Broadcast Receiver Surf Return Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
TV users face frustration due to the lack of automatic notification when a commercial break or half-time pause ends, leading to missed programming and inefficient channel surfing.
Innovation Solution
A user-configurable 'surf return' function in enhanced broadcast tuners that detects sub-program transitions, such as commercial breaks, and automatically returns to the original channel or signal source, allowing users to tune to alternate programming during interim times.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If users manually channel surf to avoid commercials, then they can watch alternate programming during commercial breaks, but they miss the original program when it returns and experience user frustration
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a timer to automatically return the receiver to the original channel after a predetermined time period following detection of a sub-program transition. This automated feedback mechanism eliminates the need for manual channel checking and determines the optimal return time without user intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection of sub-program transitions (such as commercial breaks) and automatically schedules the channel return action in advance based on predetermined time parameters, preparing the system to return to the original program without requiring user decision-making at the moment of return.
2Ease of operation
If the channel return key is used, then the receiver returns to the last stored channel, but it may not be the original program of interest and requires manual operation
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors for sub-program transitions and uses timer feedback to automatically return to the precisely stored original channel, eliminating manual operation errors and ensuring reliable return to the correct program of interest.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs the channel return operation autonomously based on detected sub-program transitions and predetermined time parameters, serving itself to return to the original program without requiring user intervention or manual key presses.
3Reliability
If users continuously monitor the original channel to check when programming resumes, then they can return at the right time, but this requires constant manual attention and increases frustration
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects sub-program transitions and manages the return to the original channel based on predetermined time parameters, eliminating the need for continuous manual monitoring while maintaining reliable timing for returning to the correct program.
Solution Approach 2:
The timer-based feedback mechanism automatically determines the optimal return time after detecting sub-program transitions, providing reliable timing information without requiring user attention or manual monitoring of the broadcast content.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for automatically tuning a primary broadcast receiver using a secondary broadcast receiver to receive a first broadcast signal corresponding to a source of an origin program, one or more program transition detectors to monitor first broadcast signal tuned by the secondary broadcast receiver to determine and signal a transition from a non-original program content to origin program content while a user views or hears alternate programming from a primary broadcast receiver, and automatically tuning of the primary broadcast receiver to the first broadcast signal upon detection by the program transition detector that one or more of user-specific tune conditions have been met.