Patent ID: 7810115

Claim:
A method to selectively receive television signals from a network at a receiver station control equipment based on said signals and control receipt of television programs, said receiver station having a receiver, a processor and a storage device, wherein said processor selectively receives information from said signals from said network, said network having a multichannel transmission format with transmitted units of television programs, said method comprising the steps of: storing information identifying an interest; receiving said transmitted units of television programming in a multichannel television signal from said network, said multichannel television signal having units of television programming occurring concurrently and sequentially on a plurality of channels, each of said units of television programming having an identifying code transmitted therewith; executing a program at said processor in said receiver station to monitor each of said signals units of television programming in said multichannel television signal; monitoring each of said units of television programming from said network to identify characteristics of said units of television programming, based on executing said program; detecting the transmitted codes in said units of television programming in at least a portion of said multichannel television signal; comparing said identified characteristics of said units of television programming from said step of monitoring with characteristics such as user modifiable parameters and predetermined parameters stored at said receiver station; selecting at least one of viewable and audible information from said units of television programming for further processing based on the outcome of said step of comparing; identifying channels transmitting units of television programming including said selected at least one of viewable and audible information and corresponding to said interest, said step of identifying being performed based on said step of detecting; tuning to receive said identified units of television programming corresponding to said interest based on said step of identifying to present a series of units of television programming from said multichannel television signal; processing said at least one of viewable and audible information from said identified units of television programming; controlling one or more receiver station peripheral equipment based on said step of processing, and instructing a processor to play or record said identified units of television programming based on said step of comparing at said receiver station, wherein said units of television programming are provided in said multichannel television signal and said identifying codes designating said identifying characteristics are processed under control of said executed program to perform said step of comparing.