Television system scheduler with on-screen menu type programming

Abstract

Programming apparatus for a scheduler of a television receiver or VCR for automatically tuning the system to channels corresponding to future programs requires, in its simplest form, only a single programming key for initiating the programming operation and digit keys for normally entering channel numbers. This is made possible by apparatus for displaying on the screen of the television receiver or, in the case of a VCR, an associated television receiver or monitor step-by-step instructions for entering the scheduling information. In response to pushing the programming key, a numbered list (or 'menu') of various possible programming modes, e.g., scheduling programs to be selected only once, scheduling programs to be selected on a daily basis or scheduling programs to be selected on a weekly basis, is displayed. Thereafter any of the programming modes can be initiated by pushing the appropriate digit key. Thereafter, the user is prompted to push appropriate digit keys to enter the starting and ending times and channel numbers of programs to be scheduled until blanks following descriptive titles of the data that is to be entered are filled in.