Smart-channel: learning-capable television channel changing apparatus, system and method

1. A system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed for an entertainment system comprising:

means for detecting a first speed at which a television tuner successfully executes channel change commands faster than a second speed;

means for storing said first speed; and

means for using said stored first speed to construct and send subsequent channel change commands to said television tuner.

2. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 1 further comprising:

means for a user to instruct said system to determine said improved speed by selecting the channel change speed improvement process from a menu of initialization processes.

3. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 1 further comprising:

means for repeating the steps of detecting, storing and using said improved speed for each channel change device in said entertainment system.

4. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 2 further comprising:

means for said user to identify the components in said system using a menu of options.

5. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 2 wherein said user selects values for:

initial channel-digit pulse width;

initial inter-digit time; and

the time increment used to decrement said channel-digit pulse width and said inter-digit time.

6. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 5 wherein said values selected by said user are stored in memory.

7. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 2 wherein initial channel-digit pulse width, initial inter-digit time and the time increment used to decrement said channel-digit pulse width and inter-digit time are preset by the manufacturer of said television tuner or channel change device.

8. The sytem for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 1 wherein improved speed comprises smaller time increments between discrete channel change commands.

9. The system for determining an improved channel command recognition speed of claim 1 wherein improved speed comprises one or more of:

shorter pulse width of each individual digit of a channel change command; and

smaller time increments between digit pulse signals of a channel change command.

10. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 1 wherein means for detecting said first speed further comprises:

means for constructing channel change commands;

means for sending successive channel change commands to said television tuner at progressively increasing speeds; and

means for monitoring said televison tuner to detect faster speeds at which said television tuner successfully executes channel change commands.

11. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 10 wherein said means for constructing channel change commands comprises a microprocessor.

12. The system for determining an improved channel change command recoginition speed of claim 10 wherein sending successive channel change commands at progressively increasing speeds further comprises:

means for incrementing the speed at which the previous command was sent by a specific increment of time; and

means for sending the subsequent command to said television tuner at said incremented speed.

13. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 12 wherein said means for incrementing said speed further comprises means for alternately decrementing channel-digit pulse width and inter-digit time.

14. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 10 further comprising:

means for setting said television tuner to an initial channel before sending each channel change command.

15. The system for determining an improved channel change command recoginition speed of claim 10 wherein sending said successive commands further comprises:

time means for providing an output as a function of time coupled to said means for sending successive commands; and

said means for sending successive commands determining when to send said commands using said time means output.

16. The system for determining an improved channel command recognition speed of claim 10 further comprising:

means for detecting the first channel change command said television tuner does not correctly execute;

means for identifying the speed used to send said first command; and

means for incrementally reducing speed by a specific increment of time until said television tuner correctly executes said channel change commands.

17. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 16 wherein incrementally reducing said speed further comprises alternately increasing channel-digit pulse width and inter-digit time by said specific increment of time.

18. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 10 further comprising:

means for detecting the first channel change command said television tuner does not correctly execute;

means for identifying the speed used to send said first command; and

means for reducing said speed of said first command according to the time increment used to increase the speed of the previous command.

19. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 10 further comprising:

means for sending a sequence of two or more channel change commands at said faster speed; and

means for detecting whether said channel change commands were successfully executed.

20. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 19 further comprising:

means for storing said faster speed if said channel change commands were successfully executed; and

means for returning to the process of improving the speed at which said television tuner successfully executes channel change commands if said channel change commands were not successfully executed.

21. A method of determining an improved channel change command recognition speed for an entertainment system comprising:

detecting a first speed at which a television tuner successfully executes channel change commands faster than a second speed;

storing said first speed; and

using said stored first speed to construct and send subsequent channel change commands to said television tuner.

22. The method of determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 21 further comprising:

a user instructing said system to determine said improved speed by selecting the channel change speed improvement process from a menu of initialization processes.

23. The method of determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 21 further comprising:

repeating the steps of detecting, storing and using said improved speed for each channel change device in said entertainment system.

24. The method of determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 22 further comprising:

user identifying the components in said system using a menu of options.

25. The method of determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 22 further comprising said user selecting values for:

initial channel-digit pulse width;

initial inter-digit time; and

the time increment used to decrement said channel-digit pulse width and said inter-digit time.

26. The method of determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 25 further comprising:

storing the values selected by said user in memory.

27. The method of determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 22 wherein the manufacturer of said television tuner or channel change device presets initial channel-digit pulse width, initial inter-digit time and the time increment used to decrement said channel-digit pulse width and inter-digit time.

28. The method of determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 21 wherein detecting said first speed further comprises:

constructing channel change commands;

sending successive channel change commands to said television tuner at progressively increasing speeds; and

monitoring said television tuner to detect faster speeds at which said television tuner successfully executes channel change commands.

