IP Library Granted Patent US 9,781,464
Granted Patent B2
US 9,781,464 · App. 15/131,868 · Granted Oct 3, 2017

EPG realignment

Inventor: Mark Templeman (Parker, CO)
Assignee: Echostar Technologies L.L.C.
H04N21/4147G11B27/026G11B27/28H04N5/4401H04N5/50H04N5/76H04N5/775H04N5/782H04N5/91H04N9/79H04N9/797H04N9/87H04N21/242H04N21/262H04N21/4263H04N21/4302H04N21/4334H04N21/4335H04N21/4532H04N21/4583H04N21/4755H04N21/47202H04N21/47214H04N21/47217H04N21/482H04N21/4821H04N21/83H04N21/84H04N7/20H04N21/4826
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,781,464
App. No.
15/131,868
Granted
Oct 3, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

Arrangements detailed may cause a television channel received via the tuner to be recorded for a period of time to create a channel-specific file. The channel-specific file may include multiple television programs. User input that requests playback of a first television program of the plurality of television programs from the channel-specific file may be received. A front-end adjustment time period for playback of the first television program may be determined. A start time from which playback commences in the channel-specific file may be at least partially based on the front-end adjustment time period and a scheduled start time of the television program.

Claims (56)

1. A television receiver that synchronizes electronic programming guide information with playback of a television program recording, the television receiver comprising:

one or more tuners;

one or more processors;

a memory communicatively coupled with and readable by the one or more processors and having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

record, from the one or more tuners, a plurality of consecutively broadcast television programs to a single file, wherein:

the plurality of consecutively broadcast television programs comprises a first television program and a second television program, and

the second television program was recorded to the single file from a second timeslot immediately following a first timeslot of the first television program;

after recording the plurality of consecutively broadcast television programs to the single file, receive input requesting the recorded first television program be output for presentation;

determine a back-end adjustment period for playback of the first television program from the single file, wherein the back-end adjustment period immediately follows a scheduled end time of the first television program, the scheduled end time of the first television program being based on stored electronic programming guide information;

in response to the input requesting the first television program be output for presentation, output content from the single file for presentation to a display device, the output of the content concluding with the back-end adjustment period; and

while outputting content from during the back-end adjustment period, output for presentation electronic programming guide (EPG) information associated with the first television program, while not outputting electronic programming guide information associated with the second television program.

2. The television receiver for synchronizing electronic programming guide information with playback of the television program recording of claim 1 , wherein the processor-readable instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to:

receive, via the one or more tuners, an indication of a duration to use as the back-end adjustment period.

3. The television receiver for synchronizing electronic programming guide information with playback of the television program recording of claim 1 , wherein the processor-readable instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to:

receive, via user input, an indication of a duration to use as the back-end adjustment period.

4. The television receiver for synchronizing electronic programming guide information with playback of the television program recording of claim 1 , wherein the electronic programming guide information associated with the first television program that is output for presentation comprises a title of the first television program.

5. The television receiver for synchronizing electronic programming guide information with playback of the television program recording of claim 1 , wherein the processor-readable instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to:

determine a front-end adjustment period for playback of the second television program from the single file, wherein the front-end adjustment period immediately precedes a scheduled start time of the second timeslot for the second television program, the scheduled start time of the second timeslot being based on the electronic programming guide information for the second television program; and

output content corresponding to the front-end adjustment period from the single file for presentation to the display device.

6. The television receiver for synchronizing electronic programming guide information with playback of the television program recording of claim 5 , wherein the processor-readable instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to:

during output of content during the front-end adjustment period, output for presentation EPG information associated with the second television program, while not outputting EPG information associated with the first television program, wherein output of the EPG information associated with the second television program during the front-end adjustment period occurs before the second timeslot.

7. The television receiver for synchronizing electronic programming guide information with playback of the television program recording of claim 6 , wherein the content output during the front-end adjustment period corresponds to the first television program.

8. The television receiver for synchronizing electronic programming guide information with playback of the television program recording of claim 1 , wherein output of the EPG information associated with the first television program during output of the content during the back-end adjustment period occurs during the second timeslot while the second television program is being output for presentation.

9. The television receiver for synchronizing electronic programming guide information with playback of the television program recording of claim 1 , wherein the processor-readable instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to:

receive, via the one or more tuners, the EPG information for each television program of the plurality of the consecutively broadcast television programs.

