Methods and apparatus for visually displaying recording timer information

• US 8,582,957 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2008
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Taxier, Karen Michelle, Coburn, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand, Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shayanfar, Ali
• Application Number:
  US12/235,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20100074592A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,877 Days
• Field of Search: 386/223, 386/248, 386/29, 386/1, 725/46, 725 55- 61
• US Class Current: 386/291
• 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 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• 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 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence

Abstract

The various embodiments described herein generally provide apparatus, systems and methods which facilitate the display of television recording information to. More particularly, television recording information is presented visually to a user in a recording information menu. The visual recording information menu includes a time axis, and recording timers associated with particular television programs are presented as visual representations along the time axis. In the case that multiple television receiving resources are available, a resource axis may separately present recording timers associated with each of the disparate television receiving resources.

Claims

1. A method for visually displaying a television recording conflict, the method comprising:

receiving a first user input requesting to record a first television program;

receiving a second user input requesting to record a second television program;

identifying a recording conflict between the first television program and the second television program during a conflict time period in which time boundaries of the first television program and the second television program conflict;

displaying a first visual representation of the first television program and a second visual representation of the second television program simultaneously along a time axis of a user interface menu, with at least a portion of the first visual representation being overlaid on a portion of the second visual representation along the time axis corresponding to the conflict time period, wherein the overlay of the first visual representation on the portion of the second visual representation causes the portion of the second visual representation to be obscured;

receiving a user input to graphically modify a time boundary between the first television program and the second television program and thereby resolve the conflict between the first and second television programs by dragging an edge of one or both of the first and second visual representations; and

responsive to the user input graphically modifying the time boundary, displaying the first visual representation adjacent to the second visual representation along the time axis of the user interface menu such that the first visual representation no longer obscures any portion of the second visual representation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the first and second visual representations further comprises:

modifying the user interface menu so that the portion of the first visual representation is no longer overlaid with the second visual representation after the conflict time period is resolved.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the first and second visual representations further comprises:

displaying the second visual representation offset from the first visual representation along an axis of the user interface menu disparate from the time axis.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a third user input requesting to resolve the recording conflict; and

updating at least one recording timer, associated with the recording conflict, based on the third user input.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the third user input and updating the recording timer further comprise:

receiving the third user input requesting to modify a time boundary of a recording timer associated with the first television program by dragging an edge of the first visual representation; and

updating the recording timer associated with the first television program based on the modified time boundary.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the third user input and updating the recording timer further comprise:

receiving the third user input requesting to swap positions of the first and second visual representations;

displaying the portion of the second visual representation overlaid over the portion of the first visual representation; and

modifying a recording priority of the second recording timer based on the third user input.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the first visual representation further comprises:

displaying a first image corresponding with the first television program.

8. A method executable by a television receiver for visually displaying television recording timers, the method comprising:

the television receiver setting a plurality of recording timers associated with a plurality of television programs, wherein a first portion of the recording timers are associated with a first television receiving resource and a second portion of the recording timers are associated with a second television receiving resource;

the television receiver presenting a visual interface menu having a time axis and a resource axis for display, the resource axis separately presenting the recording timers associated with each of the first and second television receiving resources;

the television receiver presenting a plurality of visual representations of the recording timers for display, the first portion of the recording timers presented along a first portion of the resource axis and the second portion of the recording timers presented along a second portion of the resource axis, with each of the visual representations positioned along a portion of the time axis associated with a beginning time and an ending time of an associated recording timer; and

the television receiver receiving a user input to modify at least one of the beginning time and the ending time of a recording timer by dragging an edge of the visual representation associated with the recording timer,

wherein displaying the visual representations further comprises;

identifying a recording conflict, during a conflict time period, between a first and a second of the recording timers that are associated with the first displaying a first visual representation of the first recording timer associated with a first television program; and

displaying a second visual representation of a second recording timer associated with a corresponding to the conflict time period, being overlaid on a portion of the second visual representation along the time axis, wherein the overlay of the first visual representation along the portion of the second visual representation causes the portion of the second visual representation to be obscured.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein displaying the first and second visual representations further comprises:

responsive to the user input modifying at least one of the beginning time and the ending time, displaying the first visual representation adjacent to the second visual representation along the time axis.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the user input resolves the conflict between the first and second television programs.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein receiving the user input and resolving the recording conflict further comprise:

receiving the user input requesting to record the second television program on the second television receiving source; and

displaying the second visual representation along a second portion of the resource axis.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

identifying a second recording conflict, during a second conflict time period, between the second recording timer and a third of the recording timers that is associated with the second television receiving resource;

displaying a third visual representation of the third recording timer associated with a third television program, with a portion of the third visual representation, corresponding to the second conflict time period, being overlaid on a second portion of the second visual representation along the time axis;

receiving second user input requesting to record the third television program using the first television receiving source;

recording the second television program using the second television receiving source; and

recording the third television program using the first television receiving source.

