Broadcast receiving apparatus that automatically records frequency watched programs

• US 5,734,444 A
• Filed: 12/11/1995
• Issued: 03/31/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yoshinobu, Hitoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Murrell, Jeffrey S.
• Application Number:
  US08/570,514
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• Field of Search: 348/564, 348/565, 348/567, 348/906, 348/731, 348/734, 348/569, 348/563, 455/184.1, 455/185.1, 455/187.1, 386/46, 386/83, 386/125, 386/126
• US Class Current: 725/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen

Abstract

A broadcast receiving apparatus having a control signal generator for generating a channel selection control signal in response to a channel selection performed by a user. The broadcast receiving apparatus further includes a channel selector for selecting a desired program channel from broadcast waves in response to the channel selection control signal. The apparatus further comprises a channel history memory for storing program channels, which have been selected by the channel selector on several occasions during past weeks, corresponding to the days of the weeks and the hours relative to the channel selections; a decision portions for checking the stored contents of the channel history memory and making a decision as to whether any frequent reception program channel selected and received at a frequency higher than a predetermined value exists on the same day of the week and at the same hour in the past; and a controller responsive to a detection of the existence of any frequent reception program channel executed by the decision portions and generating a control signal to instruct recording of the signal of the frequent reception program channel.

Claims

1. A broadcast receiving apparatus having a channel selection control signal generator means for generating a channel selection control signal in response to a channel selecting manipulation performed by a user, and a channel selector means for selecting a desired program channel from broadcast waves in response to the channel selection control signal, said apparatus further comprising:

a channel history memory for storing program channels, which have been selected by said channel selector means on a plurality of occasions during a predetermined number of past weeks, each selected program channel being stored with an indication of the day of the week and the hour of the day;

a decision means for checking the stored contents of said channel history memory and making a decision as to whether any frequent reception program channel selected and received at a frequency higher than a predetermined value exists on the same day of the week and at the same hour during said predetermined number of past weeks; and

a control means responsive to a detection of the existence of any frequent reception program channel executed by said decision means and generating a control signal to instruct recording of the signal of the frequent reception program channel.

2. The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means generates, in response to a detection of the existence of any frequent reception program channel executed by said decision means, a control signal to instruct recording of the signal of the frequent reception program channel on a recording medium only when said frequent reception program channel is not being selected by said channel selector means.

3. The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said control signal includes a channel selection command for instructing a selection of the frequent reception program channel being broadcast at present, and a recording start command for instructing a start of recording the signal of said frequent reception program channel on said recording medium.

4. The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a recording/playback unit incorporated therein integrally to record the signal of said frequent reception program channel on a recording medium, wherein said control signal is supplied to said recording/playback unit, and the signal of said frequent reception program channel is recorded by said recording/playback unit on the basis of the control signal obtained from said control means.

5. The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control signal output means for transferring the control signal to an external recording/playback unit connected to an outside of said broadcast receiving apparatus, wherein the signal of said frequent reception program channel is recorded on a recording medium loaded in said recording/playback unit.

6. The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said control signal output means converts the control signal into an infrared signal and transmits the control signal to said external recording/playback unit.

7. The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage means for storing a history of the signal of said frequent reception program channel in response to generation of the control signal by said control means.

8. A broadcast receiving apparatus having a channel selection control signal generator means for generating a channel selection control signal in response to a channel selecting manipulation performed by a user, and a channel selector means for selecting a desired program channel from broadcast waves in response to the channel selection control signal, said apparatus further comprising:

a channel history memory for storing program channels, which have been selected by said channel selector means on a plurality of occasions during past weeks, corresponding to the days of the weeks and the hours relative to the channel selections;

a decision means for checking the stored contents of said channel history memory and making a decision as to whether any frequent reception program channel selected and received at a frequency higher than a predetermined value exists on the same day of the week and at the same hour in the past; and

a control means responsive to a detection of the existence of any frequent reception program channel executed by said decision means and generating a control signal to instruct recording of the signal of the frequent reception program channel

wherein said channel selector means includes a first channel selector and a second channel selector; and

said control means supplies, in response to a detection of the existence of any frequent reception program channel executed by said decision means, a channel selection command to said second channel selector for instructing a selection of the frequent reception program channel being broadcast at present, only when said frequent reception program channel is not selected by said first channel selector, and instructs a start of recording the signal of said frequent reception program channel on a recording medium.

