United States Patent (19) 11) Patent Number: 4,908,707 Kinghorn 45) Date of Patent: Mar
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United States Patent (19) 11) Patent Number: 4,908,707 Kinghorn 45) Date of Patent: Mar. 13, 1990 54 VIDEO CASSETTE RECORDER PROGRAMMING VA TELETEXT FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS TRANSMISSIONS 0179001 4/1986 European Pat. Off. 0191149 8/1986 European Pat. Off... 75) Inventor: John R. Kinghorn, Ashtead, Great OTHER PUBLICATIONS Britain BBC et al., "Broadcast Teletext Specification", (Sep. 73) Assignee: U.S. Philips Corp., New York, N.Y. 1976). Primary Examiner-John W. Shepperd 21 Appl. No.: 221,156 Assistant Examiner-Michael D. Parker Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Thomas A. Briody 22 Filed: Jul. 19, 1988 57 ABSTRACT 30 Foreign Application Priority Data A system for video recorder programming using exist ing television broadcast teletext transmissions. The pro Jul. 20, 1987 GB) United Kingdom ................. 8717132 grams required are chosen from schedules displayed on Aug. 5, 1987 GB) United Kingdom ................. 8718557 teletext pages, the necessary control information is loaded automatically into a video recorder, and pro I51 Int. Cl“............................................. H04N 7/087 gram labels are transmitted to ensure that the correct 52 U.S.C. .................................... 358/147; 358/142; programs will be recorded even if program timings are 358/191.1; 358/1941; 360/27; 360/33.1 altered. All the control information for achieving the 58) Field of Search ................... 358/84, 86, 142, 146, above are fitted into the coding structure of a teletext 358/147, 194.1, 191.1, 310,311, 335, 337; transmission using extension packets additional to data 360/13, 14.1, 27, 33.1, 40, 48, 53, 55, 61, 69 packets containg display data. The invention also ex tends to a video recorder with its own teletext decoder (56. References Cited for processing the control information. U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 4,706,121 11/1987 Young ................................. 358/147 6 Claims, 3 Drawing Sheets FUNCTION E. CONG 1. SELECTING THE BBAY NORMAL FLOF PAGE TECHNUE. Numberscolored keys) and ? g BBC 1 TODAY 7.30 EASTENDERs NORMAL PAGE 2. SELECTING 8 Bassos CODENGPUS THE TEM NY HENRY SHOW CONTROL DATA INPACKET 26. Cursor movement) U.K. BBC1 June 02 Row 9 Coto 2030 "Record This" Dafa stored in WCR 3. RECORDING THEETEM TEM. OMPAREH-RECORD NOW (Automatic) PROGRAM LABELS IN 830/2 U.K. BBC 1 June 0220.30 PACKET 8130 Real time program (obe U.S. Patent Maris, to she lo?s 4908,707 TOMORROW FUNCTION V CODING 1. SELECTING THE NORMAL FLOF PAGE TECHN QUE. (Numbers and colored keys) 2 BBC 1 TODAY 7.30 EASTENDERS NORMAL PAGE 2. SELECTING 800 BRUSH STROKES CODING PLUS THE TEM ENNY HENRY show control. DATA N PACKET 26. (Cursor move?nent) 26). U.K. BBC 1 June 02 Row 9 Col O 2030 'Record This' Dolfo stored in VCR 3. RECORDING THE TEM. COMPARE-RECORD NOW (Automatic) PROGRAM LABELS IN 8/30/2 U.K. BBC 1 June O2 20.30 PACKET 8130 Real time program tabel . FIG.1 U.S. Patent Mar. 13, 1990 Sheet 3 of 3 4908,707 IXBIRTHI; ¿TT? IZVIVO TOHIN00 4,908,707 1. 2 text data transmitting means, and at least one television WDEO CASSETTE RECORDER PROGRAMMING receiver having interconnected therewith a video re VA TELETEXT TRANSMISSIONS corder, and wherein said teletext data transmitting means is arranged to transmit teletext pages containing This invention relates to a television transmission both teletext display data representing displayable pro system comprising a transmitter station and one or more gramme details and teletext non-display data represent receivers. The invention relates more particularly to ing programming information which is associated with such a television transmission system which is adapted the programme details and which can be used for video for video recorder programming using teletext data. recorder programming; is characterised in tat said tele The programming of a domestic video recorder is 10 text non-display data is in addition to and does not re normally carried out manually by a user operating a place possible teletext display data and that said teletext combination of a plurality of programme keys which non-display data is contained in at least one extension are provided on a control panel. The programming packet which is in addition to data packets of a teletext involves the selection of a television channel, the selec page which can contain teletext display data. tion of a date, the selection of a start recording time, and 15 A television transmission system according to the the selection of a stop recording time (or a record time invention affords the advantage that because the pro period). gramming information is not transmitted in those data It has been proposed in West Germany to use an packets of a teletext data which can contain teletext existing teletext service, known as Videotext, to trans display data, these data packets may be utilised fully for mit programming information which can be used to 20 transmitting displayed programme details. programme a video recorder automatically to record a The invention also comprises said teletext data trans future programme following selection of that pro mitting means per se, when arranged to transmit in one gramme by a user. The facility providing this program or more extension packets of a teletext page containing ming information is called "Videotext Programmed data packets representing displayable programme de Videorecorder" (VPV). 