Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
WD 93/22872 ~ ~, ~ '~ j 4 ~ PC1'/US93/(W097
-1-
"TELEVISION PROGRAM RECORD SCHEDULING
USING COMPRESSED CODES"
Backnround of the Invention
This is a continuation of pending Patent Application Serial No. 071877,687
filed
May 1, 1992, which is a continuation in part of Patent Application Serial No.
071829,412
filed February 3, 199, which is a continuation in part of Serial No.
071767,323 filed
September 30, 1991, which is a continuation in part of Serial No. 071676,934
filed March
27, 1991, which is a continuation in part of Serial No. 07/371,054 filed .tune
26, 1989, which
itself is a continuation in part of Serial No. 071289,369, filed December 23,
1988.
Feld of the Invention
This invention relates generally to video cassette recorder systems and
particularly to
the timer preprogramming feature of video cassette recorders VCRs) and to an
apparatus and
2~ method for using encoded information to shorten the time required to
perform timer
preprogramming and an apparatus and method of embedding the decoding of the
encoded
information in a television receiver, video cassette recorder, cable box and
satellite receiver.
~'ior Art
The video cassette recorder (VCR) has a number of uses, including playing hack
of
tapes filmed by a video camera, playing back of pre-recorded tapes, and
recording and
playing back of broadcast and cable television programs.
To record a television program in advance of viewing it, a two-step process is
often
used: (1) obtain the correct channel, date, time and length (CDTL) information
from a
television program guide, and (2) program this CDTL information into the VCR.
Depending
on the model, year and type of the VCR, the CDTL information can be programmed
in
~13~~~ ~~~
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93/t14097
various ways including: (l) pushing an appropriate sequence of keys in the
console according
to instructions contained in the user's manual, (ii) pushing an appropriate
sequence of keys
in a remote hand-held control unit according to instructions contained in the
user's manual
(remote programming), and (iii) executing a series of keystrokes in the remote
hand-held
control unit in response to a menu displayed on the television screen (on-
screen
programming). Other techniques for timer preprogramming have been suggested
including:
(iv) reading in certain bar-code information using a light pen (light pen
programming), and
(v) entering instructions through a computer or telephone modem. These various
methods
differ only in the physical means of specifying the information while the
contents, being
CDTL and certain power/clock/timer on-off commands are generally common
although the
detailed protocol can vary with different model VCRs. Methods (l) and (ii)
described above
can require up to 100 keystrokes, which has inhibited the free use of the
timer
preprogramming feature of VCRs. To alleviate this, new VCR models have
included an
1~ "On-Screen Programming" feature, which permits remote input of CDTL
information in
response to a menu displayed on the television screen. Generally on screen
programming of
CDTL information requires an average of about I8 keystrokes, which is less
than some of
the prior methods but still rather substantial. Some of the other techniques
such as (iv)
above, require the use of special equipment such as a bar code reader.
In general the present state of the art suffers from a number of drawbacks.
First, the
proc~lure for setting the VCR to record in advance can be quite complex and
confusing and
difficult to learn; in fact, because of this many VCR owners shun using the
timer
preprogramming record feature. Second, the transcription of the CDTL
information to the
VCR is hardly ever error-free; in fact, many users of VCR's timer
preprogramming features
express concern over the high incidence of programming errors. Third, even for
experienced
users, the process of entering a lengthy sequence of information on the
channel, date, time
and length of desired program can become tedious. Fourth, techniques such as
reading in
bar-code information or using a computer require special equipment. These
drawbacks have
created a erious impedance in the use of a VCR as a recording device far
television
programs. The effect is that time shifting of programs has not become as
popular as it once
was thought it would be. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a simpler
system for
effecting VCR timer preprogramming which will enable a user to take advantage
of the
r~ording feature of a VCR more fully and freely.
~i~,v ~~~
WO 93/22872 PCTlUS93/04097
_3_
Summary of the Invention
A principal object of the invention is to provide an improved system for the
selection
and entering of channel, date, time and length (CDTL) information required for
timer
preprogramming of a VCR which is substantially simpler, faster and less error-
prone than
present techniques. Another principal object of the invention is to provide
televisions having
an embedded capability far timer programming control.
In accordance with the invention, to program the timer preprogramming feature
of a
video system, there is an apparatus and method for using encoded video
recorder/piayer timer
preprogramming information. The purpose is to significantly reduce the number
of
keystrokes required to set up the timer preprogramming feature on a VCR. In
accordance
with this invention it is only necessary for the user to enter a code with I
to 7 digits or more
into the VCR. This can be done either remotely or locally at the VCR. Built
into either the
remote controller or the VCR is a decoding means which automatically converts
the code into
IS the proper CDTL programming information and activates the VCR to record a
given
television program with the corresponding channel, date, time and length.
Generally multiple
codes can be entered at one time for multiple program selections. The code can
be printed
in a television program guide in advance and selected for use with a VCR or
remote
controller with the decoding means.
Another principa; object of the invention is to embed the decoding means into
a
television. The television would then at the appropriate time distribute the
proper commands
to a VCR and a cable box to record the desired program. The user would use the
television
remote or controls on the television to enter the code that signifies the
program to be
recorded. The same television remote and controls on the television would also
be used to
perform normal television control functions, such as channel selection. When
the codes are
entered they are transmitted to the television and the decoder in the
television, which decodes
the codes into CDTL information and then the codes themselves and the CDTL
information
could be displayed "on screen" so that the user can verify that the proper
codes have been
entered. Then at the appropriate time the television would transmit the proper
commands to
a VCR and a cable box, if necessary, to command the recording of the selected
program.
This control function can be carried out by using an infrared link by placing
infrared
transmitters on the television cabinet, preferably at the corners. The
television circuitry
would include the capability of storing or learning the infrared code
protocols for the VCR
and the cable box.
WO 93!22872 PCT/US93104097
Another principal object of the invention is to embed the decoding means into
various .
equipments associated with television, such as a video cassette recorder,
cable box or satellite
receiver. In any system the decoding means would only have to be present in
one of the
equipments, such as the cable box, which would then at the appropriate time
distribute the
S
proper commands to the other equipments such as a VCR and a satellite receiver
to record
the desired program. The user would use the television remote or controls on
the equipment
with the decoder to enter the code that signifies the program to be recorded.
The same
television remote would also be used to perform normal television control
functions, such as
channel selection. When the codes are entered they are transmitted to the
equipment with the
decoder, which decodes the codes into CDTL information. Then at the
appropriate time the
equipment with the decoder would transmit the proper commands to a the other
equipment
such as a VCR, satellite receiver and a cable box to command the recording of
the selected
program. This control function can be carried out by using an infrared link by
coupling
infrared transmitters on the equipment with the decoder. The infrared
transmitter can be
placed in a infrared dome on the equipment, mounted behind the front panel,
attached to a
mouse coupled via a cable to the equipment with the decoder with the mouse
placed near the
receiver, or attached to a stick on miniature mouse coupled via a cable to the
equipment with
the decoder with the miniature mouse attached to the device with the receiver.
The
equipment with the decoder would include the capability of storing or learning
the infrared
code protocols for the other equipment, such as a VCR, satellite receiver and
a cable box.
Other objects and many of the attendant features of this invention will be
more readily
appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the
following detailed
descriptions and considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in
which like
reference symbols designate like parts throughout the figures.
35
.) ,.
is ) < ; ~ '~ .~ ,13.
WO 93/22872 PCT/U593/04097
_5_
1 Brief Description of the Drawings
FIG. 1 is a schematic showing apparatus according to this invention with the
code
decoder means embedded in the video cassette recorder;
FIG. 2 is a schematic of the VCR embedded processors for command control and
code
decoding;
FIG. 3 is a schematic showing a preferred embodiment according to this
invention with
the code decoder means embedded in a remote controller;
FIG. 4 is a schematic of the processor embedded in the remote controller;
FIG. S is a schematic of a universal remote controller with the code decoder
means
embedded in the universal remote controller;
FIG. 6 is a flow graph of the G-code decoding technique;
FIG. 7 is a flow graph of the G-code encoding technique;
FIG. 8 is an illustration of part of a television calendar according to this
invention;
FIG. 9 is a flowchart for decoding for cable channels;
FIG. 10 is a flowchart for encoding for cable channels;
FIG. 11, is a flow graph of the G-code decoding for cable channels including
conversion from assigned cable channel number to local cable carrier channel
number;
FIG. 12 is a means for decoding including a stack memory;
FIG. 13 is a flowchart for program entry into stack memory;
FIG. 14 is an operation flowchart for sending programs from remote control to
main
unit VCR;
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an apparatus for using compressed codes for
recorder
preprogramming according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 16 is a front view of the apparatus of FIG. 15 showing a forward facing
light
emitting diode;
FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 15 placed in a mounting
stand;
FIG. 17A is a front elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. IS placed in the
mounting stand as shown in FIG. 17;
a
FIG. 18 is a detail of the LCD display of the apparatus of FIG. 15;
FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing a manner of placing the apparatus of
FIG. IS
relative to a cable box and a VCR;
FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing a manner of placing the mounting stand
with
the apparatus of FIG. 15 mounted thereon near a cable hox and VCR;
. : ~ ' ::. . ' :v.: . . :: : . : . ~~ : - , :. .:; .: .., .'° . :..;~
:.. .: ... . . ...:
~~~'-.~~)~~
WO 93/22872 PC'I'/US93/04097
_~_
1 FIG. 21 is a schematic showing apparatus for using compressed codes for
recorder
preprogramming according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 22 is a detailed schematic showing a preferred embodiment of apparatus
implementing the schematic of FIG. 21;
FIG. 23 is a flow graph for program entry into the apparatus of FIG. 15;
FIG. 24 is a flow graph for review and program cancellation of programs
entered into
the apparatus of FIG. 15;
FIG. 25 is a flow graph for executing recorder preprogramming using compressed
codes according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 26 is a flow graph for encoding program channel, date, time and length
information into decimal compressed codes;
FIG. 27 is a flow graph for decoding decimal compressed codes into program
channel,
date, time and length information;
FIG. 28 is an embodiment of an assigned channel number/local channel number
table;
FIG. 29 block diagram of a system including a television having a G-code
decoder;
FIG. 30 is a schematic of a television having a G-code decoder;
FIG. 31 is a schematic showing apparatus for a G-code decoder in a television
having
G-~e decoding;
FIG. 32 is a block diagram of a system including a television having a G-code
decoder,
a VCR, a cable box and a satellite receiver;
FIG. 33 is a block diagram of a system including a VCR having a G-code
decoder, a
television, a cable box and a satellite receiver;
FIG. 34 is a block diagram of a system including a cable box having a G-code
decoder,
a television, a VCR, and a satellite receiver;
F1G, 35 is a block diagram of a system including a satellite receiver having a
G-code
decoder, a television, a VCR, and a cable box;
FIG. 36 is a perspective view showing a cable box placed on top of a VCR
having an
infrared transmitter behind the front panel which communicates to the cable
box infrared
receiver via reflection;
FIG. 37 is a perspective view showing a cable box placed on top of a VCR
having an
infrared transmitter inside a infrared dome on the top of the VCR which
communicates to the
3~ cable box infrared receiver;
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93/04097
1 FIG. 38 is a perspective view of a VCR having an infrared transmitter inside
a mouse
coupled via a cable to the VCR with the mouse placed near the cable box
infrared receiver;
ana
FIG. 39 is a perspective view of a VCR having an infrared transmitter inside a
S
miniature mouse coupled via a cable to the VCR with the miniature mouse stuck
onto the
cable box near the infrared receiver.
FIG. 40 is a perspective view of a second apparatus for using compressed codes
for
recorder preprogramming according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 41 is a bottom view of the apparatus of FIG. 41 showing a microphone hole
and
two electrical contact holes.
FIG. 42 shows the apparatus of FIG. 40 being used in conjunction with a
telephone.
FIG. 43 is a schematic showing second apparatus for using compressed codes for
recorder preprogramming according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
1S FIG. 44 is an alternate schematic showing second apparatus for using
compressed codes
for recorder preprogramming according to a preferred embodiment of the
invention.
FIG. 4S is a perspective view of an apparatus for programming remote controls
with
memories according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 46 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 4S with the hinged lid
in the
open position.
FIG. 47 is a rear view of the apparatus of FIG. 4S showing telephone and
computer
inputloutput ports,
FIG. 48 is a bottom view of the apparatus of FIG. 1S showing electrical
contact access
2S holes.
FIG. 49 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 4S coupled to an
apparatus
according to FIG. 15.
FIG. SO is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 45 coupled to an
apparatus
according to FIG. 40.
FIG. S1 is a schematic showing apparatus for programming remote controls with
memories according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. S2 is a schematic showing the electronic connection between apparatus for
programming remote controls with memories according to a preferred embodiment
of the
3S invention and a personal computer.
~~~~~J~~~
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93/04097
_g_
t Detailed Description
Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly, to F1G. 1, there is
shown an
apparatus for using encoded video recorder/player timer preprogramming
information 10
according to this invention. The primary components include a remote
controller 12 and a
video cassette recorder/player with G-code decoder 14, which can be controlled
by remote
controller 12 via a command signal 16. The remote controller 12 can have a
number of keys,
which include numerical keys 20, G-code switch 22, function keys 24, program
key 26 and
power key 27. There are means in the remote controller 12 that interprets each
key as it is
pressed and sends the proper command signal 16 to the VCR via an infra-red
light emitting
diode 28. Except for the G-code switch 22 on the remote controller 12 in FIG.
1, the remote
controller 12 is essentially the same as any other remote controller in
function. The G-code
switch 22 is provided just to allow the user to lock the remote controller 12
in the G-code
mode while using a G-code, which is the name given to the compressed code
which is the
1$ encoded CDTL information, to perform timer preprogramming.
