Recording and reproducing apparatus having program information

• US 5,379,153 A
• Filed: 01/18/1991
• Issued: 01/03/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Misono, Kousuki, Tsuneki, Miwako, Ota, Kiyoshi, Ishii, Toshiyuki, Nishigaki, Tetsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Callahan, Timothy P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, TRONG Q
• Application Number:
  US07/644,294
• Time in Patent Office: 1,446 Days
• Field of Search: 360/27, 360/69, 360/74.4, 360/33.1, 360/32, 360/61, 360/62, 360/31
• US Class Current: 360/27
• 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 15/026 by using processor, e.g. microcomputer
• 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

Abstract

Apparatus is provided for recording on and reproducing from a record medium events supplied at particular times from at least one source, as well as preset data selectively input by a user to establish an event to be recorded and the time of recording that event. Preset data to select source, time and duration of events to be recorded on the record medium are selectively input and stored in a temporary storage device for recording on the record medium. A display operates to display preset data stored in the storage device and is controlled to provide indications of events to be (and that may have been) recorded.

Claims

1. Apparatus for recording on and reproducing from a record medium event signals supplied at particular times from at least one source as well as preset data selectively input by a user which data establishes an event signal to be recorded and the time of recording that event signal, said apparatus comprising:

data input means for selectively producing preset data to select source, time and duration of event signals to be recorded on said record medium;

temporary storage means operatively coupled to said data input means for storing said preset data produced by said data input means for recording on said record medium and for storing preset data reproduced from said record medium;

display means connected to display preset data stored in said storage means; and

control means operatively coupled to said display means, said data input means and said temporary storage means for controlling said display means to display on a first time zone preset data representing time and duration of event signals which have already been selected for recording ("already preset data") and also to display on a second time zone preset data representing time and duration of event signals which are in the process of being selected for recording ("currently preset data"), said first and second time zones being aligned to display temporal overlaps between the already preset data and the currently preset data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said preset data includes broadcast channel, time-of-day of recording and day-of week of recording of an event.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said first and second time zones comprise first and second horizontal scales, respectively, each representing predetermined times in a given day and being displayed on said display means one above the other.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the preset data displayed on said first and second time zones comprise indicia superimposed on a respective time zone at a location corresponding to the time of recording, said indicia exhibiting a horizontal dimension representing the duration of recording.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said control means includes sensing means for sensing when a start recording time of an event represented by one of said already and currently preset data begins prior to an end recording time of an event represented by the other of said currently and already preset data for a particular day.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said control means further includes detecting means for detecting when the end recording time of an event represented by one of said already and currently preset data is within a predetermined range of the start recording time of an event represented by the other of said currently and already preset data.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said control means additionally includes time changing means responsive to one of said sensing means and said detecting means for selectively changing a selected one of the start and end recording times of the event represented by said currently preset data.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said control means further includes cancel means for canceling a selected one of said already or currently preset data, thereby canceling the recording of a corresponding event.

9. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said record medium comprises a video recording medium having video signals representing an event recorded in video tracks thereon, and further including recording circuitry for receiving preset data from said storage means for recording said preset data in a predetermined location in said video tracks.

10. Apparatus for recording on and reproducing from a record medium events supplied at particular times from at least one source as well as preset data selectively input by a user which data establishes an event to be recorded and the time of recording that event, said apparatus comprising:

data input means for selectively producing preset data to select source, time and duration of events to be recorded on said record medium;

temporary storage means operatively coupled to said data input means for storing the preset data produced by said data input means for recording on said record medium and for storing preset data reproduced from said record medium;

display means for displaying preset data stored in said storage means; and

control means operatively coupled to said display means, said data input means and said temporary storage means for controlling said display means to display preset data associated with plural events in a two-dimensional display array comprised of first and second time zones aligned in horizontal and vertical directions, respectively, thereby displaying graphical indications along one of said time zones of the recording time and duration of events selected for recording.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said first time zone represents days of a week and said second time zone represents a number of successive weeks, whereby said display means displays a calendar of events selected for recording.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising input selection means operable by the user to select a week-of-events display;

and wherein said control means includes sensing means for sensing when a week-of-events display has been selected to control said display means to display hours of a day in said first time zone and the days of a selected week in said second time zone, whereby a week of events, including the recording times and durations of events selected for recording in each day of the selected week, is displayed.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising day selection means operable by the user to select a day-of-events display;

