Television broadcast receiver which selects programs by genre and past viewing habits

• US 5,585,865 A
• Filed: 02/28/1995
• Issued: 12/17/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hattori, Ai, Amano, Toshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan J.
• Application Number:
  US08/396,392
• Time in Patent Office: 658 Days
• Field of Search: 348/732, 348/731, 348/734, 348/461, 348/467, 348/468, 348/473, 348/476, 348/478, 348/460, 348/1
• US Class Current: 725/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control

Abstract

A television receiver for receiving a television broadcast signal and tuning in a desired channel to receive a television signal on which a broadcast program of a predetermined genre is broadcast, and that performs the steps of entering a first genre code of a desired program, extracting a second genre code included in the television broadcast signal, making a comparison between the first genre code and the second genre code for all receivable channels, and, if a program corresponding to the first genre code is being broadcast in a plurality of channels, tuning in a channel having a past record of highest frequency of reception.

Claims

1. A channel tune-in method for use on a television receiver for receiving a television broadcast signal and tuning in a desired channel, comprising the steps of:

entering a first genre code of a desired program and extracting a second genre code included in said television broadcast signal;

making comparison between said first genre code and said second genre code for all receivable channels; and

if a program corresponding to said first genre code is being broadcast on a plurality of channels, tuning in a channel having a highest reception frequency in a past reception history.

2. A channel tune-in method as defined in claim 1, wherein said first genre code is entered by means of a remote controller.

3. A channel tune-in method as defined in claim 2, wherein, if no program corresponding to said first genre code and being broadcast is found by said comparison, said first genre code is compared with a program scheduled for broadcasting and, if a program scheduled for broadcasting is found, broadcasting schedule information is displayed.

4. A channel tune-in method as defined in claim 3, wherein, if no program corresponding to said first genre code and being broadcast is found by said comparison, said first genre code is compared with a program scheduled for broadcasting and, if a program scheduled for broadcasting is found, said program scheduled for broadcasting is timer-reserved.

5. A channel tune-in apparatus for tuning in a desired channel by receiving a television broadcast signal, comprising:

a remote controller having a plurality of buttons with program genres registered;

a photo receiver for receiving a control signal coming from said remote controller;

a registration memory for storing a first genre code corresponding to said control signal;

extracting means for extracting a second genre code at least included in the television broadcast signal;

comparing means for comparing said first genre code with said second genre code;

control means for tuning in a channel for which a match has been found in said comparing means; and

a frequency memory for storing reception history information, wherein, if a plurality of matching channels have been found as a result of the comparison by said comparing means, data stored in said frequency memory is read to tune in a channel having a highest reception frequency.

6. A channel tune-in apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein, if it has been found, as a result of the comparison by said comparing means, that no matching channel is being broadcast and a program scheduled for broadcasting has been found matching, at least a start time of said program scheduled for broadcasting is displayed on an externally connected display apparatus.

7. A channel tune-in apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein, if it has been found, as a result of the comparison by said comparing means, that no matching channel is being broadcast and a program scheduled for broadcasting has been found matching, said program schedule for broadcasting is timer-reserved.

8. A channel tune-in apparatus as defined in claim 7 further comprising rewriting means for rewriting information in said registration memory to allow a user to register a relationship between the control signal stored in said registration memory and a program genre into what the user desires.

9. A channel tune-in apparatus as defined in claim 8 further comprising input means for entering a program name to store a relationship between said control signal and said program name into said registration memory.

10. A television tuning apparatus comprising:

a tuner for receiving a program broadcast via a television broadcast signal broadcast via any one of a plurality of available broadcast channels;

a user input device for providing a user input signal to a controller;

said user input device comprises a plurality of genre input keys for selecting program broadcast material of a predetermined genre;

first storage memory for storing genre identification data uniquely associated with each of said genre input keys;

second storage memory for storing reception history data;

third storage memory for storing data identifying a broadcast channel;

said reception history data comprises data identifying a number of times a program broadcast of a particular genre has been received on a particular broadcast channel within a past predetermined period of time;

extraction circuitry for extracting program identification data from said television broadcast signal;

comparator for comparing said extracted program identification data with said genre identification data stored in said first storage memory and where said genre identification data and said genre identification data match, causing data identifying a broadcast channel on which said television broadcast signal is transmitted to be stored into said third memory; and

controller for controlling said tuner to receive a television broadcast signal on a broadcast channel identified by said data stored in said third memory.

11. A television tuning apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said program identification data comprises EDS data.

12. A television tuning apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said extractor circuitry comprises a slicer circuit.

13. A television tuning apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said user input device comprises a remote controller;

said remote controller further comprises means for transmitting an infrared user input signal.

14. A television tuning apparatus comprising:

a tuner for receiving a program broadcast via a television broadcast signal broadcast via any one of a plurality of available broadcast channels;

a user input device for providing a user input signal to a controller;

said user input device comprises a plurality of genre input keys for selecting a program broadcast of a predetermined genre;

first storage memory for storing genre identification data uniquely associated with each of said genre input keys;

second storage memory for storing reception history data;

said reception history data comprises data identifying a number of times a program broadcast of a particular genre has been received on a particular broadcast channel within a past pre-determined period of time;

extraction circuitry for extracting program identification data from said television broadcast signal;

comparator for comparing said extracted program identification data with said genre identification data stored in said first storage memory; and

controller for controlling said tuner to tune to a broadcast channel on which said television broadcast signal is broadcast where said comparator determines that said extracted program identification data and said genre identification data match.

15. A method of tuning a television receiver to a broadcast channel to receive a television signal on which a broadcast program of a predetermined genre is broadcast, said method comprising the steps of:

storing genre data into a first storage memory;

storing reception history data in a second storage memory;

extracting program identification data from a television broadcast signal;

comparing said extracted program identification data with said genre data stored in said first storage memory;

where said extracted program identification data and said genre data stored in said first storage memory match, storing data identifying a particular broadcast channel into a third storage memory; and

tuning said television receiver to receive a broadcast channel identified by data stored in said third storage memory which corresponds to a broadcast channel identified by said reception history data stored in said second storage memory as having been most frequently received within a predetermined past period of time.

16. A method of tuning a television receiver to a broadcast channel to receive a television signal on which a broadcast program of a predetermined genre is broadcast, said method comprising the steps of

storing genre data into a first storage memory;

storing reception history data in a second storage memory;

extracting program identification data from a television broadcast signal;

comparing said extracted program identification data with said genre data stored in said first storage memory; and

where said extracted program identification data and said genre data stored in said first storage memory match, tuning said receiver to a broadcast channel identified by said program identification data.