Abstract:
A method for masking an electronic program guide data capture in a set-top box, comprising the steps of (A) determining whether the set-top box is active or inactive based on the frequency of user input, (B) if the set-top box is inactive, activating a screensaver, and (C) capturing the electronic program guide data.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to electronic program guides generally and, more particularly, to a method and/or apparatus to use a screensaver to mask an electronic program guide data capture.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Electronic program guides (EPG) are typically used for set top boxes (STBs) such as digital video recorders (DVR), satellite receivers and/or cable receivers. In a digital video recorder, the electronic program guide is often downloaded from a centralized program server. The download often occurs at a time when the viewer is not using the DVR or the phone line that the DVR uses for the download. For example, a DVR may download the electronic program guide late at night when a user is not expected to use the DVR. However, the time of the download is selected based on the average persons sleep patterns. If the particular person that uses the DVR is using the DVR, the electronic program guide download may initiate during viewing of the DVR material. While some conventional DVRs record and download at the same time, others download EPG information using a soft-modem feature (e.g., implemented in software). Since a soft-modem feature uses CPU resources, a DVR with such an implementation may not be able to download and record at the same time. In such a case it is undesirable to view download information as it occurs, since such information is normally displayed as a percentage of the entire program guide that has been downloaded.  
         [0003]     Certain conventional approaches carry electronic program guide data along with the video of specific channels. Recorders need to tune to one of these channels in order to capture program guide data. If the user does not put the recorder in standby, recorders that have only one tuner typically do not automatically change to this channel. Recorders that have only one tuner tune to this channel in order to capture program guide data. Furthermore, most personal video recorders today use a dial-up connection to download the program guide. In other cases, user manuals remind users to put the recorder in standby when not in use. If a user forgets to turn off their recorder with such a configuration, the program guide data will not be downloaded.  
         [0004]     It would be desirable to provide a method and/or apparatus to mask the download of EPG data that uses a screensaver and/or an automatic timeout to tune the DVR to an appropriate channel.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     The present invention concerns a method for masking an electronic program guide data capture in a set-top box, comprising the steps of (A) determining whether the set-top box is active or inactive based on the frequency of user input, (B) if the set-top box is inactive, activating a screensaver, and (C) capturing the electronic program guide data.  
         [0006]     The objects, features and advantages of the present invention include providing a screensaver to mask an EPG data capture that may (i) provide an esthetically pleasing display during an electronic program guide capture, (ii) provide a tuning and/or standby feature to remove the need to shut off a recorded to obtain guide information, (iii) provide a simple and intuitive system, (iv) be implemented without having to remember to turn off the recorder, (v) be implemented without annoying dialog boxes to tell a user what is about to happen, and/or (vi) reduce user complaints about product changing channels by itself. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]     These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and the appended claims and drawings in which:  
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a digital video recorder; and  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is a flow diagram of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0010]     The present invention may implement a method and/or apparatus to use a screensaver to mask an electronic program guide data capture. The present invention monitors a digital video recorder (DVR) or other set-top box (STB) for user activity. After a first period of user inactivity, a video output is switched to a screen saver. After waiting for a second period of inactivity, recording is paused or stopped. The present invention then switches the tuner to an EPG channel. When user input is detected, or after EPG data is captured, the tuner is switched back to the original channel and timeshift recording is resumed. The screen saver is also switched off after the EPG data transfer.  
         [0011]     The particular type of screensaver may be varied to meet the design criteria of a particular implementation. For example, instead of a traditional screensaver, a page that says “No activity—going to standby in 3 minutes”, may be implemented. After moving to a standby state, a traditional screensaver (e.g., a picture, etc.) or a blank screen may be displayed.  
         [0012]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a block diagram of a system  100  is shown illustrating an analog personal video recorder (PVR) or digital video recorder (DVR) that uses electronic program guide (EPG) data carried in the video signal. The system  100  generally comprises a block (or circuit)  102 , a block (or circuit)  104 , a block (or circuit)  106 , a block (or circuit)  108 , a block (or circuit)  110 , a block (or circuit)  112 , a block (or circuit)  114  and a block (or circuit)  116 . The block  102  may be implemented as an audio/video capture circuit. The block  104  may be implemented as an EPG data processing block. The block  106  may be implemented as an audio/video compression circuit. The block  108  may be implemented as a storage device, such as a hard disc drive (HDD) or solid state memory. The block  110  may be implemented as an A/V decompression block. The block  112  may be implemented as an audio/video output block. The block  114  may be implemented as an electronic program guide (EPG) block. The block  116  may be implemented as a monitor or other type of display.  
