US 4,267,563 AGranted

Channel selecting apparatus for use with signal receiver and signal recorder

AssigneeSony Corporation

InventorsMasaru Sato, Toshio Amano

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Abstract

Channel selecting apparatus for use with a signal receiver coupled to a first tuning device and a signal recorder coupled to a second tuning device is operable to tune the first and second tuning devices to preselected channels for receiving broadcast frequencies. In one embodiment, the signal receiver is a television receiver including a video display, and the signal recorder is a video tape recorder (VTR). Selectively operable channel selectors, common to the first and second tuning devices supply channel selector signals to determine the tuning condition of both tuning devices. When the VTR is actuated, a locking circuit locks the second tuning device to the tuning condition determined immediately prior to such actuation regardless of a subsequent difference in the channel selector signals. The locking circuit in the absence of the actuation of the VTR, enables the tuning condition of the second tuning device, as well as that of the first tuning device, to be determined by the channel selector signals. A switching circuit has first and second inputs coupled to the first and second tuning devices, respectively, to receive the channels to which the first and second tuning devices are tuned, and an output coupled to the television receiver. The switching circuit, when the VTR is unactuated, connects the output of the switching circuit to the second input thereof. When the VTR is actuated, the switching circuit connects the output thereof to its first input.

Channel selecting apparatus for use with a signal receiver coupled to a first tuning means and a signal recorder coupled to a second tuning means, said channel selecting apparatus being operable to tune said first and second tuning means to preselected channels for receiving information transmitted via selected broadcast frequencies, and comprising:

selectively operable channel selecting means common to said first and second tuning means for generating and supplying channel selector signals to said first and second tuning means to determine the tuning condition of both said tuning means;
locking means operative in response to the actuation of said signal recorder to lock said second tuning means to the tuning condition determined by the channel selector signal generated by said channel selecting means immediately prior to said actuation of said signal recorder regardless of the subsequent generation of different channel selector signals by said channel selecting means, said locking means being operative in response to the non-actuation of said signal recorder to permit said channel selector signals generated by said channel selecting means to control the tuning condition of both said first and second tuning means together;
and
switch means having first and second inputs coupled to said first and second tuning means, respectively, to receive the information contained in the channels to which said first and second tuning means are tuned, and an output coupled to said signal receiver, said switch means being operative when said signal recorder is not actuated to connect said output thereof to said second input and being operative when said signal recorder is actuated to connect said output thereof to said first input;
whereby the information transmitted via the broadcast frequency received by said second tuning means is supplied to said signal receiver when said signal recorder is not actuated and the information transmitted via the broadcast frequency received by said first tuning means is supplied to said signal receiver when said signal recorder is actuated.

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Abstract

Claims12