System for scheduled caching of in-band data services

• US 6,990,680 B1
• Filed: 01/05/1998
• Issued: 01/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Amiga Development LLC
• Original Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wugofski, Theodore D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, Christopher
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, RUEBEN M
• Application Number:
  US09/002,584
• Time in Patent Office: 2,941 Days
• Field of Search: 348/7, 348/478, 345/327, 725/50, 725/132, 725/149, 725/152, 725 56-105, 725/58, 725/47, 725/140
• US Class Current: 725/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

A system for scheduling caching of in-band data operates as part of a computerized system to receive and store data broadcast in-band in a channel at a scheduled time. The scheduled caching system determines the scheduled time and channel for the in-band data broadcast and causes a real-time clock in the computerized system to schedule a subsequent execution of the scheduled caching system at approximately the scheduled time. When the scheduled caching system subsequently executes, the scheduled caching system instructs tuning circuitry in the computerized-system to tune to the scheduled channel, receives the in-band data from the tuning circuitry and stores the in-band data on mass storage for subsequent processing. The scheduled caching system also powers on the tuning circuitry and parses the in-band data from other content broadcast in the channel if necessary.

Claims

1. A computerized-system for scheduled caching of in-band data broadcast in a channel comprising:

a real-time scheduling process; and

a user initiated scheduling process operable to provide an interface for a user of a receiver for receiving the in-band data broadcast in the channel to determine a user selection of a scheduled broadcast time in the future and a channel for delivery of an electronic program guide in the in-band data broadcast, and for invoking the real-time scheduling process to schedule execution of a caching process at approximately the scheduled time, wherein the caching process is operable for determining if a scheduling conflict exists, for determining whether tuning circuitry has been powered-on and, if not, powering-on the tuning circuitry if no scheduling conflict exists, for instructing the tuner circuitry to tune to the scheduled channel, for receiving the electronic program guide data from the tuning circuitry regardless of the presence of a user, and for storing the in-band data for subsequent processing, whereby the information may subsequently be retrieved and viewed or used by the user.

2. The computerized-system of claim 1, wherein the scheduling process is further operable for retrieving the scheduled time and channel for electronic program guide programming from a source.

3. The computerized-system of claim 2, wherein the source is an in-band data broadcast.

4. The computerized-system of claim 3, wherein the electronic program guide data is broadcast in a vertical blanking interval of a television channel.

5. The computerized-system of claim 4, wherein the electronic program guide data is broadcast in a portion of a digital satellite transmission channel.

6. The computerized-system of claim 1, wherein the caching process is further operable for parsing the electronic program guide data from other content broadcast in the channel.

7. The computerized system of claim 1 wherein the electronic program guide data originates from multiple sources.

8. The computerized system of claim 1 wherein the user initiated scheduling process is capable of causing the real time scheduling process to schedule multiple executions of the caching process.

9. A method of scheduled caching of in-band data broadcast in a channel comprising:

providing a user interface for enabling a user of a receiver for the in-band data broadcast in the channel to determine a schedule of delivery for an electronic program guide in the in-band data broadcast, wherein the schedule comprises a time and a channel;

receiving from the user a selection of a scheduled broadcast time in the future for the electronic programming guide; and

determining at approximately the scheduled time if a scheduling conflict exists, and if no conflict exists then performing the acts of;

instructing tuning circuitry to power-on and to tune to the schedule channel at approximately the schedule time;

receiving the in-band data broadcast in the schedule channel regardless of the presence of a user; and

storing the in-band data on mass storage for subsequent retrieval and viewing or use by a user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining a time and channel comprises:

displaying a plurality of schedules of different content to a user for selection; and

determining the time and the channel from the schedule selected by the user.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining a time and channel comprises:

determining a source for the schedule; and

retrieving the schedule from the source.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein he source for the schedule is in-band broadcast data.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the in-band data further comprises parsing the electronic program guide from other content broadcast in the channel.

14. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for performing a method comprising:

providing a user interface for enabling a user of a receiver for in-band data broadcast in a channel to determine a schedule of delivery for an electronic program guide in the in-band data broadcast, wherein the schedule comprises a time and a channel;

determining a scheduled broadcast time in the future by a selection of the user the electronic programming guide; and

determining at approximately the scheduled time if a scheduling conflict exists, and if no conflict exists then performing the act of;

instructing tuning circuitry to power-on and to tune to the schedule channel at approximately the schedule time;

receiving the in-band data broadcast in the schedule channel regardless of the presence of the user; and

storing the in-band data on mass storage for subsequent retrieval and viewing or use by the user.