         [0013]     An incoming audio signal (e.g., A) and video signal (e.g., V) are generally captured by the block  102 . When the circuit  100  enters data collection mode, the video signal (e.g., B) is routed to the EPG processing block  104 . The EPG processing block extracts the data embedded in the signal VBI, which is typically carried by a local TV station. The signal VBI may be implemented as a vertical blanking interval signal. EPG data is extracted and then written to a database on the hard disk drive  108 .  
         [0014]     During normal operation, the incoming audio/video data signal (e.g., A/V) is compressed by the block  106  to generate a signal (e.g., A/V BITSTREAM). The block  106  may generate the signal A/V BITSTREAM by using MPEG, Dolby, and/or other compression standards. The compressed signal A/V BITSTREAM is written to a stream file on the storage device  108 . The storage device  108  generates a signal (e.g., A/V BITSTREAM 2 ). The A/V decompression block  110  generates a signal (A/V 2 ) in response to the signal A/V BITSTREAM 2 . The block  112  presents the signal A/V 2  to the monitor  116 .  
         [0015]     The signal A/V BITSTREAM 2  presented to the block  110  is a stream file from the storage devices  108 . The signal BITSTREAM 2  normally represents either what is being currently recorded (“live” playback), or what was recorded earlier. Optionally, program guide data may be blended or superimposed on the video output, as produced by the block  114 .  
         [0016]     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a flow diagram of a method (or process)  200  is shown in accordance with the present invention. The process  200  generally comprises a decision state  202 , a state  204 , a decision state  206 , a state  208 , a state  210  and a decision state  212 . The decision state  202  may determine if there is any user activity in the last N minutes, where N is a variable that may be an integer or a fraction of an integer. If there has been user activity, than the method  200  stays in the state  202 . If there has been no activity, the method  200  moves to the state  204 . The state  204  activates a predetermined screensaver.  
         [0017]     Next, the state  206  determines if there has been any user activity in the last M minutes, where M is a variable that may be an integer or a fraction of an integer. The value N and the value M may be the same or different values. If there has been user activity, the method  200  stays in state  206 . If there has not been activity, the method  200  moves to the state  208 . The state  208  starts the electronic program guide collection process. Next, the state  212  determines if there has been any user activity. If not, the method  200  stays in the state  212 . If there has been activity, the method moves to the state  210 . The state  210  stops the EPG collection and deactivates the screensaver. After the state  210 , the method returns to the state  202 . When there is no user activity (e.g., remote control actions or front panel key actions) for a specified interval, the method  200  activates a screensaver, which is a stationary or moving pattern displayed on the screen, obstructing the video. This may be implemented by the block  114  of  FIG. 1 . Audio may also be muted during this time. If any key is pressed in the next interval, then the screensaver is de-activated. This indicates that someone was watching the output.  
         [0018]     If there was no key pressed, then the system goes into data collection mode. Any existing recording is stopped or paused. The block  102  is tuned to the appropriate station, and video settings may be changed so that the appropriate blanking lines may be captured. This captured video is fed to the block  104 , which extracts the information and writes it into a database on the hard disk drive. This update operation may take a certain time to complete, or it may continue until any user input is received.  
         [0019]     When user activity is detected, the data collection is stopped, and input settings may be restored. In that case, the tuner is set to the previous channel, recording is started or resumed, and playback starts at an appropriate point. Then the screensaver is deactivated.  
         [0020]     The function performed by the flow diagram of  FIG. 2  may be implemented using a conventional general purpose digital computer programmed according to the teachings of the present specification, as will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s). Appropriate software coding can readily be prepared by skilled programmers based on the teachings of the present disclosure, as will also be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s).  
         [0021]     The present invention may also be implemented by the preparation of ASICs, FPGAs, or by interconnecting an appropriate network of conventional component circuits, as is described herein, modifications of which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art(s).  
         [0022]     The present invention thus may also include a computer product which may be a storage medium including instructions which can be used to program a computer to perform a process in accordance with the present invention. The storage medium can include, but is not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disk, optical disk, CD-ROM, magneto-optical disks, ROMS, RAMS, EPROMs, EEPROMs, Flash memory, magnetic or optical cards, or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions.  
         [0023]     While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, while the invention is described in connection with a PVR with a hard disc, the invention also applies to recorders with removable media, such as DVD recorders. Furthermore, the EPG database may be implemented in a different media (such as non-volatile semiconductor memory (flash, EEPROM, NVRAM, etc.)) than the program information.