A G-code consists of I to 7 digits, although more could be used, and is
associated with
a particular pmgram. A user would look up the G-code in a progam guide and
just enter
the G-code on the remote controller 12, instead of the present state of the
art, which requires
fat the user enter the actual channel, date, time and length (CDTL) commands.
In order to understand the advantages of using a G-code, it is helpful to
describe the
best of the current state of the art, which is "on screen programming" with
direct numerical
entry. This technique involves about 18 keystrokes and the user has to keep
switching his
view back and forth between the TV screen and the remote controller while
entering the
CDTL information. This situation may be akin to a user having to dial an 18
digit telephone
number while reading it from a phone book. The number of keys involved and the
switching
back and forth of the eye tend to induce errors. A typical keying sequence for
timer
recording using on-screen CDTL programming is as follows:
PROG 2 I 15 07 30 2 08 00 2 04 PROG
The first program (FROG) key 26 enters the programming mode, Then a sequence
of
numerical keys 20 are pushed. The 2 means it is timer recording rather than
time setting.
The 1 means the user is now entering the settiags for program 1. The 15 is the
date. The
07 is starting hour. The 30 is a starting minute. The 2 means pm. The next
sequence 08
t'' . ,::!: s~,... ~ " .:'r . " ;~~. ~I: .,.,. . rrb.:;:.......... .. . .. . ,
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93/04097
-9-
00 2 is the stopping time. The 04 is channel number. Finally, the PROG is hit
again to exit
the program mode.
By contrast, this command could have been "coded" and entered in a typical G-
code
sequence as follows: PROG 1138 PROG. To distinguish that the command is a
coded
S
G-code, the G-code switch 22 should be turned to the "ON" position. Instead of
having a
switch, a separate key "G" can be used. The G-code programming keystroke
sequence would
then be: G 1138 PROG.
The use of a G-code does not preclude "on-screen" confirmation of the program
information that has been entered. When the keystrokes "PROG 1138 FROG" are
entered
with the G-code switch in the "ON" position, the G-code would be decoded and
the
television could display the following message:
PROGRAM DATE START TIME STOP TIME CHANNEL
1138 15 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 4
In order for the G-code to be useful it must be decoded and apparatus for that
purpose
must be provided. Referring to FIG. 1, a video cassette recorder/player with G-
code decoder
14 is provided to be used in conjunction with remote controller 12. The
command signal 16
sent from the remote controller 12 is sensed by the photodiode 32 and
converted to electrical
signals by command signal receiver 30. The electrical signals are sent to a
command
controller 36, which interprets the commands and determines how to respond to
the ~
commands. As shown in FIG. 1, it is also possible for the command controller
36 to receive
2$ commands from the manual controls 34 that are normally built into a VCR. If
the command
controller 36 determines that a G-code was received then the G-code will be
sent to the
G-code decoder 38 for decoding. The G-code decoder 38 converts the G-code into
CDTL
information, which is used by the command conuoller 36 to set the timelchannel
programming 40. Built into the VCR is a clock 42. This is normally provid~i in
a VCR and
is used to keep track of the date and time. The clock 42 is used primarily by
the
timelchannel programming 40 and the G-code decoder 38 functions. The
timelchannel
programming 40 function is set up with CDTL information by the command
controller 36.
. When the proper date and time is read from clock 42, then the timelchannel
programming
3$ 40 function turns the reoordlplayback 44 function "ON" to record. At the
same time the
tuner 46 is tuned to the proper channel in the television signal 18. Later the
user can
N1~~~J'-~~:~
WO 93/2Z872 Pi;'T/US93104097
-10-
1 command the recordlplayback 44 function to a playback mode to watch the
program via the
television monitor 48.
An alternate way to control the recorder is to have the command controller 36
keep all
the CDTL information instead of sending it to the timelchannel programming 40.
The
S
command controller would also keep track of the time by periodically reading
clock 42. The
command controller would then send commands to the time/channel programming 40
to turn
on and off the recorder and to tuner 46 to cause it to tune to the right
channel at the right
time according to the CDTL information.
The clock 42 is also an input to G-code decoder 38, which allows the G-code
decoding
to be a function of the clock, which lends a measure of security to the
decoding technique and
makes it harder to copy. Of course this requires that the encoding technique
must also be a
fi~netion of the clock.
A possible realization of the command controller 36 and the G-code decoder 38
is
shown in FIG. 2. The command controller 36 function can be realized with a
microprocessor
50, a random access memory 52 and a read only memory 54, which is used for
program
storage. The input/output 56 function is adapted to receive commands from the
command
signal receiver 30, the manual controls 34 and the clock 42, and to output
signals to a display
35, the clock 42, and the timelchannel programming 40 function. If the
microprocessor 50
interprets that a G-code has been received, then the G-code is sent to
microcontroller 60 for
decoding. The microcontroller 60 has an embedded random access memory 62 and
an
embedded read only memory 64 for program and table storage. The clock 42 can
he read
by both microprocessor 50 and microcontroller 60.
An alternative to having microcontrolier 60 perform the G-code decoding is to
build
the G-code decoding directly into the program stored in read only memory 54.
This would
eliminate the need for microcontroller 60. Of course, other hardware to
perform the G-code
decoding can also be used. The choice of which implementation to use is
primarily an
economic one.
The blocks in Figs. 1 and 2 are well known in the prior art and are present in
the
following patents: Fields, patent no. 4,481,412; Scholz, patent no. 4,519,003;
and Brugliera,
patent no. 4,631,601. For example, clock 42 is analogous to element 7 in
Scholz and element
. 17 in Brugliera. Other analogous elements are: command signal receiver 30
and Scholz 14
~'d Brugliera 12; tuner 46 and Scholz 6 and Brugliera 10; timelchannel
programming 40 and
Scholz 8, I1 and Brugliera 16; record & playback 44 and Scholz 1, 2, 4;
command
controller 36 and Scholz I 1, 10 and Brugliera 12; microprocessor 50 and
Fields 27; RAM
cNi. ~) '~
WO 93/22872 w ~ ''' ~ PCT/US93/04097
52 and Fields 34; ROM 54 and Fields 33; manual controls 34 and Scholz 15, 16;
and remote
controller 12 and Scholz 26 and Brugliera 18.
FIG. 3 illustrates an alternate preferred embodiment of this invention. In
F1G. 3 a
remote controller with embedded G-code decoder 80 is provided. The remote
controller with
embedded G-code decoder 80 is very similar to remote controller 12, except for
the addition
of the G-code decoder 82. Note that it is also possible in any remote
controller to provide
a display 84. The remote controller with embedded G-code decoder 80 would be
used in
conjunction with a normal video cassette recorderlplayer 70, which would not
be required to
have an embedded G-code decoder. The numerals for the subelements of video
cassette
recorder/player IO are the same as described above for the video cassette
recorderlplayer with
G-code decoder 14 and have the same function, except for the absence of G-code
decoder 38.
This preferred embodiment has the advantage that it can be used in conjunction
with VCRs
that are presently being used. These do not have a G-code decoding capability.
Replacing
1$ their remote controllers with ones that have this capability built-in can
vastly improve the
capability to do timer preprogramming for a modest cost.
FIG. 4 illustrates a possible realization of the G-code decoder 82 built into
the remote
controller with embedded G-code decoder 80. A microcontroller 60 can be used
as before
to decode the G-code, as well as interface with the display 84, a clock 85,
the keypad 88 and
the light emitting diode l8. Alternately, other hardware implementations can
be used to
perform the G-code decoding. The clock 85 is provided in the remote controller
80 so that
the G-code decoder 82 can be made to have the clock 85 as one of its inputs.
This allows
the G-code decoding to be a function of the clock 85, which lends a measure of
security to
2S the decoding technique and makes it harder to copy.
The remote controller with embedded G-code decoder as described above would
send
channel, date, time and length information to the video cassette
recorderlplayer 70, which
would use the CDTI. information for tuning into the correct channel and
starting and stopping
the recording function. The remote controller may have to be unique for each
different video
c~sette recorder/player, because each brand or model may have different
infrared pulses for
each type of information sent such as the channel number keys and start record
and stop
record keys. The particular infrared pulses used for each key type can be
called the
vocabulary of the particular remote controller. Each model may also have a
different
protocol or order of keys that need to be pushed to accomplish a function such
as timer
preprogramming. The protocol or order of keys to accomplish a function can be
called
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93/04097
-12-
1 sentence structure. If there is a unique remote controller built far each
model type, then the
proper vocabulary and sentence structure can be built directly into the remote
controller.
An alternate to having the remote controller with embedded G-code decoder send
channel, date, time and length information to the video cassette
recarderlplayer 70, is to have
the remote controller with embedded G-code decoder perform more operations to
simplify the
interfacing problem with existing video cassette recorder/players. In
particular, if the remote
controller not only performs the G-code decoding to CDTL, but also keeps track
of time via
clock 85, then it is possible for the remote controller to send just channel,
start record and
stop commands to the video cassette recorder/player. The channel, start and
stop are usually
basic one or two key commands, which means there is no complicated protocol or
sentence
structure involved. Thus, to communicate with a diverse set of video cassette
recorderlplayer
models it is only necessary to have memory within the remote controller, such
as ROM 64
of FIG. 4, for storing the protocol for all the models or at least a large
subset. 1'he G-code
would be entered on the remote controller as before and decoded into channel,
date, time and
length information, which would be stored in the remote controller. Via clock
85, the time
would be checked and when the correct time arrives the remote controller would
automatically send out commands to the VCR unit for tuning to the correct
channel and for
starting and stopping the recording. It is estimated that only two (2) bytes
per key for about
15 keys need to be stored for the vocabulary for each video cassette
recorder/player model.
Thus, to cover SO models would only require about 30*50 = .1500 bytes of
memory in the
remote controller. It would be necessary to position the remote controller
properly with
respect to the VCR unit so that the infrared signals sent by the remote
controller are received
by the unit.
Another preferred embodiment is to provide a universal remote controller 90
with an
embedded G-code decoder. Universal remote controllers provide the capability
to mimic a
number of different remote controllers. This reduces the number of remote
controllers that
a user needs to have, This is accomplished by having a learn function key 94
function on the
universal remote controller, as shown in FIG. 5. If the learn function key 94
is pushed in
conjunction with another key, the unit will enter into the learn mode.
Incoming infra-red (IR)
pulses from the remote controller to be learned are detected by the infra-red
photodiode 96,
filtered and wave-shaped into recognizable bit patterns before being recorded
by a
mt~ocontroller into a battery-backed static RAM as the particular IR pulse
pattern for that
particular key. This is done for all the individual keys.
i~ ~ I
m <~~ ',~ :)
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93/04097
-13-
1 An example of more complex learning is the following. If the learn function
key 94
in conjunction with the program key 26 are pushed when the G-code switch is
"ON", the unit
will recognize that it is about to record the keying sequence of a
predetermined specific
example of timer preprogramming of the particular VCR involved. 'The user will
then enter
the keying sequence from which the universal remote controller 90 can then
deduce and
record the protocol of the timer preprogramming sequence. This is necessary
because
different VCRs may have different timer preprogramming command formats.
If keys are pushed without the learn function key 94 involved, the
microcontrolier
should recognize it is now in the execute mode. If the key is one of the
direct command
keys, the microcontroller will read back from its static RAM the stored pulse
sequence and
send out command words through the output parallel I/O to pulse the output
light emitting
diode 28. If the key is the PROG key and the G-code switch is "OFF", then the
microcontroller should recognize the following keys up to the next PROG key as
a timer
preprogramming CDTL command and send it out through the light emitting diode
28. If the
G-cede switch 22 is set to "ON" and the program key 26 is pushed, the
microcontroller
should recognize the following keys up to the next PROG key as a G-code
command for
timer preprogramming. It will decode the G-code into channel, date, start time
and length
(CDTL) and the microcontroller will then look up in it's static RAM
"dictionary" the
associated infra-red pulse patterns and concatenate them together before
sending them off
through the output parallel IIO to pulse the light emitting diode 28 to send
the whole message
in one continuous stream to the VCR.
FIG. 4 illustrates a possible realization of the G-code decoder 92 that could
be built
into the universal remote controller with embedded G-code decoder 90. A
microcontroller
60 can be used as before to decode the G-code, as well as for interfacing ~
with the
inputloutput functions including the photodiode 96. Alternately, the G-code
decoding can be
performed with other hardware implementations.
The universal remote contralier can also be used in another manner to simplify
the
interfacing problem with existing video cassette recorderlplayers. In
particular, if the
universal remote controller performs not only the G-code decoding t~ CDTL, but
also keeps
track of time via clack 85 in FIG. 4, then it is possible for the universal
remote contmller to
send just channel, start record and stop Commands to the video cassette
recorderJplayer,
~'t'ht~ ~ explained before, are usually basic one key commands, which means
there is no
complicated protocol or sentence swcture involved. Thus, to communicate with a
diverse
set of video cassette recorderlplayer models it is only necessary for the
universal remote
~1~~~~~~x
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93/04097
-14-
1 controller to "learn" each key of the remote controller it is replacing. The
G-code would be
entered on the universal remote controller as before and decoded into channel,
date, time and
length information, which would be stored in the universal remote controller.
Via clock 85,
the time would be checked and when the correct time arrives the universal
remote controller
would automatically send out commands to the VCR unit far tuning to the
correct channel and
for starting and stopping the recording. It would be necessary to position the
universal
remote controller properly with respect to the VCR unit so that the signals
sent by the
universal remote are received by the VCR unit.
There are a number of ways that the G-code decoding can be performed, The most
obvious way is to just have a large look up table. The G-code would be the
index.
Unfortunately, this would be very inefficient and result in a very expensive
decoder due to
the memory involved. The total storage involved is a function of the number of
total
combinations. If we allow for 128 channels, 31 days in a month, 48 on the hour
and on the
half hour start times in a twenty four hour day, and 16 length selections in
half hour
increments, then the total number of combinations is 128x31x48x16 = 3,047,424.
