Receivers for television signals

• US 9,084,017 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2011
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sky CP Limited (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: British Sky Broadcasting Limited (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Willame, Xavier, Bodkin, Nigel, James, Nicholas, Collins, Ellen Fiona, Freeman, Benjamin Johnathan, Sullivan, Brian Francis
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEN, CAI Y
• Application Number:
  US13/309,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20120076472A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,320 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/433 Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
• 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 21/47214 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 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• 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 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

A television signals receiver for receives and stores television signals encoded at a variable data rate. Time information is generated based on the time of receipt of the signals that defines the duration of the television signals when output in decompressed form at a substantially constant data rate. The received signals are then written to a file on a hard disk 13 in received order together with the time information. The time information of signals stored in the file is monitored and old signals are deleted from the file such that the file stores signals corresponding to a predetermined period of time.

Claims

1. A method of recording television programmes comprising:

receiving programme schedule data;

buffering a television signal currently being displayed on a television screen; and

responding to a request, issued by a user after the buffering has started, to record a television programme included in the television signal by saving the buffered television signal along with subsequent television signals to record the programme, performing an identification using the received programme schedule data to identify a start of the television programme included in the buffered television signal and truncating the saved buffered television signal based upon said identification, wherein all data in the saved buffered television signal that is older than the start of the television programme is deleted.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to record the television programme comprises pausing display of the television programme.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to record the television programme comprises display of the buffered television signal.

4. An apparatus for recording television programmes comprising:

a memory for buffering a television signal currently being displayed on a television screen; and

a processor for responding to a request, issued by a user after the buffering has started, to record a television programme included in the television signal by saving the buffered television signal along with subsequent television signals to record the programme, wherein

the apparatus is arranged to receive programme schedule data and to perform an identification using the programme schedule data to identify a start of the television programme included in the buffered television signal; and

the processor truncates the saved buffered television signal based upon said identification, wherein all data in the saved buffered television signal that is older than the start of the television programme is deleted.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the request to record the television programme comprises pausing display of the television programme.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the request to record the television programme comprises display of the buffered television signal.

7. A television signal receiver including the apparatus of claim 4.