System and process for VCR scheduling

• US 4,977,455 A
• Filed: 07/15/1988
• Issued: 12/11/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Starsight Telecast Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Insight Telecast, Inc.
• Inventors: Young, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Shepperd, John W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Parker, Michael D.
• Application Number:
  US07/219,971
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 358/84, 358/86, 358/142, 358/143, 358/144, 358/145, 358/146, 358/147, 358/194.1, 358/310, 358/335, 455/68, 455/70, 455/186, 455/2.4, 360/14.1, 360/69
• US Class Current: 348/460
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 15/006 for operating at a number of different times cigar or cigarette receptacles or boxes with means for limiting the frequency of smoking A24F15/005
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/023 remotely controlled
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/41 Flat as opposed to hierarchical combination, e.g. library of tapes or discs, CD changer, or groups of record carriers that together store one title
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/65 wherein solid state memory is used for storing indexing information or metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/80 Indexing information stored in optical or magnetic or other strip attached to cassette or disc, e.g. barcodes attached to a recording medium
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/107 of operating tapes
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3054 Vertical Interval Time code [VITC]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/309 Table of contents
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/324 Duty cycle modulation of control pulses, e.g. VHS-CTL-coding systems, RAPID-time code, VASS- or VISS-cue signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/328 on a tape [TTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/10 Indicating arrangements; Warning arrangements G11B15/04, G11B19/04, G11B27/34, G11B27/36 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• 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 21/4314 : for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 : for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43622 : Interfacing an external recording device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 : Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 : Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 : End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 : for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 : Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 : End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 : using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 : for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4858 : for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 21/858 : Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 : by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44504 : Circuit details of the additional information generator, e.g. details of the character or graphics signal generator, overlay mixing circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 : Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 : between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 : on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/025 : Systems for the transmission of digital non-picture data, e.g. of text during the active part of a television frame transmission of digital non-picture data during the vertical blanking interval only H04N7/088
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 : the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0884 : for the transmission of additional display-information, e.g. menu for programme or channel selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0887 : for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0888 : Subscription systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 : Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

A VCR schedule controller receives broadcast data over antenna (1) or cable (2) by a programmable tuner (3), which is connected to a teletext receiver (4). The teletext receiver (4) is connected to a microprocessor (5). Microprocessor output (11) is connected to a video display generator (10), used to create text for television receiver (60) to display a message from the microprocessor (5). After processing embedded data in a broadcast, the microprocessor (5) generates a cue for display on TV receiver (60). Remote control receiver (20) receives a command from a remote controller (22) from a viewer input in response to the cue. Remote control receiver (20) supplies a control signal to cause the microprocessor to store the embedded data in memory (9). The microprocessor then issues a message to the display generator (10) as an acknowledgement of the viewer input. The microprocessor (5) monitors the system clock (6) and compares it with stored schedules from the embedded supplemental data. When the system time corresponds to one of the scheduled times, the microprocessor (5) sets the programmable tuner (3) to the stored channel and initiates recording on VCR (30).

Claims

1. A system to allow interactive selection for presentation to a user of supplemental broadcast information pertaining to a primary broadcast, which comprises a recording device, a broadcast receiver, a data processor connected to said recording device and to said broadcast receiver, said data processor including means responsive to a cue broadcast at a first time with, and in addition to, a program comprising the primary broadcast for presenting the cue on the broadcast receiver during, and simultaneous with presenting the primary broadcast on the receiver, the cue indicating the availability at a second time later than the first time of the supplemental broadcast information pertaining to the primary broadcast, means connected to the data processor for receiving a user response to the cue, and means responsive to the user response to the cue for controlling said recording device to record the supplemental broadcast information at the second time.

2. The system to allow interactive selection for presentation to a user of supplemental broadcast information pertaining to a primary broadcast of claim 1 in which schedule information for the supplemental broadcast information is provided with the primary broadcast, and said data processor is configured to store the schedule information in response to the user response to the cue and to use the schedule information to record the supplemental broadcast information with said recording device when the supplemental broadcast information is broadcast.

3. The system to allow interactive selection for presentation to a user of supplemental broadcast information pertaining to a primary broadcast of claim 2 in which said recording device is a video cassette recorder and said broadcast received is a television set.

4. The system to allow interactive selection for presentation to a user of supplemental broadcast information pertaining to a primary broadcast of claim 1 in which said data processor is further configured to provide acknowledgment to the user of the user response to the cue.

5. The system to allow interactive selection for presentation to a user of supplemental broadcast information pertaining to a primary broadcast of claim 1 in which said data processor is further configured to provide a menu display to the user in response to a user response to the cue and to receive user menu selections.

