Timer-recording controller for controlling a timer-recording apparatus used to record a broadcast audio signal, a broadcast video signal, or a broadcast data signal

• US 6,252,629 B1
• Filed: 12/10/1998
• Issued: 06/26/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Takatori, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US09/208,421
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• Field of Search: 348/906, 348/460, 348/552, 348/5.5, 386/45, 386/65, 386/62, 725/141, 725/153, 725/133
• US Class Current: 348/460
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape

Abstract

A timer-recording controller receiving a broadcast signal multiplexed with program information containing information representing broadcast sources, broadcast starting times, broadcast ending times, and genres of a plurality of broadcast-scheduled programs. The time-recording controller for controlling a recorder on the basis of the program information to timer-record a desired program among the plurality of programs comprises a timer-recording scheduled program list producer and a recorder controller for causing the recorder to timer-record the desired program at the broadcast-scheduled time of the desired program. Further, a detector detects a program which may delay the broadcast time of the timer-recording scheduled program from among the broadcast-scheduled programs. A user operates a user'"'"'s instructions input unit in accordance with the detected result to control the timer-recording scheduled program list producer and the recorder controller to delay the time at which the recorder ends recording by a desired time.

Claims

1. A timer-recording controller receiving a broadcast signal multiplexed with program information containing information representing broadcast sources, broadcast starting times, broadcast ending times, and genres of a plurality of broadcast-scheduled programs, for controlling a recorder on the basis of the program information to timer-record at least one particular program among the plurality of programs, said timer-recording controller comprising:

a timer-recording control unit operable to cause the recorder to start recording a particular program from a broadcast source of the broadcast signal at a broadcast starting time of the particular program and end the recording at a broadcast ending time of the particular program;

a first program detector operable to detect a program which may delay the broadcast starting time of the particular program from among a plurality of broadcast-scheduled programs; and

a timer-recording control correction controller operable to delay a time at which the recorder ends the recording by a desired time based on a result detected by said first program detector.

2. The timer-recording controller according to claim 1, wherein said timer-recording control correction controller is further operable to not delay the time at which the recorder ends the recording if said first program detector does not detect a program which may delay the broadcast starting time of the particular program.

3. The timer-recording controller according to claim 1, wherein said first program detector detects, from program information, a program in a particular genre broadcast from the same broadcast source as the particular program at a broadcast starting time earlier than the broadcast starting time of the particular program.

4. The timer-recording controller according to claim 1, further comprising a display operable to display a result detected by said first program detector.

5. The timer-recording controller according to claim 4, further comprising an input device operable to allow a user to input an arbitrary time as the desired time while checking the result displayed on said display.

6. The timer-recording controller according to claim 1, further comprising a second program detector operable to detect a program scheduled to start at a broadcast starting time earlier than the time at which the recorder ends the recording delayed by the desired time from among particular programs.

7. The timer-recording controller according to claim 6, wherein said second program detector detects only a program broadcast from a broadcast source different from the broadcast source of the particular program which is delayed by the desired time from among the detected programs.

8. The timer-recording controller according to claim 6, further comprising a display operable to display a result detected by said first program detector and a result detected by said second program detector.

9. The timer-recording controller according to claim 8, further comprising an input device operable to allow a user to input an arbitrary time as the desired time while checking the results displayed on said display.

10. The timer-recording controller according to claim 1, further comprising an available recording time detector operable to detect an available recording time in the recorder, wherein the time at which the recorder ends the recording is delayed by the desired time based on the available recording time.

11. The timer-recording controller according to claim 10, further comprising:

a recording time comparing unit operable to compare the available recording time and a recording time of the particular program when delayed by the desired time; and

a timer-recording managing unit operable to delay the time at which the recorder ends recording by the desired time when the available recording time is longer than the recording time.

12. The timer-recording controller according to claim 11, further comprising a display operable to display a result detected by said first program detector and the available recording time when the available recording time is shorter than the recording time.

13. The timer-recording controller according to claim 12, further comprising an input device operable to allow a user to input an arbitrary time as the desired time while checking the display on said display.

14. The timer-recording controller according to claim 5, wherein said timer-recording control correction controller comprises a delay time suggesting device operable to suggest a given delay time for the desired time.

15. The timer-recording controller according to claim 14, wherein said delay time suggesting device updates the given delay time based on statistics taken from desired times inputted by the user.