AU654412B2 - Play or record list error detection - Google Patents

Description

AllZkr S F Ref: 225992

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT r rrar D a Do*r olroo i .I orra, L)a9* Lt ZI *a O n O

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ORIGINAL

Name and Address of Applicant: *4 50*4 *44 4 4 4 Sony (Australia) Pty Limited 33-39 Talavera Road North Ryde New South Wales 2113

AUSTRALIA

Shunsuke Sakoda Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: Spruson Ferguson, Patent Attorneys Level 33 St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia Play or Record List Error Detection ASSOCIATED PROVISIONAL APPLICATION DETAILS [31] Application No(s) [33] Country PK9688 AU [32] Application Date 25 November 1991 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- 5815/5 I -2- The present invention relates to automatic recording and transmission systems (ARTS) with multiple recording n'dia for use in broadcasting stations, and in particular, to a method of checking a proposed play or record list to detect errors.

BACKGROUND ART The ARTS essentially consists of numerous storage locations, a number of video cassette recorder/players (VCR's), an elevator or transport mechanism, and a plurality of video cassettes. The cassettes are stored at the storage locations and carried to and from the VCR's by the elevator when it is intended that the cassettes be either recorded or played.

A sequence of events (typically commercial messages) are transmitted within a commercial break. The commercial messages must be transmitted without any gaps in order to provide a continuous signal for the viewer and during the one commercial break in a network, different broadcasting stations within the network can transmit different commercial messages. The ARTS is able to both record material transmitted to it from a central network studio for storage on site, or broadcast stored material in the desired sequence. Irrespective of which operation is being carried out, a list (record list or a playlist respectively) of the intended events is created. It is necessary that such a list be checked for timing errors prior to implementation.

o0:* Hitherto such checking has been carried out by computer by means of a complicated mathematical algorithm. This has the problem that although errors are detected, the nature of the change required to correct the error is not always apparent. The processing speed can also be slow if the computer is heavily loaded.

.The object of the present invention is to provide a different method of checking a proposed playlist (or recording list) by simulating 30 the intended sequence of events to thereby not only detect an error but r provide the operator with a better indication as to the nature of the HRF/0531o -3change required to correct the error.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a method of checking a proposed record list or playlist in an automatic recording and transmission system, said list comprising a sequence of events of known duration to be actioned by one or more items of equipment, said method comprising the steps of assigning worse case times to anticipated delays, simulating the intended sequence of events by moving sequentially through the list and inserting the delays to create an event elapsed time, and displaying both the event elapsed time relative to the intended list time and the status of each of said items of equipment as a function of time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic front elevation of an automatic recording and transmission system, Fig. 2 schematically illustrates the transport mechanism which moves stored cassettes to VCR's, Fig. 3 schematically illustrates a playlist, and Fig. 4 is a graphical display of the simulated playlist sequence ;illustrating errors.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION i* As seen in Figs. 1 and 2, the ARTS 1 consists essentially of a large number of storage locations 2 each of which holds a video cassette 3 which is insertable into, and removable from, a storage location by means of a transport mechanism termed an elevator 4. The elevator 4 transports the cassettes 3 into, and removes them from, a number of VCR's 30 The time taken to remove a cassette 3 from a particular VCR 5 and insert the next cassette 3 into the VCR 5 is termed the elevator time and HRF/0531o i 'i j ;i

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a 1 i: i i ;j i4 t r x i i i: it i:I t: i -Y i I o~r t i -4is typically approximately 9.5 seconds. This time is substantially independent of the position of the relevant storage location(s). For the purpose of the error detection a worse case elevator time, or a maximum elevator time, is assumed. Once the cassette has been inserted in the VCR the tape is cued up and its preroll started to synchronise the tape signal. The typical worse case preroll time is of the order of 27.7 seconds.

After the tape has been recorded, or the contents of the tape played, which takes a designated duration or event time, a certain postroll time elapses before the cassette is able to be removed from the VCR by the elevator. Typical worse case oostroll times are of the order of 6 seconds.