This
number of combinations can be represented by a 7 digit number. The address to
the table
would be the 7 digit number. In the worst case, this requires a lookup table
that has about
4,000,000 rows by 15 to 16 digital columns, depending on the particular
protocol. These ,
digital columns would correspond to the CDTL information required for "on
screen
programming". Each digit could be represented by a 4 bit binary number. Thus,
the total
storage number of bits required for the lookup table would be about
4,OOO,OOOx16x4 =
256,000,000, The present state of the art has about 1 million bits per chip.
Thus, G-code
decoding using a straightforward table lookup would require a prohibitively
expensive number
of chips.
Fortunately, there are much more clever ways of performing the G-code
decoding.
FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a preferred G-code decoding technique. To
understand G-code
decoding, it is easiest to first explain the G-code encoding technique, for
which FIG. 7 is the
flow chart. Then the G-code decoding technique, which is the reverse of the G-
code
encoding will be explained.
The encoding of the G-codes can be done on any computer and is done prior to
preparation of any program guide that would include G-codes. For each program
that will
be printed in the guide, a channel, date, time and length (GDTL) code 144 is
entered in step
142. Step 146 separately reds the priority for the channel, date, time and
length in the
priority vector storage 122, which can be stored in read only memory 64. The
priority vector
/w .~ ~~ ~.~: ,) 'h '.'.
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93l04097
-15-
1 storage 122 contains four tables: a priority vector C table 124, a priority
vector D table 126,
a priority vector T table 128 and a priority vector L table 130.
The channel priority table is ordered so that the most frequently used
channels have a
low priority number. An example of the data that is in priority vector C table
124 follows.
channel 4 7 2 3 5 6 11 13 ...
priority 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ...
Generally the dates of a month all have an equal priority, so the low number
days in
a month and the low number priorities would correspond in the priority vector
D table as in
the following example. w
date 1 2 3 4 S 6 7 8 ...
priority 0 I 2 3 4 5 6 7 ...
20
The priority of the start times would be arranged so that prime time would
have a low
priority number and programs in the dead of the night would have a high
priority number.
For example, the priority vector T table would contain:
time 6:30pm 7:OOpm 8:OOpm 7:30pm ...
priority 0 1 2 3 ...
An example of the data that is in the priority vector L table 130 is the
following:
length of program (hours) 0.5 1.0 2.0 1.5 3.0 ...
priority 0 1 2 3 4 ...
Suppose the channel date time length (CDTL) 144 data is S 10 19.00 1.5, which
means
channel 5, 10th day of the month, 7:00 PM, and 1.5 hours in length, then for
the above
P
example the CP,Dp,Tp,L.p data 148, which are the result of looking up the
priorities for
channel, date, time and length in priority tables 124, 126, 128 and 130 of
FIG, 7, would be .
4 9 1 3. Step 150 converts G,"D~,T~,L~, data to binary numbers. The number of
binary bits
m ~~ °onvers~on is determined by the number of combinations involved,
Seven bits for Cp,
which can be denoted as C~ Cs C, G, C, C2 C,, would provide for 128 channels.
Five bits
for DP, which can be denoted as D~ D, D, D~ D,, would provide for 31 days in a
month.
~~a~~~~~
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93/04097
-16-
Six bits for TP, which can be denoted as Tb TS Ta T, T~ T,, would provide for
48 start times
on each half hour of a twenty tour hour day. Four bits for length, which can
be denoted as
L, L, L' L,, would provide for a program length of up to 8 hours in half hour
steps.
Together there are 7+5+6+4 = 22 bits of information, which correspond to 2**22
=
4,194,304 combinations.
The next step is to use bit hierarchy key 120, which can be stored in read
only memory
64 to reorder the 22 bits. The bit hierarchy key 120 can be any ordering of
the 22 bits. Far
example, the bit hierarchy key might be:
Lg C, ... T2 C~ T, C, L, DS Dy D, D= D,
22 21 ... 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Ideally the bit hierarchy key is ordered so that programs most likely to be
the subject
of timer preprogramming would have a low value binary number, which would
eliminate
keystrokes for timer preprogramming the most popular programs. Since all the
date
information has equal priority, then the D3 D, D~ DZ D, bits are first. Next
T, C, L, are
used, because for whatever date it is necessary to have a time channel and
length and T, C,
L, are the most probable in each case due to the ordering of the priority
vectors in priority
vector storage 122. The next bit in the hieruchy key is determined by the
differential
probabilities of the various combinations. One must know the probabilities of
all the
channels, times and lengths for this calculation to be performed.
For example, the probability for channels may he:
channel 4 7 2 3 S 6 11 13 ...
priority 0 1 2 3 4 S 6 7 ...
probability(%)S 4.3 4 3 2.9 2.1 2 1.8 ,..
~e probabilities for times might .be:
time 6:30pm 7:00pm 8;OOpm 7;30pm ...
. priority 0 1 2 3 ..,
probability(96) 8 7.8 6 5 ...
And, the probabilities for lengths might be:
~t
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93/04097
-I7-
I length of program (hours)0.5 1.0 2.0 1.5 3.0 ...
priority 0 1 2 3 4 ..,
probability(%) SO 20 15 5 4 ...
The probabilities associated with each channel, time and length, as
illustrated above,
are used to determine the proper ordering. Since the priority vector tables
are already
ordered by the most popular channel, time, and length, the order in which to
select between
the various binary bits for one table, for example selecting between the C, C6
Cs C, C, C=
G bits, is already known. The C, bit would be selected first because as the
lowest order
binary bit it would select between the first two entries in the channel
priority table. Then the
C~ bit would be selected and so on. Similarly, the T, and L, bits would be
used before any
of the other time and length bits. A combination of the C,, T,, L, and D~ D,
D, D= D, bits
should be used first, so that all the information is available for a channel,
date, time and
length. The Ds D, D, D~ D, bits are all used because the date bits all have
equal priority and
all are needed to specify a date even if some of the bits are binary zero.
At this point the bit hierarchy key could be:
T, C, L, D~ D, D' D2 D, .. .
The first channel binary bit C, by itself can only select between 2' = 2
channels, and the first
two channels have a probability percent of 5 and 4.3, respectively. So the
differential
probability of C, is 9.3. Similarly, the differential probability of T, is 8 +
7,8 = 15.8, and
the differential probability of L, is 50 + 20 = 70. If the rules for ordering
the bit hierarchy
key are strictly followed, then the first 8 bits of the bit hierarchy key
should be ordered as:
C, T, L, Ds D, D, D= D,,
because L, has the highest differential priority so it should be next most
significant bit after
Ds, followed by T, as the next most significant bit, and then C, as the next
mast significant
bit. Notice that the bit hierarchy key starts with the least significant bit
D,, and then is filled
in with the highest differential probability bits. This is for the purpose of
constructing the
gist compact codes for popular programs.
The question at this point in the encoding process is what should the next
most
significant bit in the hierarchy key be: T_, C=, or L_. This is again
determined by the
~1~~~~~r
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93/04097
_18_
differential probabilities, which can be calculated from the above tables for
each bit. Since
we are dealing with binary bits, the G= in combination with C, selects between
2= - 4
channels or 2 more channels over C, alone. The differential probability for C=
is then the
additional probabilities of these two additional channels and for the example
this is: 4 + 3
= 7. In a similar manner C, in combination with C, and C= selects between 2' =
8 channels
or 4 = 2~'" more channels over the combination of C, and C:. So the
differential probability
of C~ is the additional probabilities of these four additional channels and
for the example this
is: 2.9 + 2.1 + 2 + 1.8 = 8.8. In a similar manner, the differential
probabilities of T, and
~ c~ be calculated to be 6 + 5 = 11 and 15 + 5 = 20, respectively. Once all
the
differential probabilities are calculated, the next step is determining which
combinations of
bits are more probable.
Now for the above example, which combination is more prabable: T, with C, L,,
or
C., with T, L,, or L: with T, C,, This will determine the next bit in the key.
So, which is
greater: 11x9.3x70= 7161; 7x15.8x70= 7742; or 20x15.8x9.3= 2938.8? In this
case the
combination with the greatest probability is 7x15.8x?0= 7742, which
corresponds to C_ with
T, L,. So, C2 is selected as the next bit in the bit hierarchy key.
The next bit is selected in the same way. Which combination is more probable:
C,
with T, L,, or TZ with C, or C.r and L,, or 1.= with C, or C.= and T,. For the
example shown,
which has the greatest probability: 8.8x15.8x70= 9732.8; 11x(9.3+7)x70= 12551;
or
20x(9.3+7)x15.8= 5150.8? In this case the combination with the greatest
probability is
11x(9.3+7)x70= 12551, which corresponds T~ with C, or C~ and L,. So, T. is
selected as
the next bit in the bit hierarchy key. This procedure is repeated for all the
differential
probabilities until the entire key is found.
Alternately, the hit hierarchy key can be just some arbitrary sequence of the
bits. It
is also possible to make the priority vectors interdependent, such as making
the length priority
vector dependent on different groups of channels. Another technique is to make
the bit
hierarchy key 120 and the priority vector tables 122, a function of clock 42,
as shown in
FIG. 7. This makes it very difficult for the key and therefore the coding
technique to be
duplicated or copied.
For example it is possible to scramble the date bits in the bit hierarchy key
120 as a
function of the clock. Changing the order of the bits as a function of the
clock would not
~~ge ~e effectiveness of the bit hierarchy key in reducing the number of
binary bia for the
most popular programs, be<;ause the date bits all are of equal priority. This
could be as
~r~
.~~. CJ
W~O 93/22872 YCT/US93/Oa097
-19-
1 simple as switching the D, and D~ bits periodically, such as every day ar
week. Thus the
bit hierarchy key 120 would switch between
... C, T, L, DS D, D, D~ D, and
... C, T, L, D, D, D3 D~ Ds.
Clearly other permutations of the bit hierarchy key as a function of the clock
are possible.
'tee priority vector tables could also be scrambled as a function of the
clack. For
example, the first two channels in the priority channel table could just be
swapped
periodically. If this technique is followed, then the Cp of 148 in FIG. 7
would change as a
function of the clack 42. For example, .
I S channel 4 7 2 3 S 6 11 13 . . .
priority 0 1 2 3 4 S 6 7 ...
would change periodically to:
channel 7 4 2 3 S 6 I1 13 ...
priority 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ...
This would be a fairly subtle security technique, because a decoder that was
otherwise
2$ correct would only fail if those first two channels were being used. Other
clack dependencies
are also possible to provide security far the coding technique.
I~iowever it is derived, the bit hierarchy key 120 is determined and stored.
In step 154
the binary bits of CP,Dp,Tp,Lr are rearranged according to the bit hierarchy
key 120 to create
one 22 bit binary number. Then the resulting 22 bit binary number is converted
to decimal
in the convert binary number to decimal G-code step 156. The reeult is G-code
158.
If the priority vector and the bit hierarchy key are well matched to the
viewing habits
of the general population, then it is expected that the more popular programs
would require
no mare than 3 or 4 digits for the G-code.
IVow that the encoding technique has been explained the decoding technique is
just
reversing the coding technique. This is done according to the flow chart of
FIG. 6. This is
~~iS~J~~I~
WO 93!22872 PCT/US93/04097
-20-
1 t the preferred G-code decoding that can be built into G-code decoder 38 in
VCR 14 or the
remote controller G-code decoders 82 and 92 in FIGS. 3 and 5.
The first step 102 is to enter G-code 104. Next the G-code 104 is converted to
a 22
bit binary number in step 106. Then the bits are reordered in step 108
according to the bit
hierarchy key 120 to obtain the reordered bits 110. Then the bits are grouped
together and
converted to decimal form in step 112. As this point we obtain CP,DP,TP,LP
data 114, which
are the indices to the priority vector tables. For the above example, we would
have at this
step the vector 4 9 1 3. This CP,DP,Tp,Lp data 114 is then used in step 116 to
lookup
channel, date, time, and length in priority vector storage 122. The CDTL I18
for the
example above is S l0 19.00 1.5, which means channel S, 10th day of the month,
7:00 Pbl,
and 1.5 hours in length.
If the coding technique is a function of the clock then it is also necessary
to make the
decoding technique a function of the clock. It is possible to make the bit
hierarchy key 120
1~ and the priority vector tables 122, a function of clock 42, as shown in
FIG. 6. This again
makes it very difficult for the key and therefore the coding technique to be
duplicated or
copied. It is also possible to have the decoding and encoding techniques
dependent on any
other predetermined or preprogrammable algorithm.
Although the above G-code encoding and decoding technique is a preferred
embodiment, it should be understood that there are many ways to perform the
intent of the
invention which is to reduce the number of keystrokes required for timer
preprogramming.
To accomplish this goal there are many ways to perform the G-code encoding and
decoding.
There are also many ways to make the encoding and decoding technique more
secure besides
just making the encoding and decoding a function of the clock. This security
can be the
result of any predetermined or preprogrammed algorithm.
It is possible in the G-code coding and decoding techniques to use mixed radix
number
systems instead of binary numbers. For example, suppose that there are only 35
channels,
which would require 6 binary bits to be represented; however, 6 binary bits
can represent 64
channels, because 2° = 64. The result is that in a binary number system
there are 29
unnecessary positions. This can have the effect of possibly making a
particular G-code longer
than it really needs to be. A mixed radix number system can avoid this result.
For
. example, for the case of 35 channels, a mixed radix number system with the
factors of T and
~ ~ represent 35 combinations without any empty space in the code. The allowed
numbers
for the T factor are 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4. The allowed numbers for the 5°
factor are 0, 1, 2, 3,
4, S, and 6, For example, digital 0 is represented in the mixed radix number
system as 00,
,a; . ...~ , .. s ;;<,; ' r . r»;
.:a.: , . . . . . ,. . . . . , . . ..
