Apparatus and method for tracking the playing of VCR programs

A method for monitoring information for analyzing user selection habits of viewing programs recorded on video tape, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) monitoring for record or play commands from either user inputted commands or a microprocessor controller in an indexing VCR;
• (b) if a play command is detected,
• (1) reading from a directory, a title of a program retrieved from the video tape;
• (2) reading the time of the receipt of the play command;
• (c) if a record command is detected,
• (1) reading from a video signal a title of a program being broadcasted that is to be recorded on the tape;
• (2) reading the time of the receipt of the record command;
• (d) monitoring for a stop play or stop record command from either user inputted commands or the microprocessor controller;
• (e) reading the time of the receipt of the stop play or stop record command;
• (f) storing in a memory the title, start time, stop time, and either a play flag or a record flag corresponding to whether a play or record command was received;
• and
• (g) providing to an information analyzer the stored information contents of the memory.

A method for monitoring information for analyzing user selection habits of viewing a program on a plurality of video tapes played on a VCR having stored in a memory a directory of the programs corresponding to the plurality of video tapes, the method comprising the steps of,

• (a) monitoring for record or play commands from either user inputted commands or a microprocessor controller in an indexing VCR;
• (b) if a play command is detected, flagging in the directory the time that the program was played;
• (c) if a record command is detected, flagging in the directory the time that the program was recorded;
• (d) providing the contents of the memory to an information analyzer;
• and
• (e) determining user selection habits from the contents of the memory.

A method for monitoring user habits of viewing an electronic television guide with video clips, the television guide comprising a list of broadcasted programs as a video picture in the form of a grid recorded in repeating frames on the video track of a tape at selected intervals, a plurality of full motion picture video clips, single video clips associated with one of the listed programs recorded in an interval between frames of listed programs, and information recorded in the VBI of the video picture of the list of programs on the video track, the information recorded in the VBI including information for locating on a display a cursor for highlighting a listed program, an address on the tape of the video clip associated with the highlighted program, and a code associated with the highlighted program for preprogramming a VCR for recording the highlighted program, the method comprising the steps of:

• detecting a user selection command;
• if the user selection command is a preprogramming command, storing in a memory the code and the time of the user selection command;
• and
• if the user selection command is a play command, storing in the memory the address associated with the highlighted program and the time of the user selection command.

An interconnected video tape player system for monitoring user selection habits of a plurality of video tapes, each video tape containing a plurality of programs, a first type of video tapes having for each program on the tape a title information symbol on a predetermined interval of the tape, the system comprising:

• a bus;
• a plurality of video tape players, each being coupled to the bus for receiving and sending data and commands between players, one of the players being designated as a master player and the other players being designated as slave players, each player being identified by a unique player identifier, each player comprising:
• a clock for providing a time;
• means for moving the video tape;
• a magnetic head for detecting the plurality of programs recorded on the video tape and the title information symbols on the first type of video tape and a plurality of programs recorded on a second type of video tape;
• a detector for receiving user inputted commands for controlling the movement of the video tape, the user inputted commands comprising a start play command to start moving, in a longitudinal direction, the video tape proximate to the magnetic head so that the magnetic head can detect said programs on the video tape and a stop play command to stop moving the tape;
• a controller coupled to said detector for commanding the moving means in response to said detected user inputted commands and for reading the time of occurrence of said detected user inputted commands;
• a first memory for storing a title information symbol for each program on the second type of video tape;
• and
• a second memory for storing the title information symbol and the time of occurrence of said detected user inputted commands;
• the master player further comprising:
• means for providing the contents of the second memory to an external analyzer in response to a download command, and
• a second controller for providing bus commands to the bus, the bus commands including a memory transfer command and a player identifier, and for storing in the second memory of the master player data received on the bus in response to the memory transfer command;
• each slave player further comprising means for providing to the bus the contents of the second memory in response to said memory transfer command and said player identifier when said identifier matches the unique identifier of the player.

A method for monitoring information for analyzing user selection habits of viewing programs recorded on a video tape comprising the steps of:

• a) monitoring user inputted commands;
• b) when a play command is detected;
• 1) storing an identifier of the program being retrieved from the video tape;
• and
• 2) storing the time of the play command;
• c) when a stop command is detected after a start command is detected storing the time of the stop command;
• and
• d) providing to an information analyzer the stored information.

A method for monitoring information for analyzing user selection habits of viewing programs recorded on a video tape comprising the steps of:

• a) monitoring for play and stop commands a microprocessor controller in a VCR;
• b) when a play command is detected;
• 1) storing an identifier of the program being retrieved from the video tape;
• and
• 2) storing the time of the play command;
• c) when a stop command is detected after a start command is detected storing the time of the stop command;
• and
• d) providing to an information analyzer the stored information.

A method for monitoring information for analyzing user selection habits of viewing programs recorded on a video tape comprising the steps of:

• a) monitoring user inputted commands;
• b) when a record command is detected;
• 1) storing an identifier of the program being broadcasted that is being recorded on the tape;
• 2) storing the time of the record command;
• c) when a stop command is detected after a start command is detected storing the time of the stop command;
• and
• d) providing to an information analyzer the stored information.

A method for monitoring information for analyzing user selection habits of viewing programs recorded on a video tape comprising the steps of:

• a) monitoring for record and stop commands a microprocessor controller in a VCR;
• b) when a record command is detected;
• 1) storing an identifier of the program being broadcasted that is being recorded on the tape;
• 2) storing the time of the record command;
• c) when a stop command is detected after a start command is detected storing the time of the stop command;
• and
• d) providing to an information analyzer the stored information.