Television Receiver Timer Prioritization for Scheduling Conflicts

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Television receivers often face scheduling conflicts when recording multiple programs, leading to frustration as one or more programs may not be recorded due to overlapping time slots, with existing systems requiring manual user intervention to resolve conflicts.

Innovation Solution

A television receiver with control circuitry that automatically assigns priority levels to conflicting programs based on factors like air frequency, original airings, reruns, and live events, ensuring that less frequently aired programs or live events are prioritized and recorded over more frequently aired ones.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the television receiver records multiple media programs with overlapping time slots, then the user can access more content, but scheduling conflicts cause some programs to not be recorded

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprogram recording capacityVSAvoidprogram recording reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The control circuitry automatically detects scheduling conflicts and resolves them by assigning priority levels to programs based on their air frequency, eliminating the need for manual user intervention to resolve conflicts and ensuring reliable recording without sacrificing additional content access

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system pre-establishes priority rules based on program air frequency before conflicts occur, allowing automatic resolution of scheduling conflicts by recording less frequently aired programs first, thereby maintaining high program recording reliability while preserving the ability to access diverse content

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Ease of operation

If the television receiver manually resolves scheduling conflicts by prompting the user, then the user can control recording decisions, but this requires additional user intervention and time

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser control over recordingVSAvoiduser intervention time

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The control circuitry autonomously detects scheduling conflicts and automatically resolves them by assigning priority levels based on program air frequency, completely eliminating the need for manual user intervention and time investment while maintaining intelligent recording control

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Productivity

If the television receiver assigns higher priority to programs that air more frequently, then more programs can be recorded, but less frequently aired programs may be missed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprogram recording volumeVSAvoidrare program recording reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system inverts the conventional priority assignment by giving higher priority to programs that air less frequently, ensuring that rare programs are recorded first and more frequently aired programs can be recorded later, thereby maintaining both high recording volume and reliable capture of less common content

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentUS8798444B1Automatic prioritization of timers based on frequency

Publication Date: 2014.08.05 DISH TECHNOLOGIES LLC

AI summary

A television receiver includes control circuitry and a DVR. The control circuitry is configured to receive a request to record first and second media programs to the DVR. The control circuitry determines if there is a scheduling conflict between the first and second media programs. If there is a scheduling conflict the control circuitry counts the number of times that each of the first and second media programs will air in a given time period and assigns a higher recording priority to the media program that will air fewer times.