System and method for searching a database of television schedule information

Abstract

Compressed codes of as few as 1 to 8 digits, which are decoded by a decoder to convert the compressed code into channel, date, time and length information, identify single TV programs or a category of programs and are stored at a central location accessible over telephone lines through pay-per-use, toll free or regular toll numbers from remote locations. The channel, date, time and length information is used to select channels, start recording, and stop recording at the appropriate time or to control viewing on a TV.

1 - 7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . A method of controlling the recording or the viewing of television programs comprising:
 searching a database of television schedule information based on television program selection criteria given by a user who wishes to record or watch television programs, and deriving program identification data from the database, the program identification data corresponding to television programs meeting the television program selection criteria and including information indicating broadcasting times of the respective television programs;   checking the program identification data derived in the database search for time conflicts between programs that overlap each other;   if at least one time conflict exists, modifying the program identification data by resolving the at least one time conflict to create a modified program identification data; and   transmitting the modified program identification data over a communications link to a controller for controlling the recording or viewing of television programs, wherein the at least one time conflict is resolved by recording or viewing at least a portion of each of the television programs having broadcasting times that overlap each other.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the program identification data comprises compressed program codes. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the television program selection criteria comprises at least one of the group consisting of a category, a theme, a personality appearing in the program, a personality involved in the creation of the program, a writer, a sports team, a program title, a portion of a program title, a time period of program airings and a content rating. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the controller comprises a cable box controller. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the controller comprises a satellite receiver controller. 
     
     
         13 . A method for scheduling and controlling the recording of television programs at a user site, wherein the user site includes a plurality of video recorders and a processor that is in communication with a remote site, wherein the processor is located in a device separate from the plurality of video recorders, the processor operative to communicate with each of the plurality of video recorders, the method comprising:
 receiving, with the processor, a compressed code, wherein the compressed code corresponds to a channel, a date, and a time for a media program;   decoding, with the processor, the compressed code to produce the channel, date, and time;   communicating at least the date and the time from the processor to a particular one of the plurality of video recorders; and   scheduling, with the particular one of the plurality of video recorders, a recording based on the received date and the received time.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the compressed code is a G-code. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the device is one of a television, a cable box, and a satellite receiver. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 communicating the channel from the processor to the particular one of the plurality of video recorders; and   scheduling, with the particular one of the plurality of video recorders, the recording for the received channel.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 tuning, to the scheduled channel at the scheduled date and the scheduled time; and   recording the media program with the particular one of the plurality of video recorders.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 the particular one of the plurality of video recorders communicating the scheduled date, scheduled time, and scheduled channel to a user equipment from the group consisting of a television, a cable box, and a satellite receiver;   tuning, with the user equipment, to the scheduled channel received from the particular one of the plurality of video recorders;   communicating the media program from the user equipment to the particular one of the plurality of video recorders; and   the particular one of the plurality of video recorders recording the media program received from the user equipment.   
     
     
         19 . A system for controlling the recording or the viewing of television programs comprising:
 a database of program schedule information, wherein the database is configured to be searched based on television program selection criteria given by a user who wishes to record or watch television programs, and is further configured to derive program identification data for at least one television program corresponding to the television program selection criteria, the program identification data including information indicating broadcasting times of the respective television programs;   a processor configured to:
 check the program identification data derived in the database search for time conflicts between programs that overlap each other; and 
 modify the program identification data, if at least one time conflict exists, by resolving the at least one time conflict to create a modified program identification data; and 
   a communications link for transmitting the modified program identification data, in which the time conflicts are resolved, to a controller configured to control the recording or the viewing of television programs, wherein the at least one time conflict is resolved by recording or viewing at least a portion of each of the television programs having broadcasting times that overlap each other.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19  wherein the program identification data comprises compressed program codes. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 19  wherein the television program selection criteria comprises at least one of the group consisting of a category, a theme, a personality appearing in the program, a personality involved in the creation of the program, a writer, a sports team, a program title, a portion of a program title, a time period of program airings and a content rating. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 19  wherein the controller comprises a cable box controller. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 19  wherein the controller comprises a satellite receiver controller. 
     
     
         24 . A system for scheduling and controlling the recording of television programs at a user site, the system comprising:
 a processor, located in device at the user site, that is in communication with a remote site, wherein the processor is configured to:
 receive, from the remote site, a compressed code, wherein the compressed code corresponds to a channel, a date, and a time for a media program; and 
 decode the compressed code to produce the channel, the date, and the time; and 
   a plurality of video recorders, at the user site, that is separate from and in communication with the processor, wherein a particular video recorder of the plurality of video recorders is configured to:
 receive at least the date and the time from the processor; and 
 schedule a recording based on the at least received date and received time. 
   
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the compressed code is a G-code. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the device is one of a television, a cable box, and a satellite receiver. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein:
 the processor is further configured to communicate the channel to the particular one of the plurality of video recorders; and   the particular one of the plurality of video recorders is further configured to schedule the recording for the channel received from the processor.   
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein the particular one of the plurality of video recorders is further configured to:
 tune to the scheduled channel at the scheduled date and the scheduled time; and   record the media program.   
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 28 , further comprising a user equipment from the group consisting of a television, a cable box, and a satellite receiver, wherein:
 the particular one of the plurality of video recorders is further configured to:
 communicate the scheduled channel to the user equipment at the scheduled date and the scheduled time, and 
 record the media program received from the user equipment; and 
   the user equipment is configured to:
 tune to the scheduled channel received from the particular one of the plurality of video recorders, and 
 communicate the media program to the particular one of the plurality of video recorders. 
   
     
     
         30 . A system for scheduling and controlling the recording of television programs at a user site, the user site comprising a plurality of video recorders and a downloadable programmer, wherein the downloadable programmer is separate from and in communication with each of the plurality of video recorders, the method comprising:
 a computer, at a site remote from the user site, that is configured to communicate to the user site a compressed code corresponding to a media program, wherein the compressed code is based on a human input at the remote site; and   a downloadable programmer, at the user site, that is configured to:
 receive the compressed code; 
 decode the compressed code to produce a channel, a date, and a time; and 
 control the scheduling of a recording with a particular one of the plurality of video recorders based on the channel, the date, and the time. 
   
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 30 , wherein the downloadable programmer is a remote control, the system further comprising a particular one of the plurality of video recorders that is configured to:
 receive at least the date and the time from the remote control; and   schedule a recording based on the received date and the received time.   
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 31 , further comprising, at the user site, a user equipment from the group consisting of a television, a cable box, and a satellite receiver, wherein:
 the remote control is further configured to communicate the channel to the user equipment at the scheduled date and the scheduled time; and   the user equipment is configured to:
 tune to the channel received from the remote control; and 
 communicate the media program to the particular one of the plurality of video recorders.