WO 93/22872 ? ~- ' ~~ 1 ~ ~~~ PCT/US93/04097
-21-
1 The digital number 34 is represented in the mixed radix number system as 46,
because
4*7'+6*S° = 34. The major advantage of a mixed radix number system is
in prioritizing
the hierarchy key. If the first 5 channels have about equal priority and the
next 30 are also
about equal, then the mixed radix number system allows the two tiers to be
accurately '
represented. This is not to say that a mixed radix number system is
necessarily preferable.
Binary numbers are easier to represent in a computer and use of a fixed radix
number system
such as binary numbers allows a pyramid of prioritization to be easily
represented in the
hierarchy key.
Another feature that is desirable in all of the embodiments is the capability
to key in
the G-code once for a program and then have the resulting CDTL information
used daily or
weekly. Ordinarily the CDTL information is discarded once it is used. In the
case of daily
or weekly recording of the same program, the CDTL information is stored and
used until it
is cancelled. The desire to repeat the program daily or weekly can be
performed by having
a "WEEKLY" or "DAILY" button on the remote controller or built into the VCR
manna!
controls. Another way is to use one key, such as the PROG key and push it
multiple times
within a certain period of time such as twice to specify daily or thrice to
specify weekly. For
example, if the G-code switch is "ON" and the G-code for the desired program
is 99 then
daily recording of the program can be selected by the following keystrokes:
"PROG 99 DAILY PROG"
or by:
"PROG 99 PROG PROG" .
The G-code 99 would be converted to CDTL information, which would be stored
and used
daily in this case. The recording would begin on the date specified and
continue daily after
that using the same channel time and length information. A slight twist is
that daily recording
could be automatically suspended during the weekends, because most daily
programs are
different on Saturday and Sunday.
Once a daily or weekly program is set up, then it can be used indefinitely. If
it is
desired to cancel a program and if there is a "CANCEL" button on the remote
controller or
manual control for the VCR, then one way to cancel a program (whether it is a
normal
CDTL, daily or weekly entry) is to key in the following:
"PROG xx CANCEL", where xx is the G-code.
Again as before there are alternate ways of accomplishing this.
If "on screen programming" is available, then the programs that have been
selected for
timer preprogramming could be reviewed on the screen. The daily and weekly
programs
w~ - ' . .11-.., 5~..: r ~ ,~.~'.'. , , ., . . . .. ..
........ .. ,. ... :',': ' ~' ~ ".'~' .:~:..: .,....z .,:.~ .. . . .' .;". r
....: ., .. , '.',
I,
~l~l~ i~:lt
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93I04097
_
would have an indication of their type. Also the G-codes could be displayed
along with the
corresponding CDTL information. This would make it quite easy to review the
current
"menu" and either add more programs or cancel programs as desired.
A television calendar 200 according to this invention is illustrated in FIG.
8. As
S
shown, the television calendar has multiple day of year sections 202, multiple
day sections
204, multiple time of day sections 206, channel identifiers 208, and
descriptive program
identifiers 210, including the name of the program, arranged in a maMer that
is common in
television guide publications. Arranged in relation to each channel identifier
is a compressed
code indication 212 or G-code containing the channel, date, time and length
information for
that entry in the television calendar. F1G. 8 shows haw easy it is to perform
timer
programming. All one needs to do is find the program one wants to watch and
enter the
compressed code shown in the compressed code indication. This is in contrast
to having to
deal with all the channel, date, time and length entries separately. At least
the channel, date
and time are explicitly stated in the television guide. The length is usually
only available by
searching the guide to find the time of day section 206 where a new program
begins and then
performing some arithmetic to find the length of the program. Using the
compressed G-code
avoids all these complications.
For cable television programs, there is an additional issue that needs to be
addressed
for the compressed G-code to be useful. In a normal television guide, CDTL
information is
available for all the normal broadcast channels in the form of numbers
including the channel
numbers, such as channel 4 or 7. However, for cable channels like HBO, ESPN
etc., only
the names of the channels are provided in most television listings. The reason
for this is that
in some metropolitan areas, such as Los Angeles, there may be only one (1)
edition of
television guide, but there may be quite a few cable carriers, each of which
may assign HBO
or ESPN to different cable channel numbers. In order for a compressed code
such as the
G-code to be applicable to the cable channels as published by a wide area
television guide
publication, the following approach can be used.
First, all the cable channels would be permanently assigned a unique number,
which
would be valid across the nation, For example, we could assign ESPN to cable
channel I,
HBO as cable channel 2, SHO as cable channel 3, etc. This assignment would be
published
by the television guide publications.
The video cassette recorder apparatus, such as the remote controller, the VCR
unit or
both, could then be provided with two (2) extra modes: "set" and "cable
channel". One way
of providing the user interface to these modes would be to provide two (2)
extra buttons: one
~~. t> '~ j~.
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93/04097
23
called SET and one called CABLE CHANNEL. The buttons could be located on the
video
cassette recorder unit itself or located on a remote controller, as shown in
FIGS I, 3 and 5,
where SET is element 168 and CABLE CHANNEL is element 170. Of course, other
user
interfaces are possible.
Next, the television viewer would have to go through a one-time "setting"
procedure
of his VCR for all the cable channels that he would likely watch. This
"setting" procedure
would relate each of the assigned numbers for each cable channel to the
channel number of
the local cable carrier. For example, suppose that the local cable carrier
uses channel 6 for
ESPN, then cable channel number I could be assigned to ESPN, as shown in the
following
table.
Cable Channel signed Channel Number in
Name Cable Chan. No. the local cable carrier
I S ESPN I 6
HBO 2 24
SHO 3 23
DIS . 8 25
The user could perform the "setting" procedure by pushing the buttons on his
remote
controller as follows:
SET 06 CABLE CHANNEL I PROGRAM
SET 24 CABLE CHANNEL 2 PROGRAM
SET 23 CABLE CHANNEL 3 PROGRAM
SET 25 CABLE CHANNEL 8 PROGRAM
r
~~c~~~J~'~
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93/04U97
-24-
1 The "setting" procedure would create a cable channel address table 162,
which would
he loaded into RAM 52 of command controller 36. For the above example, the
cable channel
address table 162 would have the following information.
S
CABLE CHANNEL ADDRESS TABLE 162
I 6
2 24
3 23
'
8 25
After the "setting" procedure is performed, the TV viewer can now select cable
channels for viewing by the old way: e.g., pushing the key pad buttons 24 will
select HBO.
He can also do it the new way: e.g., by pushing CABLE CHANNEL 2, which will
also
select HBO. The advantage of the new way is that the television guide will
publish [C2] next
to the program description, so the viewer will just look up the assigned
channel number
identifier instead of having to rer,iember that HBO is local cable channel 24.
When the
CABLE CHANNEL button is pushed, command controller 36 knows that it will look
up the
local cable channel number in cable channel address table 162 to tune the VCR
to the correct
channel.
For timer preprogramming and for using the compressed G-code, a way to
differentiate
between broadcast and cable channels is to add an eighth channel bit, which
would be set to
0 for normal broadcast channels and 1 for cable channels such as HBO. This
eighth channel
bit could be one of the law order bits such as the third bit C, out of the
eight channel bits,
so that the number of bits to specify popular channels is minimized, whether
they be normal
broadcast or cable channels. Far a normal braadcast channel, the 7 other bits
can he decoded
according to priority vector C table 124. For a cable channel, the 7 other
bits can he decode
according to a separate cable channel priority vector table 160, which could
be stored in
ROM 54 of microcontroller 36. The cable channel priority vector table can be
set ahead of
time for the entire country or at least for an area covered by a particular
wide area television '
guide publication.
V1'O 93/22872 PGT/US93t04097
-25-
A television guide that carries the ct mpressed code known as the G-code will
now print
the cable channel information as follows:
6:30 pm
S
(C2] HBO xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (4679)
xxxxxx(program description)xxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The [C2] in front of HBO reminds the viewer that he needs only to push CABLE
CHANNEL
2 to select HBO. The (4679) is the G-code indication for this particular
program.
FIG. 8 shows a section of a television guide. The cable channels all have an
assigned
cable channel number 188 in front of the cable channel mnemonic. Other than
that the cable
channel information is arranged the same as the broadcast channels with a
compressed G-code
2I2 associated with the channel.
For timer preprogramming, the viewer need only enter the number 4679 according
to
the unit's G-coda entry procedure, e.g., PROG 4679 PROG. The G-code decoder
unit will
decode this G-code into "cable channel 2" and will also signal the command
controller 36
with a cable channel signal 164, as shown in FIGs. I and 2, because the extra
channel bit will
be "1" which distinguishes that the G-code is for a cable channel; then, since
the association
of "cable channel 2" with channel 24 has been established earlier in the
"setting" procedure,
the command controller, if it has received a cable channel signal, will
immediately look up
2 in the cable channel address table i62 to translate it to cable channel 24,
which wilt be used
as the recording channel at the appropriate time. By associating the G-code
with the assigned
cable channel number rather than the local cable channel number, the G-code
for that
program will be valid in the whale local area, which may have many different
cable carriers
each of which may have different local cable channel numbers.
To include the cable channel compressed G-code feature, the decoding and
encoding
algorithms are as shown in FIGs 9 and 10, respectively. The encoding should be
explained
first before the decoding. The primary change in FIG. 10 from FIG. 7 is that a
cable channel
priority vector table 160 has been added and is used in look up priority step
180 if a cable
channel is being encoded. Also if a cable channel is being encoded then the
cable channel
bit is added in the correct bit position in the convert GpDPTpLp to binary
numbers step 182.
This could be bit C,, as discussed before. The bit hierarchy key could be
determined as
before to compress the number of bits in the most popular programs; however,
it ne~ls to
Z~~f~3~
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93/04097
- ..
I be 23 bits long to accommodate the cable channel bit. The maximum compressed
G-code
length could still be 7 digits, because 2~= 8,388,608.
The decoding is shown in F1G. 9 and is just the reverse of the encoding
process. After
step 108, test cable channel bit 174 is added and effectively tests the cable
channel bit to
determine if it is a "I ". If so then the command controller 36 is signaled
via cable channel
signal 164 of FIGs. 1 and 2 that the CDTL I 18 that will be sent to it from G-
code decoder
38 is for a cable channel. Then the command controller knows to look up the
local cable
carrier channel number based on the assigned cable channel number. In step 176
of FIG. 9,
~e priority vector tables including the cable channel priority vector table
160 are used to look ' ,
up the CDTL 118 information.
An alternate to having the command controller receive a cable channel signal
164 is
for the G-code decoder to perform all of the decoding including the conversion
from assigned
cable channel number to local cable carrier number. This would be the case for
the remote
controller implementation of FIG. 3. FIG. 11 shows the implementation of the
entire decode
algorithm if this step is included. All that needs to be added is convert
assigned channel to
local cable carrier channel step 166, which performs a lookup in cable channel
address table .
162, if the cable channel bit indicates that a cable channel is involved. Step
166 effectively
replaces step 174 in FIG. 9.
Another issue that needs addressing is the number of programs that carp be
preprogrammed. Since the G-code greatly simplifies the process of entering
programs, it is
likely that the user will quickly learn and want to enter a large number of
programs;
however, some existing VCRs can only store up to four (4) programs, while some
can store
as many as eight. Thus, the user may get easily frustrated by the programming
limitations
of the VCR.
One approach to this problem, is to perform the compressed G-code decoding in
the
remote controller and provide enough memory there to store a large number of
programs,
e.g., 20 or 40. The remote controller would have the capability of
transferring periodically
several of,these stored programs at a time to the VCR main unit. To provide
this capability,
extra memory called stack memory 76 is required inside the remote unit, as
shown in
FIG. 12, which other than that is identical to FIG. 4. Stack memory 76 can be
implemented
with a random access memory, which may in fact reside in the micracontroller
itself, such
~ ~M 62.
The stack memory 76 is where new entry, insertion & deletion of timer
preprogramming information is carried out. It is also where editing takes
place. The top
...~..' .~..-;.,'....:'.;...~ ,' .. .'.. , ,, .i'.'!i:~' .'. ..:. y...~ :~.
WO 93/22$72 ~ ~ r~ ~.a~ ~ ~ /~ PCT/US93/04497
7_
1 memory locations of the stack, fur example the first 4 locations, correspond
exactly to the
available timer preprogramming memory in tlw VCR main unit. Whenever the tap
of the
stack memory is changed, the new informatioe: will be sent over to the VCR
main unit to
update it.
FIG. 13 shows the sequence of events when the user enters a G-code program on
the
keypad of the remote controller. For illustration purposes, suppose the VCR
main unit can
only handle four (4) programs. Suppose also that the stack memory capacity is
20 timer
preprograms. Referring to the flow chart in FIG.13, when the user enters a G-
code in step
230, the microcontroller 60 f rst decodes it into the CDTL information in step
234 and
displays it on the display unit with the additional word "entered" also
displayed. The
microcontroller then enters the decoded program into the stack memory in step
236.
if this is the first program entered, it is placed at the top location of the
stack memory.
If there are already programs in the stack memory, the newly enter~l program
will first be
1S provisionally placed at the bottom of the stack memory. The stack memory
will then be
sorted into the correct temporal order in step 240, so that the earliest
program in time will
appear in the top location and the last program in time will be at the bottom.
Notice that the
nature of the temporally sorted stack memory is such that if stack memory
location n is
altered, then all the locations below it will be altered.
For example, suppose the stack memory has six (6) entries already temporally
ordered,
and a new entry is entered whose temporal ordering places it in location 3 (1
being the top
location). If this entry is placed into location 3, information which was in
location 3, 4, S,
6 will be shifted to locations 4, 5, 6, and 7. Locations 1 and 2 will remain
unchanged.
