Method for programming a recording device and programming device

• US 5,659,653 A
• Filed: 06/03/1994
• Issued: 08/19/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thomson Consumer Electronics SA (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Consumer Electronics SA (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Tazine, Nour-Eddine, Diehl, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): TRUONG, KHOI
• Application Number:
  US08/253,934
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: 358/335, 358/310, 358/908, 348/6, 348/7, 348/12, 348/13, 348/731, 348/732, 348/734, 348/460, 348/906, 348/907, 360/33.1
• US Class Current: 386/248
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 3/22 of metals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 358/908 Pause control, i.e. "commercial killers"

Abstract

Program related data contained in the broadcast signal of an advertisement for a future television show are evaluated and compared with the current TV set tuning when a LEARN button on a remote control is pressed. A VCR tunes to the present TV channel and stores the program related data for the future television show. The apparatus also ensures that a program to be recorded will start and end at the right time and that broadcast advertisements will be skipped during recording, are disclosed.

Claims

1. A Method for programming a recording device (17), comprising the steps of:

receiving data related to information regarding status (TYPE), time (START TIME, DURATION), date (DATE), identity (PROGRAM ID), and channel or frequency (CHANNEL) of a broadcast of a desired program, said data being transmitted (14) together with a present program, said data (TYPE, START TIME, DURATION, DATE, PROGRAM ID, CHANNEL) describing said present program;

receiving data accompanying an advertisement of a new program to be broadcast on a current channel or frequency, said broadcast to occur before an expiration of a predetermined time period, said data having said status (TYPE) set to a wait status (WAIT) and the other of said data (START TIME, DURATION, DATE, PROGRAM ID, CHANNEL) set to describe said new program;

receiving data accompanying an advertisement for a future program to be broadcast on one of a plurality of broadcast channels or frequencies, said broadcast to occur after said expiration of said predetermined time period said data having said status (TYPE) set to an information status (INFORMATION) and the other of said data (START TIME, DURATION, DATE, PROGRAM ID, CHANNEL) set to describe said advertised future program;

extracting said data (TYPE, START TIME, DURATION, DATE, PROGRAM ID, CHANNEL) from said present program in response to an indication entered by a user that said user wants to record said desired new or future program;

storing said extracted data; and

programming said recording device in accordance with said stored extracted data to tune to said channel or frequency of said desired program at a second predetermined time before a start time of the broadcast of said desired program, to wait until said status changes from said wait status (WAIT) to a broadcast status (BROADCAST), and thereafter to start recording, if said identity (PROGRAM ID) match respective stored identity data.

2. A method according to claim 1, comprising the further step of:

receiving data accompanying an advertisement not related to a desired program, said status (TYPE) being set to a pause status (PAUSE) and the other of said data (START TIME, DURATION, DATE, PROGRAM ID, CHANNEL) being set to describe a temporarily interrupted present program; and

interrupting said recording device (17) until said status (TYPE) set to said broadcast status (BROADCAST) are received.

3. The method of claim 2 comprising the further step of:

pressing a related button on a remote control (18) which controls both, a television receiver (16) which receives the current program and the recording device (17) in order to enter said record command.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said programming step comprises:

programming said recording device with periodicity data (PERIODICY) related to a sequence of desired programs.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein programming step comprises:

programming said recording device with title data (NAME); and

further comprises at least one of the following steps,

displaying said title of the recording on said recording device (17);

displaying said title on a television receiver (16);

displaying said title on a remote control; and

storing said title data on a recording medium.

6. The method of claim 1 comprising the further step of:

pressing a related button on a remote control (18) which controls both, a television receiver (16) which receives the current program and the recording device (17) in order to enter a record command.

7. A programming unit for programming a recording device (17), comprising:

a data extractor (22) for extracting data from a present program comprising a video and/or audio signal, said data being related to information regarding status (TYPE), time (START TIME, DURATION), date (DATE), identity (PROGRAM ID), and channel or frequency (CHANNEL) of a broadcast of a desired program said data (TYPE, START TIME, DURATION, DATE, PROGRAM ID, CHANNEL) describe said present program;

said extractor also extracting data accompanying an advertisement of a new program to be broadcast on a current channel or frequency, said broadcast to occur before an expiration of a predetermined time period, said data having said status (TYPE) set to a wait status (WAIT) and the other of said data (START TIME, DURATION, DATE, PROGRAM ID, CHANNEL) set to describe said new program;

if there is broadcast in the present program an advertisement for a future program to be broadcast on this channel/frequency or a second channel/frequency, said status (TYPE) are set to an information status (INFORMATION) and the other of said data (START TIME, DURATION, DATE, PROGRAM ID, CHANNEL) describe said advertised future program;

memory means (25) which can store at least a part of said data;

a central processing unit (29) connected to said memory means (25) and to said data extractor (22) for evaluating said data, and for programming a recording processing device (21) including a tuner (20), to begin recording when said status changes from said wait status (WAIT) to a broadcast status (BROADCAST) if said identity (PROGRAM ID) match respective identity data previously stored in said memory means (25); and

an infrared receiver (23) connected to said central processing unit (29) for receiving and decoding a user'"'"'s program command from an infrared remote control (18), and conveying said command to said central processing unit.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said data extractor (22) for extracting all of said data (TYPE, START TIME, DURATION, DATE, PROGRAM ID, CHANNEL) is located in said recording device (17) and that a television receiver (16) and said recording device are connected by a digital bus on which a received signal which comprises all of said data is transferred to and evaluated (29) in said recording device.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said data extractor (22) for extracting all of said data (TYPE, START TIME, DURATION, DATE, PROGRAM ID, CHANNEL) is located in a television receiver (16) and that said receiving device and said recording device (17) are connected by a digital bus on which the extracted data are transferred to and evaluated (29) in said recording device.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said remote control (18) transmits currently selected internal program storage number to a television receiver (16),

said data extractor (22) for extracting all of said data (TYPE, START TIME, DURATION, DATE, PROGRAM ID, CHANNEL) is located in said recording device (17), and

channels or frequencies corresponding to preselected program storage numbers are stored in said television receiver and an infrared code comprising currently selected program storage number is evaluated (23) in said recording device and used for tuning currently selected program in the recording device when said user presses a button on said remote control (18).

11. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein all of said data (TYPE, START TIME, DURATION, DATE, PROGRAM ID, CHANNEL) are broadcast on a Barker channel and are extracted from said Barker channel.