Television monitoring system with automatic selection of program material of interest and subsequent display under user control
First Claim
1. A system for monitoring broadcast television signals, comprising:
- a) means for receiving the broadcast television signals and generating program signal streams to make available programs carried by said broadcast television signals;
b) user-operable selection means for inputting criteria identifying program content of interest to a user;
c) a database for storing data representing said criteria;
d) recognition means for generating from said broadcast television signals, for each program stream, a program data stream separate from said program streams, said program data stream being representative of program content and changing dynamically therewith;
e) means for synchronizing said program data stream to said program signal streams;
f) a comparator for comparing said program data stream with said stored data,g) means for storing, when said program data stream matches said stored data, a program segment and the program data stream associated there with while maintaining synchronism between the program data stream and the program segment;
f) display means having a first window for displaying and playing back video frames of said stored program segment and a second window for displaying said dynamic program data stream; and
g) means for identifying a portion of said displayed data stream corresponding to a displayed frame and permitting the user to select a portion of the dynamic program data stream corresponding to a portion of interest of said stored program segment and thereby cause video frames corresponding to said portion of interest to be played back in said first window.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for monitoring standard broadcast signals, comprises a device for receiving the broadcast signals, a user-operable selection device for inputting criteria identifying program content of interest to the user, a database for storing data representing the criteria, and a recognition device for generating from the broadcast signals a program data stream representative of the program content. A comparator for compares the program data with the stored data, and an output device carries out a predetermined action, such recording a segment of the program, when the program data matches the stored data. The system will, for example, activate a window on a multimedia PC when preselected program material is present in the broadcast signals.
481 Citations
59 Claims
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1. A system for monitoring broadcast television signals, comprising:
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a) means for receiving the broadcast television signals and generating program signal streams to make available programs carried by said broadcast television signals; b) user-operable selection means for inputting criteria identifying program content of interest to a user; c) a database for storing data representing said criteria; d) recognition means for generating from said broadcast television signals, for each program stream, a program data stream separate from said program streams, said program data stream being representative of program content and changing dynamically therewith; e) means for synchronizing said program data stream to said program signal streams; f) a comparator for comparing said program data stream with said stored data, g) means for storing, when said program data stream matches said stored data, a program segment and the program data stream associated there with while maintaining synchronism between the program data stream and the program segment; f) display means having a first window for displaying and playing back video frames of said stored program segment and a second window for displaying said dynamic program data stream; and g) means for identifying a portion of said displayed data stream corresponding to a displayed frame and permitting the user to select a portion of the dynamic program data stream corresponding to a portion of interest of said stored program segment and thereby cause video frames corresponding to said portion of interest to be played back in said first window. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A multimedia computer system, comprising:
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a) a central processing unit; b) a video capture unit for receiving broadcast television signals and generating a video signal therefrom; c) a video display unit capable of display said video signals under program control; d) means for decoding data signals embedded in said television signals and generating a program data stream representative of program content of said television signals and changing dynamically therewith; e) means for inputting criteria identifying program content of interest to a user, f) a database for storing data representing said criteria; g) means for storing a program segment and the program data stream associated therewith while maintaining synchronism between the program data stream and the program segment. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. A method of monitoring broadcast television signals, comprising the steps of:
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a) extracting program signal streams from said broadcast television signals; b) generating from the broadcast television signals a program data stream separate from said program signal streams, said program data stream being representative of program content and changing dynamically therewith; c) comparing said program data stream with stored data identifying program content of interest to the user; d) storing, when said generated program data stream matches said stored data, a program segment and the program data stream associated therewith while maintaining synchronism between the program data stream and the program segment; and e) displaying and playing back in a first window video frames of said stored program segment; f) displaying in a second window said dynamic program data stream while identifying a portion of said displayed data stream corresponding to a displayed frame; g) and selecting a portion of the dymanic program data stream corresponding to a protion of interest of said stored program segment to cause video frames corresponding to said portion of interest to be played back in said first window. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
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50. A computer-readable storage medium having binary information encoded thereon, said binary information being operable when interpreted by a computer to direct the computer to monitor broadcast television signals and generate program signal streams to permit the presentation of program material carried by the broadcast signals to a user;
- analyze incoming broadcast television signals to generate a program data stream separate from said program signals, said program data stream being representative of their program content and changing dynamically therewith;
compare said data stream with stored data identifying program content of interest;
store, when said generated data matches said stored data, a program segment and the program data stream associated therewith while maintaining synchronism between the program data stream and the program segment;
display and playback in a first window video frames of said stored program segment and display in a second window said dynamic program data stream;
identify a portion of said displayed data stream corresponding to a displayed frame; and
permit the user to select a portion of the dynamic program data stream corresponding to a portion of interest of said stored program segment and thereby cause video frames corresponding to said portion of interest to be played back in said first window. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59)
- analyze incoming broadcast television signals to generate a program data stream separate from said program signals, said program data stream being representative of their program content and changing dynamically therewith;
Specification