Automated detection/resumption of interrupted television programs
US6681396B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 11, 2000 |
| Grant date | Jan 20, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 11, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N21/4882
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An apparatus, program product and method access electronic program information in response to a determination that a showing of a television program has been interrupted to locate one or more repeat showings of the interrupted television program. Then, if a repeat showing is located for an interrupted television program, a number of different activities are performed, including but not limited to notifying the user of the repeat showing (either immediately or at a later time), setting a timer to remind the user of the repeat showing, automatically displaying the repeat showing, or automatically recording the repeat showing, among others. The determination that a showing of a television program has been interrupted may be responsive to manual input by a user (e.g., depression of a button on a remote control), or may be automated to be responsive to tracking what programs are being viewed in a television system (e.g., by tracking viewing times for one or more television programs). Moreover, for automated determinations of television program interruptions, such determinations may be performed at different times, e.g., after a channel change that occurs while a user is watching a telev…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.