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Apparatus for providing TV program information

  • US 5,343,300 A
  • Filed: 11/27/1991
  • Issued: 08/30/1994
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/22/1990
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. In a television signal processing system wherein the television signals include image representative information and a plurality of accompanying segments of supplementary information including program identification information, and a listing of program title information, program starting times, and program source information, the supplementary information being encoded during vertical blanking intervals of the broadcast signal with at least the program identification information being disposed within vertical blanking intervals of related image-representative information and further being included within said listing, signal processing apparatus comprising:

  • tuning means for selectively receiving television signals transmitted by individual program sources, the received signals including image-representative information and accompanying segments of supplementary information;

    first signal decoder means for decoding said listing and said included program identification information;

    memory means for storing and retrieving at least said program title information and included starting time information for the current program and starting time information for the next program decoded by said first signal decoder means;

    a first controller means coupled to said first decoder means for selectively transferring said segments of supplementary information among said memory means, said first decoder means and said first controller means;

    second signal decoder means for decoding said program identification information disposed within blanking intervals of related image-representative information;

    said first controller means, upon initial reception of signals from an individual program source by said tuning means, sequentially causing said second signal decoder means to decode said program identification information accompanying related image-representative information, thereafter causing said first signal decoder means to identify the same program identification information within said listing and to store at least program title information of said listing in said memory means, said first controller means thereafter transferring said program title information from said memory means for display thereof along with related image-representative information;

    said program identification information may appear on a page of data n of m pages of data, and may continue onto one of a second page also designated n and a further page designated n+1, said second signal decoder means searches said pages and decodes said program information to retrieve one ofa) the starting time and ending time of the current program; and

    b) the starting time of the current program and the starting time of a subsequent program;

    said first signal decoder thereafter deriving and displaying one of said ending time of the current program and the time remaining in the current program.

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