Delivery of feedback information to scheduling service to determine optimum broadcast times based upon client platform tuner contention

• US 20030051239A1
• Filed: 09/13/2001
• Published: 03/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Hudspeth, John W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,703,118 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26208 the scheduling operation being performed under constraints
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

Delivery of feedback information to a scheduling service to determine optimum broadcast times based upon client platform tuner contention is described. A usage pattern of an electronic media device is recorded. The usage pattern is communicated to a scheduling server. Media content is received during a time period selected by the scheduling server based upon the usage pattern.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

recording a usage pattern of an electronic media device;

communicating the usage pattern to a scheduling server; and

receiving media content during a time period selected by the scheduling server based upon the usage pattern.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the media content for use by the electronic media device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the recording is comprised of recording at least one of the group consisting of:

day of use;

time of use; and

elapsed time of use.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage pattern comprises a pattern of interaction by a user with the electronic media device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the pattern of interaction comprises at least one of the group consisting of:

turning the electronic media device on or off;

adjusting the channel or frequency of the electronic media device;

adjusting the volume of the electronic media device; and

recording data with the electronic media device.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein an interaction of the user with the electronic media device is not communicated to the scheduling server if a duration of time between the interaction and an immediately previous interaction exceeds a predefined duration.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the time period selected by the scheduling server is a time period calculated by the scheduling server to have a predefined likelihood that the client device is not being used by a user to receive real-time broadcast media content.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic media device is selected from the group consisting of:

a television (TV);

an audio receiver; and

a digital processing system.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising purging the usage pattern that has been recorded after the usage pattern has been communicated to the scheduling server.

10. A method comprising:

receiving a usage pattern of an electronic media device at a scheduling server; and

calculating in the scheduling server an optimal schedule in which to broadcast media content based upon the usage pattern.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising broadcasting the media content.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the optimal schedule comprises a time period having a pre-defined likelihood of a receiving device communicatively coupled to the electronic media device being able to receive the media content.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the electronic media device is selected from the group consisting of:

a television (TV);

an audio receiver; and

a digital processing system.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising storing the usage pattern at the scheduling server.

15. A method comprising:

recording a usage pattern of an electronic media device;

communicating the usage pattern to a scheduling server;

receiving the usage pattern at the scheduling server;

calculating in the scheduling server an optimal schedule in which to broadcast media content based upon the usage pattern; and

receiving media content during a time period selected by the scheduling server based upon the usage pattern.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising broadcasting the media content.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising storing the usage pattern at the scheduling server.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising storing the media content for use by the electronic media device.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a client device communicatively coupled to an electronic media device to record a usage pattern of the electronic media device by a user and to communicate the usage pattern to a scheduling server; and

the scheduling server communicatively coupled to the client device to receive the usage pattern from the client device, and to calculate an optimal schedule in which to broadcast media content to the client device based upon the usage pattern.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a media broadcast device communicatively coupled to the scheduling server to broadcast the media content to the client device.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the media broadcast device is a component of the scheduling server.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a media storage device communicatively coupled to the client device to store media content that has been broadcasted for usage by the electronic media device.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the media storage device is a component of the client device.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the electronic media device is selected from the group consisting of:

a television (TV);

an audio receiver; and

a digital processing system.

25. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a backchannel to facilitate communication between the client device and the scheduling server.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the backchannel is implemented by at least one of the group consisting of:

an analog modem;

a digital modem; and

a DOCSIS cable modem.

27. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the optimal schedule comprises a time period having a pre-defined likelihood of the client device being able to receive the media content.

28. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the client device is a set-top box.

29. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, which if executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform a method comprising:

recording a usage pattern of an electronic media device;

communicating the usage pattern to a scheduling server; and

receiving media content during a time period selected by the scheduling server based upon the usage pattern.

30. The machine-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the method further comprises storing media content to be used by the electronic media device.

31. The machine-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the method further comprises purging the usage pattern that has been recorded after the usage pattern has been communicated to the scheduling server.

32. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, which if executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform a method comprising:

receiving a usage pattern of an electronic media device at a scheduling server; and

calculating in the scheduling server an optimal schedule in which to broadcast media content based upon the usage pattern.

33. The machine-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the method further comprises broadcasting the media content.

34. The machine-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the method further comprises storing the usage pattern at the scheduling server.

35. A system comprising:

a client device communicatively coupled to an electronic media device to record a usage pattern of the electronic media device by a user and to communicate the usage pattern to a scheduling server; and

the scheduling server communicatively coupled to the client device to receive the usage pattern from the client device, and to calculate an optimal schedule in which to broadcast media content to the client device based upon the usage pattern.

36. The system of claim 35, further comprising a media broadcast device communicatively coupled to the scheduling server to broadcast the media content to the client device.

37. The system of claim 35, further comprising a media storage device communicatively coupled to the client device to store media content that has been broadcasted for usage by the electronic media device.

38. A system comprising:

a processing unit;

a memory coupled to the processing unit through a bus; and

a tuner contention feedback information communication process executed from the memory by the processing unit to record and communicate a usage pattern of an electronic media device to a scheduling server and to receive media content during a time period selected by the scheduling server based upon the usage pattern.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the electronic media device is selected from the group consisting of:

a television (TV);

an audio receiver; and

a digital processing system.

40. The system of claim 38, further comprising a backchannel interface to facilitate communication between the client device and the scheduling server over a backchannel.