Patent ID: 6353444
Filing Date: 2002-03-05
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
A user interface apparatus that receives a user operation of a broadcast receiving apparatus that displays an image of a received program on a monitor, and notifies the broadcast receiving apparatus of an execution instruction relating to an action according to the user operation, comprising:predicting means for predicting at least one action out of a plurality of actions, an execution of which is predicted to be desired by a user; user interface means for automatically providing a user interface by displaying an image on the monitor for having the user designate one out of the plurality of actions that have been predicted by the predicting means, and for receiving a designation of an action by the user; user information storage means for storing user information that is peculiar to a user of the broadcast receiving apparatus, wherein the predicting means predicts the actions according to the user information after a condition of the broadcast receiving apparatus becomes a predetermined condition; program table storage means for storing a program table including information on a plurality of programs, wherein the user information is bedtime information that shows a predetermined bedtime period of the user, and the user interface means refers to the program table and the bedtime information, compares the bedtime period with a time period when a program that the broadcast receiving apparatus is presently receiving ends, and displays an image on the monitor for having the user designate an execution of an action of recording the program when the program ends after the bedtime period; and notifying means for notifying the broadcast receiving apparatus of an execution instruction relating to an action according to the user action designation that has been received by the user interface means.