INTERACTIVE TELEVISION SYSTEM WITH ONE-TOUCH RECORDING AND CONFLICT DETECTION FEATURES

• US 20090241144A1
• Filed: 04/30/2009
• Published: 09/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1997
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Entertainment Company LP (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Krakirian, Haig H., Buehl, Joseph G., LaJoie, Mike L., Brown, Ralph W., Johnson, Stephen M.
• Application Number:
  US12/432,871
• Publication Number:
  US 20090241144A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• 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 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/46 for receiving on more than one standard at will deflecting circuits of multi-standard receivers H04N3/27
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A full service television system and method are provided. The system comprises a cable headend, at least one fiber transport, at least one distribution hub, at least one hybrid fiber coax plant, and a plurality of set-top terminals. The system delivers television programs, advanced cable services, and online services. Programs and services are transmitted to the set-top terminals in both digital and analog formats to maintain downward compatibility with existing systems. The set-top terminal includes a central processing unit, a unified memory architecture, a memory management unit, communications circuitry, I/O control circuitry, and audio and video output circuitry. Through these components, the set-top terminal provides advanced cable services such as a comprehensive channel navigator, an interactive program guide, one-touch recording, recording conflict detection and resolution, and advanced configuration controls. The set-top terminal also provides online services such as World Wide Web browsing, Internet e-mail, and home shopping.

Claims

1. A method of recording at least one television program using an interactive program guide, the interactive program guide having displayable information pertaining to a plurality of television programs, the method comprising:

displaying the interactive program guide on a display;

highlighting on the display information in the program guide pertaining to a selected television program;

receiving a single record-key actuation; and

in response to receiving only the single record-key actuation, automatically recording the selected television program when the selected television program is broadcast.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the automatically recording comprises automatically programming apparatus operative to record a television program with broadcast channel and start and stop times associated with a broadcast of the selected television program as highlighted in the interactive program guide.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying an indicator on the interactive program guide display in response to receiving the record-key actuation, the indicator confirming acceptance of the selected television program for recording.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising after receiving the record-key actuation and before automatically recording:

displaying a banner on the display indicating a recording conflict.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising after receiving the record-key actuation and before displaying the banner:

automatically determining whether the recording of the selected program will exceed capabilities of apparatus operative to record television programs; and

in response to automatically determining that the capabilities of the apparatus will be exceeded, generating the banner indicating a recording conflict.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the capabilities of the apparatus include a maximum number of television programs that can be programmed for recording by the apparatus at any one time.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the capabilities of the apparatus include a maximum amount of storage that can be used by the apparatus to record one or more television programs.

8. The method of claim 4 further comprising after receiving the record-key actuation and before displaying the banner:

automatically determining whether any portion of the selected program to be recorded is to occur simultaneously with any portion of at least one other television program to be recorded;

in response to automatically determining that portions of two or more television programs are to be recorded simultaneously, automatically determining whether capabilities of recording apparatus to record portions of two or more television programs simultaneously will be exceeded; and

in response to automatically determining that the capabilities of the recording apparatus will be exceeded, generating the banner indicating a recording conflict.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the capabilities of the recording apparatus include a maximum number of television programs that can be recorded at any one time.

10. The method of claim 4 further comprising after displaying the banner:

displaying a plurality of actuators for resolving the recording conflict.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising receiving a cancel-most-recent-record-key actuation.

12. A method of recording at least one television program using an interactive program guide, the interactive program guide having displayable information pertaining to a plurality of television programs, the method comprising:

receiving a record-key actuation pertaining to a selected television program having information in the interactive program guide highlighted on a display;

retrieving broadcast information from the interactive program guide pertaining to the selected television program;

determining whether a television program recorder has previously-programmed broadcast information that conflicts with the retrieved broadcast information;

in response to determining that no conflict exists;

programming the television program recorder with the broadcast information retrieved from the interactive program guide to record the selected television program when the selected television program is broadcast, and

displaying an indicator on the display confirming acceptance of the selected television program for recording; and

in response to determining that a conflict exists, displaying a plurality of actuators for resolving the conflict.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the broadcast information includes broadcast channel and start and stop times associated with a broadcast of the selected television program as indicated in the interactive program guide.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the conflict is one of exceeding the number of television programs programmable in the television program recorder at any one time, exceeding the storage capacity of the television program recorder, or exceeding the number of television programs that can be recorded simultaneously by the television program recorder.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the plurality of actuators for resolving the conflict includes at least one actuator for:

canceling the most recent record-key actuation;

accepting the most recent record-key actuation and canceling conflicting previously-programmed broadcast information;

or

entering a general setting menu to modify previously-programmed broadcast information.

16. A method of recording at least one television program using an interactive program guide, the interactive program guide having displayable information pertaining to a plurality of television programs, the method comprising:

displaying the interactive program guide on a display;

highlighting on the display information in the program guide pertaining to a first selected television program;

receiving a first record-key actuation;

automatically programming recording apparatus to record the first selected television program when that television program is broadcast;

highlighting on the display information in the program guide pertaining to a second selected television program;

receiving a second record-key actuation;

automatically determining whether the recording of the second selected program will exceed capabilities of the recording apparatus;

in response to determining that the capabilities of the recording apparatus will not be exceeded, automatically programming the recording apparatus to record the second selected television program when the second selected television program is broadcast; and

in response to determining that the capabilities of the recording apparatus will be exceeded, displaying a banner indicating a recording conflict.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the capabilities of the recording apparatus include a maximum number of television programs that can be programmed for recording by the recording apparatus at any one time.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the capabilities of the recording apparatus include a maximum number of television programs that can be recorded by the recording apparatus at any one time.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the capabilities of the recording apparatus include a maximum amount of storage that can be used by the recording apparatus to record one or more television programs.

20. The method of claim 16 further comprising after displaying the banner:

displaying a plurality of actuators for resolving the recording conflict.