Device for the automatic editing, at the receiver, of unwanted program material from broadcast electrical signals

• US 4,420,769 A
• Filed: 03/22/1978
• Issued: 12/13/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Albert P. Novak
• Original Assignee: Albert P. Novak
• Inventors: Novak, Albert P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Griffin, Robert L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Coles, Edward L.
• Application Number:
  US05/889,049
• Time in Patent Office: 2,092 Days
• Field of Search: 358/142, 358/143, 358/84, 358/139, 358/138, 358/182, 358/181, 358/127, 325/64, 179/1 VC, 179/1 SW, 360/60, 360/61
• US Class Current: 348/180
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/13 Arrangements for device control affected by the broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID

Abstract

A device which monitors information contained in broadcast electrical signals and which, when attached to or combined with the circuitry of a television, radio or other receiver, will automatically prevent reception of unwanted material.

Claims

1. A system for the elimination of predetermined video/audio program information from broadcasted video/audio signals comprising, in combination:

a video/audio signal source;

a video/audio signal;

a video/audio signal output normally connected to said video/audio source;

a switch to disconnect said output from said source;

and switch operation means to cause blanking of unwanted video/audio signal information from said video/audio signal output by providing the operation of said switch correlative to the information contained within said video/audio signal and wherein said switch operation means includes a video/audio signal sampling/conversion means for sampling a content of the video/audio signal, and converting the video/audio signal samples into data bits representing digital words;

a memory means adapted to store digital words therein;

programming means for storing selected digital words within said memory means;

a comparator means for comparing the output of said video/audio signal sampling means with said memory to obtain an enabling output from said comparator means when said digital words generated by said video/audio signal sampling/conversion means match;

transmitting means for routing said enabling output to, and operating, said switch.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said video/audio signal sampling/conversion means is coupled to timing means, arranged to cause selected portions of said video/audio signal to be sampled by said video/audio signal sampling means and unselected portions of said video/audio signal not to be sampled.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said timing means includes synchronization means for synchronization of the selection of said video/audio signal portions to the content of said signal.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said system is used in connection with television signals, said synchronization means being a vertical deflection pulse component of said signal.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein said timing means and said comparator means are capable of multiphase operation, and wherein phase switching means is coupled thereto to intercoordinate said multiphase operation.

6. The system of claim 3 said synchronization means being a pulse generated by signal monitoring means adapted to generate said pulse in time with an equaling of said signal to a predetermined value.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising self-adjusting datum means relative to which said data bits are generated by said video/audio sampling/conversion means.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said self-adjusting datum means is coupled to said video/audio signal sampling means to derive said datum from information contained within the signal.

9. The system of claim 3 wherein said video/audio signal sampling/conversion means is coupled to timing means, arranged to cause selected portions of said video/audio signal to be sampled by said signal sampling means and unselected portions of said video/audio signal not to be sampled.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said timing means includes synchronization means for synchronization of the selection of said signal portions to the content of said signal.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said system is used in connection with television signals, said synchronization means being the vertical deflection pulse component of said signal.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein said timing means and said comparator means are capable of multiphase operation, and wherein phase switching means is coupled thereto to intercoordinate said multiphase operation.

13. The system of claim 10 said synchronization means being a pulse generated by signal monitoring means adapted to generate said pulse in time with an equaling of said video/audio signal to a predetermined value.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein said memory means includes sub-storage divisions is arranged with said programming means to store selected digital words of like groups within like memory divisions;

wherein each memory division relates to a corresponding position of said switch;

wherein said memory means said comparator means said enabling output and said transmitting means are arranged to cause the operation of said switch in correlation to the word group for which a given match is obtained.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said video/audio signal sampling/conversion means is coupled to timing means, arranged to cause selected portions of said video/audio signal to be sampled by said signal sampling means and unselected portions of said video/audio signal not to be sampled.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said timing means includes synchronization means for synchronization of the selection of said video/audio signal portions to the content of said video/audio signal.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein said system is used in connection with television signals, said synchronization means being the vertical deflection pulse component of said signal.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein said timing means and said comparator means are capable of multiphase operation, and wherein phase switching means is coupled thereto to intercoordinate said multiphase operation.

19. The system of claim 16 said synchronization means being a pulse generated by signal monitoring means adapted to generate said pulse in time with an equaling, of said video/audio signal, to a predetermined value.

20. The system of claim 14 further comprising self-adjusting datum means relative to which said data bits are generated by said video/audio sampling/conversion means.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein said self-adjusting datum means is coupled to said video/audio signal sampling means to derive said datum from information contained within video/audio the signal.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein said video/audio signal sampling conversion means is coupled to timing means, arranged to cause selected portions of said video/audio signal to be sampled by said signal sampling means and unselected portions of said signal not to be sampled.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein said timing means includes synchronization means for synchronization of the selection of said video/audio signal portions to the content of said signal.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein said system is used in connection with television signals, said synchronization means being the vertical deflection pulse component of said signal.

25. The system of claim 23 wherein said timing means and said comparator means are capable of multiphase operation, and wherein phase switching means is coupled thereto to intercoordinate said multiphase operation.

26. The system of claim 23 said synchronization means being a pulse generated by signal monitoring means adapted to generate said pulse in time with an equaling, of said video/audio signal, to a predetermined value.

27. The system for the elimination of unwanted program information from signals specified in claim 1 wherein said video/audio signal source is the output of a detector arranged for the reception of transmitted video/audio material.

28. The system for the elimination of unwanted information from signals specified in claim 27 wherein said video/audio signal is the video/audio signal obtained at said detector output.

29. The system for the elimination of unwanted information from signals specified in claim 1 wherein said video/audio signals are characterized as television programming.

30. A system for the elimination of predetermined video/audio program information from broadcasted video/audio signals according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined video/audio program information is unwanted commercial announcements.

31. The system of claim 30 wherein said commercial announcements are characterized as repetitive.