Apparatus for recording and playback of a television broadcast signal capable of playback with commercials skipped by a simple operation

• US 5,911,029 A
• Filed: 02/19/1997
• Issued: 06/08/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Seiji, Fujiyama, Michihiro, Sakaguchi, Hiroshi, Nishiyama, Takao
• Primary Examiner(s): Faile, Andrew I.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Boccio, Vincent F.
• Application Number:
  US08/802,170
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 386/1, 386/4, 386/45, 386/52, 386/55, 386/80, 386/108, 386/125-126, 386/46, 386/81, 358/908, 348/571, 348/907, 360/13, 360/69, 360/71
• US Class Current: 386/239
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/026 by using processor, e.g. microcomputer
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/107 of operating tapes
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 358/908 Pause control, i.e. "commercial killers"

Abstract

While television broadcast signals are reproduced by a mechanism, if a commercial starts, the user operates a remote controller to set the VCR to cue mode. Thereafter, a black frame detecting portion detects a black frame included in the reproduced signals between the commercial and a main program, whereby microcomputer switches the VCR to standard playback mode at the time point of detection.

Claims

1. A recording and playback apparatus, comprising:

recording and playback means for recording television broadcast signals on a recording medium and for reproducing said television broadcast signals recorded on said recording medium;

event detecting means for detecting an event included in said television broadcast signals reproduced by said recording and playback means from said recording medium;

an operating means operated by a user; and

control means, responsive to an instruction signal from said operating means, for controlling said recording and playback means;

wherein said control means comprises;

first setting means for setting said recording and playback means to a cue mode after a first operation by said user selecting a commercial skip mode key while said television broadcast signals are being reproduced;

storing means for storing an event detection signal output from said event detecting means after the first operation by said user;

comparing means for comparing the event detection signal stored in said storing means with a preset first threshold value;

second setting means for setting said recording and playback means to a standard playback mode in response to said comparing means determining that said event detection signal exceeds said first threshold value; and

means for controlling said recording and playback means such that while said recording and playback means is in the cue mode, if said event exceeding said first threshold value is not detected by said event detecting means in a predetermined second period and said event exceeding a second threshold value smaller than said first threshold value is detected, standard playback is started from a position on the recording medium at which said event exceeding said second threshold value was last detected.

2. The recording and playback apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said control means further includes a third setting means for setting said recording and playback means to the standard playback mode when the cue mode continues beyond a predetermined first period in said recording and playback means.

3. The recording and playback apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said recording and playback means performs review from the position of said last detected said event exceeding said second threshold value.

4. The recording and playback apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said recording and playback means performs rewinding from the position of said last detected said event exceeding said second threshold value.

5. The recording and playback apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said recording and playback means skips reproduction to the position of said last detected said event exceeding said second threshold value.

6. The recording and playback apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said event is a blank frame included in said television broadcast signals.

7. The recording and playback apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said event detecting means detects a blank frame exceeding said first threshold value included in said television broadcast signals, and an a signal level lower than a prescribed value.

10. The recording and playback apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

said changing means decreases said first threshold value when said user presses an operation key of said operating means while said recording and playback means is in cue mode, or when said cue mode continues for a prescribed time period.

11. The recording and playback apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

said changing means increases said first threshold value when the recording and playback means is set to the cue mode by said user performing said first operation again within a prescribed time period while said recording and playback means is in standard playback mode.

8. A recording and playback apparatus, comprising:

recording and playback means for recording television broadcast signals on a videotape and for reproducing said television broadcast signals recorded on said videotape;

blank frame detecting means for detecting a blank frame included in said television broadcast signals reproduced from said videotape by said recording and playback means;

a remote controller having a commercial skip key operated by a user; and

a microcomputer, responsive to an instruction signal from said remote controller, for controlling said recording and playback means;

wherein said microcomputer comprises;

first setting means for setting said recording and playback means to a cue mode after a first operation by said user selecting a commercial skip mode key while said television broadcast signals are being reproduced;

a memory for storing a blank frame detection signal output from said blank frame detecting means after the first operation by said user;

comparing means for comparing the blank frame detection signal stored in said memory with a predetermined first threshold value;

second setting means for setting said recording and playback means to a standard playback mode in response to said comparing means determining that said blank frame detection signal exceeds said first threshold value; and

means for controlling said recording and playback means such that while said recording and playback means is in the cue mode, if said event exceeding said first threshold value is not detected by said event detecting means in a predetermined second period and said event exceeding a second threshold value smaller than said first threshold value is detected, standard playback is started from a position on the recording medium at which said event exceeding said second threshold value was last detected.

13. The recording and playback apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the second setting means also sets the recording and playback means to the standard playback mode if, over a predefined period of time elapsing from a last occurrence of the event, a next occurrence of the event does not occur throughout the predefined period of time.

9. A recording and playback apparatus, comprising:

recording and playback means for recording television broadcast signals on a recording medium and for reproducing said television broadcast signals recorded on said recording medium;

event detecting means for detecting an event included in said television broadcast signals reproduced by said recording and playback means from said recording medium;

operating means operated by a user; and

control means responsive to an instruction signal from said operating means for controlling said recording and playback means;

wherein said control means comprises;

first setting means for setting said recording and playback means to a cue mode after a first operation by said user selecting the commercial skip mode key while said television broadcast signals are being reproduced;

first storing means for storing an event detection signal produced, as output, by said event detecting means after the first operation by said user;

second storing means for storing a plurality of first threshold values;

comparing means for comparing the event detection signal stored in said first storing means with a given value, the given value being one of said first threshold values accessed from said second storing means;

changing means for changing the given value by accessing, as the given value, another one of the first threshold values from the storing means, in response to an operation of the operating means by said user; and

second setting means for setting said recording and playback means to a standard playback mode in response to said comparing means determining that said event detection signal exceeds the given value.

12. A recording and playback apparatus, comprising:

recording and playback means for recording television broadcast signals on a recording medium and for reproducing said television broadcast signals recorded on said recording medium;

event detecting means for detecting an event included in said television broadcast signals reproduced by said recording and playback means from said recording medium;

an operating means operated by a user; and

control means, responsive to an instruction signal from said operating means, for controlling said recording and playback means;

wherein said control means comprises;

first setting means for setting said recording and playback means to a cue mode after an operation by said user selecting a commercial skip mode key while said television broadcast signals are being reproduced;

comparing means for comparing a time width of the event detected by said event detecting means after the operation by said user with a predefined time width; and

second setting means, responsive to said comparing means, for setting said recording and playback means to a standard playback mode if the event having a time width larger than a predefined time width occurs.