# US 7,614,067 B2 · Content reproduction apparatus and reproduction method

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- Number: US 7,614,067 B2
- Document ID: US7614067B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/022,393
- Filed: 2004-12-23
- Published: 2005-05-19
- Granted: 2009-11-03
- Earliest claimed: 2000-08-29
- Assignees: Panasonic Corporation
- Inventors: Hiroko Sugimoto; Tomohiko Kitamura
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7614067B2

## CPC

- H04N 21/26208: {the scheduling operation being performed under constraints}
- H04N 5/76: Television signal recording
- H04N 7/162: {Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing}
- H04N 21/25866: {Management of end-user data (customer care in data networks H04L41/5077)}
- H04N 21/4316: {for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window}
- H04N 21/4532: {involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences (monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18)}
- H04N 21/458: Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules {; time-related management operations (arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10)}
- H04N 21/485: End-user interface for client configuration
- H04N 21/812: {involving advertisement data (advertising per se G06Q30/02)}
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

A content reproduction apparatus functioning to (a) reproduce broadcast program content (“BC”), being image, sound, and other data, that has been received, (b) store commercial content (“CC”), being data such as commercials, announcements, and the like, and (c) cancel the reproduction of the CC during specified broadcast programs.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A content reproduction apparatus, comprising:
instruction receiving means for receiving instruction for channel selection;
apparatus information storage means for storing broadcast program information indicating a timeslot of a broadcast program for each channel and pre-select information indicating a timeslot of a broadcast program for a channel preselected by a user;
content storing means for storing commercial content;
receiving means for receiving broadcast programs;
first reproducing means for reproducing the received broadcast programs on a monitor;
pre-select 1st judging means for judging, by referring to the broadcast program information and the pre-select information, whether the selected channel is the channel of the pre-selected broadcast program or not;
pre-select 2nd judging means for judging, when the selected channel is the channel of the pre-selected broadcast program, by referring to the pre-select information, whether a present time is within either one of (i) a predetermined period that is before the pre-select timeslot, and (ii) a predetermined period that is after the pre-select timeslot; and
second reproducing means for reproducing the stored commercial content on the monitor when the present time is judged to be within the predetermined period.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The content reproduction apparatus of claim 1, wherein
the apparatus information storage means further stores subscription information that the broadcast program of each channel is a subscribed pay broadcast program or an unsubscribed pay broadcast program, and the content reproduction apparatus further compromising;
non-broadcast period judging means for judging, by referring to the broadcast program information, whether the broadcast program of the selected channel is being broadcast or not; and
subscription judging means for judging, by referring to the stored subscription information, whether the broadcast program of the selected channel is an unsubscibed pay broadcast program or a subscribed pay broadcasting program,
wherein the second reproducing means reproduces the stored commercial content on the monitor when the broadcast program of the selected channel is not being broadcast and is an unsubscribed pay broadcast program.