TV signal receiver

• US 6,177,960 B1
• Filed: 10/13/1998
• Issued: 01/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Van Luyt, Balthasar A. G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brier, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sajous, Wesner
• Application Number:
  US09/171,090
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.544, 348/9, 348/10, 348/460, 348/563, 348/907, 348/553, 348/725, 348/12, 348/13
• US Class Current: 348/553
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• 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 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A TV signal receiver has a tuner for deriving a first TV signal from the input signal, and a device for storing in a memory and reading therefrom a plurality of blocks of a second TV signal derived from the input signal. The first TV signal has interruptions during which a block of the second TV signal is insertable so as to obtain a composite TV signal which is supplied at an output terminal of the receiver.

Claims

1. A TV signal receiver comprising:

an input terminal for receiving an input signal;

a tuner coupled to the input terminal for deriving a first TV signal from the input signal;

a memory controlled by control means for storing therein and reading therefrom a plurality of blocks of a second TV signal also included in the input signal;

said first TV signal having interruption intervals during which at least one block of said second TV signal is insertable therein, the interruption intervals being accompanied by a first control signal for causing said memory control means to read at least one block of the second TV signal from the memory for insertion into an interruption interval of the first TV signal;

a signal-combining unit responsive to the first control signal to insert said block of the second TV signal into said interruption interval in the first control signal, to thereby obtain a composite TV signal; and

an output terminal at which said composite TV signal is supplied.

2. A TV signal receiver as claimed in claim 1, further comprising detection means for deriving the first control signal from the first TV signal.

3. A TV signal receiver as claimed in claim 1, which is switchable between a first mode in which at least one second TV signal block which is stored in the memory is inserted into an interruption interval in the first TV signal under the control of the first control signal, and a second mode in which blocks of the second TV signal are stored in the memory under the control of a second control signal.

4. A TV signal receiver as claimed in claim 3, further comprising detection means for deriving the second control signal from the input signal.

5. A TV signal receiver as claimed in claim 1, further comprising input means for presenting a preferential profile of themes for the second TV signal blocks.

6. A TV signal receiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second TV signal blocks have a preferential profile of themes which is defined by a broadcaster or service provider.

7. A TV signal receiver as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a selector for selecting second TV signal blocks stored in the memory in dependent upon the preferential profile presented by the input means.

8. A TV signal receiver as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a further output terminal for supplying the preferential profile.

9. A TV signal receiver as claimed in claim 5, wherein the preferential profile of themes is added to the memory.

10. A TV signal receiver as claimed in claim 5, wherein a second TV signal block with a specific preferential profile is insertable into more than one of said interruption intervals of the first TV signal.

11. A TV signal receiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein the memory is a magnetic record carrier.

12. A TV signal receiver as claimed in claim 11, wherein the magnetic record carrier is a hard disk.

13. A TV signal receiver as claimed in claim 11, wherein the magnetic record carrier is a longitudinal magnetic recording medium.

14. A TV signal receiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein the memory is a solid-state memory.