WO1999035828A1

WO1999035828A1 - Channel tuner for television

Info

Publication number: WO1999035828A1
Application number: PCT/US1999/000059
Authority: WO
Inventors: Theodore Wugofski
Original assignee: Amiga Development Llc
Priority date: 1998-01-05
Filing date: 1999-01-05
Publication date: 1999-07-15
Also published as: AU2101999A

Abstract

A system, apparatus, and method for tuning a television to a selected channel is disclosed in the context of convergence systems. In one embodiment of the invention, identification information such as a station's call letters are inputted. The identification information is then looked up in a table that contains the tuning information, and the television is tuned in accordance with the tuning information retrieved.

Description

CHANNEL TUNER FOR TELEVISION Related Applications This application is related to the co-assigned and co-filed applications, "Method for managing multiple channel maps from multiple input devices in a multimedia system," "Previous, favorite, and frequent channel management system," "System for time-shifting events in a multi-channel convergence system," "System for resolving channel selection in a multi-channel system," and "A system for managing favorite channels," all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

Field of The Invention This invention relates generally to convergence systems and more particularly to a system, apparatus, and method for tuning a television to a selected channel.

Background of The Invention A convergence system refers to a system that includes capabilities that otherwise are provided by separate systems. For example, the Gateway Destination PC/TN System, available from Gateway 2000, Inc., provides for both computer and television capability. Rather than forcing users to have both a separate television and a separate computer, convergence systems such as the Gateway Destination system permit users to utilize both television and computer capabilities within the same system.

Some TV users find it difficult or unwieldy to remember the channel number associated with a particular TV channel. For instance, a TV user may want to switch to the ΝBC channel but may not remember the particular number associated with such channel. This problem is more pronounced for a person who has relocated to a new city in which the channel designations are more likely vastly different from the channel designations of the city from where he came. For example, a person who lives in New York may know that the NBC station is on Channel 4 or that ESPN2 is on Channel 48. However, if he should relocate to Minneapolis the channel numbers for NBC, ESPN2, or other stations may no longer be the same, and he may need to relearn the new channel numbers in Minneapolis perhaps by manually looking up the channel numbers in a guide provided in a local newspaper or a publication such as TV Guide.

Summary of The Invention The above-identified shortcoming is addressed by the present invention, which will be understood by reading and studying the following specification, which describes a method, apparatus, and system for tuning a television to a selected channel, in connection with convergence systems.

The invention described below permits a television watcher to switch to a channel without necessarily remembering the number associated with a particular channel. As a result of this present invention, a television watcher need only remember for example the call letters of the station he wishes to watch, which will inevitably be easier to remember than the number assigned to the channel.

In different embodiments of the invention, computers and computerized systems are described. In another embodiment, a method for tuning a television to a selected channel is also described. Still other and further embodiments, aspects, and advantages of the invention will become apparent by reference to the drawings and by reading the following detailed description. Brief Description of The Drawings Figure 1 is a diagram of a digital processing device, such as a computer, in conjunction with which embodiments of the invention may be implemented. Figure 2 depicts the sequence of steps performed by an embodiment of a system for tuning a television to a selected channel. Figure 3 describes a computerized system for tuning to a channel.

Detailed Description of the Invention In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific preferred embodiments in which the inventions may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that logical, mechanical, and electrical changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims.

The embodiments of the present invention are amenable to inclusion into or development in conjunction with a software architecture of a convergence system as described in co-pending, co-assigned co-filed application entitled ".Architecture for Convergence Systems," which is hereby incorporated by reference.

Referring to Figure 1, a diagram of a digital processing device, a computer, in conjunction with which embodiments of the invention may be implemented is shown. Digital processing device 10 is operatively coupled to tuner 12, monitor 14, pointing device 16, and keyboard 18. Digital processing device 10 includes a processor (for example, an Intel Pentium processor), random-access memory (RAM) (preferably, at least thirty-two megabytes), read- only memory (ROM), and one or more storage devices, such as a hard disk drive, a floppy disk drive (into which a floppy disk can be inserted), an optical disk drive, and a tape cartridge drive. The memory, hard drives, floppy disks, etc., are types of computer-readable media. The invention is not particularly limited to any type of digital processing device 10. In this embodiment, digital proces- sing device 10 is a PC-compatible computer running an operating system such as a version of the Microsoft Windows operating system. Hereinafter, digital processing device 10 will also be referred to as computer 10. The construction and operation of such computers are well known within the art.

Computer 10 includes integrated therein or coupled thereto hardware to provide for what is k . nown in the art as a "convergence environment" such that computer 10 provides capability beyond ordinary PC operation, such capability preferably including TV capability. For example the Gateway Destination System provides a convergence environment across two primary modes of operation: TV viewing and PC operation. Computer 10 is integrated at least with tuner 12 and desirably provides for integration with or includes audio/visual (AV) (i.e., multimedia) devices including without limitation a sound card, a digital video disc (DVD) player, a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) receiver, AV inputs for external or auxiliary devices, a CD-ROM player, an AV tuner having at least radio tuning capability, a cable decoder, a VCR, a laser disc player, a CD player, a DBS integrated receiver-decoder (IRD), and a video camera.

