Program recording apparatus and method

• US 6,212,328 B1
• Filed: 12/23/1998
• Issued: 04/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Hitoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Chevalier, Robert
• Application Number:
  US09/220,294
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• Field of Search: 386/46, 386/94, 386/95, 386/56, 386/83, 386/92, 386/52, 386/1, 386/4, 386/96, 360/60, 360/15, 380/4, 380/5, 380/20
• US Class Current: 386/296
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/02 Control of operating function, e.g. switching from recording to reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/036 Insert-editing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• 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 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/4448 for frame-grabbing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

A video signal and an audio signal of a program which is received are always recorded to a hard disk. When a command for program preservation is given, the rewriting of the recorded area in the hard disk is inhibited and the program can be preserved to the hard disk in a range which does not exceed a predetermined time while tracing back to the past. The program is recorded to the hard disk until the end time of the program. Further, in addition to the recording of the program, a recording reservation of the program can be automatically set.

Claims

1. A broadcast receiving apparatus, comprising:

a recording medium for always recording a video signal and an audio signal of a program that is received;

user input means for providing a command for program recording during the broadcast of said program;

calculating means for calculating a start time and an end time of said program based on the time of said command provided by said user input means, wherein said calculating means determines said start time by tracing back from the time when said command is provided to a predetermined time and said end time is determined on the basis of a program unit from said start time; and

control means for preserving said program recorded in said recording medium between said start time and said end time.

2. The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means preserves said program by inhibiting a rewriting of a recorded area of said recording medium in a range corresponding from said start time to said end time.

3. The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said range of said recorded area is automatically set on the basis of said program unit.

4. The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined time corresponds back to the start of an hour in which said command is provided.

5. The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said program unit is set to an hour.

6. The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said program unit is set to 30 minutes.

7. The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said calculating means determines said start time and said end time by referring to an electronic program guide.

8. A broadcast receiving method comprising the steps of:

always recording a video signal and an audio signal of a program which is received,

providing a command for program recording during the program broadcast,

calculating a start time and an end time of said program based on a time of the provided command, wherein said start time is calculated by tracing back from the time when said command is provided to a predetermined time and said end time is determined on the basis of a program unit from said start time, and

preserving said program recorded in said recording medium by inhibiting a rewriting of a recorded area of said recording medium in a range corresponding from said start time to said end time.