Abstract:
An input device for use in a system for searching a database for information associated with segments broadcast on a broadcast channel, in which the database may have a list of segments broadcast on different broadcast channels at respective times. The input device comprises a receiving circuit operable to receive channel information representing one or more broadcast channels, a channel selector operable to enable a user to select a broadcast channel from among the received channel information which corresponds to a received broadcast channel, a timer which provides time information representative of a current time, a storage device that stores at least the time information and the selected channel information, and a transmitting circuit operable to transmit the stored time information and channel information. The transmitted time information and channel information may be supplied to an external device which causes the database to be searched to select the information associated with the respective segment that was broadcast on the respective broadcast channel at a time corresponding to the time information.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to an information storage apparatus for storing broadcast segment or program information and to a system utilizing such stored information to obtain additional information corresponding thereto.  
           [0002]    Often, when listening to a radio, a listener may hear a song that he or she likes but does not know the title thereof. As is to be appreciated, unless the radio station broadcasts the title before/after the song, it may be very difficult for the listener to obtain such title.  
         SUMMARY OFTHE INVENTION  
         [0003]    In view of the foregoing, the present invention provides an input device for use in a system for searching a database for information associated with segments broadcast on a broadcast channel, in which the database may have a list of segments broadcast on different broadcast channels at respective times. The input device comprises a receiving circuit operable to receive channel information representing one or more broadcast channels, a channel selector operable to enable a user to select a broadcast channel from among the received channel information which corresponds to a received broadcast channel, a timer which provides time information representative of a current time, a storage device that stores at least the time information and the selected channel information, and a transmitting circuit operable to transmit the stored time information and channel information. The transmitted time information and channel information may be supplied to an external device which causes the database to be searched to select the information associated with the respective segment that was broadcast on the respective broadcast channel at a time corresponding to the time information. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0004]    [0004]FIG. 1 is a diagram of an information storage device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0005]    [0005]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the information storage device of FIG. 1; and  
         [0006]    [0006]FIG. 3 is a diagram of a system to which reference will be made in explaining an operation of the information storage device of FIG. 1. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an input or information storage device  1  according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown therein, information storage device  1  may include an action button  5 , scroll buttons  5 ′ and  5 ″, a display unit  10 , and an interface  12  accommodated in a housing  14 . As shown in FIG. 2, information storage device  1  may further include a central processing unit (CPU)  15 , a memory  20 , and a timer  30 . Advantageously, information storage device  1  may have a relatively simple construction.  
         [0008]    Action button  5  and scroll buttons  5 ′,  5 ″ may be coupled to CPU  15  and adapted to enable a user to input information, such as information pertaining to a broadcast program, to the CPU. More particularly, scroll buttons  5 ′,  5 ″ may be adapted to enable a user to scroll through information such as a list of broadcast sources or channels or the like so as to select a desired broadcast source. For example, scroll button  5 ′ may enable the user to scroll through the broadcast source list in a first direction and scroll button  5 ″ may enable the user to scroll through the broadcast source list in a second direction which is opposite to the first direction. The action button  5  may be adapted to enable the user to cause information (such as the selected broadcast source and time) to be stored within the memory  20  of the information storage device  1 .  
         [0009]    CPU  15  may be coupled to buttons  5 ,  5 ′, and  5 ″, display unit  10 , interface  12 , memory  20 , and timer  30 . CPU  15  may also include an internal memory, a bus, a predetermined interface, and so forth, which are not shown for the purpose of simplification. CPU  15  may be adapted to control the operations of the display unit  10 , memory  20 , and timer  30 . Additionally, CPU  15  may be adapted to communicate with an external device, such as a computer  35  (FIG. 3), as hereinafter more fully described.  
         [0010]    Display unit  10 , which may be a liquid crystal display (LCD) or other type display, may be coupled to CPU  15  and may receive control signals therefrom. The display unit  10  is adapted to display broadcast information, such as a broadcast source, in response to a user input provided by way of the buttons  5 ,  5 ′,  5 ″. A default display may be included for the display unit  10  for non-preset selections. For example, a default display of “other” may be included to allow a user to store time information that is not associated with any pre-set registered selections.  
