Virtual personal channel in a television system

Patent 5534911 Issued on July 9, 1996. Estimated Expiration Date:

November 2, 2014. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

Interface for a TV-VCR system
Patent #: 5047867
Issued on: 09/10/1991
Inventor: Strubbe, et al.

Method of and apparatus for optimal scheduling of television programming to maximize customer satisfaction
Patent #: 5075771
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Inventor: Hashimoto

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Patent #: 5223924
Issued on: 06/29/1993
Inventor: Strubbe

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Patent #: 5410344
Issued on: 04/25/1995
Inventor: Graves, et al.

Audio video apparatus with intelligence for learning a history of user control Patent #: 5444499
Issued on: 08/22/1995
Inventor: Saitoh

Inventor

Levitan, Gutman

Application

No. 333376 filed on 11/02/1994

US Classes:

725/46, Based on personal preference, profile, or viewing history (e.g., to produce redacted listing)725/38To facilitate tuning or selection of video signal

Examiners

Primary: Kostak, Victor R.

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Zborovsky; Ilya

International Class

H04N 007/03

Abstract

An apparatus for providing a customer of a television system with virtual personal channel which being selected delivers a television program of the most personal interest no matter on which channel and at what time the program is physically transmitted. Descriptive and time/channel data of scheduled TV programs are broadcasted through a communication medium from the system headend to customer terminal prior to transmission of programs themselves. In customer terminal all scheduled TV programs are evaluated by a computer that stores customer profile data and controls customer video receiver and video recorder. Whenever customer selects personal channel the computer switches the video receiver to a physical channel on which a program having the best evaluation is transmitted. The best program of the day or the week is recorded and can also be presented as current program of personal channel.