Scheduling the recording of a program via an advertisement in the broadcast stream

• US 7,986,868 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2005
• Issued: 07/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TiVo Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Barton, Jim, Chamberlin, David, Smith, Kevin, Look, Howard
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey; David E
• Application Number:
  US11/182,135
• Publication Number:
  US 20050278747A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,203 Days
• Field of Search: 386/83, 386/124, 386/125, 386/52, 386/291, 725/137, 725/58, 725/61
• US Class Current: 386/291
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• 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 21/4305 Synchronising client clock from received content stream, e.g. locking decoder clock with encoder clock, extraction of the PCR packets arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter by comparing receiver clock with transmitter clock H04L7/0012; arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter wherein the receiver takes measures against momentary loss of synchronisation H04L7/0083
• 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 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• 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 21/4884 for displaying subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 21/8455 : involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 : by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 : for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 : Television signal recording
• 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 5/783 : Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 : the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 : Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/79 : Processing of colour television signals in connection with recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 : for more than one processing mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8063 : using time division multiplex of the PCM audio and PCM video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 : involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8233 : the additional signal being a character code signal

Abstract

A closed caption tagging system provides a mechanism for inserting tags into an audio or video television broadcast stream prior to or at the time of transmission. The receiver receives the broadcast stream and detects and processes the tags within the broadcast stream which is stored on a storage device that resides on the receiver. The tags contain command and control information that the receiver translates and acts upon. A one-touch recording option is provided. An icon is displayed to the viewer telling the viewer that an advertised program is available for recording at a future time. The viewer presses a single button on an input device causing the receiver to schedule the program for recording.

Claims

1. A method for scheduling the recording of a program via an advertisement in a broadcast stream, comprising:

receiving the broadcast stream;

playing a promotional advertisement in the broadcast stream for a future showing of a program to a viewer;

receiving a tag, in the broadcast stream while playing the promotional advertisement, comprising a program ID of the program and information indicating how much longer the playing of the promotional advertisement is going to last;

responsive to receiving the tag, displaying an icon overlaid onto the promotional advertisement for a period of time based on the information indicating how much longer the playing of the promotional advertisement is going to last, the icon notifying the viewer that the program being previewed is available to record;

accepting the viewer'"'"'s single key press from a remote input device; and

scheduling a recording time for the program based on the program ID.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the program is stored on a storage device when the scheduled recording time arrives.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the storage device is one or more hard disks.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

detecting if the program has ended prematurely during the storage of the program;

automatically terminating the storage of the program if the program has ended prematurely.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

storing additional programs on the storage device determined to be of interest to the viewer to fill in any time difference between the time the program terminated prematurely and ending time that was scheduled for the recording of the program.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information, indicating how much longer the playing of the promotional advertisement is going to last, comprises a number of remaining frames of the promotional advertisement.

7. An apparatus for scheduling the recording of a program via an advertisement in a broadcast stream, comprising:

a receiving module, wherein the receiving module receives the broadcast stream;

a playing module, wherein the playing module plays a promotional advertisement in the broadcast stream for a future showing of a program to a viewer;

the receiving module configured to receive a tag, in the broadcast stream while playing the promotional advertisement, comprising a program ID of the program and information indicating how much longer the playing of the promotional advertisement is going to last;

a displaying module, wherein the displaying module displays an icon overlaid onto the promotional advertisement for a period of time based on the information indicating how much longer the playing of the promotional advertisement is going to last, the icon notifying the viewer that the program being previewed is available to record;

a viewer input module, wherein the user input module accepts the viewer'"'"'s single key press from a remote input device; and

a scheduling module, wherein the scheduling module schedules a recording time for the program based on the program ID.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the program is stored on a storage device when the scheduled recording time arrives.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the storage device is one or more hard disks.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a detection module, wherein the detection module detects if the program has ended prematurely during the storage of the program;

a termination module, wherein the termination module automatically terminates the storage of the program if the program has ended prematurely.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

a storing module, wherein the storing module stores additional programs on the storage device determined to be of interest to the viewer to fill in any time difference between the time the program terminated prematurely and ending time that was scheduled for the recording of the program.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the information, indicating how much longer the playing of the promotional advertisement is going to last, comprises a number of remaining frames of the promotional advertisement.

13. A program storage medium readable by a computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps for scheduling the recording of a program via an advertisement in a broadcast stream, comprising the steps of:

receiving the broadcast stream;

playing a promotional advertisement in the broadcast stream for a future showing of a program to a viewer;

receiving a tag, in the broadcast stream while playing the promotional advertisement, comprising a program ID of the program and information indicating how much longer the playing of the promotional advertisement is going to last;

responsive to receiving the tag, displaying an icon overlaid onto the promotional advertisement for a period of time based on the information indicating how much longer the playing of the promotional advertisement is going to last, the icon notifying the viewer that the program being previewed is available to record;

accepting the viewer'"'"'s single key press from a remote input device; and

scheduling a recording time for the program based on the program ID.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the program is stored on a storage device when the scheduled recording time arrives.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the storage device is one or more hard disks.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

detecting if the program has ended prematurely during the storage of the program;

automatically terminating the storage of the program if the program has ended prematurely.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

storing additional programs on the storage device determined to be of interest to the viewer to fill in any time difference between the time the program terminated prematurely and ending time that was scheduled for the recording of the program.

18. The program storage medium of claim 13, wherein the information, indicating how much longer the playing of the promotional advertisement is going to last, comprises a number of remaining frames of the promotional advertisement.