VCR programming system

• US 5,991,498 A
• Filed: 09/24/1996
• Issued: 11/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Starsight Telecast Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Starsight Telecast Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Young, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUY THANH
• Application Number:
  US08/719,109
• Time in Patent Office: 1,155 Days
• Field of Search: 386/46, 386/83, 386/95, 348/906, 348/731, 348/734
• US Class Current: 386/297
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape

Abstract

According to the invention, a method for referencing schedule information of a television program comprises partitioning the information into first and second code segments, the first code segment having starting day and time information, and the second code segment having program identifier and length information. A system of the present invention comprises a VCR and a programming controller, the programming controller programming the VCR to record the television program according to the schedule information in the: partitioned code.

Claims

1. A method for programming a VCR having a tuner for unattended recording using a microprocessor, a first memory location, and a second memory location, the method comprising the steps of:

partitioning a single user input code into a first segment and a second segment wherein, the first segment includes a first code representing time and day and the second segment includes a second code representing channel and program lens;

sequentially storing in the first memory location a lookup table of a first set of the first codes and corresponding times and days, so addressing one code of the fist set accesses the corresponding start time and day;

storing in the second memory location a lookup table of a second set of the second codes and corresponding channels and proven length, so addressing a code of the second set accesses the corresponding channel and program length;

inputting a code of the first set representing time and day, into the microprocessor;

configuring the microprocessor to retrieve the start time and day corresponding to the inputted code of the first set firm the first memory location;

inputting a code of the second set, representing channel and program length, into the microprocessor;

configuring the microprocessor to retrieve the channel and program length corresponding to the inputted code of the second set from the second memory location;

configuring the microprocessor to store the retrieved sort time, day, channel, and program length; and

configuring the microprocessor to set the tuner to the stored channel and to turn on the VCR at the stored start time and the stored day for the stored program length, thereby recording a television show telecast at the stored start time and day on the stored channel.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the codes of the first set all have the same number of digits.

3. The method of claim 2, in which the codes of the second set all have the same number of digits.

4. The method of claim 1, in which the codes of the second set all have the same number of digits.

5. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising the steps of:

printing the first and second sets of codes in a printed TV guide in positions that are related to the start times, days, and channels;

selecting a program to be recorded from the printed TV guide;

reading from the printed TV guide the code of the first set corresponding to the selected program, the step of inputting a code of the first set into the microprocessor inputs the read code of the first set; and

reading from the printed TV guide the code of the second set corresponding to the selected program, the step of inputting a code of the second set into the microprocessor inputs the read code of the second set.

6. The method of claim 5, in which the printed TV guide has a grid of cells in which TV program titles are printed, a first legend in which times and days are printed, and a second legend, perpendicular to the first legend, in which channels are printed, the printing step printing the first set of codes in the first legend and the second set of codes in the cells.

7. The method of claim 6, in which the first legend is horizontal and the second legend is vertical.