Motion video signal processing for recording or reproducing – Local trick play processing – With randomly accessible medium
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-23
2001-04-03
Chevalier, Robert (Department: 2715)
Motion video signal processing for recording or reproducing
Local trick play processing
With randomly accessible medium
C386S349000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06212328
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to program recording apparatus and method which are suitable for use in a television receiver such that a program is always recorded to a recording medium.
BACKGROUND ART
There are many cases where a telephone call suddenly rings or someone suddenly comes while the user is enjoying a television broadcasting, so that he overlooks a broadcasting program. If the user overlooked a television broadcasting program, this program can never be seen except for a program that is rebroadcasted. It is a rare case that the program is rebroadcasted in a short period of time. A news program and a sports program are not rebroadcasted in most cases. In many cases, therefore, if the user overlooked a television broadcasting program, this program cannot be seen forever.
There is a case where a scene such as good scene of a movie or a drama, interview of an important person, highlight scene of a sports program, or the like which the user wants to preserve suddenly starts during the watching of a broadcasting program. In such a case, a situation such that even if the user immediately sets a VTR, he misses such a scene and he cannot record the scene often occurs.
Therefore, a television receiver such that while the user is watching a broadcasting program, such a program is always recorded on a recording medium is considered. In such a television receiver, even if there is a sudden telephone call or someone suddenly comes, such a program can be traced back and reproduced and he does not overlook the program. Such a program can be easily preserved and even if a program which the user wants to record suddenly starts, it is possible to cope with it.
As a recording medium in the television receiver such that a program is always recorded onto a recording medium as mentioned above, a hard disk drive can be used. Hitherto, as a recording medium for recording a video signal, a magnetic tape is widely used. However, an accessing speed of the magnetic tape is slow and it is difficult to use it as a recording medium that is used in such a television receiver. Although the use of a semiconductor memory is considered, the semiconductor memory of a large capacity is very expensive. In the semiconductor memory, if a power source is turned off, the preserved program is erased, so that it is inconvenient in case of preserving a program for a long time. On the other hand, in the hard disk drive, a capacity is large and an accessing speed is also high enough.
As mentioned above, in the television receiver having the hard disk drive, the program which is being received is always recorded and this program can be easily preserved. In such a television receiver having the hard disk drive, it is further demanded that a desired program can be easily and certainly recorded from the start to the end.
That is, hitherto, as a recording apparatus of a video signal, a VTR for recording the video signal to a tape has been widespread. In the VTR, when a record key is pressed during the reception of the program, the program which is being received is recorded as it is. Therefore, in a case such that a desired program is preserved by the VTR, the record key has to be pressed at the start of the program and a stop key has to be pressed at the end of the program. However, unless attention is paid, the start time of the program is missed and the program cannot be recorded from the start thereof. As mentioned above, in the conventional VTR, when a desired program has started, it is difficult to record the desired program in a range from the start of the program to the end.
Although the timer reserving function is provided for the VTR, the operation for the timer reservation is complicated and the operation to set the recording start time and the recording end time is very troublesome.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide program recording apparatus and method which can easily and certainly record a desired program from the start to the end.
To accomplish the above object, according to the invention, there is provided a program recording apparatus having a recording medium for always recording a video signal and an audio signal of a program which is received,
characterized in that by inhibiting a rewriting of a recorded area of the recording medium, the program is preserved to the recording medium while tracing back to the past within a range which does not exceed a predetermined time.
According to the invention, there is provided a program recording apparatus having a recording medium for always recording a video signal and an audio signal of a program which is received,
characterized in that the apparatus has means for providing a command to preserve the program, and
by inhibiting a rewriting of a recorded area of the recording medium, the program is preserved to the recording medium while tracing back to the past within a range which does not exceed a predetermined time from the time when the command is given.
According to the invention, there is further provided a program recording method using a recording medium for always recording a video signal and an audio signal of a program which is received,
characterized in that by inhibiting a rewriting of a recorded area of the recording medium, the program is preserved to the recording medium while tracing back the past within a range which does not exceed a predetermined time.
According to the invention, there is further provided a program recording method using a recording medium for always recording a video signal and an audio signal of a program which is received,
characterized in that a command to preserve the program is provided, and
by inhibiting a rewriting of a recorded area of the recording medium within a range which does not exceed a predetermined time from the time when the command is provided, the program is preserved to the recording medium while tracing back to the past.
In many cases, the television broadcasting program is broadcasted on a unit basis of 30 minutes or one hour from the beginning of the hour. Therefore, the program can be managed by using 30 minutes or 1 hour as a unit. According to the invention, the start time and the end time of the program are set on the assumption that when a signal indicative of the recording start of the program is inputted, the program is broadcasted on a unit basis of 30 minutes or 1 hour from the start of the hour. The received broadcasting is recorded for a period of time from the start time to end time of the program which were set as mentioned above.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4879611 (1989-11-01), Fukui et al.
patent: 5907443 (1999-05-01), Hirata
patent: 5933569 (1999-08-01), Sawabe et al.
JP, 9-83927, A (Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.), Mar. 28, 1997.
JP, 8-18900, A (Hitachi, Ltd.), Jan. 19, 1996.
Chevalier Robert
Frommer William S.
Frommer Lawrence & Haug LLP.
Sony Corporation
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