The microcontroller 60, after doing the temporal ordering, checks in step 242
whether
the first n entries have changed from before, where for the current example n
equals 4, In
this case, since a new program has been entered into location 3, what used to
he in location
3 now moves to location 4. Since the VCR's main unit program menu of 4 entries
should
correspond exactly to location 1 through 4 of the stack memory, entries 3 and
4 on the VCR
main unit must now be revised. The microcontroller therefore sends out the new
entries 3
&.4 to the main unit, in step 244 of FIG. 13. If the newly entered program,
after temporal
ordering, gets entered into location 5, then entries 1 through 4 have not
changed from before
and the microcontroller will not sand any message to the VCR main unit and the
..
~cr°c°ntr°ller will just resume monitoring the clock 85
and the keyboard 88 as per step 246.
It is assumed that when the user enters the G-code in step 230, the remote
controller is
pointed at the VCR main unit. The other steps of FIG. 13 happen so fast that
the changes
WO 93/22872 ~ ~ ~ '~ ~ ~ l~ PCT/US93/04097
-28-
are sent in step 244 while the remote controller is still being pointed at the
VCR main unit.
If the user decides to delete a program in step 232, the deletion is first
carried out in
the stack memory. If the first 4 entries are affected, the microcontroller
will send the revised
information over to the VCR main unit. if the first 4 entries are not
affected, then again the
remote controller unit will not send anything. The deletion will only change
the lower part
of the stack (lower meaning location 5 to 20). This new information will be
sent over to the
VCR main unit at the appropriate time.
In the meantime, the VCR main unie will be carrying out its timer programming
.
function, completing its timing preprogramming entries one by one. By the time
all 4
recording entries have been completed, the stack in the remote must send some
new entries
over to "replenish" the VCR main unit (if the stack has more than 4 entries).
The real time clack 85 in the remote controller unit is monitored by the
microcontroller
to determine when the programs in the main unit have been used up. Referring
to the flow y
chart in FIG. 14, the microcontroller periodically checks the clock and the
times for the
programs at the top of the stack in step 250 (say the first 4 entries), which
are identical to the
VCR's main unit's menu. If on one of the periodic checks, it is determined
that the recording
of the main unit's menu is complete, then if there are more entries in the
stack, which is
tested in step 252, the display unit will be set to a blinking mode or display
a blinking
message in step 258 to alert the user to send more programs. Next time the
user picks up
the remote unit, the blinking will remind him that the VCR main unit's program
menu has
been completed and it is time to replenish the VCR main unit with program
entries stored in
the remote. The user simply picks up the remote and points it towards the VCR
main unit
and presses "ENTER". This will "pop" the top of the stack memory in step 260,
i.e., pop
all the entries in the stack up by four locations. The microcontroller will
then send the new
"top of the stack" (i.e., top 4 entries) over to the VCR main unit in step
262. This process
will repeat until the whole stack has been emptied.
Another preferred embodiment of an apparatus for using compressed codes for
recorder
preprogramming is the instant programmer 300 of FIG. 15. The instant
programmer 300 has
number keys 302, which are numbered 0 through 9, a CANCEL key 304, a REVIEW
key
306, a WEEKLY key 308, a ONCE key 310 and a DAILY (M-F) key 312, which are
used
to program the instant programmer 300. A lid normally covers other keys, which
are used
to setup the instant pragcammer 300. When lid 314 is lifted, the following
keys are revealed:
SAVE key 316, ENTER key 318, CLOCK key 320, CH key 322, ADD TIME key 324,
VCR key 326, CABLE key 328, and TEST key 330. Other features of instant
programmer
wiR ~t-' :'u : t' ~ .
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c :~
WO 93/22872 ~' '~ ' '1 PCT/US93/04097
-29-
1 300 shown on FIG. 15 are: liquid crystal display 350 and red warning light
emitting diode
332. The front elevation view FIG. 16 of instant programmer 300 shows front
infrared (IR)
diode 340 mounted on the front side 338. By placing instant programmer 300 in
front of
the equipment to be programmed such as video cassette recorder 370, cable box
372, and
television 374, as shown in FIG. 19, the front infrared (IR) diode 340 can
transmit signals
to control program recording. An IR transparent cover 336 covers additional IR
transmission
diodes, which are explained below.
FIG. 18 shows a detail of the liquid crystal display 350. Certain text 354 is
at various
times visible on the display and there is an entry area 356. Time bars 352 are
displayed at
the bottom of the display and their function is described below.
A companion element to the instant programmer 300 is the mounting stand 360,
shown
in FIG. 17, which is designed to hold instant programmer 300 between left
raised side 362
and right raised side 364. The instant programmer 300 is slid between left
raised side 362
and right raised side 364 until coming to a stop at front alignment flange
365, which is at the
front of mounting stand 360 and connected across left raised side 362 and
right raised side
364, as shown in FIG. 17A. Together elements 362, 364 and 365 provide
alignment for
instant programmer 300 so that IR transparent cover 336 and the IR diodes 342,
344, 346 and
348, shown in FIG. 17 are properly aligned for transmission, when the instant
programmer
is used as shown in FIG. 20. The mounting stand 360 has an alignment flange
366, which
has the purpose of aligning the back edge of mounting stand 360, which is
defined as the edge
along which alignment flange 366 is located, along the front side of a cable
box or VCR, or
similar unit as shown in FIG. 20. When aligned as shown in FIG. 20, the
mounting stand
360 aligns the instant programmer 300 so that the left IR diode 342, down IR
diode 344, two
back IR diodes 346 and right IR diode 348, as shown in FIG. 17, are in
position to transmit
signals to video cassette recorder 370 and cable box 372, as necessary. If the
VCR andlor
cable box functions are located within the television 374 itself, then the
instant programmer
300 could be positioned to transmit to the television 374, either in the
manner of FIG. 19 or
by placing the mounting stand on top of the television in the manner of FIG.
20.
By using mounting stand 360, the user only need to align the mounting stand
360, and
the instant programmer 300 once with the equipment to be programmed rather
than having
the user remember to keep the instant programmer 300 in the correct location
to transmit via
front infrared pR) diode 340, as shown in FIG. 19. Current experience with
various remote
controllers shows that it is difficult at best to keep a remote controller in
a fixed location, for
example, on a coffee table. The mounting stand 360 solves this problem by
locating the
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93/04097
-30-
1 instant programmer 300 with the equipment to be controlled. The left 1R
diode 342, down
IR diode 344, two back IR diodes 346 and right IR diode 348 are positioned to
transmit to
the left, downward, backward, and to the right. The downward transmitter
assumes that
mounting stand 360 will be placed on top of the unit to be programmed. The
left and right
transmission allows units to the left or right to be programmed. The backward
transmission
back IR diodes 346 are provided so that signals can bounce off walls and other
objects in the
room. The front IR diode 340, the left IR diode 342, the right IR diode 348
and the down
IR diode 344 are implemented with 25 degree emitting angle diodes. Two back IR
diodes
~'e provided for greater energy in that direction and are implemented with 5
degree emitting
angle diodes, which focus the energy and provide for greater reflection of the
IR energy off
of walls or objects in the room.
Most VGR's and cable boxes can be controlled by an infrared remote controller;
however, different VCR's and cable boxes have different IR codes. Although
there are
literally hundreds of different models of VCR's and cable boxes, there are
fortunately only
tens of sets of IR codes. Each set may have a few tens of "words" that
represent tire different
keys required, e.g., "power~, "record", "channel up", "channel down~, "stop~,
~0", "1 ", ~2"
etc. For the purpose of controlling the VCR and cable box to do recording,
only the
following "words" are required: "0", "1~, "2", "3", "4", "5", "6", "7", "8",
"9", "power",
"record", "stop". The IR codes for these words for all the sets are stored in
the memory of
the instant programmer 300, which is located in microcomputer 380 of FIGs. 21
and 22.
During setup of the instant programmer 300, the user interactively inputs to
the instant
programmer 300 the type and model of his VCR and cable box. The correct set of
IR codes
will be recalled from memory during the actual control process. In the case
where the user
only has a VCR, the infrared (IR) codes for that particular VCR will be
recalled to control
the VCR. In the case where the user has a VCR and a cable box, the IR codes
"power",
"record", "stop" will be recalled from the set that corresponds to the VCR
whereas the IR
codes for "0" through "9" will be recalled from the set that corresponds to
the cable box.
~;,e r~on is that in this case, the cable box controls the channel switching.
Hence the
channel switching signals "0" through "9" must be sent to the cable box
instead of the VCR.
Initially, the user performs a setup sequence. First, the user looks up the
number
corresponding to the model/brand of VCR to be programmed in a table, which
lists the VCR
bid name and a two digit code. Then with the VCR tuned to Channel 3 or Channel
4,
whichever is normally used, the user turns the VCR "OFF". Then the user
presses the VCR
key 326. When the display shows VCR, the user presses the two-digit code
looked up in the
~.... :... ., .,.' ~ :. . ~... ', ' . .::~'.. . ,C1!. ~.::. ~ ".: y.,. , ..
y.::~ o.~'~;:. .c. :~~'~, ~. ~.Y~..'.; . . ':"°: :.'~;::~ '. ~... . '.
c, i ~ ~,'~ ~ ~~~
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93/04097
-31-
1 VCR model/brand table (for example O1 for RCA). The user points the instant
programmer
300 at the VCR and then presses ENTER key 318. The red warning light emitting
diode 332
will flash while it is sending a test signal to the VCR. If the VCR turned
"ON" and changed
to Channel 09, the user presses the SAVE key 316 and proceeds to the set clock
step. If the
S
VCR did not turn "ON" or turned "ON" but did not change to Channel 09 the user
presses
. ENTER key 318 again and waits until red warning light emitting diode 332
stops flashing.
The instant programmer 300 sends the next possible VCR code, while the red
warning light
emitting diode 332 is flashing. If the VCR turns "ON" and changed ~to Channel
09 the user
presses SAVE key 316, otherwise the user presses ENTER key 318 again until the
VCR code
is found that works for the VCR. The display shows "END" if all possible VCR
codes for
that brand are tried. If so, the user presses VCR key 326 code 00 and then
ENTER key 318
to try all possible codes, for all brands, one at a time.
Once the proper VCR code has been found and saved, the next setup step is to
set the
clock on instant programmer 300. First, the user presses the CLOCK key 320.
When the
display shows: "YR:", the user presses the year (for example 90), then presses
ENTER key
318. Then the display shows "MO:", and the user presses the month (for example
07 is
July), and then presses ENTER key 318. This is repeated for "DA:" date (for
example 01
for the 1st), "Hr:" hour (for example 02 for 2 o'clock), "Mn:" minute (for
example OS for
5 minutes), and "AMIPM:" 1 for AM or 2 for PM. After this sequence, the
display will
show "SAVE" for a few seconds and then the display will show the current time
and date that
have been entered. It is no longer necessary for the user to set the clock on
hislher VCR.
Next, if the instant programmer 300 is also to be used as a cable box
controller, then
the setup steps are as follows. First, the number corresponding to the
model/brand of cable
box (converter) to be controlled is looked up in a cable box model brand
table, that lists cable
box brands and corresponding two digit codes. The VCR is tuned to Channel 03
or 04 and
turned "OFF". Then the cable box is tuned to Channel 02 or 03, whichever is
normal, and
left "ON". Then the CABLE key 328 is pressed. When the display shows: "CA B-:"
the
user enters the two digit code looked up in cable box model brand table,
points the instant
programmer 300 at the cable box (converter) and presses ENTER key 318. The red
warning
light emitting diode 332 will flash while it is sending a test signal to the
cable box. if the
cable box changed to Channel 09: then the user presses SAVE key 316; however,
if the
ale box did not change to Channel 09 the user presses ENTER key 318 again and
waits
until red warning light emitting diode 332 stops flashing, while the next
possible code is sent.
This is repeated until the cable box changes to Channel 09 and when it does
the user presses
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WO 93/22872 PCT/US93/04097
-32-
I SAVE key 316. if the display shows "END" then the user has tried all
possible cable box
codes for that brand, if so, the user presses cable code 00 and then ENTER key
318 to try
all possible brand's codes, one at a time.
For some people (probably because they have cable or satellite), the channels
listed in
their television guide or calendar are different from the channels on their
television or cable.
If they are different, the user proceeds as follows. First, the user presses
the CH key 322.
The display will look like this: "Guide CH TV CH". Then the user presses the
channel
printed in the television guide or calendar (for example, press 02 for channel
2), and then the
user presses the channel number that the printed channel is received on
through hislher local
cable company. Then the user presses ENTER key 318. This is repeated for each
channel
listing that is on a different channel than the printed channel. When this
procedure is finished
the user presses SAVE key 316.
Typically the television guide or calendar in the area will have a chart
indicating the
channel number that has been assigned to each Cable and broadcast channel, for
example:
HBO, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, etc. This chart would correspond, for example, to the
left
twa columns of FIG. 28. For example, suppose the television guide or calendar
has assigned
channel 14 to HBO but the user's cable company delivers HBO on channel 18.
Since the
the CH button (the two blank spaces under the display "Guide CH" will flash).
The user then
presses 14. (now the two blank spaces under the display "TV CH" will flash).
The user then
presses 18 and then ENTER key 318. This is repeated for each channel that is
different.
When finished, the user presses SAVE key 316.
channel numbers are different, the user needs to use the CH key 322. The user
will press
After the channel settings have been saved, the user may review the settings
by
pressing CH key 322 and then REVIEW key 306, By repeated pressing of the
REVIEW key
306 each of the set channels will scroll onto the display, one at a time.
Then the user can test to make sure that the location of the instant
programmer 300 is
a good one. First, the user makes sure that the VCR is turned "OFF" but
plugged in and
m,~~ sure that the cable box (if there is one) is left "ON". Then the user can
press the
TEST key 330. If there is only a VCR, then if the VCR turned "ON", changed to
channel
09 and started recording, and then turned "OFF", then the VCR controller is
located in a
good place.