and wherein said control means further includes detecting means for detecting when a day-of-events display has been selected to control said display means to display hours of a day in said first time zone and A.M. and P.M. of a selected day in said second time zone, whereby a day of events, including the recording times and durations of events selected for recording in the selected day, is displayed.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the displayed calendar of events includes indicia to prompt the user to operate a selected one of said input selection means and said day selection means to select a selected one of a week-of-events display and a day-of-events display, respectively.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the week-of-events display includes indicia to prompt the user to operate said day selection means to select a day-of-events display.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said control means includes search means for searching for preset data representing an event to be recorded in the selected week and to return said display means to the calendar of events display if preset data representing an event to be recorded in the selected week is not found.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said search means includes means for searching the stored preset data in response to a day-of-events selection for preset data representing an event to be recorded in the selected day;

and said control means additionally includes means for returning said display means to said calendar of events display or to said week of events display, depending upon the display from which the user selected said day-of-events display, if preset data representing an event to be recorded in the selected day is not found.

18. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said control means includes means for determining from which of said data input means and said record medium the preset data in said storage means is derived;

and means for causing said display means to display distinguishable indications in response to stored preset data that is produced by said input means and stored preset data that is reproduced from said record medium.

19. Apparatus for recording on and reproducing from a record medium events supplied at particular times from at least one source as well as preset data selectively input by a user which data establishes an event to be recorded and the time of recording that event, said apparatus comprising:

data input means for selectively producing preset data to select source, time and duration of events to be recorded on said record medium;

temporary storage means operatively coupled to said data input means for storing the preset data produced by said data input means for recording on said record medium and for storing preset data reproduced from said record medium;

display means for displaying preset data stored in said storage means; and

control means operatively coupled to said data input means, said temporary storage means and said display means and responsive to select data produced by said data input means which represents particular information included in said preset data for retrieving from said storage means preset data having said particular information and for controlling said display means to display the retrieved preset data in tabulated form.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said particular information represents a day of a week, and the retrieved preset data identifies events to be recorded on that day for plural weeks.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein said particular information represents a source of events, and the retrieved preset data identifies events to be recorded from that source.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein said particular information additionally represents a range of time, and the retrieved preset data identifies events to be recorded on that day within said range of time.

23. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said particular information represents a day of a week, a range of time and a source of events, and the retrieved preset data identifies events to be recorded on that day each week for plural weeks, within said range of time and from that source.

24. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said control means includes sensing means for sensing the absence of said select data to inhibit the tabulated display of retrieved preset data.

25. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said data input means includes change means manually operable by the user to change at least portions of retrieved preset data;

and wherein said control means is responsive to said change means for changing portions of preset data retrieved from said storage means and having said particular information.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein said control means includes detecting means for detecting when plural preset data having said particular information are retrieved from said storage means and are to be changed, and means responsive to said detecting means for causing said display means to display prompts inviting additional select data to be produced for identifying a desired one of said plural preset data.

27. Apparatus for recording on and reproducing from a record medium events supplied at particular times from at least one source as well as preset data selectively input by a user which data establishes an event to be recorded and the time of recording that event, said apparatus comprising:

data input means for selectively producing preset data to select source, time and duration of events to be recorded on said record medium;

temporary storage means operatively coupled to said data input means for storing the preset data produced by said data input means for recording on said record medium and for storing preset data reproduced from said record medium;

display means for displaying in a predetermined format preset data stored in said storage means;

format selecting means manually operable for selecting one of plural display formats; and

display control means operatively coupled to said data input means, said temporary storage means, said format selecting means and said display means and responsive to a predetermined format selection for displaying a one-month calendar formed of portions of successive months and indicating thereon events that have been selected for recording by said user.

28. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein said portions of successive months comprise indicia of days of each of two successive months.

29. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein said indicia of days comprise those days included in a present month, commencing with the day which then is present, and at least a portion of those days which are included in the next following month.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein each indicia of a day is provided with an index scale representative of time;

and wherein said display control means includes means for displaying on said index scale the approximate duration of an event to be recorded and the approximate time of recording that event.