Automatic circuit and method for editing commercial messages from television signals

A circuit for use with a commercial television signal for producing a control signal having a predetermined timing relationship to a series of telecast breaks indicative of one or more commercial interruptions in non-commercial program content in which each such break is characterized by a predetermined amplitude condition of the television signal existing for a predetermined minimum time greater than one video field duration, comprising:

• detection circuit means for detecting said predetermined amplitude condition for said predetermined minimum time associated with each of said breaks in a telecast, wherein said detection circuit means comprises video level detection means for detecting a level of a video component of said television signal that corresponds to a video picture fade when occurring over said predetermined minimum time, and an audio level detection means for detecting a predetermined minimum audio level for an audio component of said television signal corresponding to an audio fade when occurring over said predetermined minimum time;
• electrical timing means having a triggerable timing mode providing a predetermined time-out duration, said timing means being initially triggered and thereafter retriggered by said detection circuit means in response to the detection of successive breaks in a telecast;
• and
• control circuit means for producing said control signal in response to and for so long as said electrical timing means is in said timing mode.

In combination, a video tape recorder for recording a television signal and having a pause control for temporarily interrupting said recording in response to the receipt of a pause control signal, and a commercial message editing circuit for producing said pause control signal, wherein the improvement in said commercial message editing circuit comprises:

• detection circuit means for detecting each of a series of breaks in a telecast that are indicative of one or more commercial interruptions in non-commercial program content and in which each of such breaks is associated with a predetermined amplitude condition of the video and audio components of the television signal that exists for a predetermined minimum time greater than one video field duration, said detection circuit means comprising means for detecting said predetermined amplitude condition of said video component of the television signal existing for said predetermined minimum time, and means for detecting a predetermined audio level of said audio component of the television signal existing for said predetermined minimum time;
• electrical timing means having a retriggerable timing mode providing a predetermined time-out interval, said timing means being initially triggered and thereafter retriggered by said detection circuit means in response to the detection of successive breaks in a telecast;
• and
• means responsive to said electrical timing means for producing said pause control signal in response to and for so long as said electrical timing means is in said retriggerable timing mode, and for terminating said pause control signal when said electrical timing means times out at the end of said predetermined time-out interval.

A method of editing commercial messages from a video tape recording of a telecast in which such messages interrupt the non-commercial program content of such telecast, the steps comprising:

• recording the telecast on a video tape recorder;
• electrically detecting each of a series of breaks that occur in said telecast and that are characterized by a predetermined amplitude condition of the video and audio components of the television signal existing for a predetermined minimum time greater than one video field duration, and in which a first of such series of breaks marks the beginning of a first commercial message and succeeding breaks in such series occur at time intervals that do not normally exceed a predetermined time period, and in which a last of such series of breaks indicates the resumption of non-commercial program content of said telecast;
• automatically initiating a timing interval of predetermined duration in response to the detection of a first of said series of breaks, and automatically restarting said timing interval each time a succeeding break in said series is detected, selecting said timimg interval of predetermined duration to be equal to or just greater than said predetermined time period;
• generating said editing control signal in response to the step of detecting a first of said series of breaks, and continuing to generate said control signal until said timing interval times out without being restarted;
• and
• applying said editing control signal to the video tape recorder for temporarily interrupting the recording step for the duration of said control signal.