Method of automatically switching television channels

• US 9,848,157 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2007
• Issued: 12/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cable Television Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cable Television Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Stevens, Clarke
• Primary Examiner(s): MENDOZA, JUNIOR O
• Application Number:
  US11/846,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20090064221A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,766 Days
• Field of Search: 725 38, 725 59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26291 for providing content or additional data updates, e.g. updating software modules, stored at the client deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44245 Monitoring the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. its availability, bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/814 comprising emergency warnings arrangements specially adapted for emergency or urgency in broadcast systems H04H20/59; arrangements for providing alarms, notifications, alerts to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control
• 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

Abstract

Method for automatically switching television channels or other content sources. The method may be used with any electronic media to facilitate switching between channels or other content sources based on events or other occurrences in non-viewed channels, such as but not limited to switching channels based on sporting event occurrences (goals, ending of game, etc.), news event occurrence (breaking news, health tips, etc.), and other any number of other identifiable events.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a plurality of non-transitory instructions, which when executed with a processor of a controller, are sufficient to facilitate switching between a plurality of television channels used to deliver a plurality of television programs, the non-transitory instructions being sufficient for:

wirelessly instructing a television with signals carried over a wireless network to tune to a first television channel of the plurality of television channels for playback of a first program of the plurality of programs to a viewer;

determining a one or more of the plurality of television channels desired for recording based on user inputs manually input by the viewer to the controller while the television is tuned to the first television channel to facilitate viewing of the first program;

while the first program is being viewed, wirelessly instructing the television with signals carried over the wireless network to generate a recording of a second television channel of the plurality of television channels corresponding with the one or more of the plurality of television channels desired for recording such that the recording records a second program of the plurality of programs while unviewed by the viewer;

monitoring event coding included within the second television channel to identify a plurality of events occurring in the second program while the first program is being viewed and the second program is being unviewed by the viewer, the event coding being different from and independent of closed-captioning included within the second television channel to identify the plurality of events;

determining one of the plurality of events to be associated with a tuning event specified by the viewer with user inputs manually input by the viewer to the controller while the first program is being viewed;

instigating a tuning operation after determining occurrence of the tuning event within the second program while the first program is being viewed and the second program is being unviewed, the tuning operation occurring after a first event at a beginning of the second program and prior to a last event at an ending of the second program such that the tuning operation occurs after the beginning and prior to the ending of the second program, the tuning operation including;

i) wireless instructing the television with signals carried over the wireless network to cease playback of the first program to the viewer;

ii) wireless instructing the television with signals carried over the wireless network to rewind the recording to a point in the recording occurring before occurrence of the tuning event; and

iii) wireless instructing the television with signals carried over the wireless network to playback the recording beginning at the point.