Monitor 14 permits the display of information, including computer, video, and other information, for viewing by a user of the computer. The invention is not limited to any particular monitor 14. Such monitors include cathode ray tube (CRT) displays, as well as flat panel displays such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Pointing device 16 permits the control of the screen pointer provided by the graphical user interface of operating systems such as ver- sions of Microsoft Windows. The invention is not limited to any particular pointing device 16. Such pointing devices include touch pads, mouses, trackballs, and point sticks. In one embodiment, computer 10 is a Gateway 2000, Inc. Destination System computer, monitor 14 includes a super- VGA CRT display, and pointing device 16 is a mouse. Finally, keyboard 16 permits entry of textual information into computer 10, as .known within the art, and the invention is not limited to any particular type of keyboard.

By way of operation, identification information regarding a channel is inputted by means of an input device such as keyboard 18. Such identification information may be, for example, the affiliate call letters such as NBC, ABC, CBS, etc., or the station call letters such as WNBC, W.ABC, WPIX, etc. In other words, a user wishing to change the channel to the .ABC station would type on keyboard 18 the letters "ABC." The identification information may also be inputted as partial call letters. For example, entering "HB" or "H" will be enough to identify the HBO station unless another station also had call letters starting with "H" or "HB." In addition, the identification information may comprise call letters of a station, where the station is a network affiliate.

The identification information may also be numeric in nature, as defined within the system. For example, even if the ABC station is say channel 4, a user instead may designate it as channel 25 if he so chooses. Within the computer-readable medium of computer 10 resides a computer program that is executed by the processor of computer 10. The computer program reads the identification information inputted into keyboard 18, retrieves the tuning infoπnation from a table stored in the computer-readable medium, and directs the system to tune tuner 12 to the channel corresponding to the tuning information. Therefore, in the examples given above, inputting the letters ".ABC" or the number "25" on keyboard 18 would direct the system to tune to the ABC station. Hence, this invention permits a television watcher to switch to a channel without necessarily remembering the number associated with a particular channel. In other words, one advantage resulting from this present invention is that a television watcher need only remember for example the call letters of the station he wishes to watch, which will inevitably be easier to remember than the number arbitrarily assigned to the channel.

Referring next to Figure 2, a sequence of steps performed by the system is set forth. Step 1 involves inputting the identification information regarding the desired channel. As described above, this step may be accomplished by inputting the identification information using keyboard 10 in Figure 1.

In Step 2 the system determines the tuning information regarding the channel by performing a table lookup. This Step 2 is described more fully in co-filed application [450.225US1/96-0456], previously incorporated by reference, as Channel Map Services. Briefly, however, an application program that is capable of causing a suitably equipped computer to execute proper commands can direct the computer to look up the identification information in a table, which contains tuning information for corresponding identification information. Once the inputted identification information is found in the table, the system can then determine the tuning information regarding the channel. Step 3 then tunes the tuner to the channel based on the tuning information, which is produced by Step 2. The operation of this step is well known in the art.

Referring now to Figure 3, a computerized system for tuning to a channel is depicted. Identification information regarding a channel is inputted by means of input device 30. As an example and not as a limitation, input device 30 may be a keyboard. It may also be a device by which alphanumeric information may be inputted. .Another input device 30 is a microphone; the invention is not so limited. Application program 32, which is able to run within computerized system, looks up in table 34 the identification information inputted and retrieves the corresponding tuning infoπnation. As an example and not as a limitation, table 34 may be stored in the computerized system having a memory. Again, by way of example, table 34 may contain first and second columns of information, the first column in which the inputted identification information will be searched and the second column which will contain the corresponding tuning information. Application program 32 then tunes tuner 36 to the channel corresponding to the tuning information retrieved from table 34.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that any arrangement which is calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the present invention. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that this invention be limited only by the following claims and equivalents thereof.

Claims

I claim:

1. A computerized system for tuning to a channel comprising: an input device to input identification information regarding a station; a table that contains tuning information corresponding to the identification information inputted with the input device; a tuner; at least one application program that tunes the tuner to the channel associated with the tuning information looked up in the table using the identification information inputted into the input device.

2. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the identification information inputted into the input device comprises the call letters of the station.

3. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the identification information inputted into the input device comprises partial call letters of the station.

4. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the identification information comprises call letters of the station, such that the station is a network affiliate.

5. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein a user defines the identification information inputted into the input device.

6. A computer-readable medium having a computer program stored therein to cause a suitably equipped computer to perform a method comprising the steps of: inputting identification information regarding a station; looking up the identification information in a table to determine tuning info╧Çnation regarding the station; tuning a device to the channel based on the tuning information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the identification information inputted into the input device comprises call letters of the station.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the identification information inputted into the input device comprises partial call letters of the station.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein a user defines the identification information inputted into the input device.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the identification information comprises call letters of the station, such that the station is a network affiliate.

11. A computer comprising: a processor; a computer-readable medium; an input device; a table that contains tuning information corresponding to the identification infoimation inputted with the input device; a tuner; and a computer program executed by the processor from the computer- readable medium, wherein said computer program looks up in the table the tuning information corresponding to the identification information inputted into the input device, and wherein said computer program tunes the tuner to the channel associated with the tuning information.

12. The computer of claim 11 , wherein the identification information inputted into the input device comprises call letters of the station.

13. The computer of claim 11 , wherein the identification information inputted into the input device comprises partial call letters of the station.

14. The computer of claim 11, wherein the identification information comprises call letters of the station, such that the station is a network affiliate.

15. The computer of claim 11 , wherein a user defines the identification information inputted into the input device.