Information processing apparatus, information processing method and program for the same

• US 7,730,511 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2005
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nagatani, Hiroshi, Sano, Ikuya, Amemiya, Ryoji
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelley; Christopher
• Assistant Examiner(s): Newlin; Timothy R
• Application Number:
  US11/117,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20050259962A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,859 Days
• Field of Search: 725/38, 725/39, 725/89, 725/58
• US Class Current: 725/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• 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 21/4583 Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programs in the same time slot
• 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an information processing apparatus includes: a display control section which controls to generate a table with days of the week allocated in one of first and second directions and time zones of a day in the other direction and displays the table on a specified display device for showing setting status of recording reservation on a specified tuner; an acquiring section which acquires first information, second information, and third information, respectively indicating a specified broadcast station, a specified day of the week, a specified time zone of a day, inputted by a user; and an setting section which makes reservation for recording the contents that the broadcasted contents specified with the first to third information acquired by the acquiring section are received by the specified tuner and the received contents are recorded as data in a specified recording medium. When the recording reservation is set by the setting section, of all areas constituting the table displayed on the display device, the display control section controls to display the area identified with the contents, reserved to be recorded, by the setting section on the display device with a display format different from that of other areas.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

display control means for controlling generation of a table including days of the week allocated in one of first and second directions and time zones of a day in the other direction, the table being displayed on a specified display device for showing contents corresponding to a reservation for recording on a specified tuner, the contents including a first broadcast program and a second broadcast program;

acquiring means for acquiring, from information inputted in response to a user'"'"'s operation, first information indicating a specified broadcast station, second information indicating a specified day of the week, and third information indicating a specified time zone of a day;

setting means for setting the reservation once for periodically recording the contents specified with said first, second, and the third information acquired by said acquiring means, and received by said specified tuner, the received contents being recorded as data in a specified recording medium automatically at each periodic broadcast of the contents; and

a reservation input unit configured to automatically divide a reservation for recording the first broadcast program and a reservation for recording the second broadcast program when the first and second broadcast programs overlap in time, and to input the divided reservations at a pre-specified time, defined as a divided reservation input schedule time, that is before a start time for a next reservation for recording, wherein,

when said reservation for recording is set by said setting means, said display control means controls the display to display said table such that the area identified with the contents reserved to be recorded with a display format different from that of other areas, the display format including at least two types of display statuses, each specified by said first information, said at least two types of display statuses including a first type of display status indicating a recording of contents on a priority broadcast station, and a second type of display status indicating a recording of contents on a non-priority broadcast station.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

storage means for storing program information concerning broadcast programs broadcasted from said specified broadcast station indicated by said first information acquired by said acquiring means; and

generating means for discretely generating data constituting each broadcast program from said broadcasted contents, when said broadcasted contents identified with the contents of said reservation for recording set by said setting means are received by said specified tuner, based on said program information stored by said storage means.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first direction is the horizontal direction and said second information is the vertical direction.

4. An information processing method for an information processing apparatus, comprising:

controlling a first display control to generate a table with days of the week allocated in one of first and second directions and time zones of a day in the other direction, the table displayed on a specified display device for showing set contents corresponding to a reservation for recording on a specified tuner, the contents including a first broadcast program and a second broadcast program;

acquiring information, inputted in response to a user'"'"'s operation, including first information indicating a specified broadcast station, second information indicating a specified day of the week, and third information indicating a specified time zone of a day;

setting the reservation once for periodically recording the contents specified with said first to third information acquired in said acquiring, and received by said specified tuner, the received contents being recorded as data in a specified recording medium automatically at each periodic broadcast of the contents;

automatically dividing a reservation for recording the first broadcast program and a reservation for recording the second broadcast program when the first and second broadcast programs overlap in time;

inputting the divided reservations at a pre-specified time, defined as a divided reservation input schedule time, that is before a start time for a next reservation for recording; and

controlling said second display control, when said reservation for recording is set, display of all areas constituting said table displayed on said display device with a control process in said first display control, by displaying an area identified with the contents reserved to be recorded with a display format different from that of other areas, the display format including at least two types of display statuses, each specified by said first information, said at least two types of display statuses including a first type of display status indicating a recording of contents on a priority broadcast station, and a second type of display status indicating a recording of contents on a non-priority broadcast station.

5. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a display control unit configured to generate a table including days of the week allocated in one of first and second directions and time zones of a day in the other direction, the table being displayed on a specified display device for showing set contents corresponding to a reservation for recording on a specified tuner, the contents including a first broadcast program and a second broadcast program;

an acquiring unit configured to acquire, from information inputted in response to a user'"'"'s operation, first information indicating a specified broadcast station, second information indicating a specified day of the week, and third information indicating a specified time zone of a day;

setting the reservation once for periodically recording the contents specified with said first to third information acquired in said acquiring, and received by said specified tuner, the received contents being recorded as data in a specified recording medium automatically at each periodic broadcast of the contents; and

a reservation input unit configured to automatically divide a reservation for recording the first broadcast program and a reservation for recording the second broadcast program when the first and second broadcast programs overlap in time, and to input the divided reservations at a pre-specified time, defined as a divided reservation input schedule time, that is before a start time for a next reservation for recording, wherein,

when said reservation for recording is set by said setting unit, said display control unit controls the display to display said table such that the area indentified with the contents reserved to be recorded with a display format different form that of other areas, the display format including at least two types of display statuses, each specified by said first information, said at least two types of display statuses including a first type of display status indicating a recording of contents on a priority broadcast station, and a second type of display status indicating a recording of contents on a non-priority broadcast station.