering and playback manager system, the method comprising:
- playing TV program content on a first TV channel by at least one computer processor that is in control of the system;
switching, by the at least one computer processor, to at least one TV channel different from the first TV channel in response to user input;
switching, by the at least one computer processor, back to the first TV channel in response to user input; and
in response to the switching back to the first TV channel, playing, by the at least one computer processor, the TV program content on the first TV channel from a point at which the TV program content being played on the first TV channel approximately was when the switching to the at least one different TV channel began.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A buffering and playback manager of a receiving device facilitates a user avoiding missing television programming on a television (TV) channel when the user is changes to another TV channel. When a user returns to a previously visited TV channel, the TV channel buffering and playback manager 100 is configured to continue the television programming from a point the TV program was at when the user had de-selected that TV channel. The TV programming of the previously visited TV channel starts or continues to be stored in a buffer when the receiving device de-selects that TV channel. Upon returning to that TV channel, the TV program data stored in the buffer is played on the TV channel instead of the live broadcast being played on that TV channel.
-
Citations
21 Claims
-
1. A method in a television (TV) channel buffering and playback manager system, the method comprising:
-
playing TV program content on a first TV channel by at least one computer processor that is in control of the system; switching, by the at least one computer processor, to at least one TV channel different from the first TV channel in response to user input; switching, by the at least one computer processor, back to the first TV channel in response to user input; and in response to the switching back to the first TV channel, playing, by the at least one computer processor, the TV program content on the first TV channel from a point at which the TV program content being played on the first TV channel approximately was when the switching to the at least one different TV channel began. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
-
-
12. A television (TV) channel buffering and playback manager comprising:
-
at least one computer processor; and a memory coupled to the at least one computer processor, wherein the at least one computer processor is configured to; switch between presentation of a plurality of TV channels over a period of time in response to input from a user, wherein the switching between presentation of the plurality of TV channels includes periods of time spent at each of the plurality of TV channels; and facilitate the user avoiding missing programming during the switching between the presentation of the plurality of TV channels at least by at least being configured to buffer TV programming at least by being configured to record points at which the TV programming TV program content being played on the TV channel is at in response to the input from the user causing the switching between presentation of a plurality of TV channels. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
-
19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer executable instructions thereon that, when executed by at least one computer processor, cause at least one computer processor to:
-
detect when a user tunes from a first television (TV) channel to a second TV channel; in response to the detecting when the user tunes to the second TV channel, record a reference associated with a point within buffered or stored TV program content of the first TV channel corresponding to a point that content being played on the first TV channel is approximately at when the user tuned to the second TV channel; detect when the user tunes back to the first TV channel; and start to play, based on the recorded reference and on the detecting when the user tunes back to the first TV channel, the buffered TV program content of the first TV channel from the point that the content being played on the first TV channel was approximately at when the user tuned to the second TV channel. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
-
Specification