13. A digital video recorder comprising:

a television tuner that receives and tunes video signals from a programming source;

a storage medium communicatively coupled to the television tuner that stores at least a portion of the video signals received by the television tuner;

an interface module that receives a first user input requesting to record a first television program and that receives a second user input requesting to record a second television program;

a processor communicatively coupled to the television tuner, the storage medium and the interface module that is configured to;

identify a recording conflict between the first television program and the second television program during a conflict time period in which time boundaries of the first television program and the second television program conflict;

output, for display by a display device, a first visual representation of the first television program and a second visual representation of the second television program simultaneously along a time axis of a user interface menu, with at least a portion of the first visual representation being overlaid on a portion of the second visual representation along the time axis corresponding to the conflict time period, wherein the overlay of the first visual representation on the portion of the second visual representation causes the portion of the second visual representation to be obscured;

receive a user input to modify a time boundary between the first television program and the second television program and thereby resolve the conflict between the first and second television programs by dragging an edge of one or both of the first and second visual representations;

responsive to the user input modifying the time boundary, display the first visual representation adjacent to the second visual representation along the time axis of the use interface menu such that the first visual representation no longer obscures any portion of the second visual representation; and

coordinate storage of at least one of the first television program and the second television program onto the storage medium.

14. The digital video recorder of claim 13, wherein the processor outputs a visual indicator on the second visual representation that indicates the second television program will not be recorded.

15. The digital video recorder of claim 13, wherein the processor outputs the second visual representation offset from the first visual representation along an axis of the user interface disparate from the time axis.

16. The digital video recorder of claim 13, wherein the interface module receives a third user input requesting to resolve the recording conflict, and the processor updates a recording timer associated with the first television program based on the third user input.

17. The digital video recorder of claim 16, wherein the interface module receives the third user input requesting to modify a time boundary of a recording time associated with the first television program, and the processor updates the recording timer associated with the first television program based on the modified time boundary.

18. The digital video recorder of claim 17, wherein the interface module receives the third user input requesting to swap positions of the first and second visual representations, and the processor outputs the portion of the second visual representation overlaid over the portion of the first visual representation and modifies a recording priority of the second recording timer based on the third user input.

19. The digital video recorder of claim 13, wherein the processor displays a first image corresponding with the first television program in the first visual representation.

20. A digital video recorder comprising:

a first television tuner;

a second television tuner;

a storage medium;

an interface module that receives a plurality of first user input requesting to record a plurality of television programs; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the first television tuner, the second television tuner, the storage medium and the interface module that is configured to;

set a plurality of recording timers associated with the plurality of television programs based on the plurality of first user input, wherein a first portion of the recording timers are associated with the first television tuner and a second portion of the recording timers are associated with the second television tuner;

output a visual interface menu, for display by a display device, the visual interface menu having a time axis and a resource axis, the resource axis separately presenting the recording timers associated with each of the first and second television tuners in a first row and a second row, respectively;

output a plurality of visual representations of the recording timers, the first portion of the recording timers presented along a first portion of the resource axis and the second portion of the recording timers presented along a second portion of the resource axis, with each of the visual representations positioned along a portion of the time axis associated with a beginning time and an ending time of an associated recording timer;

receive a second user input graphically dragging one or more of the visual representations associated with the recording timers between the first and second rows of the resource axis, and to thereby resolve a recording conflict in recording two of the television programs; and

coordinate the storage of at least a portion of the plurality of television programs onto the storage medium,

wherein the processor is further configured to;

identify the recording conflict, during a conflict time period, between a first and a second of the recording timers that are associated with the first television receiving resource;

output a first visual representation of the first recording timer associated with a first television program; and

output a second visual representation of a second recording timer associated with a second television program, with a portion of the first visual representation, corresponding to the conflict time period, being overlaid on a portion of the second visual representation along the time axis, wherein the overlay of the first visual representation on the portion of the second visual representation causes the portion of the second visual representation to be obscured.

21. The digital video recorder of claim 20, wherein the processor outputs a visual indicator on the second visual representation that indicates the second television program will not be recorded.

22. The digital video recorder of claim 21, wherein the interface module receives the second user input requesting to resolve the recording conflict, and the processor resolves the recording conflict based on the second user input.

23. The digital video recorder of claim 22, wherein the interface module receives the second user input requesting to modify a time boundary of a recording timer associated with the first television program and the processor updates the recording timer associated with the first television program based on the modified time boundary.

24. The digital video recorder of claim 22, wherein the interface module receives the second user input requesting to swap positions of the first and second visual representations, and the processor displays the portion of the second visual representation overlaid over the portion of the first visual representation and changes a recording priority of the second recording timer based on the second user input.

25. The digital video recorder of claim 22, wherein the interface module receives the second user input requesting to record the second television program on the second television receiving source and the processor outputs the second visual representation along a second portion of the resource axis and coordinates recording of the second television program using the second television receiving resource.

26. The digital video recorder of claim 25, wherein the processor is further configured to:

identify a second recording conflict, during a second conflict time period, between the second. recording timer and a third of the recording timers that is associated with the second television receiving resource;

output a third visual representation of the third recording timer associated with a third television program, with a portion of the third visual representation, corresponding to the second conflict time period, being overlaid on a second portion of the second visual representation along the time axis;

receive third user input requesting to record the third television program on the first television receiving source;

record the second television program using the second television receiving source; and

record the third television program using the first television receiving source.