Recording apparatus and method with selection of first tuner or second tuner for receiving image data of designated channel

• US 7,197,231 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2006
• Issued: 03/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hoshi, Nobuhiro, Ohno, Tomoyuki, Ichihashi, Nobuharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Thai Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jones; Heather R.
• Application Number:
  US11/382,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20060193604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 323 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 386/291
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• 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 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 for more than one processing mode

Abstract

A recording apparatus includes an input device for inputting a television signal and channel information relating to the television signal from an external receiving apparatus which receives the television signal and generates the channel information, a recording device for recording the television signal, and a controller for controlling the recording device based on the channel information input by the input device.

Claims

1. A recording apparatus comprising:

a first tuner capable of receiving a first plurality of channels;

a first memory for (a) acquiring information of a second plurality of channels from an external receiver device having a second tuner capable of receiving a second plurality of channels, wherein the information is extracted from a signal by the external receiver, stored in a memory of the external receiver having been extracted, and sent from the memory of the external receiver to said recording apparatus, and (b) storing the information;

a second memory for storing information of the first plurality of channels that is receivable by the first tuner;

an accepting unit for accepting a signal for designating a channel of either one of the first plurality of channels or the second plurality of channels; and

a control unit for determining, based on information stored in each of the first memory and the second memory, a selection of either the first tuner or the second tuner, for receiving image data of the channel designated by the signal,

wherein the control unit acquires the information of the second plurality of channels to be stored in the first memory at a predetermined timing and updates the first memory with the acquired information.

2. A recording apparatus comprising:

a first tuner capable of receiving a first plurality of channels;

a first memory for (a) acquiring information of a second plurality of channels from an external receiver device having a second tuner capable of receiving a second plurality of channels and (b) storing the information;

a second memory for storing information of the first plurality of channels that is receivable by the first tuner;

an accepting unit for accepting a signal for designating a channel of either one of the first plurality of channels or the second plurality of channels; and

a control unit for determining, based on information stored in each of the first memory and the second memory, a selection of either the first tuner or the second tuner, for receiving image data of the channel designated by the signal,

wherein the control unit acquires the information of the second plurality of channels to be stored in the first memory at a predetermined timing and updates the first memory with the acquired information, and

wherein the control unit determines whether a connection between the recording apparatus and the external receiver device is connected or not, and the control unit clears the information stored in the first memory when it determines that the connection to the external receiver device is not connected.

3. A recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit sets flag information indicating that the first memory is cleared when it clears the first memory.

4. A recording apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a setting unit for receiving a setting of a picture-recording reservation mode for reserving recording of a program, wherein the control unit sends a command to turn on a power supply of the external receiver device when the picture-recording reservation mode is set and the flag information indicates that the first memory is cleared.

5. A method of controlling a recording apparatus having a first tuner capable of receiving a first plurality of channels, said method comprising:

a first storing step for (a) acquiring information of a second plurality of channels from an external receiver device having a second tuner capable of receiving the second plurality of channels, wherein the information is extracted from a signal by the external receiver device, stored in a memory of the external receiver device having been extracted, and sent from the memory of the external receiver device to said recording apparatus and (b) storing the information in a first memory;

a second storing step for storing information of the first plurality of channels receivable by the first tuner in a second memory;

an accepting step for accepting a signal for designating a channel of either one of the first plurality of channels or the second plurality of channels; and

a controlling step for determining, based on information stored in each of the first memory and the second memory, a selection of either the first tuner or the second tuner, for receiving image data of the channel designated by the signal,

wherein, in the controlling step, the information of the second plurality of channels to be stored in the first memory is acquired at a predetermined timing and the first memory is updated with the acquired information.

6. A method of controlling a recording apparatus having a first tuner capable of receiving a first plurality of channels, said method comprising:

a first storing step for (a) acquiring information of a second plurality of channels from an external receiver device having a second tuner capable of receiving the second plurality of channels, and (b) storing the information in a first memory;

a second storing step for storing information of the first plurality of channels receivable by the first tuner in a second memory;

an accepting step for accepting a signal for designating a channel of either one of the first plurality of channels or the second plurality of channels; and

a controlling step for determining, based on information stored in each of the first memory and the second memory, a selection of either the first tuner or the second tuner, for receiving image data of the channel designated by the signal,

wherein, in the controlling step, the information of the second plurality of channels to be stored in the first memory is acquired at a predetermined timing and the first memory is updated with the acquired information, and

wherein it is determined, in the controlling step, whether the external receiver device is connected to the recording apparatus or not, and the information stored in the first memory is cleared when it is determined that the external receiver device is not connected.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein flag information indicating that the first memory is cleared is set when the first memory is cleared in the controlling step.

8. A method according to claim 7, further comprising a setting step in which the recording apparatus receives a setting of a picture-recording reservation mode for reserving recording of a program, wherein a command to turn on a power supply of the external receiver device is sent when the picture-recording reservation mode is set and the flag information indicates that the first memory is cleared in the controlling step.