9. The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

a control means for generating a control signal in response to a detection of the existence of any frequent reception program channel executed by said decision means and when some program channel other than said frequent reception program channel is being received by said first channel selector, so as to instruct said second channel selector to receive said frequent reception program channel; and

a signal processing means for processing signals in such a manner that a picture of a program channel being received by said first channel selector is displayed on a main screen while a picture of said frequent reception program channel being received by said second channel selector is displayed on a subsidiary screen.

10. The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, when no command is transmitted by a user to select said frequent reception program channel by said first channel selector within a predetermined period of time from the start of displaying the picture of said frequent reception program channel on the subsidiary screen, said signal processing means discontinues displaying the picture on said subsidiary screen, and said control means generates said control signal.

11. A broadcast receiving apparatus having a channel selection control signal generator means for generating a channel selection control signal in response to a channel selecting manipulation performed by a user, and a channel selector means for selecting a desired program channel from broadcast waves in response to the channel selection control signal, said apparatus further comprising:

a channel history memory for storing program channels, which have been selected by said channel selector means on a plurality of occasions during past weeks, corresponding to the days of the weeks and the hours relative to the channel selections;

a decision means for checking the stored contents of said channel history memory and making a decision as to whether any frequent reception program channel selected and received at a frequency higher than a predetermined value exists on the same day of the week and at the same hour in the past; and

a control means responsive to a detection of the existence of any frequent reception program channel executed by said decision means and generating a control signal to instruct recordinq of the signal of the frequent reception program channel

further comprising a channel history write means for measuring the present date, day and hour while checking received program channels at a predetermined time interval, and storing the result thereof in said channel history memory.

12. The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said channel history write means deletes from said channel history memory old data after a lapse of a predetermined time period.

13. The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said channel history write means checks the received program channels at a predetermined time interval only when said broadcast receiving apparatus is switched on, and stores the result thereof in said channel history memory.

14. A broadcast receiving apparatus having a channel selection control signal generator means for generating a channel selection control signal in response to a channel selecting manipulation performed by a user, and a channel selector means for selecting a desired program channel from broadcast waves in response to the channel selection control signal, wherein said channel selector means includes a first channel selector and a second channel selector, said broadcast receiving apparatus further comprising:

a channel history memory for storing program channels, which have been selected by said channel selector means on a plurality of occasions during past weeks, corresponding to the days of the weeks and the hours relative to the channel selections;

a decision means for checking the stored contents of said channel history memory and making a decision as to whether any frequent reception program channel selected and received at a frequency higher than a predetermined value exists on the same day of the week and at the same hour in the past;

a control means responsive to a detection of the existence of any frequent reception program channel executed by said decision means and generating a control signal to instruct reception of said frequent reception program channel by said second channel selector when some program channel other than said frequent reception program channel is being received by said first channel selector; and

a signal processing means for processing signals in such a manner that a picture of program channel received by said first channel selector is displayed on a main screen while a picture of said frequent reception program channel received by said second channel selector is displayed on a subsidiary screen.

15. The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a message generator means for generating a message which notifies the user that a frequent reception program channel is being broadcast at present besides the program channel being received by said first channel selector, wherein said message is displayed together with the pictures on said main and subsidiary screens.

16. The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 14, wherein, after a lapse of a predetermined time period, said signal processing means discontinues displaying the picture of said frequent reception program channel, which is being received by said second channel selector, on the subsidiary screen.

17. The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a channel history write means for measuring the present date, day and hour while checking received program channels at a predetermined time interval, and storing the result thereof in said channel history memory.

18. The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said channel history write means deletes from said channel history memory old data after a lapse of a predetermined time period.

19. The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said channel history write means checks the received program channels at a predetermined time interval only when said broadcast receiving apparatus is switched on, and stores the result thereof in said channel history memory.