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

• Current Assignee: RCA Thomson Licensing Corporation
• Original Assignee: RCA Thomson Licensing Corporation
• Inventors: Hennig, Bruno E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Groody, James J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Harvey, David E.
• Application Number:
  US07/801,775
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• Field of Search: 358/142, 358/141, 358/147, 358/146, 358/335, 360/33.1, 360/69
• US Class Current: 348/478
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0887 for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals

Abstract

A known system derives information from the VPS- and Teletext signals and displays the title of the current program and the network name on screen for a few seconds, each time a new channel is selected. The VPS- and Teletext signals contain more program-related information than mentioned above. The present invention concerns deriving the end-time and/or the remaining duration of the current program as well as the starting-time of the next program for display on-screen.

Claims

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 of

a) 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.

2. Signal processing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said second page also designated n is a rolling page.

3. Signal processing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said listing comprises teletext information and said first signal decoder means comprises a teletext decoder system.

4. Signal processing apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said second signal decoder means comprises a VPV or VPT decoder system.

5. Signal processing apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said first controller means provides first control signals to said first signal decoder means, upon initial reception of a running program, to cause said first signal decoder means to search teletext transmissions for program identification information matching corresponding information provided by said second signal decoder means.

6. Signal processing apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said second signal decoder means comprises a VPV or VPT decoder system.

7. Signal processing apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said first controller means transfers program source information, program starting time information and one of program ending time and time remaining in said current program, from said memory means for display along with said program title information.

8. A method of processing television signals wherein the television signals include image-representative information and a plurality of segments of accompanying supplementary information including program identification information having a time component, and a listing including program title information and program source information, the supplementary information being encoded during vertical blanking intervals of the television signal with at least the program identification information being disposed within vertical blanking intervals of related image-representative information and further being included within the listing, the method comprising:

tuning a television signal processor for selectively receiving signals transmitted by an individual program source, the received signals including said image-representative information and accompanying segments of supplementary information;

decoding said listing and said included program identification information;

storing said decoded listing and included program identification information for subsequent retrieval;

decoding said program identification information disposed within blanking intervals of related image-representative information;

comparing said last-named program identification information with said included program identification information to identify matching information; and

displaying at least program title information accompanying said included identification information upon identifying matching program identification information;

searching for information on rolling pages and subsequent pages to derive ending time information for the current program by,

reading again a page of data bearing the same designation as the previously-read page of data of said listing;

determining if said read-again page of data is the same as said previously-read page or a rolling page;

reading a subsequent page of data if said read-again page of data is the same as said previously-read page of data; and

determining an ending time from one of an explicit ending time and the starting time of a subsequent program.