Channel selection device used in digital/analog broadcasting receiver

• US 7,050,117 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2002
• Issued: 05/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Manabu, Takagi, Toshihiro, Nishida, Yusuke, Inui, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Yenke, Brian P.
• Application Number:
  US10/053,613
• Publication Number:
  US 20020097164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,580 Days
• Field of Search: 348/734, 348/731, 348/725, 348/385.1, 348473-474, 348563-567, 348569-570, 725/40, 725/52, 725/54, 725/142, 725/152
• US Class Current: 348/725
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/46 for receiving on more than one standard at will deflecting circuits of multi-standard receivers H04N3/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control

Abstract

In a channel selection device of the invention used in a digital/analog broadcasting receiver, in instructing changing a channel, either one of the UP/DOWN key pair or the RIGHT/LEFT key pair can be used to change a main channel while changing the other pair to change a sub-channel. Thus, by using the keys distributed between the main channel and the sub-channels, a correlation can be given between the key operations and the channels'"'"' hierarchical construction to thereby facilitate the changing and selection of the main channels and the sub-channels in the hierarchical construction in digital/analog broadcasts.

Claims

1. A channel selection device used in a digital/analog broadcasting receiver comprising:

a receiving device for receiving an encoded digital/analog broadcasting signal originated from a broadcasting station;

a digital/analog decoder for decoding the digital/analog broadcasting signal received from the receiving device and then outputting the signal to a display;

a memory for storing channel information contained in the broadcasting signal decoded by the digital decoder;

an on-screen display output circuit, which provides a matrix display of channel information, wherein different main channels are listed across rows of the matrix and sub-channels are listed in a same column of the matrix as a corresponding main channel;

a control unit for controlling sections of the receiver, and,

an input device for inputting a user'"'"'s instruction for channel selection to the control unit;

wherein the device receives a digital broadcast and an analog broadcast which are originated through different channels, the digital broadcast involves one or a plurality of sub-channels for originating contents, which sub-channels are assigned a virtual channel headed by the same main channel number as that for analog broadcast, and;

the control unit, upon reception of the channel selection instruction from the input device, makes the receiving device to receive the broadcasting signal of a selected channel and makes the digital decoder to decode the received broadcasting signal, to obtain the channel information contained in the decoded broadcasting signal and then store the channel information in the memory;

wherein the input device has UP/DOWN keys assigned for sub-channel switch-over and RIGHT/LEFT keys assigned for main channel switch-over; and

wherein the control unit selects the smallest channel number of the sub-channel from among the digital ones if the main channel contains a plurality of sub-channels, in channel changing on the basis of the channel changing instruction sent from the input device.

2. The channel selection device used in the digital/analog broadcasting receiver according to claim 1, wherein the control unit, in channel changing on the basis of the channel changing instruction sent from the input device, selects a preset sub-channel from among a plurality of sub-channels if contained in the main channels.

3. The channel selection device used in the digital/analog broadcasting receiver according to claim 1, wherein the OSD output circuit displays a channel selecting cursor which is interlocked with the UP/DOWN key or RIGHT/LEFT key operating instruction given through the input device.

4. The channel selection device used in the digital/analog broadcasting receiver according to claim 3, wherein the cursor is directly positioned at the top, when the cursor displayed in the channel information list moves as interlocked with the UP/DOWN key or RIGHT/LEFT key operating instruction for changing the main channel given through the input device.

5. A channel selection device used in a digital/analog broadcasting receiver comprising:

a receiving device for receiving an encoded digital/analog broadcasting signal originated from a broadcasting station;

a digital/analog decoder for decoding the digital/analog broadcasting signal received from the receiving device and then outputting the signal to a display;

a memory for storing channel information contained in the broadcasting signal decoded by the digital decoder;

a control unit for controlling sections of the receiver, and,

an input device for inputting a user'"'"'s instruction for channel selection to the control unit;

an On-Screen Display (OSD) output circuit that provides a matrix display of channel information stored in the memory with digital and analog contents as mixed at the display, wherein different main channels are listed across rows of the matrix and sub-channels are listed in a same column of the matrix as a corresponding main channel,

wherein the device receives a digital broadcast and an analog broadcast which are originated through different channels, the digital broadcast involves one or a plurality of sub-channels for originating contents, which sub-channels are assigned a virtual channel headed by the same main channel number as that for analog broadcast, and;

the control unit makes the receiving device to receive the broadcasting signal of a selected channel and makes the digital decoder to decode the received broadcasting signal, in order to obtain the channel information contained in the decoded broadcasting signal and then store the channel information in the memory

wherein the input device has UP/DOWN keys assigned for sub-channel switch-over and RIGHT/LEFT keys assigned for main channel switch-over.

6. The channel selection device used in the digital/analog broadcasting receiver according to claim 5, wherein the control unit, in channel changing on the basis of the channel changing instruction sent from the input device, selects a preset sub-channel from among a plurality of sub-channels if contained in the main channels.

7. The channel selection device used in the digital/analog broadcasting receiver according to claim 5, wherein the OSD output circuit displays a channel selecting cursor which is interlocked with the UP/DOWN key or RIGHT/LEFT key operating instruction given through the input device.

8. The channel selection device used in the digital/analog broadcasting receiver according to claim 7, wherein the cursor is directly positioned at the top, when the cursor displayed in the channel information list moves as interlocked with the UP/DOWN key or RIGHT/LEFT key operating instruction for changing the main channel given through the input device.

9. A method for channel selection in a digital and analog broadcast receiver, the method comprising the acts of:

receiving digital and analog broadcast signals, wherein each of the analog broadcast signals correspond to a main channel, the digital broadcast signal involves one or more sub-channels, each of the one or more sub-channels being assigned a virtual channel using a same main channel as that of a corresponding analog channel;

assigning a first set of responses to an up or down command, and a second set of responses to a right or left command;

outputting a matrix display of channel information, wherein different main channels are listed across rows of the matrix and sub-channels are listed in a same column of the matrix as a corresponding main channel;

receiving a up, down, right or left command;

responding to the received command, wherein the first set of responses selects a sub-channel and the second set of responses selects a main channel.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the act of:

selecting a preset sub-channel from among a plurality of sub-channels, if contained in the main channels, based on receipt of the left or right command.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the act of:

outputting a channel selecting cursor which is interlocked with the up or down commands or the right and left commands.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the cursor is directly positioned at the top, when the cursor displayed in the matrix display of channel information list moves as interlocked with the up or down commands or the right or left commands.