Searching receiver

• US 7,403,755 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2004
• Issued: 07/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zehnle, Guido, Conzelmann, Werner
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Lana N.
• Application Number:
  US10/777,884
• Publication Number:
  US 20040176061A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,622 Days
• Field of Search: 455/186.1, 455/180.1, 455/179.1, 455/187.1, 455/191.1, 455/3.05, 455/184.1, 455/185.1, 455/45, 725/135, 725/139
• US Class Current: 455/186.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/60 characterised in that the receiver comprises more than one tuner
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/11 Arrangements for counter-measures when a portion of broadcast information is unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/29 Arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/41 for identifying broadcast space, i.e. broadcast channels, broadcast stations or broadcast areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41422 located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62
• 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 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• 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 7/0887 for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals

Abstract

A monitoring receiver accepts program preferences from an operator. When active, the receiver automatically monitors alternate frequencies for programming that matches the program preferences, alerts the operator when a match is found, and may switch to a preferred program.

Claims

1. A receiver comprising:

a monitoring receiver tuner that receives a first incoming signal;

a selected program receiver tuner;

a comparison output coupled to the selected program receiver tuner;

a controller coupled to the monitoring receiver tuner and the comparison output;

the monitoring receiver tuner operable to scan a frequency range to identify availability of an operator designated program in the first incoming signal;

the controller operable to recognize the availability of the operator designated program, and further operable to generate a power control signal on the comparison output coupled to the selected program receiver tuner in response to the availability of the operator designated program; and

the selected program receiver tuner operable to automatically turn ON in response to the power control signal that the controller generated in response to the availability of the operator designated program, and further operable to receive the operator designated program.

2. The receiver of claim 1, further comprising data recovery circuitry coupled to the controller to extract identifying data from the first incoming signal.

3. The receiver of claim 2, further comprising a memory storing program designation data for a comparison to the identifying data.

4. The receiver of claim 3, where the program designation data comprises operator preferred program codes.

5. The receiver of claim 3, where the program designation data comprises at least one of a program selection count and a program selection time.

6. The receiver of claim 1, further comprising combining circuitry coupled to the controller that combines the first incoming signal with an availability signal.

7. The receiver of claim 1, further comprising an operator interface operable to:

report signal strength of the operator designated program located in the first incoming signal; and

accept an activation signal that directs the receiver to switch reception to the first incoming signal.

8. A receiver comprising:

a memory storing program designation data;

a selected program receiver comprising;

a program tuner; and

a program output coupled to the program tuner for conveying a program output signal;

a program monitoring receiver coupled to the memory and operable to locate a designated program matching at least a portion of the program designation data, the program monitoring receiver comprising;

a monitoring tuner;

comparison circuitry coupled to the monitoring tuner;

a comparison output coupled to the comparison circuitry and to the selected program receiver; and

the program monitoring receiver operable to generate a power control signal on the comparison output when the program monitoring receiver locates the operator designated program;

the selected program receiver operable to automatically turn ON in response to the power control signal and receive the operator designated program; and

signaling circuitry coupled to the comparison output, the signaling circuitry comprising a signaling output for carrying a designated program location signal.

9. The receiver of claim 8, where the program designation data comprises operator specified program preference data.

10. The receiver of claim 9, where the program preference data comprises at least one program code.

11. The receiver of claim 8, where the program designation data comprises at least one of a program selection count and a program selection time.

12. The receiver of claim 8, further comprising combining circuitry coupled to the program output and the signaling circuitry, where the combining circuitry combines the designated program location signal with the program output signal.

13. A receiver comprising:

a first program receiver comprising;

a first tuner; and

a first program output for carrying a first program output signal processed by the first tuner

a second program receiver comprising;

a second tuner; and

a second program output for carrying a second program output signal;

a memory storing program designation data; and

a controller coupled to the memory, the first program receiver, and the second program receiver, the controller operable to;

cause the second program receiver to locate a first designated program that matches at least a portion of the designation data while the first program receiver is turned OFF; and

cause the first program receiver to automatically turn ON when the second program receiver locates the first designated program.

14. The receiver of claim 13, where the controller is further operable to, when the second program receiver locates the first designated program:

cause the second program receiver to receive the first designated program; and

cause the first program receiver to locate a second designated program while the second program receiver receives the first designated program.

15. The receiver of claim 13, further comprising signaling circuitry coupled to the controller.

16. The receiver of claim 13, where the program designation data comprises at least one of a program code list, program selection count and a program selection time.

17. A computer readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions that cause receivers to perform a method comprising:

locating a designated program with a second program receiver that matches program designation data to identify availability of a first designated program;

when the second program receiver locates the first designated program;

automatically turning ON a first program receiver;

tuning the second program receiver to receive the first designated program; and

interchanging search and reception operations of the first and second program receiver so that the first program receiver begins to search for a second designated program while the second program receiver receives the first designated program; and

determining when the second designated program is available and in response;

tuning the first program receiver to receive the second designated program; and

interchanging search and reception operations of the first and second program receiver so that the second program receiver begins to search for a third designated program while the first program receiver receives the second designated program.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, where the program designation data comprises at least one operator specified program code.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, where locating a designated program comprises the act of sweeping at least one of a television and a radio frequency range.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17, where the executable instructions further cause the signal receiver to:

report signal strength of the designated program; and

receive an activation signal that directs a receiver to switch reception to the designated program.