Channel tuning method and television using channel name auto completion function

• US 7,224,409 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2003
• Issued: 05/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Kyung-ah, Chin, Dae-je
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): DESIR, JEAN WICEL
• Application Number:
  US10/347,186
• Publication Number:
  US 20030137605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,589 Days
• Field of Search: 348/565, 348/563, 348/564, 348/733, 348/569, 348/731, 348/553, 348/732, 725/57, 725/38, 725/39, 725/40, 725/43, 725/53
• US Class Current: 348/732
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42213 for facilitating data entry
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4823 using a channel name
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control

Abstract

A channel tuning method and a television using a channel name auto completion function in which the entire channel name of a corresponding channel is automatically completed by inputting part of a channel name of a television broadcasting channel to be tuned using a predetermined inputting unit. The channel tuning method includes (a) searching similar channel names based on one or more of the characters of a channel name input by the inputting unit and displaying the searched channel names on a list from which selections can be made, and (b) in order to aid a user in selecting a channel, automatically tuning a corresponding channel among channels corresponding to the channel names displayed on the list for a predetermined interval of time and sequentially displaying the channels on a picture-in-picture (PIP) screen.

Claims

1. A channel tuning method using a channel name auto completion function in which an entire channel name of a corresponding channel is automatically completed by inputting part of a channel name of a television broadcasting channel to be tuned using a predetermined inputting unit, the method comprising:

(a) searching similar channel names based on one or more characters of a channel name input by the inputting unit and displaying the searched channel names on a list from which selections can be made; and

(b) without further user input, automatically sequentially tuning and displaying for a predetermined interval of time on a picture in picture (PIP) screen channels corresponding to the displayed channel names.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein in (b), a channel name corresponding to the channel displayed on the PIP screen among the channel names displayed on the list are highlighted.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein in (b), detailed descriptions of the channels sequentially displayed on the PIP screen are displayed.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein in (b), detailed descriptions of the channels sequentially displayed on the PIP screen are displayed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein in (b), if the user selects one of the channel names displayed on the list, detailed descriptions of a corresponding channel are displayed.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein in (b), if the user selects one of the channel names displayed on the list, detailed descriptions of a corresponding channel are displayed.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising (c) if the user selects one of the channel names displayed on the list, displaying a channel, corresponding to the selected channel name, on the PIP screen.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein in (c), a detailed description of the corresponding channel, which is displayed on the PIP screen, is displayed.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein in (a), the input characters include at least one of letters and numbers.

10. A television using a channel name auto completion function in which the entire channel name of a corresponding channel is automatically completed by inputting part of a channel name of a television broadcasting channel to be tuned using a predetermined inputting unit, the television comprising:

a user input window placed on a first part of a television screen, in which one or more of the characters of a channel name are input by a user using the inputting unit;

a controller to search similar channel names based on one or more of the characters of the channel name input on the user input window and display the searched channel names on a list from which selections can be made;

a memory in which a list of broadcasting channel names needed when the controller searches the similar channel names is stored;

a similar channel name list display window placed on a second part of the television screen, in which the searched channel names are displayed on the list; and

a picture-in-picture (PIP) screen on which, without further user input, channels corresponding to the displayed channel names on the similar channel name list display window are automatically sequentially tuned and displayed for a predetermined interval of time by the controller.

11. The television of claim 10, wherein a channel name corresponding to the channel displayed on the PIP screen among the channel names displayed on the similar channel name list display window, are highlighted.

12. The television of claim 10, further comprising a channel description window placed on a third part of the television screen, on which detailed descriptions of the channels displayed on the PIP screen are displayed.

13. The television of claim 11, further comprising a channel description window placed on a third part of the television screen, on which detailed descriptions of the channels displayed on the PIP screen are displayed.