Broadcast receiving apparatus having selection function of good reception condition in designated program item

• US 5,701,599 A
• Filed: 07/23/1992
• Issued: 12/23/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Aihara, Fumikazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Application Number:
  US07/917,599
• Time in Patent Office: 1,979 Days
• Field of Search: 455/161.3, 455/166.1, 455/166.2, 455/186.1, 455/185.1, 455/184.1, 455/186.2, 455/67.7, 455/226.4, 455/158.4
• US Class Current: 455/186.1
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 1/0008 using a central processing unit, e.g. a microprocessor digital tuning in general H03J5/0245
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4436 Power management, e.g. shutting down unused components of the receiver power management in computer systems G06F1/3203; hibernate or awake process in computer systems G06F9/4418
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence

Abstract

Whether or not the reception condition of a received broadcast is good is detected by a reception condition detection unit. If it is detected that the reception condition is good, the broadcast content in the good reception condition is displayed on a display unit. However, if it is detected that the reception condition is not good, another broadcast content in a good reception condition is automatically received, and the broadcast content in the good reception condition is displayed on the display unit. The reception condition is evaluated in a plurality of stages depending on the reception condition of the received broadcast, and the evaluation result is displayed. If it is detected that the reception condition is not good, power supply to an apparatus main body is stopped after an elapse of a predetermined period of time. After an elapse of another predetermined period of time, the reception condition detection unit detects again whether or not a good reception condition is attained. If it is detected that a good reception condition is attained, the power supply is restarted.

Claims

1. A broadcast receiving apparatus comprising:

reception means for receiving broadcast waves;

first storage means for storing as received data broadcasting signals received by said reception means;

display means for displaying the received data stored in said first storing means;

first designating means for, prior to reception of the broadcasting signals, designating a plurality of items indicative of types of broadcasting programs, and designating a plurality of selection programs indicative of broadcasting channels corresponding to the types of designated broadcasting programs;

second storing means for storing a plurality of program selection data corresponding to an association between broadcasting channel data indicative of broadcasting channels and broadcasting program data indicative of broadcasting programs, in accordance with designations made by said first designating means;

second designating means for designating one of the plurality of program selection data stored in said second storing means in accordance with a user'"'"'s designation;

reception control means for controlling said reception means to read one of the plurality of program selection data when designated in accordance with the designation operation by said second designating means, and to receive broadcasting signals of one broadcast program specified by broadcasting channel data and broadcast program data included in said one program selection data;

reception condition detecting means for detecting whether or not a reception condition of the broadcasting signal of said one broadcast program received and controlled by said reception means is acceptable;

first control means for, when said reception condition detecting means detects that said reception condition of the broadcasting signal of said one broadcast program is acceptable, controlling said first storage means to store the broadcasting signal of the broadcast program as the received data, and for controlling said display means to display the received data; and

second control means for, when said reception condition detecting means detects that said reception condition of broadcasting signal of said one broadcast program is not acceptable, controlling said reception means to read the other program selection data of the plurality of program selection data included in the same item, instead of controlling said second storing means to store the broadcasting waves of the broadcast program as received data, said second control means controlling said reception means to receive broadcasting waves of the other one broadcast program specified by broadcasting channel data and broadcast program data included in the other program selection data, controlling said reception condition detecting means to detect whether or not a reception condition of the broadcasting waves of the other one broadcast program received by said reception means is acceptable, and controlling said reception means to repeat reading of the other one program selection data and receiving the broadcasting signal of the other one broadcast program specified by broadcasting channel data and broadcast program data included in the other one program selection data until said reception condition of broadcasting waves of the other one broadcast program received by said reception means is detected to be acceptable.

2. A broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising informing means for, when said reception condition detecting means detects that the reception condition of the broadcasting signals is not acceptable, informing a user that the reception condition is not acceptable.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising display means for evaluating the reception condition detected by said detection means, and for classifying the evaluated reception condition in one of a plurality of stages, and for displaying corresponding reception condition evaluation information according to a classified evaluation stage.

4. A method for receiving broadcasting signals of one broadcast program specified by a combination of one of a plurality of broadcasting channels and one of a plurality of broadcasting programs each designated by a user in advance of receipt of the broadcasting signals to correspond to one of a plurality of types of broadcasting programs comprising:

storing, prior to reception of a the broadcasting signal, broadcasting channel data indicative of broadcasting channels corresponding to the designated type of broadcasting program, together with broadcasting program data indicative of broadcasting programs broadcast by the corresponding broadcasting channels, designated by the user, as a plurality of program selection data;

receiving one of the plurality of program selection data to be read when said one program selection data is designated by the user, and controlling broadcasting signals of one broadcast program specified by broadcasting channel data and broadcast program data included in the one program selection data to be received;

detecting whether a reception condition of the broadcasting signals of said one broadcast program received is acceptable;

controlling, when it is detected in said detecting step that the reception condition of the broadcasting signals of said one broadcast program is acceptable, controlling the broadcasting signals of said one broadcast program to be stored as received data, and for controlling the received data to be displayed; and

controlling, when it is detected in said reception condition detecting step that the reception condition of the broadcasting signals of said one broadcast program is not acceptable, the other program selection data in the plurality of program selection data included in said same item so as to be read, instead of controlling the broadcasting signals of said one broadcast program so as to be stored as received data, and controlling broadcasting signals of the other one broadcast program specified by broadcasting channel data and broadcast program data included in the other program selection data so as to be read, subjecting the other one broadcast program to a detection of whether or not a reception condition of the broadcasting signals of the other one broadcast program is acceptable, and controlling the other program selection data so as to be repeatedly read, and the broadcasting waves of the other broadcast program specified by broadcasting channel data and broadcast program data included in the other program selection data so as to be repeatedly received, until said reception condition of the broadcasting waves of the other one broadcast program is detected to be acceptable.