Broadcast receiver

• US 7,934,246 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2006
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Iwahashi, Toshiya
• Primary Examiner(s): Koenig; Andrew Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Castro; Alfonso
• Application Number:
  US11/546,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20070089131A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,657 Days
• Field of Search: 725143-153, 348/464, 348/558, 348/706
• US Class Current: 725/151
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42646 for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/63 Generation or supply of power specially adapted for television receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Disclosed is a broadcast receiver that can automatically enable input of a predetermined signal from external device, when there is no broadcast of program that is receivable at the broadcast receiver. The broadcast receiver 100 detects non-broadcasting time zone in which broadcast program is not broadcasted according to broadcast information (EPG data) included in broadcast signal received by antenna 10 or tuner 2. When it is determined that timing in which power was turned on to start the broadcast receiver 100 falls within the detected non-broadcasting time zone, the broadcast receiver 100 is capable to switch so as to enable broadcasting of video content that corresponds to video signal outputted by the external device connected to a group of external device connecting terminals 8 (connecting terminal 8a-8e), such as video replay device or the DVD player, at a display device 20.

Claims

1. A broadcast receiver comprising:

a memory;

a receiving unit to receive a plurality of broadcast signals that includes broadcast guide information relating to a predetermined broadcast program through an antenna;

an external device connecting section that includes a plurality of connecting units, to which a plurality of external devices that output a video signal relating to a predetermined video content, are connected;

a program outputting unit that supplies a broadcast program that corresponds to one of the plurality of broadcast signals received by the receiving unit, or the video content that corresponds to the video signal outputted by the external devices connected to the external device connecting section;

an external input selection section to select a first connecting unit, to which a first external device that outputs a first video signal relating to a first video content supplied at the program outputting unit is connected, among the plurality of the connecting units;

a non-broadcasting time zone detecting section to detect a non-broadcasting time zone in which the broadcast program is not broadcasted in any of the channels because there are no broadcast signals for the receiving unit to receive, according to the broadcast guide information included in the plurality of broadcast signals received by the receiving unit at a predetermined set time;

a switching time zone setting section to set a switching time zone to switch so as to enable supplying the video content that corresponds to the video signal outputted by the external devices at the program outputting unit;

a timing determination section to determine whether a timing in which power of the broadcast receiver was turned on falls within the non-broadcasting time zone detected by the non-broadcasting time zone detecting section or the switching time zone set by the switching time zone setting section; and

an input signal switching section to switch so as to enable supplying the video content that corresponds to the video signal outputted by the external devices at the program outputting unit, in response to a determination that the timing in which power of the broadcast receiver was turned on falls within the non-broadcasting time zone or the switching time zone, by the timing determination section,

wherein the non-broadcasting time zone detecting section stores data related to the detected non-broadcasting time zone in the memory, and wherein the timing determination section uses the data stored in the memory related to the detected non-broadcasting time zone to determine whether the timing in which power of the broadcast receiver was turned on falls within the detected non-broadcasting time zone.

2. A broadcast receiver comprising:

a memory;

a receiving unit to receive a plurality of broadcast signals that includes broadcast guide information relating to a predetermined broadcast program through an antenna;

an external device connecting section, to which an external device that outputs a video signal relating to a predetermined video content is connected;

a program outputting unit to supply a broadcast program that corresponds to one of the plurality of broadcast signals received by the receiving unit, or the video content that corresponds to the video signal outputted by the external device connected to the external device connecting section;

a non-broadcasting time zone detecting section that detects a non-broadcasting time zone in which the broadcast program is not broadcasted in any of channels because there are no broadcast signals for the receiving unit to receive, according to the broadcast guide information included in the broadcast signal received by the receiving unit at a predetermined set time;

a timing determination section to determine whether a timing in which power of the broadcast receiver was turned on falls within the non-broadcasting time zone detected by the non-broadcasting time zone detecting section; and

an input signal switching section to switch so as to enable supplying of the video content that corresponds to the video signal outputted by the external device at the program outputting unit, in response to a determination that the timing in which power of the broadcast receiver was turned on falls within the non-broadcasting time zone, by the timing determination section,

wherein the non-broadcasting time zone detecting section stores data related to the detected non-broadcasting time zone in the memory, and wherein the timing determination section uses the data stored in the memory related to the detected non-broadcasting time zone to determine whether the timing in which power of the broadcast receiver was turned on falls within the detected non-broadcasting time zone.

3. The broadcast receiver as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

the external device connecting section includes a plurality of connecting units to connect a plurality of external devices; and

the broadcast receiver further comprises an external input selection section to select a first connecting unit to which a first external device that outputs a first video signal relating to a first video content supplied at the program outputting unit, among the plurality of the connecting units.

4. The broadcast receiver as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

a switching time zone setting section to set a switching time zone to switch so as to enable supplying of the video content that corresponds to the video signal outputted by the external device at the program outputting unit; and

a switching time zone determination section to determine whether a time in which power of the broadcast receiver was turned on falls within the switching time zone set by the switching time zone setting section;

wherein the input signal switching section switches so as to enable supplying of the video content that corresponds to the video signal outputted by the external device at the program outputting unit, in a case where it is determined that the time in which power of the broadcast receiver was turned on falls within the switching time zone, by the switching time zone determination section.