US 4,706,121 · Granted 1987-11-10

The 1987 Patent That Invented the TV Guide You Hold Today

Before Netflix, YouTube, and streaming apps, someone had to figure out how to let you browse what's on TV and record shows automatically. This patent from 1987 describes the first system that combined a TV schedule guide with a remote control so you could tell your TV what to record without being home.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers a system that receives broadcast TV schedule information (via FM radio), displays it to a user, accepts their selections through a wireless remote control, stores those selections in memory, and then automatically tunes the TV receiver and controls a VCR to record the selected programs at their broadcast times. What's protected is the combination of receiving schedule data, processing user selections, storing program info, and automatically controlling both the tuner and recording device.

Why it matters

This patent captures the foundational logic of modern program guides and DVR systems. At the time, recording TV required manual tuning and timing; this invention automated the entire workflow. The patent bridged broadcast schedules (transmitted via FM data signals) with consumer electronics control, creating the blueprint for interactive television systems that would eventually evolve into digital video recorders and on-screen program guides.

Real-world use

Every time you use your cable box or streaming device's program guide to schedule a recording, or when your DVR automatically records a show you selected from an on-screen menu, you're using the core logic this patent established in 1987.

Original USPTO abstract

A system (90) controls a television receiver (126) to allow user selection of broadcast programs from schedule information. A data processor (110) is connected to receive the schedule information from an FM receiver (94), decoder (98) and data demodulator (102). A user remote control transmitter 116-remote receiver (118) combination supplies user selection inputs to the data processor (110). The data processor (110) selects programs from the schedule information based on the user inputs. The schedule information for the selected programs is stored in a memory (111), and is used by the data processor (110) to control a programmable TV tuner (132) to provide the broadcast signals for the selected programs to the TV receiver (126) at the time of broadcast. The system (90) can also be used to control a VCR (150) for unattended recording of the selected programs.

Patent details

Publication number: US 4,706,121
Filing date: 1986-05-06
Grant date: 1987-11-10
Assignee: Patrick Young
Inventor(s): YOUNG; PATRICK
CPC class: H04N21/858

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