Method and apparatus for selective recording of television programs using event notifications

• US 20030018980A1
• Filed: 07/20/2001
• Published: 01/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Rivero, Juan, Gorbatov, Eugene
• Granted Patent: US 6,792,617 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/133
• 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 21/4334 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 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• 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 21/4532 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 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• 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 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0887 for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals

Abstract

Improved enhanced TV programming provides the capability for event driven recording of TV programs and program segments. Recording a selected program segment of a digital TV program includes receiving a digital TV stream including the digital TV program, automatically starting recording of the selected program segment of the digital TV program when a first event notification is received, and automatically stopping recording of the selected program segment when a second event notification is received.

Claims

1. A method of recording a selected program segment of a digital TV program comprising:

receiving a digital TV stream including the digital TV program;

automatically starting recording of the selected program segment of the digital TV program when a first event notification is received; and

automatically stopping recording of the selected program segment when a second event notification is received.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital TV stream comprises an enhanced TV stream.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving the event notifications within the enhanced TV stream, the event notifications indicating occurrence of one of the starting and ending of broadcasting of the selected program segment in the enhanced TV stream.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each event notification comprises an ATVEF trigger.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each event notification comprises an ATVEF trigger communicated over the Internet.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising tuning to a channel on which the selected program segment is being broadcast when the first event notification is received.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the event notifications are received from a broadcast head-end that distributes the digital TV stream.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying program segments being broadcast as signifying events.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising registering for notification of events, a first event indicating the beginning of broadcasting the selected program segment and a second event indicating the ending of broadcasting the selected program segment.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving a plurality of event notifications, filtering the event notifications to identify those event notifications corresponding to registered events, and controlling recording of the selected program segment when the received event notifications correspond to registered events.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein registered events occur in programs broadcast on a plurality of channels.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the selected program segment is broadcast live and the events are determined in real-time.

14. The article of claim 13, wherein the digital TV stream comprises an enhanced TV stream.

15. The article of claim 14, further comprising instructions for receiving the event notifications within the enhanced TV stream, the event notifications indicating occurrence of one of the starting and ending of broadcasting of the selected program segment in the enhanced TV stream.

16. The article of claim 15, wherein each event notification comprises an ATVEF trigger.

17. The article of claim 13, wherein each event notification comprises an ATVEF trigger communicated over the Internet.

18. The article of claim 13, further comprising instructions to cause tuning to a channel on which the selected program segment is being broadcast when the first event notification is received.

19. The article of claim 13, wherein the event notifications are received from a broadcast head-end that distributes the digital TV stream.

20. The article of claim 13, further comprising instructions for identifying program segments being broadcast as signifying events.

21. The article of claim 20, further comprising registering for notification of events, a first event indicating the beginning of broadcasting the selected program segment and a second event indicating the ending of broadcasting the selected program segment.

22. The article of claim 20, further comprising instructions for receiving a plurality of event notifications, filtering the event notifications to identify those event notifications corresponding to registered events, and controlling recording of the selected program segment when the received event notifications correspond to registered events.

23. The article of claim 20, wherein registered events occur in programs broadcast on a plurality of channels.

24. The article of claim 20, wherein the selected program segment is broadcast live and the events are determined in real-time.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the enhanced television stream comprises a digital television stream and the events occur in programs broadcast on a plurality of channels.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the enhanced television stream comprises a digital television stream and ATVEF triggers represent the event notifications.

29. The article of claim 28, wherein the enhanced television stream comprises a digital television stream and the events occur in programs broadcast on a plurality of channels.

30. The article of claim 28, wherein the enhanced television stream comprises a digital television stream and ATVEF triggers represent the event notifications.

13. An article comprising:

a storage medium having a plurality of machine readable instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by a processor, the instructions provide for recording a selected program segment of a digital TV stream, the instructions including receiving a digital TV stream including the digital TV program, automatically starting recording of the selected program segment of the digital TV program when a first event notification is received, and automatically stopping recording of the selected program segment when a second event notification is received.

25. A method of receiving and recording enhanced TV programs comprising:

receiving definitions of events occurring in programs;

providing the event definitions to a viewer for selection of events of interest to be recorded;

receiving registrations for selected events of interest from the viewer for future recording of program segments corresponding to the selected events when the program segments are broadcast;

receiving an enhanced television stream, the stream comprising television programs having one or more program segments and event notifications corresponding to events; and

comparing the received event notifications to the registered events and recording selected program segments of the television programs being broadcast when the received event notifications correspond to a registered event.

28. An article comprising:

a storage medium having a plurality of machine readable instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by a processor, the instructions provide for receiving and recording enhanced TV programs, the instructions including receiving definitions of events occurring in programs, providing the event definitions to a viewer for selection of events of interest to be recorded, receiving registrations for selected events of interest from the viewer for future recording of program segments corresponding to the selected events when the program segments are broadcast, receiving an enhanced television stream, the stream comprising television programs having one or more program segments and event notifications corresponding to events, and comparing the received event notifications to the registered events and recording selected program segments of the television programs being broadcast when the received event notifications correspond to a registered event.