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Electronic television program guide for a television system having two tuners

  • US 5,699,125 A
  • Filed: 03/31/1995
  • Issued: 12/16/1997
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1995
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A television receiver comprising:

  • a tuning system capable of tuning to predetermined frequency channels and converting radio frequencies received on said predetermined frequency channels to video signals;

    a decoder receiving said video signals from said tuning system and decoding a database coded in said video signals;

    a microprocessor controlling said tuning system and said decoder;

    a first memory controlled by said microprocessor and storing a programmed subset of said predetermined frequency channels;

    a second memory controlled by said microprocessor and storing said decoded database;

    said microprocessor programmed to control said decoder such that said microprocessor stores in said second memory only database information associated with said programmed subset of said predetermined frequency channels stored in said first memory;

    a display device coupled to a character generator and said microprocessor for displaying said database information on a screen of said display device;

    said microprocessor making said database information available for display on said screen according to the following protocol;

    if said tuning system is tuned to one of said predetermined frequency channels that is not among said programmed subset of said predetermined frequency channels, the database information associated with said one of said predetermined frequency channels is captured and made available for display on said screen but not stored in said second memory;

    if said tuning system is tuned to one of said programmed subset of said predetermined frequency channels said microprocessor determines whether said database information associated with said one of said programmed subset channels and stored in said second memory is current;

    if said database information associated with said one of said programmed subset channels and stored in said second memory is current, the database information associated with said one of said programmed subset channels and stored in said second memory is read from said second memory and made available for display on said screen;

    if said database information associated with said one of said programmed subset channels and stored in said second memory is not current, the database information associated with said one of said programmed subset channels is captured and stored to said second memory, and the database information associated with said one of said programmed subset channels and stored in said second memory is read from said second memory and made available for display on said screen.

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