Methods and apparatus for recording programs prior to or beyond a preset recording time period

• US 6,771,885 B1
• Filed: 02/07/2000
• Issued: 08/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Mankovich, Nicholas J., McGee, Thomas, Dimitrova, Nevenka, Agnihotri, Lalitha
• Primary Examiner(s): Chevalier, Robert
• Application Number:
  US09/498,884
• Time in Patent Office: 1,639 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.591, H04/N.7173, 386/83, 386/46-52, 386/55, 386/4, 386/94, 386/95, 386/96, 386/111, 386/109, 386/112, 725/86, 725/87, 725/101, 725/102, 725/19, 725/39
• US Class Current: 386/314
• 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 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• 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 21/47214 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 5/782 on tape

Abstract

A video signal is processed to generate one or more signatures associated with a broadcast program to be recorded by a recording device. The signatures are then processed to determine an actual start time and end time of the desired broadcast program, such that the program can be properly recorded despite delays or other changes in a pre-scheduled broadcast time of the program. One or more of the extracted signatures may be based at least in part on, e.g., a keyframe similarity measure, a histogram, one or more detected commercials, a transcript, a program logo or other detected object, detected text, and a sign-on or sign-off of the desired program. Other types of signatures can also be used.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a recording device, the method comprising the steps of:

generating one or more signatures associated with at least a portion of a desired broadcast program to be recorded by the recording device; and

controlling at least one of a start time and an end time of a recording process implemented in the recording device for recording the desired broadcast program, based at least in part on the one or more signatures;

wherein a given one of the one or more signatures associated with at least a portion of the desired broadcast program is generated by automatically extracting information from a first actual portion of the broadcast program, the first actual portion being a portion that is recorded by the recording device in recording the desired broadcast program, the extracted information being compared with stored information derived from a second actual portion of the broadcast program, different than the first actual portion, the second actual portion also being a portion that is recorded by the recording device in recording the desired broadcast program.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the signature associated with the desired broadcast program comprises a visual frame signature based at least in part on a visual characteristic of a frame of the broadcast program.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the visual frame signature is extracted using information based on DC and motion coefficients of the frame.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the visual frame signature is extracted using information based on DC and AC coefficients of the frame.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the signature associated with the desired broadcast program comprises an audio signature based at least in part on a characteristic of an audio signal associated with at least a portion of the broadcast program.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the signature associated with the desired broadcast program is based at least in part on one or more of a keyframe similarity measure, a histogram, one or more detected commercials, a transcript, a program logo or other detected object, detected text, and a sign-on or sign-off of the desired program.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the signature associated with the desired broadcast program comprises detected audio features.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the signature associated with the desired broadcast program comprises detected credits.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the signature associated with the desired broadcast program comprises a detected program transcript.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a recording device having at least one of a controllable start time and a controllable end time for recording of a desired broadcast program, wherein at least one of the start time and the end time is controlled in accordance with one or more extracted signatures generated from and associated with at least a portion of the desired broadcast program to be recorded;

wherein a given one of the one or more signatures associated with at least a portion of the desired broadcast program is generated by automatically extracting information from a first actual portion of the broadcast program, the first actual portion being a portion that is recorded by the recording device in recording the desired broadcast program, the extracted information being compared with stored information derived from a second actual portion of the broadcast program, different than the first actual portion, the second actual portion also being a portion that is recorded by the recording device in recording the desired broadcast program.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the signature associated with the desired broadcast program comprises a visual frame signature based at least in part on a visual characteristic of a frame of the broadcast program.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the visual frame signature is extracted using information based on DC and motion coefficients of the frame.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the visual frame signature is extracted using information based on DC and AC coefficients of the frame.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the signature associated with the desired broadcast program comprises an audio signature based at least in part on a characteristic of an audio signal associated with at least a portion of the broadcast program.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the signature associated with the desired broadcast program is based at least in part on one or more of a keyframe similarity measure, a histogram, one or more detected commercials, a transcript, a program logo or other detected object, detected text, and a sign-on or sign-off of the desired program.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the signature associated with the desired broadcast program comprises detected audio features.

17. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the signature associated with the desired broadcast program comprises detected credits.

18. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the signature associated with the desired broadcast program comprises a detected program transcript.

19. An article of manufacture comprising a machine-readable medium containing one or more software programs for controlling the operation of a recording device, wherein the one or more programs when executed implement the steps of:

generating one or more signatures associated with at least a portion of a desired broadcast program to be recorded by the recording device; and

controlling at least one of a start time and an end time of a recording process implemented in the recording device for recording the desired broadcast program, based at least in part on the one or more signatures;

wherein a given one of the one or more signatures associated with at least a portion of the desired broadcast program is generated by automatically extracting information from a first actual portion of the broadcast program, the first actual portion being a portion that is recorded by the recording device in recording the desired broadcast program, the extracted information being compared with stored information derived from a second actual portion of the broadcast program, different than the first actual portion, the second actual portion also being a portion that is recorded by the recording device in recording the desired broadcast program.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a storage device for storing signature information relating to a desired broadcast program; and

a recording device having at least one of a controllable start time and a controllable end time for recording of a desired broadcast program, with at least one of the start time and the end time controlled in accordance with one or more signatures associated with at least a portion of the desired broadcast program to be recorded, based at least in part on a comparison of the one or more signatures with the stored signature information;

wherein a given one of the one or more signatures associated with at least a portion of the desired broadcast program is generated by automatically extracting information from a first actual portion of the broadcast program, the first actual portion being a portion that is recorded by the recording device in recording the desired broadcast program, the extracted information being compared with stored information derived from a second actual portion of the broadcast program, different than the first actual portion, the second actual portion also being a portion that is recorded by the recording device in recording the desired broadcast program.