Device for recording video signals and device for displaying electronic program guide

• US 6,311,011 B1
• Filed: 12/13/1999
• Issued: 10/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TIP Communication LLC
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Kuroda, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber, Wendy R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHIEU, PO LIN
• Application Number:
  US09/458,696
• Time in Patent Office: 687 Days
• Field of Search: 386/1, 386/83, 386/46, 360/60, 360/7, 348/906
• US Class Current: 386/297
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/41 Flat as opposed to hierarchical combination, e.g. library of tapes or discs, CD changer, or groups of record carriers that together store one title
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/455 said record carriers being in one device and being used as primary and secondary/backup media, e.g. HDD-DVD combo device, or as source and target media, e.g. PC and portable player
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06
• 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 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• 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 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

A video recorder for recording signal including audio and video signals, comprises a module for receiving program information signal designating a program identifier, starting and ending time of a program, a first storage device, a first recording module for continuously recording the content signal at least one channel in the first storage device, and a module for deleting the content signals of the oldest program recorded in the first storage device in reference with the program information signals.

Claims

1. A video recorder for recording content signals including audio and video signals, comprising:

means for receiving program information signals designating a program identifier, starting and ending time of a program;

a first storage device;

first recording means for continuously recording the content signals of at least one channel in the first storage device;

means for deleting the content signals of the oldest program recorded in the first storage device in reference with the program information signals;

a second storage device;

second recording means for recording content signals in the second storage device according to a direction given from outside of the video recorder in order to record contents;

direct recording means for recording current content signals which are currently received by the video recorder in the second storage device without recording in the first device;

indirect recording means for copying content signals that have been recorded in the first storage device into the second storage device; and

means for automatically merging content signals recorded by both the direct recording means and the indirect recording means into one file.

2. A video recorder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first storage device belongs to a random access storage device.

3. A video recorder as claimed in claim 2, wherein the random access storage is comprises at least one hard disk drive.