Television receiver, information processing method and program

• US 7,716,696 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2004
• Issued: 05/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Yuichi, Kutsuna, Masaki, Yamamoto, Takashi, Mori, Shigeki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hirl; Joseph P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kay; Mary Anne
• Application Number:
  US10/998,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20050128351A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,988 Days
• Field of Search: 328/14.08, 328/14.1, 725/24, 725/109, 725/110, 725/112, 725/135, 725/142, 725/151
• US Class Current: 725/9
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• 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 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• 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 21/4661 Deriving a combined profile for a plurality of end-users of the same client, e.g. for family members within a home user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• 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 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

A television receiver includes: broadcast wave receiving means for receiving a broadcast wave; obtaining means for obtaining information for specifying a program being a common program of programs received in accordance with first program information related to a receivable broadcast and programs received in accordance with second program information different from the first program information, said program having starting time of broadcast earlier in said first program information than in said second program information; and recording means for recording said program specified by said information.

Claims

1. A television receiver comprising:

a receiving unit for receiving a broadcast signal in a first area;

an obtaining unit for obtaining program information relating to a program broadcasted in the first area, and program information relating to a program broadcasted in a second area; and

a control unit for detecting, from common programs distributed in both of the first and second areas, based on the program information obtained by the obtaining unit, a common program having a broadcasting time earlier in the first area than in the second area, and for storing the detected common program in a storage unit,

wherein the second area is different from the first area, and

wherein the control unit conducts controlling for playing the detected common program, having been stored in the storage unit, simultaneously with a broadcast time of the detected common program in the second area.

2. The television receiver according to claim 1, wherein the control unit generates an electronic program guide for the notifying that the detected common program stored in the storage unit is viewable simultaneously with a broadcast time of the detected common program in the second area.

3. The television receiver according to claim 1, wherein the obtaining unit obtains, from the broadcast signal received by the receiving unit, the program information relating to the program broadcasted in the first area, and obtains, through the network, the program information relating to the program broadcasted in the second area.

4. The television receiver according to claim 3, wherein the obtaining unit obtains the program information relating to the program broadcasted in the second area, from another television receiver, which receives the broadcast signal in the second area, or from a program information providing apparatus managing the program information relating to a program broadcasted in a plurality of areas including the second area.

5. A television receiver comprising:

a receiving unit for receiving a broadcast signal in a first area;

an obtaining unit for obtaining program information relating to a program broadcasted in the first area, and program information relating to a program broadcasted in a second area; and

a control unit for detecting, from common programs distributed in both of the first and second areas, based on the program information obtained by the obtaining unit, a common program having a broadcasting time earlier in the second area than in the first area, and for transmitting, to another television receiver, which receives the broadcast signal in the second area, a storage request signal to store the detected common program therein,

wherein the second area is different from the first area, and

wherein the control unit transmits, to the another television receiver, a play request signal to play the common program, having been stored in the another television receiver, simultaneously with a broadcast time of the detected common program in the first area.

6. An apparatus-implemented information processing method comprising steps of:

receiving a broadcast signal in a first area;

obtaining program information relating to a program broadcasted in the first area, and program information relating to a program broadcasted in a second area and

detecting, from common programs distributed in both of the first and second areas, based on the program information obtained in the obtaining step, a common program having a broadcasting time earlier in the first area than in the second area, and storing the detected common program in a storage unit,

wherein the second area is different from the first area, and

wherein controlling is conducted for playing the detected common program, having been stored in the storage unit, simultaneously with a broadcast time of the detected common program in the second area.

8. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable program for implementing a method according to claim 6.

7. An apparatus-implemented information processing method comprising steps of:

receiving a broadcast signal in a first area;

obtaining program information relating to a program broadcasted in the first area, and program information relating to a program broadcasted in a second area; and

detecting, from common programs distributed in both of the first and second areas, based on the program information obtained in the obtaining step, a common program having a broadcasting time earlier in the second area than in the first area, and for transmitting, to a television receiver receiving the broadcast signal in the second area, a storage request signal to store the detected common program therein,

wherein the second area is different from the first area, and

wherein, to the another television receiver, a play request signal is transmitted to play the common program, having been stored in the another television receiver, simultaneously with a broadcast time of the detected common program in the first area.

9. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable program for implementing a method according to claim 7.