Patent ID: 6344878
Filing Date: 2002-02-05
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
A television program recording reservation apparatus, comprising:television program schedule storing means for storing a television program schedule in which a broadcasting schedule of a plurality of television programs including a specific television program is listed, one or more television programs being rebroadcasted; television program recording reservation receiving means for receiving an input television program recording reservation for a desired television program; television program recording reservation storing means for storing one or more television program recording reservations for one or more television programs previously received by the television program recording reservation receiving means as one or more registered television program recording reservations; television program recording reservation overlap judging means for judging whether or not a recording time of the input television program recording reservation received by the television program recording reservation receiving means overlaps with a recording time of each registered television program recording reservation registered in the television program recording reservation storing means; rebroadcast television program retrieving means for retrieving a rebroadcast desired television program having the same contents as those of the desired television program or a rebroadcast specific television program having the same contents as those of the specific television program from the television program schedule stored in the television program schedule storing means, in cases where it is judged by the television program recording reservation overlap judging means that the recording time of the input television program recording reservation overlaps with a recording time of a specific registered television program recording reservation for the specific television program, on condition that a broadcasting time of the rebroadcast desired television program does not overlap with a recording time of any registered television program recording reservation registered in the television program recording reservation storing means or a broadcasting time of the rebroadcast specific television program does not overlap with a recording time of the input television program recording reservation or a recording time of any registered television program recording reservation other than the specific registered television program recording reservation, a recording time of a television program recording reservation for a television program being the same as a broadcasting time of the television program; and television program recording reservation registration controlling means for producing a rebroadcast television program recording reservation for the rebroadcast desired television program retrieved by the rebroadcast television program retrieving means or a rebroadcast television program recording reservation for the rebroadcast specific television program retrieved by the rebroadcast television program retrieving means according to the television program schedule stored in the television program schedule storing means, and controlling the television program recording reservation storing means to store the rebroadcast television program recording reservation for the rebroadcast desired television program or to store the rebroadcast television program recording reservation for the rebroadcast specific television program in place of the specific registered television program recording reservation for the specific television program, the rebroadcast desired television program or the rebroadcast specific television program being recorded during its broadcasting time and being played back.