15. A digital processing system comprising:

a processor having real time clock circuitry;

tuning circuitry for powering-on and for tuning and receiving broadcast transmissions, the tuning circuitry communicatively coupled to the processor;

a computer-readable medium communicatively coupled to the central processor; and

a scheduled caching program executed from the computer-readable medium by the processor and providing a user interface for enabling a user of a receiver for in-band data broadcast in a channel to determine a user selection of a scheduled broadcast time in the future and a channel for delivery of an electronic programming guide, wherein the scheduled caching program initiated by a user causes the real-time clock circuitry to schedule a subsequent execution of the scheduled caching program at approximately a scheduled time and the subsequent execution of the scheduled caching program, regardless of the presence of the user, determines at approximately the scheduled time if a scheduling conflict exists, and if no conflict exists then instructs the tuning circuitry to power-on and to tune to a channel, receives in-band data from the tuning circuitry, wherein the in-band data is not audio content and is not video content, and stores the in-band data for subsequent processing for subsequent retrieval and viewing or use by the user.

16. The digital processing system of claim 15, wherein the scheduled caching program parses the in-band data from other content broadcast in the channel.

17. The digital processing system of claim 15, wherein the scheduled time and the channel are selected by a user of the digital processing system from a plurality of data service schedules of different content.

18. The digital processing system of claim 17, wherein the scheduled caching program retrieves one of the data service schedules from an in-band source.

19. A computerized-system for scheduled caching of in-band data broadcast in a channel comprising:

a real-time scheduling process; and

a user-initiated scheduling process operable to provide an interface for enabling a user of a receiver for receiving the in-band data broadcast in the channel to determine a user selection of a scheduled broadcast time in the future and a channel for delivery of electronic program guide and having means for determining a scheduled time and channel for an in-band data broadcast, wherein the in-band data broadcast is not audio content and is not video content, and for invoking the real-time schedule process to schedule execution of a caching process at approximately the scheduled time, wherein the caching process determines if a scheduling conflict exists, and if no conflict exists then scheduling provides for instructing tuner circuitry to power-on and to tune to the scheduled channel regardless of the presence of a user, for receiving the in-band data from the tuning circuitry, and for storing the in-band data for subsequent processing.

20. The computerized-system of claim 19, wherein the scheduling process further has means for retrieving the scheduled time and channel from a source.

21. The computerized-system of claim 19, wherein the caching process further has means for parsing the in-band data from other content broadcast in the channel.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the in-band data broadcast includes stock quotes.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the in-band data broadcast includes sports scores.

24. An information handling system comprising:

a tuner capable of powering-on, the tuner further being tunable to a plurality of channels; and

a scheduler operable to provide an interface for enabling a user of a receiver for receiving in-band broadcast data broadcast in a channel to determine a user selection of a scheduled broadcast time in the future and a channel for delivery of an electronic program guide and configured to determine a scheduled time and a scheduled channel from the plurality of channels, for receiving information associated with the scheduled channel, the information being non-audio and non-video in-band information, the operation of said scheduler being initiated by a user, wherein the scheduler at approximately the scheduled time determines if a scheduling conflict exists, and if no conflict exists then causes the tuner to power-on and tune to the scheduled channel at approximately the scheduled time, regardless of the presence of the user, to receive the information associated with the channel.

25. The information handling system of claim 24, wherein the information further comprises Internet-related information.

26. The information handling system of claim 24, wherein the scheduler comprises:

a real-time scheduling process; and

a scheduling process which determines the scheduled time and the scheduled channel, and invokes the real-time scheduling process to schedule execution of a caching process at approximately the scheduled time, wherein the caching process instructs the tuner to tune to the scheduled channel, receives the information associated with the scheduled channel from the tuner, and stores the information for subsequent processing.

27. The information handling system of claim 26, wherein the scheduling process retrieves the scheduled time and the scheduled channel from information received from one of the plurality of channels.

28. The information handling system of claim 26, wherein the caching process powers-on the tuner.

29. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for performing a method comprising:

providing an interface for use by a user of a receiver of in-band data broadcast in the future in determining a scheduled broadcast time in the future and a scheduled channel for an electronic program guide, the guide comprising non-audio and non-video in-band information, said determining being initiated by a user; and

determining at approximately the scheduled time if a scheduling conflict exists, and if no conflict exists then instructing a tuner to power-on and to tune to the scheduled channel at approximately the scheduled time to receive the information associated with the scheduled channel, regardless of the presence of the user, and store the information associated with the channel for subsequent processing, whereby the information may subsequently be retrieved and viewed or used by the user.

30. The information handling system of claim 29, wherein the information further comprises internet-related information.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 29 wherein the information comprises stock quotes.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the information comprises sports scores.

33. A method for handling information comprising the steps of:

providing a user interface for use by a user of a receiver for receiving in-band broadcast data broadcast in a channel in determining a user selection of a scheduled broadcast time in the future and a scheduled a channel for delivery of an electronic program guide, the guide comprising non-audio and non-video in-band information including electronic program guide information, said determining being initiated by a user; and

determining if at approximately the scheduled time a scheduling conflict exists, and if no conflict exists then instructing a tuner to power-on and to tune to the scheduled channel at approximately the scheduled time to receive the information associated with the scheduled channel, regardless of the presence of the user, and store the information associated with the channel for subsequent processing.

34. The information handling system of claim 33, wherein the information further comprises internet-related information.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the information comprises stock quotes.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the information comprises sports scores.