29. The method of determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 28 , wherein sending successive channel change commands at progressively increasing speeds further comprises:

incrementing the speed at which the previous command was sent by a specific increment of time; and

sending the subsequent command to said television tuner at said incremented speed.

30. The method of determining an improved channel change commnd recognition speed of claim 29 wherein incrementing said speed used to transmit commands further comprises alternately decrementing channel-digit pulse width and inter-digit time.

31. The method of determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 28 further comprising:

setting said television tuner to an initial channel before sending each channel change command.

32. The method of determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 28 wherein sending said successive commands further comprises:

determining when to send said successive commands as a function of time.

33. The method of determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 28 further comprising:

detecting the first channel change command said television tuner does not correctly execute;

identifying the speed used to send said first command; and

incrementally reducing said speed by a specific increment of time until said television tuner correctly executes said channel change commands.

34. The method of determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 33 wherein incrementally reducing said speed further comprises alternately increasing channel-digit pulse width and inter-digit time by said specific increment of time.

35. The method of determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 28 further comprising:

detecting the first channel change command said televion tuner does not correctly execute;

identifying the speed used to send said first command; and

reducing said speed of said first command according to the time increment used to increase the speed of the previous command.

36. The method of determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 21 further comprising:

sending a sequence of two or more channel change commands at said faster speed; and

detecting whether said channel change commands were successfully executed.

37. The method of determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 36 further comprising:

storing said faster speed if said channel change commands were successfully executed; and

returning to the process of improving the speed at which said television tuner successfully executes channel change commands if said channel change commands were not successfuly executed.

38. A system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed for an entertainment system comprising:

television tuner that receives channel change commands;

channel change detector;

microprocessor coupled to the transmitter that detects a first speed at which said television tuner successfully executes channel change commands faster than a second speed; and

memory that stores said first speed, wherein said microprocessor is configured to construct and send subsequent channel change commands with the transmitter to said television tuner at said stored first speed.

39. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 38 wherein:

said detecting, storing and sending using said first speed is repeated for each channel change device in said system.

40. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 38 further comprising:

a display; and

an input that receives user selections, wherein said microprocessor is configured to cause a menu of system initialization processes, including the channel change speed improvement process, to be displayed on said display.

41. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 40 wherein said microprocessor is configured to cause a menu of system component identification options to be displayed on said display.

42. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 40 wherein:

said microprocessor is configured to cause a menu of initialization value options to be displayed on said display; and

said input receives user selected values for initial channel-digit pulse width, initial inter-digit time and the time increment used to decrement said channel-digit pulse width and said inter-digit time.

43. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 42 wherein said memory stores said user selected values.

44. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 40 wherein said memory stores preset values, inputted by the television tuner or channel change device manufacturer, for initial channel-digit pulse width, initial inter-digit time and the time increment used to decrement said channel-digit pulse width and inter-digit time.

45. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 38 wherein:

said microprocessor constructs and sends successive channel change commands to said television tuner with said transmitter; and

said microprocessor monitors said channel change detector to detect faster speeds at which said television tuner successfully executes channel change commands.

46. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 45 wherein:

said successive channel change commands are sent at incrementally increased speeds relative to previous of said successive channel change commands.

47. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 46 wherein speed is incrementally increased by alternately decrementing channel-digit pulse width and inter-digit time.

48. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 45 wherein:

said television tuner is tuned to an initial channel before each of said commands is sent.

49. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 45 wherein sending said successive commands further comprises:

a clock that provides output as a function of time coupled to said microprocessor.

50. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 45 wherein:

said channel change detector detects the first channel change command said television tuner does not correctly execute; and

said microprocessor incrementally reduces the speed used to send said first command by a specific increment of time until said television tuner correctly executes said channel change commands.

51. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 50 wherein said speed is incrementally reduced by alternately increasing channel-digit pulse width and inter-digit time.

52. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 45 wherein:

said channel change detector detects the first channel change command said television tuner does not correctly execute; and

said microprocessor reduces the speed used to send said first command according to the time increment used to increase the speed of the previous command.

53. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 45 wherein:

said microprocessor sends a sequence of two or more channel change commands at said faster speed with said transmitter; and

said channel change detector detects whether said channel change commands were successfully executed.

54. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 53 wherein:

said memory stores said faster speed if said channel change commands were successfully executed; and

said microprocessor returns to the process of improving the speed at which said television tuner successfully executes channel change commands if said channel change commands were not successfully executed.

55. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 38 wherein said transmitter comprises a cable box, a satellite receiver or a video cassette recorder.

56. The system for determining an improved channel change command recognition speed of claim 38 wherein:

said microprocessor is a dedicated microprocessor programmed to improve channel change command recognition speed; and

said microprocessor is coupled to a television microprocessor.