6. The system to allow interactive selection for presentation to a user of supplemental broadcast information pertaining to a primary broadcast of claim 1 in which said system includes means for creating and storing an index of recorded material.

7. The system to allow interactive selection for presentation to a user of supplemental broadcast information pertaining to a primary broadcast of claim 6 in which said system includes means for recording the index on a tape including the recorded material.

21. The system to allow interactive selection for presentation of a user of supplemental broadcast information pertaining to a primary broadcast of claim 1 additionally comprising a memory, said data processor being configured to store information identifying a local channel number on which a cable channel is supplied in said memory.

22. The system to allow interactive selection for presentation of a user of supplemental broadcast information pertaining to a primary broadcast of claim 1 in which the primary broadcast is an advertisement and the supplemental broadcast information is further details about the subject of the advertisement.

8. A system for recording and indexing broadcast information, which comprises a recording device for receiving and recording the broadcast information, means for receiving and storing schedule information, a data processor connected to said recording device, said data processor including means for creating and storing an index of location and identification of recorded broadcast information from index inputs received from the schedule information and from said recording device, said system including a memory for storing information identifying a local channel number on which a cable channel is supplied.

19. The system of claim 8 in which said means for creating and storing an index is configured to store at least a title of the broadcast information as the index input from the schedule information.

20. The system of claim 19 in which said means for creating and storing an index is configured to store at least a numeric location of the recorded information as the index input from the recording device.

9. A system for recording and indexing broadcast information, which comprises a recording device for receiving and recording the broadcast information, a data processor connected to said recording device, said data processor including means for creating and storing an index of recorded broadcast information, said system including means for recording the index on a recording medium including the recorded material, said system including a memory for storing information identifying a local channel number on which a cable channel is supplied.

10. The system for recording and indexing broadcast information of claim 9 in which said system includes means for selecting broadcast information for recording from schedule information and said means for creating and storing the index is configured to compile the index from the schedule information.

11. A process to allow interactive selection for presentation to a user of supplemental broadcast information pertaining to a primary television broadcast, which comprises broadcasting a cue during and in addition to the broadcast at a first time, providing the cue to the user during, and simultaneous with showing of the primary broadcast, the cue indicating the availability at a second time later than the first time of supplemental broadcast information relating to the primary broadcast, receiving a response to the cue from the user, and supplying the supplemental broadcast information to the user at the second time after receiving the cue response from the user.

12. The process to allow interactive selection for presentation to a user of supplemental broadcast information pertaining to a primary broadcast of claim 11 in which schedule information for the supplemental broadcast information is provided with the primary broadcast, the process further comprising storing the schedule information after the user response to the cue and using the schedule information to record the supplemental broadcast information with a recording device when the supplemental broadcast information is broadcast.

13. The process to allow interactive selection for presentation to a user of supplemental broadcast information pertaining to a primary broadcast of claim 11 additionally comprising providing acknowledgment to the user of the user response to the cue.

14. The process to allow interactive selection for presentation to a user of supplemental broadcast information pertaining to a primary broadcast of claim 11 additionally comprising providing a menu display to the user in response to a user response to the cue, receiving user menu selections, and supplying the supplemental broadcast information in accordance with the user menu selections.

15. The process to allow interactive selection for presentation to a user of supplemental broadcast information pertaining to a primary broadcast of claim 11 additionally comprising creating and storing an index of recorded material.

16. The process to allow interactive selection for presentation to a user of supplemental broadcast information pertaining to a primary broadcast of claim 15 additionally comprising recording the index on a tape including the recorded material.

23. The process to allow interactive selection for presentation of a user of supplemental broadcast information pertaining to a primary broadcast of claim 11 additionally comprising the steps of receiving a user input identifying a local channel number on which a cable channel is supplied, and storing the local number on which a cable channel is supplied.

24. The process to allow interactive selection for presentation of a user of supplemental broadcast information pertaining to a primary broadcast of claim 11 in which the broadcast is an advertisement and the supplemental information is further details about the subject of the advertisement.

17. A process for recording and indexing broadcast information, which comprises receiving a user input identifying a local channel number on which a cable channel is received, storing information corresponding to the user input identifying the local channel number on which the cable channel is supplied, receiving and recording the broadcast information, creating and storing an index of recorded broadcast information, and recording the index on a recording medium including the recorded material.

18. The process for recording and indexing broadcast information of claim 17 additionally comprising selecting broadcast information for recording from schedule information and in which the index is created from the schedule information.