         [0011]    Timer  30  may be coupled to CPU  15  and adapted to provide time information, such as the current time, to the CPU in response to a request. For example, when the action button  5  is activated or depressed by the user, the CPU  15  may send a request for the current time to the timer  30  and, in response thereto, the timer may send the current time to the CPU. Such time information may be stored in the memory  20 . Additionally, time information may be corrected by control of CPU  15 .  
         [0012]    Memory  20 , which may be a flash memory or other type of memory, may be coupled to CPU  15  and may receive control signals and information therefrom. For example, the memory may receive selected broadcast information in response to the buttons  5 ,  5 ′,  5 ″, time information provided by the timer  30 , and a broadcast source list provided by an external source (such as the computer  35 ).  
         [0013]    Interface  12  is adapted to enable communication with an external device (such as the computer  35 ). Interface  12  may be a wired or wireless type of interface, including the interface protocol defined in IEEE 1394 (so-called “firewire”), Universal Serial Bus (“USB”), RS-232C, infrared ray signals using an interface protocol based on Infrared Data Association (“IrDA”), and so forth.  
         [0014]    Information storage device  1  may also be constructed as an integrated circuit (IC) card obtained by embedding an IC and a communication device in a card, or a PC card defined by Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (“PCMCIA”) and Japan Electronic Industry Development Association (“JEIDA”). In the case where information storage device  1  is constructed as an IC card, interface protocol of interface  12  may conform to the IC card construction. In the case where information storage device  1  is constructed as a PC card, a connector compatible with the PC card may be provided in computer  35  (FIG. 3).  
         [0015]    As is to be appreciated, the external device or computer  35  would have an interface which is compatible with that of the information storage device  1 . As a result, the device  1  may be coupled to the computer  35  by way of the interface  12  and the corresponding interface of the computer so as to allow data communication therebetween.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 3 illustrates a system  40  wherein the information storage device  1  may be used. As shown therein, system  40  may include information storage device  1 , computer device  35 , a network  45 , a broadcast station  50 , and a receiver device  55 .  
         [0017]    The computer device  35  may be any type of control computing device such as a general purpose computer (e.g., a personal computer or “PC”) and the like. As described above, information storage device  1  may be coupled by way of interface  12  to computer device  35 . Additionally, computer device  35  may be coupled to network  45  through a network connection  60 . Such network  45  may be the Internet and network connection  60  may be a modem, cable, Digital Subscriber Line (“DSL”) connection, or any type of network access connection, provided through an Internet Service Provider (“ISP”).  
         [0018]    Broadcast station  50  may transmit signals, such as radio or television signals, which may be received by a receiving device  55  such as a radio, television, and the like. Additionally, broadcast station  50  may be linked to network  45  through a network connection  65  and may provide information pertaining to the transmitted signals thereto.  
         [0019]    The information storage device  1  may be used to store information (such as a broadcast source and time information) pertaining to a signal received at receiving device  55  that may be used to search for additional information pertaining to the received signal by use of computer device  35 . For example, consider the situation wherein a user is listening to radio  55  which is tuned to broadcast channel  101  so as to receive songs broadcast from broadcast station  50 . In such situation, when the user hears a song he or she likes, the user may set broadcast channel  101  in the information storage device  1  by use of the buttons  5 ′,  5 ″ and, when it is properly set (as indicated by the display  10 ), the user may activate or depress button  5 . As a result, information pertaining to the set broadcast channel and the current time may be supplied to the memory  20 . At a later time, the stored information may be supplied from the memory  20  to the computer  35  so as to be used in obtaining information such as the title of the song.  
         [0020]    The operations of system  40  in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention will now be further described.  
         [0021]    A user may register a number of broadcast station identifiers (which may include an identifier for broadcast station  50  such as 101 MHz) at computer device  35 . In other words, the user may set or store a list of favorite radio or television stations in computer device  35 , which may be identified by their frequency or call sign. Such list or information for the registered broadcast stations may be supplied to memory  20  of information storage device  1  by way of interface  12  and stored thereat. Thereafter, information storage device  1  may be uncoupled or detached from computer device  35 . Such information storage device  1  (which may have a relatively small size and may have a relatively small weight) may then be carried by a user.  
