Method and apparatus for automatically setting time information in a multi-format digital television product

• US 6,433,831 B1
• Filed: 12/30/1999
• Issued: 08/13/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing SA (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing SA (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Dinwiddie, Aaron Hal, Schneidewend, Dan Richard, Cooper, Steven Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Faile, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): NATNAEL, PAULOS M
• Application Number:
  US09/475,446
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 348/460, 348/461, 348/553, 348/552, 386/83, 725/28-29, 725/25, 380/4-7
• US Class Current: 348/553
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42638 involving a hybrid front-end, e.g. analog and digital tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4586 Content update operation triggered locally, e.g. by comparing the version of software modules in a DVB carousel to the version stored locally deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction of the data by redundancy during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/46 for receiving on more than one standard at will deflecting circuits of multi-standard receivers H04N3/27

Abstract

A method and apparatus for allowing a user to manually set a clock in a multi-format television receiver capable of receiving a plurality of television signals. The method comprises the steps of selecting a television signal from one of a plurality of television signals and then detecting temporal information in the television signal. Upon detecting such temporal information, the temporal information is extracted and used to set at least one clock to count time. Once the clock is set based upon the temporal information, the temporal information prevails over any manually set time, and the user is precluded from manually setting the clock. The television receiver continues to update the clock based upon the latest periodic temporal information periodically sent with the television signal. The user is permitted to manually set the time on a clock only in an instance where the updated temporal information has not been detected past a specified period of time.

Claims

1. A method for allowing a user to manually set a clock in a multi-format television receiver capable of receiving a plurality of television signals comprising the steps of:

selecting a television signal from one of said plurality of television signals;

detecting temporal information in said selected television signal;

extracting from said temporal information, a time component or a date component;

setting at least one clock from said extracted temporal information and counting time, wherein said extracted time or date components prevail over any manually set time;

precluding said user from manually setting a time value or a date value on said clock;

setting said at least one clock and counting time based upon periodic temporal information updates from said television signal; and

allowing said user to manually set said clock in an instance where said updated temporal information has not been detected past a specified period of time.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

manually setting said clock prior to receiving said temporal information in said television signal.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising the step of:

precluding said user from manually setting said clock in an instance where said updated temporal information has been detected within said specified period of time.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising the step of:

setting a time zone value or a daylight savings time value manually on said clock.

5. The method of claim 4, comprising the steps of:

extracting from said temporal information, a time zone component or a daylight savings time component; and

determining whether to set said clock based upon said temporal information via a default device.

6. The method of claim 5, comprising the steps of:

selecting said default device to set said time zone value or said daylight savings time value on said clock to match said time zone component or said daylight savings time component of said extracted temporal information, in an instance that it is desirable to set said clock based upon said temporal information; and

updating said clock based upon updated temporal information received in said television signal.

7. The method of claim 5, comprising the step of:

retaining said time zone value or said daylight savings value manually set by said user in an instance that it is not desirable to set said clock based upon said temporal information.

8. Apparatus for allowing a user to manually set a clock in a multi-format television receiver capable of receiving a plurality of television signals comprising:

means for selecting a television signal from one of said plurality of television signals;

means for detecting temporal information in said selected television signal;

means for extracting from said temporal information, a time component or a date component;

means for setting at least one clock from said extracted temporal information and counting time, wherein said extracted time or date components prevail over any manually set time;

means for precluding said user from manually setting a time value or a date value on said clock;

means for setting said at least one clock and counting time based upon periodic temporal information updates from said television signal; and

allowing said user to manually set said clock in an instance where said updated temporal information has not been detected past a specified period of time.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

means for manually setting said clock prior to receiving said temporal information in said television signal.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, comprising:

means for precluding said user from manually setting said clock in an instance where said updated temporal information has been detected within said specified period of time.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, comprising:

means for setting a time zone value or a daylight savings time value manually on said clock.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, comprising:

means for extracting from said temporal information, a time zone component or a daylight savings time component; and

means for determining whether to set said clock based upon said temporal information via a default device.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, comprising:

means for selecting said default device to set said time zone value or said daylight savings time value on said clock to match said time zone component or said daylight savings time component of said extracted temporal information, in an instance that it is desirable to set said clock based upon said temporal information; and

means for updating said clock based upon updated temporal information received in said television signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, comprising:

means for retaining said time zone value or said daylight savings value manually set by said user in an instance that it is not desirable to set said clock based upon said temporal information.