If there is also a cable box, then if the VCR turned "ON", the cable box
turned to
channel 09 and the VCR started recording, and then the VCR stopped and turned
"OFF",
then the instant programmer 300 is located in a good place.
a.
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93/04097
-33-
To operate the instant programmer 300, the VCR should be left OFF and the
cable box
ON. The user looks up in the television guide the compressed code for the
program, which
heJshe wishes to record. The compressed code 212 is listed in the television
guide, as shown
in FIG. 8. The television guide/calendar that would be used with this
embodiment would
S
have the same elements as shown on FIG. 8 except that element 188 of FIG. 8 is
not
required. The compressed code 212 for the program selected by the user is
entered into the
instant programmer 300 by using the number keys 302 and then the user selects
how often
to record the program. The user presses the ONCE key 310 to record the program
once at
~e scheduled time, or the user presses the WEEKLY key 308 to record the
program every
week at the same scheduled time until cancelled or the user presses the DAILY
(M-F) key
312 to record the program each day Monday through Friday at the same scheduled
time until
cancelled. This is most useful for programs such as soapbox operas that air
daily, but not
on the weekend. To confirm the entry, the instant programmer 300 will
immediately decode
d,e impressed code and display the date, channel and start time of the program
entered by
the user. The length of the entered program is also displayed by time bars 352
that run
across the bottom of the display. Each bar represents one hour (or less) of
program.
Then the user just needs to leave the instant programmer 300 near the VCR and
cable
box so that commands can be transmitted, and at the right time, the instant
programmer 300
. :., .
will turn "ON" the VCR, change to the correct channel and record the program
and then turn
the VCR "OFF". The user must just make sure to insert a blank tape. .
The REVIEW key 306 allows the user to step through the entered programs. These
are displayed in chronological order, by date and time. Each time the REVIEW
key 306 is
pressed, the next program is displayed, until "END" is displayed, when all the
entered
programs have been displayed. If the REVIEW key 306 is pressed again the
display will
return to the current date and time.
If the user wishes to cancel a program, then the user presses REVIEW key 306
until
the program to cancel is displayed, then the user presses CANCEL key 304. The
display will
say "CANCELLED", Also, any time the user presses a wrong number, pressing the
CANCEL key 304 will allow the user to start over.
Certain television programs, such as live sports, may run over the scheduled
time slot.
To ensure that the entire program is recorded, the user may press the ADD TIME
key 324
t° ma'~e the recording length, even while the pmgram is being recorded.
The user presses
the REVIEW key 306 to display the program, then presses ADD TIME key 324. Each
time
ADD TIME key 324 is pressed, 15 minutes is added to the recording length.
~1'~~~~!~~
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93/04097
-34-
When the current time and date is displayed, the amount of blank tape needed
for the
next 24 hours is also displayed by the time bars 352 that run across the
bottom of the display.
Each bar represents one hour (or less) of tape. 'The user should check this
before leaving the
VCR unattended to ensure that there is enough blank tape.
Each time a program code is entered, the instant programmer 300 automatically
checks ,.
through all the entries to ensure that there is no overlap in time between the
program entries.
If the user attempts to enter a program that overlaps in time with a program
previously
entered, then the message "CLASH" appears. Then, as summarized by step 432 of
FIG. 23,
~e user has the following options: 1) if the user wishes to leave the program
previously
entered and forget about the new one, the user does nothing and after a short
time delay, the
display will return to show the current time and date; 2) if the user wishes
the progxam which
starts first to be recorded to its end, and then to record the remainder of
the second program,
then the user presses ONCE key 310, DAILY (M-F) key 312, or WEEKLY key 308
again
(whichever one the user pushed to enter the code). If the programs have the
same starting
time, then the program most recently entered will be recorded first. If on
being notified of
the "CLASH", the user derides the new program is more important than the
previously
entered pmgram, then the user can cancel the previously entered program and
then re-enter
the new one.
In some locations, such as in some parts of Colorado, the cable system airs
some
channels three (3) hours laterlearlier than the times listed in the local
television guide. This
is due to time differences depending on whether the channel is received on a
east or west
satellite feed. For the user to record the program 3 hours later than the time
listed in the
2~ television guide the procedure is as follows. First the user enters the
code for the program
and then presses SAVE key 316 (for +) and then presses ONCE key 310, DAILY (M-
F) key
312, or WEEKLY key 308, as desired. For the user to record the program 3 hours
earlier
than the time listed in the television guide the procedure is as follows.
First the user enters
the code for the program and then presses ENTER key 318 (for -) and then
presses ONCE
key 310, DAILY (M-F) key 312, or WEEKLY key 308, as desired. The instant
programmer
300 will display the time that the program will be recorded, not the time
shown in the
television guide.
There are certain display messages to make the instant programmer 300 more
user
3~ friendly. The display "LO BATT" indicates that the batteries need
replacement. "Err:
ENTRY" indicates an invalid entry during set up. "Err: CODE" indicates that
the program
code number entered is not a valid number, if this is displayed the user
should check the
WO 93/22872 ~ ~ ~ ~~ , ~~ ~~ PCTJUS93/04097
-35-
1 television guide and reenter the number. "Err: DATE" indicates the user may
have: tried to
select a daily recording (Monday to Friday) for a Saturday or Sunday program;
tried to select
weekly or daily recording for a show more than 7 days ahead, because the
instant
programmer 300 only allows the weekly or daily recording option to be used for
the current
S
weeks' programs ( f 7 days); or tried to enter a program that has already
ended. "FULL"
indicates that the stack storage of the programs to be recorded, which is
implemented in
random access memory (RAM) inside the instant programmer 300 has been filled.
The user
could then cancel one or more programs before entering new programs. "EMP'TY"
indicates
there are no programs entered to be recorded. The number of programs to be
recorded that
can be stored in the instant programmer 300 varies depending on the density of
RAM
available and can vary from 10 to more.
FIG. 21 is a schematic of the circuitry needed to implement the instant
programmer
300. The circuity consists of microcomputer 380, oscillator 382, liquid
crystal display 384,
key pad 386, five way IR transmitters 390 and red warning light emitting diode
332. The
microcomputer 380 consists of a CPU, ROM, RAM, I/O ports, timers, counters and
clock.
The ROM is used for program storage and the RAM is used among other purposes
for stack
storage of the programs to be recorded. The liquid crystal display 384 is
display 350 of
FIGs: 15 and 18. The key pad 386 implements all the previously discussed keys.
The five
way IR transmi.ters 390 consists of front infrared (IR) diode 340, left IR
diode 342, down
1R diode 344, two back IR diodes 346 and right IR diode 348. FIG. 22 shows the
detailed
schematic of the instant programmer 300 circuitry and previously identified
elements are
identified by the same numbers. The microcomputer can be implemented with a
NEC
~cPD7530x part, which can interface directly with the display, the keypad, the
light emitting
diodes and the oscillator. The 25 degree IR diodes can be implemented with NEC
313AC
parts and the 5 degree IR diodes can be implement with Litton 2871C IR diodes.
The flowcharts for the program that is stored in the read only memory (ROM) of
the
microcomputer 380 that executes program entry, review and program
cancellation, and record
execution are illustrated in FIGs. 23, 24, and 25, respectively. The F1G. 23
for program
entry, which process was described above, consists of the following steps:
display current
date, time and time bars step 402, which is the quiescent state of instant
programmer 300;
scan keyboard to determine if numeric decimal compressed code entered step
404; display
~e ~ it is entered step 406; user checks if correct code entered step 408 and
user presses
CANCEL key 304 step 428; user advances or retards start time by three hours by
pressing
SAVE key 316 or ENTER key 318 step 410; user presses ONCE key 310, WEEKLY key
'~ e~ ':.' c1 ~ ~:i
WO 93/22872 PGT/US93/04097
-36-
308 or DAILY key 312 key step 412; microcomputer decades compressed code into
CDTL
step 414; test if conflict with stored programs step 416, if so, display
"CLASH" message step
420, user presses ONCE key 310, WEEKLY key 308 or DAILY key 312 step 422, then
accommodate conflicting entries step 432, as described above in the discussion
of the
"CLASH" options, and entry not saved step 424; set display as date, channel,
start time and
duration (time bars) for ONCE, or DA, channel, start time and duration for
DAILY, or day
of week, channel, start time and duration for WEEKLY step 418; user presses
ADD TIME
key 324, which adds 15 minutes to record time step 426; user checks display
step 430; enter
program on stack in chronological order step 434 wherein the stack is a
portion of the RAM
of microcontroller 380; and calculate length of tape required and update time
bars step 436.
The FIG. 24 flowchart for review and cancellation, which process was described
above, consists of the following steps: display current date, time and time
bars step 402;
REVIEW key 306 pressed step 442; test if stack empty step 444, display "EMPTY"
step 446,
and return to current date and time display step 448; display top stack entry
step 450; user
presses ADD TIME key 324 step 452 and update time bars step 4b0; user presses
REVIEW
key 306 step 454 and scroll stack up one entry step 462; user presses CANCEL
key 304 step
456 and display "CANCELLED" and cancel program step 464; and user does nothing
step
458 and wait 30 seconds step 466, wherein the 30 second timeout can be
implemented in the
timers of microcomputer 380.
The FIG. 25 flowchart far record execution, which is the process of
automatically
recording a program and which was described above, consists of the following
steps: compare
start time of top program in stack memory with current time step 472; test if
three minutes
before start time of program step 474; start red warning LED 332 blinking for
30 seconds
step 476; display channel, start time and blinking "START" message step 478,
is correct start
time reached step 480 and send power ON signal to VCR and display "REC"
message step
482; test if a cable box is input to VCR step 484, send channel switching
signals to VCR step
486 and send channel switching signals to cable box step 488; send record
signals to VCR
step 490; compare stop time with current time step 492, test if stop time
reached step 494 and
display "END" message step 496; send stop signals to VCR step 498; send power
OFF signal
to VCR step 500; and pop program stack step 502.
FIG. 26 is a flowchart of the method for encoding channel, date, time and
length
(CDTL) into decimal compressed code 510. This process is done "off line" and
can be
implemented on a general purpose computer and is done to obtain the compressed
codes 212
that are included in the program guide or calendar of FIG. 8. The first step
in the encoding
r~L:. Hr?, :,,
yr N~. . :,F . ,a:,',, fi'..
S
i::, :,.c =:a ..
,1
S S
.:~ ,i.
...~ ., . . . .
,:.,r . 5,..,
:,...;. ,.:_::~. ,,.,,;.,, .;,....~~ .. : . ..:,'',.......~. 'y.:."... ,Y,
.~~.~... .'.; "...:.u,.~:,.....:_,~.:... ..:.. ,.~:,..; . :: ', ~.. ; ,,-
.~":.,..
r~ . ,..
.. r<.a ~. , . ,
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93/04097
-37-
1 method is the enter channel, date, time and length (CDTL) step 512 wherein
for a particular
program the channel, date, start time and length CDTL 514 of the program are
entered. The
next step is the lookup assigned channel number step 516, which substitutes an
assigned
channel number 522 for each channel 518. Often, for example far network
broadcast
channels, such as channel 2, the assigned channel number is the same; however,
for a cable
channel such as HBO a channel number is assigned and is looked up in a cable
assigned
channel table 520, which would essentially be the same as the first two
columns of the table
of FIG. 28. Next, the lookup priority of chartnet, date and time/length in
priority vector
tables step 524 performs a lookup in priority vector channel (C) table 526,
priority vector
date (D) table 528 and priority vector time/length ('TL) table 530 using the
indices of channel,
date and timellength, respectively, to produce the vector Cp, DP, Tl.p 532.
The use of a
combined time/length (TL) table to set priorities recognizes that there is a
direct relationship
between these combinations and the popularity of a program. For example, at
6:30 PM, a
short program is more likely to be popular than a 2 hour program, because it
may be the
dinner hour.
The channel priority table is ordered so that the most frequently used
channels have a
low priority number. An example of the data that is in the priority vector C
table 526
follows.
channel 4 7 2 3 S 6 11 13 ...
priority 0 1 2 3 4 5 ' 6 7 . , .
Generally the dates of a month all have an equal priority or equal usage, so
the low
number days in a month and the low number priorities would correspond in the
priority
vector D table 528 as in the following example.
date 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ...
priority 0 1 2 3 4 S 6 7 ...
The priority of the start times and length of the programs could be arranged
in a matrix
4
that would assign a priority to each combination of start times and program
lengths so that
more Popular combinations of start time and length would have a low priority
number and
. , :: . .. , , .:..:,: ,., . _. ..:.
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93/04097
-3 8-
less popular combinations would have a high priority number. For example, a
partial priority
vector T/L table 530 might appear as follows.
Priority TL Table
TIME 6:30pm 7:OOpm 7:30pm 8:OOpm ...
Length (hrs)
.5 8 4 7 10
1.0 12 15 13 18
1.5 20 19 17 30
Suppose the channel, date, time and length (CDTL) 514 data is channel S,
February
10, 1990, 7:OOPM and 1.5 hours in length, then the Cp,Dp,TLp data 532 for the
above
example would be 4 9 19. The next step is the convert C~" DP, Tl.p to binary
numbers and
concatenate them into one' binary number step 534, resulting in the data word
,..~~~_,.~C~._,DZD, 536. For the example given above, converting the
...TL2TL,.~..CZG,...D2D, S36 word to binary would yield the three binary
numbers:
...0010011, ...0100, ...01001. The number of binary bits to use in each
conversion is
determined by the number of combinations involved. This could vary depending
on the
implementation; however one preferred embodiment would use eight bits for Cp,
denoted as
Ca C, C6 Cs C, C3 C2 C,, which would provide for 256 channels, five bits for
Dp, which can
be denoted as D~ D, D~ D2 D,, would provide for 31 days in a month, and
fourteen bits for
TLp, denoted as TL"... TL, TL.' TL,, which would provide for start times
spaced every 5
minutes over 24 hours and program lengths in increments of 5 minute lengths
for programs
up to 3 hours in length and program length in increments of 15 minute lengths
for programs
from 3 to 8 hours in length. This requires about 288*(36+20)= 16,128
combinations, which
are provided by the 2**14= 16,384 binary combinations. Altogether there are
8+S+ 14 =
27 bits of information TL"...TL'TL,CB...CZC,Ds...D:D,. For the above example
padding
each number with zeros and then concatenating them would yield the 2? bit
binary number:
000000000100110000010001001.