In addition to the requirements dictated by the recording or broadcast system, namely that only one event should be recording or 15 broadcast at any given time, and that sequential events should occur without any overlap or gap therebetween, additional requirements are also imposed because of the nature of the ARTS mechanism itself. In particular, the elevator 4 is only capable of transporting a single cassette at one time. In addition, each VCR 5 is only able to record or 20 play a single cassette at the one time. Further complexities arise where there is a two channel output system since it is then necessary for two VCR's 5 to be transmitting at the same time.

Fig. 3 illustrates a typical playlist for a single channel with the starting time of each of four commercial messages being indicated with the duration of each commercial message being indicated together with the channel on which the message is to be broadcast. It will be seen that from the initial start time, the sum of the durations of the previous commercial messages determines the start time of the next commercial message.

In order to simulate an intended playlist, for each VCR a possible status from the following is assumed.

44« 4I It HRF/0531o

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I -L I Status 1 corresponds to the postroll time and is assigned a time length T1. Status 2 is the elevator time during which the VCR is waiting for the elevator to remove one cassette and pickup and insert the next cassette. This allocated the time T2.

Status 3 corresponds to the preroll time and is allocated the time T3.

Status 4 is the recording or transmission duration which is designated by the event in the record or playlist. This is allocated the time T4. At the conclusion of Status 4, Status 1 recommences.

The method of checking the timing of replay for each Event is as follows: The i th VCR is denoted by VCR(i), which has one of the four possible states. Status 1 of the VCR(1) starts with remaining time Tr(1)=T1 and reduces its value according to the time elapsed. Nhen the VCR(1) changes its status from Status 1 to Status 2, it starts from Tr(1)=T2 and reduces its value as time elapses. This method finds the time when any of the VCR(i) needs to change its status as this is indicated by Tr(i)=0.

In all those processes, the actions such as cue-up (Status 3), recording/transmission (Status 4) and the rewind (Status 1) are done in 20 sequence in a VCR, but concurrently for the different VCRs. However, *the actions of the Elevator (Status 2) cannot be done for more than one •VCR at the same time.

Another thing to be considered is that the same cassette cannot be used by a VCR while it is being used by another VCR.

The flow-chart is shown below: ooa Soa 0a HRF/0531o L L1~

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START

Read playlist Set all initial parameters Set elEpsed time: Te minimum non-zero remainin VCR(i): Tr(i) or Te duration to the next star Event whichever is smalle Reduce all non-zero remaining time: Tr(i) and increase current time: Tc by elapsed time: Te Tr(i)= Tri Te; Tc Tc Te 4I g time for all ting time of an r

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F* I or all VCRs which have 0 remaining time: Tr(i) 0 i.e. for any VCR which is going to change its status If the VCR is in Status 1 (after postroll and rewind) If any other VCR is using the Elevator (in Status 2) then wait until the Elevator is released else if the next Cassette is being used by any other VCR then wait until the Event Id is released else if the playlist has no more Events then STOP else change its Status to Status 2 remaining time Tr(i) T2 If the VCR is in Status 2 (after new cassette has been served) change its Status to Status 3 remaining time Tr(i) T3 SIf the VCR is in Status 3 (after cue-up) If the start time of the Event is: Tc then wait until the start time comes Tc then ERROR message is issued and current time is adjusted Tc then change its Status to Status 4 remaining time Tr(i) T4 SIf the VCR is in Status 4 (after replay) change its Status to Status 1 remaining time Tr(1) T1 C I

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loop to next VCR end VCR then go to next step HRF/0531o -7- In every cycle after the stepping forward of the current time, the output is emitted for displaying which is explained below in connection with Fig. 4.

In Fig. 4 a playlist consisting of six sequential events Rl-R6 is indicated, each of the events being the replay of a commercial message stored in a corresponding video cassette. Immediately following the replay R comes the postroll period P, the elevator transfer time E and the cueing up or preroll time C. Time is indicated along the horizontal axis. For the first VCR, VCR1, the sequence of events is replay 1, postroll 1, elevator 4, preroll 4. Then there is a small gap until the commencement of replay 4 which is not scheduled to take place until the cessation of replay 3. Thus there is sufficient time to load the appropriate cassette and cue it up before replay 4 commences. Following replay 4 postroll 4 (not illustrated) commences and so on.

