Broadcast video image recording apparatus

• US 7,095,949 B2
• Filed: 06/22/1998
• Issued: 08/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Okada, Yoshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Groody, James J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ONUAKU, CHRISTOPHER O
• Application Number:
  US09/102,149
• Publication Number:
  US 20010028785A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,983 Days
• Field of Search: 386/1, 386/46, 386/83, 386/125, 386/126, 386/55, 386/69, 348/906, 360/6, 360/7, 369/83, 369/124.1, 369/124.14, 725/906
• US Class Current: 386/241
• 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 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording

Abstract

A broadcast video image recording apparatus for recording broadcast video image data has a first storage unit for storing broadcast video image data, a second storage unit for storing video image data to be played back, and a control unit for searching the first storage unit for video image data which has been indicated, and storing the indicated video image data in the second storage unit. Broadcast video images are stored in the first storage unit at all times, and video images stored in the first storage unit are read and stored in the second storage unit at a time indicated for recording. Therefore, video images that have been broadcast in the past can be recorded.

Claims

1. A broadcast video image moving picture recording apparatus to record broadcast video moving picture image data, comprising:

a receiver receiving broadcast video moving picture image data for viewing;

a first digital data storage unit storing said received broadcast video moving picture image data according to a FIFO sequence;

a second digital data storage unit storing an indicated video moving picture image data in said stored received broadcast image data of said first storage unit;

indicating means comprising a time designation unit for indicating a time said video moving picture image data is to be played back and operated by a user;

a control unit controlling said first storage unit so as to store said received broadcast video moving picture image, and for searching and reading said indicated video moving picture image data which have been stored in said first digital data storage unit, and storing the indicated video moving picture image data in said second digital data storage unit according to said time indication of said indicating means; and

a storage table, separate from the first storage unit, to store a write time and a write address of the broadcast video moving picture image data in the first digital data storage unit, according to the control unit,

wherein said control unit stores the write address and the write time of said first digital data storage unit into said storage table whenever a predetermined amount of said received broadcast video moving picture image data is stored in said first digital data storage unit, searches a write address of said indicated video moving picture image data from said storage table according to the indicated time of said indicating means as indicated by the user, reads said indicated video moving picture image data according to said searched write address, and stores the read and indicated video moving picture image data having said predetermined amount in said second digital data storage unit.

2. A broadcast video image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first digital data storage unit stores broadcast video image data in a plurality of channels which broadcast at a same time.

3. The broadcast video image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first digital data storage unit comprises a disk storage unit.

4. The broadcast video image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said digital data second storage unit comprises a disk storage unit.

5. A broadcast video moving picture image recording apparatus to record broadcast video moving picture image data comprising:

a first random-access digital data storage unit storing received broadcast video moving picture image data according to a FIFO sequence;

a second digital data storage unit storing an indicated video moving picture image data in said stored received broadcast image data of said first random-access storage unit;

a time designation unit designating a time for indicating a time said video moving picture image data is to be played back and operated by a user;

a control unit controlling said first storage unit so as to store said received broadcast video moving picture image, searching and reading said indicated video moving picture image data which has been stored in said first random-access storage unit, and storing the indicated video moving picture image data in said second digital data storage unit at a time indicated for recording; and

a storage table, separate from the first random-access storage unit, to store a write time and a write address of the broadcast video moving picture image data in the first random-access digital data storage unit, according to the control unit,

wherein said control unit stores a write address and a write time of said first random-access digital data storage unit into the storage table whenever a predetermined amount of said received broadcast video moving picture image data is stored in said first random-access digital data storage unit, searches a write address of said indicated video moving picture image data from said storage table according to said indicated time of said time designation unit as indicated by the user, reads said indicated video moving picture image data according to said searched write address, and stores the read and indicated video moving picture image data having said predetermined amount in said second digital data storage unit.

6. The broadcast video image recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said first random-access digital data storage unit comprises a disk storage unit.