The next step is to use bit hierarchy key 540, which can be stored in read
only memory
64 to perform the reorder bits of binary number according to bit hierarchy key
step 538. As
described previously, a bit hierarchy key 540 can be any ordering of the
wTl'=TI'~w~C~wD''D, 536 bits and in general will be selected so that programs
most likely
to be the subject of timer preprogramming would have a low value compressed
code 212,
which would minimize keystrokes. The ordering of the bit hierarchy key can be
determined
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93/04097
-39-
1 by the differential probabilities of the various bit combinations as
previously discussed. The
details of deriving a bit hierarchy key S40 were described relative to bit
hierarchy key 120
and the same method can be used for bit hierarchy key 540. For example, the
bit hierarchy
key might be:
S
TLg G, ... TL,o CZ TL, C, L, Ds D, D3 D~ D,
27 26 ... 10 9 8 7 6 S 4 3 2 1
The next step is the combine groups of bits and convert each group into
decimal
numbers and concatenate into one decimal number step 542. For example,
after reordering
according to the bit hierarchy key, the code may be
000000001010010000010001001,
which
could be grouped as 00000000101001000,0010001001. If these groups of binary
bits are
converted to decimal as 328,137 and concatenated into one decimal number,
then the resulting
decimal number is 328137. The last encoding step is the permute decimal
number step 546,
which permutes the decimal number according to permutation function S44
that is dependent
on the date S48 and in particular the month and year and provides a security
feature for the
codes. After the permute decimal number step 546, the decimal compressed
code GB...G2G,
SSO may, for example, be 238731. These encoded codes are then included
in a program
guide or calendar as in the compressed code indication 212 of FIG. 8.
FIG. 27 is a flowchart.of the method for decoding a decimal compressed
code into
channel, date, time and length 564, which is step 414 of FIG. 23. Once
the decimal
compressed code Gs...G,G, S64 is entered in step Sb2, it is necessary to
invert the
2S permutation function of steps S44 and S4b of FIG. 2b. The first step
is
the extract day code
step 566, which extracts the day code for the program in the decimal
compressed
code and
passes the day code to step 568, which also receives the current day S74
from the clock S7b,
which is implemented by microcomputer 380 in FIGS. 21 and 22. The clock
S7b also sends
the current month and year to the permutation function 570, which is dependent
on the month
~d yes, den step Sb8 performs the function: if day code is same or greater
than current
day from clock, then use permutation function for monthlyear on clock,
otherwise use
permutation function for next month after the month on the clock and use
next year if the
month on the clack is December. In other words, since there is provision
for
Preprogramming recording for one month or 31 days ahead, if the day for
the program is
3S
equal to or greater than the current day of the month, then it refers to
a day in the present
month; otherwise, if the day for the program is less than the current day
of the month, it must
.. . .,~,p:~ ,.. ..., ~, ... ,~j~-'.. . ,. ,
~~.~ ~ij~~'-.'~
WO 93/22872 PC1'/US93/0409 7
-40-
1 reter to a program in the next month. The extract day code step 566, which
must he
performed before the invert permutation of decimal compressed code step 580,
is
accomplished by a prior knowledge of how the permute decimal number step 546
of FIG. 26
is performed relative to the day code information. .
The selected permutation method 578 is used in the invert permutation of
decimal
compressed code step 580. For the example given above, the output of step 580
would be:
328137. The next step is the convert groups of decimal numbers into groups of
binary
numbers and concatenate binary groups into one binary number step 584, which
is the inverse
of step 542 of FIG. 26 and for the above example would result in the binary
code:
000000001010010000010001001. Then the bit hierarchy key 588 is used in the
reorder bits
of binary number according to bit hierarchy key step 586, which inverts step
538 of F1G. 26
to obtain 000000000100110000010001001 for the above example, which is
...TL,TL,...C=C,...D=D, 582 corresponding to 536 of FIG. 26. The next step is
to group bits
1 S to form three binary numbers TLb, Cb, D, and convert to decimal numbers
step 590 resulting
in CP, DP, TLp, 592, which for the example above would be: 4, 9, 19, and which
are priority
vectors for channel, day and time/length, which in turn are used to lookup
channel, day, time
and length 604 in priority vector channel (C) table 598, priority vector date
(D) table 600,
J
and priority vector time/length (TL) table 602, respectively.
The lookup local channel number st,~.p 606 looks up the local channel 612
given the
assigned channel number 608, in the assignedllocal channel table 610, which is
setup by the
user via the CH key 322, as explained above. An example of the assigned/local
channel table
610 is the right two columns of the assigned/local channel table 620 of FIG.
28. The
correspondence between the assigned channel numbers, such ae 624 and 628, and
the local
channel numbers, such as 626 and 630 is established during setup by the user.
For the
example, FIG. 28 shows an exact correspondence between the assigned channel
number ~ and
the local channel number S. The last step is the append month and year to day
to form date
step 614. The correct month and year are obtained from step 568 and are again
dependent
on whether the day code is equal to or greater than the day from the cluck or
less than the
day from the clock, if the day code is equal to or greater than the day from
the clock, the
month and vear as Shawn on the clock are used, otherwise the next month is
used and the
next vear is used if the clack month is December. The result is the channel,
date, time and
~ le°g~ tCDTL) 618, which for the atxwe example would be channel 5,
February 10, 1990.
7:OOPM and 1.5 hours in length.
~~.~~~;ry'~:
WO 93/22872 PGT/US93/04097
-41-
Another preferred embodiment is to embed the decoding means into a television
receiver with G-code decoder 950, as shown in FIG. 29, which is a block
diagram of a
system including a television receiver having a G-code decoder. The user would
use the
television remote controller 956 or controls on the television receiver to
enter the code that
signifies the program to be recorded. The same television remote and controls
on the .
television would also be used to perform normal television control functions,
such as channel
selection. When a G-code is entered, the television remote would send the G-
code to the
television with G-code decoder 950 via infrared transmitter 958. An infrared
receiver 960
on the television receiver 950 would receive the transmission and send the
code to the G-code
decoder 954, which would decode the code into CDTL and use this information
along with
a clock, which would also be embedded in the television receiver 9$0, to send
the proper
commands to the VCR 964 and cable box 966 at the appropriate time so that the
selected
program will be recorded at the proper time. The transmission from the
television 950 would
be via infrared transmitters 962, which can be placed at strategic points on
the television
cabinet, such as at the corners. The transmission is then received by the VCR
964 via
infrared receiver 968 and the cable box 966 via infrared receiver 969.
FIG. 30 is a schematic of a television receiver having a G-code decoder. The
television receiver with G-code decoder 950 would receive signals from the
television remote
controller 956 via infrared receiver 960, which would send the signals to
either command ,
controller 974 or directly to G-code decoder 954. The command controller 974
may be
present in the television receiver to control other items in the television,
including "on screen"
functions such as displaying the channel number when the channel is changed.
The G-code
decoder 954 would decode a sent G-code and using the date and time from clock
976 would
send the proper commands to the VCR 964 and cable box 966 via infrared
transmitters 962.
The G-codes and other commands could also be sent to the command controller
via manual
control 975. When the G-code is decoded, then the G-code and the decoded CDTL
information could be displayed "on screen" as shown in on screen display 978
on television
display/monitor 95Z, The "on screen" display is not necessary and any format
is optional.
FIG. 31 is a schematic showing apparatus for a G-code decoder in a television
receiver
having G-code decoding. The circuitry is very similar to that described in
FIGs. 21 and 22;
however, there are interfaces to an infrared receiver 960 and command
controller 974 rather
than LCD 384 and Key Pad 386. The key elements are microcontmller 980 and
oscillator
982, The interface to command controller 974 is one preferred embodiment;
another
embodiment could have direct interfaces between the manual control 975, the
infrared
. .. .. . .. .... . .. ~ . , ,~:~~~',~ .... . , ~ . .~r.~ ~'~ -~'~.,. ... ....
... .. .. , . .
tJ '~ L ~~ IIC
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93/04097
-42-
receiver 960, the television display/monitor 952 and the G-code decoder 954
without going
through the intermediary command controller 974. The television circuitry
would include the
capability of storing or learning the infrared code protocols for the VCR and
the cable box.
The warning tight emitting diode 984 would be mounted on the cabinet of the
television to
warn that recording was about to begin in order to alert the user to have the
VCR ready with
tape to record.
With the "on screen" display on television display/monitor 952, the operation
of the
television receiver with G-code decoder 950 can be essentially identical to
that described in
FIGs. 23, 24 and 25 for program entry, program review and program
cancellation, and
execution of recorder preprogramming using compressed codes, respectively.
Every that was
displayed on LCD 384 would instead be displayed on the television monitor 952.
The only
difference would be that "on screen" would only perform step 402 (display
current date, time
and time bars) when the user put television remote controller 956 into a mode
for G-code
entry and transmission, program review or program cancellation. The method of
encoding
program channel, date, time and length information into decimal compressed
codes of
FIG. 26, the method of decoding decimal compressed codes into program channel,
date, time
and length information of FIG. 27, and the method of assigning channel numbers
to local
channel numbers as illustrated in FIG. 28 would stay the same.
Another preferred embodiment of the invention is to embed the decoding means
into
various eduipments associated with television, such as a video cassette
recorder, cable box
or satellite receiver. In any system the decoding means would only have to be
present in one
of the equipments, such as the cable box, which would then at the appropriate
time distribute
the proper commands to the other equipments such as a VCR and a satellite
receiver to record
the desired program.
FIG. 32 is a block diagram of a system including a television having a G-code
decoder
950, a VCR 964, a cable box 966 and a satellite receiver 986. This system
would work
identically to the system shown in FIG. 29, except that a satellite receiver
is included, which
could receive commands via infrared receiver 988 from infrared transmitters
962 mounted
on.television receiver with G-code decoder 950. The commands received by the
satellite
receiver could include oNoff commands and channel select commands. The
satellite receiver
986 could feed a television signal to VCR 964, which would record the program
andlor relay
it to television displaylmonitor 952.
FIG. 33 is a block diagram of a system including a VCR having a G-code decoder
991,
a television 952, a cable box 966 and a satellite receiver 986. The user would
use the
t ' cf.
2~.~ ~ ~ ~
WO 93/22f372 PCT/US93/04097
-43-
1 television remote controller 9~6 or controls on the VCR 991 to enter the
code that signifies
the program to be recorded. When a G-code is entered, the television remote
would send the
G-code to VCR 991 with G-code decoder 992 via infrared transmitter 958. An
infrared
receiver 990 on the VCR 991 would receive the transmission and send the code
to the G-code
decoder 992, which would decode the code into CDTL and use this information
along with
a clock, which would also be embedded in the VCR 991, to send the proper
commands to
the cable box 966 and the satellite receiver 986 at the appropriate time so
that the selected
program will be recorded at the proper time. The transmission from the VCR 991
would be
via infrared transmitters 994, which can be placed at strategic points on the
VCR. The
transmission is then received by the cable box 966 via infrared receiver 969
and the satellite
receiver 986 via infrared receiver 988.
Another preferred embodiment of the transmission method and apparatus between
equipments is shown in FIG. 36, which is a perspective view showing a cable
box 372 placed
on top of a VCR 370 having an infrared transmitter 1008 behind the front panel
1009 which
communicates to the cable box infrared receiver IOlO via reflection from
surrounding
reflecting surfaces such as walls.
Another preferred embodiment of the transmission method and apparatus between
equipments is shown in FIG. 37, which is a perspective view showing a cable
box 372 placed
on top of a VCit 370 having an infrared transmitter 1014 inside a infrared
dome 1012 on the
top of the' VCR which communicates to the cable box infrared receiver 1010 via
direct
communication or reflection depending on placement of the infrared receiver
1010 relative
to infrared dome 1012.
Another preferred embodiment of the transmission method and apparatus between
equipments is shown in FIG. 38, which is a perspective view of a VCR 370
having an
infrared transmitter 1022 inside a mouse 1020 coupled via a cable 1018, which
is plugged via
plug 1017 into receptacle 1016 on the VCR. The mouse 1020 is placed near the
cable box
infrared receiver 1010. This embodiment is most useful when the cable box is
separated from
~e VCR by walls of a cabinet, for example, that would prevent either direct or
reflective
infrared transmission.
Another preferred embodiment of the transmission method and apparatus between
equipments is shown in FIG. 39, which is a perspective view of a VCR 370
having an
mtrared transmitter 1026 inside a stick on miniature mouse 1024 coupled via a
cable 1018,
which is plugged via plug 1017 into receptacle 1016 on the VCR. The stick on
miniature
mouse 1024 is stuck onto the cable box very near the infrared receiver 1010.
This
21~~~~~~
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93/04097
1 embodiment is also most useful when the cable box is separated from the VCR
by walls of
a cabinet, far example, that would prevent either direct or reflective
infrared transmission.
The transmission methods and apparatus of FIGS. 36, 37, 38 and 39 could also
be used
with the system of FIG. 32 to transmit information from television receiver
with G-code
decoder 950 to VCR 964, cable box 966 and satellite receiver 986.
