System and method for archiving multiple downloaded recordable media content

• US 20030005454A1
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Published: 01/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tech 5 SAS
• Original Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta LLC (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rodriguez, Arturo A., Hammett, Geoffrey G., Beebe, Randolph R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,512,964 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/89
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23617 by inserting additional data into a data carousel, e.g. inserting software modules into a DVB carousel arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2542 for selling goods, e.g. TV shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4349 by extracting from data carousels, e.g. extraction of software modules from a DVB carousel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/60 Network structure or processes for video distribution between server and client or between remote clients; Control signalling between clients, server and network components; Transmission of management data between server and client , e.g. sending from server to client commands for recording incoming content stream; Communication details between server and client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6168 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A recordable media content archiving system in a subscriber network. The recordable media content archiving system comprises, among other elements, a memory for storing recordable media content characterizing information, a storage device for storing a plurality of portable mediums, and a processor configured with the memory to receive the recordable media content characterizing information into the memory, wherein the processor is further configured to provide a user interface for the recordable media content archiving system.

Claims

1. A recordable media content archiving system in a subscriber network, said recordable media content archiving system comprising:

a memory for storing recordable media content characterizing information;

a storage device for storing a plurality of portable mediums; and

a processor configured with the memory to receive the recordable media content characterizing information into the memory, wherein the processor is further configured to provide a user interface for the recordable media content archiving system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the recordable media content characterizing information is organized into database records with multiple fields.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the recordable media content characterizing information is stored in the storage device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the recordable media content characterizing information is stored in the portable mediums.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface is configured as a plurality of archive screens.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the archive screen are configured with pre-configured categories.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the pre-configured categories are selected from a group consisting of:

recordable media content, genre, descriptive information, and the portable mediums.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the portable mediums are categorized into pre-configured default mediums corresponding to the characterizing information on the recordable media content.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the archive screens comprise a display of the categories and user selections within the categories.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the categories and the user selections are displayed in a pre-configured format.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the categories and the user selections are displayed in a user-defined format.

13. The system of claim 6, wherein the screens are configured to enable the user to edit the categories and user selections within the categories.

14. The system of claim 5, wherein the archive screens are configured to enable the user to search for recordable media among the plurality of portable mediums in the secondary storage device.

15. The system of claim 5, wherein the archive screens are configured to enable the user to search for characterizing information corresponding to the recordable media content among the plurality of portable mediums stored in the secondary storage device.

16. The system of claim 5, wherein the archive screens are configured to enable the user to create personalized categories.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to receive the recordable media content from a remote device within a subscriber network television system for storage in the portable mediums in the storage device.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to receive the recordable media content from a remote device external to the subscriber network television system for storage in the portable mediums in the storage device.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine if the proper portable medium is loaded in the secondary storage device.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to automatically load the proper portable medium of the secondary storage device.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the portable medium is categorized by title type.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to load the portable medium of the secondary storage device with a title type corresponding to the recordable media content.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to prompt the user to load the proper portable medium of the secondary storage device.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to receive user input from a remote device.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to categorize the recordable media content and the portable medium by user.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the processor is further configured to select the medium for receiving the downloaded recordable media content corresponding to the user that purchased the recordable media content.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the recordable media content in the portable mediums located in the secondary storage device have authorized access locks.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the authorized access locks have corresponding icons displayed on one of a plurality of screen displays to alert the user to the requirement for authorized access.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to enable a user to categorize recordable media content, and the plurality of portable mediums that store the recordable media content, into a structured archive, wherein the processor is further configured to receive the downloaded recordable media content into at least one of the portable mediums with characterizing information matching the downloaded recordable media content.

30. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor, the memory, and the storage device are located in a set top box.

31. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor, the memory, and the storage device are located in a headend.

8. The system of claim prior 6, wherein selections within the pre-configured categories include default selections corresponding to the characterizing information in the recordable media content.

32. A method for archiving recordable media content, comprising the step of:

providing a user interface for enabling a user to request a recordable media content download from a remote device for storage on at least one of a plurality of portable mediums located in a storage device, wherein the user interface further enables the user to categorize the recordable media content and the portable mediums into a structured archive; and

receiving and storing recordable media content characterizing information into a memory.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the step of providing of the user interface further includes the step of providing a plurality of archive screens.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the step of providing of archive screens further includes step of providing pre-configured categories.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the pre-configured categories are selected from a group consisting of:

recordable media content, genre, descriptive information, and the portable mediums.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the pre-configured categories are default categories corresponding to the characterizing information in the recordable media content.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein selections within the pre-configured categories include default selections corresponding to the characterizing information in the recordable media content

38. The method of claim 34, wherein the portable mediums are categorized into pre-configured default mediums corresponding to the characterizing information on the recordable media content.

39. The method of claim 34, wherein the archive screens include a display of the categories and user selections within the categories.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein the categories and the user selections are displayed in a pre-configured format.

41. The method of claim 38, wherein the categories and the user selections are displayed in a user-defined format.

42. The method of claim 33, wherein the screens are further configured to enable the user to edit the categories and user selections within the categories.

43. The method of claim 33, wherein the archive screens are further configured to enable the user to search for recordable media content among the plurality of portable mediums in the secondary storage device.

44. The method of claim 33, wherein the archive screens are further configured to enable the user to search for characterizing information corresponding to the recordable media content among the plurality of portable mediums stored in the secondary storage device.

45. The method of claim 33, wherein the archive screens enable the user to create personalized categories.

46. The method of claim 32, wherein the storing of the recordable media content characterizing information occurs in the storage device.

47. The method of claim 32, wherein the storing of the recordable media content characterizing information occurs in at least one of the portable mediums.

48. The method of claim 32, wherein the selecting of at least one of the portable mediums further comprises automatically loading a proper portable medium of the secondary storage device.

49. The method of claim 32, wherein the selecting of the portable medium further comprises prompting the user to load the proper medium of the secondary storage device.

50. The method of claim 32, wherein the selecting of the portable medium further comprises selecting the portable medium for receiving the downloaded recordable media content corresponding to the user that purchased the recordable media content.

51. The method of claim 32, further comprising configuring the recordable media content located on at least one of the portable mediums for authorized access.

52. The method of claim 32, wherein the receiving of recordable media content is from a remote device within a subscriber network television system.

53. The method of claim 32, wherein the receiving of recordable media content is from a remote device external to the subscriber network television system.

54. The method of claim 32, further comprising receiving user input from a remote device.

55. The method of claim 32, further comprising the step of selecting at least one of the plurality of portable mediums in the storage device for receiving the downloaded recordable media content with similar characterizing information to at least one of the portable mediums.

56. The method of claim 32, further comprising the step of receiving the downloaded portable media content in the selected portable medium.