Picture-in-picture television receiver control

Claim 2

A television system having a picture-in-­picture television receiver including a display means with a screen capable of displaying a main picture and at least one picture-in-picture, a plurality of sources of information for display as said main picture and said at least one picture-in-picture, manually operable control means for controlling at least one feature of said main picture and for controlling at least one feature of said predetermined one of said at least one picture-in-picture, selection means for selecting whether said control means controls said at least one feature of said main picture or said at least one feature of said predetermined one of said at least one picture-in-picture in response to manual operation and an indicating means generator responsive to said selection means causing said display means to display on said screen indicating means indicating which of said pictures said control means will control upon manual operation.

Claim 3

A television system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said indicating means is an image associated with said predetermined one of said at least one picture-in-­picture when said selection means is operated to select said predetermined one for said control means to control.

Claim 4

A television system as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein said indicating means is an image associated with said main picture when said selection means is operated to select said main picture for said control means to control.

Claim 5

A television system as claimed in Claim 2 or 3, wherein said indicating means is a border on at least part of the edge of said picture-in-picture.

Claim 6

A television system as claimed in Claim 4, wherein said border is on the top and left side edges of said picture-in-picture.

Claim 7

A television system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the picture-in-picture television receiver is capable of displaying a main picture and at least one picture-in-picture, and includes a plurality of sources of information for display as said main picture and said at least one picture-in-picture, said manually operable control means being adapted for switching said main picture from one of said sources of information which it is capable of displaying to another such source and for switching said predetermined one of said at least one picture-in-picture from one of said sources of information which it is capable of displaying to another such source, said selection means being adapted for selecting whether said control means switches said main picture or said predetermined one of said at least one picture-in-picture between sources of information in response to manual operation and said indicating means generator being responsive to said selection means, causing said display means to display on said screen indicating means indicating which of said pictures said control means will switch between sources of information upon manual operation to cause such switching.

Claim 8

A television system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the receiver is capable of receiving a plurality of channels and having display means with a screen capable of providing a picture-in-picture display whereby the display means displays a main picture of information received from a first channel being received by said television receiver and whereby the display means displays a smaller picture than the main picture of information received from a second channel being received by said television receiver; first tuner means for switching said main picture from said first channel to any other of said plurality of channels received by said television receiver; second tuner means for switching said smaller picture from said second channel to any other of said plurality of channels received by said television receiver; said manually operable control means being adapted for enabling either said first tuner means to operate to switch channels or said second tuner means to switch channels; said selection means being adapted for selecting which of the tuner means said manually operable control means will enable; and said indicating means generator being enabled by said manually operable control means to cause said display means to display indicating means on said screen indicating which of said tuner means is enabled.