25 tails, teletext non-display data representing associated European Patent Specification No. 0191 149 (A1) video recorder programming information. relates to this automatic programming of a video re In carrying the invention into effect a yideo recorder corder. This patent specification refers to Videotext as may be equipped with its own teletext decoder, as well an information service in which data blocks are trans as the normal television signal receiving circuits. Alter mitted in specific lines in the field blanking interval of a 30 natively, a television receiver provided with a teletext television signal. The actual teletext system which this decoder could be provided with a suitable control inter Videotext information service uses conforms essentially face to a video recorder. In either case, a user would to that described in the document "Broadcast Teletext select teletext in conventional fashion and choose tele Specification', September 1976, published jointly by text pages giving details of television programmes. the British Broadcasting Corporation, Independent 35 The control arrangement within the teletext decoder Broadcasting Authority and British Radio Equipment would be such that on deciding to record a particular Manufacturers' Association. programme, a user causes a cursor to appear on the One facility of the Videotext information service is television screen by pressing a cursor button on a re the provision of programme schedules which are dis mote control unit. Further pressing of this button causes played as teletext pages and given details of the pro the cursor to move automatically to each next pro grammes and programming timings in at least the televi gramme displayed on the page, until it reaches the de sion channel which is used by the transmission source sired programme. Subsequent pressing of a "record this' that provides the Videotext information service. button loads the corresponding information (pro It is known in the art that the transmitted teletext gramme source, date, time label) into the video recorder pages used for the Videotext information service com programming circuits automatically. The programming prise up to 24 data rows each of which can contain information is invisible to the user, who simply chooses teletext display data, teletext non-display data, or a the programme from the schedule presented on the combination of both. Each data row comprises 40 char Scree acter bytes. This format conforms to the aforemen European Patent Specification No. 0191 149 (A1) tioned document "Broadcast Teletext Specification'. A 50 also refers to another facility used in the existing televi teletext page which includes teletext non-display data as sion service in West Germany of labelling transmitted programming information for the CVPV) facility is re television programmes with identification information stricted in the amount of teletext data which can be used which gives "real-time' indications of programme for displaying the programme details with which this "start” and "finish' times. This facility is called “Video facility is associated. This results in an editorial restric 55 Programme Service” (VPS) and reference is made in tion of the layout of the teletext pages for displaying the this European patent specification of the possibility of programme schedules. This editorial restriction is fur including this identification information as further tele ther exacerbated by the inherent limitation of the tele text non-display data. text format used, which requires the teletext data for the An important subsidiary feature of the present inven programming information to be in the same data row as tion consists in the transmission by the teletext data the teletext data for the associated displayed pro transmitting means of such further teletext non-display gramme details. data representing identification information in further It is an object of the present invention to lessen sub extension packets whose contents a teletext decoder is stantially such editorial restriction by providing an im adapted to receive, store and process without any page proved means for using teletext data for transmitting 65 selection being effected. It