FIG. 34 is a block diagram of a system including a cable box having a G-code
decoder
99?, a television 952, a VCR 964, and a satellite receiver 986. The user would
use the
television remote controller 956 or controls on the cable box 997 to enter the
code that
signifies the program to be recorded. When a G-code is entered, the television
remote would
send the G-code to cable box 997 with G-code decoder 998 via infrared
transmitter 958. An
infrared receiver 996 on the cable box 997 would receive the transmission and
send the code
to the G-code decoder 998, which would decode the code into CDTL and use this
information
along with a clock, which would also be embedded in the cable box 997, to send
the proper
~~~ds to the VCR 964 and the satellite receiver 986 at the appropriate time so
that the
selected program will be recorded at the proper time. The transmission from
the cable box
997 would be via infrared transmitters 1000, which can be placed at strategic
points on the
cable box. The transmission is then received by the VCR 964 via infrared
receiver 968 and
the satellite receiver 986 via infrared receiver 988. The transmission methods
and apparatus
of FIGS. 36, 37, 38 and 39 could also be used with the system of FIG. 34 to
transmit «=r
information from cable box 997 to VCR 964 and satellite receiver 986.
FIG. 35 is a block diagram of a system including a satellite receiver 1005
having a
G-code decoder, a television 952, a VCR 964, and a cable box 966. The user
would use the
television remote controller 956 or controls on the satellite receiver 1005 to
enter the code
that signifies the program to be recorded. When a G-code is entered, the
television remote .
would send the G-code to satellite receiver 1005 with G-code decoder 1004 via
infrared
transmitter 958. An infrared receiver 1002 on the satellite receiver LOOS
would receive the
transmission and send the code to the G-code decoder 1004, which would decode
the code
into CDT. and use this information along with a clock, which would also be
embedded in
the satellite receiver 1005, to send the proper commands to the VCR 964 and
the cable box
966 at the appropriate time so that the selected program will be recorded at
the proper time.
The transmission from the satellite receiver 1005 would be via infrared
transmitters 1006,
which can be placed at strategic points on the satellite receiver. The
transmission is then
received by the VCR 964 via infrared receiver 968 and the cable box 966 via
infrared
receiver 969. The transmission methods and apparatus of FIGs. 36, 37, 38 and
39 could
t~ ' ~' ~ '~ 1:
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93/04097
-45-
also be used with the system of FIG. 35 to transmit information from satellite
receiver 100
to VCR 964 and cable box 966.
Another preferred embodiment of an apparatus for using compressed codes for a
recorder programming is the custom programmer 1100 of FIGS. 40 and 41. The
custom
programmer 1100 is similar to instant programmer 300 and has number keys 1102,
which are
numbered 0-9, a CANCEL key 1104, a REVIEW key 1106, a WEEKLY key 1108, a ONCE
key 1110 and a DAILY (M-F) key 1112, which correspond directly to keys 302-312
of
instant programmer 300, and which are used to program the custom programmer
1100. Like
the instant programmer 300, a lid normally covers other keys, which are used
to set up the
instant custom programmer 1100. When lid 1114 is lifted, the following keys
are revealed,
but not shown in the drawings: SAVE key, ENTER key, CLOCK key, CH key, ADD
TIME ,
key, VCR key, CABLE key, and TEST key. These keys of the custom programmer
1100
correspond to and operate substantially the same as keys 316-330 of instant
programmer 300,
respectively. Also included in the custom programmer 1100 shown in FIG. 40
are: liquid
crystal display 1134, red warning light emitting diode 1132 and IR diodes
1134, which
correspond to liquid crystal display 350, red warning light emitting diode 332
and IR diodes
342-348 as shown in FIG. 15.
As discussed above, when using the instant programmer 300, the consumer
initially
w
performs a set-up sequence, consisting of selecting a protocol for the
madellbrand of VCR,
setting the current real time, selecting a protocol far the madel/brand of
cable box, and
entering a series of channel number assignments. Although the instant
programmer 300
makes recording of television programs extremely simple, the initial set-up
sequence far the
instant programmer 300 is more complex and deters the use of the instant
programmer by
some consumers. Custom programmer 1100 includes a microphone opening 1140
through
which at least one microphone inside the custom programmer 1100 can receive
electronically
coded audio signals that contain the information necessary for the custom
programmer's initial
set-up and commands to store this information into the custom programmer 1100.
In order to receive these audio signals, a user may call a special phone
number which
could be a toll-free 800 number, a pay-per-minute 900 number, or a standard
telephone
number with standard toll charges applying, The consumer can speak to an
operator who
orally inquires from the consumer the information regarding the consumer's VCR
model and
3$ brand, zip code, model and brand of cable box and the newspaper or other
publication which
the consumer will use to obtain the compressed codes. This is all the
information needed to
perform the initial set-up for the custom programmer 1100. From the zip code
information,
WO 93/22872 PCT/iJS93/04097
-46-
1 the operator can determine to which cable system the consumer is connected
and can combine
this data with the knowledge of which publication the consumer will use to
select the correct
local channel mapping table for the consumer.
The operator then directs the consumer to press a designated programming key
which
is, in the case of the preferred embodiment, the CH key located under lid
1114. When the
CH key is pressed, the display 1134 with display the message "PHONE1 KEY2".
Pressing
the "2" numeric key places the custom programmer into the manual local channel
table
programming mode that is implemented by instant programmer 300 when CH key 322
is
pressed. Pressing the "1" numeric key initiates the remote programming mode.
The custom
programmer 1100 is then ready to receive an audio signal and display 1134
displays the
message "WAIT".
The operator will then direct the consumer to place the earpiece 1142 of the
telephone
receiver 1144 over the microphone opening 1140 of the custom programmer 1100
as
IS generally shown in FIG. 42. The earpiece need not be placed directly
against the custom
programmer 1100, but may be held more than an inch away from the microphone
opening
with generally satisfactory results. After a pause sufficient to allow the
consumer to place the
telephone receiver in the proper position, the operator will initiate the
downloading of the
initial set-up data and initial set-up programming commands transmitted over
the telephone
line 1146 using audio signals to the consumer's custom programmer 1100.
If the initial set-up data is successfully transferred to the custom
programmer 1100, the
display 1134 of the custom programmer 1100 will display the message "DONE". If
the
reception of the initial set-up data is not successful wid~in a predetermined
time limit. red
warning light emitting diode 1132 will blink to inform the consumer to adjust
the position of
the telephone earpiece before another down load of the information is
attempted. After a
waiting period allowing this adjustment, the initial set-up data and commands
are
re-transmitted over the telephone line. If after a predetermined number of
attempts to
download the initial set-up information are unsuccessful, the liquid crystal
display 1134
displays the message "FAIL" and the operator is again connected to the
consumer allowing
the operator to speak to the consumer to provide additional assistance in the
positioning of
the telephone earpiece.
Alternatively, a live operator could be provided by the local cable company
and the ' .
initial set-up information downloaded to the custom programmer 1100 by
telephone line,
through the existing cable of the cable system, or any other transmission
means, if local
cable companies supply the Live operators, the only information they would
need to gather
It s) y C9.
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93/04097
-47-
1 from the consumer would be the VCR brand and model and the publication
containing
compressed codes that the consumer plans on using, because the local cable
company would
know the model and brand of cable box installed at the consumer's location and
the necessary
data regarding the local channel designations for that cable system.
S
FIGS. 43 and 44 are schematics of the circuitry needed to implement
alternative
embodiments of the custom programmer 1100. The circuit consists of
microcomputer 1150,
oscillator 1152, liquid crystal display 1154, keypad 1156, five way IR
transmitters 1158 and
red warning light emitting diode 1160. These component directly correspond to
microcomputer 380, oscillator 382, liquid crystal display 384, keypad 386,
five way IR
transmitters 388 and red warning light emitting diode 332, respectively of
instant programmer
300 and perform in the same manner. In both FIGS. 43 and 44, earpiece 1142
generates
serial audio signals which are received by microphone 1162.
As shown in FIG. 43 the audio signals received by microphone 1162 are passed
through amplifier 1164 and forwarded through a DTMF decoder circuit and into a
serial port
of microcomputer 1150. In the alternative circuit shown in FIG. 44, the audio
signals
received by microphone 1162 are passed through amplifier 1166, through a high
pass filter
1166 with a cutoff at approximately I - 5 kHz, and through a second amplifier
1170 to a
serial port of microcomputer 1150.
Alternatively, a dual microphone system (not shown) may be employed to
increase
reliability, especially when the custom programmer 1100 is to ~be programmed
in an
environment with a high level of background noise that could interfere with
the transmission
of data through the single microphone acoustic means. In this system, one
microphone would
be placed near the telephone earpiece and the second microphone would be place
some
distance away from the earpiece in order to pick up background noise. A audio
signal
cancellation circuit is then used to effectively "subtract" the background
noise picked up by
the second microphone from the audio data signals combined with the background
noise that
is picked up from the first microphone resulting in solely clean audio data
signals.
Another preferred embodiment includes a separate initial set-up programmer
1200 as
shown in FIGS. 45. The initial set-up programmer 1200 serves the same basic
function as
the telephonic audio signal programming capability of custom programmer 1100,
namely
allowing the total set up of the instant programmer 300 or custom programmer
1100 with a
~n~um of effort on the part of the consumer. Normally, initial set-up
programmers 1200
would be maintained by sellers of either the instant programmer 300 or the
custom
programmer 1100. The initial set-up programmer could be programmed with the
local
S~ia~~t ~~~
WO 93/22872 PCT/US93/04097
-48-
I channel tables for the cable systems and the television calendars that
publish G-codes in the
S
vicinity of the seller. When a customer purchases an instant programmer 300 or
custom
programmer 1100, the seller can inquire where the customer lives and which
television
appropriate local channel table for that customer. Further, the initial set-up
programmer 1200
calendar the customer uses and use the initial set-up programmer 1200 to
download the
can also set the clock, VCR brand and model, and cable box brand and model for
the
customer's instant programmer 300 or custom programmer 1100.
The initial set-up programmer 1200 includes a keyboard 1202, a display 1204,
an
enclosure 1206, and a lid 1208, with hinges 1209 at the top that allow the lid
to open to
reveal a depression 1210 for holding instant programmers 300 and custom
programmers 1100
and two electrical contact pins 1212 as shown in FIG 46. The initial set-up
programmer 1200
includes a modular phone jack 1230 and a serial port 1232 ae shown in FIG. 47
for
transferring data to and from computers, either directly or over telephone
lines.
FIG. 48 shows two access holes 1213 in the bottom of the instant programmer
300 that
allow access to two contact points on the to the circuit board (not shown)
inside the instant
programmer 300. FIG. 49 shows the initial set-up programmer 1200 with an
instant
programmer 300 fit into the depression 1210 with the two contact pins 1212
extending
up~"'~ds through the access holes 1213 in the bottom of the instant programmer
300. FIG.
SO shows the initial set-up programmer 1200 with a custom programmer 1100 fit
into the
depression 1210 with the two contact pins 1212 extending upwards through the
access holes
I 136 in the bottom of the instant programmer 300.
FIG. S1 is a schematic that shows circuitry included in the initial set-up
programmer
1200. The initial set-up programmer includes a microcontroller {NEC ~cPD7530x)
1214, a
liquid crystal display 1216, a keypad 1218, static random access memory
(static RAM) 1220,
computer port 1222 and programming pins 1224. Local channel tables can be
transferred
from a computer to the initial set-up programmer 1200 and stored in static RAM
1220.
FIG. S2 is a schematic showing the data transfer connection between a personal
computer 1226 and initial set-up programmer 1200. Local channel table data is
output from
personal computer 1226 through a serial RS-232 port with + 12 and -12 volt
signals. The
+ 12 and -12 volt ]signals are transformed to TTL compatible 0 and 5 volt
signals by level
shifter 1228 which are input into microcontroller 1214. Level shifter 1228 can
be either
3S external or internal to initial set-up programmer 1200.
Alternatively, local channel table data can be transferred to the initial set-
up
programmer 1200 by audio signals carried aver telephone lines. Further, local
channel tables
WO 93/22872
PCT/U593/04097
-49-
may be entered into the initial set-up programmer through keyboard 1202 in the
same manner
used to program this information into either instant programmers 300 or custom
programmers
1100.
Included in keyboard 1202 are "SEND CLK", "SEND CH", "SEND CAB" and
"SEND VCR", which set the clock, download the local channel table, select the
protocol for
the cable box brand and model and select the protocol for the VCR brand and
model,
respectively when they are pressed. 1f the information is successfully
transferred to the
instant programmer 300 or custom programmer 1100 connected to the initial set-
up
programmer 1200, display 1204 displays the message "Tr OK", otherwise the
message "Tr
Err" is displayed on display 1204.
Data is transferred to instant programmer 300 and custom programmer 1100
through
the two contact pins 1212. The first of these pins is the ground pin. The
second pin connects
with test point 392 a shown in F1G. 22. Test point 392 is connected to both an
interrupt pin
and one input/output (I/O) pin of microcomputer 380. The two pins are tied
together with
an open collector method so that both input and output can be accomplished
with one pin. w
The two contact pins 1212 connect to the same functional pins of the
microcomputer 1150
of the custom programmer 1100. Data is uansferred serially through these pins
at a 4800
baud rate using TTL voltage levels. The instant programmer 300 and custom
programmer
1100 return a low pulse of a predetermined length to the initial set-up
programmer 1200 when
they have received all of transferred data.
The invention as shown in the preferred embodiments of the custom programmer
1100
and the initial set-up programmer 1200 can be readily included within
televisions, video
cassette recorders, cable boxes, or satellite receivers. It would not be
complicated to embed
either the custom programmer 1100 or the initial set-up programmer 1200 in
televisions,
video cassette recorders, cable boxes, and satellite receivers by adding
suitable cabling or
other transmission means between various video devices being used.
It is thought that the apparatus and method using compressed codes for
television
program record scheduling of the present invention and many of its attendant
advantages will
be.understood from the faregoing description and it will be apparent that
various changes may
be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts thereof without
departing
from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material
advantages, the
form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred or exemplary embodiment
thereof.
