System and method for providing recording function when no program information is available

• US 7,496,275 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2001
• Issued: 02/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Madison Patent Holdings (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Mears, Mark Gilmore, Cooper, Steven Lee Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dang; Hung Q
• Application Number:
  US10/204,317
• Publication Number:
  US 20030223734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,910 Days
• Field of Search: 455/151.2, 455/181.1, 455/186.1, 348/731, 348/570, 386/46, 386/95, 386/1, 386/83, 386/108, 725/39, 725/46, 725/50
• US Class Current: 386/291
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• 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 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape

Abstract

A method and system for recording a program in an apparatus that has auxiliary programming information available are described. A program is first selected for recording. A determination is made to see whether the associated auxiliary programming information is available for the selected first program for recording. If the associated auxiliary programming information is not available for the selected first program, then a recording timer is automatically populated with all known recording parameters. All the unknown recording parameters in the recording timer are also populated according to a predetermined algorithm.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

receiving a user input selecting a first program for recording;

determining whether associated auxiliary programming information is available for the selected first program;

if the associated auxiliary programming information is not available for the selected first program, automatically populating a recording timer with all known recording parameters; and

automatically populating at least one unknown recording parameter in the recording timer according to an algorithm, wherein the at least one unknown recording parameter comprises a stop time and the stop time is determined according to at least one of;

a first rule that if a current time is 0 to 14 minutes past an hour, then the stop time is set to 30 minutes past the hour;

a second rule that if the current time is 15 to 59 minutes past the hour, then the stop time is set to a start of a next hour;

a third rule that if the current time is 15 to 59 minutes past 11;

00 AM, then the stop time is set to 12;

00 PM; and

a fourth rule that if the current time is 15 to 59 minutes past 11;

00 PM, then the stop time is set to 12;

00 AM.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the known recording parameters comprise at least one of:

channel number, subchannel number, current month, current date, antenna source for the selected first program and current time.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one unknown recording parameter further comprises at least one of frequency of recording and start time.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of allowing a user to modify any of the known and unknown recording parameters.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of providing an alert screen containing a message that not all associated programming information is available.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of automatically highlighting the stop time for the recording timer when the recording timer is displayed.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising allowing a user to modify any of the known and unknown recording parameters.

8. A system comprising:

first means for receiving a user input selecting a first program for recording; and

second means for determining whether associated auxiliary programming information is available for the selected first program, and for automatically populating a recording timer with all known recording parameters and at least one unknown recording parameter if the associated auxiliary programming information is not available for the selected first program, wherein the at least one unknown recording parameter comprises a stop time and the stop time is determined according to at least one of;

a first rule that if a current time is 0 to 14 minutes past an hour, then the stop time is set to 30 minutes past the hour;

a second rule that if the current time is 15 to 59 minutes past the hour, then the stop time is set to a start of a next hour;

a third rule that if the current time is 15 to 59 minutes past 11;

00 AM, then the stop time is set to 12;

00 PM; and

a fourth rule that if the current time is 15 to 59 minutes past 11;

00 PM, then the stop time is set to 12;

00 AM.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the known recording parameters comprise at least one of:

channel number, subchannel number, current month, current date, antenna source for the selected first program and current time.

10. The system of claim 8 further comprising providing an alert screen containing a message that not all associated programming information is available.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the at least one unknown recording parameter further comprises at least one of a frequency of recording and a start time.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising automatically highlighting the stop time for the recording timer when the recording timer is displayed.

13. A method, comprising the steps of:

receiving electronic program guide information from a signal source;

receiving a user input selecting a first program for recording;

determining whether auxiliary programming information for the first selected program is available in the received electronic program guide information; and

automatically populating a recording timer with all known recording parameters and at least one unknown recording parameter if the auxiliary programming information for the first selected program is not available in the received electronic program guide information, wherein the at least one unknown recording parameter comprises a stop time and the stop time is determined according to a rule that if a current time is 0 to 14 minutes past an hour, then the stop time is set to 30 minutes past the hour.

14. A method, comprising the steps of:

receiving electronic program guide information from a signal source;

receiving a user input selecting a first program for recording;

determining whether auxiliary programming information for the first selected program is available in the received electronic program guide information; and

automatically populating a recording timer with all known recording parameters and at least one unknown recording parameter if the auxiliary programming information for the first selected program is not available in the received electronic program guide information, wherein the at least one unknown recording parameter comprises a stop time and the stop time is determined according to a rule that if the current time is 15 to 59 minutes past the hour, then the stop time is set to a start of a next hour.

15. A method, comprising the steps of:

receiving electronic program guide information from a signal source;

receiving a user input selecting a first program for recording;

determining whether auxiliary programming information for the first selected program is available in the received electronic program guide information; and

automatically populating a recording timer with all known recording parameters and at least one unknown recording parameter if the auxiliary programming information for the first selected program is not available in the received electronic program guide information, wherein the at least one unknown recording parameter comprises a stop time and the stop time is determined according to a rule that if the current time is 15 to 59 minutes past 11;

00 AM, then the stop time is set to 12;

00 PM.

16. A method, comprising the steps of:

receiving electronic program guide information from a signal source;

receiving a user input selecting a first program for recording;

determining whether auxiliary programming information for the first selected program is available in the received electronic program guide information; and

automatically populating a recording timer with all known recording parameters and at least one unknown recording parameter if the auxiliary programming information for the first selected program is not available in the received electronic program guide information, wherein the at least one unknown recording parameter comprises a stop time and the stop time is determined according to a rule that if the current time is 15 to 59 minutes past 11;

00 PM, then the stop time is set to 12;

00 AM.