Television tuning system
AssigneeE Guide, Inc.
InventorHenry C. Yuen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An improved television control system includes a tuner (15), a memory (13), a keyboard (14) and a controller (11). The tuner (15) selects one channel from a multi-channel television signal based upon a channel selection input. The multi-channel television signal carries the signals for a set of received television channels. The memory (13) contains a favorite channel list that includes a list of channel identifiers, each channel identifier corresponding to one of a subset of the set of channels received by the tuner (15). The keyboard (14) includes a favorite channel button (16) and a favorite program button (16) as well as a numeric keypad (30) and channel up/down keys (28).
Claims20
A television control system comprising:
- a tuner for selecting one channel from a multi-channel television signal based upon a channel selection input, wherein the multi-channel television signal carries signals for a set of received channels;
- a memory circuit wherein a favorite channel list that comprises a list of channel identifiers, each channel identifier corresponding to one of a subset of the set of received channels, is stored;
- a favorite channel button capable of tuning the receiver to a favorite channel when the favorite channel button is momentarily pressed;
- and
- a controller communicatively connected to the tuner, the memory circuit, and the favorite channel button, wherein the controller is configured to:
- add a channel identifier corresponding to the channel then being tuned by the tuner to the favorite channel list when the favorite channel button is pressed and held while a program then being tuned by the tuner is displayed on a television screen.
A method of controlling a television system comprising:
- tuning to a channel from a multi-channel television signal based upon a channel selection input, wherein the multi-channel television signal carries signals for a set of received channels;
- adding a channel identifier corresponding to the channel then being tuned by a tuner to a favorite channel list when a favorite channel button is pressed and held while a program then being tuned by the tuner is displayed on a television screen, wherein the favorite channel list comprises a list of channel identifiers, each channel identifier corresponding to one of a subset of the set of received channels;
- and
- tuning a receiver to a favorite channel when the favorite channel button is momentarily pressed, wherein the favorite channel corresponds to one of the channel identifiers in the favorite channel list.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.