For the second VCR, the sequence of events is replay 2, postroll 2, elevator 5, preroll 5, and replay 5. For the third VCR the sequence of events is replay 3, postroll 3, elevator 6, preroll 6, and event 6.

It will be seen from Fig. 4 that the events comprising replays 1, 2, 3, and 4 are correctly scheduled because each replay ends and the next starts instantaneously and no VCR is attempting to replay with any gap or overlap. However, there is a timing error between replay 4 and replay 5 since replay 5 is delayed by the cue or preroll time Therefore there is a gap between the end of replay 4 and the commencement of replay 5. This is visually apparent immediately because of the gap in time between R4 and Similarly, there is an error occurring in the scheduling for VCR 3 .o in that replay 6 is required to commence before the end of the preroll time C6.

In the event of the detection of an error, the simulation 30 continues to detect any possible further errors.

o 3 4 4* i i HRF/0531o IA- n7 -8- The above described arrangement can be expanded to handle the case of more than one channel. In the case of two channels, two VCRs can have Status 4 at the same time. In the case of three channels, three VCRs can have Status 4 at the same time, and so on.

In the event of an additional either internal or external VCR which can be used in the playlist, external VCRs can be added which do not use the ARTS elevator 4. Such external VCRs are allowed to take Status 2 independently from the other internal VCRs.

With such additional VCRs for assignment of specific functions, more than one function can be allocated in the combined playlist. For example, simultaneous recording and transmission can be done by using two exclusive groups of VCRs.

In the event that the position of the recorded video signals in the cassette is known, then the time duration necessary for cueing up, T3, can be calculated. In this circumstance T3 can be variable and this variable time can be used rather than a constant assumed worse case time. Under these circumstances the accuracy of the error checking would be improved.

A major advantage of the present invention is that the checking of 20 the playlist is conducted quickly and the results accurately displayed in a way in which the operator can easily determine what is required to .correct the detected errors. This is especially important when the S.,modification of the playlist is carried out very close to the actual starting time of the modified events. For example, a change in the scheduling of advertisements can be carried out minutes before the intended starting time of the advertisements because of the flexibility o, o° of the above described arrangements.

The foregoing describes only one embodiment of the present invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the art, can be 30 made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention.

HRF/0531o

Claims (8)

1. A method of checking a proposed record list or playlist in an automatic recording and transmission system, said list comprising a sequence of events of known duration to be actioned by one or more items of equipment, said method comprising the steps of assigning worse case times to anticipated delays, simulating the intended sequence of events by moving sequentially through the list and inserting the delays to create an event elapsed time, and displaying both the event elapsed time relative to the intended list time and the status of each of said items !i of equipment as a function of time.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein an error is indicated if event elapsed time exceeds the intended playlist time.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein an error is indicated if the elapsed time of one event does not co-incide with the intended list time of the subsequent event in said sequence of events.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2 or 3 wherein said moving sequentially through the playlist resumes after the indication of an error.

A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the event for each said item of equipment is displayed as a function of time t alongside each other with a common origin whereby any gap or overlap between events indicates a timing error.

6. A method as clairmed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein said I list comprises a sequence of events to be actioned simultaneously on more than one channel.

7. A method as claimed in any one of claims,l to 6 wherein said S.list includes simultaneous transmission and alg\- nd said items of equipment are allocated into two corresponding exclusive groups.

8. A method of checking a proposed record list or playlist in an automatic recording and transmission system, said method being substantially as described with reference to the drawings. DATED this SEVENTEENTH day of NOVEMBER 1992 Sony (Australia) Pty Limited Patent Attorneys for the Applicant 4- /SPRUSON FERGUSON If a Play or Record. List Error Detection I ABSTRACT A method of checking a proposed record list or play (transmission) list in an automatic recording and transmission system (ARTS) is disclosed. The various items of equipment of the ARTS have anticipated delay times and a worst case delay time is allocated to each. The intended sequence of events is simulated by moving sequentially through the list and inserting the allocated delay times to create an event elapsed time. The elapsed time is displayed relative to the intended list time and the status of the equipment items to allow any errors to be visually detected. Figure 1. ttt t itt HRF 0531o L