         [0022]    Receiving device  55  (which may be a radio) may be tuned to receive the broadcast signals from a broadcast station such as broadcast station  50  (101 MHz). If the user hears (or sees) a program received by receiving device  55  to his or her liking, the user may operate buttons  5 ′ and  5 ″ which controls the CPU  15  to retrieve broadcast station information from the list stored in the memory  20  and to cause the same to be displayed on the display  10 . When the displayed broadcast station matches the broadcast station currently being received by receiving device  55  (such as 101 MHz), the user may then operate button  5  which is detected by CPU  15  whereupon, a program entry which may include time information (such as the current time) provided by timer  30  together with the information of the selected broadcast station (101 MHz) may be stored in memory  20 .  
         [0023]    A number of program entries each including time information and the respective broadcast station may be stored in memory  20 .  
         [0024]    Additionally, information identifying the respective information storage device  1  and/or a respective user may be stored in a predetermined area of memory  20 .  
         [0025]    The ID information, time information and selected broadcast source information associated thereto stored in memory  20  may be read out therefrom and output through interface  12  to computer device  35  on the basis of an instruction of CPU  15  or computer  35 . For example, CPU  15  may include programming that enables the information to be automatically transferred whenever information storage device  1  is connected to computer device  35 . In a similar manner, registered broadcast stations stored in computer device  35  may be automatically transferred to information storage device  1  upon such a connection.  
         [0026]    Signal content information pertaining to the signal being broadcast from the respective broadcast station at the time the user pushes button  5  may be retrieved. Such signal content information may include a title, artist, publisher, and so forth, of a music piece. The broadcast signal and the corresponding content information is not limited to music pieces, but may also include other types of signals and information such as audio/video (“A/V”) pieces from a television broadcast station or Cable Television (“CATV”) station.  
         [0027]    Signal content information may be accumulated in one or more databases. Such database(s) may be maintained at respective broadcast sources, such as broadcast station  50 , or at one or more dedicated network sites (for example, web sites) on network  45 , or at the computer device  35 . Thus, the ID information, time information and/or the selected broadcast source information uploaded from information storage device  1  may be used to search for signal content information through network  45  using computer device  35 . For example, computer device  35  may cause a search of a database to be performed to locate signal content information according to the stored time information so as to obtain information (such as the title) of a music piece broadcast from broadcast station  50  at the time the user pushed button  5 . Thus, information such as the title of the music piece may be retrieved. Additionally, other information such as player (artist) information, a selling agency, a selling date, and so forth may also be retrieved.  
         [0028]    As described above, by using system  40 , a user can operate information storage device  1  to store broadcast station and time information into the information storage device, and later search for and obtain desired content information based on the stored broadcast station and time information.  
         [0029]    Information storage device  1  is not limited to the description provided above and may be configured and/or operated differently. For example, the information storage device  1  may be installed in various other electronic devices such as a wireless telephone, a personal digital assistant (“PDA”), a so-called eMarker device and the like. An eMarker device(s) is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/401,103, filed on Sep. 22, 1999, which is incorporated herein by reference.  
         [0030]    Further, although the information storage device  1  has been described has having two scroll buttons, one action button, a single display and so forth, the present information storage device is not so limited. For example, the present information storage device may have a different number and/or type(s) of buttons, display and so forth.  
         [0031]    Additionally, the registered list of favorite stations may be modified.  
         [0032]    Alternatively, the information storage device  1  may be a slave device (such as a radio, TV channel controller, or the like) controlled by a control apparatus (such as a general purpose computer). In such arrangement, a user&#39;s favorite selections or channels may be set at the control apparatus whereby the selections may be downloaded to the slave device via any type of communication, such as IEEE 1394 (so-called “firewire”), or the like. Advantageously, the user may make a selection on the slave device from a customized group that is pre-set using the control apparatus.  
         [0033]    It will be appreciated that the present invention is applicable to analog or digital broadcasts.  
         [0034]    Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention and modifications thereof have been described in detail herein, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to this embodiment and modifications, and that other modifications and variations may be effected by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.