Personal video recording with storage space loans

• US 20030237085A1
• Filed: 06/25/2002
• Published: 12/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Paolini, Michael A., Brown, Michael Wayne, Boston, Stephen B., Hately, Andrew Douglas, Blaschke, David Earl
• Granted Patent: US 7,529,471 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/00 Driving, starting, stopping record carriers not specifically of filamentary or web form, or of supports therefor; Control thereof; Control of operating function ; Driving both disc and head
• 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 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44029 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8047 using transform coding

Abstract

Automated personal video recording for multi-user personal video recorders having a multiplicity of registered users, each user having allocated storage space on the PVR which allocated storage space for each user includes storage space upon which shows are recorded and storage space upon which shows have not been recorded (free space), including recording for a borrower a show owned by the borrower, the show having a storage space requirement exceeding the borrower'"'"'s free space by a deficit amount; selecting, in dependence upon the deficit amount, one or more lenders, wherein the lenders are users, registered on the PVR, having free space; and borrowing, in dependence upon the deficit amount, from the lenders for the borrower, at least one loan amount of storage space. Embodiments include returning from the borrower to the lender the deficit amount after displaying the show to the borrower or upon repossession by a lender.

Claims

1. A method for automated personal video recording on a multi-user personal video recorder (“

PVR”

), the method comprising;

recording for a borrower a show owned by the borrower, the borrower being a user having allocated storage space on the PVR optionally including free space, the show having a storage space requirement exceeding the borrower'"'"'s free space by a deficit amount;

selecting, in dependence upon the deficit amount, one or more lenders, wherein the lenders are users having allocated storage space on the PVR including free space; and

borrowing, in dependence upon the deficit amount, from the lenders for the borrower, at least one loan amount of storage space.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising returning from the borrower to the lender the deficit amount after displaying the show to the borrower.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting lenders further comprises:

determining whether lenders authorize borrowing.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting lenders further comprises:

determining whether the borrower is authorized to borrow from the lenders.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting lenders is carried out in dependence upon a lending authorization record comprising:

an identification of a lender; and

a maximum loan amount of storage space authorized for borrowing from the lender.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the lending authorization record further comprises an identification of a borrower authorized to borrow from the lender identified in the lending authorization record no more than the maximum loan amount identified in the lending authorization record.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting a lender comprises selecting as lenders one or more users whose free space is at least equal to the deficit amount.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting a lender comprises selecting as the lender a user who, among all users having free space at least equal to the deficit amount, has the highest ratio of free space to allocated storage space.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein each user has a priority rating and selecting a lender comprises selecting, in dependence upon the priority ratings, lenders whose free space is at least equal to the deficit amount.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

recording a show for a lender, the show having a storage space requirement exceeding the lender'"'"'s free space;

determining whether other free space is available for lending from other users to the lender, and

if no other free space is available for lending to the lender, returning from the borrower to the lender at least part of the loan amount.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the lender'"'"'s lending loan amounts to more than one borrower, wherein returning from the borrower to the lender at least part of the loan amount includes returning at least parts of loan amounts from more than one borrower.

12. A system for automated personal video recording on a multi-user personal video recorder (“

PVR”

), the system comprising;

means for recording for a borrower a show owned by the borrower, the borrower being a user having allocated storage space on the PVR optionally including free space, the show having a storage space requirement exceeding the borrower'"'"'s free space by a deficit amount;

means for selecting, in dependence upon the deficit amount, one or more lenders, wherein the lenders are users having allocated storage space on the PVR including free space; and

means for borrowing, in dependence upon the deficit amount, from the lenders for the borrower, at least one loan amount of storage space.

13. The system of claim 12 further comprising means for returning from the borrower to the lender the deficit amount after displaying the show to the borrower.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein means for selecting lenders further comprises:

means for determining whether lenders authorize borrowing.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein means for selecting lenders further comprises:

means for determining whether the borrower is authorized to borrow from the lenders.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein means for selecting lenders is carried out in dependence upon a lending authorization record comprising:

an identification of a lender; and

a maximum loan amount of storage space authorized for borrowing from the lender.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the lending authorization record further comprises an identification of a borrower authorized to borrow from the lender identified in the lending authorization record no more than the maximum loan amount identified in the lending authorization record.

18. The system of claim 12 wherein means for selecting a lender comprises means for selecting as lenders one or more users whose free space is at least equal to the deficit amount.

19. The system of claim 12 wherein means for selecting a lender comprises means for selecting as the lender a user who, among all users having free space at least equal to the deficit amount, has the highest ratio of free space to allocated storage space.

20. The system of claim 12 wherein each user has a priority rating and means for selecting a lender comprises means for selecting, in dependence upon the priority ratings, lenders whose free space is at least equal to the deficit amount.

21. The system of claim 12 further comprising:

means for recording a show for a lender, the show having a storage space requirement exceeding the lender'"'"'s free space;

means for determining whether other free space is available for lending from other users to the lender, and

if no other free space is available for lending to the lender, means for returning from the borrower to the lender at least part of the loan amount.

22. The system of claim 21 further comprising the lender'"'"'s lending loan amounts to more than one borrower, wherein means for returning from the borrower to the lender at least part of the loan amount includes returning at least parts of loan amounts from more than one borrower.

23. A computer program product for automated personal video recording on a multi-user personal video recorder (“

PVR”

), the computer program product comprising;

a recording medium;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for recording for a borrower a show owned by the borrower, the borrower being a user having allocated storage space on the PVR optionally including free space, the show having a storage space requirement exceeding the borrower'"'"'s free space by a deficit amount;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for selecting, in dependence upon the deficit amount, one or more lenders, wherein the lenders are users having allocated storage space on the PVR including free space; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for borrowing, in dependence upon the deficit amount, from the lenders for the borrower, at least one loan amount of storage space.

24. The computer program product of claim 23 further comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for returning from the borrower to the lender the deficit amount after displaying the show to the borrower.

25. The computer program product of claim 23 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for selecting lenders further comprises:

means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining whether lenders authorize borrowing.

26. The computer program product of claim 23 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for selecting lenders further comprises:

means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining whether the borrower is authorized to borrow from the lenders.

27. The computer program product of claim 23 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for selecting lenders is carried out in dependence upon a lending authorization record comprising:

an identification of a lender; and

a maximum loan amount of storage space authorized for borrowing from the lender.

28. The computer program product of claim 27 wherein the lending authorization record further comprises an identification of a borrower authorized to borrow from the lender identified in the lending authorization record no more than the maximum loan amount identified in the lending authorization record.

29. The computer program product of claim 23 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for selecting a lender comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for selecting as lenders one or more users whose free space is at least equal to the deficit amount.

30. The computer program product of claim 23 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for selecting a lender comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for selecting as the lender a user who, among all users having free space at least equal to the deficit amount, has the highest ratio of free space to allocated storage space.

31. The computer program product of claim 23 wherein each user has a priority rating and means, recorded on the recording medium, for selecting a lender comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for selecting, in dependence upon the priority ratings, lenders whose free space is at least equal to the deficit amount.

32. The computer program product of claim 23 further comprising:

means, recorded on the recording medium, for recording a show for a lender, the show having a storage space requirement exceeding the lender'"'"'s free space;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining whether other free space is available for lending from other users to the lender, and

if no other free space is available for lending to the lender, means, recorded on the recording medium, for returning from the borrower to the lender at least part of the loan amount.

33. The computer program product of claim 32 further comprising the lender'"'"'s lending loan amounts to more than one borrower, wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for returning from the borrower to the lender at least part of the loan amount includes returning at least parts of loan amounts from more than one borrower.