10. A method for synchronizing electronic programming guide information with playback of a television program recording, the method comprising:

recording, by a television receiver, a plurality of consecutively broadcast television programs to a single file, wherein:

the plurality of consecutively broadcast television programs comprises a first television program and a second television program, and

the second television program was recorded to the single file from a second timeslot immediately following a first timeslot of the first television program;

after recording the plurality of consecutively broadcast television programs to the single file, receiving, by the television receiver, input requesting the recorded first television program be output for presentation;

determining, by the television receiver, a back-end adjustment period for playback of the first television program from the single file, wherein the back-end adjustment period immediately follows a scheduled end time of the first television program, the scheduled end time of the first television program being based on stored electronic programming guide information;

in response to the input requesting the first television program be output for presentation, outputting, by the television receiver, content from the single file for presentation to a display device concluding with the back-end adjustment period; and

while outputting content from during the back-end adjustment period, outputting, by the television receiver, for presentation, electronic programming guide (EPG) information associated with the first television program, while not outputting electronic programming guide information associated with the second television program.

11. The method for synchronizing electronic programming guide information with playback of the television program recording of claim 10 , the method comprising:

receiving, via a tuner of the television receiver, an indication of a duration to use as the back-end adjustment period.

12. The method for synchronizing electronic programming guide information with playback of the television program recording of claim 10 , the method comprising:

receiving, by the television receiver, via user input, an indication of a duration to use as the back-end adjustment period.

13. The method for synchronizing electronic programming guide information with playback of the television program recording of claim 10 , wherein the electronic programming guide information associated with the first television program that is output for presentation comprises a title of the first television program.

14. The method for synchronizing electronic programming guide information with playback of the television program recording of claim 10 , further comprising:

determining, by the television receiver, a front-end adjustment period for playback of the second television program from the single file, wherein the front-end adjustment period immediately precedes a scheduled start time of the second timeslot for the second television program, the scheduled start time of the second timeslot being based on the electronic programming guide information for the second television program; and

outputting, by the television receiver, content corresponding to the front-end adjustment period from the single file for presentation to the display device.

15. The method for synchronizing electronic programming guide information with playback of the television program recording of claim 14 , further comprising:

during output of content during the front-end adjustment period, outputting, by the television receiver, for presentation, EPG information associated with the second television program, while not outputting EPG information associated with the first television program, wherein output of the EPG information associated with the second television program during the front-end adjustment period occurs before the second timeslot.

16. The method for synchronizing electronic programming guide information with playback of the television program recording of claim 15 , wherein the content output during the front-end adjustment period corresponds to the first television program.

17. The method for synchronizing electronic programming guide information with playback of the television program recording of claim 10 , wherein outputting the EPG information associated with the first television program during output of the content during the back-end adjustment period occurs during the second timeslot.

18. The method for synchronizing electronic programming guide information with playback of the television program recording of claim 17 , wherein outputting the EPG information associated with the first television program during output of the content during the back-end adjustment period occurs while the second television program is being output for presentation.

19. The method for synchronizing electronic programming guide information with playback of the television program recording of claim 10 , the method comprising:

receiving, by a tuner of the television receiver, the EPG information for each television program of the plurality of the consecutively broadcast television programs.

20. A non-transitory processor-readable medium that synchronizes electronic programming guide information with playback of a television program recording, comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to:

record a plurality of consecutively broadcast television programs to a single file, wherein:

the plurality of consecutively broadcast television programs comprises a first television program and a second television program, and

the second television program was recorded to the single file from a second timeslot immediately following a first timeslot of the first television program;

after recording the plurality of consecutively broadcast television programs to the single file, receive input requesting the recorded second television program be output for presentation;

determine a back-end adjustment period for playback of the second television program from the single file, wherein the back-end adjustment period immediately follows a scheduled end time of the first television program, the scheduled end time of the first television program being based on stored electronic programming guide information;

in response to the input requesting the first television program be output for presentation, output content from the single file for presentation to a display device concluding with the back-end adjustment period; and

while content from during the back-end adjustment period is being output, output for presentation electronic programming guide information associated with the first television program, while not outputting electronic programming guide information associated with the second television program.

Assignments (3)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 30, 2021
From: DISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION; DISH NETWORK L.L.C.; DISH TECHNOLOGIES L.L.C.
To: U.S. BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 058295/0293 →
CONVERSION Recorded Aug 7, 2018
From: ECHOSTAR TECHNOLOGIES L.L.C.
To: DISH TECHNOLOGIES L.L.C.
Reel/Frame 046737/0610 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Feb 12, 2018
From: ECHOSTAR TECHNOLOGIES L.L.C.
To: DISH TECHNOLOGIES L.L.C.
Reel/Frame 046860/0734 →
Continuity (4)
Continuation 14589090 · Jan 5, 2015
Continuation 13797173 · Mar 12, 2013
Provisional Application 61611483 · Mar 15, 2012
Related Publication 20160234543A1 · Aug 11, 2016