7. A broadcast video moving picture image recording apparatus comprising:

a receiver receiving broadcast video moving picture image data for viewing;

a first digital data storage unit storing said received video moving picture image data;

a second digital data storage unit storing an indicated video moving picture image data in said stored received broadcast image data of said first digital data storage unit;

indicating means for indicating a time said video moving picture image data is to be played back and operated by a user;

a control unit controlling said first digital data storage unit so as to store said received broadcast video moving picture image, and for searching and reading said indicated video moving picture image data, which has been stored in said first digital data storage unit, and storing the indicated video moving picture image data in said second digital data storage unit according to said indication of said indicating means;

a storage table, separate from the first digital data storage unit, to store a write time and a write address of the broadcast video moving picture image data in the first digital data storage unit, according to the control unit; and

a second storage table to store a write address and a time of said second digital data storage unit,

wherein said control unit stores the write address and the write time of said first digital data storage unit into said storage table whenever a predetermined amount of said received broadcast video moving picture image data is stored in said first digital data storage unit, searches a write address of said indicated video moving picture image data from said storage table according to an indicated video moving picture image data of said indicating means as indicated by the user, reads said indicated video moving picture image data according to said searched write address, and stores the read and the indicated video moving picture image data having said predetermined amount in said second digital data storage unit by using said second storage table to write said read and indicated video moving picture image data in said second digital data storage unit immediately when storing said indicated video moving picture image data into said first digital data storage unit.

8. A broadcast video moving picture image recording apparatus comprising:

a receiver receiving broadcast video moving picture image data for viewing;

a first digital data storage unit storing said received video moving picture image data;

a second digital data storage unit storing an indicated video moving picture image data in said stored received broadcast video moving picture image data of said first digital data storage unit;

indicating means for indicating a time said video moving picture image data is to be played back and operated by a user; and

a control unit controlling said first digital data storage unit so as to store said received broadcast video moving picture image, and for searching and reading said indicated video moving picture image data which has been stored in said first digital data storage unit, and storing the indicated video moving picture image data in said second digital data storage unit according to said indication of said indicating means,

wherein said control unit reads said indicated video moving picture image data from said first digital data storage unit and writes said read and indicated video moving picture image data in said second digital data storage unit whenever a predetermined amount of said received broadcast video moving picture image data is stored in said first digital data storage unit according to said indication by the user of said indicating means while storing said indicated video moving picture image into said first digital data storage unit.

9. A broadcast video moving picture image recording apparatus comprising:

a receiver receiving broadcast video moving picture image data for viewing;

a first digital data storage unit storing said received video moving picture image data;

a second digital data storage unit storing an indicated video moving picture image data in said stored received broadcast moving picture image data of said first digital data storage unit;

indicating means for indicating a time said video moving picture image data is to be played back and operated by a user; and

a control unit controlling said first digital data storage unit so as to store said received broadcast video moving picture image, and for searching and reading said indicated video moving picture image data which has been stored in said first digital data storage unit, and storing the indicated video moving picture image data in said second digital data storage unit according to said indication by the user of said indicating means,

wherein said control unit simultaneously reads said indicated video moving picture image data of one title which has been stored in said first digital data storage unit among said indicated all video moving picture image data and writes said read video moving picture image data of the one title in said second digital data storage unit.

10. A broadcast video moving picture image recording apparatus to record broadcast video moving picture image data, comprising:

a first digital data storage unit storing broadcast video moving picture image data at all times;

a second digital data storage unit storing video moving picture image data to be played back;

indicating means indicating said video moving picture image data to be played back;

a control unit controlling searching said indicated video moving picture image data which has been stored in said first digital data storage unit, and storing the indicated video moving picture image data in said second digital data storage unit according to said indication of said indicating means; and

a storage table to store recording addresses and times of the broadcast video moving picture image data in the first digital data storage unit,

wherein said indicating means is operable to specify a start time for desired video moving picture image data into the first digital data storage unit, and said control unit obtains the recording address of said desired video moving picture image data by looking up in said storage table the start time indicated by said indicating means.