Method and apparatus to adaptively program a recording device

• US 6,771,886 B1
• Filed: 05/25/2000
• Issued: 08/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2000
• 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: Mendelsohn, Aaron S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): ONUAKU, CHRISTOPHER O
• Application Number:
  US09/578,270
• Time in Patent Office: 1,531 Days
• Field of Search: 386/1, 386/46, 386/83, 725/39, 725/40, 725/41, 725/44, 725/45, 725/50, 725/55-56, 725/152, 725/58, 360/27, 360/72.2, 360/69, 348/460, 348/552, 348/563, 348/564, 348/569
• US Class Current: 386/291
• 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 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• 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 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/7755 the recorder being connected to, or coupled with, the antenna of the television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape

Abstract

A recording device that utilizes a determining device to make a determination whether a user is available to review user selected content at a scheduled time. First, the user makes a selection of content that the user wishes the recording device to record. The recording device then queries a database, such as an electronic programming guide (EPG) to determine the scheduled time of the user-selected content. The recording device then queries the determining device, such as a calendar device. In the event that the recording device determines that the user is unavailable at the scheduled time of the selected content, the recording device records the selected content.

Claims

1. A recording device comprising:

a user input;

a storage device; and

a processor configured to receive a user selection of content from the user input, to thereafter automatically make a determination without any further input from the user, whether the user is available to review corresponding user selected content at a scheduled time, and to record the user selection on the storage device only if it is determined the user is unavailable to make the review.

2. The recording device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to query a database to determine the scheduled time of the user selected content.

3. The recording device of claim 2, wherein the database is provided to the processor in the form of an electronic programming guide (EPG).

4. The recording device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to receive the user selection in the form of a VCR Plus™

program code from the user input.

5. The recording device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine if a medium is available to the recording device for recording the user selected content.

6. The recording device of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to provide an indication to the user if a medium is not available to the recording device for recording the user selected content.

7. The recording device of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to provide the indication to the user as at least one of an E-Mail message, a calendar indication, and an indication on a selection display device.

8. The recording device of claim 1, wherein said storage device is one of an analog storage medium, a local digital storage medium, and a server based storage medium.

9. The recording device of claim 1, wherein the user selected content is at least one of audio content, video content, and text content.

10. A method of programming a recording device comprising:

receiving a user selection corresponding to user selected content;

determining without any further action on the part of the user, whether the user is available to review the user selected content at a scheduled time; and

operating said recording device to record the user selection only if it is determined the user is unavailable to make the review.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining comprises:

querying a determining device for user scheduling information; and

comparing the user scheduling information to the scheduled time of the user selected content.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein querying comprises querying at least one of a calendar device, a home monitoring device, and a content display device.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said determining step includes the steps of:

querying a home alarm system of the user; and

indicating the user is unavailable if the alarm is turned on.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said determining step includes the steps of:

querying a calendar device of the user; and

indicating the user is unavailable if the calendar device provides information showing the user cannot be available to make the review at the scheduled time.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein said determining step includes the steps of:

querying a content display device; and

indicating the user is available if said content display device is turned on.